Five Things to Know Today
Good morning! We sent out an all-subscriber newsletter last night, so please take a moment to read it. You already knew most of what is in it (the advantage of being a Forward Five subscriber!), but it did have the links to watch our live show “The State of Kentucky” today. Here are those links; use them to watch the live show at noon, or to watch the recording later:
Today’s show has Secretary of State Michael Adams to talk about mail-in voting, and Senate candidate Charles Booker. Should be interesting and informative!
We’ve made it to Friday! Stay informed, and take care of yourselves. As Gov. Beshear says, we’re going to get through this.
Bruce Maples, publisher
(Send feedback ● Send tips)
Beshear rejects Trump idea of scaling distancing by county risk (3/26 update)
In his Thursday update, the governor reported 50 new confirmed cases. He talked about his ongoing efforts to get PPE, and reported spending $8 million so far on it. He rejected President Trump’s suggestion of lowering some guidelines by county. There’s much more here – read the story to stay informed. (Forward Kentucky)
KYGA passes coronavirus relief bill; House Dems issue statement praising the work
In its only session this week, the Kentucky General Assembly unanimously passed its own coronavirus relief bill and sent it on to Governor Beshear for his signature. The story has the details, as well as a statement from the House Democratic leadership. (Forward Kentucky)
Massie plans to vote ‘no,’ threatens to hold up coronavirus stimulus bill
Rep. Thomas Massie has said he will vote “No” on the coronavirus relief bill. He also may force a roll-call vote, which would hold up passage and cause House members to have to return to DC. (Forward Kentucky)
Bill to expand power of AG over abortion advances in Kentucky Senate over objections
A controversial bill to shift more power to the attorney general to regulate abortion clinics shot through a Senate committee Thursday, after no opponents attended or spoke because of potential coronavirus contagion. “New safety measures limit public access to the state Capitol and the committee hearing process, yet lawmakers continue advancing bills unrelated to COVID-19,” said the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, which provided a written statement to lawmakers opposing the bill.
The ACLU said it was invited to speak, and the committee chairman had offered to get its members access to the Capitol for the hearing, but they declined based on “the clear recommendations of public health professionals.”
Speaking in front of an empty committee room, Rep. Stan Lee, a Lexington Republican and sponsor of House Bill 451, told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee his bill would allow the attorney general “to step in and act like a special prosecutor” to enforce abortion laws. (Courier-Journal)
Legislature passes #freeCERS bill
The legislature has given final passage to House Bill 484, which creates a County Employees Retirement System (CERS) Board of Trustees within one administrative structure.
CERS accounts for 76% of the pension assets managed by the Kentucky Retirement Systems (KRS) and 64% of the membership, yet it only has 35% representation on the current KRS Board of Trustees and has no representative on the KRS Investment Committee. House Bill 484 creates a nine-member CERS Board of Trustees that has a singular fiduciary duty to CERS and retains a nine-member KRS Board of Trustees to manage the state’s pension systems — the Kentucky Employees Retirement System (KERS) and the State Police Retirement System (SPRS). (KLC City Limit)
Repeat: Andy’s rockin’ — Matt’s chuggin’ (Maalox?)
(In our hurry to get the FF out the door yesterday, we left off the link to this commentary from Berry Craig. So, we’re posting it up here to make sure people see it. <g>)
Other states are making offers for our gov, while our former gov is getting ratioed on Twitter. Berry Craig does the comparison and includes the offers. 😊 (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] KFTC plans statewide virtual meeting – In order to continue connecting and planning while at the same time keeping people safe, KFTC is trying something different: a statewide virtual meeting. (read)
🔥 Bill would limit gov’s powers during health emergency – Rep. Maddox’s floor amendment to HB 322 would restrict executive orders, and would allow persons affected by an order to sue the state. (read)
A day in the life of an ER doc — a brief dispatch from the coronavirus front lines – A Twitter thread from an emergency room doctor dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, showing us what a day is like. Plus, some responses to the article. (read)
Commentary
[new] Virtual meetings vs open meetings – bad, good, or perfect? – As public agencies move from in-person to virtual meetings, how will they deal with the open meetings laws? And can virtual be as good as in-person? (read)
🔥 Andy’s rockin’ — Matt’s chuggin’ (Maalox?) – Other states are making offers for our gov, while our former gov is getting ratioed on Twitter. Berry Craig does the comparison and includes the offers. 😊 (read)
Media
[new podcast] Andy Beshear and COVID, legislative updates, and Senate budget, plus Corey Nichols interview – Beshear’s response to COVID and people’s response to it; the budget and other bills; and Corey Nichols, running for state House in Lexington. (listen)
[new video] The Coronavirus Explained – Here’s a short video that does a great job explaining the COVID-19 virus: what it is, how it spreads, how it attacks the body, and how to deal with it. (watch)
[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)
PubBlog
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)
- Bill would limit gov’s powers during health emergency (1,000+ shares)
- Broihier releases hard-hitting ad against #CoronaMitch (585 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.
