Reporting

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

In November 2010, Bruce Maggard called up to the top at an underground coal mine in Perry County to alert them that a car was coming back up the mine shaft. (Jonatahn Palmer / Herald-Leader file photo) PIKEVILLE, Ky. — It isn’t lost on Brandon Crum that the coal dust never really left him or his family. A fourth-generation miner who dug coal in Appalachia since he was a teen, Crum, now a radiologist, sits in Eastern Kentucky exam rooms, studying X-rays and lung scans, diagnos

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

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

Hazard city officials plan to ask the Kentucky Supreme Court to consider their legal battle challenging the state’s defunct tier system for local restaurant taxes. (Ryan C. Hermens / Herald-Leader) The Kentucky Court of Appeals has denied a petition for a rehearing from an Eastern Kentucky city attempting to levy a 3% restaurant tax, but the city’s attorneys intend to appeal the ruling on the grounds the amended state law underpinning local taxing authority is unconstitutiona

Rural Martin County, Kentucky, remains one of the most underfunded water systems in America, contaminated by a devastated coal slurry spill more than 25 years ago. I used this short series to shine light on efforts underway in the community to clear up the community's water and reputation. The Curtis Crum Reservoir in Martin County, Ky., is seen Oct. 2, 2018. Water is pumped from the Tug Fork River and stored here before being treated and delivered to residents. (Alex Slitz /

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Time is slipping away for Kentucky lawmakers. The General Assembly has until the end of this legislative session to bring the commonwealth into compliance with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, which called for security upgrades to states' driver's licenses. Gov. Matt Bevin vetoed a measure that would have satisfied the regulations last year, giving in to pressure from tea party groups and the Kentucky ACLU. Now, Republican leaders in Frankfort are calli