Five Things to Know Today
Beshear announces first round of administration leaders
On Monday, Governor-elect Andy Beshear announced the filling of five leadership positions, including new roles for Jacqueline Coleman, Rocky Adkins, and Jim Gray. (Forward Kentucky)
Related: “I want a seat at the table” – Rocky Adkins on why he’s not running for US Senate against Mitch McConnell, and instead took the senior adviser position with Gov.-elect Beshear. (Courier-Journal)
McGrath, McConnell raise millions — but from where?
Amy McGrath and Mitch McConnell have already raised millions of dollars for the 2020 election. Where are they getting it from, and can we learn anything from their fund-raising records? (Forward Kentucky)
Want to hire and keep teachers? Keep their defined-benefit pension protected.
Defined benefit pensions are a major factor for retaining teachers in KY, and worries about those pensions are making it hard to hire new teachers. (Forward Kentucky)
Repair costs for Kentucky planes have some lawmakers wondering whether they’re worth it
Maintenance costs for two state-owned planes primarily used by the governor topped $872,000 over the past two years, leading the state Senate president to question whether Kentucky should consider selling one of the aircraft. (Forward Kentucky)
Sharp drop in coal jobs offsets gains in some fields as Eastern Ky. economy falters
Manufacturing jobs in Eastern KY increased between 2012 and 2017, according to a new report. The news was less encouraging for the overall economy, though. (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] 🔥 How will Beshear’s first term go? Three viewpoints from three analysts – We asked three different political analysts across Kentucky to give their opinion on how Andy Beshear’s first term as governor will go. And, as luck would have it, we got three fairly different viewpoints – one pessimistic, one moderate, and one optimistic. (read)
[new] 🔥 Henderson: ‘All walks of labor’ represented on transition team – Ex-state labor secretary Larry Roberts can’t remember a governor-elect who named more union members to a Labor Department transition team than Andy Beshear. (read)
[new] 🔥 Bevin administration leaves out Passport in awarding $8B in Medicaid contracts – In a blow to Passport Health Plan of Louisville, Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration has notified five other health insurance companies they are to be awarded contracts to manage around $8 billion a year in Kentucky’s Medicaid business — effectively cutting Passport out of the work it’s had for more than 20 years. (read)
‘It was his to lose, and he lost it.’ Ky. lieutenant governor says she didn’t vote for Bevin – Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton says she did not vote for Gov. Bevin for governor in the election earlier this month, instead voting for Libertarian John Hicks. (read)
Commentary
Trump’s fast-food fake out – Don’t be fooled by Trump’s high-brow/low-brow image. It’s a carefully crafted one, meant to impress his supporters – but it’s a fast food fake out. (read)
A thriving community requires a strong safety net – A strong safety net honors the dignity of every Kentuckian, and provides the foundation for thriving as a commonwealth. These 60 organizations agree. (read)
🔥Gov. Matt Bevin’s ‘poor and childish’ legacy gives bipartisanship a window in Kentucky – As Governor-elect Beshear’s transition team measures the drapes, fellow Dems and even Repubs are wondering: could we actually work together? (read)
Policy
🔥 KY League of Cities wants to limit access to open records – KLC is proposing changing the law to only allow KY residents to make open records requests. This is a bad idea, and Amye Bensenhaver explains why. (read)
Media
[podcast] An interview with Sam Newton, Beshear comms director – This week’s show features Sam Newton, comms director for the Beshear campaign. Lots of insights and stories from the campaign trail! Meredith Scalos sat in for Jazmin, who was away. Robert and Meredith spoke about Matt Jones opting out of a run for U.S. Senate as well as the Beshear administration’s transition team. Also, discussions include Louisville Metro’s surplus and a report from a committee looking at public assistance in Louisville. (listen)
Posts with Most Social Media Shares in Past Fourteen Days
( 🔥indicates post with surge of recent shares)
- Massie is lone No vote on ‘Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act’ (2,000+ shares)
- Pro-impeachment group goes after Mitch McConnell with new TV ad in Kentucky (2,000+ shares)
- ‘Grim Reaper’ asking for civility is akin to pot calling kettle black (1,000+ shares)
- Beshears invite all Kentuckians to free Dec. 10 inaugural events, including two balls (859 shares)
- Under Trump, LGBTQ progress is being reversed in plain sight (460 shares)
- Charles Booker’s launch video got rave reviews. Here it is. (452 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.
