By Linda Blackford | Editor
Good morning and Happy Fourth of July Week!
It’s a short week for many, so we will be packing a lot in. First off, reporter Sarah Ladd looked past the headlines on Kentucky’s annual crime report and found some very interesting and disturbing trends.
There’s more positive news for small chicken farms around the state.
And Kentucky’s elected officials are going to keep hearing about cuts to Medicaid.
Thanks for reading!
The 2025 Crime in Kentucky report shows decreases in homicides and drug-related offenses and increases in animal cruelty and sex offenses. (Getty Images)
By Sarah Ladd
There were more than 300 hate crimes in Kentucky in 2025, and most of them happened at home or on roadways.
That’s according to the 2025 Crime in Kentucky report, which was released Thursday and shows a majority of those hate crimes were motivated by race.
At an event last summer, Jefferson County farmer LeTicia Marshall explained how small scale poultry operations can work. A new USDA waiver will allow Kentucky farms to do small-scale poultry processing. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Kimmie Ishmael, Community Farm Alliance)
By Kim Kobersmith
In April, Kentucky became the 49th state to adopt a USDA waiver to allow on-farm processing of poultry. It permits small-scale farmers to harvest up to 1,000 birds themselves while still requiring they meet all food safety regulations.
Kentucky advocates came to Frankfort to ask elected officials to find a way to keep Lee Specialty Clinic open despite recent budget cuts that caused them to discharge more than 1,000 patients. June 24, 2026. (Sarah Ladd/Kentucky Lantern)
COMMENTARY
By Doug Hoyt
Recently, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that many providers, including therapies and waiver programs, will suffer a 4% cut in Medicaid reimbursement beginning Aug. 1. Gov. Beshear stated that he must make cuts to Kentucky Medicaid to ensure the future of the program.
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