Five Things to Know Today
Poll closes today! We are thinking about doing a Facebook Live “show” 2-3 times a week. If you are on Facebook, please go take this poll, and add any comments you wish. Thanks!
Senate president says Bevin should concede election if recanvass doesn’t alter vote totals
“It’s time to call it quits and go home, say he had a good four years and congratulate Gov.-elect Beshear,” Stivers said in a brief Friday interview at the Capitol. (Forward Kentucky)
The crazy has come out about the election
There’s a conspiracy theory going around on the far Right about the Kentucky governor election, and it hit our Twitter account. Here’s the story. (Forward Kentucky)
Related: Thousands of Twitter ‘bots’ targeted Kentucky with fake news on election night – As the final votes trickled in during last week’s Kentucky gubernatorial election, a network of automated Twitter accounts suddenly sprang into action. (Forward Kentucky)
Northern Kentucky parents apply for what could be the state’s first charter school
Kentucky has allowed charter schools in 2017, but none have opened because the lack of a long-term funding mechanism from the state. A group of Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati-area parents applied to open the first charter school in Kentucky at the end of October.
River Cities Academy, they explained in a 939-page application to Newport Independent Schools, would accept students from six towns along the Ohio River in Kenton and Campbell counties. (Courier-Journal)
Rep. Charles Booker announces Senate exploratory committee
In addition to announcing his exploratory committee, Booker also announced a rally on Tuesday at 1:30 PM at the Port Shaw Community Center in Louisville. Our story includes his launch video and his press release. (Forward Kentucky)
Cities see economic boost after fairness law
As the vote on a potential Daviess County LGBTQ Fairness Ordinance looms, emotions are running high as certain sects of the community see the passing of an ordinance as a governmental step to guaranteeing basic human rights, while others view the potential passing as a slippery slope toward jeopardizing their religious rights. However, there is another perspective that is devoid of emotion or ideology – economic impact. (Forward Kentucky)
Did you miss any of these?
Featured Content on Forward Kentucky
([new] indicates new since last Forward Five; 🔥 indicates lots of reads)
News
[new] McConnell: ‘All indications are … we’ll have a new governor’ – Senator Mitch McConnell said Monday it appears that Gov. Bevin has lost the election for Kentucky governor, but he declined to say whether he thinks the Republican governor should concede. (read)
[new] 🔥Beshear says he’ll immediately rescind Bevin’s Medicaid plan; Republicans wary of legislating it – Governor-elect Andy Beshear says he will rescind Republican Gov. Matt Bevin’s Medicaid plan, which includes, among other things, highly controversial requirements for work and other “community engagement,” and key Republicans in the General Assembly seem wary of trying to legislate such requirements over the Democrat’s likely veto. (read)
[new] 🔥Appalachian communities say prison jobs are ‘phantom promise’ – In the scramble to “save” Appalachia as the coal industry collapsed, prisons — many housing incarcerated individuals transferred from distant states — have been presented as an antidote to the joblessness and poverty plaguing parts of the region, especially the more isolated rural areas. Prisons are big projects with hefty price tags, and they bring pledges of “jobs, jobs, jobs.” But more often, prisons do not deliver promised local employment, at least not initially, and carry with them a host of other issues. (read)
Thirty years later, Berry Craig remembers being at the fall of The Wall – Thirty years ago this weekend, the Berlin Wall fell. And thirty years ago, Berry and Melinda Craig were in Germany to capture that moment. Here’s their story, in words and pictures taken by Craig himself. (read and view)
🔥‘Absurd’ and ‘ridiculous’: What officials, experts say about Bevin’s voter fraud claims – After Gov. Bevin alleged claims about absentee ballots, voting machines, and ballot storage, two Courier-Journal reporters fact-checked those claims. Here’s what they learned. (read)
Matt Jones was very close to not running for Senate, but now will think about it – Matt Jones had just about decided not to run. But then the RPK filed their complaint, #FreeMattJones trended, and now he’s thinking again. (read)
Policy
As the coal industry shrinks, miners deserve a just transition – here’s what it should include – Murray Energy, one of the biggest private U.S. coal companies, has become the fifth coal company to file for bankruptcy in 2019. As the coal industry continues to shrink, it is time to talk about a “just transition” program for miners. Here’s what it is, and what it should include. (read)
Commentary
🔥Matt Bevin lost the Kentucky governor’s race because he’s a jerk. Good riddance! – Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Matt Bevin didn’t lose because of his policies, the way he governed, or scandal. He lost for one simple reason. (read)
Biden’s and Buttigieg’s sexist attacks on Warren – Looking for ways to bring Warren down, both Biden and Buttigieg have initiated new lines of attack that attentive listeners should recognize as not so new. (read)
Media
[podcast] 2019 election results – In this week’s MOKP podcast, Jazmin and Robert explain everything that happened in election 2019, including how Beshear builds his administration, and down-ballot races. (listen)
Posts with Most Social Media Shares in Past Fourteen Days
( 🔥indicates post with surge of recent shares)
- Who loses if Matt Bevin wins on November 5th? (7,000 shares [!!])
- ‘Absurd’ and ‘ridiculous’: What officials, experts say about Bevin’s voter fraud claims (2,000 shares)
- Presser: Beshear announces transition team, names “day-one priorities” (1,000 shares)
- Alison Lundergan Grimes: Bevin should ‘honor’ election result and help Beshear transition (952 shares)
The Forward 5 is published Monday to Friday by Forward Kentucky, an independent media organization focused on progressive news and issues in Kentucky, and is re-posted with permission. You can sign up for the email version of the newsletter on their website.
