Kentucky

‘Get something done’ is job No. 1 for Ohio and Kentucky, governors agree

Published

5 months ago

October 22, 2025

Press Room

‘Get something done’ is job No. 1 for Ohio and Kentucky, governors agree

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear endorsed bipartisan approaches to most issues.
The governors agreed the National Guard should not be used for law enforcement.
Both want the federal government shutdown to end.
Both highlighted their cooperation on the $3.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge project.

Rob Portman established a center at the University of Cincinnati two years ago to bridge the gap between the left and the right.

Ohio’s former Republican senator won cooperation on that count from Ohio and Kentucky’s governors on Oct. 21, as the two agreed on how to use National Guard (not for law enforcement), when to end the federal government shutdown (now), the importance of the Brent Spence Bridge project (giant) and who should inspire public policy (citizens).

“In these polarized times,” Portman said, setting up the conversation between Mike DeWine, Ohio’s Republication governor, and Andy Beshear, a Democrat who fills that job in Kentucky, “I think there’s a real interest in how to get together and solve problems.”

Here’s what the governors had to say before a politically mixed crowd at a packed UC auditorium.

(Separately, Beshear told reporters a presidential run is something he and his family will “consider” if they feel he’s the best candidate for the job in 2028. And DeWine declined to comment on Cincinnati’s police chief, saying only “That issue just has to get resolved. It’s not mine to get resolved.”)

Should the National Guard police American cities?

National Guard members are useful during natural disasters and civil disturbances when mayors request them, DeWine said. Otherwise, other agencies are better equipped to help, he said. In Cincinnati, for example, state and local officials worked out an agreement for the Ohio State Highway Patrol to backstop local officers to address urban crime.

Beshear said citizens deserve to be safe and feel safe, but agreed National Guard officers are not trained to handle law enforcement. He also said the National Guard of one state should not be sent to another state where the governor does not want them.

“Decreasing crime and making people feel safer is hard work that can’t be solved by a stunt,” he said.

How is the federal government shutdown affecting your state?

Beshear said he’s hearing from federal workers worried about paying their mortgages and electric bills. “We’re looking at a lot of families that aren’t getting a paycheck,” he said. “We need to think about them.”

At the same time, rising costs, particularly of health care premiums, are hurting families, he said. Health care costs are a central issue in the shutdown, with Democrats wanting to extend insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act before they expire at the end of the year and Republicans wanting to end the shutdown before working out that issue.

DeWine said he is concerned that recipients of benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Women, Infants and Children program will not get needed benefits come Nov. 1.

“The further this goes on the pain is very, very clear,” he said.

Speaking to reporters later, DeWine said the state of Ohio has “no additional money” to provide those benefits. “What we hope is that this matter is resolved in Washington, D.C.”

How important is the Brent Spence Bridge to Ohio and Kentucky?

On that question – asked by media rather than Portman – the three politicians agreed each played a role in securing funds for a $3.6 billion plan to upgrade the existing bridge, build a new one to its immediate west and improve about 8 miles of interstate that send traffic over the Ohio River.

Portman, along with U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, played key roles in the federal infrastructure legislation, signed by President Joe Biden, that led to a $1.6 billion federal commitment to the project, DeWine said. Ohio and Kentucky agreed to share the balance of the bill.

“Big contribution from Kentucky, big contribution from Ohio, big contributions from the federal government,” he said.

The bridge project “wouldn’t be happening without all three of us standing here,” Beshear added, noting the importance of the project to both states and the country overall.

The Brent Spent Bridge Corridor plan requires Ohio and Kentucky to work lockstep with each other, he said, “and we’ve been doing that every single day of the project.”

Thanks to federal-state cooperation, Portman noted, “we’re going to … start to see the companion bridge start to come out of the water.

Design work on the project will be at 60% complete this fall with installation in the river to be underway next year, bridge managers told Cincinnati City Council earlier this month.

How can politicians improve civil discourse?

Beshear said political leaders must be willing to call out successes of their opponents along with what they see as failures. “We’ve got to find common purpose,” he said. “It’s a lot easier when you view that person as a human being.”

DeWine said leaders must work through differences to reach common goals. If Portman and Congressional colleagues had not been able to do that on infrastructure legislation, he said, “we would not be building a bridge across the river.”

Both governors – Beshear wearing a red tie and DeWine a blue one, with Portman in one with blue and red stripes –agreed with Portman’s opening lines that “solutions matter more than slogans” and “courage and compromise can co-exist.”

“Your job isn’t to be a Democrat or a Republican,” Beshear said. “It’s to get something done for people.”

Solutions can come from staff, legislators or citizens, added DeWine. “You don’t get 100% of what you want,” he said.

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Kentucky

Kentucky among Southeastern states receiving FEMA disaster recovery funding

Published

5 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky among Southeastern states receiving FEMA disaster recovery funding

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced the approval of nearly $23 million in funding to support natural disaster recovery throughout the Southeast.

Kentucky is among several states receiving funds for state-managed recovery programs after Hurricane Helene and other past disasters hit the Southeast, a news release from FEMA said.

According to FEMA, Kentucky, Florida and Tennessee will administer more than $2.1 million for disaster unemployment assistance to help those who may not be able to work as a direct result of a disaster.

Kentucky, alongside Georgia and Tennessee, was also awarded $2.4 million to fund crisis counseling and mental health support.

The funds will help pay for counselors and other services to help people with disaster-related stress and trauma, according to FEMA.

More information about state-managed recovery programs funded by FEMA can be found on the agency’s website.

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Kentucky

Kentucky mother, daughter turn down $26 million offer for their land: “It’s priceless”

Published

17 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky mother, daughter turn down million offer for their land: “It’s priceless”

Kentucky mother, daughter turn down $26 million offer for their land: “It’s priceless” – CBS News

Watch CBS News

A mother and daughter in Kentucky have turned down a $26 million offer for their land. The offer came from an unnamed tech company wanting to build a data center. CBS News’ Jared Ochacher spoke with the family.

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Kentucky

Key dates and a possible sneak peek for Kentucky Basketball fans

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Key dates and a possible sneak peek for Kentucky Basketball fans

During his recent radio show, Pope offered a sobering reality check regarding the timeline for the rest of his staff overhaul.

“We’re going through a little bit of a hiring process that will be ongoing—probably for the next six weeks,” Pope explained. “We could have some closure on some things quickly, but I can’t really talk in detail about anything until it gets through the whole HR process.”

In a vacuum, a six-week HR timeline is standard corporate procedure. But in the modern landscape of college basketball, that timeline is a massive hurdle because of the newly accelerated Transfer Portal window instituted by the NCAA.

The 15-Day Transfer Portal window

Players cannot officially enter their names into the Transfer Portal until April 7th. However, anyone paying attention knows that backdoor deals are already being orchestrated, and agents are prematurely announcing their clients’ intentions to leave. It is an unregulated mess, but it is the reality of the sport.

That April 7th opening is the first major date to circle on your calendar.

Once the portal opens, it remains active for exactly 15 days. When that window slams shut, no new names can enter. There are no graduate exemptions or special loopholes for late decisions. If a player plans on transferring, they must formally notify their current school before that 15-day window expires on April 21st at 11:59 PM. If they miss the deadline, they are stuck.

Mark Pope has to have his staff aligned, his evaluations complete, and his recruiting pitches perfected before that window opens. It is indeed a very short clock as the coaching staff looks to change drastically.

Once the dust from the transfer portal finally settles, the new-look Wildcats will quickly hit the floor.

Official mid-June practices will tip off the summer schedule, but Pope recently hinted that an international offseason trip is currently in the works. Per NCAA rules, college basketball programs are only allowed to take these foreign exhibition tours once every four years.

If the trip gets finalized, BBN will get a highly anticipated, early look at this brand-new roster competing against actual opponents long before Big Blue Madness in the fall.

Needless to say, it is going to be an incredibly busy, high-stakes few months in Lexington.

Any guesses on where Pope and company plan on going? And do you like the new Transfer Portal window?

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