By Liam Niemeyer | Reporter

For some LGBTQ people in rural Kentucky, living openly and as themselves is a key way to build more empathy in their community over time. But following Pride Month, what do LGBTQ Kentuckians say they need from their state and federal government?

We have that story this morning, along with a look at the ongoing, years-long push to boost federal black lung disability benefits. And U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell shared an update on what led to his long hospital stay. Thanks again for reading the Lantern.

Scenes from Corbin Pride in 2025. (Photo provided)

By Sarah Ladd

On the heels of Pride Month, the Lantern’s Sarah Ladd reports that LGBTQ advocates from around Kentucky say they need better protections from the state and federal government and more understanding from their communities.

X-rays of a patient with black lung disease. (National Archives at College Park photo)

By Liam Niemeyer

Dozens of local counties and cities, led by both Republicans and Democrats, across several Appalachian states have passed resolutions urging Congress to boost monthly black lung disability benefits that former miners receive. But that consensus hasn’t emerged in Congress yet.

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, left, takes a photo with his wife, former Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao. (Photo provided by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office)

By McKenna Horsley

Kentucky U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said in a Sunday statement he fell before he was hospitalized last month and he has moved from being a hospital patient to “a rehabilitation center where I’ll keep regaining my strength.” 

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