Reporting

William Bader, who leads a faction of the Ku Klux Klan in Kentucky, shouts racial slurs to African Americans at a Klan demonstration on July 18, 2015, in Columbia, South Carolina. Flyers appearing in several northeastern Indiana communities advertise a rally and cross-lighting ceremony supposedly planned for Aug. 8 somewhere in Kentucky’s vast Daniel Boone National Forest. (John Moore / Getty Images) WINCHESTER, Ky. — Flyers promoting an alleged Ku Klux Klan rally in Kentucky

Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis waves to a crowd of her supporters at a rally in front of the Carter County Detention Center on September 8, 2015, in Grayson, Kentucky. (Ty Wright / Getty Images) Former Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis is facing a new lawsuit in her home turf accusing her of hiding inherited assets to avoid paying the $565,000 federal civil rights judgment against her for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Attorneys for the two Kentucky men who

The U.S. Capitol Building is pictured. (Creative Commons) Legislation designed to ensure rapidly developing data centers don’t raise residential power bills sailed through a key Congressional committee Tuesday, teeing up a full vote on the House floor. The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Kentucky Republican Congressman Brett Guthrie, advanced the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act, 52-0. The bill would require state utility regulators to consider large-l

This pair of stories demonstrates the power of fast and efficient breaking-news coverage. I uncovered and broke this story and was able to quickly follow up by reporting about the real-world consequences of the officers involved. Police tape is pictured. (Royalty-free Getty Images) FBI asked to intervene after KY police reportedly slap mentally ill man following arrest The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office has asked the FBI to investigate the London Police Department following a

An example of tying environmental and energy coverage with daily business news, I followed and broke multiple stories about one of the few remaining glimmers of hope for laid off coal workers in Eastern Kentucky as its profits plunged. A coal pile is photographed in Totz, Ky., on Sunday, April 14, 2024. (Ryan C. Hermens /Herald-Leader) EKY coal operator with 16 regional mines files for bankruptcy after layoffs PIKEVILLE, Ky. — The Pike County coal company that furloughed and

Not far from where I was based in Eastern Kentucky covering the region for the Lexington Herald-Leader, I followed a local political disagreement that had regional and statewide ramifications. Developers are eyeing the small community of Myra in Pike County, Ky., as the future site of a 450-acre landfill project that would store garbage from surrounding counties in several states. The community is pushing back. (Austin R. Ramsey / Herald-Leader) Eastern KY residents fight pro

Outdoorsmen and women play a key role in the protection of Kentucky's natural resources, because the state funds its fish and game agency primarily through hunting, fishing and boating licenses. I made it a mission of mine at the Herald-Leader to engage with the little-known agency and give readers an inside look at how it functions. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission Chair Chuck Meade speaks during a May commission meeting. (Screenshot / YouTube, Kentucky Department of Fi

The Trump administration began clearing the way for alternative assets in workplace 401(k)s by eliminating Biden-era guidance warning plans about the danger off-market funds posed to retirement-saver nest eggs. The US Labor Department said it was rescinding a 2021 supplemental statement that cautioned against private-market valuation risks, illiquidity, and lack of transparency. Biden attached the statement to the strategy Trump’s DOL laid out during his first term, establish

The US Labor Department has released a closely watched rule that will expand strict fiduciary standards of conduct to cover more retirement plan advisers, and has already drawn ire from Wall Street. The rule from the DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration could equip regulators with more power to oversee Wall Street heavy hitters and require companies to comply with expensive disclosure exemptions. EBSA will release the regulation on its website Tuesday following mon

Boeing Co. workers are doubling down on reviving their legacy pensions, rejecting a labor deal with generous pay packages even as similar union efforts to restore those retirement benefits have failed. Two rounds of negotiations with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers to end a five-week strike have resulted only in offers to boost worker 401(k)s, signaling restoration of pensions axed a decade ago may be more of a bargaining chip than a viable r

The federal government overpaid one of the nation’s largest union-backed pensions by more than $127 million in bailout cash because it failed to detect dead participants the plan had reported, according to a new watchdog memo. A review by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s Office of Inspector General found the government’s private-sector retirement plan insurer didn’t cross-check deceased participants the Central States Pension Plan reported in its application for spe

As calls to defund law enforcement reach a fever pitch nationwide, New Mexico’s largest city is answering concerns about its police department by forming an alternative. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller (D) announced on Monday the formation of a new public safety department designed to relieve stress on the city’s police. Instead of the police or fire departments responding to 911 calls related to inebriation, homelessness, addiction and mental health, the new division will deplo

When a chilling discovery thrust the quality of a public utility's drinking water supply into question, it became clear that fair and accurate coverage required more than just one story. I wanted to include these two stories among my writing samples for two reasons, however: Not only do they represent a long series, but they illustrate how that coverage can sometimes become the story, no matter how hard you try to prevent it. Investigation Uncovers Contaminants in Water, OMU

The Paradise Fossil Plant near Drakesboro, Kentucky, was a fixture along the Green River in western Kentucky for more than 50 years. It inspired a hit John Prine song and supported a thriving local economy. This series for the Messenger-Inquirer explained its eventual demise as the Tennessee Valley Authority sought to reshuffle its energy portfolio. Bevin Laments TVA's Paradise Vote: Governor Urges Board to Delay DRAKESBORO, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin called on the Tennes

The Owensboro RiverPark Center Board of Directors is in negotiations with Spectra, the Owensboro Convention Center and Sportscenter venue management company, that could result in the company taking over partial management control of operations there. Sources say the board initiated a request for proposals several months ago that resulted in three total bids from outside contractors. Spectra, a sports and entertainment firm based in Philadelphia, was among them, and Board Chai