News & Notes for Monday

KY Senate passes resolution to study issues in juvenile justice department

On Friday, the Kentucky Senate passed a resolution to create a legislative workgroup to study the issues in the state’s juvenile justice centers. Senate President Pro Tem David Givens (R-Greenburg) filed the resolution, citing the reported issues in the juvenile justice system throughout the state of Kentucky.

“A crisis is not the adequate word for what’s going on here,” Givens said. “Crisis doesn’t even start to touch the depth of this problem.” (Link NKY)

Who will replace Morgan McGarvey? What to know about special election

Former state Sen. Morgan McGarvey is now a U.S. congressman, so an empty seat is up for grabs in the Kentucky Senate.

A portion of Louisville voters will have a chance to pick McGarvey’s successor in a special election scheduled for Feb. 21. The winner will be able to serve in the final few weeks of Kentucky’s 2023 legislative session, which is expected to end on March 30. Here’s what voters need to know. (Courier-Journal)

Knight takes oath, pledges to make city ‘safer, cleaner’ as Hopkinsville’s mayor

Mayor-elect James R. Knight Jr. is pledging to make Hopkinsville a “safer, cleaner” city and said he’ll take a hard look at how policing works in the community. He also wants to pursue smart growth, “not growth for growth’s sake,” while paying special attention to small businesses. To achieve all that, he said he’ll need the backing of city council and local residents. (Hoptown Chronicle)

Western Kentucky prosecutor to resign rather than face impeachment

One of the two Kentucky commonwealth attorneys facing impeachment for misconduct in office has decided to resign. Rick Boling, elected prosecutor in Christian County, will resign Feb. 28, according to Rep. Jason Nemes, who last week introduced resolutions to consider the impeachment of Boling and Ronnie Goldy Jr., the elected prosecutor for the 21st Judicial Circuit. (Courier-Journal)

The US has a new pollution rule for heavy-duty trucks for the first time in 2 decades

Communities that have long borne the brunt of vehicle pollution are one step closer to breathing cleaner air after the Environmental Protection Agency finalized stricter emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles in December.  The agency’s new rule, part of its larger Clean Trucks Plan, is the first time pollution standards for semi trucks, delivery trucks, and buses have been updated in more than 20 years. Although heavy-duty vehicles represent less than 5 percent of vehicles on the nation’s roads, they are major emitters of nitrogen oxides, a group of polluting gases that play a significant role in the formation of smog. In high concentrations, nitrogen oxides are known to contribute to heart disease, allergies, asthma, and other lung diseases. (Grist)

And from the twitterverse ...

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