public safety
‘Extremely frustrating:’ Kentucky crime victims still not getting automated court notifications?
A House Republican leader on Thursday criticized the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) for a three-year lapse in automatic notifications to Kentucky crime victims about their court cases.? Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, the House majority whip, said the AOC should have requested the hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to relaunch these notifications through […]
Florence mass shooting devastates family, shakes community
“We have never dealt with this before,” was how Florence Police Chief Jeff Mallery described the mass shooting of seven people in the early hours of July 6. “I know it’s gone on throughout the nation, but this is the first time that we’ve had a mass shooting in Florence,” Mallery said during a press […]
Kentucky Republicans override Beshear vetoes
FRANKFORT —?The GOP-dominated Kentucky legislature easily overrode nearly all of Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s vetoes Friday on the next to last day of this year’s legislative session, cementing a number of Republican priorities into state law.? In total, Republican supermajorities in both legislative chambers overrode two dozen vetoes of bills and a resolution, including […]
Perry County prosecutor faces federal charges for allegedly trading favors for sex, drugs
A Kentucky prosecutor, who allegedly helped criminal defendants in exchange for sexual favors and methamphetamine, is facing federal wire fraud charges. Perry County commonwealth’s attorney Scott Blair, 51, of Hazard, was charged with committing honest services wire fraud in a federal criminal complaint Friday, according to a release from the U.S. attorney for the Eastern […]
Government transparency decisions await Kentucky lawmakers when they reconvene Friday
FRANKFORT — A bill that open government advocates warn would introduce loopholes into Kentucky’s open records law could make its way to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s desk when lawmakers return to Frankfort later this week.? The final two days of the 60-day regular session — Friday and Monday — are set aside to consider gubernatorial […]
Senate Judiciary Committee forwards omnibus Kentucky crime bill without chairman’s vote
FRANKFORT — Chairman Whitney Westerfield, a Republican, joined two Democrats in voting against a sweeping crime bill Thursday as the Senate Judiciary Committee approved its version of the controversial measure. Westerfield, who had proposed a rewrite of House Bill 5, said he preferred his version but “I don’t have the votes.”? Instead the committee approved […]
Opponents from across the political spectrum?testify against sweeping crime bill
FRANKFORT — Kentucky’s Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday heard a slew of testimony from across the political spectrum opposing an omnibus crime bill.? Senate Judicial Committee Chair Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Fruit Hill, said that while House Bill 5 was up only for discussion Tuesday, he expects a committee vote on the legislation Thursday. The bill […]
Ban on child sex dolls clears Senate, goes to governor
FRANKFORT — A bill felonzing the intentional ownership of a child sex doll has now passed both the Kentucky House and Senate and is on its way to Gov. Andy Beshear’s desk.? Sen. Chris McDaniel presented the bill, sponsored in the House by Edgewood Republican Rep. Stephanie Dietz, on the Senate floor. It passed unanimously […]
Senate advances GOP bill paving the way for school ‘guardians’
FRANKFORT —?Despite opposition from Republicans and Democrats, a GOP-backed measure that paves the way for school districts to hire “guardians” to fill vacant law enforcement officer roles on school campuses passed out of the Kentucky Senate Tuesday.? Senate Bill 2, sponsored by? Sen. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville,builds upon his 2019 School Safety and Resiliency Act that […]
Ban on child sex dolls, using AI to make child porn clears hurdle
FRANKFORT — A House bill that would make it a felony to knowingly own a child sex doll in Kentucky passed the Senate Judiciary committee unanimously Thursday morning. House Bill 207 passed the House in early February and is making its way through the Senate. It can now go to the floor for consideration. Should […]
Boone County using opioid settlement funds to create social worker role under the sheriff’s department
Boone County is set to hire three new workers aimed at addressing the multifaceted challenges posed by the opioid crisis. On Tuesday, the Boone County Fiscal Court approved a resolution allowing the use of opioid abatement funds to hire up to three police navigators/social workers — a newly created position. “This is one of the […]
Bail clampdowns don’t match what research says about suspects, experts say
Crime is shaping up as a potent election issue, and one of the key points of debate is over bail: Which suspects should be jailed before trial, and which ones should be released on bond — and for how much money? Some conservatives argue that lenient bail policies put suspects who are likely to commit […]