A University of Kentucky coach made several female athletes uncomfortable with late-night visits, overly physical hugs, personal comments about their bodies, frequent texts and direct messages, gifts and conversations about sex, according to a Nov. 21, 2025, investigative report the school produced.

The judge said the impeachment petition, filed by a former state lawmaker, lacked an affidavit, making it null.

Kentucky lawmakers are moving a bill to strip power from the state and local human rights commissions that enforce civil rights law for the public, instead directing aggrieved people to hire lawyers and file lawsuits.

A Lexington council candidate who was recently charged with felony assault may not live in the council district he has filed to run in, according to court records.

Federal law prohibits conversion devices that allow guns to be fired more rapidly, but local police chiefs say a sate ban is also necessary.

Rep. Nancy Tate, R-Brandenburg, filed a bill in the state House that would ban commercial surrogacy in Kentucky.

Under a bill passed Monday by the Kentucky House of Representatives, artificial intelligence would be banned from providing therapeutic treatment plans.

After meeting in closed session for nearly two hours on Monday night, the Fayette County schools board set another special meeting for next week but would not say why. Monday’s private discussion and the announcement of a special meeting come amid discussion about the superintendent's performance.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, who turns 84 this month, has been hospitalized with “flu-like symptoms,” according to a spokesperson from the senator’s office.

Yesterday's report about the KY DJJ: Nearly all of Kentucky’s eight state-run juvenile detention centers struggled through 2025 without enough staff, a problem that has undermined the correctional facilities for years, according to public records obtained by the Herald-Leader.

The long saga between Rep. Daniel Grossberg and the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission came to a quiet end on Monday when the Louisville Democrat and his attorney agreed to a settlement and reprimand just before a public hearing into his conduct was set to take place.

They're out of executive session. Grossberg is waiving the adjudicatory hearing and accepting a settlement with the commission. No public hearing. Public reprimand coming.

A former KY state rep. filed a petition Wednesday to impeach Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Goodman over her handling of six different cases in Lexington. Killian Timoney announced the impeachment petition via Facebook post. @austin-horn.bsky.social Read more at: www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

The big school district financial transparency bill gets bipartisan support in the KY legislature. It's posted for a vote on the Senate floor Monday. www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s office is asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Herald-Leader in an effort to access his calendar. The administration argues the 30-year-old appellate court case used to withhold calendars is the "practical, workable, reasoned & only approach.”

Under a bill advancing in the Senate, Kentuckians convicted of certain nonviolent felonies could avoid prison if judges decide it would be better for them to remain in the community on probation while they continue to care for their dependent children.

An outstanding, must-read column by @lblackford.bsky.social. www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-e...

Beshear responds: “Sorry for missing this earlier... Been busy leading my state’s emergency response all day. From Kentucky.”

Attorney General Russell Coleman’s office sent subpoenas to six gas stations in Western Kentucky counties — Christian, Logan and Simpson — that had advertisements for abortion medication, according to a Jan. 23 news release from his office.

A familiar face with deep ties to Kentucky is coming back to the Herald-Leader:

🚨 There's a new John Cheves investigation out today. 🚨

Chuck Meade will remain chair while the attorney’s generals office reviews Kentucky’s hunting- and fishing-license exemption.

GOP State Rep. TJ Roberts filed legislation that would require Kentucky to participate in the federal tax credit scholarship program.

OpEd: We have a responsibility to reignite and re-fuel the American Dream. In Kentucky, we are showing the way forward.

Last person left at city hall turn the lights out... From @adrianpbryant.bsky.social:

The prosecutor who charged a Kentucky woman with fetal homicide for taking abortion medication says she sought office with "the intention of being a pro-life prosecutor." But, the prosecutor admitted, state law prohibits prosecuting a pregnant woman in such a case. www.kentucky.com/news/local/c...

Robert Stivers just became the longest-serving senate president in the history of Kentucky & is one of its most powerful people. An inside look into how he's already shaped the state, what he wants to do next & some lingering questions about his role. www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

A Kentucky woman was indicted by a grand jury today for first-degree fetal homicide after taking abortion medication without a doctor’s advisement. She was also indicted for concealing the birth of an infant, abuse of a corpse & tampering with physical evidence, according to court records.

More than 20 open records appeals related to state universities were filed with the attorney general’s office in 2025.

Congrats, Jon!

GOP Sen. Steve Rawlings filed a bill on the first day of #kyga26 to memorialize right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk in Kentucky. It would designate Oct. 14, which is Kirk’s birthday, of every year as “Charlie Kirk Day” to “honor his legacy as a martyr for truth and liberty,” according to the bill.

Herald-Leader Editorial Board: This decision was not made lightly. But standing up for the public’s right to know is one of the Fourth Estate’s most important jobs, and we take the charge to safeguard the walls of our sometimes crumbling democracy seriously.

The Republican-led Kentucky state legislature gavels in Jan. 6. What are they going to work on this year?

In November, I submitted an open records request for Gov. Andy Beshear's past schedule. Today, the H-L sued over their denial (citing an old appellate ruling classifying gov schedule as "preliminary") of that request. Read the full lawsuit & story here. www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

A Kentucky woman is facing criminal charges after she used mail-order abortion medication to end her pregnancy, according to state police. It's not clear how far along her pregnancy was, but KSP described the remains as a "developed male infant." Kentucky bans abortion in nearly all cases.

He plans to take a 12-month hiatus from public service to secure his pension, but says he is committed to winning the 2026 election.

The poll puts Booker and McGrath in a similar spot, and shows the candidate within striking distance of Daniel Cameron and Nate Morris.

Kentucky Senate candidate Nate Morris’ ad grills Rep. Andy Barr over his support for helping some Afghans enter U.S. after troop withdrawal.

The whiskey industry has slowed to pre-pandemic levels, according to new federal data.

A look back at post-WWII Kentucky, when comic books were rounded up and burned under the guise of protecting children, and what parallels we can draw to the book bans of today. The latest from John Cheves is a fantastic read:

Mixed bag of results for Grossberg & enforcement counsel from this week's ethics meeting. Grossberg's 4th motion to dismiss denied, but enforcement's motion to compel release of his medical records is also denied. Public hearings set for Jan/Feb. www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

Gov. Andy Beshear’s proposed new regulations for youths held in isolation by the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice won’t do anything to improve conditions inside the state’s troubled juvenile detention facilities, the state auditor’s office said Tuesday. The latest from John Cheves:

New: Rep. Daniel Grossberg sought for a 4th time to dismiss an ethics inquiry & to quash attempts to get his medical records. Here's why the investigator says they need records, Grossberg's response & why he plans to bring a shot glass to the hearing. www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

Allies hosted a fundraiser for the congressional campaign of Rep. Ryan Dotson on the grounds of the church where Dotson is lead pastor.

A policy proposal going before the Fayette County Public School Board tonight kindly asks dissenting board members to sit down and shut up.

Great story from @austin-horn.bsky.social about Kentucky's own Nick Sortor www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

NEW: Kentucky native Nick Sortor, 27, quickly climbed from little-known political operative to major MAGA figure on X. I went long on his path to the spotlight, what he & others make of it... as well as his arrest history & why he could be jailed if he returns home. www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

INBOX: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is ordering $5M from the state's rainy day fund to go to a network of food banks to help bridge any possible lapse in SNAP benefits. “Kentuckians going hungry threatens public health and safety," he said in an executive order.

Leaving youths unmonitored while in custody — many of them suffering from mental or physical health issues — isn’t a hypothetical risk. Some youths in detention try to hurt or kill themselves. In 2016, a 16-year-old died while she was ignored in a cell; her death went undiscovered for 10 hours.

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