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Democratic Gov. Beshear blasts Kentucky House Republicans' spending plan

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Democratic Gov. Beshear blasts Kentucky House Republicans' spending plan

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday tore into a state spending plan unveiled by House Republicans, saying it falls far short of what’s needed for Kentucky schools, juvenile justice, health care and other essential services at a time of big budget surpluses.

In his first skirmish with GOP lawmakers since winning reelection last year, Beshear said the House’s two-year spending plan would bring on needless red tape, hamstring the state’s response to natural disasters and significantly cut its government workforce.

“There’s a lot to work on,” he said while contrasting his budget blueprint with the GOP House version.

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Asked for a response later Thursday, Republican House Speaker David Osborne said: “It will come as no shock to anybody within earshot of this that there’s no way in the world we’re ever going to spend as much as the governor wants to.”

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The House spending proposals were introduced on Tuesday. House Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chairman Jason Petrie said at the time that it “continues our commitment to investing in our commonwealth’s future while prioritizing responding spending that aims to efficiently allocate resources while maintaining essential public services.”

Two days later, the Democratic governor found plenty of problems with it, including key elements for public education. Beshear said the House plan would funnel $1.1 billion less into the state’s main funding formula for public K-12 schools — known as SEEK — than he proposed.

Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is seen here answering questions during an interview on Dec. 19, 2023, in Frankfort, Ky. He censured Kentucky House Republicans’ spending plan on Jan. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

He blasted the House GOP plan for not guaranteeing pay raises for teachers and all other public school employees and for its lack of funding to provide access to preschool for every Kentucky 4-year-old. Both were cornerstones of Beshear’s budget plan, which called for an 11% raise for school employees.

That universal pre-K proposal is essential to meeting Kentuckians’ child care needs, he said. Enrolling every 4-year-old in state-supported preschools would free up more slots in daycares for younger children and would help many parents reenter the workforce, the governor said.

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“Just giving a blanket investment in child care without universal pre-K is not going to add one childcare slot anywhere in Kentucky,” Beshear said. “It’s not going to solve any of the child care desert issues. You’ve got to do them together if we want to have a real impact.”

The big pay raise is needed to attract and retain teachers as states compete to staff classrooms, he said.

The House plan would leave it up to school districts to decide whether to use additional state funding to award pay raises to teachers and other staff. It reflects requests from school superintendents that they be given spending flexibility, Osborne said Wednesday.

“We try not to micromanage those things, especially when it comes to their budgets,” he said.

The House measure includes language strongly encouraging districts to award raises. And it includes provisions to track salary decisions by districts. It would add “a layer of accountability with a reporting requirement that makes salary schedules, compensation increases … easily available,” Petrie said.

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In methodically picking apart the House plan, Beshear said it would underfund the state’s Medicaid program, which serves poor and disabled people. It fails to fund safety upgrades at juvenile detention centers and would halt efforts to shore up staffing in those centers, he said.

The House plan also would put limits on funding to respond to emergencies and natural disasters, he said. The amount of money available under the bill “wouldn’t get us through an ice storm,” Beshear said.

It could force a governor to call lawmakers into a special session to obtain the necessary funding, he said. Kentucky was pounded by natural disasters during Beshear’s first term when tornadoes hit western Kentucky in late 2021 and flooding inundated sections of eastern Kentucky in 2022.

Some of Beshear’s harshest comments in his review were aimed at the potential impact on the state’s workforce and the paperwork it would create for his administration. The House budget would dramatically reduce state personnel by eliminating funding for up to 95% of vacant positions, he said.

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“This is just taking a hatchet and hacking at the executive branch without even looking,” Beshear said.

The House measure would snarl his administration in red tape, he said, by requiring that quarterly reports be submitted to the legislature for virtually every executive branch action. He called it an unworkable attempt to micromanage the executive branch.

“This is the type of red tape that prevents things from getting done in government,” Beshear said.

One looming decision for lawmakers is what to do, if anything, with the state’s massive budget reserves amid strong revenue collections. House Republicans have proposed tapping those reserves to make one-time investments totaling more than $1.7 billion for infrastructure, public safety and economic development and to help pay down unfunded liabilities in public pension systems.

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With the budget process in its early stages, the governor said hopes changes will be made — either in the House or when the executive branch budget measure goes to the Senate. But with supermajorities in both chambers, Republican lawmakers will determine the final contents of the state budget.

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Repeat offender truck driver charged with bank robbery after claiming C-4 explosives, firing on officers: feds

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Repeat offender truck driver charged with bank robbery after claiming C-4 explosives, firing on officers: feds

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A North Carolina truck driver, who is a repeat offender, has been federally charged following a bank robbery and a shootout with law enforcement, authorities said.

Willie Edward McGee Jr. is charged with bank robbery and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to a complaint.

Authorities said that McGee entered a First Citizens Bank in Zebulon, North Carolina, on Dec. 26, and demanded money from a teller while claiming to have C-4 explosives. The teller gave him $3,234, and McGee fled in a semi-truck, they said.

Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies responded to an armed bank robbery investigation that led to the arrest of Willie Edward McGee Jr. in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina)

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Deputies with the Rocky Mount Police Department said that McGee’s truck was found in a Hobby Lobby parking lot following the initial robbery.

According to surveillance and officers at the scene, McGee allegedly exited the vehicle armed with a Ruger AR-style 5.56 rifle and fired at officers.

Police returned fire and struck McGee. No law enforcement officers or civilians were injured. While taking McGee into custody, officers recovered the AR rifle he allegedly used to shoot at officers and a handgun from his waistband.

No officers or members of the public were injured as law enforcement safely took the suspect into custody after a coordinated response in Rocky Mount. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina)

McGee, according to records reviewed by WRAL-News, has a lengthy criminal history. The local outlet said that the suspect has dozens of charges dating back more than 20 years.

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WRAL reported that he has offenses spanning from Duplin, Wake and Durham counties.

Federal and local law enforcement recovered guns and evidence following the arrest of a suspect charged with armed bank robbery and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina)

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche called the incident “domestic terror.”

“As alleged, this defendant didn’t just rob a bank — he threatened innocent civilians with explosives and then opened fire on police officers,” Blanche said. “That is not desperation, it is domestic terror. Thanks to the extraordinary courage and professionalism of our law enforcement partners, he is alive, in custody, and facing decades in federal prison.”

“Let this serve as a warning: if you bring violence into our communities or target the men and women who protect them, this Department of Justice will meet you with the full weight of the federal government and ensure you are removed from the streets for a very long time.”

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The investigation remains active. Anyone with further information about the alleged crimes is asked to please call the FBI at (704) 672-6100. Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina, for comment.

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Homeless drifter accused of killing Barnes & Noble Christmas shopper blamed ‘fight or flight’ outburst: report

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Homeless drifter accused of killing Barnes & Noble Christmas shopper blamed ‘fight or flight’ outburst: report

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The man accused of fatally stabbing a woman inside a Palm Beach Gardens Barnes & Noble days before Christmas had traveled through several states before entering Florida, authorities said Tuesday.

Palm Beach Gardens police identified the suspect as Antonio R. Moore, 40, and said he is accused of killing 65-year-old Rita B. Loncharich inside the popular bookstore on the evening of Dec. 22.

Investigators said Moore is not a Florida resident and had moved through multiple states, including through Georgia and North Carolina, before coming to Florida. Police said Moore boarded a bus on Dec. 15 from Orlando to Titusville and then traveled onward into Palm Beach County.

Antonio Moore, 40, is facing a murder charge following the alleged stabbing at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (Google Maps/Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office)

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WOMAN IN FLORIDA BARNES & NOBLE STABBED TO DEATH, POLICE SEEK MOTIVE

According to the arrest affidavit obtained by WFLX Fox 29, Moore entered the bookstore around 7:29 p.m. and Loncharich arrived shortly afterward. Investigators said Moore approached Loncharich in a store aisle and stabbed her in the back with a pocketknife.

According to the Palm Beach Post, Moore allegedly told police a “fight or flight” response overtook him, and he took a fixed-blade knife from his jacket pocket. He reportedly told police that he stabbed Loncharich because she was the closest person to him at the time and said he did not have any prior interaction with her.

A Barnes & Noble location in San Diego, Calif.  (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

Bystanders helped the victim until first responders arrived, the local outlet reported. Loncharich was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center, where she died during surgery.

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Police received a 911 call at 7:52 p.m. and located Moore several blocks from the scene minutes later. He was taken into custody without incident.

Moore, who police say is homeless, told investigators he had no prior relationship with the victim and offered no motive for the attack. According to authorities, he admitted to sitting in the store charging his phone just before the stabbing.

Jail records from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office show that Moore was booked on a charge of first-degree premeditated murder. He is being held without bond.

The Palm Beach Gardens Police Department said it is searching for a motive in the Barnes & Noble stabbing. (Palm Beach Gardens Police Department)

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Local family members and community members described Loncharich as a “kind, gentle” person whose life was cut short during what should have been a routine holiday outing.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.

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University of Alabama student suffers ‘severe head injury’ while on family vacation in Caribbean

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University of Alabama student suffers ‘severe head injury’ while on family vacation in Caribbean

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A University of Alabama student reportedly suffered multiple skull fractures and other injuries after he fell while on vacation with his family in the Caribbean. 

A GoFundMe page set up for Matthew Polaski and his family reads, “What should have been a joyful time together quickly became every parent’s worst nightmare.” 

“Mike, Steph, Matthew, and Evan were on a family vacation in the Dominican Republic during the holidays while Matthew was home on winter break from his freshman year at the University of Alabama,” the GoFundMe page added.  

“On December 28th, Matthew suffered a severe head injury after a fall. He was rushed to a local hospital where doctors performed emergency surgery to relieve swelling on his brain and save his life. He remains in critical care and was placed in a medically induced coma,” it continued. “Once stabilized, Matthew was transported by international medical flight to Miami, where his treatment continues.”

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Matthew Polaski, left, is recovering after suffering a fall while on a family vacation to the Dominican Republic, a GoFundMe page said. (GoFundMe)

The circumstances of the fall were not immediately clear. 

“University staff have been in touch with the family to offer support, and our thoughts are with Matthew and his loved ones during this time,” the University of Alabama told Fox News Digital in a statement.

The GoFundMe describes Polaski as a “hardworking, respectful young man with a deep passion for gymnastics.” 

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“He recently began his college journey at Alabama, joined Sigma Pi fraternity, and has his whole future ahead of him. Mike and Steph have always been unwavering in their support — traveling to countless meets, tournaments, and college visits to help Matthew pursue his dreams,” it added.

AMERICAN TOURIST ATTACKED BY SHARK IN VACATION HOT SPOT

Matthew Polaski was vacationing with his family in the Dominican Republic when he suffered the fall, the GoFundMe page said. (iStock)

An update posted Wednesday on the GoFundMe page described how Matthew Polaski suffered “skull fractures, fractured pelvis and lower back vertebrate fractures.” 

“They reduced sedation and checked motor responses, both arms and legs responded on chest stimulation, another good early sign. Much is still being determined with mostly with the head injury for unknowns,” the update added. “Probably the most emotional update as a parent, Matthew started motion on his own, opened his mouth, and squeezed Steph’s hand in responses. I can’t imagine how many tears Steph had in that moment.” 

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The Robbinsville Police Department in New Jersey said Matthew’s father used to be its chief.

The GoFundMe page said Matthew Polaski’s medical bills in the Dominican Republic have reached nearly $75,000. 

Polaski is a first-year student at the University of Alabama, according to the GoFundMe page. (Getty Images)

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“International medical transport costs alone are estimated between $35,000 and $55,000. Unfortunately, insurance provides very limited coverage for international medical care, and even with insurance, medical expenses in the U.S. add up quickly. This is only the beginning,” it said. 

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