Audit shows backlog of unread emails at unemployment office

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — An audit says Kentucky’s unemployment insurance office had a massive backlog of unread emails as it struggled to process jobless claims. State Auditor Mike Harmon says more than 400,000 emails archived by the office were unread as of last Nov. 9. He says those emails included problems needing to be resolved and questions from unemployed Kentuckians. Harmon released the audit Tuesday. Like other states, Kentucky was hit by massive numbers of claims for jobless assistance brought on by the coronavirus. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has noted that the state’s unemployment system endured years of budget cuts before he became governor.