SUMMARY: The Mint Julep, an iconic Kentucky Derby cocktail since 1938, combines bourbon, simple syrup, crushed ice, and mint sprigs. Delish Magazine highlights its simplicity as the key to its appeal, even for those unfamiliar with the Derby. The drink’s minty flavor may surprise first-timers, but it’s a delightful experience. Delish also lists the best bourbons for making Mint Juleps. The event’s excitement is palpable, with celebrities and Derby parties filling the air. The host shares excitement about introducing her mother to the Derby fun and ensuring she enjoys a Mint Julep at the celebration.

Making a mint julep with Delish magazine

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by Sarah Ladd, Kentucky Lantern
May 5, 2025

Before Reda Harrison was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she worked 10-hour days as a surgery coordinator in Lexington. 

Always “an organized person,” Harrison “knew something was wrong” when, in 2018, she started feeling confused and lost at work. 

Waking at 5 a.m. for work, the Nicholasville woman, 65, said she eventually “made an index card to tell me every step I had to take every morning: brush my teeth, floss…put your makeup on. I had to write it all out, because I would just stand in front of the mirror not knowing what to do.” 

Harrison is one of the more than 80,000 Kentuckians aged 65 and older living with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis as reported in the 2025 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report, released by the Alzheimer’s Association last week. 

Her husband, Joe, is one of the 160,000 Kentucky residents that the new report says provide unpaid care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. 

Alzheimer’s disease, which falls under the umbrella of dementia, is characterized by memory loss and is incurable, though treatments exist. 

One of those treatments underwent clinical trials at the University of Kentucky, Lecanemab (brand name Leqembi). This is an antibody that targets — and in some cases, removes — amyloid plaques from the brain, and has shown some success in slowing cognitive decline. Amyloid plaques are proteins that formin the brain and are believed to be a significant driver of Alzheimer’s. Lecanemab was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2023. 

Referring to lecanemab, Mackenzie Wallace, the director of public policy at the Alzheimer’s Association in Kentucky, told the Lantern that this “is an exciting time” for treating the disease. 

In March, Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, announced Kentucky invested $300,000 into space research that will allow the Louisville nonprofit National Stem Cell Foundation to continue researching the way brain cells behave in microgravity in the hopes of finding better treatments — and cures — for Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s. 

The money — which was allocated in the 2024 legislative session’s Senate Bill 1 — is a 10% match for a $3.1 million NASA grant. 

Scientists hope that research can result in a cure. Meanwhile, this is “the first time in more than 20 years that we actually have a treatment now that is effective at slowing the progression of the disease, and it’s also the first treatment that actually addresses the underlying biology of the disease,” Wallace said of lecanemab. 

It’s key to start Lecanemab in the early stages of the disease, making it unsurprising that Tuesday’s report showed most — 79% of Americans surveyed — want to know if they have Alzheimer’s early. 

“I think Americans want to know now that it’s becoming less of a taboo or less of a stigma to talk about brain health, and Americans want to know about it, and they want to talk about it,” Wallace said. 

By the numbers: what does the new report show?  

Shannon White, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Greater Kentucky and Southern Indiana chapter, called the Tuesday report’s findings “profound.” 

“Now more than ever, we need to work to advance disease research and treatments that can slow the current trajectory and help all Kentucky families affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementia,” White said in a statement. 

The 2025 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report shows, among other things, a serious need for more geriatricians and more personal aides to care for the 80,500 senior Kentuckians who live with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. 

There were 48 providers with geriatric certificates in Kentucky in 2021, according to the Facts and Figures report. It estimates Kentucky will need 393 by 2050 to care for all Kentuckians 65 and older and at least 144 geriatricians to care only for those with Alzheimer’s or dementia. 

“To meet the increased need and the demand by 2050 we’re going to need a 200% increase in geriatricians,” Wallace said. “And that’s just … almost unfathomable.” 

The number of diagnoses are expected to increase as the Baby Boomer generation continues to age. It’s also worth noting, Wallace said, that not everyone who has Alzheimer’s has a diagnosis. 

“We know that, still, early detection and diagnosis is a challenge. Even disclosure of diagnosis is still a problem, stigma, denial, etcetera — all of those still impact or affect the ability or desire of people to be able to get a diagnosis. And so the fact that we’re already at 7.2 million people with a diagnosis (nationally) definitely makes you wonder like, wow, how much would that number increase if we kind of thought or were able to measure the people that are at risk, or that have mild cognitive impairment but have not yet been diagnosed?” Wallace said. “I think that’s pretty shocking.” 

The report also showed: 

There are 80,500 Kentucky residents aged 65 and older living with Alzheimer’s. 10% of adults 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s. In 2022, 1,509 Kentuckians died from Alzheimer’s. In 2024, there were 160,000 Kentucky residents serving as unpaid family caregivers. Those Kentuckians provided 307 million hours of unpaid care worth $4.9 billion. 

Among other policies Wallace wants Kentucky to implement, she’d like to see an incentive program for caregivers, similar to the Credit for Caring Act that was introduced in Congress in 2024 that would give eligible caregivers a $5,000 tax credit. 

“The cost of this disease is really just staggering,” Wallace said. When it comes to unpaid caregivers, she said, “these are family members, friends, neighbors, loved ones, that are trying to provide care for individuals, for their loved ones.” 

If those Kentuckians who are receiving unpaid care were to have to live in nursing homes, Wallace said, “that’s at a great cost to the state” and it’s not as good for the patients. 

Meanwhile, Wallace said, unpaid caregivers carry an “all consuming” responsibility. 

“If caregivers are out here providing care to their loved one in the home, what does that mean for their own financial well being? Are they dipping into their own retirement funds and savings? Are they having to leave the workforce entirely to provide more care? Are they having to drop down to part time?” Wallace said. “It’s a huge economic toll on caregivers financially, and then on the other side of the coin, it’s a massive toll on our caregivers for their own well being.” 

‘You can’t see Alzheimer’s.’ 

It took Reda Harrison two years to “wrap my arms around” her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. She credits her Christian faith with helping her learn to cope with it and, ultimately, share her story with others. 

Harrison, who no longer works, attends a support group in Louisville, founded one in Lexington and volunteers with the Alzheimer’s Association. 

“Everybody’s case is different. It affects you differently. For me, it was more confusion,” Harrison said. “Since I left work, what I’ve noticed is my short term memory is really bad. I can do something and, a minute later, I can’t remember if I did it or not.” 

In addition to attending support groups and volunteering, Harrison fills her time with “anything I can to improve my brain.” She takes piano lessons, studies Spanish on Duolingo, a language learning app, practices yoga, quilts and does beadwork. 

Her service dog, Dolly Parton — named after the musician and philanthropist because of the poodle’s “poofy hair” — helps her cope with the depression that comes with her diagnosis. Dolly Parton, the dog, can also help direct her home if she goes for a walk and gets turned around. 

“She has really been a lifesaver for me,” Harrison said. “The way she helps me, mostly, is emotional. If I’m having a tough day, she just knows. She’s very comforting, because with this disease, you have a tendency to get depressed. And she helps me.” 

Poodle Dolly Parton runs all Harrison’s errands with her as well and loves to be in the car. 

“She’s just my companion,” Harrison said. “She keeps me independent.” 

Harrison, who is taking Leqembi infusions now, isn’t sure what the future holds for her, or how her Alzheimer’s will progress. 

“People decline so differently. Some of the ones that I used to have conversations with can’t even talk anymore. But for me, I really haven’t declined that much. I think it’s just my relationship with God, but I don’t know — there’s no science behind that,” she said. “I’m happy. I have learned to embrace my disease and I don’t run from it. You can’t run from it. You can’t hide from it.” 

She wants more people to research Alzheimer’s and educate themselves on it, she said. She believes that’s the key to defeating societal stigma around it. 

“People say, ‘Oh, you don’t look like you have Alzheimer’s. You look normal,’” Harrison said. “They don’t know what Alzheimer is. You can’t see Alzheimer’s until you’re far into it.” 

Since her diagnosis, she’s lost friends who just felt too uncomfortable with the disease to be around her, she said, saying it felt like “leprosy in the Bible times.” That hurts, and she wants to change negative perceptions of the disease. 

“I am still Reda. I am the same person I’ve always been. I’m probably a nicer person now, more caring,” she said. “We still want to be treated for who we are.” 

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 Report shows effects of Alzheimer’s in KY, the disease ‘you can’t see’  appeared first on kentuckylantern.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The article presents a neutral and factual account of Reda Harrison’s personal experience with Alzheimer’s disease, highlighting her struggles, treatment options, and advocacy efforts. It also discusses the broader implications of Alzheimer’s care in Kentucky. The reporting is focused on the human impact of the disease and the need for better care and support, without promoting any ideological stance. While it does mention the state’s investment in research and calls for more support for caregivers, it refrains from showing a clear political bias, maintaining an informative and empathetic tone throughout the piece.

by Kevin Hardy, Kentucky Lantern
May 5, 2025

Missouri Republicans may take their tax-cutting efforts to new heights this year as lawmakers consider exempting profits from the sale of stocks, bonds and real estate from state income taxes.

Part of a broader push to eliminate the state income tax altogether, legislation making its way through the Capitol would provide an unprecedented benefit to the wealthy by excluding capital gains, the long-term earnings from the sale of assets. If approved, tax experts say, the legislation would mark the first time a state with an income tax has eliminated capital gains tax.

The Republican sponsors say the move would make the state more attractive for businesses and families.

“This bill is intended to energize Missouri’s economy,” Republican Speaker Pro Tem Chad Perkins said upon introducing the measure.

But state Democrats — and even some of their GOP colleagues — have criticized the measure as being overly favorable to the wealthy. Most states’ tax systems already put a higher tax burden on lower-income households. That trend only accelerated in this year’s legislative sessions, worrying advocates who want to see the rich pay a larger share.

“It is so egregious in just how grossly concentrated the benefits of the [Missouri] proposal would go to the richest people in the state and shift the state’s tax system to really privilege the owners of wealth over people who are earning a regular paycheck,” said David Cooper, an analyst at the left-leaning think tank Economic Policy Institute.

The institute advocates for progressive state taxes — those that put the proportionately largest tax burdens on the highest earners. While Cooper advises against eliminating state income taxes, he said the Missouri move would be more harmful than eliminating the income tax outright.

“If you’re wiping away the income tax altogether, there’s at least some tax benefit going to lower-earning folks who are still paying income taxes,” he said. “If you’re just eliminating capital gains income taxes, you are just giving away money to the wealthiest people in the state, period.”

Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects at the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation, noted that states still prioritize progressive spending through social service programs aiding the most vulnerable residents.

He said states compete against each other for business and residents in much more immediate ways than the federal government competes against other nations.

“So states are very focused on the competitive advantages associated with a pro-growth tax regime,” he said, “and that has led to less of an emphasis in many states on achieving progressivity through the tax code.”

‘Generational change’ to taxes

While several states have enacted high-profile tax cuts this year, the momentum is actually slowing, Walczak said.

With booming economies and an influx of federal cash in recent years, conservative and liberal states alike passed significant tax cuts. Of the 43 states that have some sort of income tax, 28 have made rate reductions since 2021, Walczak said.

“In many states, lawmakers simply accomplished much of what they had set out to do,” he said.

Economic uncertainty and the prospect of reduced federal aid also have made many lawmakers more cautious this legislative season, he said.

But lawmakers in several states — including Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia — have continued their march to eliminate state income taxes.

“Taxing people’s wages is bad because it undermines liberty,” Oklahoma state Sen. Dusty Deevers, a Republican, said this month in support of a proposed income tax cut, the Oklahoma Voice reported. “It undermines people’s freedoms. If government controls income, then it controls your life.”

Cutting services or raising taxes: State lawmakers weigh how to fill big budget gaps

This session, Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear signed a bill cutting the state income tax rate from 4% to 3.5%. Republican lawmakers have been slashing rates for years with the ultimate aim of eliminating the income tax altogether, despite concerns that more reliance on sales tax would disproportionately burden the poor. To partially offset the income tax reduction, the legislature expanded sales taxes to more services in 2018.

And Republican lawmakers in Kansas overrode a veto from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to move away from the state’s graduated income tax toward a flat tax of 4% that will mostly benefit the highest earners.

Last month, Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed legislation granting another cut in the state income tax. Officials there aim to phase out the income tax altogether over the coming years with gradual rate reductions, which Reeves characterized as “a generational change” for the state.

The Mississippi law also reduces the sales tax on groceries and increases the gas tax. Though the governor is already celebrating the end of state income tax, the law provides for incremental reductions in the coming years only if the state hits certain revenue targets.

Republican state Rep. Trey Lamar, a legislative sponsor, said income taxes disincentivize work — a particular problem for the state with the nation’s lowest workforce participation rate.

“A tax on work is a tax on productivity,” he said.

The left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says the law will make the state’s tax system more inequitable. Its analysis found that when fully implemented, the top 1% of households, who have average annual incomes of $1.4 million, will receive an average cut of $41,420, or roughly 3% of their annual income. But the bottom 20% of earners, who have average annual incomes of $13,400, would realize a tax cut of just $42 per year.

Lamar noted the legislation did not increase sales taxes across the board. With average sales tax burdens already lower than neighboring states like Alabama, he said the income tax elimination will only help Mississippi workers.

“We need more people working,” he said. “So if helping the working man is somehow seen as regressive, then I’d have to say I don’t fully understand that.”

Blue and red states slash taxes despite warnings of hard times ahead

Walczak, of the Tax Foundation, said the state can afford the initial rate reduction. But it’s unclear whether state revenues will hit the targets needed — and whether lawmakers will reassess the aim of eliminating income taxes.

As one of the nation’s poorest states, Mississippi is heavily reliant on federal funding and would be particularly vulnerable to an economic downturn.

“There’s not a guarantee that the state could afford that in the future, and Mississippi does not have a large budget to begin with, so that would be harder than in most other states if the economy slid,” he said. “It does require a willingness on lawmakers’ parts to be honest with themselves if the economy changes and decide whether a pause might be necessary.”

An uneven tax burden

Economic uncertainty and slowing revenues have put many states into budget holes this year, forcing lawmakers to consider spending cuts or tax increases.

To close budget gaps, some conservative and liberal states have considered new or higher taxes on marijuana, tobacco and soda.

But some liberal-led states are looking to taxes more focused on the wealthy. In Rhode Island, Democratic Gov. Daniel McKee has proposed a 10% tax on digital advertising revenue.

In Washington state, lawmakers approved raising capital gains taxes and business taxes to close a looming deficit, though it’s unclear whether Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson, who has voiced skepticism, will sign off on those measures.

Maryland lawmakers, facing a $3 billion deficit, recently approved $1.6 billion in new taxes and fees. That includes two new high-income tax brackets and a new 3% sales tax on information technology and data services.

Child tax credits, long a liberal priority, find favor in Republican states

Moves like those that ask more of the wealthy could make some state tax systems more progressive, said Aidan Davis, the state policy director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. But most state tax proposals approved this year have primarily benefited the highest earners.

That’s particularly concerning because most state systems already favor the wealthy. In 41 states, the top 1% of earners pay a lower effective tax rate than any other group, according to an institute study.

In Missouri, the fate of the first-of-its-kind capital gains tax elimination remains up in the air.

Though versions of the proposal have passed both chambers, there are differences between the Senate and House legislation. That means the bill could go back to conference committee for further negotiation or go on to Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, who has identified capital gains among his tax cut priorities this year.

Missouri’s Department of Revenue estimated the exemption could cost $111 million per year. But an Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy analysis of IRS data projects the change could cost $600 million or more.

If approved, the top 5% of Missouri households — those making more than $273,000 per year — will receive more than 80% of the benefit from capital gains exemption, Davis said.

“Doing so would let wealthy people collect tax-free passive income while you’re continuing to tax middle class workers and people with savings,” Davis said. “It’s just a really extreme proposal.”

Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at khardy@stateline.org.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.

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 New tax cuts mostly favor the rich across states this year appeared first on kentuckylantern.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

The content presents detailed coverage of tax policy debates, highlighting criticisms from left-leaning think tanks and Democratic officials about the disproportionate benefits of capital gains tax cuts for the wealthy. While it includes conservative perspectives advocating for tax cuts as pro-growth measures and economic incentives, the framing leans toward the concerns of economic inequality and progressive taxation. This balance reflects a center-left bias as it critiques right-leaning tax proposals but maintains a tone of journalistic fairness by including multiple viewpoints.