News

At the Tuesday, September 7 General Government and Planning (GGP) Committee meeting, Long Range Planning Manager Hal Baillie will present the second draft of the Lexington Preservation and Growth Management Program (LPGMP). Once adopted, the LPGMP will establish a new process for how Council and the Planning Commission decide whether to expand the Urban…

As disputes rage on over religion’s place in public schools, the Ten Commandments have become a focal point. At least a dozen states have considered proposals that would require classrooms to post the biblical laws, and three passed laws mandating their display in 2024-2025: Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas. All three laws have been at…

Violent tornado outbreaks, like the storms that tore through parts of St. Louis and London, Kentucky in May have made 2025 seem like an especially active, deadly and destructive year for tornadoes. The U.S. has had more reported tornadoes than normal, according to the National Weather Service’s preliminary count. That’s well above the national average…

“The natural disaster club is not one anyone wants to join,”  said Greensburg, Kansas, administrator Stacy Barnes. But more and more small towns and rural communities are waking up–after flash flood, tornado, wildfire, or hurricane–to discover they are a member, whether they want to be or not.  Greensburg has been a member of the…

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Urban County Council on Tuesday will consider a two-part plan to stand up a temporary winter shelter at 1306 Versailles Road and contract for operations through April, decisions that could steer more than $2.47 million toward emergency housing as temperatures drop. Members will also review a $250,000 agreement with Lextran…

Lexington’s General Government & Planning Committee on Tuesday will get its first full look at a proposed overhaul of how the city measures growth, decides whether to expand the Urban Service Area and pursues large industrial projects — changes staff say will “codify long-standing practices” and make decisions more data-driven and transparent. A separate…

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Kentucky riverboat captain who says he lost his job after refusing a COVID-19 vaccination on religious grounds can continue his lawsuit against American Cruise Lines, though the company’s president has been dismissed as a defendant. In a Sept. 3 order, U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove ruled that former captain…

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Keep It Rural, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Like what you see? Join the mailing list for more rural news, thoughts, and analysis in your inbox each week. “I want everything to be hard and I want it to be deeply rewarding,” so says…

Nationwide, a new agricultural movement is taking root, but it’s not just about growing food. It’s about growing power, healing and community through radically collaborative models that challenge generations of injustice and land loss.  According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service, Black farmers operated nearly 926,000 farms in 1920, holding around 15 million acres,…