Author: Associated Press

League of Women Voters to host town hall on redistricting

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky League of Women Voters will host a statewide virtual town hall to discuss the state’s upcoming redistricting process. A statement from the organization says the event on May 5 can be viewed on the league’s website and Facebook page. It will feature two national experts on the issue: activist and filmmaker Robert Millman and…

Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell sales bounce as restrictions ease

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Yum Brands’ first-quarter profit more than tripled from a year ago, while sales were bolstered by strong performances from its Pizza Hut and KFC brands in the U.S. The parent company of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut earned $326 million, or $1.07 per share, for the period ended March 31. A year earlier it earned…

Kentucky businesses, residences can apply for disaster loans

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The U.S. Small Business Administration has low-interest disaster loans available to businesses and residents in parts of Kentucky due to storms that occurred in late February through mid-March. A presidential disaster declaration allowing the loans covers Breathitt, Clay, Estill, Floyd, Johnson, Lee, Magoffin, Martin and Powell counties. The SBA says those counties are eligible for physical…

Malathaat is 5-2 choice in Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Malathaat is the 5-2 morning-line favorite and will start from the No. 10 post in Friday’s Kentucky Oaks. The race for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs comes a day before the Kentucky Derby. Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by John Velazquez, Malathaat has won all four starts. Pletcher is going for his fourth Oaks victory…

Big South Fork adds 460-acre tract of land along river

WHITLEY CITY, Ky. (AP) — A small but important tract of land has been added to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area with help from a conservation organization. The Lexington Herald-Leader cited a statement from The Nature Conservancy last week in reporting that the National Park Service paid $370,000 for the 460-acre tract in southern Kentucky. The…

Vaccination centers opening in Laurel, Henderson counties

FileFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says community COVID-19 vaccination centers will open next week in Laurel and Henderson counties. The centers are a joint effort by the state and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The governor’s office says the Laurel County location will open Wednesday in London. The site in Henderson will open the next day. Those…

Unemployment rates fall in 81 of Kentucky’s 120 counties

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Center for Statistics says unemployment rates fell in 81 of the state’s 120 counties between March 2020 and March 2021. The center says jobless rates rose in 31 counties and stayed the same in eight counties. The state’s lowest jobless rates were in Oldham, Todd and Woodford counties at 3.8% each. The center says…