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Kentucky teachers talk about why they leave the classroom. And why they stay.
Emilie McKiernan Blanton has been called a “unicorn” — but not because she has mystical powers. Rather, her reputation comes from her career. The 38-year-old is a 15-year teacher veteran. Her long track record makes her something of a rarity nowadays as Kentucky and the nation face a shortage of teachers — a phenomenon that […]
Students in Lexington lead protest of new anti-trans law
LEXINGTON — Hundreds of Kentuckians on Friday gathered for a LGBTQ+ youth visibility march in downtown Lexington. The event, led by local high school students, was organized in response to Senate Bill 150, a sweeping anti-trans measure that the Republican-controlled Kentucky legislature enacted into law this week over Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto. On Wednesday, protests against […]
Beshear signs Lofton’s Law, criminalizing hazing
Hazing that causes death or serious injury can be prosecuted as a felony in Kentucky under a bill that Gov. Andy Beshear signed Monday. Senate Bill 9, also known as Lofton’s Law, defines hazing in Kentucky statute and establishes penalties for the behavior. Hazing that leads to injury or death is a Class D felony, […]
Lofton’s Law, criminalizing hazing, clears both chambers of Kentucky legislature
FRANKFORT — The Kentucky House on Wednesday voted to make hazing that causes a death or serious injury a felony. Lofton’s Law – named after 18-year-old Thomas “Lofton” Hazelwood, a University of Kentucky freshman who died from alcohol poisoning at his fraternity house – was approved in the House by a vote of 97-3. The Senate […]
Anti-hazing Lofton’s Law passes House Judiciary Committee
FRANKFORT — An anti-hazing bill is one step closer to becoming law in Kentucky after a 15-1 vote by the House Judiciary Committee. Known as Lofton’s Law, Senate Bill 9, was introduced after the death of 18-year-old Thomas “Lofton” Hazelwood, a University of Kentucky freshman who was found unconscious in Farmhouse Fraternity after drinking approximately […]
Owensboro celebrates powerful history ‘Through Sleet’s Eyes’
Moneta Sleet Jr.’s eye led him from his hometown of Owensboro around the world. As a photojournalist for Ebony magazine, Sleet captured on film some of the 20th century’s most iconic moments; his work earned a Pulitzer Prize in journalism, the first awarded a Black American. This week, the Ohio River town where nine-year-old Sleet […]
A son’s death. A mother’s quest. Hazing could become a felony in Kentucky.
LEXINGTON — The death of 18-year-old Thomas “Lofton” Hazelwood sparked a conversation across Kentucky — one that, for many, was long overdue. On Oct. 18, 2021, the first-year student was found unconscious at the University of Kentucky’s Farmhouse Fraternity house. He later passed away from alcohol poisoning. “I had no clue what was going on. […]
In his UK lab, senior Lucas Bertucci plots a green revolution, one recycled metal scrap at a time
LEXINGTON — As the global energy and climate crises balloon, one remedy may lie in something as small as a beaker — the place where Lucas Bertucci got his start in sustainability research. The chemical engineering student at the University of Kentucky is the first winner of the Lee T. Todd, Jr. Student Innovation Scholarship, […]