Mark White

Should Kentucky pass a law that bans school districts from starting classes in early August? This is currently a question that the Kentucky General Assembly is pondering after Sen. Chris Girdler, R-Somerset, introduced Senate Bill 50, which would prohibit schools from opening any sooner than the Monday closest to Aug. 26. The idea is certainly a proposal with some merit. A recent study for the Kentucky Marina Association and Kentucky Travel Industry Association estimates that the drop in tourism from July to August 2014 cost the state more than $432 million in lost business. The study also found that about 6,000 tourism jobs ended in August and more than $45 million in local...

With the battle lines drawn for the upcoming May Primary election, I thought now might be a good time to break down the only local race on the ballot, which pits incumbent 82nd Rep. Regina Bunch against challenger Alex Patrick. The winner will face Williamsburg teacher Bill Conn in the November General Election. Could Patrick beat Bunch in the primary? Sure it’s possible, but I don’t see a real viable path to victory for him here. My political assessment of Bunch has remained roughly the same for several years. I think she is vulnerable to a challenge from a strong candidate. For instance, someone like retired Whitley County Superintendent Lonnie Anderson,...

Did you know we are having a presidential caucus in March? What is a presidential caucus? For some odd reason, I got these questions multiple times from multiple people Thursday. So, for those that don't know, there is a presidential caucus next month and there are a few very notable differences between a caucus and a primary election for president, which I will try to explain below. • Why are we having a Republican Presidential Caucus on March 5 but a Democratic Primary Election on May 17? - In a nutshell, the answer to this question is U.S. Senator Rand Paul, one of Kentucky's two senators. Paul is one of several people...