Lisa Autry

Another Republican lawmaker in Kentucky has come out against the idea of Gov. Bevin contesting results of the Nov. 5 election in the state legislature. 

According to unofficial tallies, the GOP incumbent was defeated by 5,189 votes by Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear. 

Bevin claims there were voting “irregularities,” but has shown no evidence.  Republican state Senator Mike Wilson of Bowling Green says if the recanvass doesn’t change the results, Bevin should move on.

“You have to show clear, compelling evidence that there was fraud that would have changed the outcome of the election," Wilson said in an interview with WKU Public Radio.

A federal court ruling has cleared the way for a Kentucky man to get a personalized license plate reading “IM GOD.” 

When Plaintiff Ben Hart relocated to Kentucky in 2016, he applied for a personalized license plate for his vehicle to convey the same message he had on his Ohio-issued license plate.

Hart filed a lawsuit after the Kentucky Division of Motor Vehicles initially refused his request, calling the “IM GOD” message obscene or vulgar.  Later, the state said the plate was rejected because it was “not in good taste,” and could distract other drivers or possibly lead to confrontations.

All county boards of elections in Kentucky will convene Thursday morning to recanvass the results of the governor’s race. 

Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear claimed victory over Governor Matt Bevin in the Nov. 5 election, with unofficial results showing Beshear with a 5,189-vote lead statewide.  Bevin refused to concede the race, citing “irregularities,” which have been unsubstantiated.  

The purpose of a recanvass is to verify the accuracy of the vote totals reported from voting machines.  Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes says she doesn’t believe the difference in the vote can be made up by Bevin.

Some political observers may be scratching their heads over how a reliably red state that embraces President Donald Trump chose a Democrat over the Republican incumbent for governor in last week’s election in Kentucky. 

Outgoing Attorney General Andy Beshear emerged the apparent winner with a more than 5,100-vote advantage over Matt Bevin. 

Joel Turner, a political science professor at Western Kentucky University, doesn’t think the governor’s race was a referendum on President Donald Trump, whom he expects to win Kentucky again in the 2020 election by 20 to 30 points.  Turner says the results from the Nov. 5 contest instead reflect widespread dissatisfaction with Bevin.

Kentucky’s chief election officer says she doesn’t think Governor Matt Bevin will be able to successfully challenge the results of Tuesday’s election. 

According to unofficial results, the Republican incumbent lost to Democrat Andy Beshear by 5,189 votes.

Bevin formally requested a recanvass on Wednesday, which will be conducted Thursday, November 14.  The process requires county clerks to make sure the vote totals from each machine were recorded accurately.

“Remember in November” became the rallying cry this year among many Kentucky teachers, highlighting their deep rift with Governor Matt Bevin over pension reform and education proposals. A number of those teachers have been stepping up their activism to help elect Bevin’s Democratic challenger, Andy Beshear, on Nov. 5. 

Chris McCoy is one of them. He's been on a mission to make Matt Bevin a one-term governor, knocking on doors since July for Gov. Bevin’s Democratic challenger, Andy Beshear.

“I’ve been in the education field for 15 years and I’ve never seen teachers get this excited over an election," McCoy told WKU Public Radio.

The Democrat hoping to win another stint as attorney general in next week’s election says he will continue to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable in court for contributing to Kentucky’s opioid crisis. 

Greg Stumbo told the Bowling Green Noon Rotary Club on Wednesday that he wants to finish what he started.  As Kentucky’s former attorney general from 2004-2008, he brought a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma which his successor Jack Conway settled for $24 million. 

Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers announced last month that he would file a resolution in the 2020 session seeking an investigation into the settlement.  Stivers thinks Kentucky didn't get as much money as it could have from the drug maker, but Stumbo says the settlement was a record at the time.

Recent polling suggests the race for Kentucky governor between incumbent Republican Matt Bevin and Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear is a toss-up. Both campaigns are stepping up their ground game one week from election day.

On a Saturday morning in October, a group of Warren County residents assembled in the old Pushin Building in downtown Bowling Green.

“Thank you all for coming," said Cody Pruitt, a Regional Field Director for the state's Democrats. "If this is your first time coming, this is the field office for the Kentucky Democratic Party and Andy Beshear.”

Over coffee and doughnuts, Pruitt rallied the troops before they fanned out across Warren County for some old-fashioned door knocking. Their goal: persuade voters to turn out for Democratic candidates on Nov. 5.

Kentucky and other states will participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 26, and the Drug Enforcement Administration is expanding what it will accept to include vaping products.

Prescription Drug Take Back Day began a decade ago to allow households to safely discard of expired and unused prescription drugs anonymously to prevent theft or abuse. 

For the first time, the DEA-sponsored event will accept vaping pens and cartridges, although the DEA can't take devices containing lithium ion batteries.

After nearly four years of turmoil, the family of Gabbi Doolin now has some measure of closure. 

Timothy Madden, who admitted to brutally killing seven-year-old Gabbi Doolin, was sentenced on Wednesday following an emotional day of testimony and a courtroom outburst. 

Amy Doolin described her only daughter Gabbi as her heart and soul, and sobbed her way through a victim impactment statement that she waited to make since November 14, 2015.  That’s when Gabbi’s body was found behind Allen County-Scottsville High School only minutes after she went missing from her brother’s football game.

Workers in Kentucky and eight other states have begun voting on a tentative labor deal between General Motors and the United Auto Workers Union.

The proposed agreement represents $7.7 billion in investments in factories and additional employees.

Other highlights of the tenative contract include an $11,000 ratification bonus for full-time employees and $4,500 for temporary workers.

The Democrat running to be the next Secretary of State says Kentucky has a problem maintaining accurate voter rolls, and Heather French Henry says a new process is needed to update the database. 

A judge ruled this week that the state Board of Elections must remove 170,000 voters from an inactive list before the election on November 5. 

In a wide-ranging interview with WKU Public Radio, Henry said everyone involved with maintaining the voter database must be more fair and transparent in the future.

Striking General Motors employees in Bowling Green and across the nation could be headed back to work in a few days. 

GM and the United Autoworkers Union have reached a tentative deal over a new contract that would end a month-long work stoppage.

"We can confirm the UAW’s statement regarding a proposed tentative agreement," said Dan Flores, Manager of GM Corporate News Relations. "Additional details will be provided at the appropriate time."

Three weeks before Election Day, some public school teachers in Kentucky are pressing voters to make Matt Bevin a one-term governor. 

Several retired educators brought what they call their “Won’t Be Bullied By Bevin” tour to Bowling Green on Tuesday.  The group made stops last week in Henderson and Pikeville.

The tour, spearheaded by the Kentucky Democratic Party, is working to elect Bevin’s Democratic challenger, Andy Beshear, in the Nov. 5 election.