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Martin County Fiscal Court adopts $11.3M budget
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The Martin County Fiscal Court adopted an $11.3 million budget for the 2026 fiscal year during a June 18 special meeting. “It’s essentially the same budget that we had last year,” Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty said. “We wanted to be able to provide raises for our folks, but, unfortunately,
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Opinion: How will the serpent reappear?
If Iran had successfully dropped a nuclear bomb on Israel or New York City, the world would have blamed President Donald Trump. People everywhere would have said, “President Trump could have done something about their nuclear building site but he didn’t.” This is something that will never be said. He and our military leadership certainly
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A conversation with Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky’s new health cabinet secretary
by Sarah Ladd Kentucky Lantern June 23, 2025 FRANKFORT — Dr. Steven Stack says Kentucky, which already struggles with poor health, is “on the cusp of having a significant backslide” if the federal government cuts programs like Medicaid and SNAP. Stack, who on July 1 will shift roles from the state’s public health commissioner to
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US Senate mega-bill drops requirement states help pay for SNAP program
by Jennifer Shutt Kentucky Lantern June 23, 2025 WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats have succeeded in eliminating more than a dozen policy changes from Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” after successfully arguing before the chamber’s parliamentarian that the elements didn’t comply with the strict rules that go along with writing a budget reconciliation bill. Removed is
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Coalition: ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will result in ‘deep’ safety net cuts; proposed cuts to provider taxes are harmful
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS A coalition that works to meet the basic needs of Kentuckians provided an update June 17 on state and federal policies that impact the state’s safety net programs, with much of the discussion focusing on how the U.S. House-passed budget reconciliation bill would harm such programs. Emily Beauregard, executive
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How SB 181 impacts teacher-student communications
During the 2025 Regular Session, the General Assembly passed several pieces of legislation focused on protecting and supporting Kentucky’s most vulnerable. Without a doubt, at the top of that list are our children. One of the most significant measures passed to protect our youth was Senate Bill 181. This legislation addresses electronic communications like texts
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Opinion: Secrecy, eminent domain and the erosion of public trust in Kentucky
BY JONATHAN SCHAAFSMA What do a runway, a data center and pickleball courts have in common? In Kentucky, the answer is secrecy and a troubling disregard for taxpayer voices. In Bourbon County, we recently witnessed the unraveling of the controversial Bluegrass Station Airport proposal—a $300 million-plus project that would have used eminent domain to seize
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AmeriCorps and national service: Common ground for the Commonwealth
BY JOE BRINGARDNER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SERVE KENTUCKY In a time when division dominates the headlines, national service offers rare common ground. Across Kentucky, AmeriCorps members are showing up – not for headlines, but for neighbors. They tutor students, support families, and help communities rebuild after disasters. They reflect the values that define the Commonwealth: compassion,
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Kentucky Infrastructure Authority Board to convene June 5
FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA) Board of Directors will hold its regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, June 5, at its office located at 100 Airport Road, Third Floor, in Frankfort. Board chair Matt Sawyers will convene the meeting at 1 p.m. ET. For those who would like to watch remotely there is a YouTube
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Climate change intensified April flooding in Kentucky, according to scientific modeling
by Liam Niemeyer, Kentucky Lantern May 8, 2025 An increasingly warming climate intensified the deluge of rain that fell on Kentucky and other states in early April, according to a new report from a multinational academic group that studies climate change’s connections to extreme weather events. Torrential downpours inundated communities across Kentucky in early April,
