Public News Service

Eastern Kentucky is still trying to recover from the decline of coal production and a regional nonprofit will soon kick off a digital training initiative for older adults in counties in need of extra job skills. The nonprofit Shaping Our Appalachian Region was awarded a Community Challenge grant from AARP to help get this…

June is National Safety Month and experts are highlighting medication safety for Kentucky kids. Kentucky has seen a steady increase in pediatric overdoses and ingestion cases in recent years, with research showing the number of cases doubled between 2019 and 2023. The number of fatal pediatric ingestion cases in the state tripled over the…

Kentucky’s newly established Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board convenes for its first meeting this week – on Wednesday June 25th. Lawmakers established the board, which includes citizens, during the 2025 legislative session. Experts say educating the public on Medicaid is critical amid ongoing threats to cut federal funding for the program. Dr. Sheila Schuster,…

As Congress considers cuts to safety-net programs in what Republicans are calling the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates 16 million Americans – including 277,000 in Kentucky – would lose Medicaid health insurance. Josh Bivens, chief economist with the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute, said if the…

Childhood trauma is costing Kentucky millions each year, according to a new report released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates and Bloom Kentucky. The report claims that between 2015 and 2020, 62% of Kentucky adults reported having at least one adverse childhood event – with those experiences resulting in a total economic burden of $295…

Thousands of Kentucky families face utility disconnections this summer, and the latest budget reconciliation bill would eliminate the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps millions of Americans afford their heating and cooling expenses. The move would significantly impact Eastern Kentucky counties, where many households spend more than a third of their income on…

Abortion rights advocates in Kentucky are concerned as the Department of Health and Human Services has revoked a policy requiring hospitals to provide abortion care in emergency situations. Known as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, the rule offered federal protection for the procedure, particularly in Kentucky and other red states with near…

Congress is considering a bill which would for the first time create a nationalized school voucher program, redirecting billions in federal funding from public schools toward private schools. Kentucky educators said it would hurt counties across the Commonwealth, where 90% of kids, around 650,000, attend a public school. Last November, Kentuckians weighed in on…

Kentucky kids are now faring better than they were before the pandemic but one of five live in poverty, according to the 2025 Kids Count Data Book released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, said there are common ground, bipartisan budget and tax decisions to change…

As eastern Kentucky communities attempt to bounce back from a string of natural disasters, more small businesses are struggling to get back on their feet. An upcoming series of workshops led by the nonprofit Mountain Association and AppalReD Legal Aid this month aims to help small businesses in the region better prepare for emergencies.…