Lisa Autry

Kentucky’s chief election officer says voter registration numbers are slowly rebounding from the coronavirus pandemic. 

The number of new registrants flatlined in March, in part, because COVID-19 made it difficult to hold voter registration drives. 

Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams announced this week the number of Kentuckians registered to vote increased slightly following the June primary election. 

From June 24-July 31, a total of 21,548 people were added to the state's voter rolls.

Less than a week before the new school year starts, the superintendent of the Bowling Green Independent School District, Gary Fields, has tested positive for COVID-19. 

"On Friday, when I spoke to the Board of Education about returning to school, I said a reality of the current time is that positive cases of COVID-19 will occur and there will be times when students and staff are isolated or quarantined," Fields wrote in a Facebook post. "At the time of that statement, I did not realize how close that reality would be for me."

In a statement, Fields said he had an anti-body test on Thursday morning as a free service offered to all school district employees.  That afternoon, Fields was told he tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, but there wasn’t a need for him to isolate unless he developed symptoms.  He then received a nasal swab test, and on Monday evening, Fields says he learned the second test was positive.

On the same day that Kentucky hit a new record for the number of COVID-19 cases, the Hardin County Board of Education voted Wednesday evening to proceed with in-person classes.  

The school district, with 14,600 students, is planning to begin the academic year on Aug. 24 by offering traditional classroom instruction, as well as a virtual academy.  That was the district’s original plan before Gov. Andy Beshear advised districts to postpone in-person classes until Sept. 28. 

Interim Education Commissioner Kevin Brown has said school systems could face a state shutdown if they defied the governor’s recommendation.  John Wright, Director of Public Relations for Hardin County schools, says the board’s 4-1 decision reflected what most families in the district wanted.

Kentucky school districts are going back to the drawing board as they prepare to reopen under the coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. Andy Beshear has recommended that school districts not resume traditional in-person classroom instruction until September 28, and instead begin the school year remotely. 

Warren County Schools Superintendent Rob Clayton issued a statement on Tuesday calling the governor's recommendation a surprise.

"The negative impact on our most vulnerable students along with the harships it will create for our working families and the industries they serve are insurmountable," wrote Clayton.

Starting next fall, Western Kentucky University will admit some students without taking into account their scores on standardized tests. 

Members of the Board of Regents heard a presentation on Friday about how the school is placing less emphasis on the role of tests like the ACT when it comes to enrolling freshmen.

President Timothy Caboni said the school wants to reward four years of high school success instead of one day of testing.

“While testing can tell you some portion of a student’s capability and capacity, the GPA in high school is the best predictor of college success, so we think we should use that more than other metrics," Caboni told reporters following the Regents meeting.

A Daviess County grand jury has declined to issue indictments stemming from two incidents in Kentucky’s June 23 primary election. 

In a statement issued on Thursday, Commonwealth’s Attorney Bruce Kuegel said the grand jury heard the findings of an investigations by the Daviess County Sheriff’s Department and took no action.  

"Because testimony before the Grand Jury cannot be divulged, I cannot comment on the evidence or testimony," Kuegel added.

The first monument honoring a woman is headed to the Kentucky State Capitol.  

Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman announced this week that a statue of Barren County native Nettie Depp will be unveiled in August 2021.

Depp was a pioneer in education as a teacher and principal.  She was also elected school superintendent in 1913, seven years before women earned full voting rights.  

“A failure to observe women in places of honor narrows the vision of our youth and reveals a lack of understanding of American history regarding women’s work, sacrifice, and the immeasurable and timeless contribution to society’s advancement," stated Coleman.

As he has said many times before, the leader of Western Kentucky University is reiterating the upcoming school year will be unlike any other in the school’s history.

During an online forum with faculty and staff on Monday, President Timothy Caboni fielded questions concerning how the campus will operate under the coronavirus pandemic.

"There is no risk-free environment," stated Caboni. "There will be COVID cases on this campus and our job is to identify them, isolate them, contract trace them as quickly as we can."