Author: Associated Press

Teens kept in isolation cells at Kentucky juvenile detention center, lawsuit alleges

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Two teenage girls held at a troubled Kentucky juvenile detention center were kept in isolation cells for weeks in unsanitary conditions, including a padded cell with no toilet, a federal class-action lawsuit filed this week alleges. The teens were held at the Adair County Youth Detention Center in late 2022, around the same time state police…

Justice Department report into Uvalde school shooting expected this week

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — The Justice Department is planning this week to release findings of an investigation into the 2022 Uvalde, Texas, school shooting. The department has been looking into the law enforcement response at Robb Elementary School, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers. The report is expected to be released Thursday. The school shooting was one…

Kentucky House GOP budget differs with Democratic governor over how to award teacher pay raises

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled spending bills aimed at boosting education funding and tapping into budget reserves to pump more money into public pensions and infrastructure projects. The two-year budget plan introduced in the House doesn’t offer a guaranteed pay raise for teachers and other public school employees. Nor does it contain state funds to…

Next Republican debate canceled after Nikki Haley says she’ll only participate if Donald Trump does

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — ABC News on Tuesday canceled the next Republican presidential debate after Nikki Haley said she wouldn’t participate unless former President Donald Trump takes part in it, leaving Gov. Ron DeSantis as the only candidate committed to Thursday’s event in New Hampshire. “We’ve had five great debates in this campaign,” Haley said in a statement, released…

Lawmakers announce bipartisan effort to enhance child tax credit, revive tax breaks for businesses

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairmen of the top tax policy committees in Congress announced a bipartisan agreement Tuesday to enhance the child tax credit and revive a variety of tax breaks for businesses, a combination designed to attract support from lawmakers of both political parties. The roughly $78 billion in tax cuts would be paid for by more quickly ending…

Why AP called Iowa for Trump: Race call explained

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump scored the first victory of the 2024 presidential primary season Monday with a sweeping and broad-based win in the Iowa Republican caucuses. The Associated Press declared the former president the winner based on an analysis of initial returns as well as results of AP VoteCast, a survey of voters who planned to caucus…

Iowa caucuses: What to watch as voters weigh in on the Republican campaign’s first contest of 2024

As frigid temperatures scour the Midwest, the Republican presidential nominating process will officially start Monday with Iowa’s caucuses. The quadrennial contest has been unusually quiet this year, a mark of former President Donald Trump’s commanding lead in the race. An arctic blast dropping the state into subzero temperatures and dumping snow during the final days of the runup didn’t help,…

Parents facing diaper duty could see relief from bipartisan tax legislation introduced in Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — For weary parents rolling up their sleeves for around-the-clock diaper duty, a bill with bipartisan support in Kentucky would deliver tax relief when purchasing a necessity that adds up to a hefty expense. The measure would exempt diapers from the state’s 6% sales tax. Senators from both parties have signed on as cosponsors, and the proposal…

Kentucky governor touts rising college enrollments while making pitch for increased campus funding

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s status as a pacesetter in college enrollment gains was touted by the governor and higher education leaders on Thursday as they made a pitch for more funding to continue the momentum. Between fall 2022 and fall 2023, Kentucky was at the forefront nationally with overall higher education enrollment growth of 5.6%, Gov. Andy Beshear said,…