Oh, Kentucky

Maysville becomes 10th #Kentucky city with law protecting LGBT people from discrimination https://t.co/9V7WAHe78w

— The River City News (@theRCnews) August 9, 2018

 

"What about swastikas?"

Taj Sardar According to the Gospel (via Mike James in Ashland's Daily Independent): "I don’t want him to lose his job. It’s his livelihood. I don’t want him to apologize to me. Maybe to the public. He hurt the public more than he hurt me. I’m not holding it against him. We’re all human. I believe in forgiveness. I hope he learned something."

Congratulations, Mandy, hero of the Pulaski County Humane Society (and well done, Cara Slavey, of Somerset's Commonwealth Journal).

It could be back to (Jacob) school for some of Louisville's seniors.

Ceramics are back in downtown Corbin.

Where the Master Gardeners of Madisonville are (almost every morning these days).

Bad jobs news from Covington.

Engines idled in Sitka, too.

Oh, Kentucky

New York Times profiles Marshall County students who spoke out for gun control after shooting

‘Almost No One Agrees With Us’: For Rural Students, Gun Control Can Be a Lonely Cause https://t.co/N7pxgE24GD

— Ryland Barton (@RylandKY) May 22, 2018

Good guys with guns, in Madisonville next school year.

Greetings from Asbury Park, New Jersey; Paducah and seven other places, per USA Today.

"There are several guidelines, which include: ..." reads the tee-up to a bulleted list in a Kentucky Standard staff report on a Bardstown-Nelson County Tourist and Convention Commission grant program. For my money, the most interesting of those guidelines are that "(r)equests may be made for start-up and/or operational costs, including staffing, for local non-profit organizations’ tourism-related project or event" and that "(f)unds awarded to festivals and events are normally awarded on a sliding scale, for no more than three consecutive years. (Assuming, of course, all other guidelines are met.)" Both seem well-conceived to me, assuming the notion of the granting program is to spark new tourism-oriented activities, as opposed to sustaining them. Anyway, I find this whole report interesting, congratulate the not-credited Kentucky Standard staffer (maybe an intern) who put it together and wish the Bardstown-Nelson County Tourist and Convention Commission the absolute best of luck in achieving its goals.

OK, the primaries ... localwise, my wife and I rocked the Hopkins County Precinct 27 vote late yesterday afternoon at our local Shriner’s Rizpah Temple. We were accompanied by our daughter and one of her fourth-grade friends, who spent their day off playing together, and at the polls we ran into my wife’s parents, a woman we go to church with, a couple we used to go to church with and the woman who owned our house two owners before us. Nary a fistfight broke out, so we celebrated by taking the girls for milkshakes and me a corndog. My wife, who is all about sensible choices and self control, thought long and hard about a white-chocolate Twix and dark-chocolate KitKat—but passed on both so as not to spoil her supper. The joke was on her, however, as it turned out my 4 p.m. corndog was powerless against my almost-undefeated appetite--I still ate double helpings of mac-and-cheese and white beans just a couple of hours later. As my wife and I tidied up the kitchen and the girls frolicked with some neighborhood kids in the sprinkler, we listened to (sublime) Danny Koeber read returns on WFMW Classic Hit Country AM 730, as they rolled in from the Hopkins County Clerk downtown. The big news was that barbecue-magnate Kevin Cotton edged two-time-incumbent/hailed-CPA/gospel-singer David Jackson in the Republican primary for mayor--and, furthermore, Danny divulged after polls were closed that he had heard a rumor that Democratic challenger David Oakley, who was unopposed in the primary, would discontinue his campaign if Kevin beat David J. (David O and Kevin both used to work for the city, but it was unclear whether David O was considering forgoing the November general because he and Kevin are friends or because his main goal was to unseat David J or some other reason.) Anyway, all of this is fine with the two eligible-voter Democrats in this Precinct 27 house, as, though we think David J has done a fine job and have had nothing but positive experiences in our interactions with him, we also love Kevin (and his barbecue) and believe he is an inventive thinker with a heck of a lot of energy and a demonstrated orientation toward the least of these. We couldn't vote in the GOP primary yesterday, but we had already pretty much decided to cross lines and cast for whichever Republican come November. I think Kevin will do great.

And, statewise, here's the AP's unsurprisingly sturdy roundup.

Oh, Kentucky

Check out these fantastic aerial shots of the work going on at the stadium, compliments of Rick Lohre (CCH '92). We're getting close! pic.twitter.com/koNPkt5zuz

— CCH Football Alumni (@CovCathFBAlumni) August 7, 2017

Everything must go from Frankfort's Capital Plaza Tower.

Knox County Public Schools faculty and staff are taking it to the streets Wednesday.

The Kentucky Wired statewide-broadband project is behind schedule. Securing rights-of-way is the primary current hurdle, East Kentucky Broadcasting reports from Pikeville.

Rick Cochran--I'm pretty sure he's Russ Cochran's nephew and an old Heath High Pirate--won the West Kentucky Open pro-golf tournament for a record fifth time.

The Elkton Dairy Queen is hiring ("Will be some day shift but must be available Mon through Sun from 5:30am to 10:30pm. 36-40 hours a week.").

Reidland Ponderosa, we hardly knew ye.

Every day is Lighthouse Day in Fort Thomas.

Oh, Kentucky

Edmonson County Schools Start Weds, August 2nd: School and Law Enforcement Officials Offer Advice, Encouragement - https://t.co/kkm9pC6Ft3 pic.twitter.com/WevHgQkt9a

— The Edmonson Voice® (@edmonsonvoice) August 1, 2017

"He would call me late in the night from somewhere on the road, a ghost town in Texas, a rest stop near Pittsburgh, or from Santa Fe, where he was parked in the desert, listening to the coyotes howling. But most often he would call from his place in Kentucky, on a cold, still night, when one could hear the stars breathing ..."

Questions and answers with Paducah's mayor.

Fear and accusations from Kentucky's governor.

Coming off his 29th western Kentucky town hall, U.S. Rep. James Comer rolls on to Princeton today and Clinton tomorrow.

An ad maker for President Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns has created a spot introducing a retired Marine lieutenant colonel and Democratic challenger to U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, described as Sen. Mitch McConnell's "hand-picked congressman." 

Todd County's fiscal court has ordered all landings and takeoffs at the local airport stop, but that hasn't happened and the airport board has lawyered up. The judge-executive says it has to do with reducing liability on the county, but the airport people apparently think the judge-executive is just mad about a mower. WHOP has an excellent report from Monday's meeting in Elkton. 

Pat McDonough of The Courier-Journal takes his notebook and camera to Tompkinsville and checks in on some of the best marbles players in the world, at the Monroe County Marble Club Super Dome.

What's it like back home for one of these superstar prospects who leave the local high school and transfer to some out-of-state prep school to prepare for the next level? Kevin Patton of Henderson's Gleaner gets the perspective from Union County's KHSAA- and national-champion wrestler at 106 pounds, Zeke Escalera, in the last days before he moves on to Pennsylvania's Wyoming Seminary.

Rest in peace, Mr. Hanor, American Towman Award winner, owner/operator of body shops in Clay and Henderson, Clay city councilperson, ex-commissioner of Clay ABA Basketball, husband of 18 years and father of three.

Kentucky High-school Basketball, Girls' Regionals

Kentucky's single-class, single-elimination tournaments in high-school basketball get rolling today with action scheduled in the Ninth Region's girls' bracket. Fourteen of the 16 girls' regionals were to tip today, but then it snowed. So, now, we can all focus on action at the Bank of Kentucky Center on the campus of Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights when the 18-11 Saint Henry Crusaders of Erlanger and the 22-7 Highlands Bluebirds of Fort Thomas play at 6:30 Eastern this evening.

Anyway, the 16 eight-team girls' regionals are scheduled to all be finished by Sunday, and then the state tournament is set for March 12-16 in Bowling Green. Until about 7:45 or so at NKU, we have 128 teams with a chance to be the state champs, and here they are as listed by their next games.

First Region at Murray State University--Marshall County (defending regional champ and 2013 state quarterfinalist) vs. Barlow Ballard Memorial, Paducah Tilghman vs. Fulton City, Carlisle County vs. McCracken County and Graves County vs. Murray (No. 19 in The Courier-Journal's Litkenhous Ratings) on Wednesday

Second Region at Henderson County--Hopkinsville University Heights vs. Union County and Smithland Livingston Central vs. Madisonville-North Hopkins on Tuesday and Caldwell County vs. Lyon County and Henderson County (defending regional champ and Litkenhous No. 4) vs. Christian County tomorrow

Third Region at Owensboro Sportscenter--Owensboro Catholic (defending regional champ, 2013 state quarterfinalist and top Litkenhous in region but not in top 20 statewide) vs. Edmonson County and Breckinridge County on Wednesday vs. Muhlenberg County and Ohio County vs. Meade County and Grayson County vs. Owensboro Apollo on Thursday

Fourth Region at Allen County-Scottsville--Glasgow (Litkenhous No. 12) vs. Russell County and Logan County vs. Bowling Green South Warren on Wednesday and Bowling Green (defending regional champ and Litkenhous No. 10) vs. Allen County-Scottsville (Litkenhous No. 16) and Clinton County vs. Franklin-Simpson on Thursday

Fifth Region at Nelson County--Nelson County vs. Caverna and Elizabethtown (Litkenhous No. 1) vs. Adair County on Tuesday and LaRue County (Litkenhous No. 17) vs. Radcliff North Hardin and Marion County (defending regional and state champ) vs. Bardstown Bethlehem on Wednesday

Sixth Region (semifinals and championship at Louisville Valley)--Mount Washington Bullitt East (Litkenhous No. 13) at Louisville Butler (Litkenhous No. 3), Shepherdsville Bullitt Central at Louisville Holy Cross, Louisville Iroquois at Louisville Mercy (defending regional champ) and Louisville Pleasure Ridge Park at Shepherdsville North Bullitt on Tuesday

Seventh Region (semifinals and championship at Valley)--Louisville Waggener at Louisville Male, Louisville Ballard (Litkenhous No. 9) vs. Louisville Central at Valley, Louisville Assumption at Louisville duPont Manual (defending regional champ, 2013 state semifinalist and Litkenhous No. 20) and Louisville Eastern (Litkenhous No. 18) at Louisville Sacred Heart (Litkenhous No. 8) on Tuesday

Eighth Region at Grant County--Independence Simon Kenton (Litkenhous No. 5) vs. Crestwood South Oldham and Gallatin County vs. Shelby County on Tuesday and Buckner Oldham County vs. Henry County and Anderson County (defending regional champ, 2013 state semifinalist and Litkenhous No. 2) vs. Walton-Verona on Wednesday

Ninth Region at Northern Kentucky University--Erlanger Saint Henry vs. Fort Thomas Highlands and Boone County vs. Park Hills Notre Dame (defending regional champ and lost to Marion County in 2013 state championship) tonight and Covington Holy Cross vs. Edgewood Dixie Heights and Newport Central Catholic (Litkenhous No. 15) vs. Hebron Conner on Tuesday

Tenth Region at Mason County--Bracken County vs. Montgomery County (defending regional champ and 2013 state quarterfinalist) and Nicholas County vs. Covington Scott on Tuesday and Alexandria Bishop Brossart vs. Mason County and Winchester George Rogers Clark (Litkenhous favorite but not in the statewide top 20) vs. Harrison County on Wednesday

Eleventh Region at Frankfort Convention Center--Franklin County (Litkenhous No. 6) vs. Berea Madison Southern and Lexington Lafayette (Litkenhous No. 7) at Scott County on Tuesday and Richmond Madison Central (defending regional champ) vs. Lexington Paul Laurence Dunbar and Lexington Henry Clay vs. Frankfort Western Hills on Wednesday

Twelfth Region at Lincoln County--Casey County (lost to Lincoln County in 2013 regional championship) vs. Wayne County and Danville (Litkenhous favorite but not top 20 in state) vs. Nicholasville East Jessamine on Tuesday and Somerset Southwestern vs. Somerset and Mercer County vs. Boyle County on Wednesday

Thirteenth Region at Corbin--Corbin (defending regional champ) vs. London North Laurel and Bell County (Litkenhous favorite but not ranked in statewide top 20) vs. Lynn Camp on Tuesday and Barbourville vs. Harlan and Clay County vs. Whitley County on Wednesday

Fourteenth Region at Leslie County--Powell County vs. Jackson City, Whitesburg Letcher County Central (defending regional champ) vs. Leslie County, Hazard Perry County Central (Litkenhous favorite but not in the top 20 statewide) vs. Hindman Knott County Central and Breathitt County vs. Lee County on Tuesday

Fifteenth Region at Eastern Kentucky Expo Center in Pikeville--Paintsville Johnson Central vs. Betsy Layne and Belfry vs. Pikeville on Tuesday and Inez Shelby Valley (defending regional champ, 2013 state quarterfinalist and top Litkenhous in region but not in statewide top 20) vs. Pikeville Pike County Central and Eastern Allen Central vs. Magoffin County on Wednesday

Sixteenth Region at Morehead State University--Boyd County vs. Russell and Grayson East Carter (Litkenhous No. 14) vs. Rowan County on Tuesday and Lewis County vs. Ashland Blazer (defending regional champ) and Fleming County vs. Olive Hill West Carter on Wednesday

Saturday at the Girls Sweet Sixteen

In the second quarter, tournament-favorite Marion County leads Anderson County, 17-10, in today's first semifinal in the Houchens Industries/KHSAA Girls Sweet Sixteen basketball tournament. These are the top two teams in the state, per The Courier-Journal Litkenhous Ratings.

Today's second semi at Western Kentucky University's E.A. Diddle Arena will pit Louisville Manual, the defending state champion, against Park Hills Notre Dame. That game is scheduled to tip at 11:30 a.m. Central, and the championship will take place at 8 p.m.

Friday at the Girls Sweet Sixteen

Here are your intriguing quarterfinals today in the Houchens Industries/KHSAA Girls Sweet Sixteen at Western Kentucky University's E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green:

-- Marion County vs. Montgomery County at noon Central,

-- Anderson County vs. Pikeville Shelby Valley at 1:30 p.m.,

-- Owensboro Catholic vs. Louisville DuPont Manual at 6:30 p.m. and

-- Marshall County vs. Park Hills Notre Dame at 8 p.m.

While I will be REPPIN' REGION 1(!) and rootin' for the Lady Marshals, I must admit that Notre Dame--as well as Marion and Anderson counties--would have to be heavily favored. That third game appears to be the closest matchup of the day, as the state's best player, Becca Greenwell, leads the Lady Aces' bid to take down defending-champ Manual.

Thursday at the Girls Sweet Sixteen

The first round of the Houchens Industries/KHSAA Girls Sweet Sixteen is back underway at Western Kentucky University's E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green. Becca Greenwell and the Owensboro Catholic Lady Aces have raced out to a 24-11 lead midway through the the second quarter against the Lincoln County Lady Patriots of Stanford. 

The rest of today's games:

-- defending state champ Louisville Alfred Victor duPont Manual Lady Crimsons vs. The Academy of Our Lady of Mercy Jaguars of Louisville at 1:30 p.m. Central

-- Marshall County Lady Marshals of Draffenville vs. Letcher County Central Lady Cougars of Whitesburg at 6:30 p.m.

-- Richmond Madison Central Lady Indians vs. Park Hills Notre Dame Pandas at 8 p.m.

Comments flow!

'The Girls Play Basketball, Too'

That's the title of one of the chapters in Dave Kindred's (off-the-hook) Basketball The Dream Game in Kentucky, and it seems appropriate for this post, as I've failed this March to pay typical attention to Kentucky's girls' basketball regionals. I'm going to try to catch up tonight with what's going on.

Here's what I know so far: The Lincoln County "Lady Pates" lead Mercer County, 10-5, in the first quarter of a 12th Region semifinal, and Stanford's (boss) WPBK 102.9 FM is on the scene.

Henceforth ... comments flow ...

Oh, Kentucky

A romance 62 years in the making, three years in duration and remembered 27 years later.

Good jobs news from Somerset, bad from Barbourville. Rumors of good from near Fulton County. Optimism from Ballard. Making do in Livingston and Hopkins.

Meanwhile, I am happy to report that Dippin' Dots was soldiering on bravely, for sale at the Garrison Keillor show in Murray on Saturday.

The president of the opening-soon Juicy’s Sports Bar and Grill on Bowling Green's Park Row "had been considering a more titillating name for the business, but changed it after hearing objections from other downtown business owners and residents." Hmmm ...?

The KHSAA soccer championships were decided over the weekend: Louisville Saint Xavier beat Union Larry A. Ryle, 3-0, in the boys' final; Park Hills Notre Dame beat Louisville Sacred Heart, 2-0, for the girls' crown. Previously this fall, we've identified the state's best boy and girl golfers, and, back on Oct. 29, Louisville Assumption completed a 42-1 season in volleyball with a 25-13, 25-18 championship victory over Bowling Green Greenwood. The next KHSAA championships on the docket are the Nov. 12 cross-country races (boys and girls in three classes) in Lexington.

One of the more interesting local races in tomorrow's elections figures to be Lynch mayor.

As goes the hellbender, ...

Oh, Kentucky

The girls are golfing at Bowling Green Country Club today in the first round of the Leachman Buick-GMC-Cadillac/KHSAA Girls State Golf tournament, and so the Kentucky desk pauses to recognize some of the state's greats of the sport. The Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame includes eight women among its inductees:

-- Myra VanHoose Blackwelder, four-time KHSAA champion (1970-73) with Lexington Lafayette High School, the first female athlete to be awarded a full athletic scholarship to the University of Kentucky and 1980 LPGA rookie of the year;

-- Anne Combs, a Lexingtonian and five-time winner of the Women's State Amateur tournament, most recently in 1983;

-- Mary Lou Daniel Crocker, a Louisville native, 1962 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship in 1962 and the first and only woman to earn a letter in a men's varsity sport at the UK;

-- Bettie Lou Evans, a Mount Sterling native, UK's women's golf coach 1980-2011 and the school's current director of golf operations;

-- Marion Miley, "the only fine player in the insular world of golf to be murdered in her prime;"

-- Betty Rowland Probasco, an Irvine native, four-time State Am champ, 1950 National Intercollegiate Championship winner and 1955 Women’s Southern Golf Association Championship winner, and

-- Louise Wilson, a Goshen native whose successes spanned decades, such as six State Am titles captured from 1958 through '85.

Caldwell County High senior Emma Talley is shooting for her third-straight state title. Miss Talley tees off at 1:09 Central today.

Oh, Kentucky

“This is one of those Mr. Potter moments."

"Wait until you know all the facts. Until then, give me a break."

On chucks an Etown native in the Mariners' system.

On slugs a Jamaican in Middlesboro.

And speaking of movies, I hope Joe B. has a critically acclaimed cameo in the one this guy surely is writing.

The C-J pans Fancy Farm.

Ah-most.

Oh, Kentucky

John Calipari needs our help today to overtake Billy Donovan.

Among the Twitter overnights: a Patrick Patterson movie review, a Cage the Elephant invitation and AquaPanda KHSAA dominance.

A four-overtime affair between prevailing Warren Central and Bowling Green for the 14th District boys' basketball title featured two of the state's top big players: "The show within the show was the oftentimes unbelievable play of BG’s Chane Behanan and Central’s George Fant," wrote Chad Bishop in The Daily News. "Both played almost the entire 48 minutes to put up monster numbers. Behanan, a Louisville signee, scored 27, grabbed 25 rebounds and blocked five shots. Fant, a Western Kentucky signee, scored 23, pulled down 18 boards and blocked three shots."

The time lapse since the event, the mentions that information was "provided to" the paper and the preview of Sunday's story on a two-week-old event suggest that there's a compelling Behind the Music episode to be made about this Commonwealth Journal story out of Somerset. Regardless, congratulations to the Briar Jumper cheerleaders.

Interesting back-and-forth in the comments of a Courier-Journal story on the repurposing of an old Winn-Dixie on the west side of Louisville.

It figures to be a busy week ahead in Real Legislature.