Connor Giffin

$1 for a dream? Louisville program selling homes for cheap sparks new life — and debate Louisville's Landbank Authority is selling some abandoned homes for $1 in an effort to improve neighborhoods. Is it working?

$1 for a dream? Louisville program selling homes for cheap sparks new life — and debate

Upheaval at the CDC has plunged Kentucky's public health infrastructure into a state of confusion and uncertainty, officials said.

Some local departments are beginning to question the credibility of the agency's guidance.
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

A slice of Meade County farmland could see Kentucky's next data center proposal, according to the landowner and a rezoning proposal filed in late September.

Neighbors told me they're worried about utility rates, infrastructure, and quality of life.

Story: www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

The Trump administration is reportedly considering cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for Kentucky energy projects.

If enacted, the cuts could be a death blow to one of the state's largest ongoing economic development projects.
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

Full 88-page letter here:
www.ag.ky.gov/Press%20Rele...
This month's National Academies report on the harms of climate change here:
www.nationalacademies.org/news/2025/09...

Comments to the EPA led by KY Attorney General Russell Coleman made a series of false or unsupported claims about the science of climate change, including suggestions that higher carbon dioxide levels would bring "net benefits" for "millions of Americans."
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

A soybean farmer in Shelby County, photographed by Matt Stone.

This fall, #Kentucky farmers will harvest soybeans, the state's top crop, from an area twice the size of Rhode Island. China, the world's largest soybean buyer, isn't buying.

"It's a critical time for Kentucky agriculture right now," one economist said.
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

As Louisville's top climate official exits, are the city's energy goals still in reach?
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

The UAW claimed a narrow, contested victory in a union election at the BlueOval SK Battery Park, in what would be a historic outcome for organized labor in KY's budding battery industry.

But more than 40 challenged ballots could still swing the result.
www.courier-journal.com/story/money/...

Kentucky wildlife officials euthanized more than 20 deer at a Meade County wildlife sanctuary yesterday, pointing to violations of chronic wasting disease rules.

What we know so far on a very sad story:
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

The CSB's work is especially pertinent in cities like Louisville, where chemical plants and homes are often in close proximity. Thousands of Louisville residents live near industrial facilities handling high quantities of hazardous chemicals.

More:
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

Trump's budget proposal would completely defund the
Chemical Safety Board, which still has an open investigation on the Givaudan explosion in #Louisville last year.

www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

Even as the Trump administration pulls federal support for electric vehicles, #Ford is doubling down on its #EV investments in Kentucky.

"The training wheels are coming off," says
Cox Automotive.

With Lucas Aulbach:
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/p...

Here's one interesting snippet from the order:

Chemours says it has not looked at reducing production at its Washington Works plant to curb PFAS emissions, even amid a series of permit violations and legal challenges.

Chemours "has a history of violating its permit, knows it is violating its permit, and intends to continue violating its permit," a federal judge wrote. "This is unacceptable under the Clean Water Act."

A big court order on Ohio River PFAS pollution:
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

Ohio reporter’s notebook searched by Secret Service at Vance fundraiser Erin Glynn, a reporter for The Cincinnati Enquirer, had her reporting notebook searched by Secret Service agents during a security …

Secret Service agents searched and read through Cincinnati Enquirer reporter @eringlynn.bsky.social’s notebook, which included unpublished work product, during a security screening ahead of an event with Vice President @jd-vance-1.bsky.social in Lima, Ohio, on June 24.

The new 'nuclear age': $1.5 billion uranium enrichment facility planned for Paducah site The project is expected to create about 140 full-time jobs, officials said.

NEW: General Matter plans to build a $1.5 billion uranium enrichment facility in Paducah - "the largest economic development project in Western Kentucky history,"
@govandybeshear.bsky.social says.

More on the plans:
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

Uranium enrichment, nuclear power, AI, Peter Thiel: Leaders hint at big plans for Paducah Ambitious plans for Paducah's old gaseous diffusion site could include Kentucky's first nuclear power plant. Steep hurdles likely await.

Wide-ranging plans for Kentucky's old Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant have been thrown around lately, including #nuclear power and #AI data centers.

A Peter Thiel-linked uranium enrichment company is expected to share more info today. Here's what we know so far:

Trump gives Louisville plant more time to address pollution. Homes sit 500 feet away The Louisville formaldehyde plant bordering a residential neighborhood will have two additional years to comply with toxic air emission rules.

In July, Trump gave a Louisville formaldehyde plant two extra years to comply with Biden-era pollution control requirements.

Homes sit 500 feet from the plant. Nearly 2,000 people, including hundreds of children, live within a mile.
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

Ford, SK On battery park workers in Kentucky to vote on joining UAW union. What to know BlueOval SK Battery Park workers in Hardin County will vote on whether to unionize with the United Auto Workers at the end of August. What to know.

Big news for labor in the #batterybelt:

A union election date is set for BlueOval SK in #Kentucky ― a plant facing an uncertain #EV market + ongoing tensions between workers and the company over safety concerns.

What we know so far, w/ reporter Olivia Evans:
www.courier-journal.com/story/money/...

LG&E to extend use of Louisville coal unit, citing demand from data centers, other sources The plan to extend the use of coal is notable for a utility that's shifted toward gas, and confirms the fears of some environmentalists.

Kentucky's largest utility is moving to extend the life of a coal-fired generating unit, citing demand from data centers and other economic development.
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

Kentucky legislators paved the way for data center development. Will Kentuckians benefit? In some states, tax abatements for data centers have skyrocketed. One researcher said incentives like Kentucky's can be a "very big problem."

Kentucky recently expanded tax incentives for data centers, with little public debate.

The provisions lack job creation and wage requirements, and contain no cap on tax abatements. Critics say such programs can mean "a huge loss" for state and local coffers.
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

Trump plan to slash Appalachian economic development agency's funding raises concerns across states • Kentucky Lantern Trump budget would slash Appalachian Regional Commission funding. More than 80 organizations and individuals call on Congress to protect the agency's work.

Trump plan to slash Appalachian economic development agency’s funding raises concerns across states kentuckylantern.com/briefs/trump...

'Marvel of engineering': How Louisville's McAlpine Locks and Dam unlock the Ohio River The McAlpine locks are among the busiest in the country, transporting $120 billion in cargo every year.

In today's Courier Journal, an explainer on the function and history of one of the most underrated pieces of infrastructure in #Louisville:
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

Thank you, Jess!

In Louisville, schools are being built on contaminated land. How are kids, staff kept safe? Decades-old pollution lies beneath two Louisville school properties, spurring concerns about the health of students and staff.

Incredibly important reporting from @connorgiffin.bsky.social on schools being built on contaminated land in JCPS.

www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

Louisville will use AI to inventory trees in public spaces Louisville has wrestled with inadequate tree canopy, particularly in and near downtown, for decades. Officials say better data will help.

Louisville will use artificial intelligence to inventory trees in public spaces through a new contract, according to @loukyparks.bsky.social.

The project will reduce "the time and costs associated with a city-wide tree inventory," the city says.
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

EPA moves to repeal power plant regulations. What does that mean for Kentucky? Kentucky, still vastly reliant on fossil fuel-fired power plants, has much at stake in the EPA's power plant rulemaking.

The EPA is proposing to repeal all greenhouse gas emissions standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants, in addition to some restrictions on toxic emissions like mercury.

What does that mean in fossil fuel-dominated #Kentucky?
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

Is Kentucky becoming more tornado-prone? Well, it's complicated Kentucky's recent tornadic activity has shaken long-standing ideas about the state's risk of death and destruction.

After Kentucky lost at least 20 people to tornadoes in recent months, @stephkuzy.bsky.social and @connorgiffin.bsky.social take an in-depth look at the dangers tornadoes pose to Kentucky while tracking the significant devastation of the latest ones. www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...