Five Things to Know Today
Agenda for new state ed board: Search for new commissioner, decide education priorities
The new Board of Education meets this week with two bil goals: start the search for a new commissioner, and decide priorities. One big priority? Funding. (Forward Kentucky)
Andy Beshear picks nursing home exec as watchdog of troubled nursing home industry
To watchdog the troubled nursing home industry, Gov. Beshear picked an executive from a corporation that owns two dozen low-rated nursing homes around KY. (Forward Kentucky)
Group pushes Kentucky to spend additional $1B on education by 2026
After a decade of plummeting investment in our public schools, an advocacy group has a big request for lawmakers – step up spending by $1 billion. The Prichard Committee released its report, along with a grid showing where the funding should go. (Forward Kentucky)
League of Women Voters urges redistricting advisory group
In a preemptive push well ahead of the next round of legislative redistricting, the League of Women Voters of Kentucky on Monday urged state lawmakers to create a citizen-led commission to recommend new state and federal legislative maps.
The proposal would set up a 15-member advisory commission that would reach out to Kentuckians to gather input before developing a plan for setting state and federal legislative districts. The plan would be submitted to the state legislature, which would make the final decision.
Kentucky League President Fran Wagner said the proposal would help ensure that the redistricting process is fair and transparent. (Herald-Leader)
Study: You won’t believe where Kentucky ranks among worst states for climate change
If you came to Kentucky from a coastal state hoping to put off feeling the effects of climate change, you have our deepest sympathies. A new study from SafeHome.org ranks Kentucky as No. 9 among the worst states for climate change.
Of the five risk factors measured — extreme heat, drought, inland flooding, wildfires and coastal flooding — Kentucky had four, only escaping coastal flooding. (Courier-Journal)
Reminder
Not all stories on Forward Kentucky make it to the top “Five Things” section of the Forward Five! Many stories only show up in the yellow section below, which is a running list of pretty much everything published. So, be sure to scan the lower section each day as well, so you don’t miss anything.
Did you miss any of these?
Featured Content on Forward Kentucky
([new] indicates new since last Forward Five; 🔥 indicates lots of reads)
News
[new] Pike senator’s bills aimed at high insulin costs – A state senator representing part of Eastern Kentucky has sponsored two bills this legislative session that aim to address high treatment costs affecting hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians with diabetes. (read)
[new] Republican introduces Marsy’s Law to General Assembly following Bevin’s pardons – Following hundreds of pardons from former Gov. Matt Bevin, a Kentucky Republican has introduced Marsy’s Law to the 2020 General Assembly. (read)
🔥 Sharp words exchanged between backers and critics of immigration bill in KY Senate – Amid criticism of an immigration bill that some say would separate families and increase racial profiling, supporters said it is needed for public safety. (read)
Beshear releases Braidy documents – Gov. Andy Beshear on Friday released documents related to Kentucky’s investment in Braidy Industries, ending years of open-records court cases. (read)
Commentary
🔥 [new] An open letter from a teacher to Kentucky legislators – In an open letter to all members of the General Assembly, the KY High School Teacher of the Year shares three things teachers need from their legislators. (read)
[new] What do spicy tuna rolls have to do with open records? – There is much to be learned from government records – as long as you can get to them. Including who is spending money on spicy tuna rolls. (read)
🔥 Immigration? Voter ID laws? Kentucky Senate’s priority bills are jokes – You’d think Repubs would have stopped playing political games by now and focused on real problems. Instead, they put forward two joke bills as “priorities.” (read)
Policy
[new] Three reasons the Voter ID bill is bad — and what we should do instead – SB2, the Voter ID bill, is a bad bill. Dr. Neal Turpin gives three reasons it is bad, and lays out what we should be doing instead. (read)
Media
🔥 ‘The MAGA Church’ — a video by the Lincoln Project – The Lincoln Project, a group of Republican Never-Trumpers, has just released this video about Donald Trump’s relationship to Evangelical Christians. (view)
🔥 [podcast]Transportation, Booker-McGrath-Broihier, KYGA20 bills – This week, we talked about the state’s SHIFT plan and how it interacts with Metro Louisville’s “Move Louisville” plan. Also, Jazmin and Robert talked about Charles Booker’s decision to run for US Senate and about what the other Democratic candidates for US Senate have been up to recently. The General Assembly started on Tuesday, and Robert talked about the Senate’s priority bills. (listen)
🔥 [photo gallery] Anti-war protests in Paducah and Morehead — ‘Trump is finally a uniter’ – Kentucky’s major cities weren’t the only places where everyday citizens took to the streets to protest possible war with Iran. Two Forward Kentucky contributors sent us their coverage of anti-war protests in Paducah and Morehead, along with photos of the events. (view)
Posts with Most Social Media Shares in Past Fourteen Days
(🔥 indicates post with surge of recent shares)
- A second Trump term would be “far worse,” say three historians (4,000 shares)
- “If we lose the rule of law, we might as well tear this capitol down.” (2,000 shares)
- Another history-maker files to run for office (2,000 shares)
- Frankfort gun rally: Interview and photos (859 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.
