Latest news with #GovBeshear
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A governor, a podcast and a presidential race years away: Q&A with reporter Lucas Aulbach
Gov. Andy Beshear has been busy lately, and at The Courier Journal, we've been following every step. Beshear has repeatedly hinted he's considering running for president in 2028 (with the caveat that last time we checked, that election is more than three years away). Steps the governor has taken to build a bigger national profile are at the center of our latest Blueprint cover story. Louisville native Lucas Aulbach has spent plenty of time in Frankfort since joining The Courier Journal in 2016 and recently shifted roles to become a full-time member of the politics team. His email address is laulbach@ — reach out any time with tips, feedback or other thoughts. In the meantime, here's a closer look at how the Blueprint came together. The easiest answer is "Gov. Beshear started a podcast." That was the first domino, and my colleague Killian Baarlaer wrote a quick story on it while I was out helping with flooding coverage. I came back later that week and talked a bit with news director Rob Byers about writing a longer story about it — after Beshear's name was mentioned last year as a potential vice presidential candidate and as he's become a more common presence on 24-hour news networks and on the political rally circuit, I thought the podcast announcement could be a good starting point for a lengthier piece about how his national profile is growing. I'd love to say I went into Watergate mode and took on a monumental undertaking in political journalism. I'll take all the credit you want to give me, don't let me stop you. But truth be told, with this one, sometimes I did the reporting, and sometimes the reporting came to me. I sought out some experts in the world of political talking heads, as I wanted some voices from outside Kentucky and perspectives from people who understand media. I reached out to a few media conglomerates that publish bigger political podcasts, and Crooked Media's Shaniqua McClendon was kind enough to spend 30 or so minutes on the phone with me one Friday afternoon. As the scope of the story expanded, I tried to talk to people outside of Kentucky who have been following Beshear and have listened to him speak to gain perspective on the impression the governor is making outside the state and where he stands among the ever-growing list of potential 2028 candidates. To that end, I was lucky to get in touch with Scott Brennan, who called me while he was out on a Friday afternoon walk in Iowa. One morning back in April, I caught Beshear on the phone for about 15 minutes to talk about the podcast and his national profile. And in the meantime, he was kind enough to keep making headlines that were relevant to our coverage — in separate interviews in early May, he said he may consider running for president in 2028, and podcast episodes and other interviews he took part in gave me more notes and quotes to work with, along with pushback from Kentucky Republicans. We hit on this point toward the end of the piece — Beshear and other potential 2028 presidential candidates may not have announced they're in the race yet, but campaigning has already started. We have a long few years ahead. Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@ This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: How we reported on Gov. Andy Beshear's growing national profile
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Did weather service staffing cuts impact tornado warnings for Kentuckians? Beshear weighs in
KENTUCKY, Ky. (FOX 56) — Recent federal cuts to the National Weather Service (NWS) have raised some concerns from the public over whether the organization's office in Jackson was able to issue warnings with enough time for residents to act. On April 4, the Associated Press reported that nearly half of NWS forecast offices have vacancy rates of up to 20%—twice the vacancy rate of a decade ago. RELATED l Tornadoes touch down in southeastern Kentucky: What to know During a press conference on Friday, Gov. Beshear responded to questions about whether or not NWS warnings were a detriment to the well-being of Kentuckians. 'While I have big concerns about cuts to the National Weather Service, I don't see any evidence it impacted this one,' Beshear said. 'The National Weather Service is just an amazing organization. I work with them every day, every week, in this job. They work so hard. And if you look especially at the flooding disasters, on a couple of them, they gave us a week, a week's worth of notice.' NWS survey teams are currently in Laurel County, where researchers said 'at least EF-3' damage had been found in neighborhoods close to the London-Corbin Airport. Pulaski County community members offer free services for those in need Victims and volunteers work to clean up after devastating tornado hits London Did weather service staffing cuts impact tornado warnings for Kentuckians? Beshear weighs in Survey teams are also in Pulaski County, where an initial survey showed EF-2 and potential low EF-3 damage. Storm survey teams are still gathering their findings in both counties. Gov. Beshear said local, state, and federal leaders are ready to help anyone impacted by the storms for weeks and months to come. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
London park closed after ‘direct hit' by tornado
LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) — A historic London park and campground has closed after caretakers say the area 'sustained a direct hit' from an overnight tornado. The Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Park posted on Facebook on Saturday morning that the park would be closed for the coming days, asking travelers in the area to minimize park traffic for those helping with safety efforts. Park officials said all power has been lost at the park, and officials are temporarily working at the London Community Center while crews work to get it restored. Gov. Beshear, Laurel County law enforcement work to prevent post-storm looting London park closed after 'direct hit' by tornado 3 taken to hospital after Somerset highway crash 'We are incredibly thankful that everyone at the campground remained safe during the storm,' park leaders said. Prospective visitors with a camping reservation for Saturday or Sunday, May 17 or 18, were asked not to come to Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Park. Guests with reservations past those dates were asked to call park officials at (606) 864-7777. Park staff will reportedly begin processing refunds in the coming days. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Gov. Beshear, Laurel County law enforcement work to prevent post-storm looting
LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Following deadly storms in the area, state leaders said during a press conference on Saturday that looting in areas impacted by a deadly storm system would lead to an arrest and prosecution. 'That is the lowest of the low crimes,' Beshear said. 'These people have been through enough. Do not do it.' Just before 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, the London Police Department (LPD) posted on social media that officers will be stationed within the city limits to protect residents who have already lost loved ones and homes. 'The London Police Department wants to stress that there will be Zero Tolerance for looting during this critical time,' officers wrote. Gov. Beshear, Laurel County law enforcement work to prevent post-storm looting London park closed after 'direct hit' by tornado 3 taken to hospital after Somerset highway crash State police announced around 8:45 p.m. on Saturday that after rescuing citizens trapped by storms and taking injured victims to the hospital, troopers would remain stationed in areas impacted by the storms to prevent looting. Beshear said during a press conference that 70 soldiers and airmen with the Kentucky National Guard had been deployed to augment Kentucky State Police in areas of Laurel County affected by storms to enhance public safety. 'The Guard will continue helping our local communities as long as needed,' Kentucky National Guard officials wrote on Saturday. Corey Elam contributed to this story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
