Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear says he'll issue the formal call for a special legislative session on the budget later this week.Beshear announced Friday he would summon lawmakers to Frankfort June 15, after a panel of economics estimated the state faces a revenue shortfall of nearly a billion dollars next fiscal year.The governor said Monday that he doesn't know yet if he'll include expanded gaming on the call."I'm still talking to legislative leaders about that, there's a possibility we might address that, I just haven't decided," he said.Proponents of adding slot-type machines at horse tracks say it would add hundreds of millions of dollars to state coffers and help the struggling racing industry. Beshear says even if a gaming bill is approved during the session, the revenue would not be immediately available.Beshear says he won't propose raising taxes as a way to meet the revenue shortfall.
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.
