Health
‘Full steam ahead:’ U.S. official from Mingo County works to protect coal miners from black lung
This Labor Day, as a new federal rule is being rolled out to prevent deadly black lung disease in miners, Christopher Williamson is remembering the coal miners who fought for the creation of his agency and who weren’t afforded the protections that current and future workers hopefully will. Williamson, assistant secretary for the U.S. Mine […]
Feds: Justice coal companies have no defense against move to hold them in contempt
Federal attorneys asking a court to hold 23 of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s family-owned coal companies in contempt for nonpayment of health and safety fines entered a filing this week saying the companies shouldn’t have entered into a payment plan if they knew they couldn’t honor it. The filing, entered Tuesday in the U.S. […]
Vape retailers move to reinstate their legal challenge of 2024 Kentucky law
Kentucky vape retailers plan to appeal the dismissal of their challenge to a 2024 state ban on selling some vaping roducts. A Franklin Circuit judge in late July dismissed their lawsuit challenging the 2024 law. Greg Troutman with the Kentucky Smoke Free Association, which represents vape retailers, filed a notice of appeal Tuesday with the […]
Kentucky could be in violation of federal law without more community-based mental health care
LOUISVILLE — The U.S. Department of Justice says it has “reasonable cause” to believe Kentucky is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act in Jefferson County.? This finding comes after a two-year federal investigation “focused on whether Kentucky subjects adults with serious mental illness to unnecessary segregation in psychiatric hospitals in Louisville.”? In a 30-page report […]
Trees are ‘medicine,’ UofL research finds
LOUISVILLE — A research project years in the making through the University of Louisville, The Nature Conservancy and other partners has found planting thousands of trees and shrubs in a south Louisville neighborhood has improved the health of hundreds of residents.? The University of Louisville’s Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute launched the Green Heart Louisville […]
‘It’s on us:’ KY Republican slams fellow lawmakers for not funding juvenile justice improvements
Sen. Danny Carroll slammed the Kentucky legislature on Friday for not funding his proposal to spend $22 million on a special mental health juvenile detention facility.? The West Kentucky Republican filed Senate Bill 242 during the 2024 session, which would have also created a process to test and treat minors with serious mental health issues […]
Kentucky Republican seeks to add coercive control to protective order statute
If you or someone you know has experienced domestic violence, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.? You can also contact any of Kentucky’s 15 domestic violence programs.? A Northern Kentucky Republican intends to file a bill that would add coercive control to Kentucky’s protective […]
Kentucky State University, state public health department partner to bolster workforce
Kentucky’s Department of Public Health will now offer an internship program to Kentucky State University students who wish to get hands-on experience in the field while studying.? Employees of the Department of Public Health (KDPH) will also get tuition assistance for continuing their education at Kentucky State University (KSU). Such employees can take five or […]
Kentucky legislature could have a wellness caucus
Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer filed paperwork Wednesday to start a new legislative caucus focused on holistic wellness.? The Alexandria Republican, who has often touted Kentucky’s need for what she calls a “wellness revolution,” said she is hoping for approval by Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker David Osborne within a week.? Funke Frommeyer wants […]
Kentucky lawmakers visit Indiana freestanding birth center?
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — A group of Kentucky lawmakers visited a freestanding birth center in Indiana Thursday to learn about an issue that promises to come up again during the 2025 legislative session.?? Tree of Life, a freestanding birthing center in Jeffersonville — right across the Ohio River from Louisville — accepts only clients with low-risk […]
What’s IUI? What’s IVF? A look at the fertility treatments the Walz family is talking about
The broader scope of fertility treatments entered the spotlight this week after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife Gwen shared that they had children through a less commonly known procedure. Since Vice President Kamala Harris selected Gov. Walz as her running mate, he has discussed his family’s fertility journey during speeches in Pennsylvania, Nebraska […]
Louisville bat found with rabies. Here’s how to protect yourself and pets.?
LOUISVILLE — The Louisville health department says a bat found in the East End was positive for rabies, a rare but deadly viral disease.? This is the first rabies case in Jefferson County this year, Ciara Warren, environmental health manager at the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW), said Thursday.? “It is […]