Ryan Van Velzer
Kentucky Public Radio Managing EditorRyan Van Velzer is the Kentucky Public Radio Managing Editor.
Ryan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and has more than a decade of experience in the industry. He has worked for The Arizona Republic, The Associated Press, The South Florida Sun Sentinel and as a travel reporter in Central America and Southeast Asia.
He has won numerous awards including regional Edward R. Murrow awards, Associated Press Broadcasters awards and Society of Professional Journalists Louisville Pro Chapter awards.
Email him at rvanvelzer@lpm.org.
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What are your plans for when the lights go out? September is National Preparedness Month. Kentucky emergency management has this reminder on how to best prepare for disasters. -
The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals denied another request to block Kentucky and Tennessee bans on gender-affirming care for minors while the court reviews a legal challenge to the laws. A final decision in the case is expected later this month. -
Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities implemented rolling blackouts for more than 50,000 customers on the coldest day of the year last winter. At the time, they blamed the forced outages on a natural gas supply disruption, but new testimony reveals coal power failed too. -
A utility case that will influence the future of Kentucky's energy portfolio began Tuesday. At its heart is whether Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities can retire several coal generators and replace them with a combination of natural gas and renewables. -
Dozens of Kentuckians spoke out against Louisville Gas and Electric’s plans to build two new natural gas plants during the last of five public meetings with utility regulators at Louisville’s downtown library on Wednesday. -
Young environmentalists won a landmark case in Montana on Monday when a court ruled the state violated their right to a healthy environment by permitting fossil fuel development without considering its impacts on climate change. The decision hinges on constitutional language that some Democrats in Kentucky have pushed for years. -
State utility regulators have approved a 10-year power contract for a $25 million cryptomining facility on a former coal mine in Union County. It’s the first of three large, discounted energy contracts for crypto facilities under review by state utility regulators. -
A federal working group aimed at revitalizing coal communities over-promised how much money was available to Kentuckians by more than $200 billion. -
Kentucky’s rural water systems face a complex series of challenges. Much of the state’s infrastructure is deteriorating. Many water utilities lack the necessary workforce, and the funding to upgrade their systems. -
The world’s appetite for coal is diminishing, and the communities that mined it for generations are struggling to adapt. Kentucky’s Republican lawmakers are leveraging the economic turmoil to bolster support for coal, but experts say mining communities would be better off supporting the transition to a sustainable future.
