Louisville Courier JournalFRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky will allow anyone concerned about catching or spreading the coronavirus to vote by mail in the Nov. 3 general election, part of a larger plan announced Friday that also expands early voting.The compromise, negotiated by Gov. Andy Beshear and Secretary of State Michael Adams, eliminates the no-excuse absentee voting by mail that Kentucky used so successfully in the June primary.But it provides Kentucky voters a relatively easy out if they want to skip in-person voting — they can request an absentee ballot by stating they...…Louisville Courier JournalFRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky will allow anyone concerned about catching or spreading the coronavirus to vote by mail in the Nov. 3 general election, part of a larger plan announced Friday that also expands early voting.The compromise, negotiated by Gov. Andy Beshear and Secretary of State Michael Adams, eliminates the no-excuse absentee voting by mail that Kentucky used so successfully in the June primary.But it provides Kentucky voters a relatively easy out if they want to skip in-person voting — they can request an absentee ballot by stating they...WW…

Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsLOUISVILLE, Ky. — State Rep. Charles Booker announced Friday that he is endorsing U.S. Senate candidate Amy McGrath, who defeated him in a tight primary election in June, in her attempt to oust Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from office.Booker and McGrath competed to win the Democratic Party's nomination for the general election matchup against Kentucky's longtime senator this November, with Booker running as an unabashedly progressive candidate compared with the more moderate McGrath.Now, he's throwing his weight behind her as she tries to...…Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsLOUISVILLE, Ky. — State Rep. Charles Booker announced Friday that he is endorsing U.S. Senate candidate Amy McGrath, who defeated him in a tight primary election in June, in her attempt to oust Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from office.Booker and McGrath competed to win the Democratic Party's nomination for the general election matchup against Kentucky's longtime senator this November, with Booker running as an unabashedly progressive candidate compared with the more moderate McGrath.Now, he's throwing his weight behind her as she tries to...WW…

Louisville Courier JournalDespite rave reviews, Secretary of State Michael Adams doesn't want Kentucky to handle its general election the same way as its June primary, recommending stricter limits on who will be allowed to mail in their ballot this fall.Adams told The Courier Journal the preliminary plan he submitted this week to Gov. Andy Beshear doesn't recommend no-excuse absentee voting by mail — the method roughly 75% of the more than 1 million Kentucky voters used in the primary this summer.Kentucky's primary election and relatively trouble-free process during the heart of...…Louisville Courier JournalDespite rave reviews, Secretary of State Michael Adams doesn't want Kentucky to handle its general election the same way as its June primary, recommending stricter limits on who will be allowed to mail in their ballot this fall.Adams told The Courier Journal the preliminary plan he submitted this week to Gov. Andy Beshear doesn't recommend no-excuse absentee voting by mail — the method roughly 75% of the more than 1 million Kentucky voters used in the primary this summer.Kentucky's primary election and relatively trouble-free process during the heart of...WW…

Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he supports President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders targeting coronavirus relief. Sen. Rand Paul, though, has some reservations.Kentucky’s two U.S. senators are both strong Trump allies but had differing opinions about the president’s actions over the weekend – which, among other moves, temporarily halt payroll tax collection and student loan payments for some Americans in an attempt to support those who have been hit hard by the pandemic, which has closed businesses across the U.S. and...…Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he supports President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders targeting coronavirus relief. Sen. Rand Paul, though, has some reservations.Kentucky’s two U.S. senators are both strong Trump allies but had differing opinions about the president’s actions over the weekend – which, among other moves, temporarily halt payroll tax collection and student loan payments for some Americans in an attempt to support those who have been hit hard by the pandemic, which has closed businesses across the U.S. and...WW…

Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsKentucky's teachers union said Friday that the state's public schools should not resume in-person instruction until COVID-19 positivity rates at the state and county levels fall and remain below 4%."By every objective measure, and without public schools being open at all during the last few months, the coronavirus situation in Kentucky at this moment is far worse than it was in March," the Kentucky Education Association said Friday in a statement. "If we all believed it wasn't safe to operate schools then, how can it possibly be safe to reopen...…Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsKentucky's teachers union said Friday that the state's public schools should not resume in-person instruction until COVID-19 positivity rates at the state and county levels fall and remain below 4%."By every objective measure, and without public schools being open at all during the last few months, the coronavirus situation in Kentucky at this moment is far worse than it was in March," the Kentucky Education Association said Friday in a statement. "If we all believed it wasn't safe to operate schools then, how can it possibly be safe to reopen...WW…

Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsLOUISVILLE, Ky. — Federal prosecutors are suing to seize control of the building in downtown Louisville formerly known as PNC Plaza, alleging it is secretly owned by billionaire Ukrainian oligarchs and used to launder billions of dollars they plundered from a bank they owed in the eastern European country. In a lawsuit filed this week in Miami, the government says the oligarchs and their operatives in the United States bought the 29-story office tower — as well as property in Dallas and Cleveland — with money “traceable to...…Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsLOUISVILLE, Ky. — Federal prosecutors are suing to seize control of the building in downtown Louisville formerly known as PNC Plaza, alleging it is secretly owned by billionaire Ukrainian oligarchs and used to launder billions of dollars they plundered from a bank they owed in the eastern European country. In a lawsuit filed this week in Miami, the government says the oligarchs and their operatives in the United States bought the 29-story office tower — as well as property in Dallas and Cleveland — with money “traceable to...WW…

Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsLOUISVILLE, Ky. — An attorney who has served as general counsel for Republican committees and candidates in Kentucky is mentioned in a massive political bribery case in Ohio.Eric Lycan is affiliated with a political dark money group that is accused by federal prosecutors of serving as a corporate slush fund for .Lycan incorporated Generation Now as a political 501(c)(4) group in 2017 and serves as its treasurer. It is accused by the FBI of illegally funneling $60 million from FirstEnergy Corp. affiliates to assist...…Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsLOUISVILLE, Ky. — An attorney who has served as general counsel for Republican committees and candidates in Kentucky is mentioned in a massive political bribery case in Ohio.Eric Lycan is affiliated with a political dark money group that is accused by federal prosecutors of serving as a corporate slush fund for .Lycan incorporated Generation Now as a political 501(c)(4) group in 2017 and serves as its treasurer. It is accused by the FBI of illegally funneling $60 million from FirstEnergy Corp. affiliates to assist...WW…

Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsLOUISVILLE, Ky. — More than 100 members of Louisville's Cuban community gathered at , 735 E. Market St., Sunday to rally in support of the immigrant-owned restaurant. The rally came after a laid out demands that aim to improve diversity in NuLu, which is known for its locally owned shops and restaurants. Fernando Martinez, a partner of the Olé Restaurant Group, publicly denounced the letter's demands on Facebook, calling them "mafia tactics" used to intimidate business owners. On Thursday, a small group...…Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsLOUISVILLE, Ky. — More than 100 members of Louisville's Cuban community gathered at , 735 E. Market St., Sunday to rally in support of the immigrant-owned restaurant. The rally came after a laid out demands that aim to improve diversity in NuLu, which is known for its locally owned shops and restaurants. Fernando Martinez, a partner of the Olé Restaurant Group, publicly denounced the letter's demands on Facebook, calling them "mafia tactics" used to intimidate business owners. On Thursday, a small group...WW…

Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsMembers of Louisville's Cuban community plan to gather Sunday in support of a NuLu restaurant owner who says he was threatened by Black Lives Matter protesters during a recent demonstration.Fernando Martinez, a partner of the , was one of dozens of business owners in the downtown Louisville district who recently received a letter from protesters laying out demands that aim to improve diversity in the area, which is known for its locally-owned shops and restaurants.Martinez has publicly denounced the demands on Facebook, calling them used to intimidate...…Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsMembers of Louisville's Cuban community plan to gather Sunday in support of a NuLu restaurant owner who says he was threatened by Black Lives Matter protesters during a recent demonstration.Fernando Martinez, a partner of the , was one of dozens of business owners in the downtown Louisville district who recently received a letter from protesters laying out demands that aim to improve diversity in the area, which is known for its locally-owned shops and restaurants.Martinez has publicly denounced the demands on Facebook, calling them used to intimidate...WW…

GERTHLouisville Courier JournalView CommentsIf you had any doubt that Donald Trump is trying to ruin the Postal Service in an attempt to hold onto the office that — if the polls are correct — appears to be slipping away from him, you need to watch the he did Thursday with Fox Business News' Maria Bartiromo. In the interview he suggested he would block funding to the U.S. Postal Service because he feared additional funds the agency receives could be used to process and deliver mail-in ballots for this year's November election. Trump, claims that such voting opens the...…GERTHLouisville Courier JournalView CommentsIf you had any doubt that Donald Trump is trying to ruin the Postal Service in an attempt to hold onto the office that — if the polls are correct — appears to be slipping away from him, you need to watch the he did Thursday with Fox Business News' Maria Bartiromo. In the interview he suggested he would block funding to the U.S. Postal Service because he feared additional funds the agency receives could be used to process and deliver mail-in ballots for this year's November election. Trump, claims that such voting opens the...WW…