News from the South - Kentucky News Feed
Birth center legislation advances again in Kentucky General Assembly
Birth center legislation advances again in Kentucky General Assembly
by Sarah Ladd, Kentucky Lantern
March 5, 2025
FRANKFORT — Another bill aimed at opening the way for freestanding birth centers in Kentucky unanimously passed a House committee Wednesday morning.
House Bill 90 is the sister bill to Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer’s Senate Bill 17, which already passed the Senate — the first time a freestanding birth center bill passed that chamber in the half a decade the legislation has been considered in Kentucky.
Birthing centers with no more than four beds would not be required to obtain a certificate of need from the state under the legislation.
Of the two identical bills, SB 17 is expected to be the one that crosses the legislative finish line, HB 90’s sponsor, Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, said before the House Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations Committee.
“I think this will be the last time we’re trying to get this bill through this committee,” said Nemes, who’s tried for years to get a version of his legislation into law.
Compromises this year include requiring centers to have a physician medical director and a hospital transfer agreement. Centers would also have to be within 30 miles of a hospital, but if a hospital closed after a center opened within 30 miles, that birth center would be exempt from the distance requirement.
No one testified against the bill, and Nemes said he is not aware of anyone against it after compromises led to support or neutrality.
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.
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News from the South - Kentucky News Feed
A few storms and warm early august temperatures persist
SUMMARY: Central and Eastern Kentucky experienced pleasant early August weather with scattered clouds keeping highs in the low to mid-80s, cooler than usual. Tuesday saw isolated afternoon storms, causing localized heavy rain and minor flooding in areas like Lexington. Wednesday repeats this pattern with mild temperatures, scattered storms, and a mix of clouds and sun. Late in the week, warming occurs as an upper-level ridge builds, raising temperatures to the upper 80s with decreased storm chances. The weekend promises mostly dry, warm weather with highs near the upper 80s, though scattered rain may appear late Sunday due to a low-pressure system and a cold front.
The post A few storms and warm early august temperatures persist appeared first on www.wtvq.com
News from the South - Kentucky News Feed
Police arrest suspect in killings of 4 Tennessee family members
SUMMARY: Austin Robert Drummond, 28, was arrested in connection with the murders of an infant’s parents, grandmother, and uncle in western Tennessee. The infant was found abandoned in a front yard in Tigrett, about 40 miles from where the victims were discovered in nearby woods. Drummond, believed to have targeted the family, faces four counts of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and weapons charges. Authorities say the victims—James M. Wilson, Adrianna Williams, Cortney Rose, and Braydon Williams—were relatives of the infant, who is now safe with other family members. Two others have been charged with assisting Drummond.
The post Police arrest suspect in killings of 4 Tennessee family members appeared first on www.wnky.com
News from the South - Kentucky News Feed
Former police officer involved in Breonna Taylor raid appeals sentence
by Sarah Ladd, Kentucky Lantern
August 5, 2025
Former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison has appealed the nearly three-year sentence he received for his role in the 2020 police raid that killed Breonna Taylor, an unarmed Black woman.
The notice of appeal, filed Tuesday, comes after U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings last month sentenced Hankison to 33 months in prison for violating Taylor’s civil rights during the raid.
Former police officer involved in Breonna Taylor raid gets 33 months sentence
Hankison “appeals both the conviction and the sentence imposed in this case,” the notice says. He was sentenced to 33 months in prison and three years of supervised release in July.
In handing down that sentence, Jennings, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, rejected the U.S. Department of Justice’s recommendation that Hankison be sentenced to a single day of time served.
On the night Hankison and others came to Taylor’s apartment in March 2020 with a “no-knock” search warrant, police were investigating a former boyfriend of Taylor’s who lived at a different address. Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were in bed when police broke into the apartment. Walker fired at what he thought were intruders breaking into the residence, striking Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly in his thigh. Mattingly initially sued Walker but dropped the case voluntarily in 2023.
Hankison and two other officers fired their guns a total of 32 times. Hankison fired from outside the apartment through a covered sliding glass door and window, hitting a neighbor’s apartment. It was later determined that officer Myles Cosgrove fired the shot that killed Taylor, whose death led to massive protests in Louisville and beyond. He was not charged and was later hired by a police force in Carroll County.
https:ecf.kywd.uscourts.gov:cgi-bin:show_temp.pl?file=4868762-0–88181.pdf&type=application:pdf
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Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.
The post Former police officer involved in Breonna Taylor raid appeals sentence appeared first on kentuckylantern.com
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
This content presents a detailed and factual account of the legal case involving former officer Brett Hankison and the Breonna Taylor incident. It highlights civil rights violations, the sentencing, and the surrounding controversy, including the community protests and the DOJ’s differing sentencing recommendation. The tone is predominantly factual but includes elements that emphasize accountability for police misconduct and systemic issues in law enforcement, which tends to align with a center-left perspective emphasizing social justice and reform within the justice system.
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