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Martin County rises in WWATERS ranking; lawmakers will decide funds
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN FRANKFORT — After receiving no funding last year due to scoring errors, Martin County returned to a competitive statewide process this fall with 12 water and sewer projects that ranked near the top for assistance under the Kentucky Water and Wastewater Assistance for Troubled or Economically Restrained Systems program. The
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Legislative Update: Protecting what is rightfully yours
BY BOBBY MCCOOL In Kentucky, property ownership has long been a cornerstone of personal freedom and economic stability. However, many property owners face the ongoing challenge of protecting their investments from the act of squatting—when a person occupies an abandoned or unoccupied space without legal permission. This practice has become a significant and often contentious
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Gov. Beshear requests more federal aid
FRANKFORT — Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday that he has submitted two additional aid requests to FEMA to support families and communities impacted by April’s floods. The governor is requesting that 16 more counties receive Individual Assistance, which provides direct support to residents for needs like housing repairs, temporary shelter and disaster-related expenses not covered
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‘We will not be erased:’ LGBTQ+ Kentuckians rally for fairness in Capitol
by Sarah Ladd, Kentucky LanternMarch 11, 2025 FRANKFORT — Gov. Andy Beshear plans to veto a bill that would undo his executive order restricting conversion therapy in Kentucky, should it pass the legislature and reach his desk. He made the promise at the 2025 Fairness Rally, held in the Capitol rotunda Tuesday. Beshear, who made
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Kentucky senator appointed to Southern Policy Committee
FRANKFORT — State Senator Phillip Wheeler, a Republican from Pikeville, has been appointed to the Economic Development, Transportation and Cultural Affairs Committee of The Council of State Governments Southern Office (CSG South), Senate President Robert Stivers announced. The appointment places Wheeler among a group of policymakers from 15 Southern states tasked with advancing regional legislative
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McCool appointed to regional energy and environment committee
FRANKFORT — State Representative Bobby McCool of Van Lear has been appointed to serve on the Energy and Environment Committee of The Council of State Governments South (CSG South), House Speaker David Osborne announced on Feb. 5. “It’s an honor to have the opportunity to serve on the Council for State Governments South Energy and
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42 state attorneys general call for surgeon general’s warning on social media platforms
BY MELISSA PATRICK KY HEALTH NEWS Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced that Kentucky is part of a bipartisan coalition of 42 attorneys general who are calling for federal legislation to require a surgeon general’s warning on social media sites, similar to what is on cigarette and alcohol containers. “As state Attorneys General, we sometimes
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Public comment period begins Aug. 15 for Kentucky’s draft FY 2025-2028 STIP
Kentucky’s Draft FY 2025-2028 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program is now available online. A 30-day public comment period will run from Aug.15 to Sept.14. The draft STIP is also available at all 12 KYTC Department of Highways district offices. The draft STIP includes all federally funded, scheduled projects in the 2024 State Highway Plan enacted by
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Kentucky coal counties receive mining fee refunds
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT FRANKFORT — Fiscal courts in 29 Kentucky counties, including Martin, Floyd, Johnson, Lawrence and Pike, are set to receive a collective refund of $119,625 from mining permit and acreage fees, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Aug. 7. The refunds, calculated as a percentage of fees paid by surface coal mining companies within each
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Kentucky’s real property tax rate drops for fourth consecutive year
FRANKFORT — Kentucky’s real property tax rate has dropped for the fourth consecutive year, decreasing to 10.9 cents per $100 of assessed value in 2024, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday. State law requires the Kentucky Department of Revenue to set the real property rate no later than July 1 of each year. The tax rate
