By Linda Blackford | Editor
Good Monday morning! I hope everyone had a great weekend. We have some interesting stories to start you out: Reporter Liam Niemeyer details the latest twist in a data center saga in Mercer County, an issue that is probably coming to lots of counties in the future.
Our D.C. Bureau looks at what a recent Supreme Court decision means for political party spending in elections, and the answer is not surprising: way more money.
And retired University of Kentucky researcher Ellen Hahn, who is gets much of the credit for the smoking bans in Lexington and across the state, has some choice commentary about a recent donation to UK.
Thanks for reading, and if you’re able, thanks for donating. We appreciate all kinds of support.
The Harrodsburg City Commmission, meeting on July 13, voted to have their city attorney send a letter to the city of Burgin objecting to its process for its annexation ordinance. (Screenshot/Facebook)
By Liam Niemeyer
An effort by the Mercer County city of Burgin to annex land into its city limits for a potential data center has embroiled the small community in a contentious debate over the impacts of such a project, something that’s also raising strong concerns from local leaders of the county seat.
Graham Platner, then the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Maine, unveils an anti-corruption policy plan outside the Portland office of incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Collins on June 25, 2026. (Photo by Emma Davis/ Maine Morning Star)
By David Lightman
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision makes it easier for political parties to put their stamp on the most important campaigns, just as the struggle heats up for control of Congress in the midterm elections.
In Kentucky, almost 20% of high school students use electronic cigarettes and 5% smoke, according to The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (Getty Images)
COMMENTARY
By Ellen Hahn
In 1996, the Cigarette Papers was published, revealing how Kentucky’s Tobacco and Health Research Institute at the University of Kentucky presented itself as an independent arm of a publicly funded university, but in fact it was run by tobacco manufacturers and their highly paid lawyers.
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