James Bruggers

It's open season on KY ratepayers’ pocketbooks, while their voices are being silenced • Kentucky Lantern Kentucky lawmakers consider proposals to benefit coal and nuclear industries at the expense of electrical utility ratepayers.

Where does the Kentucky Legislature want to take energy policy in Kentucky? For one, lawmakers are seeking to expedite the development of nuclear power, regardless of the cost, while inhibiting wind and solar and boosting coal, according to Tom Fitzgerald: kentuckylantern.com/2026/03/03/i...

Newsonomics: Will national news shrink even faster than local news did? "The sweep of changes we see has one main cause: the political effort to stifle robust national journalism."

Ken Doctor: "We’d better open our eyes to how quickly the losses in authoritative national news are growing. These losses come at a time when the need for checks and balances in our wobbly and threatened republic has never been greater." www.niemanlab.org/2026/03/news...

Cost of Coal: Electric Bills Skyrocket in Appalachia as Region’s Economy Collapses - Inside Climate News WHITESBURG, Kentucky — Buddy Sexton opened a community meeting about the financial troubles of local volunteer fire departments with his head bowed: “Let people understand what a need we have in this ...

Here's my story from 2018: "They are doubling down on coal at a time when coal is not competitive,” said James M. Van Nostrand, a professor at the West Virginia University College of Law with decades of experience in the energy field. “It’s really tragic.” insideclimatenews.org/news/1408201...

As other states push back on rising power bills, West Virginia lawmakers double down on coal While West Virginians struggle to pay their power bills, lawmakers are rejecting or tabling proposals to help.

Saw a story in the Mountain State Spotlight today about WV doubling down on coal and paying a price for that. It harkened back to one I reported in 2018. Here's the new story: mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/03/03/r...

Helping Trees—and a City—Outrace Climate Change - Inside Climate News Arborists and land managers are trying “assisted migration” as global warming threatens livability in communities and the health of urban and rural forests.

As humans continue to heat the planet with greenhouse gases, potentially locking the Earth into a “hothouse” trajectory, according to new research, scientists worry that nature won’t be able to keep up with climate change. How about a little assisted migration? insideclimatenews.org/news/0103202...

The hypothetical nuclear attack that escalated the Pentagon’s showdown with Anthropic Start-up Anthropic and the U.S. military are careening toward a clash over government use of artificial intelligence — and whether it should be allowed to kill.

On one level, it’s hard to make sense of this story about AI and the power to monitor US citizens and independently launch deadly attacks. On the other, don’t we need some guard rails? www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

ICE detainees seeking freedom slam Kentucky judges with petitions Dozens of detainees held in county jails under federal contracts have turned to the courts in recent weeks, straining the system.

Reporter Monroe Trombly at the @courierjournal.bsky.social finds immigrants held in Kentucky jails are filing a record number of lawsuits challenging their detention by ICE. And judges are often ruling in their favor. www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

Wish I could go back in time and see what this looked like and experience it - trollies and commuter rail in Louisville 100 years ago.

Mickey Lolich, Detroit’s Hero of the 1968 World Series, Dies at 85

The 1968 Tigers turned me into a baseball fan. Mickey Lolich was one of the reasons. Three complete game wins in that year's World Series - and a home run. The guy had a rubber arm, as they'd say. After his career, he ran a donut shop. He'd be in my Hall of Fame. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/s...

Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Facilities in Texas Emitted 1.6 Million Pounds of Regulated Pollutants During Last Week’s Icy Weather - Inside Climate News As freezing temperatures swept over West Texas last week, leaky pipeline systems in the Permian Basin of West Texas began to suck in air, spoiling their products, risking an explosion and leading oper...

At @insideclimatenews.org, Peter Aldhous and @dylanbaddour.bsky.social follow the data and find extra pollution amid freezing temperatures. insideclimatenews.org/news/3101202...

Denied Peace Prize, Trump Tells Norway He’ll Push for Greenland

President Trump is now claiming that one reason he is pushing to acquire Greenland is that he didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize, according to a message he sent to Norway’s prime minister over the weekend.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/w...

Iran’s Regime Has Survived War, Sanctions and Uprising. Environmental Crises May Bring It Down. - Inside Climate News Decades of water depletion, dam building and repression of scientists and environmentalists have driven Iran toward ecological crises that are fueling protests rocking the country.

Such a smart and timely story on the ecological nightmare that is Iran, and its human toll. I don’t think you’ll read the story anywhere except at Inside Climate News. From @katiesurma.bsky.social … insideclimatenews.org/news/1401202...

The new secret chambers, where lawmakers will meet with no access for the public except a few credentialed journalists?

Coal community groups urge Congress to reject proposed raid of abandoned coal mine clean-up fund Today, the House Appropriations Committee released an updated “minibus” appropriations bill with bipartisan support that includes a proposal to withdraw $500 million from the Office of Surface Mining ...

Bad news for coal states - @appvoices.org posts an alert that Congress is attempting to raid many millions of dollars in funds previously allocated to clean up abandoned coal mines. appvoices.org/2026/01/05/r...

Nobody needs a mink coat but the mink- Felix, Christmas in Connecticut.

‘60 Minutes’ Pulled a Segment. A Correspondent Calls It ‘Political.’

Bari Weiss had to know the criticism and damage to CBS News’ reputation when she spiked the prison story last minute. She must find the reaction useful to her. If so, she is intentionally blowing up CBS News. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/b...

Sure, debate what to do about climate change. But Trump's war on science can't end well. • Kentucky Lantern Shutting down the National Center for Atmospheric Research is stupid and tragic. It's shooting ourselves in the foot and shooting the messenger.

This is my first commentary for the @kentuckylantern.com it deals with #NCAR. Was inspired by @katharinehayhoe.com

kentuckylantern.com/2025/12/19/s...

How Did the C.I.A. Lose a Nuclear Device in the Himalayas? A plutonium-packed generator disappeared on one of the world’s highest mountains in a covert mission that the U.S. will not talk about.

What a crazy-ass story this is. I want to read the book and watch the movie… www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Trump Cancels Trail, Bike-Lane Grants Deemed ‘Hostile’ to Cars The Trump administration canceled grants for street safety measures, pedestrian trails and bike lanes in communities around the country this month, each time offering a simple rationale for yanking ba...

So only Democrats walk and ride bikes and take the bus? www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

From @connorgiffin.bsky.social - Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman made false or unsupported claims about the science of climate change in letter to EPA. Basically, don't worry be happy about all the CO2: www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...

Geoengineering Won’t Save Us From Global Warming, New Study Says - Inside Climate News New research by a team of top ice and climate scientists debunks some speculative technological climate fixes for preserving the polar ice caps.

A team of the world’s best ice and climate researchers studied a handful of recently publicized engineering concepts for protecting Earth’s polar ice caps and found that none of them are likely to work. Via @bberwyn.bsky.social insideclimatenews.org/news/0909202...

Prosecutors Fail to Secure Indictment Against Man Who Threw Sandwich at Federal Agent

Prosecutors Fail to Secure Indictment Against Man Who Threw Sandwich at Federal Agent. I guess it wasn’t a ham sandwich. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/u...

The Ecofeminist Movement Is Surging. Here’s What Its Advocates Want - Inside Climate News More women are connecting environmental degradation with attacks on women's rights, seeing both as rooted in similar values. They’re drawing on personal experiences and reams of research to make their...

What an interesting story from @katiesurma.bsky.social -- Women's voices around the world, and a world increasingly inspired or impacted by ecofeminism. insideclimatenews.org/news/2106202...

It’s #sej2024 and of course it includes a visit to a sewage treatment plant. But this one is unique: it treats Mexican and American sewage

Good morning, PHX and #sej2025. I’ve got my two hard boiled eggs, bottle of water, some almonds, and a granola bar. This is early to rise, but we’re off to the border for a day long reporting tour.

a train with the number 705 on the front of it ALT: a train with the number 705 on the front of it

The train… 😀 Wish I had that option.

It’s off to #sej2025, my 31st. At this point, I feel sort of hardwired to attend. Looking forward to seeing old friends and new ones too. And to be inspired by journalists’ rising to the challenge of the day.

Climate Leaders Warn About Potential Trump Action Against Environmental Groups - Inside Climate News On the eve of Earth Day, they vowed to defend groups that have worked to combat the climate crisis and are expected to be targeted by the current administration.

Climate Leaders Warn About Potential Trump Action Against Environmental Groups insideclimatenews.org/news/2104202...

As Trump Promotes ‘Clean Beautiful Coal,’ a  Lit Cigarette Above a West Virginia Coal Mine Leaves a Woman Fighting for Her Life - Inside Climate News On Tuesday, President Donald Trump took to the White House podium to boost one of his favorite energy sources.  “We’re ending Joe Biden’s war on beautiful clean coal once and for all,” he said, as uni...

In case you missed this, West Virginia regulators require methane remediation from a coal company following a blast that severely burned a woman in her home. insideclimatenews.org/news/1104202...

Eeeek.