Kentucky
Commentary: Kentucky Supreme Court should recognize the benefits of school choice
By Andrew Vandiver and John Meiser
Lately, over 15,000 extra Kentucky college students have began attending a faculty apart from a public faculty. Mother and father, in fact, have all the time sought what’s greatest for his or her kids. However this shift represents a rise in parental empowerment that calls for consideration.
That’s why EdChoice KY partnered with attorneys from Notre Dame Legislation Faculty’s Spiritual Liberty Initiative to help Kentucky’s faculty alternative program earlier than the Commonwealth’s Supreme Court docket.
As extra households transfer towards private colleges, Kentucky mother and father referred to as on lawmakers to alleviate the price of selecting these instructional choices. The Kentucky Common Meeting responded by passing the Schooling Alternative Account Act (“EOA Act”), which created a privately funded needs-based help program for Kentucky households to cowl sure instructional bills. This system covers a broad vary of bills, together with tutoring companies, therapies for college students with particular wants, profession coaching and dual-credit faculty programs. The regulation additionally created a pilot program that may supply tuition help to assist college students attend PK-12 private colleges in counties with greater than 90,000 folks.
Kentucky’s new program is in good firm. Greater than 30 states — together with each state bordering Kentucky —have some type of private-school-choice program. Final yr alone, greater than 20 states handed measures to create or enhance them. The surest approach to offer the most effective instructional alternatives to our youngsters is by empowering mother and father to enroll their kids within the colleges of their alternative.
Having misplaced the battle towards increasing instructional alternatives for Kentucky kids within the legislature, instructional alternative opponents filed a lawsuit difficult the constitutionality of the EOA Act. Sadly, the Franklin County Circuit Court docket agreed and struck down the EOA Act. Regardless of the regulation’s sturdy help, Kentucky households have been nonetheless blocked from acquiring this system’s nice advantages.
The courtroom’s resolution is incorrect on the regulation and, maybe worse, it displays a critical misunderstanding of the vital function that private colleges and school-choice applications just like the EOA Act play in PK-12 schooling.
Luckily, the Kentucky Supreme Court docket has taken up the case on an enchantment filed by Lawyer Common Daniel Cameron and the Institute for Justice. The temporary EdChoice KY submitted proudly helps their efforts.
From the very starting — and properly earlier than the arrival of the public-school system of as we speak — private colleges have offered a vital service to Kentucky’s various scholar inhabitants. Because the nineteenth century, many private colleges—spiritual and secular alike—crammed a vital hole in Kentucky for college students who couldn’t entry public colleges.
These colleges weren’t insular enclaves of privilege or wealth that sought to divide households or sequester instructional alternatives. Simply the other. Certainly, some estimate that throughout the mid-1800s as many as one-third of the scholars in Kentucky’s Catholic colleges have been Protestant. This story stays true as we speak with the overwhelming majority of personal colleges serving college students exterior of their custom, together with many faith-based colleges wherein a lot of the scholar physique is of a distinct religion.
Personal colleges of every kind serve a various array of scholars in Kentucky, together with these most in want.
An EdChoice KY survey of personal colleges throughout the Commonwealth discovered lots of their college students certified for federal free or decreased lunch and {that a} third of scholars obtained monetary help. The survey additional discovered that 20% of the scholar inhabitants in these colleges had particular wants. At the least 5 of the responding colleges serve solely college students with particular wants.
Kentucky private colleges embrace a broad array of backgrounds and religion traditions. EdChoice KY’s board displays this variety with representatives of colleges from Christian and Jewish traditions and people that aren’t religiously affiliated. Whereas we come from completely different backgrounds, all of us agree that instructional alternative stays out of attain for too many households. Personal colleges present hundreds of thousands in monetary help, however a big quantity of want stays unmet. In too many situations, households should forgo the prospect to attend a private faculty that may greatest serve their baby’s wants.
These unmet wants are precisely what the EOA Act goals to meet.
Academic alternative is lengthy overdue in Kentucky. The Commonwealth has lengthy been house to a variety of instructional choices. Upholding the EOA Act will open the doorways to these high-quality colleges for future generations of scholars to come back.
Andrew Vandiver is the president of EdChoice KY. John Meiser is the Supervising Lawyer for the Spiritual Liberty Clinic at Notre Dame Legislation Faculty.
Kentucky
Kentucky firefighters spend a week of training in the Czech Republic
OWENSBORO, Ky. (WEHT) — Fifteen firefighters from Owensboro, Daviess Daviess County, Henderson, Greenville, Airport-Sorgho fire departments and the Fire Academy of Kentucky partook in international training in Olomouc.
Through a Sister Cities Firefighter exchange program, these firefighters engaged in hands-on training like residential firefighting and flashover drills.
The goal of an exchange like this is to not only strengthen everyday skills for these local firefighters, but to also increase strong international ties.
It is said they also participated in on-duty shifts with the Olomouc Fire Department, responding to emergencies and putting their new skills to practice.
During the day, the firefighter were immersed in various scenarios and training courses but at night, they were hitting the streets of Olomouc. They got to experience a “unique exposition of fall decorations” at “Fall Flora” and supported a home team hockey game.
After 5 full days in the Czech Republic, the local firefighters made their way back to Owensboro Saturday morning. Officials with OFD says they arrived at midnight and are now regaining their rest after countless hours of travel.
This week-long exchange comes just months after their previous endeavor to the Czech Republic in April.
(Courtesy: Owensboro-Daviess County Firefighter Exchange Program)
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Kentucky
New video shows Kentucky sheriff pointing gun at judge before alleged fatal shooting
A newly released video shows the moment when a Kentucky sheriff pointed his gun at a judge’s head before allegedly shooting and killing him.
The surveillance footage shows Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines, 43, and District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, in the judge’s chambers having what appeared to be a heated conversation on Sept. 19 before the sheriff pulled out his gun and pointed it at the judge.
Mullins was seen in the video sitting behind his desk when Stines pulled the gun, and Mullins then raised his hands and attempted to turn away just before Stines fired several rounds at him.
Earlier released footage of the shooting was played in court during a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, according to the Courier Journal.
KENTUCKY SHERIFF SEEN IN FOOTAGE SHOOTING AT JUDGE IN SHOCKING PRELIMINARY HEARING
The video showed Mullins seeking cover under his desk as Stines fired his gun. The sheriff then approached the judge, who was still under his desk, and shot him twice at close range before leaving the chambers, the footage shows.
Kentucky Detective Clayton Stamper testified that the sheriff surrendered immediately after the shooting.
Stines told police, “They’re trying to kidnap my wife and kid,” according to Stamper.
The sheriff and the judge had been friends for decades and had lunch together hours before the alleged killing.
Stamper said additional surveillance footage from inside the chambers that has not been shown in court or publicly released captured the sheriff using his and Mullins’ phones to make multiple calls to his daughter just before the shooting, according to the Courier Journal.
Police found Stines’ daughter’s phone number saved in the judge’s phone, Stamper said.
Defense attorney Jeremy Bartley declined to reveal a possible motive for the shooting, but authorities reportedly said the incident was being investigated as a possible sex scandal.
KENTUCKY SHERIFF CHARGED WITH FATALLY SHOOTING JUDGE DEPOSED IN RAPE-RELATED CASE DAYS EARLIER
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“Our investigators seized the two cell phones, and they’re being analyzed,” Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart previously told the Daily Mail.
Stines announced Monday that he was retiring as sheriff.
He pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and is being held at the Leslie County Jail. His case was sent to a grand jury for indictment.
Kentucky
Kentucky Lottery Kentucky 5, Cash Ball winning numbers for October 4, 2024
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.Here’s a look at Friday, October 4, 2024 winning numbers for each game
Kentucky 5
11-13-31-34-36
Check Kentucky 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Cash Ball
15-20-25-27, Cash Ball: 25
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Lucky For Life
01-04-34-39-42, Lucky Ball: 06
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 6-2-2
Midday: 7-5-4
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 5-2-3-8
Midday: 0-0-9-5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Mega Millions
21-39-42-43-45, Mega Ball: 03, Megaplier: 2
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
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