WKU Public Radio

09/25/2024

Clad in a drab gray jail uniform, a Kentucky sheriff displayed no emotion at his first court hearing Wednesday since being accused of walking into a judge's chambers and fatally shooting him — a tragedy that shocked and saddened their tight-knit Appalachian county.

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines, 43, pleaded not guilty and quietly answered questions about his personal finances as a judge pondered whether he needed a public defender to represent him.

Stines, who is being held in another Kentucky county, appeared by video for the hearing before a special judge, who is standing in for the judge who was killed, Letcher County District Judge Kevin Mullins.

The sheriff stood alongside a jailer and a public defender, who entered the not guilty plea on his behalf. Stines' expression didn't seem to change as he answered questions from the judge.

The special judge, Carter County District Judge H. Rupert Wilhoit III, conducted the hearing from his courtroom in northeastern Kentucky. There was no discussion of a bond during the hearing, and the judge indicated that the maximum punishment in the case would be the death penalty.

It was the first time the sheriff was seen in public since the shooting, which sent shockwaves through the small town of Whitesburg near the Virginia border.

The preliminary investigation indicates Stines shot Mullins multiple times on Sept. 19 following an argument in the courthouse, according to Kentucky State Police. Mullins, 54, who held the judgeship since 2009, died at the scene, and Stines, 43, surrendered minutes later without incident. He was charged with one count of first-degree murder.

Police have not offered any details about a possible motive.

The Kentucky attorney general's office is collaborating with a special prosecutor in the case.

Much of the hearing Wednesday revolved around Stines' ability to pay for his own attorney.

Josh Miller, the public defender who appeared alongside Stines, said the sheriff could incur significant costs defending himself and will soon lose his job as sheriff, which Stines said pays about $115,000 annually.

Wilhoit asked Stines if he had been looking for an attorney to hire. Stines replied: “It’s kind of hard where I’m at to have contact with the people I need to.”

Miller said the cost of defending Stines could ultimately cost several hundred thousand dollars.

Wilhoit appointed Miller to defend Stines at the next hearing in October but warned Stines that the trial court could require him to pay for his own attorney.

In Letcher County, residents are struggling to cope with the courthouse shooting. Those who know the sheriff and the judge had nothing but praise for them, recalling how Mullins helped people with substance abuse disorder get treatment and how Stines led efforts to combat the opioid crisis. They worked together for years and were friends.

Mullins served as a district judge in Letcher County since he was appointed by former Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009 and elected the following year.

Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines stood alongside a jailer and a public defender, who entered the not guilty plea on his behalf. Stines' expression didn't seem to change as he answered questions from the judge.

09/25/2024

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09/24/2024

Thank you so much to the gracious people at Spencer's Coffee who have provided our hard-working team with coffee to fuel our Fall Membership Drive! We know their coffee helps us be good listeners!

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09/23/2024

We are kicking off WKU Public Radio Fall Membership Drive today! We ask for your support to ensure we can continue to provide quality content to our community!

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09/22/2024

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09/18/2024

After years of attempts to pass legislation banning conversion therapy in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order Wednesday that aims to limit conversion therapy practices on minors.

“I have refused to wait when others won't do what's right,” Beshear said, referencing some of his other recent executive orders, like the CROWN Act. “Where practices are endangering and even harming those children, we must act. The practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ hurts our children, and it's something that I've spoken out against time and time again.”

Conversion therapy, sometimes called “reparative therapy,” refers to treatments that seek to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. It is often based on religious ideology that being LGBTQ+ is unnatural.

The executive order prohibits the use of state or federal dollars directly or indirectly to pay for conversion therapy, although Beshear said he doesn’t believe that is currently happening. It encourages independent medical licensure boards to reconsider licenses or punish professionals engaging in conversion therapy. The order also requires all state agencies to report providers who they discover to be engaging in conversion therapy to those licensing boards.

The Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on su***de prevention among LGBTQ+ youth, found that Kentucky has the 12th highest number of conversion therapy practitioners, although it found few to be licensed in the state. A 2023 Trevor Project national survey found that 15% of LGBTQ+ youth reported being threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy.

Most medical organizations say conversion therapy is linked to depression and anxiety, which can lead to suicidality. The American Psychiatric Association said in a policy document this year that “leading professional health care bodies have concluded that conversion therapies lack efficacy and may carry significant risks of harm.”

Brandon Long, who is running for state representative in Campbell County, said he is a survivor of conversion therapy that he began at 17 years old.

“It is nothing but deadly and bad fruit, these conversion therapy practices,” Long said. “The essence of conversion therapy is the belief that something is wrong with you and we have to determine the cause.”

He said over his life, various practitioners and church leaders have blamed his identity on demons or past trauma.

“The truth is I am made in the image of God. LGBTQ people are made in the image of God, just like heterosexual people are,” Long said.

Read more of our story from capitol reporter Sylvia Goodman here:

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear joined health care professionals and activists Wednesday as he signed an executive order he said would restrict conversion therapy in Kentucky.

09/18/2024

Lawmakers grilled presidents of five Kentucky universities over their diversity, equity and inclusion policies and spending Tuesday.

Presidents of the University of Louisville, University of Kentucky, Western Kentucky University, Murray State University, and Eastern Kentucky University all spoke before the Interim Joint Committee on Education in Frankfort Tuesday.

The universities also each submitted detailed reports, describing their DEI officers and salaries and explaining the missions of their various offices. The presidents fielded questions about whether they have mandatory DEI training and if they required prospective employees or students to commit to DEI efforts.

University of Louisville President Kim Schatzel defended the university’s Office of Institutional Equity, saying it supports all students collectively to help them succeed at the university. The university reported they will spend just over $4 million dollars on DEI employee salaries this year.

“Equity means no preference, no bias, no discrimination,” Schatzel said. “Institutional Equity, where we feel all is all. No students are left behind.”

Schatzel described a number of programs she had implemented since becoming the university’s president in 2022, like a center designated for “military-connected students.” When a lawmaker questioned the need for a specific office outside of the federally mandated requirements, Schatzel said she doesn’t want the university to merely be compliant.

You can read more of this story from our capitol reporter Sylvia Goodman here:

Lawmakers grilled presidents of five Kentucky universities over their diversity, equity and inclusion policies and spending Tuesday.

09/18/2024

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09/18/2024

A 22-year-old Kentucky woman who became an abortion rights advocate after she was r***d by her stepfather as a child tells her story in a new campaign ad for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

Hadley Duvall of Owensboro says in voiceover that she's never slept a full night in her life — her stepfather first started abusing her when she was five years old, and impregnated her when she was 12. As she speaks, images of Duvall as a child flash on the screen. The soundtrack of the ad is a song by Billie Eilish, who endorsed the vice president on Tuesday.

“I just remember thinking I have to get out of my skin. I can’t be me right now. Like, this can’t be it,” Duvall says. “I didn’t know what to do. I was a child. I didn’t know what it meant to be pregnant, at all. But I had options.”

The ad is part of a continued push by the Harris campaign to highlight the growing consequences of the fall of Roe, including that some states have abortion restrictions with no exceptions for r**e or in**st. Women in some states are suffering increasingly perilous medical care and the first reported instance of a woman dying from delayed reproductive care surfaced this week. Harris lays the blame squarely on Republican nominee Donald Trump, who appointed three of the conservatives to the U.S. Supreme Court who helped overturn the constitutional right to abortion.

Duvall blames Trump, too.

“Because Donald Trump overturned Roe v. Wade, girls and women all over the country have lost the right to choose, even for r**e or in**st,” she says in the ad. “Donald Trump did this. He took away our freedom.”

During the presidential debate on Sept. 10, Trump repeatedly took credit for appointing the three Supreme Court justices and leaned heavily on his catchall response to questions on abortion rights, saying the issue should be left up to the states. He said he would not sign a national abortion ban.

“I’m not signing a ban,” he said, adding that “there is no reason to sign the ban.”

But he also repeatedly declined to say whether he would veto such a ban if he were elected again — a question that has lingered as the Republican nominee has shifted his stances on the crucial election issue.

Duvall of Owensboro, Kentucky, first told her story publicly last fall in a campaign ad for the governor’s race in her home state supporting Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. Duvall's stepfather was convicted of r**e and is in prison; she miscarried.

Beshear won reelection, and Democrats have said Duvall’s ad was a strong motivator, particularly for rural, male voters who had previously voted for Trump.

Duvall is also touring the country to campaign for Harris along with other women who have been telling their personal stories since the fall of Roe, joining Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro last week.

Hadley Duvall of Owensboro says in voiceover that she's never slept a full night in her life — her stepfather first started abusing her when she was five years old, and impregnated her when she was 12

09/17/2024

The Kentucky Secretary of State’s office is using a creative tactic to recruit election workers ahead of the November General Election.

Secretary Michael Adams is partnering with the Kentucky Guild of Brewers, Kentucky Wineries Association, and the Kentucky Restaurant Association to promote poll worker recruitment. The campaign will enlist several breweries, restaurants and wineries to hang tags and display table tents that provide volunteer info and Q-R codes where individuals can apply to become poll workers.

Secretary Adams said finding enough volunteers has been a longstanding problem, but he thinks the campaign will help.

“We’ve had two practical challenges and one of those is having enough places to vote and enough people to man that location,” Adams said. “Just those evergreen problems really. Having enough people and enough locations, those are the everyday problems that we face and I’m glad we are getting back to normal problems that we can deal with.”

This isn't the first time the secretary’s office has gotten creative to find election volunteers. In 2020, the Secretary’s office partnered with several breweries to print QR codes on beer cans to raise awareness about the need for election workers. In 2022, Adams partnered with the Kentucky Guild of Brews and Kentucky Wineries Association. This year the Secretary’s office has partnered with the Kentucky Restaurant Association as well.

Secretary Adams says recruiting enough volunteers to work on election day has been an ongoing obstacle for several election cycles.

“It was a problem before I took office, it was a problem before Covid,” Adams said. “It’s worse now. Covid didn’t help anything and one of the things that made it harder was getting people to volunteer so we do have a robust enough of voting locations but realistically I think this is about as best as we can do.”

Participating breweries so far are:

Against the Grain, 401 E. Main Street, Louisville, KY 40202
Butchertown Brewery, 1860 Mellwood Ave #187, Louisville, KY 40206
Dreaming Creek Brewery, 109 E. Irvine Street, Richmond, KY 40475
Trellis Brewery, 827 Logan Street, Louisville, KY 40204
White Squirrel Brewery, 302 State Street, Bowling Green, KY 42101
Wise Bird Cider Co., 1170 Manchester Street, Suite 140, Lexington, KY 40508
Participating wineries so far are:

Boucherie Winery, 6523 Keyway Drive, Spottsville, KY 42458
Carriage House Vineyards, 259 Longview Lane, Auburn, KY 42206
Ghost Fox Winery, 2385 Chrisman Mill Rd, Nicholasville, KY 40356
Participating restaurants so far are:

Ciao Restaurant, 1201 Payne Street, Louisville, KY 40204
Ramsey’s Diners, all Lexington locations

Secretary Michael Adams is partnering with the Kentucky Guild of Brewers, Kentucky Wineries Association, and the Kentucky Restaurant Association to promote poll worker recruitment.

09/17/2024

Look up at the sky tonight!

Stargazers will be in for another celestial treat Tuesday night as three cosmic events will occur at the same time during the full moon.

After last month brought space enthusiasts a blue supermoon, September’s harvest moon will not only coincide with a supermoon, but also with a blood moon and partial lunar eclipse.

The best times to view the event will depend on your location, but the lunar eclipse will peak at 9:44 p.m. central, 10:44 p.m. eastern.

Check out more from NPR here:

This month's harvest moon will not only coincide with a supermoon, but also with a blood moon and partial lunar eclipse.

09/17/2024

WKU Public Radio's signal on 88.9 FM in southern Kentucky/northern Tennessee is temporarily off the air because of some routine transmitter maintenance issues that are being addressed Tuesday morning.

We apologize for the inconvenience! In the meantime, you can hear the station through our free app for smart phones, through your smart speaker, and by accessing our audio streaming at wkyufm.org.

09/16/2024

We are excited to announce that Alana Watson and former radio news fellow Kennedy Gayheart have won the prestigious Public Media Award in the Society and Culture category for Division 2 Radio! Join us in congratulating our award winners in the comments!

We also want to congratulate Lisa Autry, Jacob Martin, and WKU PBS's Lost River Sessions for being named finalists in their respective categories!

Read the award-winning article at https://www.wkyufm.org/arts-culture/2024-02-29/a-true-american-story-how-a-celebrated-bransford-family-legacy-continues-to-impact-mammoth-cave-national-park

09/12/2024

During a news conference Thursday morning, Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said law enforcement groups are using every resource available, including new and old technology.

“We're still utilizing nighttime aircraft operations with thermal imaging. We're still using K-9s, we have cadaver K-9s, we have bloodhounds we have brought in. The FBI has brought in a bloodhound team from Illinois,” he said.

Burnett said it's possible they may have to expand the search area. He praised the collaborative effort of all the agencies participating in the search.

Gov. Andy Beshear made his first visit to Laurel County since the shootings along I-75 took place over the weekend. He met with agencies involved in the search.

The governor offered words of comfort for the communities impacted by the shooting.

“As the days move forward, we know folks are going to be trying to get back to their everyday life, which is a challenge in a time like this. Just know, your state stands with you and we are ready, willing, and able to provide additional resources,” Beshear said.

He gave the example of what happened in Rockcastle County. Officials there came up with a plan to increase police presence and made some changes to bus routes to make sure kids could get to school safely.

Burnett also said KSP will be providing extra security to school events in the area as the search continues.

Authorities are still telling people in the area to remain vigilant and to call the KSP or Laurel County Sheriff's office if they see anything suspicious.

During a news conference Thursday, Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said law enforcement groups are using every resource available, including new and old technology.

09/12/2024

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09/11/2024

Kentuckians will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment in November on whether to allow public funds to go to private schools, and several opposing political committees have already raised millions of dollars to spend on that fight.

A bill passed by the Kentucky General Assembly this year placed the referendum on the ballot, in which voters will be asked whether the state constitution should be amended to “provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools,” meaning public K-12 schools. If the amendment is approved, the legislature could later decide the specifics of how funding would be directed to education at private or charter schools.

The only political issue committee opposed to the amendment to report raising significant funds ahead of the Tuesday deadline was Protect Our Schools Kentucky, which collected more than $3 million. These groups register with the state to spend money to influence voters on specific ballot referendums.

Protect Our Schools Kentucky’s report to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance indicated that its coffers were filled almost entirely by teachers unions. This included $2.4 million coming from the National Education Association and $500,000 coming from the Kentucky Education Association and the Jefferson County Teachers Association.

Protect Our Schools Kentucky purchased $200,000 worth of airtime for its first TV ads this week. The ads argue that the amendment would lead to a voucher system similar to what other states like Florida have implemented, siphoning state money from underfunded public schools to private schools. The group’s report this week also showed spending more than $100,000 on surveys and focus groups.

Kentuckians for Public Education, Inc., another political issue committee which is run by the top political strategist of Gov. Andy Beshear, has not yet reported raising or spending any funds. Beshear and the committee are also opposed to the amendment.

On the other side of the issue are at least two groups from the “school choice” movement that are also prepared to spend millions in support of the amendment.

Protect Freedom PAC started a statewide TV ad campaign in Kentucky last week. Its ads feature a teacher saying the amendment would improve education outcomes and choices. The federal political action committee has not yet reported how much it has spent on the ads, but it reported having $1.4 million cash on hand at the end of July. Unlike issue committees, federal PACs don’t register and report to the state.

Protect Freedom PAC has raised more than $14 million over the past two years, nearly all of which has come from Jeff Yass — the billionaire financial investor from Pennsylvania that bankrolled $8 million of PAC spending supporting Republican Daniel Cameron in Kentucky’s 2023 gubernatorial race. Yass, a vocal school choice supporter and backer of Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, also gave $3.6 million in July to School Freedom Fund, a federal PAC that spent heavily in Kentucky last year but has not yet indicated if it will return for this year’s amendment battle.

Another supporter of the constitutional amendment to raise significant money is Kentucky Students First, which reported collecting more than $1.5 million by this week’s deadline.

One of the political issue committee’s largest donors was Kentucky Education Freedom Fund, Inc., a new dark money 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that will not have to reveal its donors to the IRS. The group, headed by the CEO of EdChoice Kentucky, contributed $500,000 in May.

Also contributing $500,000 to Kentucky Students First was William Yung, the owner of Columbia Sussex, a national hotel company based in northern Kentucky.

Kentucky Students First has not yet aired any TV ads, but its report this week indicated spending more than $300,000 on mailers and $100,000 on digital advertising.

The next reporting deadline for state issue committees is in October.

A bill passed by the Kentucky General Assembly this year placed the referendum on the ballot, in which voters will be asked whether the state constitution should be amended to “provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools,” meaning public K-12 scho...

09/06/2024

NPR has confirmed the identities of two Trump campaign staffers involved in an altercation at Arlington National Cemetery.

One of two staffers involved in the August incident is a deputy campaign manager for Donald Trump’s reelection bid.

The former president insisted this week the incident did not happen, highlighting a growing disconnect between the messaging of the candidate and his campaign.

NPR is identifying both staffers after the campaign’s conflicting responses to the incident last week outside Section 60 of the cemetery, where many casualties of Iraq and Afghanistan are buried.

You can read and hear more of NPR's coverage about the altercation and the two Trump staffers here:

NPR identified two Trump staffers involved in an altercation at Arlington National Cemetery including a deputy campaign manager, highlighting a disconnect between Trump's messaging and his campaign.

09/06/2024

About 179,800 Kentucky residents are immigrants, according to the American Immigration Council. More than 75,000 of them are eligible to vote in the commonwealth.

State Rep. Nima Kulkarni, a Louisville Democrat who is running for reelection, is the founder of the New Americans Initiative, a nonprofit organization that supports immigrants on their pathway to citizenship.

“The lifeblood of a healthy democracy is an informed and engaged electorate, and new Americans are a big part of that, a big and growing part of that electorate.” Kulkarni said.

Kulkarni said all Kentucky voters have a lot to think about heading into the November election, especially at the state level.

There will be two Constitutional amendments on Kentucky ballots. One of them is Amendment 1, which would codify a ban on people who aren’t citizens voting in the state.

Those people already can’t vote in Kentucky, and Kulkarni said noncitizen voting is rare.

“I know our Secretary of State, our Board of Elections, our county clerks, are very diligent, and we should trust them, because they're not just letting anybody vote,” Kulkarni said. “They vet individuals, they make sure [Kentuckians] are actually eligible.”

Kulkarni said she thinks Amendment 1 is based on confusion.

“It's been sort of conflated with this idea of election fraud and people trying to steal elections, and it's really undermining faith in our democratic institutions,” she said.

The proposed amendment follows a national GOP-led push to stop noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which has been illegal since 1996.

Kentucky isn’t the only state with this kind of legislation on the ballot. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Arizona Republicans, allowing state election officials to reject voter registration forms that don’t include a proof of citizenship.

Critics say this would make voting more difficult for many eligible voters. In a study from earlier this year, 1 in 10 voters said they could not easily show proof of their U.S. citizenship.

About 179,800 Kentucky residents are immigrants, according to the American Immigration Council. More than 75,000 of them are eligible to vote in the commonwealth.

09/05/2024

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09/04/2024

Kentucky-based spirits maker Brown-Forman suspended its DEI policies last month after online pressure from a right-wing personality. It joins companies like Lowe’s, Tractor Supply and Harley Davidson in ending their DEI initiatives.

The company also announced that it was pulling out of the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Human Rights Commission’s Corporate Equality Index. Brown-Forman got a top score on the 2023-2024 index for its inclusive benefits and culture, internal training and corporate social responsibility toward its LGBTQ+ employees.

You can read more about this story from our Kentucky Public Radio colleague, Divya Karthikeyan:

Louisville-based spirits maker Brown-Forman suspended its DEI policies last month after online pressure from a right-wing personality. It joins companies like Lowe’s, Tractor Supply and Harley Davidson in ending their DEI initiatives.

09/03/2024

From the Kentucky Lantern: How a child rights lawyer’s concerns about the ‘troubled teen’ industry led her to former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin’s adopted son in Jamaica.

Children's rights attorney travels to Jamaica to help teen boys removed from a for-profit facility after allegations of abuse and neglect.

08/30/2024

After receiving only 28 license applications from businesses in July, the Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis received more than 700 in the first few days of this week, surging just ahead of the deadline to submit them.

Kentucky has now received more than 1,000 applications for businesses seeking a license to operate as either a medical ma*****na dispensary, cultivator, processor or safety compliance facility.

This number is likely to grow significantly ahead of the application deadline of midnight on Saturday.

Dispensaries are allowed to start selling cannabis products to qualified patients starting Jan. 1 next year. Licenses for cannabis businesses will be awarded in October, following a lottery of applicants conducted by the state.

The large majority of applications submitted so far are for dispensary licenses, with the state receiving 860 as of Wednesday evening.

Under the new state regulations, a maximum of 48 dispensary licenses will be given to businesses, including at least four within the 11 licensing regions of the state. Jefferson and Fayette counties will each have two dispensary licencees, while no other county may have more than one.

The regions containing Jefferson and Fayette have received far more dispensary license applications than any other region, at 331.

In the Kentuckiana region — including Louisville and Oldham, Shelby, Bullitt, Spencer, Henry and Trimble counties — 153 dispensary applications were submitted, with 102 of those in Jefferson County.

The most dispensary applications were submitted in the Bluegrass region, including Fayette and 12 surrounding counties. The region had 178 applications there as of Wednesday night, with 81 in Fayette County.

The lowest number of dispensary applications for a region was 13 in the Mountain region, which includes 18 counties in eastern Kentucky.

As of Wednesday night, there were 151 applications submitted to be a licensed cultivator of medical ma*****na.

You can read more of this story from our capitol reporter Joe Sonka by clicking on the link below: