disaster
Kentucky Senate approves bill to get report on donated disaster relief funds
FRANKFORT — The Senate passed a piece of legislation from a Western Kentucky lawmaker that seeks answers to how donated disaster relief funds have been spent so far. A committee substitute version of Senate Bill 99 passed 33-2 Wednesday. Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Fruit Hill, said on the floor that he filed the bill after a […]
Housing advocates encouraged that Senate leader Stivers has filed possible funding vehicle
FRANKFORT — As advocates rallied at the Capitol to support affordable housing, especially for Kentuckians displaced by flooding, Senate President Robert Stivers said discussions are underway that could lead to housing legislation during this session. Stivers, R-Manchester, filed what he called a “shell bill” that can be used as a vehicle for funding construction where housing […]
KFTC seeks investigation of surface mining’s role in deadly Kentucky floods
A Kentucky advocacy group is calling on the federal government to launch an investigation into whether a legacy of surface coal mining in Eastern Kentucky exacerbated the catastrophic, deadly flooding the region faced last July. Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC), a progressive, grassroots organization known for lobbying on environmental issues, made public Monday a letter […]
Beshear: Sites for rebuilding flooded Eastern Kentucky communities being considered
FRANKFORT — The state is considering land in Knott, Letcher and Perry counties as sites for new housing for victims of last summer’s flooding in developments that could include schools, senior housing and medical clinics, Gov. Andy Beshear told media on Thursday. Beshear declined to go into specifics, saying he did not want to compromise […]
Kentuckians will gather this weekend to mark first anniversary of tornado outbreak
Western Kentucky communities that were devastated by a violent tornado outbreak last year are marking the one-year anniversary of the natural disaster this weekend with gatherings in churches, candlelight vigils and more. For elected officials and other community members organizing the events, it’s a chance to remember what was lost — lives, entire streets of […]
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 […]