Kentucky
Kentucky auditor, cabinet clash over access to child abuse database as new law takes effect • Kentucky Lantern
FRANKFORT — The legislature last year moved responsibility for a watchdog office and child support enforcement from the Beshear administration to Republican officeholders.
Barely out of the gate, one of the transitions is stumbling over a disagreement about access to a child abuse database.
Republican Auditor of Public Accounts Allison Ball on Tuesday sent what she labeled a “demand letter” to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander. In it she says the cabinet’s refusal to allow access to some electronic records is endangering vulnerable children and federal funding. She demands access to the iTWIST database “as clearly mandated by state and federal law.”
The letter also is signed by Jonathan Grate, the new ombudsman.
In 2023, the legislature created the Commonwealth Office of the Ombudsman, an independent office attached to the auditor’s office, effective July 1 of this year. It replaced the Office of the Ombudsman and Administrative Review, previously part of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS).
The ombudsman is responsible for investigating complaints about the cabinet and evaluating its performance and compliance with federal and state laws. The cabinet oversees a wide range of health, welfare and child protection programs.
A spokesperson for the cabinet told the Lantern that an older state law precludes the new ombudsman from receiving access to the records in dispute. That law specifies exceptions to confidentiality requirements for reports of child abuse and neglect; the new ombudsman is not one of the exceptions.
“The cabinet supports the auditor’s office desire to have full access to the system, but the current statutes passed by the General Assembly prohibit it. The cabinet supports changing the applicable laws in the next session to provide full access.
“In the meantime, we have been working with the auditor’s office to provide them with the maximum access allowed under the current law, but they have refused,” said Stephanie French, a CHFS spokesperson.
Joy Pidgorodetska Markland, communications director in the auditor’s office, responded that the cabinet’s proposal is unacceptable because it would allow the cabinet to dictate what the ombudsman is “allowed and not allowed to see” and reveal identities of internal whistleblowers.
“In no world is the subject of an investigation allowed to dictate what the investigator can and cannot see,” Markland said in an email. “What is the Cabinet hiding?
In her letter, Ball says the cabinet did not raise objections to the new ombudsman’s access to the records until after the 2024 legislative session ended.
The shifts in responsibilities from CHFS to the auditor and attorney general were enacted in 2023 in Senate Bill 48 which became law with bipartisan support in the Republican-controlled legislature but without Beshear’s signature.
The transfer of child support enforcement and services to the attorney general’s office does not take effect until this time next year but the AG this month assumed responsibility for administrative hearings previously conducted by CHFS.
In a July 1 release, Republican Attorney General Russell Coleman says: “With over $1 billion in arrears, spearheading the Commonwealth’s child support services is a daunting task. Even though the transition is one year away, we are working with our partners around the clock to make sure we get this right. It’s a no-fail mission where vulnerable children and families are counting on us.”
It is officially state tournament time in Kentucky as the 2025 KHSAA boys basketball Sweet 16 tips off at Rupp Arena in Lexington this week.
The Kentucky boys basketball tournament begins with first-round matchups on Wednesday and Thursday. The quarterfinals will occur on Friday, and the semifinal and state championship showdowns will be on Saturday.
Here is the link to the KHSAA Sweet 16 bracket, as well as all of the first-round matchups for this week’s tournament.
Ashland Blazer vs. Calloway County
Bowling Green vs. Adair County
South Oldham vs. Danville Christian Academy
Jeffersontown vs. St. Xavier
North Laurel vs. Breathitt County
Lawrence County vs. Montgomery County
Daviess County vs. Great Crossing
Henderson County vs. Cooper
Playoff Pick ‘Em is a brand-new bracket prediction challenge for high school sports, where users compete to pick the most accurate bracket. The contest is free to play and is available nationwide for most sports on High School On SI. Enter today and pick your favorite teams to take home the title!
Think you know who will win each game? Log in or create a profile, then make your picks here.
To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app:
Download iPhone App | Download Android App
— Sam Brown | sam@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has officially signed the “Bitcoin Rights” bill into law, a move that solidifies protections for cryptocurrency users within the state. House Bill 701, which was introduced by Rep. Adam Bowling on Feb. 19, aims to ensure the right to self-custody of digital assets and to run a crypto node without fear of local discrimination.
The legislation, which garnered unanimous support in both the Kentucky House and Senate, prohibits any local zoning changes that could negatively affect crypto mining operations. Additionally, it outlines guidelines for operating a crypto node, exempts crypto mining from money transmitter licensing requirements, and clarifies that mining and staking are not considered securities offerings.
Simultaneously, Oklahoma’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act has advanced in the state legislature, passing the House of Representatives with a vote of 77 to 15. Introduced by Rep. Cody Maynard on Jan. 15, this bill is now pending approval from the Senate. If enacted, it would establish a reserve for Bitcoin, allowing the state to allocate up to 10% of its excess reserves into digital assets.
In Arizona, two strategic digital asset reserve bills have cleared the House Rules Committee and are set for a full vote, positioning the state as a leader in Bitcoin reserve legislation. Missouri is also evaluating a similar Bitcoin reserve bill through its Special Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs.
Kentucky faces Tennessee for a third time this season in Indianapolis on Friday night, in a Sweet 16 game that could be the biggest game in the history of a long and storied series.
The Wildcats defeated Tennessee 78-73 in Knoxville back in late January and then took down the Vols 75-64 in Rupp Arena the next month.
Here are some of the themes from those wins.
– Kentucky shot exactly 50% in both wins. They were 25/50 FG and 26/52 respectively in those wins. Kentucky didn’t attempt a huge number of shots.
– Ansley Almonor was a big factor in both games. He was 4/7 FG with 12 points in Knoxville and 4/5 with 13 points in the Lexington win.
– Oweh was okay both times. He was 4/11 from the field and averaged 13.5 points. Basically, Kentucky got as much offense from Almonor as from Oweh, and the former was more efficient.
– Trent Noah chipped in both games. He had five points in the first game and 11 points as the top bench scorer in the second game. He only missed one field goal in those two games combined.
– Tennessee didn’t turn it over much. The Vols turned it over nine times in one game and five times another. Lamont Butler wasn’t available for the game in Knoxville, when UT only turned it over five times.
– The Vols dominated second chance points and won the boards overall. Tennessee beat Kentucky in second chance points 35-11. They were +3 and +7 respectively on the boards in those two games.
– UT senior guard Jordan Gainey and didn’t shoot well. He’s only a 39.8% field goal shooter but was 4/12 and 2/9 from the floor in those two games. He took a lot of shots and wasn’t on. Chaz Lanier also didn’t shoot well (5/14 FG and 3/13 FG).
– Tennessee shot poorly from three-point range. The Vols were 11/45 from three-point range in the Knoxville game. That was a huge number of three-point shots and the Vols were only 24%. They didn’t shoot nearly as many in Lexington but were only 3/18.
– Kentucky led by 35 minutes in both games. The Wildcats set a tone early and didn’t relent. They have stayed in control through two games in the NCAA Tournament as well.
– UT finished both games cold, but credit Kentucky’s defense. UT only hit one of its last dozen field goal attempts in that 78-73 UK win in Knoxville and they missed their last four field goals in the Lexington loss.
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Kentucky (KHSAA) boys high school basketball Sweet 16 bracket (3/26/2025)
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