Bluegrass Institute

10/16/2026

Good standards say what students will learn. Kentucky’s draft uses the word “may” more than 100 times. If content is optional, it isn’t a standard.

While the proposed Kentucky Academic Standards for Social Studies dated August 2026 (hereafter the “proposed standards”) contain some improvements over the December 2022 standards currently in use, many major problems remain.

10/15/2026

Clay was a white Kentucky aristocrat who attacked slavery with the power of the pulpit, the press, and, when necessary, brass cannons.

Clay was a white Kentucky aristocrat who attacked slavery with the power of the pulpit, the press, and, when necessary, brass cannons.

10/14/2026

One camera error. One innocent woman nearly facing charges. The Bluegrass Institute's Abby Hall tells Leland Conway why Flock license plate readers demand urgent oversight. 🎙️

The Bluegrass Institute's Abby Hall joins Leland Conway to break down why license plate readers, privacy loopholes, and a lack of transparency demand urgent oversight before tech replaces due process.

10/12/2026

In 2022, UofL Health asked to convert 33 acute care beds into 33 psychiatric beds. Same building. Same bed count.

Denied.

The hearing officer even noted the need-determination formulas were "likely flawed." Kentucky can do better.

Kentuckians struggle to receive timely, high-quality care. This policy brief examines Kentucky's current certificate of need laws, summarizes relevant empirical research, and discusses several evidence-based CON reforms that would improve access and competition in Kentucky’s health care system.

10/10/2026

A single Flock camera error nearly got an innocent woman charged with a crime.

Abby Hall of the Bluegrass Institute joined Leland Conway on the radio to explain what that tells us about trusting automated surveillance without question.

Listen:

The Bluegrass Institute's Abby Hall joins Leland Conway to break down why license plate readers, privacy loopholes, and a lack of transparency demand urgent oversight before tech replaces due process.

10/09/2026

10/07/2026

Before a data center developer comes knocking, what should Kentucky communities know? Bluegrass Institute's Joseph L. Verruni walked through the key economic and energy policy questions on the Kentucky Focus Show. Watch:

What should communities consider when a data center project is on the table?

10/07/2026

When officials call surveillance technology a "reasonable compromise," it's worth asking: reasonable for whom? Abigail R. Hall joined Leland Conway to explain why she calls Flock cameras a gross overreach. Listen:

Abigail R. Hall discusses her op-ed, "Flock cameras aren't 'compromise;' they're gross overreach."

10/05/2026

A $24 million surgery center in Fort Mitchell sat tied up for more than two years — delayed by litigation from a rival hospital system.

170,000 northern Kentucky residents waited.

Kentucky has less than half the national average of ambulatory surgical centers per capita.

Kentuckians struggle to receive timely, high-quality care. This policy brief examines Kentucky's current certificate of need laws, summarizes relevant empirical research, and discusses several evidence-based CON reforms that would improve access and competition in Kentucky’s health care system.

10/02/2026

On a 0–100 scale of CON stringency, Kentucky scores 100. Maximum restriction.

Indiana and Ohio have scrapped most of theirs.

Patients near the state line can see the difference. Our new report explains why.

Kentuckians struggle to receive timely, high-quality care. This policy brief examines Kentucky's current certificate of need laws, summarizes relevant empirical research, and discusses several evidence-based CON reforms that would improve access and competition in Kentucky’s health care system.