Justin Hicks
Data ReporterJustin Hicks is a data reporter serving the Kentucky Public Radio network as well as LPM's daily newsroom and Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting.
He's especially passionate about using data to uncover issues that disproportionally affect rural and Appalachian communities.
Email Justin at jhicks@lpm.org.
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Earnings reports from a handful of public distillers show bleak sales. But one Turkish-based expert says young people, looking for a bargain-price buzz, are still interested in cheaper whiskey brands. -
From federal rulemakers all the way down to Kentucky lawmakers, 2025 was full of regulatory wins for mining companies. Meanwhile, health researchers confirm that deaths from black lung disease are rampant in the mine industry. -
Classical Host Laura Atkinson and Reporter Justin Hicks trace the American musical tradition of shape note singing from colonial America up to today in an emotional, and joyful sonic journey. -
Taylor Barracks symbolized freedom for thousands of formerly enslaved men in Kentucky. -
After a UPS plane crashed in Louisville killing 14 people and injuring dozens more, AI-generated posts flooded social media with disinformation. -
Last year, the federal government issued a new rule requiring self-insured coal mines to prove they can cover 100% of future black lung disease costs. Two Democrats say they’ve heard the Trump administration isn’t following the rule. -
As emergency crews clean up the wreckage of a fatal UPS plane crash in Louisville, nearly 100 businesses near the airport still aren’t allowed free access to their property. While they wait, government officials have activated some aid programs. -
A newly released preliminary investigation has found cracks in hardware meant to hold the left engine to the UPS cargo plane that crashed, killing and injuring dozens of people in Louisville. -
On Wednesday, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and the Jefferson County Coroner said they have formally confirmed the identities of all the victims who were recovered from the plane crash site. -
President Donald Trump’s administration has promised financial relief for soybean farmers when the federal government reopens. The hardwood lumber industry, which has been struggling with impacts from Trump’s first term, wants to be included.
