Commentary
Paid family leave would be a win-win for Jefferson County Public Schools
Sleep deprivation, mental health challenges, breastfeeding, child care, family dynamics and body image are just a few of the challenges many new parents face when expanding their families.? As a fierce maternal and child health advocate, Louisville Metro Office for Women ambassador and lactation consultant who supports new parents, I know that providing access to […]
How a bill becomes law (the real story)
Near the end of this year’s legislative session, a week before lawmakers recessed for the 10-day veto period, I met with state Sen. Max Wise in his office for about 15 minutes. We both agreed to speak off-the-record so that we could speak freely. And so we did. I am not one of Sen. Wise’s […]
How Black teachers lost when civil rights won in Brown v.?Board
This commentary is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.? Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court decision that desegregated public schools, stands in the collective national memory as a turning point in America’s fight for racial justice. But as the U.S. observes its 70th anniversary, Brown also represents something more somber: […]
Transparency should be the rule in Kentucky pensioners’ long-running challenge to hedge funds
The details are still a bit sketchy, but it is clear that attorneys representing the parties in Kentucky’s pension litigation will return to Franklin Circuit Court for a hearing in Tia Taylor, et al. v. KKR? & Co, LP, et al. on Monday after Judge Thomas Wingate gave the green light for the case(s) to […]
Kentucky presidential primary worth watching, even if it doesn’t matter
When Mitch McConnell voted not to convict Donald Trump on impeachment for the assault on the Capitol, the Senate Republican leader excused himself on grounds that Trump had left office. That was an untested legal theory; McConnell had already tested the politics of his members, and voted with most of them. But then he laid […]
Politics as performance: When debate is a formality and voters go for the man with the biggest hat
One morning during the 2024 legislative session, I walked out of a meeting about Senate Bill 2 — putting armed guardians in lieu of fully-trained school resource officers in our schools, with no budget allocation — and ran into a familiar lawmaker and two interns waiting for the elevator.? “I was just saying how all […]
Kentucky needs UK to accelerate its progress. UK needs rule changes to meet that challenge.
In a recent meeting with several employers from across the country who hire our graduates, I heard many of the same themes. Our students are smart and capable. They are prepared. They have the technical skills necessary to do the job, working in what are often complex fields. But in many cases, I was told […]
Some legacy
In an April 21 KET interview, GOP Senate leader Damon Thayer was asked to define the term “normal Republican.” “Someone who wants to help put the fire out that’s burning in America today,” he said, adding that he is “tired of the jokers,” only to add this minutes later: “I don’t think that President Trump […]
A professor’s wake-up call to University of Kentucky president and trustees
On Monday, the University of Kentucky’s University Senate passed a vote of no confidence in President Eli Capilouto. In response, both Dr. Capilouto and the chair of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Britt Brockman, released separate statements doubling down on the controversial plan to strip the Senate of its oversight over core academic matters. President […]
With political protests, don’t trust your lying eyes
Activism on behalf of Gaza’s Palestinian population made its way to Lexington last week, in the form of a rally near the University of Kentucky’s main library. The modest crowd, estimated to number under 300, engaged in no violence, no vandalism, and no threatening behavior. No one faced arrest, nor did counter protestors accost them. […]
‘Wanting to be free does not insinuate violence’
LEXINGTON — History has a way of vindicating student protests — civil rights, Vietnam, apartheid — but it can take a while. I was thinking about this while trudging up Woodland Avenue on a sunny afternoon last week to a pro-Palestinian rally at the University of Kentucky.? Along the way I passed a group of […]
Kentucky Derby at 150 is bucket-list Americana. But can it outrun racing’s woes?
To paraphrase a wiseguy I once knew, this Saturday’s Kentucky Derby — the 150th edition of the famed horse race — is made history. From its first running in 1875 as the feature race at a just opened Churchill Downs in Louisville to its current place atop a sports and culture pinnacle, its narrative has […]