Kentucky

Is this the year Kentucky reins in governor pardons? Lawmaker will try

Published

4 months ago

January 15, 2026

Is this the year Kentucky reins in governor pardons? Lawmaker will try

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Another year, another push by state Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights, to pass legislation adding limitations to a Kentucky governor’s pardon powers.

McDaniel’s Senate Bill 10, with four cosponsors, passed out of the chamber’s State and Local Government Committee on Jan. 14 with unanimous approval. The four-term senator from Northern Kentucky said he’s “fairly optimistic” this is the year his legislation is approved in the House and Senate and put on the ballot as a proposed constitutional amendment.

“I think that just as people have seen pardons, both at the state and federal level, kind of flow through the process, they really for various reasons ultimately end up at the same place — which is an unchecked pardon power is simply not a good thing,” he said.

This isn’t McDaniel’s first attempt at passing the bill, which he crafted ahead of the 2020 session in the aftermath of former Gov. Matt Bevin’s flurry of controversial pardons in his final weeks in office the previous year. It’s passed in the full Senate in at least five separate legislative sessions but has never advanced in the House.

This year, though, McDaniel is confident his proposal has more support. It’s been designated “priority legislation” by Republican leaders in the Senate and was taken up in committee at its first meeting of the session, where it passed without issue after about five minutes of discussion.

The bill would prevent Kentucky governors from issuing pardons for a time period beginning in the final 60 days before a gubernatorial election and ending on the fifth Tuesday after an election, at which point the governor’s current term would end. Kentucky voters would have to approve the measure at the ballot box.

Bevin, a Republican, made waves in 2019 during the final two months of his term when he issued more than 400 pardons. While many were noncontroversial pardons for low-level drug offenders, some drew strong criticism, including one for a man convicted of homicide in 2017 whose family later hosted a political fundraiser for the governor and another for a man convicted of raping a 9-year-old child.

McDaniel, who is also a Republican, at the time said the “stunning” pardons exposed “an unbelievable weakness in our system which is the ability of a governor to override the entire justice system in the dark of night with no recourse.” He echoed those comments this week at the Capitol Annex after his bill was approved in the committee.

“This is just a straight-up weakness in the constitution,” he said. “I think I’ll have a lot of miles on my car in the fall trying to drum up support.”

Pardons should not be a partisan issue, he added. A number of pardons issued by former President Joe Biden in the final days of his term have drawn intense scrutiny over the past year as well, and current President Donald Trump drew criticism last year when he pardoned nearly every person convicted of a crime in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

SB 10 will now head to the full Senate and would need to be approved in the House. The legislature is in its second week and will remain in session into April.

“I’m optimistic that the House will see it my way this year and that the people of Kentucky will see it that way in the fall,” McDaniel said.

The proposal has never had an issue in McDaniel’s chamber, but the House has been a different story. The bill has never made it to the floor for a vote.

House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, said McDaniel’s bill has “never quite met the threshold of being able to pass it over here.” But there could be more enthusiasm this year, he added after his chamber gaveled out on Jan. 14.

“He worked really hard in the interim talking to a lot of our members about it. I think he won some support for it,” Osborne said. “We will continue to have that conversation once it comes over here.”

Learn more about filed bills and follow their process at legislature.ky.gov.

Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.

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Kentucky

Body found in Ohio River in northeast Kentucky ID’d as Columbus man

Published

3 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

Body found in Ohio River in northeast Kentucky ID’d as Columbus man

A body found in the Ohio River on May 4 has been identified as a 38-year-old Columbus man.
Authorities identified the man as Jason D. Frisbie after working with Ohio officials.
The body was discovered in the river in Vanceburg, Kentucky, near Ohio’s Shawnee State Park.
The cause of death remains under investigation by authorities.

Authorities said a body recovered May 4 from the Ohio River in northeast Kentucky has been identified as a Columbus man, Dispatch news partner NBC4/WMCH-TV reported.

Lewis County Sheriff Johnny Bivens said the body has been identified as Jason D. Frisbie, 38, of Columbus. Bivens said authorities in Kentucky worked with Ohio officials to identify Frisbie this week.

Bivens said Lewis County took a call around 4:30 p.m. May 4 about a body in the river in Vanceburg, Kentucky, a few miles south of Ohio’s Shawnee State Park. Bivens said responding agencies took the body to the Kentucky State Medical Examiner’s Office.

Lewis County authorities asked for public help identifying the body. On May 9, Bivens confirmed Frisbie’s identity after working with Ohio officials and local responders.

Bivens said the death remains under investigation, and authorities did not offer information about a suspected cause.

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Kentucky

Two ‘dangerous’ inmates escape Kentucky detention center, sparking multi-agency manhunt across region

Published

15 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

Two ‘dangerous’ inmates escape Kentucky detention center, sparking multi-agency manhunt across region

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Two inmates described as “dangerous” escaped Friday evening from a Kentucky detention center, prompting a multi-agency manhunt, police said.

The Morehead Police Department warned the surrounding community that two inmates had “walked away” from the Rowan County Detention Center.

Investigators said multiple law enforcement agencies are actively searching for the escapees, with Kentucky State Police leading the investigation.

“These inmates should be considered dangerous,” police said, warning the community not to approach anyone suspicious or unfamiliar.

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Two inmates described as “dangerous” escaped from a Kentucky detention center, prompting a multi-agency manhunt. (Morehead Police Department)

One of the inmates was identified as Michael Fogleman, 29, who is described as 6 feet tall and 188 pounds.

He has short or closely shaved hair and a short beard along his jawline and chin, according to police.

The second inmate was identified as James Smallwood, 52, who is listed at 6 feet 1 inch tall and about 215 pounds.

MANHUNTS ACROSS AMERICA IN 2025: FIVE CASES THAT LEFT CITIES, CAMPUSES AND TOWNS ON EDGE

Michael Fogleman, 29, is one of two inmates who escaped from a Kentucky detention center, police said. (Morehead Police Department)

He is described as having a medium to stocky build with gray facial hair around the mouth and chin area.

Smallwood was last seen wearing a white shirt and blue jeans and possibly a hat, police said.

James Smallwood, 52, is one of two inmates on the run after escaping from a Kentucky jail, authorities said. (Morehead Police Department)

Authorities urged residents to remain vigilant and call 911 immediately if they see anything suspicious or have information about the escapees.

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Law enforcement agencies are searching for two escaped inmates in Kentucky, authorities said. (Silas Walker/Lexington Herald-Leader/Tribune News Service)

Investigators said they will provide more information as it becomes available.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Kentucky State Police and Rowan County Detention Center for comment.

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Kentucky

Kentucky Girls Jumpers Surge as State Records Come Into Range

Published

1 day ago

May 8, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky Girls Jumpers Surge as State Records Come Into Range

The Kentucky high school 2026 outdoor track and field season has been exceptional, especially the girls competition.

In particular, the sprints and horizontal jumps.

Long Jump Leaders Set the Pace

First, the long jump.

Christian Educational Consortium’s Jade Hartlage, a rising superstar of track and field in its totality, has the state’s leading jump, 19feet, 9 inches, set March 26. She is partially homeschooled and not eligible for in KHSAA postseason.

Hartlage’s mark is followed by Simon Kenton’s Alexis Howard (19-0, March 26). Howard is another standout athlete. She was selected as a 2025 All-State Honorable Mention in soccer. Howard won the 3A indoor title in early March, recording a mark of 18-7 1/4.

Howard, Svidal Among Top Contenders

Walden School senior Natalie Svidal sailed to an 18-4 1/2 mark at the Walden Small School Championships May 5. That ties her for third in the state with Taleigha Nash of Great Crossing High School.

Triple Jump Competition Tightens

In the triple jump, Howard is atop the performance list. She leapt 40-5, April 25.

However, Svidal is close. She recorded 40-2 1/4 this past week.

Multi-Sport Stars Making Impact

Teigh Yeast, yet another standout athlete, who helped George Rogers Clark win a state basketball title in March and is a Robert Morris University basketball commit, logged a 40-0 1/2 jump April 21. Yeast was last season’s 3A champion at 39-5.25.

Walden School’s Natalie Svidal has the second and third best performances this season in the triple jump (40-2 1/4) and long jump (18-4 1/2), respectively. | Chris Adams

How Kentucky Stacks Up Nationally

Perspective and context need to be applied here. Here’s how Kentucky compares nationally.

National Benchmarks Set the Bar

Parker Coes of Morton Ranch High School (Katy, Texas) has surpassed 21 feet twice in 2026. Abigail Mecklenburg of Linn-Mar High School (Marion, Iowa) is approaching the 21-foot threshold.

Coes’ marks were achieved in the early indoor season. The Texan has jumped 20-10 1/2 outdoors (April 3) but her last mark was 18-11 3/4, May 2.

Mecklenburg is yet to replicate her indoor marks outdoors.

The top outdoor jump so far in 2026 is 42-7.5, set by Daniela Hughes of Los Altos High School (Los Altos, California).

A significant challenge for the Bluegrass jumpers to surpass. But if there is a season for top-10 national rankings or records.

State Records Within Reach

With that said, the Kentucky state records are potentially breakable in the next two weeks. The current records are 20-4 (Maxine Graham, Fleming County High School, 1975) and 41-7 (Sophie Galloway, Marshall County High School, 2021).

Each has the speed and explosiveness to challenge those marks.

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