ROSE: Free Rides And A Free Life

As the Kentucky State Fair opens this week, the prospect of unvaccinated people from across Kentucky mingling together freaks us out a bit. But, a bright spot is that there will be vaccines available at the fair ­— and perks for those who take advantage of it. The Kentucky Association of Health Plans is offering free, unlimited ride wristbands and $20 gift cards for anyone 12 and up who gets vaccinated at the Fair’s West Wing Health Pavilion. So, get your free thrills and then enjoy the freedom that the vaccine will bestow upon you ­— and us all. 

THORN: Regulating Spaghetti Straps > Requiring Masks

The superintendent of Science Hill Independent Schools in Kentucky, Jimmy Dyehouse, called Gov. Andy Beshear a “liberal lunatic” in a voicemail to parents over the governor’s mask mandate. Meawhile, Dyehouse is perfectly content to tell his students not to wear spaghetti straps or crop tops, according to the district’s dress code. So, policing modesty is OK, but not, you know, making sure your students, teachers and parents don’t die. Got it.

ROSE: We Also Think The GOP Should STFU

School board member Chris Kolb and Louisville councilperson Jecorey Arthur got feisty last week with Republican state senators who challenged Gov. Andy Beshear’s school mask mandate. Kolb tweeted “Fuck you” to state Sen. Whitney Westerfield who told us we’re not thinking about the children when we ask them to wear masks… to protect them. Then, when state Sen. Max Wise decided to complain about the mandate eroding local decision making, Arthur tweeted “STFU” with a map of all Kentucky’s red counties. Some people in the thread argued that those two responses to the senators were unprofessional, but, at this point, so many Republican politicians in the country and state are adamant about dismantling any sort of COVID-reasonable measure while politicizing a deadly virus… so as official Twitter judges, LEO rules in the favor of Kolb and Arthur. 

ROSE: Laughing While Crying

Kentucky’s Senate Democrats have found a large following on an unlikely platform: TikTok. Their videos perfectly, and hilariously, capture the frustration of politics in a red state, where minimum wage legislation and gun reform are DOA. Thanks to intern Piper Burke, the Senate Dems now have 28,000 followers and almost 1 million views on their first post alone.