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Gov. Andy Beshear has signed an executive order to launch pre-K for all pilot programs in Robertson and Rockcastle Counties, marking a step forward in his administration’s push for universal preschool access in Kentucky. According to an announcement from the Office of the Governor, the pilot programs will expand early childhood education efforts to…

By Sarah Ladd, Kentucky Lantern · May 7, 2026 Gov. Andy Beshear speaks at the Kentucky Youth Advocates’ Children’s Advocacy Day in the Capitol Rotunda. March 5, 2025. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Sarah Ladd) Gov. Andy Beshear has signed an executive order to launch pre-K for all pilot programs in Robertson and Rockcastle Counties. …

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Planning Commission’s Zoning Committee is scheduled to hear five zoning map amendment petitions and consider a text amendment related to horse racing during a meeting Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in the Phoenix Building. The five map amendments would modify zoning designations across the county. One proposal would rezone 1.12 net…

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — AKFA Aluminum Solutions, a division of Uzbekistan’s AKFA Group, announced plans to become the first Uzbekistani company to establish a manufacturing operation in the United States, making a significant investment to locate a new facility in Bowling Green, creating 331 Kentucky jobs. The announcement, celebrated by Gov. Andy Beshear, represents…

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s Planning Commission Zoning Committee approved four zoning map amendments Thursday, advancing projects that will reshape commercial and residential development across the city. The committee unanimously approved three zoning changes: LCD Acquisitions, LLC’s conversion of industrial property at Chair Avenue and Hayman Avenue to a Corridor Node…

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Lexington’s Planning Commission Subdivision Committee approved three development projects Thursday while postponing action on five others, including a controversial Two Keys property plan that drew strong neighborhood opposition. The committee, which met May 7, gave the green light to the Hazen Property Montmolan Street Subdivision, the J4B and Sons and Hayman…

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Fifty-six high school students from 28 schools across 24 Kentucky counties recently spent a day at the University of Kentucky, meeting and learning from cancer researchers, physicians and health care professionals. According to a University of Kentucky News report, the inaugural Kentucky NextGen Cancer Summit, organized by the UK Markey Cancer…

LEXINGTON, Ky. — City Code Enforcement officials are turning to artificial intelligence to more efficiently identify and address problem neighborhoods, moving beyond traditional complaint-driven enforcement methods to a more proactive, data-driven approach. During a May 5 presentation to the Social Services and Public Safety Committee, Code Enforcement Director Oliver Lee Steele outlined plans to…

By McKenna Horsley, Kentucky Lantern · May 7, 2026 There were 11.4 million bourbon barrels in Kentucky as of 2021, and the bourbon industry paid just shy of $40 million in local and state taxes on those barrels in 2022. (Getty Images) A Kentucky bourbon is at the center of a national political scandal. …

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Environmental Quality and Public Works Committee is scheduled to consider updates to several key city policies affecting roads, parking and street design during a meeting set for Tuesday, May 12, according to the committee agenda. The committee is scheduled to review an update to Lexington’s Pavement Management Plan, which guides…