Oh, Princeton

You hardly ever hear anyone--even anyone from Princeton--call it "kuh-WELL" County anymore. It's almost, absolutely almost always "CALD-well" County. But that changed over the second half of the last century, and, if you don't believe me, would you take the word of the 1960 Caldwell County High School cheerleaders?

I cannot believe that this amazing BBC movie directed by Denis Mitchell exists and that I had not discovered it until an hour ago or so. For Pete's sake, do yourself a favor, stop everything you're doing and watch it in case the internet or you or whatever doesn't exist later this afternoon.

I'm pretty sure that's Princeton Dotson's Dwight Smith shooting jumpers in closeup at about 20:30.

Warning Explicit Content

Oh, Kentucky

There's a lot of stuff going on--wars and refugees, churches and cities, the 1970s and Vietnam, the 1980s and Japan, etc.--in this fascinating Georgetown News-Graphic article by Jackie Anders on the sale of the Cardome to the Catholic Diocese of Lexington. I had to read it a couple of times to take it all in, and I'm glad I did.

Bath County High has a (beautiful) new fine-arts wing. 

The NWSL is coming to Louisville.

"With forward-thinking public officials and involved volunteer groups, the rebirth of downtown Winchester will continue unabated."

"The report brings up many good questions for Danville and Boyle County. How are we doing on being a rural development hub? Are we setting our community up to succeed long-term in a world where everyone thinks rural communities are dying? How are we doing on improving quality of life, particularly for our most vulnerable populations? Are we resisting changes that could have huge impacts because we are risk-averse? Are we putting too much emphasis on old economic development methods and measuring sticks? How well are we working regionally?"

"Too big of a challenge to focus on our differences."

Free Thanksgiving dinner, in Ashland. (And Whitesburg.) (And Wurtland.)

Free Christmas trees, at LBL.

Christmas parades: Sharpsburg, Nov. 9; Owensboro, Nov. 23; Central City, Nov. 24; Lebanon and Louisville, Nov. 29; Brownsville, Greensburg, Guthrie, Mayfield and Pikeville, Nov. 30; Boyce, Dawson Springs and Murray, Dec. 1; Bardstown, Dec. 5; Fredonia, Harrodsburg, Hopkinsville, London, Monticello, Pineville, Richmond and Trenton, Dec. 6; Barbourville, Berea, Bowling Green, Cadiz, Calvert City, Columbia, Corbin, Cynthiana, Danville, Frankfort, Glasgow, Grayson, Hawesville, Henderson, Lawrenceburg, Lexington, Madisonville, Marion, Middlesboro, Morgantown, Murray, Owingsville, Paducah, Rabbit Hash, Scottsville, Shelbyville, Somerset, Trenton, Versailles, Whitley City and Winchester, Dec. 7; Georgetown, Dec. 8; Cave City, Dec. 10; Burkesville, Burnside, Elkton, Providence, Williamsburg, Dec. 14, and Tollesboro, Dec. 15.

Oh, Kentucky

.@covingtonkygov Piece by piece, the Covington floodgate takes shape https://t.co/91Eslz9elp pic.twitter.com/F20Gkwd7Nk

— The Lane Report (@TheLaneReport) February 12, 2019

Lexington homelessness reportedly is down 55 percent since 2014, and a $1.8 federal grant is intended to accelerate the trend.

A "Mobile Grocery Store" is coming to parts of Bowling Green where bricks-and-mortar versions do not exist.

"You can come one day a week, you can come every day if you want to. But seven days a week we are going to try to feed our community as long as we possibly can. We just want to show you the love of God." Erin Cox in the Corbin Times-Tribune delivers an inspiring feature on Lily's new New Day Cafe.

Guns, guns, guns: Pikeville.

On the specter of police cuts in Louisville.

Toward boosting Fort Knox's civilian workforce.

Toward stricter dog control in Clarkson.

Toward a less-shabby Paintsville.

Toward what is said to be the state's first "outdoor bodyweight circuit-training system," in Mount Washington.

Toward marketing "Our Paducah."

Good jobs news from Wurtland.

Turning to sports, I am thankful that Kacie Goode's reporting in The Kentucky Standard gives me reason to launch the HP's #khsabowl label.

And, finally, happy Saint Valentine's Day tomorrow: The eastern golden eagle that Bernheim Forest officials have been tracking over the last four years appears to have found a mate.

Oh, Kentucky

Christmas parades: Owensboro, Nov. 17; Ashland, Nov. 20; Brownsville, Nov. 24; Cumberland and Fredonia, Nov. 30; Arlington, Barbourville (thank you, Mountain Advocate, for the video above), Berea, Cadiz, Calvert City, Carlisle (thank you, Carlisle Mercury, for the video above), Clinton, Columbia, Hawesville, Jenkins, Lawrenceburg, Leitchfield, Lewisport, Madisonville, Marion (thank you, Crittenden Press, for the video above), Murray, Paducah, Somerset and Whitley City, Dec. 1; Bowling Green, Dawson Springs, Glasgow and Salyersville, Dec. 2; Lexington, Dec. 4; Greenup, Dec. 6; Frankfort, Monticello and Richmond, Dec. 7; Benton, Elkton, Eubank, Harlan, Hopkinsville, Horse Cave, Louisa, Munfordville and Stamping Ground, Dec. 8; Whitesburg, Dec. 14; Burnside, La Center, Manchester (thank you, Manchester Enterprise, for the news) and Neon, Dec. 15.

The disappearance in Paducah of a legendary San Francisco radio host has been solved, sadly, but the case appears to be not at all closed.

The expansion of the Paxton Media Group engulfs another half-dozen papers in western Kentucky.

The Bellevue-Dayton Fire Department is getting serious about the help it needs. So's Clear Creek Baptist Bible College in Pineville.

Oh, Kentucky

Matt Bevin, a future vice-presidential hopeful from New Hampshire, has cut dental and vision coverage for about half a million of the poorest Kentuckians.

"A Bardstown resident who has been living in the United States for nearly 20 years has been seized by immigration authorities and is being held at a lockup in Boone County pending his deportation to Mexico."

"'I get that hunting is not for everyone,' she said in the statement, but 'if it was any other belief that was different, threats and insults would be deemed hideous, however for some reason it is ok to act this way because it’s hunting.'"

Good jobs news from Bowling Green and Bowling Green.

Oh, Kentucky

Glenn's On Main is no more in Marion, which translates into more owner involvement in The 88 Dip.

Hoptown's new Blackpatch Steak and Seafood isn't normally open Sundays and Mondays, but the eclipse is another matter.

In Lexington starting in September: "an all-local food hall that will feature all-independent local restaurants and chefs who honor Kentucky traditions."



Speaking of the eclipse, TVA assures western Kentucky that its mix of power generation is diverse enough that its grid will have the resilience to ride out the interruption of solar input. (My favorite part of this story is the WestKentuckyStar.com commenter named “Obam a” who weighs in, “Much ado about nothing just like the Y2K run up.”)

“I think having an author who has worked in such licenses universes as Star Trek and Supernatural is an interesting opportunity for local readers,” the organizer of the Providence Literary Festival tells The Journal-Enterprise. I think so, too.

Clark County's school-bus drivers are getting a raise!

Todd County is hiring for a part-time librarian ("Secretarial and Housekeeping skills will also be utilized").

You're invited to Logan County Public Library's 50th-anniversary celebration Sunday afternoon ("cake and punch will be provided").

Remembering "Clay's Darkest Day."

The "City Built on Coal" considers a casino.

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.

Oh, Kentucky

Out of 754 Econo Lodges in the United States, No.' 1 is Russellville.

Good jobs news from Danville, Eubank, Park City and Shepherdsville. 

Businesses in Kentucky filed 189,132 annual reports for 2016, and Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes reports that's a new record.

Lily is getting a mini-golf course!

I don't much care to fish, but I love reading stories about big fish.

There's a new wrestler called the Progressive Liberal and the fans love to hate him https://t.co/QXYYNUTLRW pic.twitter.com/OeRqhCobYV

— deathandtaxes (@DeathAndTaxes) June 26, 2017

"One of his on-camera routines is correcting people’s pronunciation of 'Appalachia' and 'hollow.'"

It's almost time "to celebrate the greatest tradition in the Ohio Valley Conference"--and, specifically, Popeye Jones!

Oh, Madisonville

It was quite a weekend in Madisonville. Somebody beat up Wayne at Ferrell's on Friday night. The Lady Maroons won the state softball championship in Owensboro on Saturday afternoon. And there was an LGBT Pride event downtown Sunday morning.

I don't really know much about Wayne. I speak to him a little, and we always wave at each other. But that's no big deal because Wayne speaks and waves to most everyone when they're downtown. He lives somewhere down there, and he tends to show up at city parades and fairs and what-not--sometimes in costume as Batman or Superman. He waters flowers with the retired city manager sometimes. Sometimes he works around the downtown restaurants. I don't believe he drives. Anyway,  when word started spreading late Friday night around the Facebook locals that Wayne was in the emergency room after he had been beaten up at our town's 24-hour hamburger joint (since 1929), there arose a tremendous outpouring of support for the familiar face, testimonials to how nice of a fellow he is and a lot of dire talk about taking the business to whoever it was who did it. Well, thankfully, word got around pretty early Saturday that Wayne was doing OK and that someone had been arrested and charged in the crime. So, that elicited a lot of praise for the police, and we'll see where that story goes from here.

School has been out for a month, but they're still finishing off the 2016-17 KHSAA season. Our McCracken County High Mustangs play in the baseball state semifinals Friday, and they just finished the softball tournament on Saturday. The Madisonville-North Hopkins Lady Maroons won! It's a grueling, double-elimination affair played over three days in the June sun across multiple fields at Jack C. Fisher Park in Owensboro, and it almost always seems to go--as it did this year--very late Thursday and/or Friday nights with an extra-innings game or two and the maximum distance into Saturday evening with the losers-bracket winner extending things by winning the first game against the winners-bracket winner. Madisonville whipped through the winners bracket with 10-1, 12-0, 2-1 and 9-0 wins. But then Louisville Male beat the Lady Maroons, 5-1, to set up a winner-take-all final pitting the two one-loss teams, and I was nervous! I put the whole deal out of mind and enjoyed a giant pool party with steaks and cake in the Shake Rag area of northern Hopkins County, and then I was thrilled to discover when we got home Saturday evening that Madisonville held on to beat Male in the final, 5-3. 

FINAL: Madisonville-North Hopkins 5, Male 3

Alyssa Case flies out to deep left to end the game. Congrats @lady_maroons on your championship pic.twitter.com/VqTxBmWHnQ

— Chad (@ChadBlue83) June 10, 2017

Also, it turned out that the city was organizing a fire-truck escort through town for the team bus when it returned from Owensboro about 9 Saturday night. We talked about going. But my wife would be preaching at Providence Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on Sunday, and all of us were tired from swimming and partying in Shake Rag. We decided it was best to get to bed at a normal hour. Nonetheless, I talked with my wife about this parade route through town. She played flute in some of the Marching Maroons' 3A-state-championship-runnerup bands back in the 1990s, and she told me that, when they did those bus tours, they'd be met by the fire trucks in Nortonville and then come straight up U.S. 41 on through Earlington, the south part of Madisonville along South Main Street/Frank Ramsey Drive, across downtown and up through the north end of town and out to the high school. However, the band championships were contended in Richmond, Lexington or Bowling Green, so the buses came home on the Western Kentucky Parkway, which enters Hopkins County at its south end. The Lady Maroon softball bus from Owensboro would, of course, enter Hopkins County from the north; indeed, Twitter reports were that the fire trucks intercepted the bus at the Hanson outlet mall's parking lot, escorted it south into downtown Madisonville and back out north to the high school for a pep rally at the school softball field. 

The PARADE WAS AMAZING! Walking up to the field UNBELIEVABLE!!! Thank you Madisonville pic.twitter.com/7H5ao8mo15

— Lady Maroon Softball (@lady_maroons) June 11, 2017

Madisonville has had a high school since the 1800s, and, by 1907, anyway, it was playing interscholastic sports and using the nickname "Maroons"--it had never won a state championship in any sport until Saturday.

Thank you to @MessengerOnline and @jgms88 for your coverage of our softball program. Today's paper said it all! #mnhsb pic.twitter.com/GuNvVqqjgc

— Lady Maroon Softball (@lady_maroons) June 11, 2017

So then came Sunday morning and the Pride event. It was one of several first-ever events in towns around Kentucky. There is some talk about trying to get a local fairness ordinance to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination, but, among grassroots chatter among participants here, the primary purpose of the Madisonville event seemed to be simply a joint declaration of presence--we are here, and we matter, too. 

I didn't make it. The announcement I saw indicated that the event was to carry on until 2; I got downtown about 1:30, and everything was wrapped up. I came home and caught up on the happy Facebook reports, and it turned out that a 50-some-odd-year-old friend I go to church with spoke. He said he has lived in Madisonville his whole life. He said he talked about his kindergarten teacher warning his dad that the 5-year-old boy was "a little too in touch with his feminine side," about being called "every ugly word" (sometimes to his face), about threats of physical harm, about feeling cast out by his boyhood church home (twice) and about his mid-30s thoughts of suicide. "I know in my heart that God created me, that God knows my heart and that God loves me and who I am. And here's another word for you--God loves you, too."

I am humbled by my friend's courage; I am embarrassed to think about my own sins of commission and omission that have made other LGBT people around me feel isolated and lonely, and I am mostly struck at how sad and scared I would've felt living in a town that so often (or even once ever) rejected me for merely being me. I hope for 50 more years for my friend of feeling loved and supported in his Madisonville hometown, and I imagine I'd be game for whatever legislation would help him feel that way.

Oh, Kentucky

Post by Munfordville First United Methodist Church.

OK, now we're getting serious, baby. Here is today's Christmas-parade lineup:

-- Berea, 

-- Bowling Green, 

-- Cadiz, 

-- Calhoun, 

-- Calvert City,

-- Campbellsville,

-- Carrollton, 

-- Clay, 

-- Clinton, 

-- Columbia, 

-- Dixon,

-- Flatwoods, 

-- Fordsville, 

-- Frankfort, 

-- Franklin,

-- Glasgow, 

-- Greenville,

-- Guthrie, 

-- Harlan, 

-- Henderson, 

-- Hopkinsville, 

-- Horse Cave, 

-- Island, 

-- Lewisport,

-- Madisonville, 

-- Marion, 

-- Morganfield, 

-- Morgantown,

-- Munfordville, 

-- Murray, 

-- Paducah, 

-- Park City, 

-- Pikeville,

-- Providence,

-- Salvisa,

-- Scottsville, 

-- Shelbyville, 

-- Tompkinsville, 

-- Trenton and 

-- Winchester.

Oh, to be Santa's driver today! I would freaking love to be driving him around the state today, delivering him to the tail end of each parade (and charging 56 cents per mile, plus meals and hot chocolate, in expenses). Of course, I wouldn't want to have to be in a hurry. 

One of the great things about being Santa Claus, it seems to me, would be that the systems of time and other constraints of our world do not seem to apply to him. That would be wonderful.

Plenty more parades are on the horizon after today: Boyce, Clay City, Dawson Springs, Evarts, Mortons Gap and Schochoh, Dec. 7; Mount Sterling and Stanton, Dec. 8; London, Morehead, Owingsville, Prestonsburg, Richmond and Whitesburg, Dec. 12; Benton, Burnside, Cave City, Livermore, McKee, Nicholasville, Princeton, Quality and Sacramento, Dec. 13; Auburn, Central City and Edmonton, Dec. 14, and Lewisburg, Dec. 19.

Class 3A State Champs -Russell Co. Mighty Laker Marching Band - 2014 Christmas Parade pic.twitter.com/XiEm5tFZhG
— Michael A. Ford (@fordmich) November 30, 2014

New Haven KY Christmas parade. pic.twitter.com/7yfqQvEuU4
— Michelle Burfield (@deerspooker82) November 30, 2014

See photos from last night's Christmas Parade in downtown Lexington. http://t.co/HboYMKZDsT pic.twitter.com/92CdAv7QO1
— heraldleader (@heraldleader) December 3, 2014

Oh, Kentucky

I think the Paducah Student Christmas Ornament Contest entry criteria are exceptionally well crafted. I will absolutely steal them the next time I am involved in organizing a Christmas-ornament contest.

It's National Honey Month, and the state apiarist sees a market opportunity for more Kentuckians in beekeeping.

It's a new day in Pioneer Village--new flag, new motto and no more 1996-tornado debt.

Louisville, not Kentucky.

Great to have @NBA @WashWizards star @paulpierce34 in Diddle this afternoon. @WKUSports @spalding pic.twitter.com/M4lP0SM6Ly
— WKU Sports Pics (@WKUSportsPics) September 15, 2014

"We're all on the same team, anyway."

"There is little evidence that the expansion of health coverage will help Kentucky Democrats in this fall’s midterm elections."

Good jobs news from Danville and Louisville.

They paved Wendy's, and they're putting up another Wendy's--in Glasgow.

Revolutionizing the southern tip of Radcliff.

Another media merger, in the Pennyroyal.

Shelby County Schools is experimenting with IEEE 802.11™-based wireless Internet connectivity on its buses. (Products based on IEEE 802.11-2012 “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” are often branded as “Wi-Fi^®” in the market.)

A pay-what-you-can restaurant has opened in Danville.

Is 9-1-1 a joke in this town?

Oh, Kentucky

Congratulations, Coy Bacon! And hooray for football!

The "Joey Fosko Memorial Press Box" movement for McCracken County High School is picking up steam.

Fun times ahead in Beaver Dam and Paducah.

Very open mike in Owensboro.

"Not exactly the kind of ‘welcome to Owen County’ we wanted to give them."

Ohio mystery solved in (on?) Science Hill.

Will a Vermont marriage count with regard to spousal privilege in Louisville?

Seriously, I am so glad that the directors of the Perry County Sanitation District 1 got to see this day. Serving on boards like that is hard.

Friends of Hardin County's library and foes of Anderson's organize.

Dixon must consider both OPEX and CAPEX when evaluating the value proposition offered by B & T Pet Supply.

Another No. 1 for Louisville.

One of the joys of working the Twitter desk is seeing all of the pictures of sunrises, sunsets and sometimes just pretty clouds that folks post.

Beautiful morning sky over western Boone and Hamilton Counties. @ky_enquirer pic.twitter.com/1dQ4hyW9HR
— patrick reddy (@patrickreddynky) June 20, 2013

Oh, Kentucky

The Forcht Bank/KHSAA State Baseball Tournament has two more quarterfinals this evening in Lexington, and now the Rawlings/KHSAA Fast Pitch Softball State Tournament gets rolling in Owensboro.  

You are writing an awesome end for The LOHS Final Chapter!! So proud!! @loneoaksoftball @loneoakhs twitter.com/madmom8/status…

— Michelle Wooten (@madmom8) June 5, 2013

Also, go, Smithland Livingston Central (for whom it has been an especially memorable and emotional season)!

A left-handed pitcher from Bowling Green's Warren East High School is expected to be selected early in today's Major League Baseball draft.

Micah Johnson's latest stop is Calgary. You remember Micah.

“Things always look better when you look back.”

County-fair season, continued: "Re-live the glory days of the 1980s as Carrollton Idol contestants belt out the hits. ..."

No disrespect to U.S. 68, but U.S. 41 bows to no route!

Nice detailed reporting and clear writing from Erin Schmitt in this morning's Henderson Gleaner: The FCC is paying $500,000 of a $600,000 bill to bump Webster County Schools' Internet performance by 1,000 percent, enabling, the local assistant superintendent and IT director says, the kids from Dixon, Providence, et al to take better advantage of a bunch of new educational opportunities. The county had to come up with the remaining $100,000, and the contractor that got the work was a consortium of Murray and Paducah electric companies. Because Japanese natural disasters caused slowdowns in the fiber-optics supply chain, project implementation in Webster County was delayed--but the feds extended by a year the deadline to spend the $500,000 grant.

Two stories from Lawrenceburg: "... (I)t’s a problem when the IRS is used as a political tool to carry out punishment and extortion," and "We want to pass along our experience and training to the public, and are big proponents of the 2nd Amendment. Our goal is to properly train those who wish to carry a firearm."

Two from Harlan: The Christ Hands homeless shelter is getting a sprucing; meanwhile, a state legislator, Sen. Brad Smith (R-Hazard) talks about local job-growth efforts "from going from coal mining to mechanical engineering and engine repair on Lockheed-Martin. to doing chemical looping here in the coalfields to make our own power."

Muhlenberg County's first statue will be Kentucky's first monument honoring veterans of the War of 1812.

Rest in peace, Mr. E.O. Whitfield, railroad man for 44 years, husband for 71 and dad of Rep. Ed Whitfield, the First District's U.S. Representative since 1995.