r/859

A new Normington Petts survey of 400 likely Democratic primary voters in Kentucky's 6th Congressional District (conducted April 6-9, ±4.9%) shows Cherlynn Stevenson as the clear front-runner:

• Stevenson: 27%
• Zach Dembo: 13%
• Erin Petrey: 6%
• Corey Edwards: 4%
• Ausbrooks / Kloiber / Carroll: 2%, 2%, 1%
• Undecided: 45%

Two things worth knowing about this poll before you read too much into it.

First, it was commissioned by EMILYs List's Women Vote PAC, a group backing Stevenson. Internal polls from supporting organizations reliably tilt toward their candidate; the topline numbers may be real, but the framing around them is advocacy.

Second, on the pollster itself: Normington Petts carries a B/C rating from Nate Silver's Silver Bulletin pollster ratings based on 12 polls.

The number that actually matters here is 45% undecided with 17 days until the May 19 primary. The poll's own biographical test, in which voters heard background on each candidate before answering, narrowed the race to Stevenson 38%, Dembo 32%, suggesting it can move significantly before Election Day.

The primary is on May 19. Here's how to vote:

• Mail-in absentee: Request by May 5 at 11:59 PM online; ballot must be received by 6 PM on Election Day
• In-person early (excused): May 6-8 and May 11-13
• In-person early voting (no excuse needed): May 14-16
• Election Day: May 19, 6 AM-6 PM

Not sure if you're in the 6th? Enter your zip code at census.gov/mycd to find your congressional district.

h/t: jamesd0wns on X

After months of debate, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council voted 10-5 Tuesday to rehabilitate the existing sewer pump station on Mint Lane near Dunbar High School rather than relocate it to Mill Ridge Farm on Bowman Mill Road. The decision came down largely to cost ($19.6M vs. $24.9M) but was shadowed throughout by questions of public benefit.

Critics argued that moving the pump outside the urban service boundary would effectively subsidize future development by the Bell family, who had lobbied to be included in the 2023 urban expansion and hosted a design open house for a proposed upscale development on part of the farm just two months before the council asked staff to explore alternative pump sites.

The replacement is required under the city's 2011 EPA consent decree, with a 2030 deadline. The vote was 10-5.

Voting to keep the pump at Mint Lane: Boone (D-12), Eblen (D-3), Hale (D-7), Brown (At-Large), Morton (D-1), Curtis (D-4), Ellinger (At-Large), Elliott Baxter (D-9), Higgins-Hord (D-6), Reynolds (D-11).

Voting against: Sevigny (D-10), Sheehan (D-5), Wu (At-Large), Beasley (D-8), Lynch (D-2).

The Kentucky Lantern has a new piece today on how Kentucky schools are continuing to manage the fallout from the Trump administration's December revocation of a $47 million, five-year Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) grant administered by the Lexington-based Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.

The grant had been supporting 40 schools across 20 Kentucky districts for three years of a five-year award, providing mental health services, tutoring, after-school programs, family engagement, and transportation assistance. The Prichard Committee was told the program "no longer aligns with the Trump Administration's priorities."

Six of those 20 districts are in the 859 region. The Prichard Committee administered the federal FSCS grant through a state-level program called the Kentucky Community Schools Initiative (KCSI). According to the KCSI Roster published by the Kentucky Department of Education, the affected 859-area districts and their schools are:

• Fayette County Public Schools: Northern Elementary, Millcreek Elementary
• Clark County Public Schools: Rev. Henry E. Baker Intermediate, William G. Conkwright Elementary
• Danville Independent Schools: Toliver Intermediate, Danville High School
• Covington Independent Public Schools: Holmes High School, Holmes Middle School
• Dayton Independent Schools: Lincoln Elementary, Dayton High School
• Washington County: North Washington Elementary, Washington County Elementary

The Prichard Committee has said it will not end the underlying work and is calling on community organizations, businesses, and local leaders to help sustain what the grant funded. If you are in one of these districts and want to get involved or learn more about what services are at risk, the Prichard Committee has more information at prichardcommittee.org.