Kentucky

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear talks political landscape and state progress amid national speculation at Kentucky Chamber event – The Bottom Line

Published

2 years ago

July 23, 2024

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear talks political landscape and state progress amid national speculation at Kentucky Chamber event – The Bottom Line

On Sunday, President Joe Biden announced he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. Since his announcement, many have scrambled to make sense of what comes next for the Democratic party ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) next month and, more importantly, the election in November, when a new candidate will face former President Donald Trump.

Immediately following his announcement, President Biden offered his full endorsement to current Vice President Kamala Harris. While another candidate could be decided by the DNC, Harris is the only one who would have access to the millions of campaign dollars raised by the Biden-Harris ticket.

Harris released a statement Sunday stating she was honored to receive the President’s endorsement and plans to “earn and win” the nomination. As many prominent Democrats continue to announce their support of Harris and reports coming in Tuesday morning that she has secured enough delegates to secure the nomination, the conversation is turning to who would be her pick for vice president.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is one of the individuals named in the speculation. He fully endorsed Harris on Monday morning and while he did not clearly say whether or not he is being considered or if he would take the job, he said he would take another job only if “I could further help my people and to help this country” but also added “I think if somebody calls you on that, what you do is at least listen.”

Beshear joined Kentucky business leaders on Tuesday at an exclusive event hosted by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce where he, of course, discussed the progress Kentucky has been making in recent years but also touched on many points related to the national political landscape.

Kicking off the event, Kentucky Chamber President and CEO Ashli Watts said it is always great to see Kentucky highlighted at a national level given that Beshear has been a part of the speculation on the vice president pick. She also noted the positive relationship the Governor has had with the business community throughout his time in office.

Kentucky Chamber Chair-Elect Scott Davis, CEO of Field and Main Bank, said it is an exciting time to build upon the successes of the Kentucky Chamber’s work. Davis also thanked the governor for his work with the business community.

In his remarks at the Chamber event with many of the state’s top business leaders, Beshear said he loves the Commonwealth of Kentucky and emphasized how meaningful his jobs as attorney general and now governor have been. He said seeing Kentucky front and center has been special to him and he hopes it is special to others, too.

“The rest of the country is yearning to be more like us in Kentucky. And it’s about time!” Beshear said. “And I don’t say that in a partisan way because it has taken everyone to get us to this point.”

Similar to what he said in national interviews, Beshear said people don’t wake up thinking about the presidential election but instead are worried about a good job, health care, safe infrastructure, public safety, and public education. “And none of those are partisan at all,” he said, adding the policies the state and even the nation need now are ones that lift up every person regardless of party.

“Elections are supposed to be years apart so you can stop being partisan and work with others to get things done,” he said, adding he does not care who gets the credit as long as policies are ensuring a state and country that is better for his children and everyone.

The Governor just returned from a trip to South Korea and Japan. He joked that he is still jet lagged from that trip and was when he did an interview the night before.

“I might have said some things,” Beshear said referencing his comments directed toward new Republican Vice-Presidential candidate and Ohio U.S. Senator J.D. Vance.

Expanding on his trip, he said other countries are excited about what Kentucky is doing. Additionally, he said it is incredible to see the difference in the last four or even eight years.

“We are now the first call companies are making instead of claiming they don’t have our number,” Beshear said.

Pointing to another budget surplus announced in recent weeks and $32 billion in new private sector investments during his terms, the Governor said he is excited to see the growth in all areas of Kentucky.

“If any part of our state is not thriving, we are not succeeding,” he said.

In closing, Beshear said he plans to continue to give Kentucky everything he has regardless of where he is or what role he is serving in.

Stay tuned to The Bottom Line for more updates.

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Kentucky

KHSAA Sweet 16 bracket, field for Kentucky girls basketball championships

Published

10 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

KHSAA Sweet 16 bracket, field for Kentucky girls basketball championships

Seventh Region champion Assumption will open play Wednesday against Calloway County.
Sixth Region champion Bullitt East will face Franklin-Simpson in a first-round game Thursday.

The field is nearly set for the 2026 Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Girls Sweet 16.

The tournament is scheduled for Wednesday-Saturday, March 11-14, at Rupp Arena in Lexington.

The field will include at least nine of the 16 teams in the final Kentucky High School Basketball Media Poll — No. 1 George Rogers Clark, No. 2 Assumption, No. 3 Simon Kenton, No. 5 Calloway County, No. 7 North Laurel, No. 9 Taylor County, No. 11 Notre Dame, No. 14 Ashland Blazer and No. 15 Henderson County.

Fifteen regional champions have been decided. The last regional final is set set for Sunday night — Paul Dunbar (25-4) vs. No. 8 Frederick Douglass (23-7) in the 11th.

Here is the Sweet 16 schedule:

Wednesday, March 11

11 a.m. – 11th Region champion vs. Henderson County (24-9)

1:30 p.m. – Assumption (24-5) vs. Calloway County (33-2)

6 p.m. – Notre Dame (24-7) vs. Pikeville (22-8)

8:30 p.m. – Taylor County (27-6) vs. West Jessamine (22-12)

Thursday, March 12

11 a.m. – Bullitt East (19-12) vs. Franklin-Simpson (24-7)

1:30 p.m. – Ashland Blazer (26-5) vs. Simon Kenton (31-2)

6 p.m. – Owensboro Catholic (26-9) vs. Letcher County Central (23-10)

8:30 p.m. – George Rogers Clark (29-2) vs. North Laurel (25-6)

Friday, March 13

11 a.m. – Third Region champion-Henderson County winner vs. Assumption-Calloway County winner

1:30 p.m. – Notre Dame-Pikeville winner vs. Taylor County-West Jessamine winner

6 p.m. – Ashland Blazer-Simon Kenton winner vs. Owensboro Catholic-Letcher County Central winner

8:30 p.m. – Bullitt East-Franklin-Simpson winner vs. George Rogers Clark-North Laurel winner

Saturday, March 14

11 a.m. – Semifinal No. 1

1:30 p.m. – Semifinal No. 2

7:30 p.m. – Final

This story will be updated.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.

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Kentucky

KY workers struggle in weakened unions while execs cash in | Opinion

Published

22 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

KY workers struggle in weakened unions while execs cash in | Opinion

House Bill 585 is about making sure Kentucky works for the people who do the work, not just those at the top.

Chad Aull and Adrielle Camuel
| Opinion Contributors

Kentucky’s 2017 “right-to-work” law has weakened unions and is being blamed for stagnant worker wages.
A recent poll indicates that a majority of Kentuckians support making it easier for workers to form unions.
House Bill 585 seeks to repeal the “right-to-work” law and strengthen unions.

“Right-to-work” isn’t working in Kentucky.

Kentuckians are struggling to keep up with rising costs and it’s not hard to see. Workers’ wages are not keeping up with basic needs, such as housing, groceries, health care and childcare. Some people need multiple jobs just to feed their families. While hardworking Kentuckians struggle, the wealthy and well-connected continue to receive tax breaks and special treatment from politicians in Frankfort and Washington.

This didn’t happen by accident. This was by design.

In 2017, we saw a dramatic shift against working families. The first order of business for the new Republican majority in the Kentucky House was passing so-called “right-to-work” legislation, House Bill 1. This legislation weakened unions and led to lower pay for workers. Nearly a decade has passed, and workers are not thriving in Kentucky like they said they would.

Kentuckians want support for workers

Big business has virtually no limits on their influence in Frankfort. They spend exceedingly large amounts of money on lobbying the Kentucky supermajority to shape laws to further enrich themselves. When workers try to organize, demand fair wages, safe workplaces and decent benefits, big business uses the profits they’ve gathered off the backs of working people to directly advocate against them.

Some wealthy business interests claim “right-to-work” has contributed to the state’s economic growth over the past several years, but whose growth is it, really? The fact of the matter is corporate profits are soaring and executives are cashing in, while families are left scraping by.

It’s true Kentucky has seen record-breaking economic momentum under the leadership of Gov. Andy Beshear, including $43 billion in private sector investments and over 63,000 new jobs. However, Beshear agrees Kentucky can attract businesses and investment without simultaneously suppressing unions.

A recent statewide poll conducted by KyPolicy found that 85% of Kentucky voters want the state legislature to prioritize raising worker pay and improving worker benefits. This poll also found that 60% of Kentuckians support making it easier for workers to join or form a union.

Kentuckians are telling us they want us to focus on supporting workers, and our colleagues in the General Assembly should listen.

A fight worth having

Bad faith politicians in Frankfort will tell you we have a worker shortage. They pin the problem on Kentuckians not willing to work, and absolve big business from any accountability. But in reality, we have a wage problem. Repealing “right-to-work” is a necessary step toward fixing that imbalance.

That’s why we have introduced House Bill 585, legislation to repeal Kentucky’s “right-to-work” law and restore Kentucky’s ability to have strong unions fighting for workers’ rights. House Bill 585 is about making sure Kentucky works for the people who do the work, not just those at the top.

Across the country, states with stronger unions have higher wages, better benefits and safer workplaces. Union workers earn more, are more likely to have health insurance and retirement security and are better protected on the job. When unions are strong, workers are strong.

This is a fight worth having. It’s a fight working people are ready for, and it’s a fight we cannot afford to keep putting off.

Standing together is how workers have always won dignity, fairness and opportunity. This is how Kentucky can build a stronger future for everyone.

Working Kentuckians deserve better.

Rep. Chad Aull represents Kentucky’s 79th House District in Lexington

Rep. Adrielle Camuel represents Kentucky’s 93rd House District in Lexington

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Kentucky

Man arrested after pound of meth found in Kentucky home during search warrant

Published

1 day ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

Man arrested after pound of meth found in Kentucky home during search warrant

BURKESVILLE, Ky. (WSMV) – A man was arrested Friday after a search warrant was executed at a Kentucky home, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

The search warrant comes after a weeks-long joint investigation between the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and Kentucky State Police.

CCSO said a search warrant was executed at a home at 4426 Glasgow Road about 1 p.m. Friday.

During the search, deputies found about one pound of methamphetamine inside the home.

Stephen Eaves, of Cumberland County, was arrested following the search, CCSO said.

“The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work with all first responding agencies to keep our community as safe as possible,” CCSO said.

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