From Kentucky Public Radio's Tony McVeighA year after his hiring, Kentucky Education Commissioner Jon Draud is resigning due to health reasons.In September, Education Commissioner Jon Draud suffered a mild stroke that affected his ability to walk. He continues his recovery, but has not been able to return to work full time.Now, citing health reasons, Draud is resigning effective early February. State Board of Education Chairman Joe Brothers isn’t totally surprised by the decision, even though Draud just received a positive evaluation.“He had done a good job for us," Brothers said. "He had spent a lot of time out in the field building relationships with people and reinforcing the importance of people across the state.”Draud, a former lawmaker from northern Kentucky, became the state’s fourth education commissioner in November 2007. Chairman Brothers says he likely will schedule a special meeting for January to discuss how to proceed.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.