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Kentucky enacts broad changes to hunting and fishing rules
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has enacted a series of regulatory changes affecting hunting, fishing and wildlife management across the state, following final legislative approval earlier this summer. The amendments, now in effect, modify seasons, size and catch limits, licensing rules and public access policies. Officials said the revisions better balance conservation
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Martin County advances street-legal ATVs
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Street-legal ATVs are one vote away from becoming reality in Martin County. The Fiscal Court gave initial approval Thursday to an ordinance that would let certain all-terrain vehicles hit public roads as “street-legal special purpose vehicles (SLSPV),” provided they pass a rigorous list of safety requirements. The move
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Opinion: All lawmakers and the governor agreed: SB 181 is necessary. We will make sure it’s clear and effective
BY SEN. LINDSEY TICHENOR Now that Senate Bill 181 is in effect, having passed 137-0 and been signed into law by the Governor in April, lawmakers have received questions about its implementation and overall necessity. The law requires school staff and volunteers to use traceable, district-approved platforms for direct communication with students—tools that parents can
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House rejects Senate changes to bill granting school districts calamity days
by McKenna Horsley, Kentucky LanternMarch 11, 2025 FRANKFORT — The Kentucky House on Tuesday rejected Senate changes to a bill originally meant to give relief to Kentucky schools from weather-related closings. In a voice vote, the House refused to concur in the Senate version of House Bill 241. Last week, the Senate tacked on changes that
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McCool takes aim at charges driving up electric utility bills
FRANKFORT — State Representative Bobby McCool of Van Lear has introduced House Bill 616, a measure designed to bring fairness and transparency to electric utility billing. The measure would remove taxes, fees and other charges on electric bills that are not directly related to electricity service and connection requirements. “Electricity bills across the state have
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Supporting local newspapers puts community first; HB 368 will harm communities and newspapers
BY JANE ASHLEY PACE 2024 KPA PRESIDENT Every county in Kentucky has one local business that has been there longer than any other, most more than a century – while some are even closing in on two centuries. In many of these counties, that business is their local newspaper. I manage two of those local
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Kentucky labor unions want next administration to support PRO Act
BY NADIA RAMLAGAN Kentucky News Connection Labor groups in Kentucky and across the nation are pushing for the next administration to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize, or PRO, Act. The legislation would reform existing labor laws to clamp down on union-busting tactics and strengthen workers’ rights during organizing and bargaining with their employers.
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Martin County BOE renews opposition to Amendment 2
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The Martin County Board of Education renewed its opposition to Amendment 2 during Monday night’s meeting, with board members and district leadership warning that the measure would siphon funding from public schools. “This is Amendment 2 that will be on the ballot as you vote in Kentucky,” board
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School vouchers bring theft of tax dollars and other crimes
BY JOHN SCHAAF If Amendment 2 passes and Kentucky adopts a dangerous school voucher plan like other states, there will be unaccountable private school operators who will misuse or steal millions of taxpayer dollars and be involved in other criminal activity. That’s exactly what’s happened in states that bought into the radical policy of throwing
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Kentucky Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher opposes Amendment 2
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN FRANKFORT — Kentucky’s Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher, during an Oct. 10 webcast with superintendents, commented on the Kentucky Board of Education’s (KBE) unified stance against the use of public funds to support nonpublic schools. The board’s recently passed resolution states that public education is the best way to ensure
