Last week, the Frankfort Plant Board vote unanimously to award a nearly $7.1 million contract to a Lawrenceburg firm to build a replacement water reservoir in the Tanglewood neighborhood — a project that was once a point of contention and expensive litigation between FPB, the city and the ne…

Wednesday was “a good day for democracy,” according to Gov. Andy Beshear, who signed a measure to expand early voting in the state in a rare collaboration between the Democratic governor, the bill’s GOP sponsors in the legislature and Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams. We couldn’t …

Hoping to draw attention to and put a positive spin on a hot-button topic, every April the Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky volunteers, advocates and elected officials have placed 2,700 pinwheels — each representing 20 children born in the commonwealth every year — in a grassy area along the ste…

We commend the Frankfort Plant Board’s decision to hire an outside consultant to assess a proposal for a 150-acre, 20 megawatt (MW) solar facility, which would be funded by a private developer at no cost to the local government entities — City of Frankfort, Franklin County Fiscal Court, Fran…

It is no secret that the thousands of colorful tulips that emerge from the flowerbeds leading up to the Capitol make a beautiful backdrop for spring photos. And yet it happens every year: Someone gets the bright idea that they can get a better shot if their subjects stand in the middle of th…

Unlike postseason basketball games where the outcome is decided in the span of two hours, the 15 members of the Bondurant Middle School academic team had to wait a little more than a week to find out the final results of the Kentucky Association for Academic Competition (KAAC) Governor’s Cup…

It’s officially spring in Kentucky. The weather is warming, daffodils are in bloom and, as certain as the seasons turn, the Franklin County girls basketball team is once again 41st District champions — for the eighth consecutive year.

With limited in-person access to state lawmakers and large rallies out of the picture due to the coronavirus pandemic, activists and lobbyists have had to get imaginative to attract elected officials’ attention to their causes during this year’s legislative session.

For the past year The State Journal has worked with the Franklin County Health Department on a daily basis in order to give our readers the most up-to-date coronavirus statistics and the latest information.

March Madness is upon us, and while the University of Kentucky likely won't be in the field for the first time since 2013, the NCAA Tournament is shaping up to be a fun one. Louisville, despite an early exit from the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, looks to be a safe choice for an at-l…

When the Kentucky River swelled past its banks and spilled over Blanton’s Landing last week some residents in the community questioned the practicality of the riverfront development that would create entertainment and recreational opportunities for visitors and locals alike.

Though there has been more attention paid this week to the rising Kentucky River running beneath it, the Broadway Bridge — more pointedly, the decision on whether to rehabilitate it, replace it or let the state remove it — has been a hot button topic in the capital city lately.

In one of the best known speeches in American history, at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, President Abraham Lincoln said "that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that gov…

Each year, we branch out from our normal community news coverage to tackle a larger undertaking — weaving together the stories of the people, businesses and organizations that comprise the fabric of our everyday lives in Franklin County.

From the rugged outdoors to the hardwood and the classroom, if you haven’t been paying attention you may have missed the amazing feats three female high school seniors have accomplished in the past few weeks.

Gov. Andy Beshear’s announcement Thursday that Frankfort will be the home of a new regional state COVID-19 vaccination center will be a game-changer in the local fight against the virus, which has claimed the lives of 40 Franklin Countians.

For the second time in less than a year, the Frankfort City Commission on Monday took a vote to remove its city manager. Unlike the last go-around in August when leaders opted to fire then-City Manager Keith Parker “without cause,” interim City Manager Tom Russell will stay in his post a lit…

Last week newcomer Sen. Adrienne Southworth, R-Lawrenceburg — the first Republican to hold the Senate District 7 seat, which includes Franklin County — filed a bill that would prohibit face mask requirements during a state of emergency across Kentucky.

Just days after the legislature overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of bills that will limit his ability to order COVID-19-related restrictions via executive powers, Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd issued a restraining order to temporarily block one of the new laws, saying it “could cr…

When the city purchased the former Pic-Pac building from Frankfort businessman and Rebecca Ruth Candy owner Charles Booe late last year, it did so without specifying a permanent use for the prime real estate on soon-to-be-revitalized West Second Street.

If and when the much-talked-about riverfront development at Blanton’s Landing comes to fruition, we believe it could be a gamechanger for downtown Frankfort because the Kentucky River continues to be an untapped resource snaking through the center of the city — serving as a constant reminder…

With the coronavirus continuing to rage in communities across the country — including Franklin County — it may seem that 2021 is already shaping up to be a continuation of last year. But it doesn’t have to be.

If opponents of water fluoridation have their way, state lawmakers could weaken regulations for adding the chemical to the water supply, creating a trickle down effect for tap water users in Franklin County.

Following yet another motor vehicle accident on KY 151 (Graefenburg Road) last week, perhaps now is the time for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to review the posted speed limit on the thoroughfare that many motorists use to bypass U.S. 127.

Just days after Franklin County High School head football coach and teacher Eddie James announced he was leaving the Flyers program and was introduced as the new coach at Class 5A Highlands High School in Fort Thomas, the coach had a change of heart.

If the House of Representatives has its way, civil lawsuits involving state government will no longer be heard in Franklin Circuit Court.

We are all for peaceful protests and citizens making their voices heard. However, what happened at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday and during a May 24 Patriot Day/Second Amendment Rally at the Kentucky Capitol were anything but.

Does Frankfort need or want a large sports and activity center at Lakeview Park? That is the question a panel of local leaders is hoping to answer after the Franklin County Fiscal Court recently approved a request for proposals for a feasibility study or master plan for the 132-acre park.

A cynic might argue that anything would top 2020, but count us as bullish about 2021 in our community, state and nation.

We’d be remiss to close the books on 2020 without extending heartfelt appreciation to you — our readers and advertisers — for your loyalty and support during a year that was as challenging to our business as any in more than a century of continuous publication.

The good news about a curiously aggressive and ill-timed decision to curtail the powers of Frankfort’s city manager is that it can be reversed by the incoming city commission as fast as the outgoing commission enacted it.

Virginia O’Hanlon, 8, wrote a letter to the editor of New York’s Sun, and the response was printed as an unsigned editorial on Sept. 21, 1897. Its message especially rings true as we close out 2020.

Following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine late last week, the first shipment of the freezer-packed vials arrived in Louisville on Sunday and state health care workers and nursing home residents were among the first to receive it on Monday.

This week’s announcement that Save a Lot on the west side will close its automatic doors for good next month came as a surprise to many grocery buyers and will further widen the South Frankfort food desert that was created with Pic-Pac’s closure 16 months ago.

The incoming Frankfort City Commission will get to decide the best use for the former Pic-Pac building, which has sat vacant for more than a year, after outgoing city leaders voted unanimously to purchase the property during a special meeting Thursday. But we believe the decision to buy the …

After twice being on the losing end of three games decided by a total of 11 points over the past two seasons, Franklin County’s 42-6 win at Central to claim the Class 4A District 4 title last Friday may have stunned many across the state, but it was no surprise to the Flyers or the Frankfort…

Last week U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove ruled that the governor’s executive order halting in-person classes until the beginning of January at both public and private schools across the state infringes on church-affilliated institutions’ constitutional rights. The judge agreed wit…

We will be cheering on the 6-1 Franklin County High School football team Friday night as it seeks revenge against undefeated Central — the only team to beat the Flyers in the past two seasons — in the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs.

Thanksgiving, like most every other holiday in 2020, will be different this year as health officials and elected leaders encourage local residents to avoid traveling and gathering with anyone outside your immediate household to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. And while we shouldn…

Many will complain that Gov. Andy Beshear’s executive order placing new restrictions on in-person gatherings, restaurants, schools and event venues in the midst of the holiday season is unfair. But we firmly believe the governor is taking the steps necessary to slow an overwhelming increase …

We are coming off a presidential election that saw the most votes ever cast for both of the candidates. But the ballot box isn’t the only place citizens can make their opinions known, as proven last week by more than a dozen Frankfort residents who spoke out against the possibility that a to…

To say it has been a difficult week in Frankfort is an understatement. From anxiously waiting for days to receive the official results of the Nov. 3 general election to an unprecedented surge in local coronavirus cases and a fatal stabbing in broad daylight across from the police station dow…

President Donald Trump may have lost his reelection bid for a second term in the White House, but he won in Franklin County by less than a percentage point — the slimmest margin in the state.

There are still ballots from Tuesday’s general election that have yet to be returned and counted. But regardless of the official outcome, it’s safe to say Franklin County’s voters and candidates have much to be proud of.

On Oct. 22 Franklin County Schools Superintendent Mark Kopp made the determination to restart in-person instruction in the district’s 18 schools for the first time since March. However, after an escalation in local coronavirus cases last week, it was decided that the district’s students will…

Over the years we have continually used this space to preach the importance of supporting our area’s small businesses. Yet on the cusp of this year’s holiday shopping season, which falls in the midst of a global health pandemic, patronizing locally owned shops and restaurants is more crucial…

Though most of its members aren’t old enough to vote and won’t be for several years, a youth-led organization advocating for climate justice will let its opinions be known at a silent demonstration outside of the Franklin County Election Headquarters on Wednesday.

Like many Americans, it seems Kentuckians have a preferred way to vote based on their political party affiliation. State Democrats are outpacing their GOP brethren in the number of absentee ballots cast, and Republicans are leading Dems in in-person early voting.

As a whole the United States may be a racially diverse country, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there is evidence of “the melting pot” everywhere.