By Linda Blackford | Editor
Good morning and happy Wednesday.
It was inevitable that the biggest political issue in Kentucky these days would get enmeshed in the midterm elections. Reporter Liam Niemeyer explores how voter anger over data centers could shape political results on Nov. 3.
Election Day means obscene amounts of money are flowing into political coffers everywhere, including the most competitive race in Kentucky this year, the 6th District. Reporter McKenna Horsley looks at what political action committees are up to.
Housing is another huge topic this fall, and our national desk explores just how far we have to go.
And in Commentary, all of us voters get the silly season we deserve.
Have a great day and thanks for reading!
Dana Hanson, center, an organizer for We Are Mercer County, sits in the crowd listening to the Mercer County Fiscal Court during a Sept. 28 meeting. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Liam Niemeyer)
By Liam Niemeyer
Dana Hanson has seen plenty of political divisiveness on the news and social media in recent years. And up until about a year ago, the Mercer County resident who had voted for Republicans “her entire life” had viewed politics as two-sided — the left versus the right.
Republican Ralph Alvarado, left, and Democrat Zach Dembo, right, are running in Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District. (Photos provided by campaigns)
By McKenna Horsley
Spending by political action committees in Kentucky’s most competitive U.S. House race has reached more than $6.2 million with two weeks to go until Election Day.
Instructor Jeff Karnes teaches plumbing construction techniques at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas, in September 2026. A shortage of skilled workers is one reason housing construction is down. (Photo courtesy of St. Philip’s College)
By Tim Henderson
Single-family home completions remain stuck at early pandemic levels as of September as costs, labor supply shortages and high interest take a toll on home builders, especially in the Northeast and South.
COMMENTARY
By Michael Frazier
Every October, Kentucky politics undergoes a peculiar transformation. Campaign advertisements become nastier, accusations grow louder, and rumors that spent months buried suddenly find their way into mailboxes, television commercials, and social media feeds.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Thanks so much for reading Morning Lantern. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.