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Political BLOG |
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Joe Arnold
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April 2009 ArchivesHere's the statement: "I have formed an exploratory committee to allow me to formally raise and spend funds as I seek support for a bid for U.S. Senate. I have no plans to run against Senator Bunning. This exploratory committee will allow me to travel the Commonwealth, meet with potential supporters and lay the foundation for a campaign." My take: Congressman John Yarmuth has introduced a bill aimed at abolishing the tax on small dollar bettors who win big money at a horse track. Here's the release from Yarmuth's office: ...Bill Nighbert and Leonard Lawson may get stuck defending themselves in two different trials. A federal judge has split the criminal charges against them in half. Here's the story from the AP: ...Governor Beshear's job approval rating dropped slightly this month though the decline was well within the poll's margin of error. 47% of Kentuckians polled approved of the job Beshear is doing while 41% disapprove. Beshear is strongest in the central part of the state, weakest in eastern and western Kentucky. Kentuckians who are divorce... State senator Gary Tapp has confirmed rumors that were circulating at the end of the 2009 session: he won't be running for reelection. The republican tells the Shelbyville newspaper that he's endorsing Shelby County farmer and tobacco advocate Paul Hornback for the seat he's vacating. ...The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has pulled the certification for one group to pick up trash along state roads. A cabinet spokesman says they didn't know the group supported discriminatory policies, an accusation the group's leader denies. Here's the story from the AP: ...President Obama's job approval rating is continuing a downhill slide in Kentucky. Obama's job approval rating is 52% with 41% disapproval according to this month's WHAS11/Survey USA poll. The poll has one anomaly that I can't explain: 18% of those polled in Western Kentucky don't have an opinion on Obama's job performance. ...Joe Gerth has another column about the sorry state of Sen. Jim Bunning's fundraising, for his campaign and for his PAC. I still think Bunning will stay in the race. I won't be around to eat my words if he doesn't. ...Three workers have been hurt when a section of concrete collapsed at the Louisville Arena construction site. ...Thousands of Indiana union workers packed the halls of the capitol today, protesting a bill designed to plug the hole in Indiana's unemployment insurance fund. Indiana has already borrowed more than $700 million from the federal government to keep paying its unemployment claims. To cover the deficit, the republican controlled Indiana Senate has passed a bill that wo... I never could understand politicians who refused to be on Joe Elliott's radio show. I thought he always asked tough, fair questions. I didn't get the tough guy treatment, but Joe did interview me for his new web page, JoeElliottRadio.com. I talk about the big stories I've covered, Kentucky politics and why I think U of L decided to hire me away from the news business. Joe will air some excerpts... Gov. Beshear has named a task force to come up with ways to help released prison inmates move back into the community. Most of Kentucky is on the task force. It has 51 members. Here's the release from the Governor's office: ...
A Washington-based political newspaper says Sen. Jim Bunning's senate colleagues rate him the most partisan senator. And they don't like him very much either. Meanwhile another Washington insider is saying the 2010 senate race is >> Continue reading: Bunning Is Most Partisan, Colleagues Don't Like Him According To The Hill
The former deputy director of Louisville Metro Corrections was hired by the state, even as five of the six personnel complaints filed against him by Metro Corrections employees were still pending in Louisville. All of those complaints have now been found to be unsubstantiated but one of the complainants, Capt. Dawn Thompson is now suing Sidebottom and Metro government. Meanwhile, state officials are defending their hiring of Sidebottom who ... The C-J is reporting that a state mine inspector falsified reports, was caught, then was allowed to resign instead of being fired. ...Kentucky is receiving $117 million in tobacco settlement money this year. Here's the release from the A.G.'s office: ...One Kentucky Retirement System trustee is raising big questions about the KRS' handling of a land deal in Frankfort. The State Journal has the story: ...Governor Beshear didn't accept too many big money gifts last year, according to his financial disclosure statement. The largest value of any of the gifts Beshear received was probably a membership to Frankfort Country Club which all governors traditionally receive. ...It looks like the Beshear administration is trying to clean up a mess of its own making in the Transportation Cabinet. And Tom Loftus' stories in the C-J might get republicans hollering for Kentucky's Attorney General to take a look at possible merit hiring violations, ala the Fletcher investigation. ...U.S. Senator Jim Bunning told the Louisville Rotary Club today that he's tired of dealing with reporters and doesn't like it. Then he proved his point by refusing to answer any questions from reporters after his speech, briskly walking out of a room, to an elevator and leaving his wife, Mary, to play catch up. When asked why he would answer questions about his first quarter campaign con... U.S. Senator Jim Bunning raised more than $250,000 during the first quarter of this year, less than democrat Daniel Mongiardo but perhaps more than fellow republicans though Bunning might raise for his struggling reelection bid. Still, a little more than a quarter million raised in a quarter by a sitting Senator can't be seen as a good sign ... Governor Beshear is transferring $2 million out of a compensation fund to keep the Department of Public Advocacy running through June 30th. Kentucky's public defenders claimed they would quit representing new clients by the end of the fiscal year because their agency would run out of money and couldn't pay them. Here's the release from the Governor's office: ...Rep. Steve Rudy was involved in a traffic accident that critically injured a little girl. Here's the story from the Paducah Sun: ...Hundreds of Kentuckians joined other anti-tax protestors from across the country at rallies across the Commonwealth today. ...A consortium of U.S. companies want to build a $600 million dollar plant and headquarters in Hardin County. The group wants to build lithium ion batteries for hybrid and electric cars. Governor Beshear says it could be as important to Kentucky's future economy as Toyota's announcement in 1986 that it was building a new car plant in Kentucky. But first, the batter making group has to get federal funding for the project. Here's >> Continue reading: Battery Makers May Build Plant In Hardin County We'll have video tonight from Jack Conway's rally at the Ali Center today. Here's Daniel Mongiardo's response to Conway's entry into the U.S. Senate race: ...Jack Conway allegedly has a rally planned for this afternoon at the Ali Center in Louisville. C-J political writer Joe Gerth knows something about it and mentions the rally, along with his thoughts on Conway's Louisville roots being a potential hindrance to his candidacy, in his column today. ...Former C-J political reporter Al Cross chimes in with his analysis of the Conway vs. Mongiardo democratic party matchup in the U.S. Senate race. My two cents: It's gonna be close. Mongiardo is a better retail campaigner but Conway is more disciplined. Conway will get more "establishment" money but Mongiardo might be able to use it against him and paint Con... It looks like the University of Kentucky may be forced to slash employees and make major cuts next fiscal year as the school faces a potential $10 million shortfall. ...A.D. Albright, a former president of Northern Kentucky University, has died. ...State revenues were flat and didn't drop in March, compared to March 2008. That's actually good news. But state budget folks aren't jumping up and down in the hallways of the State Capitol. ...House Speaker Greg Stumbo has jumped in on the side of Jack Conway in the democratic race for U.S. Senate. A little interesting because Daniel Mongiardo and Stumbo are both "mountain men" and one might think Stumbo would be interested in electing a U.S. Senator ... Longtime former state senator David Karem of Louisville is the newest member of the Kentucky Board of Education. Gov. Beshear has appointed Karem to the seat being vacated by Steve Neal, who was not confirmed by the state senate. Karem is a good choice. He won't be afraid to speak his mind and he won't defend the parts of Kentucky's education system that aren't working. Here's the release from Beshear's office: ...I got an e-mail from Democratic strategist James Carville today, asking me to help retire Hillary Clinton's campaign debt. The campaign is offering "prizes" to three people who make contributions now. Maybe I'll send in $5 to see if I can win the lunch with Carville or the day with Bill Clinton!!!!! Seriously, here's the e-mail: ...Jack Conway has decided to be a modern man and announce his candidacy for U.S. Senate via e-mail. Conway's e-mail provides links to a campaign web site. This is no surprise and I assume Conway will have some sort of news conference at some time. Conway's announcement will put to an end all that crazy talk about Crit Luallen or Ben Chandler running for Senate. Here's the e-mail: ...There's more stimulus money on its way to Kentucky, this time in the form of cash for health initiatives. Here's the release from the Obama folks: ...The FEC has dismissed a complaint filed by the Republican Party of Kentucky against Bruce Lunsford's U.S. Senate campaign. PageOneKentucky has the story. ...Three small Kentucky airports will see a windfall from federal taxpayers. The H-L has the story. ...For those of you who haven't heard, I'm leaving WHAS-TV for a job at the University of Louisville. My first day at U of L is Monday, May 4th. I hate to leave WHAS-TV and covering politics but I'm extremely excited about the opportunity to work for Jim Ramsey, a guy who's been a terrific President at U of L. I'll write more of my thoughts and thank you's later. Thanks. Mark. ...The annual Knob Creek Gun Show was held over the weekend in Bullitt County. Some folks purporting to be national media types were there. Go to this site and see what you think. ...Not really. But the Louisville congressman has included a bottle of bourbon in his friendly wager with a Connecticut congressman. Rep. Yarmuth is betting on the U of L women winning tonight's NCAA championship basketball game against the University of Connecticut. Go Cards! But I'm afraid their chances of winning are about as great as the Michigan State men's team last night. ...The chairwoman of Kentucky's Parole Board says a spike in the number of parolees is due to the availability of a drug treatment program for outgoing inmates as well as a new study which says the length of prison sentences is no predictor of whether a convict will commit another crime. Kentucky's monthly parole rate is usually around 45%. But it jumped to 69% in February and dropped a little in March, to 58%. >> Continue reading: Parole Rate Jumps To 69% In February The University of Louisville women's basketball team will play Connecticut for the NCAA national championship tomorrow night. The Lady Cards are still playing off the anger induced by the crack sniffing selection committee members making U of L a number three seed. Meanwhile, Gov. Beshear is betting Connecticut's governor on the outcome of the championship game. ...Dr. Dan says he's raised more than $400,000 for his U.S. Senate campaign. Here's the release from the Mongiardo camp: ...
When Gov. Beshear endorsed Daniel Mongiardo's U.S. Senate bid, he did so using the state government e-mail system and official state government letterhead. That appears to be walking up to, or crossing, the line of an ethics violation. Here's what Public Radio's Tony McVeigh got out of the Beshear camp. ...Former Kentucky first lady Judi Patton is recovering well after triple bypass heart surgery, according to her husband, former governor Paul Patton. ...Makers Mark CEO Bill Samuels is hosting a Louisville fundraiser for Jim Bunning this month. Three republican state senators are listed as sponsors of the event according to a post on Kypolitics. ...McCracken County disaster officials didn't break any laws with some of their strange spending during the January ice storm according to the State Auditor. ...Looks like the only thing that happened while I was on vacation was UK hired a new basketball coach. The giant pile of branches covering the entire length of my front yard still hasn't been picked up by Metro government or its new contractors. Jack Conway still hasn't announced for Senate and, from what I read in the newspapers, Jim Bunning still doesn't have much campaign cash. ... |
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WHAS11.com Political Blog
WHAS11 Reporters blog the latest political news from the campaign trail and beyond. 
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