Kentucky 2008 ballot news archive
From Ballotpedia
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Note: This page includes short news headlines as they happen. If you scroll through the page and read earlier headlines, information pertaining to the events in those sections may have changed significantly since the section was posted.
Citizens seek to dissolve their town
A group of petitioners angered over high taxes in their small town of Lone Oak have filed a petition that would allow citizens to vote on whether or not their town should be dissolved. Lone Oak Mayor Kimberly Stevens says a petition bearing 100 signatures was submitted to her office requesting that thc city's future be decided in the election on November 4. The petition must be reviewed prior to the August 12 deadline.
Rental property owner Hugh Roberts helped organize the petition drive, claiming Lone Oak's property tax is higher than rates in the city of Paducah and McCracken County, and that property owners get very few services for their money.[1]
Casino could mean more revenue for Ellis
Governor Steve Beshear says casinos are still a possibility in the commonwealth even though lawmakers rejected the idea earlier this year. Beshear campaigned to have the issue put on the ballot and at a town hall meeting this week. He said he's not giving up.
There is local support for casino gaming in Kentucky especially at Ellis Park.
Ellis Park owner Ron Geary said he was glad to hear the issue may be back on the table. Geary says he's always had a dream of expanding his race track. He said if Kentucky legalizes casino gaming a $150 million investment would be made to the 86 year old track.
"I don't think it would ever happen," said Ron Stone, who visits Ellis Park every day. But, he said, "I wouldn't mind seeing one here. I mean, casinos are great for income, revenue."
Others at Ellis disagree. "I wouldn't go to a casino," said Dale Austin, who has been coming to Ellis Park since he was six. He doesn't want to see any changes.[2]
”I don't think that issue is dead,“ Beshear told about 400 people gathered in a small school auditorium in the heart of the Appalachian coalfields. ”I think we will be talking about it a lot more.“
Beshear began a series of 13 town hall meetings Thursday that will take him to communities across the state during the next five weeks.
The governor said he is especially interested in suggestions on how state government can continue to provide services under tight budget constraints. The state faces a $900 million revenue shortfall over the next two years.
Beshear, who received a standing ovation when he was introduced, raised the casino issue in a community where support for the proposal is at best lukewarm, said the Rev. John Doug Hays, pastor of Jack's Creek Baptist Church and a former state senator.
”We're a conservative, church-oriented community,“ Hays said. ”I just don't think it's a popular issue here. I understand what the governor says, that it's happening all around us. By the same reasoning, you could say there's prostitution in Nevada. Let's bring in legalized prostitution. We have to draw a moral line in the sand.“ [3]
References
- ↑ Angry residents seek to dissolve their town [The Courier-Journal], July 25, 2008
- ↑ The Tri-State News Leader: "Casino could mean more revenue for Ellis," July 23rd, 2008
- ↑ Kentucky AP: "Casinos not dead yet, Beshear says," July 18th, 2008
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