XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 13)

Medals leaders:

1. United States 27 gold, 35 silver, 32 bronze (94 total)

2. China 25, 23, 17 (65)

3. Australia 18, 12, 11 (41)

4. France 13, 17, 21 (51)

5. Great Britain 12, 17, 20 (49)

6. South Korea 12, 8, 7 (27)

7. Japan 12, 6, 13 (31)

8. Italy 9, 10, 8 (27)

9. Netherlands 9, 5, 6 (20)

10. Germany 8, 5, 5 (18)

Previous reports:

-- I Olympic Summer Games, Athens 1896

-- XXX Olympic Summer Games, London 2012 

-- XXXI Olympic Summer Games, Rio 2016 

-- XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day -2-Day 8)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 9)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 10)
-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 11)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 12)

2 Teams Left

After a bevy of close games in the regionals, the games at State have generally been one-sided.  I'm not that surprised that E-Town and Highlands both won, but I am surprised that they had such an easy time of it:

(4) Elizabethtown 69, (5) Lou. Ballard 53

Ft. Thomas Highlands 66, (10) Ashland Blazer 50

When people talk about a single-class tournament, they always focus on the unfairness of making a school the size of E-Town go up against a school the size of Ballard.  That's not the point.  Heath was never as big as Tilghman, but I always thought we should get our chance.  These days Tilghman's not as big as McCracken County, but my guess is that the folks at Tilghman want their chance.  Beating the bigger school 10 or 20 percent of the time is a lot better than never getting to play them at all.

So for the final we have two of the best and richest high school sports traditions in the State.  E-Town is 3A in football.  Highlands is 5A in football.  But after tonight, one of them will be the only State Champion of Kentucky:

Saturday, April 3:

7 P.M. Central:  (4) Elizabethtown Panthers (22-2) v. Ft. Thomas Highlands (29-4)

4 Teams Left

One close game yesterday -- thanks Eric for the coverage on McCracken County.  And four impressive winners:

(4) Elizabethtown 65, George Rogers Clark 44

(5) Lou. Ballard 61, (8) Bowling Green 53

(10) Ashland Blazer 80, Knox Cent. 44

Ft. Thomas Highlands 63, McCracken Co. 53

Until yesterday, I was pretty confident that the E-Town/Ballard winner would capture the state championship.  But Blazer and Highlands have both been really impressive.  Anyway, here are the semi-finals (all times Central):

Saturday, April 3:

10 A.M.:  (4) Elizabethtown Panthers (21-2) v. (5) Lou. Ballard Bruins (21-2)

1 A.M.:  (10) Ashland Blazer Tomcats (22-4) v. Ft. Thomas Highlands (28-4)

For this year, the KHSAA has gone back to its old format, with the two semi-finals early in the day and the final at 7 PM Central tonight.  I love the old format -- I always thought it was cool that you had to win two games in one day to be the State Champions.  So I'm glad to have it back.

12 Teams Left

A collection of mismatches at the Sweet 16 today, as three top-10 teams put on a show.  Madison Central, which beat two top-10 teams in the 11th Region, could not handle Ballard today.  And Friday's game between Ballard and Bowling Green should be a doozy:

(4) Elizabethtown 87, Knott Co. Cent. 59

George Rogers Clark 54, Oldham Co. 47

(5) Lou. Ballard 70, Madison Cent. 61

(8) Bowling Green 85, University Heights 57

Bowling Green had a pretty easy time in the Fourth Region, and had a pretty easy time today.  Ballard crushed everyone in the Seventh Region -- which isn't easy -- and handled Madison Central without too much trouble today.  That will be a very big game.  Bowling Green is on a 12-game winning streak -- but the last team to beat the Purples was Ballard, who beat them 61-45 back on February 26.  It will be interesting to see what BGHS has learned since then.

The winner won't be out of the woods, because Elizabethtown -- which beat Bowling Green 64-36 back on February 13 -- will probably be waiting in the semi-finals.  The Panthers have only lost two games all year, and only one since January 12.  They will probably be too much for GRC on Friday, and their game with Ballard or Bowling Green on Saturday morning will probably decide the title.  

Oh, Kentucky

This is a simply terrific piece of journalism ...

#NoMoreNoKnocks, now in Lexington, too.

Toward more teachers of color.

"This cemetery has experienced vandalism for years. It's usually teenagers who get intoxicated ... it's a remote area ... We have other remote cemeteries which also get vandalized. There's no indication this was racially motivated."

The gravesite of an Revolutionary War soldier was threatened, but Loyall rallied. (It's not what you think.)

Smart Southgate, etc.?

Trooper Island Kids' Camp goes virtual.

On second thought, the Maysville Mason County Recreation Park pool will open this summer.

“It definitely is not any fun when you gotta be stuck in the house and you’d rather be outside shooting paint at your buddies.”

Gird yourself, warns the Pennyrile District health department director.

Rest in peace, Lisa K. Jones, Grayson County's homegrown library hero.

Oh, Kentucky

44 Teams Left

Only five boys' basketball games yesterday, but a fair amount of drama:

1st Region Final (at Murray State Univ.):
McCracken Co. 43, Marshall Co. 42

Jackson Purchase twitter melted down over this game last night.  The two best basketball programs in the First Region met on Sunday afternoon in front of an enormous crowd at Murray State.  McCracken County swept Marshall in the regular season, winning 63-59 at Marshall on December 13, and winning 58-53 at home on January 10.  Yesterday's game, as often happens at the First Region Final, was a low-scoring, nerve-wracking affair.  Marshall County led 42-41, but was called for a foul with about two seconds left.  Rage and fury from the Marshall folks; two free throws and the lead for McCracken County.  Now Marshall has to go the length of the court.  They throw a long pass to half-court, where a Marshall player and a McCracken County player bump into each other going for the ball.  The Marshall player hits the floor and pleads for a foul.  No doing -- McCracken is going to state.  The place erupts with fans on both sides screaming and hollering.  And then everyone went home and argued about the officiating, the media, and pretty much every other aspect of Jackson Purchase life on Twitter.  And people say that tradition is dead.

5th Region Semi-Finals (at Taylor Co.):
(8) Elizabethtown 78, LaRue Co. 48
Bardstown 71, (5) John Hardin 63 (OT)

Spare a thought for John Hardin.  The Bulldogs didn't lose a game until January 21, winning the 2A State Tournament.  They were 30-3 going into yesterday, and were looking forward to a fourth game against E-Town in the regional final (they had gone 2-1 in the other three).  But instead they were upset by a red-hot Bardstown team that has lost only two games since December.  What a year for the Fifth Region.

Four of the 10 teams in the last AP poll -- (4) Lexington Catholic, (5) John Hardin, (7) Lex. Henry
Clay, and (9) South Laurel) -- have been eliminated.

14th Region Semi-Finals (at Knott Co. Cent.):
Wolfe Co. 74, Knott Co. Cent. 64
Hazard 65, Letcher Co. Cent. 38

90 Teams Left

Action in twelve different boys' basketball regional tournaments last night.  Twenty-four teams eliminated, including the Crittenden County Rockets.  Nine of the top 10 teams in the AP poll are still alive:

1st Region Quarter-Finals (at Murray State Univ.):
Marshall Co. 79, Graves Co. 45
Paducah Tilghman 65, Carlisle Co. 58

2d Region Quarter-Finals (at Hopkinsville):
Christian Co. 77, Crittenden Co. 56
(3) Madisonville-N. Hopkins 67, Henderson Co. 47

3d Region Quarter-Finals (at Owensboro Sportscenter):
McLean Co. 52, Breckinridge Co. 46
Owensboro Catholic 77, Butler Co. 61

4th Region Quarter-Finals (at W. Kentucky Univ.):
Clinton Co. 53, Franklin-Simpson 42
Warren Cent. 77, Barren Co. 49

5th Region Quarter-Finals (at Taylor Co.):
(8) Elizabethtown 81, Marion Co. 59
LaRue Co. 55, Nelson Co. 29

8th Region Quarter-Finals (at Henry Co.):
Collins 79, Henry Co. 57
S. Oldham 83, Simon Kenton 75

10th Region Quarter-Finals (at George Rogers Clark):
Bishop Brossart 58, Robertson Co. 54
George Rogers Clark 81, Augusta 41

12th Region Quarter-Finals (at Pulaski Co.):
Pulaski Co. 62, Lincoln Co. 49
W. Jessamine 84, Southwestern 56

13th Region Quarter-Finals (at Corbin Arena):
Clay Co. 80, Barbourville 68
Harlan Co. 74, Corbin 58

14th Region Quarter-Finals (at Knott Co. Cent.):
Knott Co. Cent. 45, Estill Co. 44
Wolfe Co. 73, Perry Co. Cent. 58

15th Region Quarter-Finals (at Appalachian Wireless Arena):
Martin Co. 77, Prestonsburg 51
Pikeville 90, Belfry 63

16th Region Quarter-Finals (at Morehead St. Univ.):
Boyd Co. 76, W. Carter 60
Lewis Co. 66, Bath Co. 53

KHSAA AP Poll

Here is the last AP Poll to be released on the Boys' Basketball season before district tournaments begin.  I will be using this poll as the basis for my rankings as we cover the tournaments:

1.  Lou. Male:  26-4
2.  Ashland Blazer:  28-0
3.  Madisonville-N. Hopkins:  26-3
4.  Lex. Catholic:  27-2
5.  John Hardin:  27-3
6.  Cov. Catholic:  24-5
7.  Lex. Henry Clay:  24-5
8.  Elizabethtown:  23-2
9.  S. Laurel:  25-4
10.  Lou. Ballard:  24-6

Oh, Kentucky

It's (almost) a wrap for Mayfield's first Fairgrounds Festival of Lights, and we have until Oct. 1 to sponsor a 2020 display.

The I-65 Mile Marker 0 welcome center in Simpson County, opened in 1974, is closed until probably fall.

Hoptown's Pennyroyal Area Museum targets Feb. 27 for its reopening.

Floyd County is optimistic the resurrection of Wheelwright's prison will take place, even with turnover in Frankfort.

Inez will be down to one grocery after the IGA's Monday closing.

Several Peebles, Goody's and other department stores around Kentucky are converting to Gordmanses this year, such as in Leitchfield and Winchester.

Paducah Police also is hiring.

World Trade Center Kentucky has named an interim executive director.

Kathie Stamps at Smiley Pete Publishing has an interesting report on a married-physicians couple's launch of "membership-based concierge medicine" in Lexington. Excellent name for the new biz: Downtown Drs. Brown. 

Jerry Sparks kicks off a three-part Jackson County Sun series on three people from McKee who were pardoned by former Gov. Bevin: "(M)ost of the pardons issued by the former Governor were not controversial at all. A great deal of the pardons issued were earned by the recipients through years of hard work and dedication toward turning their lives around. Unfortunately, the news cycle tends to focus on the sensational and the negative. In fairness, time should be spent addressing those people that honestly turned their lives around and earned themselves a second chance."

Huge in Kenton County: Liane Moriarity, James Patterson, Mario, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Alvin Schwartz, Lego, Game of Thrones and a bunch of Now That's What I Call Musics.

Oh, Kentucky

Danville's Advocate-Messenger on the new 988 suicide-prevention hotline: Yea. Prestonsburg's Floyd County Chronicle on Martin's lack of financial transparency: Nay.

I'm a big fan of Elizabethtown's Ring Road exit off of the Western Kentucky Parkway, and I'm excited to see what becomes of this planned food-and-retail complex.

Paducah's hotels reportedly have been about 60-percent full this year.

UK's starting pay for regular employees is going up to $12.50 per hour.

Bad jobs news from Williamsburg. Good from Hebron.

Good for retired Professor Hagans who donated thousands of dollars in stock for Madisonville Community College's emergency fund for students. And good for this Henry County, not-the-Berrrys couple who donated hundreds of acres for a new wildlife preserve.

Turning to sports, here's a Norse-centric look back at the decade, and here's a preview of WKYT's Christmas-afternoon airing of Reggie Warford: Fight of His Life.

Oh, Kentucky

Ninety-three and still counting, and one yet to go!

And, actually, we might be up to 94 parades, if this Daily Mail story--"Decline of the town that coal built ..."--is correct that Lynch was hosting one this month. But the town Facebook page that Ann Schmidt mentions appears to be on the fritz, and there is no specific date for the parade provided.

So, for now, I'm saying 93 confirmed 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, Paintsville, Prestonsburg, Rabbit Hash, Raceland, Russell Springs, Salyersville, Scottsville, Shelbyville, Somerset ("highlighted by football team's appearance"), Trenton, Versailles, Whitley City and Winchester, Dec. 7; Auburn, Georgetown and New Haven, Dec. 8; Augusta, Benton, Burkesville, Burnside, Campbellsville, Cave City, Edmonton, Elkton, Franklin, Hopkinsville, Louisa, Mayfield, Providence, Tollesboro, Williamsburg and Woodburn, Dec. 14, and Cerulean, Dec. 21!

In Prospect, they discovered gold--in a Salvation Army red kettle outside the Kroger.

Spreading Christmas "clipper love" in Paducah.

Meanwhile over in Harlan County, Hannah Reynolds from WYMT reports, there was no opposition voiced at the fiscal-court meeting when the Second Amendment-sanctuary deal came up (and quickly passed).

Curtains for curbside recycling in Warren County?

"Camp Restoration," a tiny-home community for homeless vets, is being planned off Dixie Highway in Louisville.

Quintessential American journalist Douglas White of Henderson's Gleaner delivers his typically stellar reporting and writing on local momentum toward large-scale solar-energy production. 

Elizabethtown's News-Enterprise weighs in on Vine Grove's city-hall crisis.

Cory Claxon in The Morehead News looks back on the busy first fourth months of the local Laughlin Health Building.

Oh, Kentucky

Happy new year (from Calvert City)!

Good jobs news from Florence, Newman and Owensboro.

Marshall County is considering whether to declare itself a sanctuary county, but it's not what you would think. (Or, in other words, gunsgunsguns. And maybe it is what you would think.)

Holiday open houses: ACLU of Kentucky, today.

There's a darkness on the edge of Floyd County.

Fish management: Asian carp in Lyon County, shad and sunfish in Henry County.

Here's a solid WDRB report on Kentucky's back and forth on marijuana legalization, with interesting perspectives from Jackson, Russell and Winchester legislators.

Who is Paducah's mystery Park Avenue pine-tree planter?

What's next for Lexington's old Romany Road Kroger?

Turning to sports, "the state of Kentucky and high school basketball have always been intertwined and can’t really be separated."

Oh, Kentucky

Tonight's the night to get our Lone Oak on at the McCracken County Public Library. (Pipe down, Reidland--you'll get your chance.)

I'm going to have to come up with a custom hashtag for my rock-solid, recurring observation about how great the meeting coverage is in contemporary newspaper journalism. Anyway, here's another perfect example, from Anthony Cloud in the Middlesboro Daily News from the Bell County Fiscal Court: "That tells me if there is a needle exchange in Middlesboro, a minimum of 100 people are going to drive through the tunnel out of Tennessee that wouldn’t have otherwise. They either, a. are high, (or) b. going to get high. To ignore that would be being naive."

And here's another, from Richard Burkard, in Madisonville's Messenger, on the Historic Planning Commission and the owner of a 90-year-old Chevy dealership and other downtown buildings and his desire to have those properties excluded from the town's historic district: "They take care of their own." (Maybe it'll be #RockSolidJournalismObservations.)

Auburn's fantastic Federal Grove is expanding. So's Kentucky State Police Post 4 - Elizabethtown.

Etown's Kentucky Cardinal Inn on U.S. 31W (East Dixie Avenue) is no more, however. It was nice (I almost forgot about #KentuckyForSale!) ...

Good Fred Petke feature in The Winchester Sun about a homegrown local police officer: "My dad always said if you need help, find a cop." (Mine, too.)

Kentucky's jail population climbed 76 percent from 2000 to 2015.

In The Advocate-Messenger--home of the Class 4A #khsfb19 state runners-up Boyle County High Rebels--a Centre College professor cites an economist from Duke University in arguing on behalf of the U.S. racial wealth gap as more of a focus in conversation about slavery reparations. (He convinced me.)

The Democrats are coming to take the guns (well, "assault weapons" and "large-capacity ammunition-feeding devices") (and flavored vape products) away.

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,  romley/Ludlow, Brownsville, Cadiz, Calvert City, Carlisle, Clinton, Columbia, Corbin, Cynthiana, Danville, 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; Augusta, Burkesville, Burnside, Campbellsville, Cave City, Elkton, Franklin, Louisa, Mayfield, Providence, Williamsburg and Woodburn, Dec. 14, and Tollesboro, Dec. 15.

Oh, Kentucky

In an interview with the Xinhua News Agency, "Official says collaboration with China remains significant for U.S. state of Kentucky." And Ballard County is proof.

Turning to sports, #khsbbk20 and #khsgbk20 are up and rolling. Also, Kentucky Monthly last month had a very interesting history of deer hunting in Kentucky. Actually, probably the most interesting part of Gary Garth's story to me was the history of not hunting deer in Kentucky; from 1912 to 1946, it was banned. Anyway, it's deer-hunting season of some sort now until Jan. 20. 

Way to go, Lexington-Fayette Animal Care & Control, Lexington Police and Kentucky State Police, and hooray that Lucy is home in Clinton County for the holidays! 

Thanks for the tip, Angel Welsh of WBKR.

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, London, Monticello, Pineville, Richmond and Trenton, Dec. 6; Arlington, Barbourville, Berea, Bloomfield, Bowling Green, Bromley/Ludlow, Brownsville, Cadiz, Calvert City, Clinton, 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; Augusta, Burkesville, Burnside, Elkton, Mayfield, Providence, Williamsburg, Dec. 14, and Tollesboro, Dec. 15.

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

A former EKU cheerleader who grew up in Winchester was working at a Las Vegas Hooters, where she met a model. They started dating. Then he got a job as a server at a restaurant featured in a Bravo reality-TV series. Then the guy and the woman from Winchester ended up getting their own Bravo spinoff, and on Saturday they got married at the Kentucky Castle in Versailles. People has exclusive photos and coverage--including details such as that former 'NSYNC performer Lance Bass officiated and that rentals were provided by Bryant's Rent-all of Lexington. "Mr. Vernon Bryant started in the rental business in Lexington, Kentucky in 1953, as a United Rent-All franchise store. His store was located at 531 South Limestone, just opposite the University of Kentucky. This was the first equipment rental store in central Kentucky. The telephone book did not have 'rental' as a heading at the time, so Mr. Bryant was the first business under that heading."

A mechanic decided to shift to law enforcement in 1957. He retired Friday from the Campbell County Sheriff's Office.

Hazard's new police department is an old McDonald's.

The U.S. Postal Service says Louisville's Girard Drive has gone to the dogs, and so they aren't going there for now.

Good jobs news from Wurtland.

World's largest pocketknife, in Radcliff.

"That's OK if you don’t believe in it, but it’s all about everybody being treated fairly." Shamarria Morrison has an interesting feature on Paducah's "safe spaces" for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or sexual-identity-questioning people.

Christmas parades: Dawson Springs and Murray, Dec. 1; Hopkinsville, Dec. 6, and Henderson and Scottsville, Dec. 7.

Oh, Kentucky

Fifty years and 12 stories of affordable housing for 55-year-old-and-older residents of Newport.

After 54 years of hellos at Harlan County schools, it's so long to Billie Gray.

The 32nd Charles Logsdon Historic Downtown Walking Tour commences Thursday in Etown.

Starting on digital literacy early, in Louisville.

Martin County is getting together Saturday to clean up and celebrate.

"Of course, lots of cities have amphitheaters, but not every town with a population of about 3,500 builds a venue that holds 5,000." Deborah Kohl Kremer has a nice feature in Kentucky Monthly on plucky Beaver Dam and its amphitheater.

Turning to sports, disc-golf season is underway in Lawrenceburg; Summit's Armco Park Iron Ore Hiking Trail, which "includes part of the brick road from the original Route 60 that went from Ashland to Lexington" (!), opened Saturday, but--too bad, so sad--you missed canoeing or kayaking the Woodbury-to-Aberdeen Green River Ramble.

Also, Danville's Advocate-Messenger lost its sports editor of three years to the Norton Center for the Arts, and the new person is an eager University of Louisville Cardinal alum who lives in Bullitt County and has been working on an assembly line.

Rest in peace, Rev. Dr. Hobgood, a Transylvania and College of the Bible product, former pastor of several Kentucky congregations and 2003-05 general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) "whose leadership in a transitional time called us to faithfulness in our witness as a pro-reconciling anti-racist Church."

Oh, Kentucky

Five years later, Army comes home, to Oldham County.

WKU Photojournalism picks up Hearst Award for Overall Photojournalism No. 25.

Happy Ali Week in Louisville.

And then a free "afternoon of entertainment and exploration," courtesy of the Kentucky Opera, June 9 at The Brown Theatre.

Good jobs news from Edmonton.

Hiring in Cadiz (for "Welders, Assemblers, Machine Operators, Painters, Blasters & CNC Operators," on June 21).

Paducah's Midtown Alliance of Neighbors has three new 1,200-square-foot homes planned for low-to-moderate-income families, per Channel 12.

"(H)ealth coverage is just one factor that shapes health outcomes ... to further boost health in Kentucky we need to address these other important health factors. And yet, instead of increasing investments in these areas, the state has disinvested in education, public health, social services and environmental protection — all areas that are critical to health – for over a decade." Ashley Spalding and the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy peal the onion of Kentucky's poor health rankings.

"The way it’s worded, it’s completely counterintuitive to this Supreme Court directive. So it has to go." Ben Kleppinger's Advocate-Messenger breakdown on problems with Boyle County's sign ordinance is comprehensive, but, for my money, the real jewel here is his photograph of the signs along Danville's Hustonville Road. Makes me want pizza. Also, the font on the "Drive Thru" sign is a dead giveaway that Wok-N-Go used to be a Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Oh, Kentucky

Foes since both took office in 2015, it's Bevin vs. Beshear for Kentucky governor in 2019 https://t.co/iTyE3kS8l8 pic.twitter.com/iKeu3zUTgJ

— The Gleaner (@TheGleanerNews) May 22, 2019

There appears to be a heck of testing mess unfolding at Betsy Layne Elementary School.

Prayers for the 11 puppies fighting to survive in Louisville after being dumped in a Jackson County ravine.

Hooray for the multi-county collaboration that led to a first-of-its-kind rescue atop Natural Bridge!

Good jobs news from Morehead. Bad from (Dressbarns of) Elizabethtown, Florence, Lexington, Louisville, Pikeville and Simpsonville.

Hiring (fairs) in Louisville, Madisonville and West Liberty.

Godspeed to the forthcoming Carlisle Restaurant's operators as they hustle to beat the Blackberry Festival clock.

The Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival, launched in 1931, puts on No. 89 in and around Pineville, starting Thursday.