News

This is Off-Beat: a slow read of the public-record substrate underneath a story Lexington is telling itself this week. The substrate, on inspection, isn’t in Lexington at all. It’s thirty miles down the rail line. At three-thirty on the morning of Sunday, September 24, 1882, the Sells Brothers Circus train ran past its brakes…

By McKenna Horsley, Kentucky Lantern · May 18, 2026 HEBRON, KENTUCKY – MAY 18: Ed Gallrein, Republican congressional candidate for Kentucky, greets U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on stage during an America First Workers Special Event on May 18, 2026 in Hebron, Kentucky. This campaign event is being held one day before Kentucky’s…

By Jonathan Shorman, Kentucky Lantern · May 18, 2026 East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, voters stand in line at an early voting location in 2022. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has suspended Louisiana’s May 16, 2026, party primary elections for six U.S. House districts — after early voting had begun — following the U.S. Supreme…

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stepped into a contentious Kentucky congressional race Monday, using his platform to attack one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal Republican critics in Congress, according to reporting from WUKY 91.3 FM. The move marks an unusual foray into domestic politics for the nation’s top defense official, who…

Kentucky Health News reported that Kentucky hospitals’ performance in the Leapfrog Group’s latest patient safety ratings remained relatively flat despite fewer hospitals receiving top marks. The Leapfrog Group’s spring 2026 Hospital Safety Grade, released in May, showed that Kentucky ranked 22nd among states in the percentage of hospitals earning “A” grades. The Leapfrog Group…

The University of Kentucky Graduate School recognized two exceptional faculty members with its highest honors during the 2026 Faculty Awards Ceremony on April 30. Guoqiang Yu, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering, received the Albert D. and Elizabeth H. Kirwan Memorial Prize, while Rachel Shane, Ph.D., department chair and professor of arts administration, received the…

LEXINGTON, Ky. — While mifepristone remains available to Kentuckians through mail delivery via telehealth services, those who cannot access remote consultations are increasingly turning to volunteer-led networks that transport residents across state lines to reach abortion clinics in neighboring states, according to reporting by WUKY 91.3 FM. Kentucky’s near-total abortion ban, which allows exemptions…

By Greg LaRose, Kentucky Lantern · May 18, 2026 Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky has been marked for defeat by President Donal;d Trump, who has endorsed his opponent in Kentucky’s Republican primary Tuesday, May 19, 2026. Trump also opposed incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who was eliminated in Saturday’s GOP primary. (Photo…

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — Two families displaced by devastating Eastern Kentucky floods in 2022 received keys to new homes at New Hope Estates on March 5, marking a significant milestone in the state’s ongoing disaster recovery efforts. Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman joined local officials in Floyd County to cut the ribbon on the first two…

Kentucky Health News reports that nominations for the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky’s Healthy Kentucky Champion Award are due May 29. The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky is accepting submissions for its annual award that recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to improving the health of their communities and the commonwealth. The nonprofit…