RICHMOND, Ky. — Virginia legislators have finalized a recreational marijuana bill, ending an five-year effort to open licensed cannabis dispensaries in the state. Under the bill, up to 350 dispensary licenses will be issued, with the first dispensaries allowed to open July 1, 2027. Those interested in applying for a license can do so beginning in February. The bill increases the amount of marijuana residents can possess from one ounce to two ounces. But while possession will be legal, public consumption will be subject to a $250 civil fine. Marijuana sales will help boost the state’s coffers with a 6 […]

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by GOV. ANDY BESHEAR In the last few weeks, my administration received a number of calls and emails from Kentuckians concerned about painful cuts to Medicaid, behavioral health services and senior meals. These are very real and valid concerns that I want to address. First, I want Kentuckians to know that these cuts were completely avoidable. In January, I put forward a balanced budget that funded the needs of our Department for Community Based Services; maintained both the full funding and full services for providers like the Lee Specialty Clinic; fully funded Medicaid; expanded the number of Michelle P. Waiver […]

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PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — A Johnson County man has been arrested for charges connected to a fatal crash more than a year ago. Joshua Conley, 42, of Boyd Branch in Paintsville, is now charged with vehicular homicide, DUI and driving on a DUI-suspended license. The vehicular homicide charge is the most serious, punishable by 10-to-20 years in prison. He is accused of being under the influence when he was involved in a crash on U.S. 23 near Town Branch in Prestonsburg May 20, 2025. That crash eventually resulted in the death of Susan Pratt, 71, of Kingsport, Tenn., who died Sept. […]

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WISE, Va. — The Health Wagon introduces Dr. Kristin Glover, PharmD, BCACP, as Director of Pharmacy Services/Pharmacist-in-Charge at St. Mary’s Faith Pharmacy. Dr. Kristin Glover, PharmD, BCACP, is a board-certified ambulatory care pharmacist with more than 18 years of experience across community pharmacy, clinical patient care, and pharmacy leadership. She brings a rare combination of advanced clinical knowledge, pharmacy management experience, regulatory expertise, and direct patient care, with a background spanning medication therapy management, chronic disease care, obesity and metabolic care, immunization services, patient counseling and education, and collaboration with other healthcare providers. Dr. Glover, PharmD, BCACP is joining The […]

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PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Pikeville Medical Center is proud to announce the successful completion of its first solo MitraClip procedure. The groundbreaking, minimally-invasive procedure was performed by Maen Assali, MD, an interventional cardiologist at the Heart & Vascular Institute of Eastern Kentucky, offering a new, life-changing treatment option for patients with severe mitral regurgitation who are considered too high-risk for open-heart surgery. MitraClip is one of the world’s first mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair therapy, also referred to as TMVr, or transcatheter mitral valve repair, that delivers a minimally invasive treatment option for select patients. It is a well-established procedure with more […]

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