So it looks like we will be getting a new YMCA sometime in the future. This is exciting news for our community and for all of us swimmers, cardio equipment users and group fitness class participants!

The compilation of complaints and suggestions made by local developers over past two years was sent to me and other magistrates dated Dec. 20 under cover letter of Danny Willis Kentucky Capital Development Corp. board chairman.

Kentucky’s economy is changing: This year, an estimated 60% of jobs will require post-secondary education. Accordingly, Kentucky has set an ambitious goal to graduate 60% of Kentuckians with a college credential by 2030.

Isn’t it an interesting phenomenon how some on the left care little about spending until the proposed program offers a piece that doesn’t fit their philosophical puzzle?

The Kentucky General Assembly wrapped up week two of the 2020 Regular Session. We have officially voted on two bills, and Frankfort is already buzzing.

In an article appearing in the Jan. 16 edition of The State Journal (“Griffith running for office again”), Frankfort City Commission candidate Shannon Griffith mistakenly implied that sex offenders staying at the ACCESS Men’s Shelter and Soup Kitchen pose a danger to Second Street School students. 

As 2020 came, many of us counted down with hopes that the new year would bring new experiences and new ways forward. Despite the calendar telling us it was 2020, Frankfort’s calendar still said 1990.

In U.S. Rep. Andy Barr’s recent State Journal column ("Guest columnist: Trump was impeached because Democrats don't like him," Jan. 2), he cleverly crafts a massive barrage of long, lawyerly arguments to make you believe that President Donald Trump is completely innocent in his handling of t…

In 2018, the General Assembly and Kentucky voters demonstrated their strong support for crime victims when they overwhelmingly adopted the Marsy’s Law constitutional amendment. Their intent was as clear as their message: “You deserve better, we support you, and your voice matters." 

For many Kentuckians, a trip to the pharmacy is a routine part of maintaining good health. But behind the scenes, the process of getting your prescription is proving to be much more complex — and costly — than necessary. And as a taxpayer, you’re likely paying for it whether or not you go to…

In 1960, as the American people entered a new year and, notably, a new decade, the electorate chose a new face to serve as its president. As the youngest president ever elected, John F. Kennedy’s historic victory signaled that a new generation of leadership was ready to serve. He would say s…

Health coverage is foundational to good health and in Kentucky, no single insurer is as foundational as Medicaid. In a very real way, Medicaid is for all of us; from childhood, through our working years, to senior care, Medicaid covers all Kentuckians in all stages of life.

It is an exciting time for Frankfort. As we look to the new decade, we can expect to see a lot of exciting changes, many of which come from Frankfort’s Downtown Master Plan.

I am writing to make the community aware of my decision not to seek another term on the Frankfort City Commission. I want to thank you for the opportunity to serve and leave you with some thoughts and cautions about the future of our community.

Had we put well-deserved coal in new but visionless Gov. Andy Beshear’s stocking this Christmas, he'll likely have signed executive orders banning black rock in stockings, the stockings themselves and maybe even the entire coal industry by now.

In March, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated, “Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country.”

In April, the U.S. Census Bureau will begin the decennial census of every household in the United States. While the census will be used for several governmental determinations such as apportionment of congressional seats, the data is also incredibly important to Head Start programs around th…

I happened upon the recent Frankfort City Commission meeting via live stream and caught the discussion between the city’s auditor and the commission, which was previously reported on The State Journal on Tuesday, Dec. 17. The main takeaway for me was that the city’s cash reserves increased a…

This is in response to the Impeachment Eve rally speech ("Truth is what makes our country great," Friday, Dec. 20) given by the Rev. Dr. Chuck Queen, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church. 

According to a recent Gallup survey, Americans plan to spend an average of $942 on Christmas gifts this year. This is the most ever since Gallup began measuring the trend. It's shaping up to be a record year for retailers but often the pressure to give the perfect gift leaves shoppers frazzl…

Editor's note: Rev. Dr. Chuck Queen, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church delivered the following address at Together Frankfort's Impeachment Eve rally Tuesday at the Old Capitol.

The Personnel Cabinet has a unique role in Kentucky: serving the people who serve the people.

Berea’s Mary Turley-Renfro is a gift to her community, its taxpayers and citizens statewide who can stop tax-increase attempts coming soon by a government near you.

The start of a new governorship necessarily involves theatrics, which help signify the importance of a historic event, establish comity after an election and signal the shift from politics to governing. But theatrics can have meaning that signals the substance and the politics to come.

The picture of Greta Thunberg on the cover of Time magazine as its 2019 Person of the Year is both inspiring and sobering.

Four years ago, I was given the tremendous honor of joining an administration that was committed to changing the trajectory of our state’s history by making Kentucky a leader in education and workforce development.

Fall brought a new look to downtown with the installation of the first phase of rotating sculptures as a part of Arts Downtown. This FrankArts program, in partnership with Josephine Sculpture Park, was sponsored by local patron Richard Rosen.

Over the past year Franklin County Fiscal Court has been developing a comprehensive energy savings project for county buildings that could save the court and taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in coming years.

It is comforting that Gov. Andy Beshear cleaned house and replaced the Kentucky Board of Education with people who truly care about our public schools and our children.   

As the Franklin County County High School Booster Club, we just wanted to write a response to the letter from Jim Daniel (“Letter: High school football teams don't need professional fields,” Dec. 6). We find it to be misleading and just wanted to offer a differing viewpoint to what Daniel is…

Frankfort is a thriving community. To continue to thrive, we must invest in the future. It would be utter folly to tear down the Broadway Bridge based on a recent engineering report without getting a second opinion. When Frankfort went through the strategic planning process last year, the Bo…

Santa hasn’t put much in his bag this year for education reformers in Kentucky.

Among the various agenda items set to reach his desk, Gov.-elect Andy Beshear will soon face the prospect of one of the country’s grimmest outlooks when it comes to funding for higher education.

Looking back over our long history, it seems inevitable that Kentucky would become what Versailles calls itself today, “The Horse Capital of the World.”

Gov.-elect Andy Beshear will take office at a critical time for Kentucky and our world. Climate change has emerged as an urgent crisis demanding transformative changes to our economy. Recent scientific reports are clear that the world’s carbon emissions must peak and begin a rapid decline wi…

In light of news that the Chilean government canceled the APEC summit, farmers and their families have responded with concern for the ongoing viability of the industry. 

If marijuana legalization still seems like a distant issue, something that’s happening out west or in Canada, it won’t be that way for long. On Jan. 1, it will be as close as a drive across the Ohio River, thanks to Illinois’ decision to become the 11th state allowing adult recreational use.

Gov.-elect Andy Beshear and future First Lady Britainy Beshear are holding an inauguration poster contest and inviting children to submit artwork reflecting “Kentuckians working together” to accomplish “common goals we all share.”

Journalists relentlessly pursue the truth in order to provide citizens with the information they need to be self-governing. And yet, for journalists, doing that work can be risky, dangerous and even cost lives.

Envision Franklin County was formed 15 years ago out of concerns about poorly planned, destructive development. We advocate for smart growth with infill development that creates attractive, walkable communities which don't sprawl onto important rural lands.

We are FPB. (And when I say we, I mean all of us.) I know I’ve written in these pages before about the value of the Frankfort Plant Board as a public utility. But, after recently attending a conference hosted by the American Public Power Association, I was inspired to put things in a differe…

Food brings us together and creates the conditions to be healthy and happy. As we give thanks this season, let’s ensure all Kentuckians can put food on the table with the help of one of the best hunger-fighting, poverty-reducing, health-improving tools we have. 

At the end of October, President Donald Trump announced U.S. special operations forces eliminated Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the world’s most wanted terrorist and the vile leader of ISIS. Whatever your politics, every American should express sincere gratitude to the intelligence professionals and…

For the 700,000 Kentuckians who struggle with hunger — including nearly 1 in 5 of Kentucky’s children — receiving protein-rich food from their local food pantry can help them get through a tough patch.

Society cannot incarcerate its way out of the public health crisis that is drug addiction. But in making the possession of drugs a felony rather than a misdemeanor, Kentucky shows a stubborn willingness to continue to try.

They may be little known outside of the Capitol and their subject matter can be dry at times, but the economists collectively known as the Consensus Forecasting Group nonetheless play a major role: They determine how much state government can spend.

By now most of you have read the letters of support or opposition that have been published in The State Journal over the last couple of weeks. By now almost all of you have formed a stance, opinion or thoughts in regards to these topics.

As a legal aid attorney in Eastern Kentucky, I spent a lot more time giving financial advice to people my parents’ age than I did in a courtroom. If you think a millennial giving advice to baby boomers sounds uncomfortable, it is. The conversations often started with unforeseeable medical de…