Ryland Barton
Ryland is the state capitol reporter for the Kentucky Public Radio Network, a group of public radio stations including WKU Public Radio. A native of Lexington, Ryland has covered politics and state government for NPR member stations KWBU in Waco and KUT in Austin.
Always looking to put a face to big issues, Ryland's reporting has taken him to drought-weary towns in West Texas and relocated communities in rural China. He's covered breaking news like the 2014 shooting at Fort Hood Army Base and the aftermath of the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas.
Ryland has a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Texas. He grew up in Lexington.
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A Texas law empowering state and local police to enforce immigration law is currently blocked, but lawmakers in other states, including Georgia and Iowa, are still passing similar legislation.
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After the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos deserve legal protections, reproductive rights groups are worried about fetal personhood bills in several state legislatures.
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Congress has been slow to regulate the artificial intelligence industry, but states have been plowing ahead, proposing and passing laws dealing with AI in elections, fake images and health care.
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Though deemed a hoax, a bomb threat emailed to numerous state government offices across the country underscores the vulnerability of state legislatures to this kind of disruption.
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President Biden toured flood damage in eastern Kentucky with the governor. The president promised increased federal aid and assistance to help the recovery. At least 37 people died in the flooding.
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Many states are seeing fierce partisan battles over voting proposals. But in Kentucky's Republican-led legislature, an election reform bill has gotten widespread support from both parties.
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The Kentucky Derby was delayed because of the pandemic, now demands are being made that Churchill Downs use this moment to make lasting changes and to take a stand against racial injustice. -
Charles Booker, a Black progressive state representative, is mounting a strong challenge to Amy McGrath, the veteran recruited by top Democrats to run against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. -
More than a week after the election, in which he was 5,000 votes behind, Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin conceded the race to Democrat Andy Beshear, the state attorney general.
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Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin's campaign has asked the state for a recanvass of the votes from Tuesday's gubernatorial election, in which he trails by about 5,000 votes.
