Kentucky
Gov. Beshear provides Team Kentucky Update on 2/29
FRANKFORT, Ky. (KFVS) – Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman and Dr. Steven Stack provided a Team Kentucky Update on February 29.
Gov. Beshear provided an update on federal funds to create jobs through the cleanup of historic mine sites; economic development; thriving Kentucky Main Street communities; Women’s History Month; measles prevention; Severe Weather Week; an event to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Frankfort; and an event to commemorate the anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky.
Funds to Create Good-Paying Jobs Through Cleanup of Historic Mine Sites
Gov. Beshear and Department of the Interior Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis announced that Kentucky will receive more than $74M through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to continue creating jobs and cleaning up hazards left by historic mining, such as subsidence, slides, open portals, refuse piles and mine seam fires.
Economic Development
Gov. Andy Beshear announced more than $15M in state funding to support job growth and economic development across 13 counties. The latest round of funding was approved through the Kentucky Product Development Initiative and, including local matching funds of more than $35M, is being invested across the commonwealth.
Gov. Beshear announced more Kentucky-made products were shipped around the world in 2023 than in any other year on record as the commonwealth surpassed its previous best single-year total with $40.2B in exports, a 16.6% increase over the prior year.
Gov. Beshear joined local officials and leaders from Shady Rays, a national leader in lifestyle and adventure eyewear, to celebrate the company’s new corporate headquarters and fulfillment and distribution warehouse in Simpsonville.
The Governor announced the Collaborative Blueprint created by and for Kentucky’s Economic Developers – a statewide initiative led by Team Kentucky with input and support from partners across the commonwealth – is now publicly available. The blueprint is the result of an ongoing effort to bring together economic developers and other stakeholders from around the state to determine the best path forward for Kentucky as state, regional and local leaders look to build on the best period for economic growth in the commonwealth’s history.
Main Street Communities Report Major Investment
Gov. Beshear and Lt. Gov. Coleman announced that Kentucky Main Street program communities continued to thrive in 2023 with a reported $61.4M cumulative investment in downtown commercial districts, generating a net gain of 649 new jobs and 126 new businesses.
Women’s History Month Preview
To kick off Women’s History Month, which begins March 1, Lt. Gov. Coleman announced that seven new women will be inducted into the Kentucky Women Remembered exhibit in the Capitol. On March 22, Gov. Beshear and Lt. Gov. Coleman will attend the Kentucky Commission on Women Women’s History Month celebration to help unveil the portraits of the new inductees. Lt. Gov. Coleman encouraged Kentuckians to follow the KCW on social media to learn more about women’s contributions to the commonwealth.
Public Health Update
Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, updated Kentuckians on the response to several measles outbreaks in the United States. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus that is spread through the air. Nationally, in unvaccinated persons who contract measles, at least 1 in 5 is hospitalized, 1 in 20 children develop pneumonia and 1 in 1,000 children suffer brain injury. Two doses of measles, mumps and rubella MMR vaccine are recommended to children starting at 12 months. DPH is working closely with local health departments and clinicians across the state to promote the MMR vaccine. Only 90% of Kentucky kindergarteners have received two doses.
Although no confirmed measles cases have yet been reported in Kentucky this year, DPH has collaborated with the Ohio Department of Health on a measles exposure in January at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
Severe Weather Month
Gov. Beshear recognized March 1-6, 2024, as Severe Weather Week in the commonwealth. The week is an opportunity to empower Kentuckians to take proactive measures to protect themselves, their families and their communities from the potential impacts of severe weather.
The Governor encouraged Kentuckians to participate in the state’s annual tornado drill on March 6 at 10:07 a.m. EST. Kentuckians can contact their local Emergency Management or National Weather Service offices for more information.
Anniversary of the March on Frankfort
The Governor invited Kentuckians to join him March 5 for the 60th anniversary and reenactment of Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Frankfort. Events will begin at 9 a.m. EST, with Focus on Race Relations Frankfort kicking things off at the Capital City Museum. At 10:45 a.m. EST, the march up Capital Avenue will begin. Several attendees will speak on the Capitol steps at noon EST, including some who attended the original march.
COVID-19 Anniversary Event
The Governor invited Kentuckians to the Capitol on March 6 at 1 p.m. EST to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic in the commonwealth.
“Together, Kentucky has overcome so much with kindness and love. We know that together, there’s nothing we can’t overcome with compassion,” said Gov. Beshear. “We will hear from inspiring speakers, and we will remember what we have overcome while also looking to the future and how we can move forward, together.”
Copyright 2024 KFVS. All rights reserved.
ERLANGER, Ky. (WKRC) – Drivers across Kentucky could soon see higher prices at the pump as a political fight in Frankfort threatens to shrink the reach of a temporary gas tax break.
Gov. Andy Beshear last month used an emergency executive order to reduce Kentucky’s state gas tax statewide by 10 cents. Under laws put in place by the General Assembly after COVID, those emergency orders expire after 30 days and can only be extended in counties or cities that ask to be included.
As of Thursday, that number was 37, with Beshear saying some cities dropped out after pressure from Republican lawmakers.
Drivers across Kentucky could soon see higher prices at the pump as a political fight in Frankfort threatens to shrink the reach of a temporary gas tax break. (WKRC)
“Somehow, Republican legislators have made this political. They even called it political pandering. Decreasing gas prices for our families is somehow political pandering,” Beshear said.
Republicans have argued the tax reduction would cut into the state’s highway funding. Retiring state Sen. Jimmy Higdon of Lebanon raised concerns in a transportation budget committee meeting about the impact on the road fund, which was estimated at $26 million less.
“I won’t be here in January, but if I were, I would want to know what communities did it and how much money they took from the road fund. And I would make sure that any shortage we had came out of their allotment, their roads, and their projects in their district,” Higdon said.
Beshear acknowledged the estimated hit but said the state can absorb it.
“Certainly on the state side, yes, it may be a $26 million hit for one month. We have $3 billion in our savings account. I’m going to add another 300 million dollars, if not more, to it. We can take it. It won’t hurt us. But it is breaking our families,” Beshear said.
When asked Thursday whether any local leaders told him they wanted to opt in but backed out, Beshear declined to identify anyone.
“Yeah, I’m not going to put them on the spot. They’re in a tough spot,” said Beshear.
In Northern Kentucky, the cities opting into the extension included Alexandria, Covington, and Erlanger, along with Glencoe in Gallatin County and Falmouth in Pendleton County.
Covington Mayor Ron Washington said he asked to be included because of what he is hearing from residents and said he has not been pressured by political leaders.
“This is where my pressure is coming from. My everyday community members are talking about not only the cost of fuel but the cost in general to make ends meet. That’s where the pressure comes from. I’ve not received a call from anybody on either side of the aisle,” Washington said.
The offices of the speaker of the House and the Senate president declined comment. Local Republican state Sens. Chris McDaniel and Steve Rawlings also declined comment.
Beshear also wrote President Trump supporting any reductions in the gas tax and telling him Republicans in Kentucky have called the governor’s actions pandering, while Trump has mentioned lowering the federal gas tax. Kentucky joined Indiana in taking action on gas taxes, and the White House is considering similar federal action.
Kentucky’s current emergency order will continue through June 30. In Indiana, Gov. Mike Braun removed all state gas taxes for a reduction of about 63 cents a gallon. That tax holiday will remain until July 7.
US debt now tops the economy and the risks are rising
US debt now exceeds the economy, and rising interest costs are adding pressure, raising questions about how sustainable our borrowing is.
Would you be considered middle class in Kentucky?
As prices and the cost of living continue to rise, it can be difficult to define what it means to be middle class and whether that lifestyle is still attainable in 2026.
The Pew Research Center defines the middle class as households earning between two-thirds and two times the median income. That range, however, varies by state, depending on local economic conditions such as housing affordability and the job market.
Using 2024 U.S. Census data and Pew Research methodology, SmartAsset analyzed all 50 states and the 100 largest U.S. cities to determine the income range needed to qualify as middle class.
Here’s what it means to be middle class in Kentucky, according to the study.
What does it take to be middle-class in Kentucky?
Kentucky ranks 46th among the states for the income needed to maintain a middle-class status, according to the analysis. The state’s median household income is $64,526, with the middle-class income range spanning from a lower bound of $43,017 to an upper bound of $129,052.
How much money is needed to be middle-class in Louisville and Lexington?
Among the 100 cities included in the study, Lexington ranked 69th and Louisville ranked 71st for the income needed to maintain middle-class standing.
In Lexington, the median household income is $69,989, with the middle-class income range extending from a lower bound of $46,659 to an upper bound of $139,978. In Louisville, the median household income is $67,251, with a middle-class income range of $44,834 to $134,502.
See states with highest incomes needed to maintain middle-class status
According to SmartAsset, the following states require the highest median household incomes to maintain middle-class status.
- 1. Massachusetts – $104,828
- 2. New Jersey – $104,294
- 3. Maryland – $102,905
- 4. Hawaii – $100,745
- 5. California – $100,149
- 6. New Hampshire – $99,782
- 7. Washington – $99,389
- 8. Colorado – $97,113
- 9. Utah – $96,658
- 10. Connecticut – $96,049
See states with lowest incomes needed to maintain middle-class status
The following states require the lowest median household incomes to maintain middle-class status, according to SmartAsset.
- 41. Indiana – $71,959
- 42. Missouri – $71,589
- 43. New Mexico – $67,816
- 44. Alabama – $66,659
- 45. Oklahoma – $66,148
- 46. Kentucky – $64,526
- 47. Arkansas – $62,106
- 48. Louisiana – $60,986
- 49. West Virginia – $60,798
- 50. Mississippi – $59,127
How SmartAsset assessed middle-class by state and cities
To determine what the income requirements and limits are to being middle class in different locations, SmartAsset analyzed the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 1-year American Community Survey data for the median household income in all 50 states and among the 100 largest U.S. cities.
SmartAsset stated that it then used the Pew Research definition of middle-class households, which indicates the salary range from two-thirds to double the median U.S. salary, to help determine the middle-class income range.
Contributing: Madison Scott, New York Connect. Reach Marina Johnson at Marina.Johnson@courier-journal.com.
-
Business21 seconds ago
AI is cutting hours of office work, but also creating a new kind of busywork
-
Entertainment3 minutes agoReview: ‘The Little Sister’ finds a young Muslim woman taking risks to show her true self
-
Lifestyle8 minutes agoL.A. Affairs: Dating an L.A. braggart taught me a lesson in positive self-talk
-
Politics15 minutes agoHouse Democrats ask new ICE director to roll back policy limiting oversight visits
-
Science18 minutes agoWarning of cuts to medical services, L.A. health officials ask state for emergency funds
-
Sports23 minutes agoCommentary: Cameron Brink is trying to navigate a fouled-up situation
-
World33 minutes agoNigeria killed more than 13,000 ‘terrorists’ in past year, president says
-
News1 hour agoWhich billionaire said they learned a ‘significant lesson’ this week? The quiz knows
