 |
 |
|
|
Political BLOG |
|
Joe Arnold
|
June 2009 Archives
It goes into the category of it's a shock but not a surprise. In the wake of the defeat of the slots at racetracks bill, long time Churchill Downs based trainer Dale Romans tells me he will move half of his training and racing operation (about 150 horses) to New York.
The school sweetened slots bill was killed in Senate committee Monday. With expanded gaming a major plank in Governor Steve Beshear's campaign platform, is the defeat of the bill a defeat for him politically? In a statement, Beshear says, "It is too early to determine what steps we will take in the future to try to protect our signature business." Yet, certainly Beshear has to have a Plan B, as David Williams had warned of the bill's fate w...
After a one hour walk through of the Louisville Arena construction site, Mayor Jerry Abramson joked that the still unnamed arena should simply be called "Host Arena," after Arena Authority Chairman Jim Host. Abramson added that Host would have to buck up $30 million to $40 million. For his part, Host said that he would have an update on th... As WHAS11 reported last week, a bill pending in the Canadien House of Commons would ban flavored tobacco. Though the ban was intended to address candy flavored cigars, it would also ban Kentucky burley tobacco because of the additives used in the manufacturing process. The legislation C-32 passed out of committee Tuesday and is headed for "3rd reading" in the Canadien House of Commons, which means that it could pass the full House of ...
Interesting sidenote in CNHI News Service Ronnie Ellis' coverage of the special session, that Speaker Greg Stumbo advised Gov. Steve Beshear to include Senate President David Williams' alternative lottery proceeds proposal on the call. But, as Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark had suggested on WHAS11 last month, the General Assembly will inste...
Fresh off a one day trip to Guantanamo Bay detention camp, freshman KY Congressman Brett Guthrie says without question "it should remain open." Here's the release from his office: ...
In the long, labored effort to build new bridges from Kentucky to Indiana, act... The Metro Council is now two weeks away from a budget vote for the next fiscal year. On Francene Cucinello's radio program on 84WHAS Tuesday, AG Jack Conway says his legal opinion on the constitutionality of the video lottery terminal legislation to be taken up in the special session is "four to five days away." Conway says because slots opponents have already stated they are going to challenge the constitutionality of the bill, he needs to anticipate how a court would rule and do the necessary case law research now. >> Continue reading: Conway opinion on VLT's 4-5 days away Attorney General Jack Conway secured more endorsements Monday for his U.S. Senate bid in 2010, mainly from his home county. UFCW Local 227, Teamsters Local 89, Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA), UFCW IN-KY State Council, UFCW Distillery Workers Council, UFCW Chemical Workers Council and Teamsters Joint Council 94 released a joint statement today. ...The Kentucky Equine Education Project hopes the hottest hand in racing will help convince legislators to bring one-armed bandits to Kentucky racetracks. 2009 Derby and Preakness winner Calvin Borel can be heard on radio ads touting video lottery terminals at tracks. "I moved to Kentucky 12 years ago to be in the middle of the horse capital of the world," said Borel, "and now all I see are horses, trainers and jobs leaving to go to oth...
Senate President David Williams made a powerful argument against the >> Continue reading: Williams: Slots will help racetracks, not racing
Here's what I can gather so far. Because I anchor the newscasts on Saturday and Sunday, my "weekends" are currently Wednesday and Thursday, which means I update the blog between episodes of Go Diego Go or trips to the zoo and late at night. That said, here are the releases I've received in the e-mail inbox. Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) We appreciate the Governor's comments today and the fac... Just as Louisville Representative Larry Clark told me weeks ago, Steve Beshear has called for a special session to begin June 15 to deal with the state's budget shortfall, which the governor believes is close to $1 billion, and Republican Senate President David Williams thinks is closer to $150 million. But, expanded gambling is not ...
A cursory review of the list of eliminated positions in Mayor Jerry Abramson's budget shows the breadth of the 119 layoffs and 400+ vacant positions that will remain unfilled in the plan. Layoffs range from a $73,500 per year Assistant Director of Neighborhoods to $11,000 per year part-time zoo workers. >> Continue reading: Metro document reveals eliminated positions in Mayor's budget
Stephanie Steitzer of the Courier-Journal has a great update on the impending special session decision by Governor Steve Beshear. Steitze... I've obtained a memo written by Metro Council Budget Committee Chair Jim King to Mayor Jerry Abramson detailing the results of a survey of the Metro Council to determine possible cuts. It was sent May 13, but if more cuts are necessary these departments should be nervous... ...
While Kentucky is certainly not alone among the U.S. states struggling with budget deficits, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels did not single out Kentucky when comparing Indiana's relatively good position to Hoosier neighbors to the North and West. "We have over a billion dollars in reserves, and a AAA credit rating. Everywhere else, any reserves are long gone. They are slashing education by as much as 10 to 15 percent; they're releasing... The Cincinnati Enquirer's Pat Crowley reports that three Northern Kentucky GOP senators want Governor Steve Beshear to reconsider calling a special session. They "question Beshear's numbers and say support for an issue expected to be included on the special session agenda - allowing horse tracks to operate casinos - is...
Over the past four years, 23 aides to House and Senate leaders have racked up nearly $300,000 in overtime payments, records obtained by the Lexington Herald-Leader show. The Herald-Leader's Beth Musgrave reports. ...
It's a poll commissioned with an agenda, but that does not diminish the results of a new Zogby poll which shows "Obama Voters at Odds with President on Environment, Stimulus, and Bailout for Minority-owned Radio Stations." Republicans are counting on an American disconnect with President Obama's positions in 2010. Click below for the poll results. ...The White House has announced Judge Sonia Sotomayor's meetings on Capitol Hill for Tuesday, including with Mitch McConnell: Majority Leader Reid The Dan Mongiardo campaign has taken liberty with my blog entry on Attorney General Jack Conway's brief verbal slip at a weekend fundraiser. Conway quickly corrected himself after saying he was glad to be back "in North Carolina." But, the Mongiardo campaign incorrectly cites my blog if it suggests I reported that "Conway was confused which state he was in." For the record, I think Conway knew he was in Kentucky. ...
CNN's State of the Union with John King featured Kentucky's senior senator on Sunday morning. On the time needed to review Sotomayor's record: MCCONNELL: Here we have a judge with 3,600 cases, 3,600 cases, as the presiden...
With both Kentucky and Indiana facing billion dollar budget shortfalls, legislators who once were eager to have a seat at the negotiating table appear to be more than ready to let the governors figure their own way out of the red ink. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels will address the Hoosier shortfall at 6pm on Monday. The conjecture i... As Kentucky lawmakers prepare for a June 15 special session to address the state's estimated $1 billion budget shortfall, the Associated Press' Joe Biesk is reporting on how Kentucky's problems resemble many other states'. "As of April, 42 states and Puerto Rico were facing a combined budget deficit in fiscal year 2010 of more than $121 billion, accord... |
|
|
WHAS11.com Political Blog
WHAS11 Reporters blog the latest political news from the campaign trail and beyond. 
|
|
Rep.. Carl Rollins (D- KY 56)
