By Linda Blackford | Editor
Good morning and happy Monday!
Today we start off with a deep dive in the U.S. Senate race to fill the seat of senior Sen. Mitch McConnell. Rep. Andy Barr has decided on his line of attack … gasp, socialism… which Charles Booker appears to welcome. We’ll see how it plays out in their debate tonight.
A Kentucky think tank has taken a close look at the Meta-owned data center project in Mason County, and has found some disturbing examples of corporate welfare there. Surprise, surprise.
The States Newsroom national desk has a fascinating story on how data centers are the biggest financial bet in U.S. history.
And in Commentary, veteran pundit Al Cross is predicting that Kentucky will begin a blue wave that ripples across the country. But only in one district here.
Supporters of Republican Andy Barr and Democrat Charles Booker, both running for U.S. Senate, squared off at the annual Fancy Farm political picnic on Aug. 1, 2026. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony)
By McKenna Horsley
IDespite what polls and political analysts say, Democrat Charles Booker says he’s ready to win the race for Kentucky’s open U.S. Senate seat next month.
Mason County Judge-Executive Owen McNeill says the data center developer would get “the bulk” of its water from the Ohio River. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Liam Niemeyer)
By Liam Niemeyer
A proposed Mason County data center campus for the technology company Meta could avoid paying about $50 million a year in local taxes through a tentative agreement between the county and Meta, according to a new analysis from a progressive think tank.
Work continues on the new QTS data center in Eagle Mountain, Utah, on April 17, 2026. Today’s data center buildout has become the largest industrial boom since the railroad era of the 19th century, with $10 trillion in investment and almost twice the economic impact. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
By Tim Henderson
The sheer size of investment in data centers is drawing concern as it surpasses all other historical booms and crowds out other more job-creating ventures.
Zach Dembo speaks to constituents at a campaign fundraiser on Sept. 11, 2026, in Paint Lick, Kentucky. (Photo by Arden Barnes for KY Lantern)
COMMENTARY
By Al Cross
LEXINGTON, Ky. – It’s been 30 years or more since Kentucky was a bellwether state in national politics, but it might be this year. Part of it, at least.
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