🚨 Kentucky has announced the finalists in its "I Voted" sticker contest. 🚨 Per the Secretary of State: Kentuckians can vote for their favorite sticker at the SOS's booth at the State Fair from August 20-30.
Rainesford Stauffer
@rainesford.bsky.social
Freelance writer, reporter, author. Kentuckian. rainesford.alexandra@gmail.com / Signal rstauff.20 www.rainesfordstauffer.com
"The U.S. Geological Survey verified early this morning that a 2.5-magnitude earthquake [...] At the same time, much of the area that felt the quake was under an active tornado warning..."
WKMS@wkmsfm.bsky.social · 47m agoAs severe storms moved through western Kentucky late Wednesday night, some residents felt a rumble that was more than thunder. www.wkms.org/public-safet...
this story has: abolitionism (in 2026, if the pundits can believe it), trans organizing for hunger strikers in ICE facilities, criminalization over targeting Flock cameras at Trans Pride as part of the fight against mass surveillance, LGBTQ history and its modern resonances—what more could you want?
The fight to protect a trans landmark in California from ICE’s biggest contractor
Compton’s Cafeteria is one of the earliest examples of LGBTQ+ resistance. Today, a prison company occupies the site
theguardian.com
Tens of thousands of people in northwest Indiana remain without power, more than a week after deadly storms leveled trees and knocked down power lines across the region.
Tens of thousands in Indiana are still without power a week after deadly storms
Tens of thousands of people in northwest Indiana remain without power, more than a week after deadly storms leveled trees and knocked down power lines across the region.
bit.ly
Abortion opponents want AG Blanche to use an annual Interpol sting related to counterfeit drugs to target the domestic distribution of mifepristone: 19thnews.org/2026/08/abor...
Abortion foes eye Interpol’s global law enforcement network to target abortion pills
Outside experts said the plan to target mifepristone ordered from overseas reflects the anti-abortion movement’s growing frustration with the Trump administration’s inaction.
19thnews.org
Keep seeing pieces on Gen Z & "income stacking." I think there's another angle: Thanks to exhaustingly high costs of living and a job market in turmoil, many young people (and people of all ages) can't afford to get by with only one job or can't find a full-time job. Reported on this a while back:
The Toll Working Multiple Jobs Takes on Young People
“Rat race,” “chaos,” “stressful”: these are just a few ways young people are describing days stuffed with side projects, shift schedules, and Google Calendars color-coded by job.Illustration Credit: Z...
everythingispolitical.com
Every day I am astonished that this is no longer across the board.
Rainesford Stauffer@rainesford.bsky.social · 2d agoRe: recent news/discourse in journalism, I'll take every opportunity to say that I think fact-checking is one of the most important parts of the editorial process and I wish every single publication employed people to fact-check every single piece.
And being a fact checker has improved my reporting skills!
Rainesford Stauffer@rainesford.bsky.social · 2d agoRe: recent news/discourse in journalism, I'll take every opportunity to say that I think fact-checking is one of the most important parts of the editorial process and I wish every single publication employed people to fact-check every single piece.
It finally happened: Someone asked where I was, assuming it was NY. I said Kentucky, they said "oh god," and I blurted out "what does that mean?"
A 19-year-old in Texas has spent nearly a year raising her 13-year-old sister after their parents were detained by ICE and deported to Honduras. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
U.S. citizen teens left behind when ICE deported their parents
After their mom and dad were deported, two Fort Worth teens went nearly a year before seeing their parents.
nbcnews.com
Re: recent news/discourse in journalism, I'll take every opportunity to say that I think fact-checking is one of the most important parts of the editorial process and I wish every single publication employed people to fact-check every single piece.
looking to talk to people involved in south dakota politics.
Marisa Kabas@marisakabas.bsky.social · 2d agook i'm fully back and ready for all of your news tips. message marisakabas.04 on signal with the scoop.
That means two more cases than yesterday. Kentucky has now had more measels cases in 2026 than any full year since 1991.
Measles outbreak confirmed in western Kentucky
Kentucky health officials have identified at least 13 new measles cases as part of an ongoing outbreak of the virulent disease.
lpm.org
It sounds like he (or the genAI that drafted this piece) fundamentally misunderstands writing as a tool for conveying ideas. What good writing does is *clarify thought*. Can you be a "thought leader" (shudder) without that process?
This is obviously horrifying. But going to be thinking about her quote in countless instances from now on: “Okay, let’s see if you can fight, and he couldn’t."
Mikki Kendall@karnythia.blacksky.app · 2d agoI just want to know who's baby this is? Because I am proud of her like she's one of mine. This is perfection
For @slate.com, I reported on the nostalgia surrounding Pizza Hut's Book It! program 🍕 People shared fond memories of falling in love with reading, what it meant to them as kids in terms of food access, and the glory days of books + personal pan pizzas. Gift link:
It Might Be the Best Thing a Corporation Has Ever Done. It’s Finally Back.
Reading may reportedly be in crisis, but the personal pan pizza is forever.
slate.com
If the criticism is "why don't journalists write about X?" the answers usually are: -a word count limit of 600 or less -a publishing quota deterring longer stories -an editor shot down the pitch or cut that detail or angle -a beat reporter was laid off -freelance rates of $250 to $350
today in job listings that make me want to die: "we exist to make humanity more free"
"Whether it’s AI models scraping your data or noisy data centers popping up in your backyard, the AI revolution seems to be an event happening to us without making us feel like active participants." www.wired.com/story/the-ai...
The AI Slop Backlash Is Actually Having an Impact
Platforms are finally recognizing that people don’t want to consume AI slop. A growing number of sites and apps now have tools and policies to flag, label, and ban AI-generated content.
wired.com
We placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it, and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books.
We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility
We placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it, and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books.
404media.co
Bonnie Kincer has rebuilt her flower shop and dance studio on Main Street in Fleming-Neon twice, after destructive Eastern Kentucky floods tore through in 2022 and 2025. On Friday morning, she broke down in tears. “We’ve had to replace everything twice before now. I just can’t do it again.”
‘I can’t replace it again.’ Flooding batters isolated pockets in Eastern Kentucky
The region remains at a slight risk for continued flash flooding this weekend as an unusual weather pattern sends storms southward.
kentucky.com
This story’s got everything: Spiderman-villain weaponry, Black Hawk Down, vaccine conspiracy theories, weird YouTube videos www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
The Orwellian Company Behind ICE’s New Electric Shock Gloves
“With a glove, there are no burn marks or scars.” That makes it hard for victims to sue.
motherjones.com
A student I work with said they had walked through the park 10 minutes prior and was still in the area when this happened, and said it was terrifying. A 4-year-old and a 14-year-old reportedly among those who were shot. Just absolutely makes me sick.
Lexington Herald-Leader@kentucky.com · 5d ago“We have five people that I think received injuries and probably have one deceased,” Gov. Andy Beshear said while speaking in downtown Lexington.
We're hiring! The Trace and Block Club Chicago are looking for a full-time staff writer to cover the impact of gun violence on Chicago’s neighborhoods. More info here:
The Trace and Block Club Chicago are hiring a Staff Writer
The Trace, in partnership with Block Club Chicago, is looking for a full-time staff writer to cover the impact of gun violence on Chicago’s neighborhoods.
thetrace.org
An undercover federal agent infiltrated a Minneapolis church despite a court order barring immigration enforcement at churches in its network. Newly released documents also show federal agents surveilled the church several times this spring.
Feds spying in Minneapolis church may have violated court order
Homeland Security spied on a Minneapolis church in May as part of an investigation into alleged anti-ICE activities, potentially violating a court order barring federal agents from enforcing civil imm...
mprnews.org
"The people leading this charge don’t want to protect girls in sport. They want trans people to be gone. And they never will get what they want because trans people always have existed and always will."
Julia Poe@juliapoe.bsky.social · last wk.When I think about trans people in sports, I don’t think about lobbies or legislation. I think about my friends. Wrote about pick-up hoops, queer community and love:
Something I've been working on! The Southern Prize for Literature supports writers developing book-length manuscripts and stands as one of the largest recent investments in Southern literature. One winner will $25k two runners-up will each receive $10k. www.southarts.org/grants-oppor...
Southern Prize for Literature | South Arts
The Southern Prize for Literature advances the work of writers engaged in the development of book-length manuscripts. The award is designed to provide timely support at a critical juncture in a projec...
southarts.org
WIRED obtained internal records that detail hundreds of allegations of CBP officers using federal databases to spy on exes and family members.
CBP Workers Allegedly Used Government Databases to Spy on Exes, Crushes, and Colleagues
Records obtained by WIRED detail hundreds of allegations of Customs and Border Protection workers misusing internal tools to look up romantic interests and track colleagues’ cell phones.
wired.com