Oh, Kentucky

You got the wrong DJ's.

In Frankfort, Wilkinson Street School will be no more.

To Taylor Mill, Dunkin' is comin'.

I'm surprised Little League wasn't already in Paducah.

I love deadline extensions.

On the pardons ...

Henderson Police gets creative in how to cost-effectively address its officer shortages.

Turning to sports, our old friend Elijah Sindelar appears to be calling it a career. 

Ninety-one Christmas19 parades: Sharpsburg, Nov. 9; Owensboro, Nov. 23; Central City, Nov. 24; Lebanon and Louisville, Nov. 29;  Greensburg, Guthrie and Pikeville, Nov. 30; Boyce, Dawson Springs, Murray, Salem and Sebree, Dec. 1; Bardstown, Dec. 5; Clay, Fredonia, Harrodsburg, Irvine/Ravenna, London, Maysville, Monticello, Pineville, Richmond, Smiths Grove, Stanton and Trenton, Dec. 6; Arlington, Barbourville, Beattyville, Berea, Bloomfield, Bowling Green, Bromley/Ludlow, Brownsville, Cadiz, Calvert City, Carlisle, Clinton, Columbia, Corbin, Cynthiana, Danville, East Bernstadt, Frankfort, Glasgow, Grayson, Greenville, Hawesville, Henderson, Horse Cave, Inez, Lawrenceburg, Leitchfield, Lexington, Madisonville, Marion, Middlesboro, Morgantown, Munfordville, Murray, Owingsville, Paducah, Prestonsburg, Rabbit Hash, Raceland, Russell Springs, Salyersville, Scottsville, Shelbyville, Somerset, Trenton, Versailles, Whitley City and Winchester, Dec. 7; Auburn, Georgetown and New Haven, Dec. 8, and Augusta, Benton, Burkesville, Burnside, Campbellsville, Cave City, Edmonton, Elkton, Franklin, Hopkinsville, Louisa, Mayfield, Providence, Tollesboro, Williamsburg and Woodburn, Dec. 14!

Oh, Kentucky

Catching up from the weekend ...

Christmas parades: Sharpsburg, Nov. 9; Owensboro, Nov. 23; Central City, Nov. 24; Lebanon and Louisville, Nov. 29;  Greensburg, Guthrie and Pikeville, Nov. 30; Boyce, Dawson Springs, Murray, Salem and Sebree, Dec. 1; Bardstown, Dec. 5; Clay, Fredonia, Harrodsburg, Hopkinsville, Irvine/Ravenna, London, Maysville, Monticello, Pineville, Richmond, Smiths Grove, Stanton and Trenton, Dec. 6; Arlington, Barbourville, Beattyville, Berea, Bloomfield, Bowling Green, Bromley/Ludlow, Brownsville, Cadiz, Calvert City, Carlisle, Clinton, Columbia, Corbin, Cynthiana, Danville, Frankfort, Glasgow, Grayson, Hawesville, Henderson, Horse Cave, Inez, Lawrenceburg, Leitchfield, Lexington, Madisonville, Marion, Middlesboro, Morgantown, Munfordville, Murray, Owingsville, Paducah, Rabbit Hash, Russell Springs, Salyersville, Scottsville, Shelbyville, Somerset, Trenton, Versailles, Whitley City and Winchester, Dec. 7; Auburn, Georgetown and New Haven, Dec. 8; Augusta, Burkesville, Burnside, Cave City, Elkton, Franklin, Mayfield, Providence, Williamsburg and Woodburn, Dec. 14, and Tollesboro, Dec. 15.

Oh, Kentucky

Hey, look, Kentucky made Drudge:

Christmas parades: Sharpsburg, Nov. 9; Boyce, Dawson Springs and Murray, Dec. 1; Bardstown, Dec. 5; Harrodsburg, Hopkinsville and Monticello, Dec. 6; Berea, Bowling Green, Danville, Frankfort, Glasgow, Henderson, Madisonville, Paducah, Scottsville, Shelbyville, Trenton and Whitley City, Dec. 7, and Cave City, Dec. 10.

Oh, Kentucky

What's up with Barren County's hotel-occupancy dip?

Corbin's Times-Tribune apprises us on progress on conversion of an old Economy Inn toward a splash pad.

Carter County's animal shelter, nearing a year old, is just about complete.

On Bath County's 1876 Meatshower.

Happy 175th, Midway Christian.

And now the Ferrell's in Hoptown has had a fire, but the downtown hamburger and "special breakfast" provider since 1936 is plotting its comeback. 

The new CriminalJusticeDegreeHub.com paralegal poll is out, and Kentucky has two schools in the top 10.

Google is bringing digital-literacy training to Bowling Green and Erlanger.

Oh, Kentucky

"Something that has stuck with me from my latest work is, 'Everyone wants to be a lion until it’s time to hunt.' I find this applies to many things and not just writing but specifically to young writers I would say it means to you that everyone wants the novel, the play on Broadway...the finished product. That is the metaphorical 'lion' but not as many want to be a lion when it’s time to write the 15th draft, or format a script or do all the “stuff” that isn’t as glamorous. You can’t be a lion without doing the hunt which is the blood, sweat and tears of what makes a lion so magnificent." Just a fantastic Q&A in Barbourville's Mountain Advocate with Cathy Goguen, "former Knox County teacher, published playwright and author, and mobility advocate...just to name a few," writes Brooke Cole Stansbury.

"We are reminded of God’s creativity and deep connection with all creatures, ecosystems, and humans.  Psalm 24 says, 'The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants too.' This invites us to protect the earth as home, not only for people including future generations, not only for all plants and animals, rocks and mountains but for God. The word 'ecology' is formed from the Greek words for 'house' (oikos) and 'word, purpose' (logos). Creation is the home of God and for God’s people, ecology calls us to our purpose in this joint household. Our purpose for living, according to the Psalms, is to praise God – not alone, not as a solo, but to join our whole being in praise, with the sun and moon, with sea monsters, trees, creatures that creep along, and birds that fly. We praise God by being who God created us to be, to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God, to love one another, care for the least of these among us, and to protect and care our common home." Amen, Carol Devine of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Nicholasville.

"According to a study on religion in America by the Pew Research Center, 22% of Kentucky residents are religiously unaffiliated. Younger Americans are even more likely to be nonreligious. Kentucky lawmakers should not stigmatize these students by promoting religious messages in school! National motto display bills like HB 46 are being pushed by special interests as part of Project Blitz, an effort by Christian nationalists to rewrite American history so that it favors their agenda. These bills aim to undermine the separation of religion and government and spread a false narrative that America was founded as a Christian nation. We cannot allow special interests to use our children to achieve their political goals." American Atheists Inc. issues a call to Kentuckian action.

Turning to sports, “I thank God for the opportunity to do the job I love so close to home.”

And speaking Pine Mountain State Resort Park, which is fantastic ... hiring in Pineville (immediately for a front-desk clerk).

Good jobs news from Erlanger, Elizabethtown and Lexington--and maybe Cave City, too. Bad from Madisonville.

Per USA Today, the richest Kentuckian is an Oklahoman who got himself really rich in California after a trip to Texas.

Paducah and San Antonio, Texas, are trading their UNESCO Creative City crews.

The Beaver Dam Amphitheatre summer schedule is out, and the Class of '86 is going to freak!

Spring cleanup nears in Elkton.

Beds for 50 Shepherdsville Elementary kids who need them.

Relief for cross-state commuters to and from Wickliffe.

Oh, Kentucky

As previously reported, the Madisonville-North Hopkins High Maroons fell short of winning the Kentucky High School Athletic Association boys' basketball championship. It would've been their first. The Maroons made their first Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1938, when my dad was still a student (and cheerleader!), and they've gone 15 times since, but they've never won. Warren Central High of Bowling Green came from way behind in the second half to beat Madisonville-North Hopkins in Friday's second round, 66-62.

My daughter and I joined about three dozen folks in the gym at our First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and watched the KHSAA's live stream projected on a wall. There was popcorn, cookies and soft drinks, and it was a blast, even given the result. First Presbyterian had put on a similar viewing for Thursday night's first-round win, and there were several other organizations that hosted viewing parties around town for those of us who did not make the trip to Rupp Arena.

The Sweet Sixteen--oh, you asked, and the answer is that some years it has been in Lexington and some years in Louisville--really is a heck of a lot of fun, particularly when your own town is in it. I'm thankful for all of players, coaches, students, teachers, administrators, officials, sponsors, journalists, broadcasters, road builders, tax takers, etc. who all make it possible for me and the rest of us to enjoy it. And I'm looking forward to following the girls' tournament this week. Congratulations to the Trinity High Shamrocks of Saint Matthews, the 1929 Heath Pirates of West Paducah and all of the other #khsbbk champs over the years:

• 1918 Lexington (Henry Clay)
• 1919 Lexington (Henry Clay)
• 1920 Lexington (Henry Clay)
• 1921 Louisville duPont Manual
• 1922 Lexington
• 1923 Louisville duPont Manual
• 1924 Lexington
• 1925 Louisville duPont Manual
• 1926 Louisville Saint Xavier
• 1927 Millersburg Military Institute
• 1928 Ashland (Blazer)
• 1929 West Paducah Heath!
• 1930 Corinth
• 1931 Louisville duPont Manual
• 1932 Hazard
• 1933 Ashland (Blazer)
• 1934 Ashland (Blazer)
• 1935 Louisville Saint Xavier
• 1936 Corbin
• 1937 Midway
• 1938 Sharpe
• 1939 Brooksville
• 1940 Hazel Green
• 1941 Inez
• 1942 Lexington Lafayette
• 1943 Hindman
• 1944 Harlan
• 1945 Louisville Male
• 1946 Breckinridge Training
• 1947 Marysville
• 1948 Brewers
• 1949 Owensboro
• 1950 Lexington Lafayette
• 1951 Clark County
• 1952 Cuba
• 1953 Lexington Lafayette
• 1954 Inez
• 1955 Hazard
• 1956 Carr Creek
• 1957 Lexington Lafayette
• 1958 Louisville Saint Xavier
• 1959 Calvert City North Marshall
• 1960 Louisville Flaget
• 1961 Ashland (Blazer)
• 1962 Louisville Saint Xavier
• 1963 Louisville Seneca
• 1964 Louisville Seneca
• 1965 Breckinridge County
• 1966 Shelby County
• 1967 Earlington
• 1968 Glasgow
• 1969 Louisville Central
• 1970 Louisville Male
• 1971 Louisville Male
• 1972 Owensboro
• 1973 Louisville Shawnee
• 1974 Louisville Central
• 1975 Louisville Male
• 1976 Edmonson County
• 1977 Louisville Ballard
• 1978 Shelby County
• 1979 Lexington Lafayette
• 1980 Owensboro
• 1981 Independence Simon Kenton
• 1982 Laurel County
• 1983 Lexington Henry Clay
• 1984 Logan County
• 1985 Hopkinsville
• 1986 Pulaski County
• 1987 Clay County
• 1988 Louisville Ballard
• 1989 Louisville Pleasure Ridge Park
• 1990 Louisville Fairdale
• 1991 Louisville Fairdale
• 1992 Hopkinsville University Heights
• 1993 Marion County
• 1994 Louisville Fairdale 59
• 1995 Breckinridge County
• 1996 Paintsville
• 1997 Middletown Eastern
• 1998 Scott County
• 1999 Louisville Ballard
• 2000 Elizabethtown
• 2001 Lexington Lafayette
• 2002 Lexington Catholic 83
• 2003 Mason County
• 2004 Bowling Green Warren Central
• 2005 London South Laurel
• 2006 Jeffersontown
• 2007 Scott County
• 2008 Mason County
• 2009 Covington Holmes
• 2010 Pikeville Shelby Valley
• 2011 Christian County
• 2012 Louisville Trinity
• 2013 Richmond Madison Central
• 2014 Covington Catholic
• 2015 Owensboro
• 2016 Lexington Paul L. Dunbar
• 2017 Bowling Green
• 2018 Covington Catholic
• 2019 Louisville Trinity

You also asked about hemp in areas of the state beyond central Kentucky. Just in 2019 so far, I've seen reports of business activity around the crop in Bon Ayr, Cave City, Cynthiana, Glasgow, Jenkins, Kevil, Madisonville and Mayfield, so that's southern, southern, northern, southern, eastern, western, midwestern and western Kentucky. Indeed, AerosourceH, the hemp outfit in Ballard County, held an open house Saturday and announced a second wave of expansion that it says is expected to entail 14 more full-time jobs. “The Bluegrass State continues to lead the way in revolutionizing the hemp industry, and AerosourceH is one of many Kentucky companies finding early success in this emerging market,” Gov. Bevin said in a state press release with an unusual weekend wiring. “As this crop takes root nationwide, the commonwealth’s efforts to set the table for economic prosperity are already paying dividends. We congratulate AerosourceH on its rapid growth, and we look forward to more success stories in the years ahead.”

Billy Kobin of The Courier-Journal delivers a rock-solid accounting of how a Paducah Olive Garden server's alertness quickly led to a child-abuse arrest in Tennessee.

I had no idea that Etown is a hub of Kentucky dog-show planning.

Oh, Kentucky

Christmas18 parades (FINAL REPORT): Owensboro, Nov. 17; Ashland, Nov. 20; Brownsville, Nov. 24; Cumberland and Fredonia, Nov. 30; Arlington, Barbourville, Berea, Cadiz, Calvert City, Carlisle, Clinton, Columbia, Corbin ("downtown Corbin is alive and let's keep it that way," writes the editor of Ashland's Daily Independent), Hawesville, Jenkins, Lawrenceburg, Leitchfield, Lewisport, Madisonville, Marion, Murray, Paducah, Somerset and Whitley City, Dec. 1; Bowling Green, Dawson Springs, Glasgow and Salyersville, Dec. 2; Lexington, Dec. 4; Bardstown and Greenup, Dec. 6; Frankfort, Maysville, Monticello, Perryville, Richmond and Smiths Grove, Dec. 7; Benton, Cave City, Elkton, Eubank, Harlan, Hopkinsville, Horse Cave, Loretto, Louisa, Middlesboro, Munfordville, Quality, Park City, Pikeville, Prestonsburg and Stamping Ground, Dec. 8; Grayson, Dec. 11; Whitesburg, Dec. 14; Burnside, La Center, Manchester, Neon and Rabbit Hash, Dec. 15.

It's back to the capitol and (real) legislature for the Kentucky Council of Churches "to pray for government officials and act on behalf of Kentucky’s most vulnerable citizens."

Way to ruin an entertaining @Imaginedragons half-time concert with the weird rantings of a tired, has-been like @LilTunechi... One act still rising...The other, not so much...

— Matt Bevin (@MattBevin) January 8, 2019

Paducah and McCracken County officials talk prioritizing economic-development activities such as arts support and airport expansion, via WKMS.

KFVS is all excited about the possibilities of flying from Cape to Barkley Regional, and so am I.

Hiring in Fulton.

Suicides, fatal auto accidents, homicides and overdose deaths were down; SIDS and drownings, up—for a net decrease of 78 deaths from 2017 to 2018 in Warren County, per WKYU FM.

Christmas19 parades: Scottsville, Dec. 7.

Oh, Kentucky

A Brandenburg native known for his barbecue in North Carolina takes over a Stephensburg icon. Interesting, twisty-turny business story from Becca Owsley in Etown's News-Enterprise.

Remember that Funtown/Guntown Mountain turnover in Cave City? "Everything will be OK."

An air-conditioning and, in turn, library outage in Auburn.

A federal grant is bringing natural gas to Hazard's Coalfields Regional Industrial Park.

One person has been detained as anti-ICE group blocks elevators at Louisville's immigration court https://t.co/qIjX4Ox3tN

— Courier Journal (@courierjournal) July 26, 2018

 

An 11.5-percent spurt in fatal drug overdoses in Kentucky last year ... "This is a fight we must win for the sake of our families, our communities and the commonwealth as a whole."

What's going wrong at the McCracken County jail?

What are McCreary and Wayne counties doing right?

Oh, Kentucky

Cave City can hardly wait for Karst Beach and Boo Boo Playground.

Christmas parades: Bowling Green, Dec. 1, and Hopkinsville, Dec. 8.

Kentucky Opera Night at Louisville City FC is scheduled for June 30.

Corbin's third-annual Burger Week begins Monday. 

Are food trucks and restauranteurs getting too close for comfort in Owensboro?

Dalton Godbey for WBKO 13 looks at Prints of Peace, a jobs-training program for teen-agers, launched by Broadway United Methodist Church and the Bowling Green Housing Authority.

The senior center in Liberty is offering painting classes on Thursday afternoons, and its instructor hails its cognitive and social-skills benefits, per Zach Johnson in The Casey County News.

Hiking trails have come to Hazard, and Buckhorn,  Leatherwood, Viper and other Perry County communities are up next, reports Destiny Caldwell in The Hazard Herald.

Checking in on the vice-presidential campaign of Matt Bevin of Shelburne, New Hampshire, ...

Alliance Coal needed new warehouse space, so a spec building constructed by Madisonville-Hopkins County Economic Development in 2003 has a new owner.

Good jobs news from Bardstown, Florence and Franklin.

Rest in peace, Ronny Smith, publisher of Beauty of 3/Pinnacle VIEW Magazine, park ranger at Cumberland Gap National Park and volunteer photographer at Middlesboro ARH.

Oh, Kentucky

"We are being called ... to be the moral defibrillators of our time," and the Rev. Dr. William Barber is being called to be that in Frankfort on Friday.

Downtown Covington is getting free IEEE 802.11™, IEEE Standard for Information technology--Telecommunications and information exchange between systems Local and metropolitan area networks--Specific requirements Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications, "Wi-Fi."

I love the U.S. 68 400-mile yard sale.

Maybe we'll take a right at Bowling Green tomorrow and head down U.S. 31W to Franklin to celebrate the Johnny and June Cash nuptials.

"School's Out in Mad City," and we're ready to get our festival, jam and carriage rides on.

Oh, Kentucky

Kentucky is on fire over state and local pensions, at a level I don’t recall seeing in more than 40 years of covering the state’s politics. https://t.co/HMZt3Pvh3O

— Al Cross (@ruralj) November 9, 2017

 

Christmas parades: Irvington and Owensboro, Nov. 18; Danville, Nov. 25; Greenup, Nov. 28; London, Monticello and Richmond, Dec. 1; Barbourville, Beaver Dam, Fordsville, Georgetown, Hartford, Henderson, Lawrenceburg, Madisonville, Murray, Somerset and Winchester, Dec. 2; Mount Sterling, Dec. 4; Lexington, Dec. 5; Bardstown, Dec. 7, and Cave City, Elkton, Hanson and Hopkinsville, Dec. 9.

Not much about the parade in this CNN report on Hazard's Black Gold Festival.

Good jobs news from Bardstown, Franklin, Georgetown and Hawesville.

"Tipping point," "next level," etc. in Paducah.

Kentucky for sale:

Oh, Kentucky

Christmas parades: Owensboro, Nov. 18; Barbourville, Fordsville, Georgetown, Madisonville, Murray and Winchester, Dec. 2; Lexington, Dec. 6, and Hopkinsville, Dec. 9.

Except for an uptick in 2006, donations to Paducah's Telethon of Stars have been on the slide since their peak in 1997, per a Channel 6 graph. Last year's total of $228,410 in gifts appears to be about on par with 1971 giving.

Continuing a fantastic but chilling series, Elizabeth Klibanoff with the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting surveys Kentucky's hate-group landscape.

"Hero."

Rest in peace, Mr. Atwell, "Caverna's most successful man."

Oh, Kentucky

A double rainbow over the West Carter football field this evening during the team's picture day. pic.twitter.com/YFVJ7Mnnqz

— John Flavell (@jxflavell) August 3, 2017

McDowell Elementary students are headed to Hi Hat. "Who wouldn’t be excited about a brand new school? And it’s going to be state-of-the-art. ... It’s going to be an awesome thing going to a school that can’t flood. It’s going to be hard, but change is good."

Kentucky for sale ("NEW YORK—Battling for the National Invitation Tournament Crown, three players are caught in ballet poses as Roger Hicks, left, of West Virginia University, shoots from far out in the court as Buck Sydnor, (77), and Don Ray, (96), both of West Kentucky State, reach vainly for the ball. West Virginia won, 47 to 45 in the closing seconds at Madison Square Garden March 25."):

The Paducah Sun is hiring in La Center and Kevil ("6 nights a week pay up to 1800 monthly"). And Page Trucking is hiring for “Local and Regional work out of Morgantown, KY and Bowling Green, KY (TOP PAYING JOBS $240-300 PER DAY)."

Bad jobs news from Coppers Creek, Debord and Lovely.

"The very day they put the tavern in," indispensible Gina Kinslow reports in the Glasgow Daily Times, the owners of Magaline's Antique Mall decided to sell their Cave City business of 25 years.

Oh, Kentucky

Christmas parades: Georgetown, Dec. 2, and Lexington, Dec. 6.

It's Burger Week, and Corbin's Travis' Cafe is blowing my mind with news of its "Quesadilla Burger."

The Henderson Farmers Market says "a big 'Thank You,' to the gentlemen in their lives."

Congratulations to the White House News Photographers Association’s 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award winner, J. Scott Applewhite, formerly of the College Heights Herald, The Gleaner and The Courier-Journal.

The Glasgow Daily Times' Gina Kinslow, another pro formerly of the Herald, sticks to just the facts, ma'am, in economically reporting the Cave City council session that resulted in the purchase of land from a member of the council.

Upon reading Darrell Bird's very interesting report for Cats Pause on Mitch Barnhart's experience on the NC2A selection committee for the men's basketball tournament, my feeling is now that the committee should, instead of meeting all season over which teams are selected for the tournament and how they're seeded, should meet all offseason over the mathematical formula by which the tournament is selected and seeded. And I believe those meetings should be open and streamed live at the NC2A website.

Placing Jefferson Davis in context, at long last.

Kuttawa is amping up its tourism game.

Good jobs news from Whitley County.

Here's the Hazard Bombers' jingle.

Seventy-six ANU-Pikeville Eagles are set to receive degrees and diplomas next week at the Church of Christ in Coal Run.

I didn't yet know to worry about this vinegar fly, but that's all over now.

Oh, Kentucky

Save the Children says childhood "ends" latest in New Hampshire (No. 1) and earliest in Louisiana (No. 50) among the 50 states. Kentucky comes in No. 33 on the list.

Williamsburg has its first liquor store.

The state's community lakes are stocked and loaded for this weekend's children's derbies and other free fishing.

Labor Cabinet secretary Derrick Ramsey--quarterback of the 1976 SEC- and Peach Bowl-champion UK Wildcat football team, walk-on with the '76 basketball 'Cats and my all-time-favorite Oakland Raider and New England Patriot--and Gov. Bevin visited Heaven Hill to celebrate the distillery's workplace-safety performance.

Improvements at Fleming County, Robertson County and Caverna schools might be bringing an end to state oversight of the districts.

NKU is offering a workshop on teaching about climate and environment in middle and high schools.

The Franklin County Humane Society rescued about 200 animals from an apparently abandoned Frankfort pet store.

Good jobs news from Louisville.

NASA reportedly says all of us out here in western Kentucky are greatly underestimating the coming eclipse crowd.

Oh, Kentucky

The editors of the 1986 Pirata would like to apologize for failing to thank the McCracken County Board of Education at the time.

Heath Middle School advances to the U.S. Department of Energy Science Bowl in Washington! (But maybe book refundable tickets.)

"What Trump will do for the little guy is on everyone's minds in Beattyville."

“Countless, unnamed African Americans who contributed beyond measure to the rich history of Kentucky."

Hundreds gather for walk of solidarity for immigrants and refugees. https://t.co/fD1ezWkve5

— WKU Herald (@wkuherald) February 7, 2017

Bringing Americana to Bowling Green.

Staying local in Madisonville.

On tap in Frankfort.

The Fred's in Cave City is closing.

Look at the helpers in Bardstown.

What's up for seasonal hiring at Mammoth Cave?

Dinner converation at the Tiffany Reisz/Andrew Shaffer home in Lexington must get pretty lively. Their joint book signing in Morehead on Saturday night will probably be interesting, too.

It sounds like Kentucky might have a bigger child-abuse problem than we ever imagined.

Here's the 2016 411 on the Morgantown Mission.