News from the South - Kentucky News Feed
Kentuckians will pay with their health if lawmakers force cigar bars on smoke-free communities
Kentuckians will pay with their health if lawmakers force cigar bars on smoke-free communities
by Karma Clara Bryan and Ellen Hahn, Kentucky Lantern
February 26, 2025
House Bill 211 would threaten Kentuckians health by requiring local smoke-free ordinances to allow smoking in cigar bars. HB 211 could undo the dramatic public health protections afforded by the 44 strong smoke-free ordinances in Kentucky.
Smoke-free hospitality venues are popular. Tourists like to breathe smoke-free air.
Kentucky has a long history of yielding authority to local municipalities. The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled local governments have the right and the responsibility to protect the public health by regulating smoking inside workplaces and buildings open to the public. Since 2003, 44 communities from Prestonsburg to Paducah have chosen to prohibit indoor smoking, including cigar smoking, equally in all establishments. HB 211 would leave local government powerless to regulate cigar and pipe tobacco smoking in hospitality venues.
Once cigar bars are exempt, there is nothing to stop other bars, hospitality venues or tobacco retailers from becoming cigar bars. In communities that allow indoor cigar smoking, youth and young adults may perceive that it is socially acceptable to use cigars and pipe tobacco, and they may get the false impression that cigars or pipes are safer or a status symbol.
If HB 211 becomes law, Kentuckians will pay more and suffer more from lung cancer, preterm births, emphysema, heart attacks, asthma and youth smoking. The science is clear. Cigar and pipe smoke contain the same toxic chemicals found in cigarette smoke, including those that cause cancer. Strong smoke-free laws save lives and money by lowering smoking and saving health care costs. Smoke-free laws that exempt certain businesses, like cigar bars, do not confer these same benefits.
If a community with a smoke-free law wants to allow smoking in cigar bars, they already have the authority to do so. HB 211 takes away local communities’ ability to choose what’s best for their families and neighbors. It undermines home rule. It makes sense to leave local smoke-free laws up to local officials.
HB 211 would wipe away all the progress we have made in smoke-free protections in the state, plunging us from nearly 40% covered with strong smoke-free protections to 0%.
This commentary also was signed by Lisa Maggio, PhD, RN, Lexington; Karma Clara Bryan, RN, PhD, Lexington; Alison Connell, Rockcastle County; Audrey Darville, PhD, APRN, CPAHA-Tobacco Treatment, Danville; Carol Riker, RN, MSN, Lexington.
They are members of Nurses who Stand Up for Health, made up of nurse practitioners, school nurse leaders, environmental health researchers and health policy experts, representing both political parties.
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.
The post Kentuckians will pay with their health if lawmakers force cigar bars on smoke-free communities appeared first on kentuckylantern.com
News from the South - Kentucky News Feed
Drug Task Force investigates “vape shops,” uncovers over 100lbs of marijuana
SUMMARY: Three Bowling Green, Kentucky businesses—Smoke & Vape, Smoke & Vape Superstore, and Smoke Department—were investigated by the Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force and other law enforcement agencies following complaints about illegal sales to minors. Undercover purchases revealed plant material with THC levels between 18.1% and 29.8%, far above the legal limit of 0.3%. Search warrants led to the seizure of over 116 pounds of marijuana, more than 21,000 pre-rolled marijuana blunts, and a handgun. The investigation’s findings have been submitted to the Commonwealth Attorney for potential grand jury action. The case remains ongoing, with further THC testing underway.
The post Drug Task Force investigates “vape shops,” uncovers over 100lbs of marijuana appeared first on www.wnky.com
News from the South - Kentucky News Feed
Surprise guest shows up as U.S. House Dems slam education cuts: the Education secretary
by Shauneen Miranda, Kentucky Lantern
April 2, 2025
WASHINGTON — A press conference by a dozen U.S. House Democrats outside the U.S. Department of Education took an unusual turn on Wednesday when the subject of their criticism — Education Secretary Linda McMahon — unexpectedly joined them.
The Democrats had met with the Trump administration appointee a few minutes earlier to press her about the sweeping shifts at the U.S. Department of Education, where she and President Donald Trump are seeking to dismantle the agency.
The lawmakers told reporters that at the scheduled meeting, they questioned McMahon on how the department could carry out its primary responsibilities when the agency continues to see dramatic changes. That includes mass layoffs that hit core units and an executive order from Trump calling on the secretary to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure” of the department to the maximum extent she legally can.
Only Congress, which established the 45-year-old department, has the power to abolish it.
The Democrats said they were grateful that McMahon met with them but dissatisfied with and even alarmed by the secretary’s responses, especially on a timeline for closing the agency.
“It’s very apparent that the secretary is treating this as a corporate restructuring, and we want to be clear that the education of our children is not a corporate enterprise — it is how we move this country forward,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico said.
“It’s very clear that the (reduction in force), the firing of probationary staff, the so-called restructuring that’s happening — when we asked for a plan multiple times in this meeting, we were told there is not a plan yet,” she added.
The secretary arrives, and leaves
As the Democrats spoke, McMahon emerged from the building, accompanied by aides, and joined them at their lectern emblazoned with a U.S. House of Representatives logo.
She reiterated that “funding from the United States government will continue through the programs that have already been established” and said she looked forward to continuing to work with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle.
After her remarks, Rep. Mark Takano pressed McMahon on when she would close the department.
“Well, we’ve had our discussions already, so thank you all very, very much for coming,” McMahon replied, proceeding to walk back into the building.
“You see, she’s not answering the question when she’s going to shut down the department,” Takano, of California, said as the secretary walked away.
Barred from building
Wednesday’s meeting came after Takano and other Democratic lawmakers were blocked from entering the building in February while trying to meet with Denise Carter, acting Education secretary at the time, over Trump’s plans to dismantle the agency.
The California Democrat had led dozens of others in writing a letter to Carter and requesting a meeting over those efforts.
A day after Trump signed the executive order surrounding the department, he announced that special education services would be transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services and that the Small Business Administration would be handling the student loan portfolio.
The department has not taken any steps to move either — both of which would require acts of Congress and raise a slew of logistical questions.
U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, a California Democrat, speaks at a press conference outside the U.S. Department of Education headquarters on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland said “the idea of dismembering the department and then parceling it out to other agencies and departments does not give us a lot of confidence or hope in what’s happening.”
The lawmakers said McMahon repeatedly stressed during the meeting that she plans to abide by federal law and would look carefully at what she’s legally allowed to do before moving any functions of the department.
Yet Rep. Greg Casar of Texas said he and the group “became more and more alarmed as the meeting went on,” noting that “current law won by so many Americans in this democracy, is that all kids deserve a decent education, that the money goes to your kid if they’re in need, the money goes to your kid no matter their race or their background or their neighborhood, and they want to change that.”
The lawmakers who met with McMahon included: U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell of Alabama; Takano; Frederica Wilson of Florida; Raskin and Sarah Elfreth of Maryland; Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire; Stansbury; Casar, Julie Johnson and Veronica Escobar of Texas; Don Beyer of Virginia; and Gwen Moore of Wisconsin.
Last updated 4:02 p.m., Apr. 2, 2025
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.
The post Surprise guest shows up as U.S. House Dems slam education cuts: the Education secretary appeared first on kentuckylantern.com
News from the South - Kentucky News Feed
Kentucky braces for severe weather, how emergency management officials are urging you to prepare
SUMMARY: Kentucky is preparing for severe weather this week, including heavy rain and potential flooding. Emergency officials are taking proactive steps, especially in flood-prone areas like Woodford County. Local responders, including the Versailles fire department, are equipped with new tools, such as a rescue boat, to assist in emergencies. State officials are coordinating with the National Guard and swiftwater rescue teams to ensure readiness. With the forecasted rainfall, flooding could close roads, and officials urge residents to heed the “turn around, don’t drown” warning. They emphasize having evacuation plans and staying updated on weather alerts.

Kentucky is bracing for several rounds of heavy rain and severe weather this week. Emergency management officials across the state are preparing now to protect residents from the worst of what’s to come.
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