Amye Bensenhaver: Arkansas rebuffs Gov. Sanders’ efforts to upend state’s Freedom of Information Act
It’s doubtful that Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders anticipated the national firestorm she would ignite on September 8 when she called the state’s General Assembly into special session — commencing September 11 — to enact legislation aimed at upending the state law governing the public’s right to know — the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
Clearly, she...
Joe Heller: A cartoonist view of week’s news; Murdock, strikes, shutdown, fall, newspapers
Joe Heller was the editorial cartoonist for the Green Bay Press-Gazette in Green Bay, Wis., from 1985 until being laid off in July 2013. He still draws several cartoons a week and distributes them through his own syndicate. Through Heller Syndication, his cartoons regularly appear in more than 400 newspapers, making him the most successful self-syndicated editorial cartoonist in the nation. His cartoons...
Commentary: Kentucky Coal Association needs to face the facts about true cause of power failures
By Julia Finch and Drew Foley
Kentucky Sierra Club
In his September 13 guest column, Kentucky Coal Association President Tucker Davis took a direct aim at the clean energy economy — and the Sierra Club specifically — for last December’s failure to maintain reliable power during Winter Storm Elliot.
Of course, it was necessary for Mr. Davis to find another explanation for the failures....
Bill Straub: Ukraine aid is on the line — and Sen. Paul is on the side with Russia’s Vladimir Putin
Well, whadayaknow, John McCain was right all along.
McCain, the Arizona Republican with a curriculum vitae that notably includes his status as a prisoner-of-war, a U.S. senator and a candidate for president, who died five years ago, was no great fan of one particular colleague, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Bowling Green, who he once memorably characterized as a “whacko bird.”
McCain particularly didn’t...
Al Cross: Brereton Jones leaves lessons for reformist politicians
Kentucky never had a governor quite like Brereton Jones, who died Monday, and it may never again. His legacy is one of reform, with lessons for reformers.
Jones wasn’t the first high-minded millionaire to use wealth to gain high office, but he did it with a most unusual pedigree. His political career began in West Virginia, where he was Republican leader of the state House, but he left politics for...
Jamie Ruehl: Kentuckians face decision for governor — two candidates and three personas
Kentucky is faced with a decision this November for governor between two candidates and three personas. Our Commonwealth’s decision is on display at a national level, and we are choosing between three faces for our next governor. While the incumbent is attempting to appear “KY Organic,” the truth is he’s beholden to the Democrat National Party. As of September 15th, 2023, over $15 million have...
Constance Alexander: Vibrant arts experiences a testament to impact of arts on greater community
Lovett Auditorium levitated on Thursday night, capping off a week of vibrant arts experiences at Murray State University. The extravaganza began on Tuesday, with the arrival of author Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle. A teacher who belongs to the Eastern Bank of Cherokee Indians, a tribe of about 14,000, Clapsaddle is the author of the novel “Even As We Breathe.”
Recipient of this year’s Clinton...
Tucker Davis: Coal kept the lights on, despite Sierra Club blaming coal-fired generators for Dec. outages
Recently, the Sierra Club has been spreading a blatantly false narrative that the rolling blackouts experienced during Winter Storm Elliott in Kentucky on December 23 were the result of the failure of coal-fired generating units to meet demand. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In reality, it was the region’s remaining coal-fired power generation fleet that ramped up to meet the demand...
Joe Heller: A cartoonist’s view of week’s news — Old politicians, Chili, charging chords, Rogers/McCarthy
Joe Heller was the editorial cartoonist for the Green Bay Press-Gazette in Green Bay, Wis., from 1985 until being laid off in July 2013. He still draws several cartoons a week and distributes them through his own syndicate. Through Heller Syndication, his cartoons regularly appear in more than 400 newspapers, making him the most successful self-syndicated editorial cartoonist in the nation. His cartoons...
Mitch McConnell: U.S. allies buy American and by doing so strengthen our collective security
America’s example and the threats posed by Russia and China are leading major allies and partners in Europe and Asia to step up their commitments to collective security and dramatically increase investments in their own defense.
It’s worth pointing out once again that the United States is not shouldering the burden for European free-riders. In fact, when it comes to security assistance to Ukraine...
Bill Straub: Maybe Daniel Cameron was premature in taking on popular incumbent Andy Beshear
Word is that Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was hoping his protégé, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, would skip this year’s governor’s race and let someone else take on the popular Democratic incumbent, Andy Beshear.
It’s been speculated that McConnell, of Louisville, might have wanted Cameron to bide his time over the next four years by returning as attorney general and...
Al Cross: Tell us more, Mitch and Joe
Mitch McConnell, who has a policy of saying little, is exactly nine months older than Joe Biden, who says too much and will be 81 on Nov. 20.
The president’s rambling makes some people worry about his health, but we know a lot more about it than we do about the Senate Republican leader’s, even after recent freeze-ups forced him to reveal more than ever. But in both their cases, it’s still not...
Aaron Thompson: Students headed to college have many worries, value of education shouldn’t be one
If you or your child headed off to campus this fall, you’re probably worried about a lot of things. Whether college will be worth the cost should be the least of them.
We’ve read about students who racked up substantial student loan debt with no good job to show for it, or high school graduates earning six-figure salaries out of coding bootcamps. These people, like Powerball jackpot winners, do...
Constance Alexander: Penguin Project ‘miracle’ brings production of Guys & Dolls, Jr. to Playhouse stage
A miracle occurred at Murray’s Playhouse in the Park last week. In rehearsal on Tuesday, actors and their mentors were uncertain about lines, blocking, cues, and props. By Friday, however, the cast was mostly off book and in tune, their entrances and exits properly timed and executed. Some had even developed appropriate “New Yawk” accents for the upcoming production of “Guys & Dolls, Jr.,”...
Norma Hatfield: My heart aches for the children as kinship families wait for a champion in Kentucky
I recently spoke to a legislative committee about Kinship Care. As I sat at the table during the hearing, my heart was hurting for so many kinship families in Kentucky who are in serious need and seem to be forgotten. There are many kids in Kinship Care who’ve been abused, neglected and removed from their homes and placed with family or close family friends other than their parents.
In a moment’s...
