logo
Laurel County Public Schools, pending HB 241, to extend school days by 15 minutes

Laurel County Public Schools, pending HB 241, to extend school days by 15 minutes

Yahoo07-03-2025
Laurel County Public Schools is extending the district's school day for the remainder of the academic calendar to make up for closures and lost instruction time.
The district announced Thursday that 15 minutes will be added to remaining school days starting Monday to make up for two days of lost instruction time during the academic year. The district's start time will remain the same, as well as bus times, with a 15 minute adjustment to dismissal and bus pick-ups in the afternoon.
Changes to the calendar are possible down the road, the district said. The decision follows anticipation that House Bill 241, which will allow the district to apply the added minutes to make up for lost instructional time, will pass.
"We understand these changes may require adjustments to your family's routine, and we appreciate your cooperation and understanding," the announcement said. "As always, we are committed to providing a quality education for our students and appreciate your continued support."
Laurel County Public Schools Weather, flu, I-75 shooting: Why Kentucky kids have missed so much school this year
Laurel County Public Schools was one of the districts along Interstate 75 near London previously forced to close or move to NTI as police officers spent nearly two weeks searching for a gunman who opened fire on travelers from an overpass last September. The manhunt impacted about 10 districts, Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher said to The Courier Journal.
Reporter Krista Johnson contributed. Reach Marina Johnson at Marina.Johnson@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Laurel County Public Schools adds 15 minutes to school days
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Breonna Taylor's aunt handcuffed outside courthouse ahead of ex-detective's sentencing
Breonna Taylor's aunt handcuffed outside courthouse ahead of ex-detective's sentencing

USA Today

time21-07-2025

  • USA Today

Breonna Taylor's aunt handcuffed outside courthouse ahead of ex-detective's sentencing

Bianca Austin, aunt of Breonna Taylor, was among at least three people led away in handcuffs in downtown Louisville as protestors awaited the sentencing of former Louisville Metro Police Department detective Brett Hankison. The ex-officer is set to be sentenced on July 21 after a federal jury last year found him guilty of violating Taylor's civil rights. The 26-year-old Black woman was killed during a botched raid on her home, and her death sparked nationwide demonstrations for equality in 2020. In video captured by The Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, Austin was seen standing in outside the Gene Snyder Federal Building as cars continued to try to move down the street. It was unclear if she was detained or fully arrested. Police officials have not responded to attempts to confirm Austin's status, but she was not listed among current inmates at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections as of 3:45 p.m. July 21. Video captured by other news media from outside the courthouse shows another person standing in front of a Louisville Water truck and jumping on its hood. That person was later seen also being handcuffed and led to a police cruiser. Who is Brett Hankison? Hankison is one of the officers involved in the raid that killed Taylor in March 2020. He fired 10 rounds into Taylor's apartment through a covered glass door and window. Three of those rounds traveled into a neighboring apartment with a man, pregnant woman and 5-year-old inside. None of the rounds fired by Hankison hit Taylor or any of the neighbors. In a sentencing memorandum filed July 16, the U.S. Department of Justice recommended Hankison receive a one-day prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release and a $100 fine. The sentence would be considered time served since Hankison would earn credit for the day he was booked and made his initial appearance in court. The recommendation has drawn pushback from some community members who argue the sentence would be too lenient considering the gravity of the conviction. Hankison faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Reporter N'dea Yancey-Bragg and photojournalist Jeff Faughender contributed. Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@ or @bkillian72 on X.

Improving education is critical for our community. How you can help expand our reporting.
Improving education is critical for our community. How you can help expand our reporting.

Yahoo

time17-07-2025

  • Yahoo

Improving education is critical for our community. How you can help expand our reporting.

The Courier Journal has a long history of in-depth, investigative reporting that has led to positive changes for children and families in Louisville and across Kentucky Our series 'Between the Lines' took a hard look at why so many Kentucky kids can't read and uncovered a state-funded literacy center that was promoting a reading program that was failing our kids. Our stories led to changes in the state Read to Succeed Act, and lawmakers mandated structured literacy, a proven teaching method, for all of Kentucky's public K-3 reading classes. Our investigation into Jefferson County Public Schools' integration plan — "The Last Stop' and 'Magnetic Pull' — revealed the injustice of Louisville's busing program and showed how the city's magnet schools poach the best students from poor schools and jettison others who could hurt their elite standing. In the wake of our findings, leaders across the political spectrum called for an overhaul of the system. Our "Silence & Secrets" project exposed the disturbing prevalence of child sexual misconduct by Kentucky middle- and high-school coaches. State lawmakers had previously failed to pass legislation to deal with the problem. But after our series published, two out of three bills spotlighted as solutions in our project passed during the 2025 legislative session, and Gov. Andy Beshear signed them into law. One bill adds accountability for how coaches communicate with students, while the other raises awareness about sexual misconduct for athletes and coaches. Our projects have been solution-focused, and they have gotten results for our community. We want to do more of these in-depth projects that help improve education and the lives of Kentucky's children, but we need your help. If you believe this type of reporting is valuable, help us create an expanded, community-funded education reporting team that will focus exclusively on issues that impact how our children learn. The reporting team will be the essential component of the Courier Journal education lab — a solutions-driven project with the goal of offering promising ideas to combat persistent educational challenges. We know education is critical. It impacts all aspects of our cities and state — from health care to juvenile justice to workforce stability and more. The Courier Journal believes, and has demonstrated, that a crucial part of improving children's well-being and helping kids succeed in school is shedding light on the challenges our cities and state face, raising awareness of innovative solutions and engaging the community — parents, students, educators, civic groups and political leaders — in efforts to remove barriers affecting our children. That is exactly what our education lab would do, and that is why we are asking for your help. We are thankful for our first community donor, the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. The foundation does important work for young people and families in our state, and we are honored that its leaders have chosen to support the education lab. We are also excited to partner with the University of Louisville, offering their students learning opportunities and internships through the education lab. The need is great. Kentucky's kids have persistently ranked near the bottom of the nation when it comes to academic achievement. When you factor in issues that impact children's ability to learn — like poverty, adverse childhood experiences, racial disparities, lack of access to health care and mental health services — you start to understand the mountain our children must climb to attain higher levels of well-being and academic success. Consider these statistics: More than 20% of Kentucky children live in poverty, and that rate jumps above 30% for children of color (36% for Black children and 31% for Latinx children). Less than half of Kentucky's kindergarteners show up to school ready to learn. Only half of fourth grade students are proficient readers, and just 37% of eighth graders are proficient in math. These rates drop significantly for students of color. We believe a community-funded education lab would help. It's not a new concept. The Seattle Times started the first community-funded education lab in 2013 and has raised millions of dollars to support its reporting labs. There are now at least five community-funded education labs across the country. It is no secret that news organizations across the country are adjusting to a decline in traditional revenue streams. The Courier Journal is no exception. Despite our challenges, we are dedicated to doing the invaluable work of informing the public, holding elected officials accountable and providing a platform for the free exchange of ideas, which is central to a democracy. We are committed to doing our part to improve our community. Your support will help us do even more for those who need us the most — our children and future generations. To donate to The Courier Journal education lab fund, use this link: Thanks to our partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, your donation is tax deductible. If you have any questions or would like us to present our plan to your company or organization, please contact me at mirbyjones@ Thank you for supporting local news. Thank you for supporting The Courier Journal. Mary Irby-Jones is the editor of the Courier Journal and vice president and Midwest region editor. She can be reached at mirbyjones@ Follow her on Twitter @mirbyj. Donate to The Courier Journal education lab To make a tax-deductible donation to increase solutions-oriented, in-depth education and children's issues coverage in The Courier journal, go to This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: To expand education reporting, The Courier Journal needs your help Solve the daily Crossword

'It's not that complicated': LMPD chief responds after woman dragged from car
'It's not that complicated': LMPD chief responds after woman dragged from car

Yahoo

time16-05-2025

  • Yahoo

'It's not that complicated': LMPD chief responds after woman dragged from car

Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey said he was well aware of a Louisville woman's social media post showing her being pulled from her car by an LMPD officer. "So, the question was about the video circulating on social media with the woman that alleged she was pulled from a car," Humphrey said during his bi-weekly press conference on May 15. "It's not an allegation. We pulled her out of the car. And we are aware of it." That woman is Kearie Watts. After spending Mother's Day at her grandmother's house in the Parklands neighborhood, Watts told The Courier Journal she began to drive home. Phone metadata from a video shot by her passenger shows that Watts was driving on 36th Street between Grand and Hale a little after 3 a.m. on May 12. At the same time, officers were called to the area following a ShotSpotter notification and multiple calls reporting a person shot. Watts told The Courier Journal she saw a "bunch of police cars parked with their lights on." She said there was no yellow crime scene tape. She was trying to get to the highway to head back to St. Matthews. "When the police officer, he approached me, he didn't ask me to leave, he told me to get off his crime scene, and I was interfering," Watts told The Courier Journal. "I didn't know. As we're exchanging words, there are still police pulling up, so at this point, I can't even back out. As we're talking, another police officer was now putting yellow tape out. "I never would have pulled onto the street because it's common sense that you don't do that if there was yellow crime scene tape." Watts said the officer also told her to go through an alley instead, but she said she didn't want to drive down a dark alley so late at night. Veah Kinslow, Watts' passenger, began to take video of the exchange between the officer and Watts. She said the phone metadata, which she provided to The Courier Journal, says she began recording at 3:16 a.m. at 1120 S. 36th Street, which is the same location as the nightclub shooting where police responded "a little past 3 a.m.," per a statement released by the department. The video begins with Watts in the driver's seat with both hands in her lap, her left hand holding her phone. The driver's side door is open. An unidentified officer reaches his left hand into the car and grabs Watts by her white crop-top shirt and pulls her to the pavement outside her vehicle. His right hand grabs her bicep as he pulls her. Her phone hits the ground, too. Kinslow begins to scream. "The car is still in drive," she says. The officer placed Watts in handcuffs, but she was not arrested or given a court date. "A standard use of force report investigation will be done, and we'll make sure that everything was done the right way," Humphrey said. The post to her Facebook page about the incident has been shared more than 950 times. Watts provided the name of the officer, but The Courier Journal has not been able to confirm it with LMPD. "What I will say is that when the police tell you to leave, I'd advise you to leave. So you won't get pulled out of your car," Humphrey said. "Now, if that officer did anything wrong in the meantime, we'll take care of that. You can trust we'll take care of that. But when we're dealing with a shooting, the last thing we need is somebody who can't follow simple directions. Like, leave. It's not that complicated." Stephanie Kuzydym is an enterprise and investigative sports reporter. She can be reached at skuzydym@ Follow her at @stephkuzy. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: LMPD chief Paul Humphrey talks about woman dragged from car

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store