Five Things to Know Today
KY school districts sue e-cigarette companies
Kentucky school districts are trying to stem the tide of vaping that not only is harming the health of their middle and high school students, but also is draining resources. (Forward Kentucky)
What did Kentucky get for Bevin’s $600,000+ contract to investigate Steve Beshear?
Gov. Bevin’s administration paid a law firm at least $600,000 to investigate Steve Beshear’s administration, but refuses to say what it got for the money. (Forward Kentucky)
Beshear appoints Cameron to fill remainder of term
Reaching across party lines, Democratic Gov.-elect Andy Beshear says he’ll appoint Republican Attorney General-elect Daniel Cameron to serve the final weeks of Beshear’s term as Kentucky’s top law enforcement officer. Cameron’s appointment to take Beshear’s place as attorney general takes effect Dec. 17. Cameron begins his full term Jan. 6 stemming from his victory in the November election. Beshear takes office as governor next Tuesday. Cameron said Friday he appreciates Beshear for giving him the opportunity to take office early. Cameron has been assembling his staff. (West Kentucky Star)
Impeachment, racism, and the Trump-Republican cult
Three historians look at how Trump uses racism as part of his appeal, and the loss of historic Republican values to the Trumpism cult. (Forward Kentucky)
Trump administration’s new food stamp rules will make it harder for Kentuckians to get aid
The rules sound like they make sense – until you talk with people who actually have experience with the working poor and SNAP. (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] Outgoing Gov. Bevin fires off order aimed at curbing Rocky Adkins’ pension – In a move aimed squarely at House Democratic Leader Rocky Adkins, outgoing Republican Gov. Matt Bevin has issued an executive order attempting to block Adkins from getting a higher pension as he leaves the General Assembly to accept a job as a senior adviser with Gov.-elect Andy Beshear. (read)
[new] 🔥Experts: Matt Bevin’s ‘harvesting votes’ remarks were veiled reference to minorities – Gov. Bevin was using coded language to refer to minority voters when he blamed his election loss on liberals “harvesting votes,” political experts say. (read)
🔥Bevin administration says Kentucky faces $1.1 billion budget shortfall over next two years – Gov.-elect Beshear could inherit a $1.1 billion budget shortfall over the next two fiscal years, according to a memo from Gov. Bevin’s budget director. (read)
Commentary
[new] The (Millennial) kids are all right – I’m an old lady, a Boomer born in 1958. But it drives me crazy when I see my generation run down millennials. Here’s what they are getting right. (read)
[new] 🔥Bevin employs scorched-earth policy in classless exit from role as governor – If there’s anything to make out of Gov. Bevin’s round of interviews on conservative radio stations, it’s that 12:01 a.m. Tuesday can’t come fast enough. (read)
🔥‘Mad Matt,’ ever the ‘crass, classless, recalcitrant man’ – Matt Bevin is at it again. His time nearly up, Bevin has taken to the radio to dog whistle to the GOP faithful and to bash Beshear. (read)
Media
[new podcast] Interview with Rep. Josie Raymond – This week, Jazmin and Robert spoke with J-town and Hikes Point Representative Josie Raymond specifically about her efforts around early childhood education in the legislature. She told us about her partnership with Bowling Green Republican Steve Sheldon, and how they were approaching making big changes to the way that Kentucky handles pre-K education, and what she envisions as the future of how we handle this important topic in our state.
In this episode, Jazmin and Robert also discussed the potential priorities of Attorney General-elect Daniel Cameron and several high profile appointments in Governor-elect Andy Beshear’s cabinet. (listen)
Posts with Most Social Media Shares in Past Fourteen Days
( 🔥indicates post with surge of recent shares)
- Beshears invite all Kentuckians to free Dec. 10 inaugural events, including two balls (866 shares)
- Bevin, still claiming election fraud, says liberals are ‘good at harvesting’ urban votes (864 shares)
- Matt Bevin accuses Andy Beshear of ‘selling’ appointment to campaign contributor (564 shares)
- Bevin employs scorched-earth policy in classless exit from role as governor (405 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.
