Commentary
Illegal gun use is making Kentucky more deadly; red flag laws could save lives here
A Lexington wife and mother was killed in her home Nov. 23 — three days after a judge rejected an emergency protective order that police encouraged her to seek. The ruling: “No imminent threat.” The man she was divorcing called police to report he had shot her. Convicted of a past drug felony, he wasn’t […]
Listening to the pre-election preaching in one small Kentucky town
LAWRENCEBURG — With the election just three weeks away, my small, rural Kentucky town was suddenly “ate up,” as Grandma Ann might say, not with politics but with sex and sin. The Oct. 17 meeting of the Anderson County school board was standing room only, and the vast majority were there to make fear-mongering, religious […]
Al Cross’s morning line on 2023 governor’s race
This article is published with permission from the Northern Kentucky Tribune, a nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism. When Gov. Andy Beshear was sworn in three years ago Saturday, he was a fluke, elected by just 5,136 votes — less than 0.4% of the total — due to controversial utterances by incumbent Matt […]
Immediate action is needed to aid Afghans who put their lives on the line for Americans
More than a year ago, as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, I concluded 27 years of uniformed service. I spent more than a year of my life in Afghanistan, serving in special operations, a fact only relevant because it brought me into close contact with members of the Afghan National Security Forces and Afghan civilian […]
Introducing Kentucky Lantern’s health reporter
Every time I write a Kentucky health story, I’m reminded of when I was 13 and my “GrandG” taught me to crochet. It took weeks for my fingers to find their way and steadily stitch together yarn that took the shapes of scarves, blankets, potholders. Often, because I was new at it, my needle slipped […]
Citizens group demands new medical provider, end of overcrowding at Louisville jail where 12 died
For the past year, Louisville has been in the throes of one of the most devastating humanitarian crises in the city’s history. Twelve people died in the nightmarish conditions at Louisville Metro Department of Corrections (LMDC): Last December, as Mayor Greg Fischer and community leaders shrugged their shoulders and remained silent when three people died at the jail […]
Look for more attacks on Kentucky’s open government laws
Kentucky lawmakers faced a dilemma in 1975. One year earlier, they enthusiastically enacted an open meetings and an open records law aimed at restoring the public’s trust in government. Years of deception associated with the Vietnam Conflict and clandestine and illegal activities by the Nixon administration — collectively referred to as the Watergate scandal — […]
Mitch McConnell diagnosed GOP problem with voters but didn’t follow his own prescription
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, after beating back a challenge to his leadership position, offered a reasonable analysis on why his party fell short of midterm election hopes. “We underperformed among independents and moderates because their impression of many of the people in our party, and leadership roles, is that they’re dogged in chaos, negativity, […]
Politicians owe Kentuckians a serious conversation about climate change
How many times have we seen it? Disaster strikes. The media descend. For a few days, the world is mesmerized. Until something new beckons; the media move on. And the victims recede in our ever-shortening attention spans and are forgotten. I’m proud the Kentucky Lantern’s debut brought you journalism that does not move on and […]
Meet the Kentucky Lantern, independent journalism that’s free for all to read
FRANKFORT — Welcome to the Kentucky Lantern. I’m thrilled you’re reading us. Please, come back and invite your friends. As a nonprofit we can make our news and commentary free to read without paywalls and also free to republish. While this economic model is relatively new, our mission is so deeply rooted in American democracy that […]
Wait a minute, the abortion-rights vote does too matter
If Kentucky voters had approved the ballot measure denying any constitutional support for abortion rights, the results certainly would have been used to argue for retaining restrictive bans. So why shouldn’t the rejection of that measure be a key factor in the Kentucky Supreme Court’s various decisions about the constitutionality of abortion laws? The legislature […]