Who has questions for me? ✨
+ some of latest on the politics beat
Hey, y’all, welcome to another edition of The Gallery Pass!
We’re gonna keep things nice and light on this fine evening with a few notes about the latest politics news and *drumroll please* a callout for mailbag questions!
Let’s start with the latter. I’d love to do a mailbag newsletter over the next few weeks or so, but obvs I can’t do that without your questions. They can be about anything: Lingering thoughts on #KYGA25, the upcoming interim session, JCPS’ superintendent search, the slowly escalating US Senate race, who could run for governor in 2027, anything.
Drop your questions in this survey. It is anonymous and you can fill it out multiple times.
OK, time for some of the latest in Kentucky politics and policy.
What do you mean hundreds of people’s photos got posted on a porn site?
Big news out of Leitchfield recently: A man got arrested after it allegedly turns out he may have been uploading photos of literally hundreds of girls and women in the area to a porn site. Oh, and he had been doing so for about five years.
Most of the photos posted, I understand, are clothed. But the lack of consent and the subsequent degrading comments are, obviously, incredibly bad.
Rep. Samara Heavrin, a 33-year-old Republican representing Leitchfield, said she was one of the women whose photos got posted without permission. She’s the chair of the House Families and Children Committee and has already vowed to look into legislation that could stop similar situations in the future.
And now it is down to two
After a closed-door search process to replace outgoing Superintendent Marty Pollio, JCPS announced the names of its two superintendent finalists: Ben Shuldiner and H. Brian Yearwood.
Neither has clear ties to Kentucky, let alone Louisville. Neither has led a district of JCPS’ size. One seems like a job hopper; the other got several hundreds of thousands of dollars to leave his last gig and the tea in the Reddit thread is absolutely PIPING hot.
Now, I understand this is a politics newsletter, but y’all know Frankfort loves to go after its largest school system. But I’ll leave my washed-up former education reporter hot takes there for now, but might write another newsletter solely focused on this whole thing. (Let me know in the survey if you’d be into that.)
Let’s go, girls
A woman has finally been picked to emcee Fancy Farm.
No, seriously: Until this year, every single person to host the political speaking event has been a male. (And I know cause I spent an entire evening in my 20s individually looking up every emcee because I’m weird and I care.)
Ashli Watts, President and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, is the lucky chosen one. Go get ‘em, trailblazer.
‘Intriguing dark horse’
POLITICO recently had a piece about, surprise, Gov. Andy Beshear seems to be gearing up for a presidential run in 2028. And the crowd goes … mild.
Note to outsiders: It isn’t breaking news if Kentucky-based reporters have been saying it for more than a year.
This piece did have some substance to it, I’ll give ‘em that. But I let out a chortle when I saw someone quoted as saying Beshear is “an intriguing dark horse.” When you’ve been covering him for years and actively watched (are watching) how his comms strategy shifted after winning reelection, Beshear does not feel intriguing, nor a dark horse.
I promised nice and light, so I will stop talking now. Don’t forget to send in your questions for the mailbag newsletter!
I have lots of fun stories in the works for y’all, so stay tuned and please tell everyone you know to subscribe to The Gallery Pass! OK, thx, bye bye!