Five Things to Know Today
— Publisher’s Note —
Good morning! For a long time, I have wanted Forward Kentucky to be not only a media outlet doing news, policy, and commentary, but also a resource for progressives across the state.
To that end, we have tried: having a directory of hundreds of progressive and non-profit organizations across the state; putting up various resources such as voting guides; and hosting a calendar of events put on by progressive organizations and campaigns. All of these took quite a bit of work. None of them were, in my opinion, successful or utilized.
To me, the calendar was something I thought people could use. “What’s happening near me this week that I can be involved in?” seemed to me to be a good question for politically active persons to ask. And having a calendar that could be filtered by area would help answer that question.
However, we couldn’t get most organizations to post their events. That meant I had to scour Facebook pages and web sites to keep up with what was scheduled and put it on the calendar. In the end, it was too much work for too little use by our readers.
But, even though we no longer host a calendar, we want to help groups get the word out. So when someone sends me something they would like publicized, I try to share it. Thus, the event blurb in today’s Forward Five.
So, if your group or campaign has something you want publicized, send it on. I’m not saying we’ll go to the trouble of adding a calendar back to the site, but we will be glad to share it in some form or another.
The more we can collaborate across groups, and the more we can work together, the greater the chance of moving our state forward.
#WearYourMask #TeamKentucky … and … #DitchMitch
Bruce Maples, publisher
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Cases, hospitalizations and ICU cases jump; judge blocks limits on day-care centers – 7/3 update
Numbers up on Friday; judge issues restraining order on some executive orders, but Beshear will appeal. New county-level map shows risk levels. (Forward Kentucky)
Booker reaches out to unite Democrats against McConnell
Looking to flex his newfound influence among Kentucky Democrats after his Senate campaign fell just short, Charles Booker reached out Thursday to unite behind Amy McGrath’s uphill fight to unseat Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Booker, a progressive who lost to McGrath by about 15,100 votes in primary election results released Tuesday, portrayed McConnell as “our common enemy” in the struggle for racial and economic justice issues that formed the foundation of his campaign. “We must beat him, so we can do the real work,” Booker tweeted.
Booker said he was reaching out to McGrath to “discuss how we can truly work together.” There is “power in unity,” he said, and called for a campaign of “not mere gestures, but truly locking arms to work for real change.” (WLKY)
Paper records, staff cuts – KY public health departments struggle to deal with a pandemic
“The U.S. public health system has been starved for decades and lacks the resources to confront the worst health crisis in a century.” And Kentucky is a prime example. (Forward Kentucky)
Primary 2020 – Let’s talk about it! (TSOK live show)
If you weren’t able to watch the live stream of The State of Kentucky on Friday, here’s your chance to watch or listen to the recording. We analyzed the primary with Al Cross, long-time political observer of Kentucky politics, and Robert Kahne, data scientist and one of the hosts of “My Old Kentucky Podcast.” What happened, and why? And what should McGrath do to beat McConnell? (Forward Kentucky)
House Democratic leaders dumped a controversial consultant. One lawmaker didn’t.
Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives said in February they would cut ties with Jonathan Hurst, a controversial Kentucky campaign consultant, after Gov. Andy Beshear declared he wouldn’t help candidates who used Hurst. At least one lawmaker didn’t care.
Rep. Lisa Willner, D-Louisville, is running unopposed in 2020, yet she paid Hurst Consulting $6,425 for mailing calendar magnets on May 26, according to a campaign finance report filed with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. The report was filed June 10. (Herald-Leader)
Election 2020 Event
Meet the Candidates in Covington
If you live in Northern Kentucky, come join us for the opportunity to meet Ryan Olexia (running for State Senate, District 23, against Christian McDaniel) and Alexandra Owensby (running for US Congress, 4th District, against Thomas Massie). Meet outside the Covington Farm Market on Saturday, July 11, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM in a safe and socially-distanced venue. Bring your masks. Hope to see you there! (More info)
Did you miss any of these?
Featured Content on Forward Kentucky
([new] indicates new since last Forward Five; 🔥 indicates lots of reads)
— News —
Cases remain stable; Cameron joins suit against Beshear’s business restrictions – 7/1 update – As many more places open up across Kentucky, Beshear urges everyone to follow guidelines to protect each other and the reopening. (read)
🔥 Forever chemicals in Louisville drinking water – Is it time for action? – There’s a reason they’re called “forever chemicals.” And they are in Louisville’s water. Is that a problem, or no? (read)
🔥 Map of Senate primary margins by county – Here is a map we made of the margins of victory in each county for the 2020 Democratic Senate primary. (view)
Primary election draws raves from top state officials – Top Kentucky officials of both parties are saying the recent primary election, with many changes due to the coronavirus, was a success. (read)
— Commentary —
[new] Taylorsville can’t SLAPP one of its citizens – The Kentucky Court of Appeals has told the City of Taylorsville that it can’t use a SLAPP order to silence a local critic. (read)
[new] Cunningham and Brenda know every vote matters – Think your vote doesn’t matter? Ask state House hopeful Al Cunningham and state Rep. Travis Brenda, both Kentucky State AFL-CIO endorsed primary candidates. (read)
[new] On this Independence Day, recalling the Founders’ views of a free press – The press and the government may often have an adversarial relationship — but the government must not attempt to delegitimize the press and its work because they are essential to a free society. (read)
🔥 [new] Trump’s unfathomable cruelty – A pandemic. Illness and death. Economic devastation. And yet, the Trump administration wants to use the Supreme Court to take away the ACA. Only two words to describe that. (read)
🔥 Question: Is this treason? – A number of crimes are mentioned in our Constitution, but treason is the only crime specifically defined there. Given this definition of treason, has President Trump committed treason against the United States? (read)
Now is the time for Black prosecutors – We need more Black prosecutors to help mend the disproportionate amount of Black Americans incarcerated. We need more Black prosecutors to put criminals like Derek Chauvin & Co. behind bars to help prove that there is no place for bias, murder, and incompetent policing in these United States of America. (read)
— Editorial Cartoon —
Faces of the Maskless – Have you seen any of these around Kentucky? Met any of them? Are YOU one of them? (view)
— Media —
[new podcast] Election results with Perry Bacon & interview with Jeff Grammer – Robert welcomed Perry Bacon to talk about McGrath’s victory, and what it will take for her to beat McConnell. Also, what is next for Booker, and what the future might hold for Black politicians in Kentucky. Then, an interview with Jeff Grammar, running for state House. (listen)
🔥 [photo gallery] Candlelight vigil for Tyler Gerth – Tyler Gerth, a young photojournalist who had become a strong supporter of the protests and rallies, was shot and killed Saturday night. On Sunday, a candlelight vigil was held in Tyler’s memory. Photographer Del Ramey was there and captured these photos. (view)
[videocast] What is AgriTech, and why should you care? Plus, some scary stats. – We talk with Jonathan Webb, CEO of AppHarvest, about their vision and about working with both Kentucky and the Dutch. (The Dutch?!?) Plus, we share some scary stats that you’ll want to see. (watch or listen)
Posts with Most Social Media Shares in Past Fourteen Days
(🔥 indicates post with surge of recent shares)
- Would everyone please get the Louisville voting story straight? (26,000+ shares )
- ‘I rise because I was Breonna Taylor’s congressman …’ (2,000+ shares)
- The Louisville voting story – an update (2,000+ shares)
- The Breonna Taylor rally in Frankfort – a photo gallery (568 shares)
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