Five Things to Know Today
Good morning! It seems that more and more people are taking the virus threat seriously, and are beginning to adapt to this “new normal.” For example, we’ve begun wiping down our groceries before putting them away.
Still, not everyone “gets it.” President Trump hopes to end the social distancing by Easter, a few weeks from now. And a state rep has filed a bill limiting Governor Beshear’s ability to issue executive orders to deal with the crisis.
A word about news media in general and ForwardKY in particular: We are working on lifting the paywall on the site during the crisis, so that all content is open to everyone. We are also going to start posting reminders to support your local and state media outlets as well as our own site. Whatever news you consume, remember that it costs money to produce, including for us.
Stay informed, and take care of yourselves. As Gov. Beshear says, we’re going to get through this.
Bruce Maples, publisher
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Breaking: Senate and White House reach deal on relief package
Some time after midnight the news broke that the Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and the White House had reached an agreement on a $1 trillion-plus package of coronavirus relief. The bill will be voted on later today in the Senate. The House still has their own bill, and the two bills will have to be reconciled. Al Cross at Kentucky Health News has a good summary. (KY Health News)
3/24 update – More closings, coronavirus “party,” hotline gets 2,000 calls
In his Tuesday update, Gov. Beshear order non-life-sustaining businesses to end in-person traffic. He updated the case count (163 in Kentucky), and told of one person getting infected at a “coronavirus party.” He noted that the hotline to report violators had received over 2,000 calls to date. He also responded to President Trump’s suggestion of ending social distancing in a few weeks. There is much more, so read the summary or watch the video. (Forward Kentucky)
Bill filed to limit governor’s executive orders during health crisis
Rep. Savannah Maddox has rewritten one of her own bills to limit executive orders, and to allow persons affected by the orders to sue the state for damages. (Forward Kentucky)
Gov. Andy Beshear signs bill giving relief to Kentucky schools amid the coronavirus
Senate Bill 177, a bill giving Kentucky’s schools the latitude to use as many nontraditional instruction days as needed in response to the coronavirus outbreak was signed by Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday. The bill had an Emergency clause, so it took effect as soon as it was signed. The governor recently asked superintendents to extend school closures until at least April 20 in an effort to help contain the virus. (Courier-Journal)
A day in the life of an ER doc — a brief dispatch from the COVID-19 front lines
This is a Twitter thread from an emergency room doctor dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, showing us what his days are like now, and giving us a look into a world that most of us cannot see or know. The story also includes some responses from others to the story. (Forward Kentucky)
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] 🔥 Concern about coronavirus depends on age and political party – Coronavirus concern has risen dramatically across Kentucky in the past month. But that rise varies dramatically by age and party. Let’s take a look. (read)
[new] Chief justice pleads for Kentucky inmate releases ahead of COVID-19, but progress slow – In spite of Chief Justice Minton’s pleas that courts release inmates to avoid coronavirus outbreaks in the jails, figures suggest this is slow to happen. (read)
[new] Northern Kentucky mayor’s blunt coronavirus message: ‘It’s a big f***ing deal’ – No one will mistake Mayor Gabe Brown with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. The two have the same message about the coronavirus, but their delivery is a little different. (read)
Retail — Here’s what’s allowed open and ordered close – Directly from the Governor’s executive order, here is the list of retail establishments either ordered closed or allowed to remain open. (read)
Commentary
[new] 🔥 Rand Paul’s ‘me first’ mentality exposed the US Senate to coronavirus – It’s hard to image a U.S. Senate headed by Mitch McConnell being more toxic than it already was, but congratulations Rand. You did it. (read)
Maddow: Trump’s lies are irresponsible and dangerous – Her recommendation? Stop carrying him live; if you do, you are helping to spread his misinformation, at a time we need straight talk and not happy talk. (view)
🔥 Kentucky vs. Tennessee on coronavirus may be the best example of ‘elections matter’ in years – Kentucky elected Andy Beshear. Tennessee elected Bill Lee. As the coronavirus crisis has unfolded, we see that whom you elect, and what they believe, actually matters. (read)
Media
[live show] SOK Show: Mike Broihier, Dustin Pugel – On this week’s “The State of Kentucky,” we welcome Mike Broihier, candidate for U.S. Senate. Then we talk with Dustin Pugel of KCEP about the state budgets, and what the GA should be doing about the coronavirus crisis. (watch)
[podcast] Coronavirus and Kentucky – Jazmin and Robert practice social distancing by recording from their individual homes while discussing Kentucky’s response to coronavirus and its impact on elections and the legislature. (listen)
PubBlog
[new] Please ignore Trump’s advice on this – No matter how you may feel about the Trump presidency, this is one time when the response to his instruction is clear: Ignore him. (read)
Posts with Most Social Media Shares in Past Fourteen Days
(🔥 indicates post with surge of recent shares)
- Here’s what made the Trump admin take the coronavirus seriously (3,000+ shares)
- 🔥 Kentucky vs. Tennessee on coronavirus may be the best example of ‘elections matter’ in decades (3,000+ shares)
- Massie blasts coronavirus precautions; opponents blast Massie for comments (2,000+ shares)
- Broihier releases hard-hitting ad against #CoronaMitch (584 shares)
- KYforKY unveils new state seal (501 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.
