Bluegrass Politics

Ethics commission denies Grossberg’s latest effort to dismiss, sets hearing dates The commission also granted Rep. Daniel Grossberg’s motion to block the release of his medical records from being included in evidence.

Mixed bag of results for Grossberg & enforcement counsel from this week's ethics meeting.

Grossberg's 4th motion to dismiss denied, but enforcement's motion to compel release of his medical records is also denied.

Public hearings set for Jan/Feb.

www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

KY Auditor: Beshear’s new juvenile justice isolation rules don’t solve problems State Auditor Allison Ball says the state’s troubled juvenile detention facilities need a better fix than governor’s proposed regulations.

Gov. Andy Beshear’s proposed new regulations for youths held in isolation by the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice won’t do anything to improve conditions inside the state’s troubled juvenile detention facilities, the state auditor’s office said Tuesday.

The latest from John Cheves:

Grossberg tries again to dismiss ethics case, block access to medical records Rep. Daniel Grossberg is trying to block attempts to see his medical records. Investigator writes Grossberg’s team isn’t being truthful.

New: Rep. Daniel Grossberg sought for a 4th time to dismiss an ethics inquiry & to quash attempts to get his medical records.

Here's why the investigator says they need records, Grossberg's response & why he plans to bring a shot glass to the hearing.

www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

KY candidate had a fundraiser on his own church campus. He says there’s no issue Allies hosted a fundraiser for the congressional campaign of Rep. Ryan Dotson on the grounds of the church where Dotson is lead pastor.

Allies hosted a fundraiser for the congressional campaign of Rep. Ryan Dotson on the grounds of the church where Dotson is lead pastor.

Fayette schools seeks to prohibit dissenting board members from talking to media “That is both an absurd policy and one that violates the First Amendment,” lawyer Michael Abate said.

A policy proposal going before the Fayette County Public School Board tonight kindly asks dissenting board members to sit down and shut up.

He went from KY political unknown to MAGA fame. He faces jail if he returns home Nick Sortor has built a following for pro-Trump posts and on-site disaster coverage. He’s also been absconding on probation in Kentucky.

Great story from @austin-horn.bsky.social about Kentucky's own Nick Sortor
www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

He went from KY political unknown to MAGA fame. He faces jail if he returns home Nick Sortor has built a following for pro-Trump posts and on-site disaster coverage. He’s also been absconding on probation in Kentucky.

NEW: Kentucky native Nick Sortor, 27, quickly climbed from little-known political operative to major MAGA figure on X.

I went long on his path to the spotlight, what he & others make of it... as well as his arrest history & why he could be jailed if he returns home.
www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

Gov. Beshear orders $5M from ‘rainy day fund’ to KY food banks under state of emergency Without access to SNAP benefits, Beshear said nearly 600,000 “Kentucky households face an imminent threat to their safety and health.”

INBOX: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is ordering $5M from the state's rainy day fund to go to a network of food banks to help bridge any possible lapse in SNAP benefits.

“Kentuckians going hungry threatens public health and safety," he said in an executive order.

Leaving youths unmonitored while in custody — many of them suffering from mental or physical health issues — isn’t a hypothetical risk. Some youths in detention try to hurt or kill themselves.

In 2016, a 16-year-old died while she was ignored in a cell; her death went undiscovered for 10 hours.

Herald-Leader chosen by ProPublica for Local Reporting Network partnership Reporter Alex Acquisto will spend the next year on a statewide investigative project that will have wide ramifications for Kentuckians.

The Lexington Herald-Leader has been chosen for a competitive partnership with an award-winning national publication.

Attorney General: University of Kentucky repeatedly violated the Open Records Act by automatically asking for 30 days to provide public records without adequate justification.

www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/or...

www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/or...

Tonight at 8/7 on KET's "Comment on Kentucky," it's Alex Acquisto of the Lexington Herald-Leader, Ryland Barton of NPR
and Liam Niemeyer of the Kentucky Lantern.

Mitch McConnell on occupying Gaza, 2026 Senate map & blocking Obama SCOTUS pick McConnell joked that he anticipated finding something to do after life in the U.S. Senate because “my wife doesn’t want me home for lunch.”

Mitch McConnell worries Gov. Andy Beshear would be a viable Democratic candidate for his Senate seat, and other thoughts from the retiring 83-year-old. www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article311875068.html

Kentucky Ford EV battery plant workers will vote on whether to unionize A week after production of batteries began, Kentucky workers at BlueOval SK are voting Aug. 26 and 27 to join an autoworkers union.

Hourly workers making electric vehicle batteries at Kentucky’s BlueOval SK this week will also decide whether to unionize.
www.kentucky.com/news/business/article311839463.html#storylink=cpy

Kentucky Democrats fight to regain inroads with rural voters. Will it work? The party hopes to push itself from its urban comfort zone and listen to rural communities around the commonwealth at a defining political moment.

Kentucky Democrats fight to regain inroads with rural voters. Will it work?
www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article311626052.html#storylink=cpy

KY nixed his idea to treat addiction with a psychedelic drug. Texas said yes Bryan Hubbard in 2023 wanted Kentucky to be the first state to study the psychedelic ibogaine to treat opioid addiction, but he was rejected. Texas just agreed, earmarking $50M for the study.

Kentucky nixed his idea to treat addiction with a psychedelic drug. Texas said yes
www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article311841982.html#storylink=cpy

Another data center coming to KY? What we know about secretive Mason County project Site selection for what we now know to be a data center has happened largely behind closed doors. Here’s what we know.

Another data center coming to Kentucky? What we know about secretive Mason County project
www.kentucky.com/news/business/article311839459.html#storylink=cpy

UK begins fall semester with historic enrollment, changes in higher education Early enrollment projections showed the school’s total enrollment will be 36,700, the largest in UK’s history.

Never say DEI: It's a new school year at the University of Kentucky, and the state legislature is carefully policing what everyone says, thinks and does. www.kentucky.com/news/local/education/article311795046.html

BlueOval SK is trying to stop union vote, but it will make us stronger | Opinion OpEd: I want the peace of mind that comes with a union contract and a seat at the table to negotiate over our working conditions.

Kentucky worker hoping to unionize: We only get taken seriously by ownership when we stick together. www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article311837570.html?tbref=hp

KY Chamber chief: Unionization at Blue Oval SK could slow progress | Opinion OpEd: At this early and critical stage, unionization could introduce barriers that limit flexibility, slow progress, and disrupt the alignment that’s essential to long-term success.

Kentucky Chamber: Nothing good can come from letting workers unionize. www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article311759303.html

KY families were accidentally sent EBT cards loaded with cash. Here’s how it happened. Families who received the unsolicited cards were reportedly told they’d be turned over to debt collectors if they didn’t repay.

Kentucky families were accidentally sent EBT cards loaded with cash. Here’s how it happened.
www.kentucky.com/news/article311822754.html#storylink=cpy

‘Hard to be upbeat.’ Lexington’s most famous Fact-Checker on a post-truth world | Opinion For 14 years, Glenn Kessler challenged political claims of every ilk with his Fact-Checker column in the Washington Post.

Linda Blackford: What's a fact checker to do in a world where people only seek out sources of information that confirm their beliefs? www.kentucky.com/opinion/linda-blackford/article311808808.html

Lexington, something has to change about how we deal with our downtown | Opinion OpEd: We owe it to the people who live, work, and visit here to restore public order from aggressive pandhandling and open drug use.

It's an opinion piece, and he is entitled to his opinion.

Besides, "Expand crisis response and mental health intervention teams so that trained professionals—not just police—are on the streets every day, intercepting those in crisis before tragedy strikes." doesn't sound like the worst idea. ^JC

Counter-point: We just invested $850,000 in public funds on this giant pinball statue. ^JC

Lexington, something has to change about how we deal with our downtown | Opinion OpEd: We owe it to the people who live, work, and visit here to restore public order from aggressive pandhandling and open drug use.

Op-Ed: Lexington city leaders have abandoned downtown to neglect, decay and violence. www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article311794888.html

Some in GOP push for gerrymandering Kentucky’s lone Democrat. Can they do it? “Looks like we have the GREEN LIGHT in KY and Beshear will sign it into law, maybe? A 6-0 map is easily drawn,” one GOP influencer said.

Some in GOP push for gerrymandering Kentucky’s lone Democrat. Can they do it?
www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article311804248.html

Tonight at 8/7 on KET's "Comment on Kentucky," it's Austin Horn of the Lexington Herald-Leader, Mario Anderson of Spectrum News 1 and Hannah Pinski of the Courier Journal.

Kentuckian considering Democratic Senate run gets security clearance revoked “Having Tulsi Gabbard revoke your security clearance is like having a serial drunk driver revoke your driver’s license,” he wrote.

Kentuckian considering Democratic Senate run gets security clearance revoked www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article311799394.html?tbref=hp

Across government, there are too many public information officers with fixed grins who collect nice salaries from the taxpayers while forgetting they work for those taxpayers.

Concealing information from the public in order to protect the politicians - "Staying on message" - is not your job. ^JC

Scott County parents threatened with debt collection by state over unsolicited EBT cards Kentucky parents in Scott County were sent unsolicited food assistance cards this summer, but are now being threatened with debt collection if they don’t pay back the state for them.

Kentucky state government seems to screw up, but the public information officers won't return calls to answer questions about it. You don't say! via Louisville Public Media www.lpm.org/news/2025-08-22/scott-county-parents-threatened-with-debt-collection-by-kentucky-over-unsolicited-ebt-cards