By Linda Blackford | Editor
Last week, lawyers for Kentucky, California, Colorado, and New Jersey argued in a California courtroom that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, should be held accountable for harms to children. This week, they folded with a hefty settlement and a lot of changes to their products. McKenna Horsley has the story.
In a much smaller courthouse, lawyers for a data center developer are using a law meant to encourage more housing to stop residents who oppose their project in Simpson County.
On the energy front, the Kentucky Public Service Commission has announced an investigation into why all our utility bills keep going up.
And you may have thought the Supreme Court handed Trump a win on mail-in voting, but it’s not that simple.
Have a great Thursday!
Shannon Heacock holds a photo of her son, 16-year-old Elijah, who allegedly died from impacts of social media, outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on August 18, 2026 in Oakland, California. State attorneys general are alleging that Meta attempted to deceive the public by allowing features on their platforms, Facebook and Instagram, that harm children’s mental health and are intended to be addictive. (Photo by Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images)
By McKenna Horsley
Social media giant Meta has agreed to settle a multi-state lawsuit for $17.1 billion and make changes to its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, for children’s safety, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced Wednesday morning.
This map shows proposed hyperscale data centers across Kentucky. (Lantern Screenshot)
By Liam Niemeyer
A law mean to increase housing is now being used by a hyperscale data center developer looking to build an approximately 200-acre data center campus and on-site natural gas-fired power generation in Simpson County.
A matrix of electric utility meters for Louisville Gas and Electric. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Liam Niemeyer)
By Liam Niemeyer
Kentucky’s utility regulator has launched an effort to study the affordability of electric and natural gas utility service for residential ratepayers, arguing that utility access is “fundamental to the health, safety, and well-being of Kentuckians.”
A voter drops off a ballot on primary Election Day at the Salt Lake County Government Center on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (Photo by Marco Lozzi for Utah News Dispatch)
By Shauneen Miranda
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a procedural victory to President Donald Trump on an executive order to curb mail-in voting, but the administration is still fighting a separate ruling that limits a portion of the order and remains in effect — complicating the administration’s temporary win.
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