FRANKFORT, Ky. – A bill to impose an excise tax on vaping products has cleared a Kentucky House committee. The bill also would raise existing taxes on tobacco products other than cigarettes. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the measure would raise nearly $50 million over two years. The measure advances to the full House. Rep. Jerry Miller offered a compromise version…
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky’s chief justice says the governor’s scaled back budget proposed for the judiciary would jeopardize nearly 400 jobs in the judicial branch. Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr. spoke to a House budget review subcommittee on Tuesday. He said Gov. Andy Beshear’s budget proposal falls nearly $49 million short of fully funding court operations for the next…
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A Braidy Industries executive says the company still needs to raise $500 million to build a $1.7 billion aluminum plant in eastern Kentucky. Company executives appeared before a Senate committee Tuesday. Their appearance comes after a recent management shakeup raised concerns about the project. Company officials expressed confidence the project will become a reality. The plant…
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The Lexington Police Department has a new kennel with room for 20 dogs in its canine unit. The 4,000 square-foot facility has larger office space, a conference room and a veterinary room. A release from the city said last year, the canine unit responded to 1,014 calls for service, a 21% increase over 2018. The police…
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A preliminary count shows highway traffic fatalities in Kentucky increased by 10 last year. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Office of Highway Safety said in a statement on Monday that initial data found 734 fatalities in 2019, compared to 724 in 2018. Transportation Secretary Jim Gray says a 2020 Recommended Highway Plan calls for safety improvements including…
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky official says the state will ramp up its Real ID program. Real ID project manager Sarah Jackson says more regional offices will open to issue the special licenses many people will need to board domestic flights. Jackson gave an update Monday to a legislative panel. In a race against a deadline, the state has…
HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Officials said a western Kentucky woman and her great-grandson died in a weekend house fire. Hopkinsville Fire Capt. Michael Pendleton told the Kentucky New Era that crews responded late Saturday to reports of heavy fire and smoke at home. Christian County Coroner Scott Daniel identified the victims as 10-year-old Alvin Davidson and 87-year-old Martha Anne Harris….
File PicLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — An adult and a child have died in a Kentucky apartment fire that also injured a firefighter. Fire officials told news outlets the blaze was reported early Sunday morning at a three-story apartment building in Louisville. Louisville Fire Lt. Col. Jim Frederick said firefighters found the bodies in an apartment on the first floor. A…
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia has been awarded more than $22 million and Kentucky more than $11 million in federal funding to clean up and repurpose abandoned coal mines in fiscal year 2020. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced the grants from the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement last week. The Interior Department said in a news release the…
FRANKFORT, Ky. – A black history month celebration at the Kentucky Capitol will highlight contributions that African Americans have made to the U.S. military and the nation’s defense. The event on Tuesday is being hosted by the Black Legislative Caucus. It will include a special award presentation by Gov. Andy Beshear, remarks by legislative leaders and a keynote speech by…
