By Linda Blackford | Editor
By its nature, upper level government work can be transitory. A new governor comes in and you might not have a job. But Van Ingram, director of the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, is one of those public servants trusted by Republicans and Democrats alike, which is why he survived through so many governors and so many crises. No wonder he wants to retire.
In other news, our friends at WEKU – through the Appalachian News Exchange – have written about a fascinating case in Pike County involving 3M masks, coal miners and black lung disease.
Gov. Beshear and a lot of other public officials are asking President Trump (very nicely) to please not change Head Start, one of those federal programs that has really worked for a long time. We’ll see how he responds.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and in Commentary, Tisha Pletcher of ZeroV is asking all of us to learn more about intimate partner violence so we can recognize what it is and help our loved ones. This is a scourge that has plagued Kentucky for a long time, and it’s tough to fix.
Thanks for reading and have a great Thursday!
Van Ingram, longtime director of the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy is retiring after 22 years. (Screenshot)
By Sarah Ladd
Van Ingram, the longtime head of Kentucky’s Office of Drug Control Policy, is retiring at the end of 2026, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Wednesday.
X-rays of a patient with black lung disease. (National Archives at College Park photo)
By Jackie Starkey, WEKU
A RICO case against a Pike County attorney and two others over allegedly fraudulent black lung cases will move forward after a federal judge denied motions to dismiss this week.
Preschool children line up to go outside at the Ralph Hawley Head Start Center in Emeryville, Calif., in December. The Trump administration has proposed major changes to the Head Start program. (Photo by Florence Middleton for CalMatters)
By Sarah Ladd
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has asked President Donald Trump to reconsider proposed changes to the Head Start program that he said would “destabilize early education systems that we have developed over decades.”
Gov. Andy Beshear signed a proclamation in the Capitol Rotunda making October 2024 Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Kentucky. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Sarah Ladd)
COMMENTARY
By Tisha Pletcher
“Nobody else would put up with you.”
“You know exactly how to make me act this way.”
“You don’t want to see what happens if you leave me.”
Unfortunately, many people will recognize these words from personal experience. They may have heard them from a partner in years past or just this morning. A single angry or hurtful comment does not necessarily mean someone is experiencing intimate partner violence. But when statements like these are routinely used to intimidate, isolate, demean, or control a partner, that is abuse.
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.