Oh, Kentucky

Harness racing today at the Graves County Fair. pic.twitter.com/aqNx0VQLD9

— Ryan Hermens (@ryanhermens) June 7, 2017

Tyler Eschberger in The Middlesboro Daily News has an intriguing story about a man's visit to the local country club to spur investment and interest in making a movie about the town's integrated Little League baseball team in 1953. Ron Schmidt is quoted: "So we make a movie with a Kentucky story, that not only shows kids, but it shows Middlesboro and it shows the beauty and culture of Appalachia…can we all hit a home run? Can you do that? Can you help bring hope to our kids?" Indeed, I would be interested in watching a movie based on Tyler Eschberger's story about Ron Schmidt's 2017 trip to the Middlesboro Country Club to talk about the 1953 story.

Meanwhile, here's a very dark and sad story about demons, healing, sickness, confession, redemption, relapse, justice and everything else in The Casey County News. Prayers for the pastor, the flock, the church, the police, the reporters and everyone around it.

Now back to happy--thanks to Adam Black in Ashland's Daily Independent: "When we first got married, I told her we would never move to Kentucky. Now look, we have opened a restaurant and live right down the road."

NKU's Vegy Vida for kids has been voted among the "Best University Startups 2017."

Appalshop scores among the "100 people, organizations, and movements that are shaping the future of culture."

Louisville comes in at No. 4 among the "Top Ten Worst Trucking Chokepoints in America."

Good jobs news from Bowling Green, Danville and Morganfield ("Leave the emotional garbage at home, you'll get your feelings hurt because we are realist. We are here to work not babysit the emotionally needed folks or put up with excuses. If you've got what it takes, we'd love to talk to you about joining our team.")

Says Kentucky's state climatologist: "For the average person it can be difficult sometimes to see, or maybe to convince yourself, that climate can be changing. But within the scientific community, people that spend their careers studying these things, there’s really a growing consensus that our climate is changing and that human activity is making an impact on that."

The city of Hartford is selling its recycling equipment and tearing down the building where it was used to turn into scrap metal for the practice of student welders. (Also, there will be no movies on the square this summer.)

Madisonville's skate park is open! And it's free to get into our ATV park all year. And we're having a Santa Race next month. So, boom.

Oh, Kentucky

Good for M, taking it a little slower in the reading room. That was a long day yesterday. Kentucky for sale:

Christmas parades: Owensboro, Nov. 19; Ashland, Nov. 22; Lebanon, Nov. 25; Brownsville and Sebree, Nov. 26; Bardstown (success!), Dec. 1; London, Maysville, Monticello and Richmond, today!; Arlington, Beaver Dam, Beaver Dam/Hartford, Berea, Bowling Green, Cadiz, Clinton, Columbia, Corbin, Flatwoods, Frankfort, Glasgow, Grayson (smack amid a very busy "Hometown Holidays" schedule), Harlan, Henderson, Horse Cave, Madisonville (free ice skating, too), Manchester, Munfordville, Murray, Paducah, Paintsville, Paris, Somerset and Winchester, Dec. 3; Boyce, Nortonville, Owenton and Schochoh, Dec. 4; Hickman and Lexington, Dec. 6; Augusta, Burnside, Cave City, Crofton, Elkton, Hopkinsville, La Center, Livermore, Nicholasville, Pikeville and Williamsburg, Dec. 10, and Auburn, Dec. 11.

Interesting table from The Lane Report, listing the number of certified beds by category for Kentucky's largest hospitals.

New life for the old Young Man's Christian Association in Frankfort?

Camera system set up at mall parking lot to deter holiday crime.https://t.co/3rxUvwdc0B #WPSD pic.twitter.com/THZBS4fknv

— WPSD Local 6 (@WPSDLocal6) December 2, 2016

Eight teams left

Quick question:  When was the last time the First Region won at least one game in the State Tournament for three years in a row?

Answer:   1951-53.  Cuba reached the final in 1951 and 1952, and then Tilghman reached the final in 1953.  But last night, Calloway County upset Knott Co. Central, meaning that we have a Jackson Purchase team in the quarter-finals for the third year in a row.


Quick question:  When was the last time that Regions 1, 2, 3, and 4 -- the four westernmost regions -- all advanced to the quarterfinals of the State Tournament?

Answer: 1960.  To give you a sense of how long ago that was, check out these scores:

Symsonia 69, Meade Memorial 60
Hopkinsville Crispus Attucks 64. Clinton Co. 62
Owensboro 77, Lincoln Institute 75
Beaver Dam 61, LaRue Co. 56

That's right:  three of the four Western Kentucky schools that went to the quarter-finals in 1960 no longer exist.

So live it up, Western Kentucky!  We don't get too many chances like this one.  Plus, the four Western Kentucky teams will be playing each other, so our end of the Commonwealth will have two teams in the semi-finals.  That hasn't happened since Tilghman and Henderson County reached the semi-finals in 1999.

Our gain is Appalachia's pain.  The 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th regions have all been eliminated prior to the quarter-finals.  This is the first time that's happened since 1989.

OK, here are the scores from yesterday:

(1) Lou. Ballard 83, Johnson Cent. 69
Boyle Co. 60, Lex. Catholic 59
Bowling Green 86, Elliott Co. 44
Calloway Co. 73, (4) Knott Co. Cent. 68 (2 OT)

And that sets up the following quarter-finals today (all times Central):

11 A.M:  (7) Owensboro (28-4) v. (8) Hopkinsville (27-5)
12:30 P.M:  (9) Cov. Catholic (30-5) v. Lou. Doss (27-6)
5:30 P.M.:  (1) Lou. Ballard (32-2) v. Boyle Co. (27-6)
7 P.M.:  Bowling Green (29-5) v. Calloway Co. (30-3)

One and done: Boys' Sweet Sixteen

Now, this (per WEHT in Evansville) is how you go to the 2012 PNC/KHSAA Boys Sweet Sixteen® Basketball Tournament:

The Apollo High School Boys' Basketball Team is being sent to the Sweet 16 Basketball Tournament in style today.

The Eagles will board the bus heading to Lexington at 10 this morning, but, before leaving Daviess County, the team will tour all the feeder schools in the area.

Students will have signs, balloons and pep rallies to cheer the eagles on to victory.

After leaving Apollo this morning, WEHT reports, the Eagles' bus was scheduled to visit seven schools (including West Louisville, 1923 and '27 state girls' basketball champion!) and a Chick-Fil-A. Then, ... "On the road to STATE!"

We've got your route from there, Eagles (and 15 other teams headed to Rupp Arena in Lexington):


First Region champs--Marshall County Marshals of Draffenville. Marshall County has been making bus plans, too.


Second Region champs--Hopkinsville Tigers. WHOP plans to get on the air at 12:30 p.m. Central with coverage from Lexington.


Third Region champs--Apollo Eagles of Owensboro. WBIO, "We Believe In Owensboro," is scheduled to carry Wednesday evening's games.


Fourth Region champs--Bowling Green Purples. WBGN plans to broadcast the whole tournament.

Fifth Region champs--John Hardin Bulldogs of Elizabethtown. “This is the best moment of my life right now.” “I’m a truly blessed man.”

Sixth Region champs--Bullitt East Chargers of Mount Washington. Get used to seeing Derek Willis in Rupp Arena.


Seventh Region champs--Trinity Shamrocks of Louisville. "From a talent perspective, this has to be one of the better fields for the state tournament in a while."

Eighth Region champs--Oldham County Colonels of Buckner. “Rupp! A-re-na! Rupp, Rupp A-re-na!”

Ninth Region champs--Boone County Rebels of Florence.


10th Region champs--George Rogers Clark Cardinals of Winchester.

11th Region champs--Scott County Cardinals of Georgetown. At No. 3 in The Courier-Journal Litkenhous Ratings, Scott County is the highest-rated team in the bottom of the bracket. (No. 1 Trinity is in the top half, and No. 2 Louisville Pleasure Ridge Park was eliminated in the Sixth Region tournament by No. 5 Bullitt East.)


12th Region champs--Southwestern Warriors of Somerset.

13th Region champs--North Laurel Jaguars of London. Les Dixon, writing in Corbin's Times-Tribune: "A lot of people moan and boo in the stands, but like it or not, North Laurel coach Brad Sizemore’s deliberate style of play is a winner."

14th Region champs--Knott County Central Patriots of Hindman.


15th Region champs--Johnson Central Golden Eagles of Paintsville. Shane Hall is another one to watch in this tournament.

16th Region champs--Rowan County Vikings of Morehead. The head coach has history with the coach of his first-round opponent.