http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com Covering Kentucky politics and government Tue, 22 May 2012 21:44:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/05/22/live-election-results-on-kentucky-com-starting-at-6-p-m/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/05/22/live-election-results-on-kentucky-com-starting-at-6-p-m/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 21:44:15 +0000 Accountability Editor http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=21736 http://www.kentucky.com/voteresults/. Also, we'll be tweeting tonight from https://twitter.com/#!/BGPolitics and https://twitter.com/#!/heraldleader.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/05/22/live-election-results-on-kentucky-com-starting-at-6-p-m/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/05/09/challenger-questions-conservatism-of-thayer-in-state-senate-primary-election/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/05/09/challenger-questions-conservatism-of-thayer-in-state-senate-primary-election/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 21:06:27 +0000 Accountability Editor http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=21683 By John Cheves jcheves@herald-leader.com Editor's note: This is one in a series of stories previewing Kentucky's May 22 primary election. Ricky Hostetler is trying to squeeze to the political right of state Sen. Damon Thayer, one of the General Assembly's most vocal conservatives. Hostetler is challenging Thayer in the May 22 Republican primary for the 17th Senate district, which represents Scott, Owen and Grant counties and part of Kenton County. The winner will face Democrat David Holcomb on Nov. 6. All three men live in Georgetown. Hostetler says Thayer — who is seeking a fourth term — has become part of the Frankfort political establishment that drives up government spending while enjoying public pensions and cozy relationships with lobbyists. Hostetler pledges to limit himself to two terms, which he said he would use to slash taxes and regulations, giving the private sector the freedom it needs to grow. "Just take a look at the numbers. In the last 10 to 12 years, our state's debt has increased ten-fold to about $40 billion, if you count the state pension system liability," Hostetler, a 53-year-old electrical contractor, said in an interview. "Senator Thayer has been there most of that time. I think he has to accept some of the responsibility." Thayer, 44, responds by calling Hostetler "a little desperate." Thayer touts his conservative support from U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the National Rifle Association, the pro-business Kentucky Club for Growth (which ranks him best among 38 state senators) and the anti-abortion Kentucky Right to Life.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/05/09/challenger-questions-conservatism-of-thayer-in-state-senate-primary-election/feed/ 1 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/04/19/secretary-of-state-grimes-sets-up-mobile-field-office-in-tornado-hit-counties/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/04/19/secretary-of-state-grimes-sets-up-mobile-field-office-in-tornado-hit-counties/#comments Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:05:34 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=21604 FRANKFORT – Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes and some of her staff members will perform their job duties in a mobile field office next week in tornado-devastated Morgan and Magoffin counties. The mobile field office in a donated recreational vehicle will provide on-site business services and election information, Grimes said during a news conference Thursday in back of the state Capitol. Grimes’ director of communications, Lynn Sowards Zellen, said the field office will not be any additional cost to taxpayers. She said several businesses across the state have provided supplies to operate it.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/04/19/secretary-of-state-grimes-sets-up-mobile-field-office-in-tornado-hit-counties/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/04/13/beshear-plans-to-call-a-special-legislative-session/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/04/13/beshear-plans-to-call-a-special-legislative-session/#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 06:49:51 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=21502 David Williams was responsible for the Senate’s failure to approve a road plan budget bill on the final day of the 60-day regular session. “Without the transportation budget bill, you can’t fund any of the projects in the transportation plan that has been passed,” said the Democratic governor who won re-election last November in a contentious campaign against Williams, R-Burkesville. Beshear also charged that Williams was responsible for the Senate’s inaction Thursday on a bill that would more closely regulate pain management clinics and put the state’s electronic prescription reporting system in the attorney general’s office instead of in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. “We need that bill. We need the transportation budget bill. So I’ll be issuing a call for a special session of the General Assembly,” Beshear said. “They should have and could have been passed by the Senate today.”]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/04/13/beshear-plans-to-call-a-special-legislative-session/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/04/10/nj-gov-chris-christie-to-headline-gop-lincoln-day-dinner/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/04/10/nj-gov-chris-christie-to-headline-gop-lincoln-day-dinner/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:54:10 +0000 Beth Musgrave http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=21467 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/04/10/nj-gov-chris-christie-to-headline-gop-lincoln-day-dinner/feed/ 5 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/30/beshears-will-take-state-plane-to-final-four-but-democratic-party-will-pay-for-it/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/30/beshears-will-take-state-plane-to-final-four-but-democratic-party-will-pay-for-it/#comments Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:55:06 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=21410 By Jack Brammer jbrammer@herald-leader.com FRANKFORT — Gov. Steve Beshear will use a state plane to take his family to New Orleans for the NCAA Final Four. The Kentucky Democratic Party will reimburse the state for use of the plane because Democratic Party activities will be involved on the trip, said Beshear spokeswoman Kerri Richardson. Richardson did not immediately know what state political party activities will occur in New Orleans or what family members will be going with the governor other than first lady Jane Beshear. The Beshears used a state plane March 9 to go to the Southeastern Conference basketball tournament in New Orleans and to take a side trip to Ocala, Fla., for Jane Beshear to visit friends.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/30/beshears-will-take-state-plane-to-final-four-but-democratic-party-will-pay-for-it/feed/ 1 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/14/public-financing-of-judicial-elections-passes-house-panel/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/14/public-financing-of-judicial-elections-passes-house-panel/#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:57:35 +0000 Beth Musgrave http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=21167 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/14/public-financing-of-judicial-elections-passes-house-panel/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/14/adult-abuse-registry-bill-heads-to-senate/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/14/adult-abuse-registry-bill-heads-to-senate/#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:57:37 +0000 Beth Musgrave http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=21165 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/14/adult-abuse-registry-bill-heads-to-senate/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/14/house-passes-unemployment-insurance-fix/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/14/house-passes-unemployment-insurance-fix/#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:36:10 +0000 Beth Musgrave http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=21163 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/14/house-passes-unemployment-insurance-fix/feed/ 1 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/09/house-could-support-constitutional-amendment-on-redistricting/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/09/house-could-support-constitutional-amendment-on-redistricting/#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:17:09 +0000 Beth Musgrave http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=21111 By Beth Musgrave bmusgrave@herald-leader.com FRANKFORT — A constitutional amendment that would detail how lawmakers can divide counties when redrawing the boundaries of legislative districts has support from leaders in the House and Senate. House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, said Friday that he supports Senate Bill 18, an amendment that would give the legislature permission to split medium-sized counties to balance the population of legislative districts. The Kentucky Constitution now says counties that can be contained in one legislative district should remain in one district. But legislative leaders say some counties must be split into multiple districts in order to create districts that have equitable population, a requirement of federal law. A Franklin Circuit Court judge threw out newly-drawn district boundaries earlier this year because the bill allowed some districts to vary by more than 5 percent from the ideal population size and divided more counties than necessary.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/09/house-could-support-constitutional-amendment-on-redistricting/feed/ 0