Kentucky
Another Kentucky House candidate disqualified for error in filing papers • Kentucky Lantern
A judge has removed Democrat Richard Henderson as a candidate for the state House in Shelby County because of errors in his candidacy filing papers.
The action July 30 by Shelby Circuit Judge Michelle Brummer at the request of Shelby County Judge-Executive Dan Ison leaves Republican incumbent Jennifer Decker unopposed in the Nov. 5 election for the state’s 58th House District. The district covers most of Shelby County.
Henderson, an IT employee who had no opposition in the May Democratic primary, was the first Black Democrat to seek the seat.
He said he will not appeal the judge’s order, “but we will come back in 2026.”
He said he plans to run again in two years for the House seat. “It will be a great opportunity then to flip this seat back to Democratic, especially with the success Democrats expect in keeping the White House this November.”
Decker, of Waddy, did not respond to calls for comment about Brummer’s order.
Ison has said Decker did not ask him to file the lawsuit, which he did with Shelby County citizen Janrose Stillwell,
Ison said he was involved in a similar case years ago and decided that it was his duty as Shelby County’s top Republican official to challenge Henderson’s papers.
Henderson’s attorney, Fielding Ballard of Shelbyville, questioned that, saying Ison filed the lawsuit after Henderson handed out “all his campaign cards” at Shelbyville’s annual Dogwood Festival in the spring.
In their lawsuit against Henderson, Ison and Stillwell claimed Henderson violated the state law that requires a candidate’s notification petition to be signed by the candidate and “by not less than two registered voters of the same party.”
Henderson’s candidacy papers were not signed by a single registered Democratic voter, said the legal challenge against him.
The lawsuit said Adam Muntzinger and Taunya Muntzinger were the two citizens who signed Henderson’s papers and both were registered Republicans in the district at the time They changed their party affiliation to Democrat in March of this year.
Henderson, in a response to the court, denied the allegations and said he believed the persons signing his candidacy papers were registered voters of his party. given “from all conversations and statements” he had with them over the years.
Judge Brummer in her four-page order noted that recent guidance on the issue was provided by the Kentucky Court of Appeals in a similar Jefferson County case.
Ison’s attorney, state Rep. Jason Nemes of Louisville, did not return calls seeking comment.
Ballard, Henderson’s attorney, said Brummer’s ruling was expected, given the recent Kentucky Supreme Court decision involving the case in Jefferson County.
In early June, Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter issued a one-page order that said incumbent state Rep. Nima Kulkarni of Louisville was disqualified as a candidate in this May’s Democratic election for the 40th District House seat.
The Supreme Court order in the Kulkarni case came one day after the state’s highest court held a hearing on her eligibility to run in the May primary election. She handily won the primary and had no opposition for the November general election.
Kentucky Supreme Court disqualifies Kulkarni in state House race
VanMeter’s order said a majority of the court upheld the decision by the Kentucky Court of Appeals that Kulkarni should be disqualified from the race because of errors in her candidacy filing papers.
He said the order was issued for the benefit of the parties involved and that the Supreme Court would issue an opinion “in due course.”
It is not clear what will be done to make sure the Jefferson County district has a state representative for the next two years, beginning Jan. 1. Kulkarni was the only one on the ballot.
Kulkarni did not return phone calls about the situation.
Steve Megerle, a Covington attorney representing former state Democratic Rep. Dennis Horlander, who filed the suit against Kulkarni, said, “We are waiting for the Supreme Court to say something about what will happen.”
He said Horlander is prepared to seek legal action to make sure that Kulkarni’s name is not on the November ballot. He noted that ballots are to be prepared by mid-August.
Ohio tornado warnings: what residents should know
Severe storms June 17 in Ohio: know tornado watch vs. warning, safety steps, shelters and alerts.
A tornado was confirmed to have ripped through the Florence area during the overnight storms June 18.
The National Weather Service in Wilmington released a statement June 20 saying a tornado traveled eastward 6.2 miles across the Northern Kentucky city, 10 miles south of Cincinnati. It had estimated peak winds of 100 mph, which classifies it as an EF1 “moderate” tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
The tornado’s path goes mostly through residential areas, and the first evidence was found on Landings Way where several trees were snapped at their trunks, the weather service reported.
The tornado progressed east, crossing Interstate 71/75 and then seemingly dissipating on Tallwood Circle where multiple large branches were downed, the final known instance of damage.
Along the way, the tornado uprooted multiple trees and snapped branches, damaged several buildings and businesses, and snapped a large power pole near the intersection of U.S. 42 and Dream Street, according to the weather service.
How many tornadoes have been confirmed in Greater Cincinnati, beyond?
As of 1 p.m. June 20, the weather service has confirmed that apart from the one in Florence, two other tornadoes touched down in Greater Cincinnati on June 18:
- An EF2 “significant” tornado that traveled about 9 miles from Dearborn County, Indiana, to Boone County, Kentucky.
- An EF2 “significant” tornado that traveled just over 5 miles from Franklin County, Indiana, to Butler County, Ohio.
A few other tornadoes have been confirmed outside the Greater Cincinnati region, including an EF2 that traveled 23.6 miles from Scott County, Indiana, to Trimble County, Kentucky; an EF2 that traveled 9 miles across Pike County, Ohio; and one in Grant County, Kentucky, just north of Williamstown.
The weather service said details on the Grant County tornado will be released later on June 20.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville celebrated Juneteenth with music, dancing and a parade highlighting Black culture, history and unity.
The Kentucky Black Festival’s Juneteenth Unity Parade brought hundreds of people to west Louisville, with marching bands, dancers, community organizations and families joining together to honor the meaning behind the holiday.
“Seeing the families having a good time seeing everyone dancing, with everything that’s happening in this city and happening in the world, a moment to just take a breath and smile and relax your shoulders is what this is all about,” said Walter Murrah, executive director of the Kentucky Black Foundation.
Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.
For organizers, the celebration is about more than a parade. It’s about recognizing the history that paved the way for future generations.
“Celebrating Juneteenth is more than just dancing and singing. It’s also reaching back and looking at the giants that paved the way for us, but also taking a moment to just celebrate our blackness because I think oftentimes it’s looked down upon, left out, overlooked, and those kind of things,” Murrah said. “And so being Black is beautiful. Being Black is, you know, it should be celebrated, and that’s what Juneteenth is about, is, you know, marrying the history but also looking ahead to what’s in the future.”
Attendees said the event created a space to celebrate their heritage and come together.
“We’re not celebrated enough, so with this being Juneteenth for freedom and unity to come together, this is the day for us to do that,” said Tara Britt.
Community members also emphasized the importance of teaching younger generations about the holiday and its history.
“It’s very important because if we don’t tell them, they won’t know. We have to get educated to educate them because it’s not in the schools right now,” said Shannon Gilbert. “So we get all the knowledge and give it back to them and make sure they’re educated because they’re the future.”
Organizers said the goal is to make sure Juneteenth is not only remembered but experienced through community celebrations like the parade.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, but communities across the country have recognized and celebrated the day for decades.
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