Five Things to Know Today
— Publisher’s Note —
Good morning! Today’s note is mostly house-keeping items.
- We’ve changed the [new] designation in the lower story list. Before, it was for stories that hadn’t been in that list before, even though some of them might have been in the Five Things list. Now, to make it easier to scan, only stories published since the previous Forward Five will be marked as [new].
- We going to do some clean-up on our email list, removing those that don’t open our emails since we don’t want to add to people’s inbox unnecessarily. If you have opened this email, you’re okay – BUT, if you read our emails in your preview pane and don’t actually open them, Mailchimp can’t track that, so you’ll be shown as never opening our emails. So, if you get an “Are you there?” email, please open it and respond.
- We’ve had the paywall down since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. I’m torn as to whether to put it back up or not. If you have an opinion about it, feel free to ping me using the link below.
- And finally, we’re looking for sponsors. The program is explained here. If you know an organization or campaign that would be interested in getting their message out as a sponsor, please either point them to that page or have them contact me.
We’ve got a new article up on the site about wearing masks, and how important it is to slowing the spread of the coronavirus. (Even Mitch McConnell pushes wearing masks!) Feel free to share it with anyone you know who isn’t wearing one; it’s really important. #WearYourMask #TeamKentucky
Bruce Maples, publisher
(Send feedback ● Send tips)
Mask-wearing will be key to opening schools, but specific guidance still to come – 6/15 update
Kentucky schools were told Monday to prepare for intermittent closures during the school year to come, but they still await firm word from state officials about what will be recommended and what will be required. Lt. Gov. Coleman gave an update, including legislators on steering committee. And much discussion of wearing masks. (Forward Kentucky)
In major decision, SCOTUS says LGBTQ protected from discrimination in the workplace on basis of sex
The Supreme Court today ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlaws discrimination “because of sex,” covers LGBTQ employees. (Forward Kentucky)
McGrath spends $1.5 million on ads in last week of primary campaign
The Amy McGrath campaign has booked $1.53 million worth of ad time in the final days before the primary election. (Forward Kentucky)
Lawsuit seeks to remove candidate from ballot in heated Lexington statehouse race
A state House candidate in Lexington fails to meet residency requirements and should be disqualified from the race, a lawsuit filed Thursday in Fayette County alleges in a contest that has been overshadowed by a DUI charge. The 23-page suit, filed Thursday in Fayette Circuit Court by Lexington realtor Alicia Huff, calls for Aaron Yates to be disqualified from his June 23 Republican primary election for the 88th House District against attorney Monteia Mundy.
The race has drawn publicity because of a DUI charge earlier this year against Mundy. She pleaded guilty to it and publicly apologized but Yates said it shows a character flaw in her that should keep her out of the House. (Herald-Leader)
Kentucky should brace for an ‘election week’ with delayed primary results, officials say
If you’re hoping to find out your party’s nominee in various Kentucky races on June 23, you’re going to have to wait a little bit longer. All absentee ballots must be postmarked by June 23 and received by county clerks’ offices by June 27 for them to count.
With the potential for major influxes of absentee ballots arriving after Election Day, all counties have been advised to wait to release results until Kentucky’s June 30 tabulation deadline, according to Jared Dearing, executive director of the State Board of Elections. (Courier-Journal)
Bonus
More Q and A on absentee ballots and voting in the primary
We’ve gotten various questions about voting in the upcoming primary, especially about absentee ballots. So, we put together the following Q&A using information from a number of sources. (read)
Did you miss any of these?
Featured Content on Forward Kentucky
([new] indicates new since last Forward Five; 🔥 indicates lots of reads)
— News —
[new] Seven women prisoners sue for release because of pandemic – Seven women serving time at the Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women have filed a lawsuit seeking their immediate release from prison due to the coronavirus pandemic. (read)
[new] Evidence mounts that masks work, even as they become controversial – Multiple studies are showing that wearing masks helps reduce the spread of COVID-19, especially when combined with hand-washing and social distancing. (read)
SCOTUS: Key decisions on the docket – Several key decisions are expected in the coming weeks as the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) prepares to end its 2019-2020 term. Here’s a list. (read)
Website estimates COVID hotspots moving to Louisville-Bluegrass corridor – Hotspots for the coronavirus in Kentucky appear to be moving from a gaggle of counties in near Western Kentucky to more urban counties along Interstate 64. (read)
Black Lives Matter in Crab Orchard, Kentucky – There was a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Crab Orchard (population 832) last Tuesday. Nick Lacy got the pix, and Joanna King got the story. (read)
McGrath outraises McConnell (again), and one poll shows her ahead – Senate race news – The latest numbers in Senate fund-raising by all four major candidates, plus some updates on polling (McGrath vs McConnell, and Booker vs McGrath). (read)
— Commentary —
[new] Why name our U.S. forts for these double losers? – When people argue that we should keep those Army forts named for Confederate generals, here’s your response: Why should our nation’s best be trained at bases named for our worst? Because most of them were TERRIBLE generals. (read)
[new] Heroes aren’t hard to find – except in the U.S. Senate – At times of crisis, people often step up to be heroes. We are finding heroes among us today – except in the U.S. Senate. (read)
Battle of the bigots around a Union statue – If Thomas Massie had lived in Lewis County during the Civil War and hoisted a Confederate battle flag, locals likely would have run him out of town, maybe on a rail and in a suit of tar and feathers, to boot. (read)
A white man’s thoughts on white privilege – A retired history professor, who is white, shares his thoughts on the fact of white privilege in our society, and what to do about it. (read)
— Policy —
[new] Police unions are one of the biggest obstacles to transforming policing – Protesters and community organizers are increasingly calling for defunding and disbanding the police as a way to end police violence. But there’s a major, and usually insurmountable, obstacle to reform: police unions. (read)
— Cartoon —
🔥 Junk set-out day in Louisville’s Highlands neighborhood – Aaron Smith notes: “I’m not sure what the Louisville Metro guidelines are for junk set out in Cherokee Triangle, but hopefully they’ll make an exception.” (view)
🔥 DOJ Threat Assessment Guide – Aaron Smith obtained a copy of the classified 2020 Threat Assessment Guide from the DOJ. It’s pretty simple, and they’ve obviously been following it. (view)
— Media —
[show] Our COVID Economy & Universal Basic Income – Our economy is in a nosedive, millions are out of work, and the Fed says the future is bad. What should be done? And is UBI part of the answer? Join us for a discussion with Scott Santens, UBI expert, and Hale Stewart, economic analyst, as we look at how to deal with all of this. (watch)
[podcast] Protests & COVID – plus interview w/ Charles Booker – This week we continue talking about the wave of protests all across Kentucky, and update the status of the COVID-19 outbreak. Then, we interview U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker, who talked candidly about his campaign and the painful time for his district and city. (listen)
Posts with Most Social Media Shares in Past Fourteen Days
(🔥 indicates post with surge of recent shares)
- Why aren’t teachers at the table when it comes to COVID-19 planning? (717 shares)
- Booker receives endorsements from Sanders, AOC, and the Herald-Leader (668 shares)
- Corbin Snardon on how to make a real difference after the protests stop (616 shares)
- 🔥 Black Lives Matter in Crab Orchard, Kentucky (574 shares)
- Uptick accelerates as Beshear announces 319 new coronavirus cases, most in more than a month, with 65% in Jefferson County (531 shares)
