Connect with us

News from the South - Kentucky News Feed

Democrat Grimes, former Kentucky secretary of state, wins appeal in ethics case

Published

on

kentuckylantern.com – Jack Brammer – 2025-03-23 12:00:00

by Jack Brammer, Kentucky Lantern
March 23, 2025

The Kentucky Court of Appeals unanimously has upheld a lower court order that cleared former Democratic Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes of ethics violation charges.

In a 17-page order issued Friday upholding an April 29, 2024 decision by Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd, the three-member appellate court said the Executive Branch Ethics Commission missed its statutory deadline to charge Grimes with improperly ordering the downloading and distribution of voter registration data from her public office while she was Kentucky’s secretary of state.

“The Franklin Circuit Court reversed the commission’s decision, finding it was arbitrary, not supported by substantial evidence and time barred. Due to the statute of limitations alone, we affirm,” said the appellate court decision. The three appellate judges were Susanne M. Cetrulo, James H. Lambert and Jeff S. Taylor.

Her political future cloudy, Grimes must contend with effort to reinstate alleged ethics violations

Attorney Jon Salomon, who represents Grimes, said,  “We are pleased that a unanimous panel of the Court of Appeals has agreed with the Franklin Circuit Court that the Executive Branch Ethics Commission missed its statutory deadline to bring charges against former Secretary Grimes.

“Those charges should never have been brought — and Secretary Grimes is optimistic that after nearly eight years, she and her family can put this matter behind them.”

Susan Clary, executive director of the ethics commission, said the commission needs more time to review the appellate ruling before commenting. It could ask the appeals court to rehear the case, try an appeal to the Kentucky Supreme Court or let the appellate court ruling stand.

Grimes has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2026.

The commission had been investigating Grimes for several years. Grimes, a Democrat and Lexington attorney, was secretary of state from 2011 to 2019 and an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2014 against Republican Mitch McConnell. She is the daughter of the former state Democratic Party Chair Jerry Lundergan of Lexington.

Biden pardons Kentuckian Jerry Lundergan for campaign finance conviction

In November 2021, the commission fined Grimes $10,000 for two ethical violations pertaining to handling of voter data.

As secretary of state, Grimes was the state’s chief elections officer. In her position, she had access to data from the state voter registration system in the State Board of Elections.

The commission had alleged that Grimes violated the ethics code by sharing voter information without requiring a request under the Open Records Act or other “established process of government.”

Grimes responded that all the voter data at issue was information in the public domain and that she had full legal authority and discretion as secretary of state to access and share such information. She claimed no statute or regulation was violated by the sharing of such public information. She claimed the commission’s charges were barred by the five-year statute of limitations and that the record did not support a finding of any violations of the state executive branch’s code of ethics.

The commission argued that it was not bound by any statute of limitations.

The only allegations pursued by the Ethics Commission were that Grimes allegedly acted unethically in accessing public information in the voter registration system by downloading voter information onto a thumb drive when she was a candidate for reelection.

The commission also looked at whether Grimes improperly shared information on new voter registrations for certain Kentucky House of Representative districts in response to a request made informally through the office of the House speaker without requiring a formal open records request or charging a fee.

Read the ruling

2024-CA-000630

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.

2024-CA-000630

The post Democrat Grimes, former Kentucky secretary of state, wins appeal in ethics case appeared first on kentuckylantern.com

News from the South - Kentucky News Feed

Officials react to Senate passage of ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’

Published

on

www.wnky.com – WNKY Staff – 2025-07-01 11:25:00

SUMMARY: Sen. Mitch McConnell praised the Senate’s passage of the Reconciliation Bill, calling it a step toward securing the border, boosting American energy, supporting farmers, increasing working Kentuckians’ take-home pay, and preventing major tax hikes. However, he emphasized that more is needed for national defense, urging Congress to ensure robust funding beyond a one-time budget injection. Sen. Rand Paul expressed concerns about rising debt during the Vote-a-rama, offering support only if the bill included a 90% debt ceiling cut and true fiscal reform without earmarks or handouts. News 40 will continue providing updates on the bill’s progress.

Read the full article

The post Officials react to Senate passage of ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ appeared first on www.wnky.com

Continue Reading

News from the South - Kentucky News Feed

Senate votes 99-1 to remove AI moratorium from megabill

Published

on

kentuckylantern.com – Paige Gross – 2025-07-01 10:05:00


A moratorium on state-based AI laws was removed from the U.S. Senate’s “Big Beautiful Bill” by a 99-1 vote after growing opposition from lawmakers, states, and advocacy groups. Initially proposed by GOP Senators Ted Cruz and Marsha Blackburn as a 10-year ban, the moratorium aimed to centralize AI regulation federally. After debates and hearings, a scaled-back five-year ban with some exceptions was introduced but remained unpopular. The successful amendment to remove the moratorium, co-sponsored by Blackburn and Democrat Maria Cantwell, emphasized preserving state consumer protections while calling for a federal AI framework to ensure U.S. leadership and consumer safety.

by Paige Gross, Kentucky Lantern
July 1, 2025

A moratorium on state-based artificial intelligence laws was struck from the “Big Beautiful Bill” Monday night in a 99-1 vote in the U.S. Senate, after getting less and less popular with state and federal lawmakers, state officials and advocacy groups since it was introduced in May.

The moratorium had evolved in the seven weeks since it was introduced into the megabill. At an early May Senate Commerce Committee session, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said it was in his plans to create “a regulatory sandbox for AI” that would prevent state overregulation and promote the United States’ AI industry.

GOP senators initially proposed a 10-year ban on all state laws relating to artificial intelligence, saying the federal government should be the only legislative body to regulate the technology. Over several hearings, congressional members and expert witnesses debated the level of involvement the federal government should take in regulating AI. They discussed state’s rightssafety concerns for the technology and how other governmental bodies, like the European Union, are regulating AI.

Over the weekend, Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Cruz developed a pared down version of the moratorium that proposed a five-year ban, and made exceptions for some laws with specific aims such as protecting children or limiting deepfake technologies. Changes over the weekend also tied state’s ability to collect federal funding to expand broadband access to their willingness to nullify their existing AI laws.

Monday night, an amendment to remove the moratorium from the budget bill — cosponsored by Blackburn and Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat — was passed 99-1.

“The Senate came together tonight to say that we can’t just run over good state consumer protection laws,” Cantwell said in a statement. “States can fight robocalls, deepfakes and provide safe autonomous vehicle laws. This also allows us to work together nationally to provide a new federal framework on Artificial Intelligence that accelerates U.S. leadership in AI while still protecting consumers.” 

The “overwhelming” vote reflects how unpopular unregulated AI is among voters and legislators in both parties, said Alexandra Reeve Givens, president and CEO of the tech policy organization, Center for Democracy and Technology, in a statement.

“Americans deserve sensible guardrails as AI develops, and if Congress isn’t prepared to step up to the plate, it shouldn’t prevent states from addressing the challenge,” Reeve Givens said. “We hope that after such a resounding rebuke, Congressional leaders understand that it’s time for them to start treating AI harms with the seriousness they deserve.”

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 Senate votes 99-1 to remove AI moratorium from megabill 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: Centrist

The content presents a balanced view of the debate over AI regulation, highlighting perspectives from both Republican and Democratic senators. It reflects bipartisan disagreements and cooperation on the issue without endorsing one side over the other. The article focuses on factual reporting of legislative actions, quoting representatives from both parties and experts, and avoids partisan language or framing, resulting in a centrist political bias.

Continue Reading

News from the South - Kentucky News Feed

More downpours Tuesday, drier tomorrow

Published

on

www.youtube.com – WLKY News Louisville – 2025-07-01 04:22:16

SUMMARY: Meteorologist Matt Milosevic reports that Tuesday started with tropical-style humidity fueling heavy downpours and some thunderstorms, mainly in western areas near Corydon and along Interstate 65 in southern Indiana. Rain chances are highest in the morning, tapering off by midday as the system moves east. The afternoon will see drier conditions and lower humidity, making temperatures near 80 degrees more comfortable. Overnight, skies will clear, and Wednesday will bring sunshine with lower humidity and highs in the upper 80s to low 90s. Humidity will rise again by the weekend, with highs near 95 and potential storms Sunday night into Monday.

WLKY Meteorologist Matt Milosevich has the latest on more rain and storm chances today, with drier and less humid weather ahead.

Subscribe to WLKY on YouTube now for more: http://bit.ly/1e5KyMO

Get more Louisville news: http://www.wlky.com
Like us: http://www.facebook.com/wlkynews
Follow us: http://twitter.com/WLKY
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wlky/

Source

Continue Reading

Trending