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Joe Sonka

Joe Sonka is Kentucky Public Radio’s first enterprise statehouse reporter. He joined the team in October 2023.

Joe has covered Kentucky government and politics for nearly two decades. He grew up in Lexington and moved to Louisville in 2011, covering city and state government at LEO Weekly and then Insider Louisville. He became state government reporter for the Courier Journal in 2019 and was a lead reporter for the newspaper’s 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winning series on former Gov. Matt Bevin’s controversial pardons just before leaving office.

You can email Joe at jsonka@lpm.org and find him at non-Twitter apps such as Threads (@joesonkaky) and BlueSky (@joesonka.bsky.social).

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s new book is out. Here are 5 things we learned.

As Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear continues testing the waters for a potential presidential run in 2028, his new book “Go and Do Likewise” hit shelves Tuesday. Here are five takeaways from the book, as reported by Kentucky Public Radio.
By Joe Sonka
Gov. Andy Beshear (center in white shirt) joins U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. representatives and local and state economic development officials Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in a ground-breaking ceremony for the company's expansion in the South Park industrial site. (Photo by Gwenda Motley for Hoptown Chronicle)

Beshear calls for ending state tax incentives for data centers

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in his weekly press conference that the state should do away with data center incentives, echoing bipartisan criticism in recent weeks.
By Joe Sonka
An anti-data center sign is across the road from farmland where a massive hyperscale data center has been proposed in rural Mercer County. (Kentucky Public Radio photo)

Many Kentucky providers serving vulnerable patients brace for 4% Medicaid rate cut

Medicaid providers across Kentucky learned their reimbursement rates would take a 4% hit starting in August, according to a letter from Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration.
By Joe Sonka
stethoscope

Kentucky House keeps open impeachment petition to remove Supreme Court justice

The impeachment petition to remove Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Pamela Goodwine remains open despite the legislative session ending, as the House referred it to an investigative committee.
By Joe Sonka
Judge Goodwine gives her victory speech to those in attendance at her watch party in Lexington, Kentucky, on Nov. 5, 2024. Photo by Arden Barnes

Education, data centers and more: Here’s what Kentucky lawmakers advanced heading into last days of sessions

Lawmakers in the Republican supermajority continue negotiations to hammer out their differences and determine which bills will move forward and which will have to wait until next year.
By Joe Sonka
Rep. Suzanne Miles

Senate GOP pushes bill to move driver’s license renewals back to Kentucky counties

Republicans in the Kentucky Senate gave priority status to a bill that could return driver’s license renewals back to county offices, citing long wait times at regional offices.
By Joe Sonka
people in line at regional driver's license center

Democrats again leave many Kentucky legislative races unchallenged in 2026

The candidate filing deadline passed Friday in Kentucky, with Democrats again leaving many General Assembly races unchallenged to the Republican supermajority.
By Joe Sonka
2026 Kentucky House races map

Education, data centers, immigration and housing: The 2026 Kentucky legislative agenda

Beyond passing a two-year state budget, the GOP supermajority of the Kentucky General Assembly plans to advance bills addressing education, data centers, immigration and housing in the 2026 session.
By Joe Sonka
Ky Capitol

McConnell, Paul clash over Senate provision that critics say will destroy US hemp industry

Kentucky GOP Sens. Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell are clashing over a provision that opponents say will destroy the growing hemp industry in America.
By Joe Sonka
Rand Paul speaking

Kentucky hemp farmers urge McConnell in letter to not ‘criminalize’ their harvest

Kentucky hemp farmers sent a letter to Sen. Mitch McConnell asking him for a meeting and to not again try to insert language into a bill banning certain hemp-derived products.
By Joe Sonka
man standing in front of hemp farm

Kentucky barely misses budget trigger for income tax cut in 2027

Kentucky tax revenues fell $7.5 million short of what was needed in the past fiscal year to trigger cutting the income tax to 3% in 2027.
By Joe Sonka
ky capitol

Trust the process? Kentucky GOP speeds bills through near session’s end, over objections

The Kentucky General Assembly's Republican supermajority sped more than 100 bills to passage ahead of the governor’s veto period. Some of the most contentious measures were heavily amended before the public could give their input, or even read them.
By Joe Sonka
(Left to right) GOP Senate President Robert Stivers, of Manchester; GOP Sen. Christian McDaniel, of Ryland Heights; and GOP Senate Majority Floor Leader Max Wise, Campbellsville; confer on the Senate floor as proceedings head into the evening Friday, March 14, 2025.
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