Oh, Kentucky

I've subsequently gone on my Thursday-night basketball league's IL with a knee issue (which is really heartbreaking, because it was widely held that I had been playing the best ball of my whole freaking career), but I am thrilled that I at least stayed healthy long enough to visit and play in the gym of the 1928-state-finalist Nebo Purple Aces (reports indispensable Bob "I Corinthians 10:31" Mays, "Nebo (district champ) beat LaFayette, Madisonville, and Cobb to win the 2nd region. At the state tournament, the Aces beat Russell 31-6, Munfordville 31-21, and Inez 21-18 before losing the championship game to Corbin & its 6’6 center Bob Cluggish 24-18."). 

"Louisville Parks and Recreation is seeking information from current and future pool users in an effort to provide alternative swimming options during the 2019 summer swim season. Metro’s four outdoor pools will not be opening due to budgetary challenges caused by an increase in our state pension bill and the council’s vote against new revenue. The goal is to use the feedback to create the most useful alternatives possible."

With 478 people going to work in April, Kentucky reached a record-breaking 1,982,330 people doing jobs across the state.

Best of luck to Mr. Richardson and Mrs. Spears on their coffee/coloring pages/art endeavor in Villa Hills.

On ambulance service in and around Pike County in the wake of recent M&A activity.

Latest turn in the recycling saga in and around Lexington.

Almost six years later and still no peace for the family, friends and colleagues of Ofc. Ellis.

Oh, Kentucky

"We understand the violence, we understand the drugs. But one fact remains, many of our children are innocent. Police need to find a better way." Prayers for real peace in Louisville (and great reporting and writing by Andrew Wolfson in The Courier-Journal).

Turning to sports, a former Murray State University history professor has a new book out on a certain old University of Kentucky basketball coach.

Groundbreaking is afoot for (horse) racing in Oak Grove.

Preparations are underway for (motocross and car) racing in Nebo.

Madisonville has expanded its annual women's conference (coming up next week), and the keynoters are from Turkey (via Lexington and NKU) and Marshall County.

Henderson's first Tech on Tap is.

Good jobs news from Louisville.

Hiring in Berea (for positions in central Kentucky), Morehead (for a local police dispatcher) and south of Dawson Springs (for Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park housekeepers).

Remember the Holy Cross High valedictorian whom the Diocese of Covington wouldn't let speak at commencement? He's now a University of Louisville freshman and Hugh Hefner Foundation First Amendment Award winner.

Rest in peace, Michael Hardin, a U.S. Army dental-lab specialist who served in Vietnam and will be buried at the veterans cemetery in Hopkinsville. "He had no known surviving family members and VFW Post 4730 in Dover, Tennessee put out a call this week asking for anyone who can to attend and honor the fallen veteran," reports WHOP.

Oh, Kentucky

Good jobs news from Louisville.

Statistically Kentucky's lowest rate of unemployment? Woodford. Highest? Magoffin.

Reportedly Kentucky's healthiest county? Oldham. Least-healthy? Owsley.

The publisher of Shepherdsville's Pioneer News takes in the State of Bullitt County.

For the record, in Barren County, it's still the Glasgow Daily Times.

From the opinion page of Bardstown's Kentucky Standard:

-- "But like I said, Trump and company don’t have a monopoly on hate and violence. Islamist extremists, modern-day Khajarites, have been swimming in hate-based violence for the better part of four decades."

-- "I’m grateful that the Democratic Party elected people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. They will be the “gift that keeps on giving” for the Republicans in 2020."

Meanwhile, a local salon joins its industry's "Green Circle."

Laundry Love, in Murray.

Literacy Celebration, across Hopkins County.

Thank you, Lord, that it wasn't any worse than it was in West Paducah last week.

Via a University of Cumberlands service project, free tutoring is available to students of any age and in any subject Mondays and Wednesdays at the Whitley County Public Library.

LaRue County middle- and high-school students come back from KUNA with plenty to tell Ron Benningfield for a detailed report in Hodgenville's Herald News.

10 years and counting of independent pro wrestling in Muhlenberg County.

Lexington's "Thriller" parade may be done.

Oh, Kentucky

Corbin's proposed, Kentucky Fried Chicken-reminiscent splash park has a new and apparently better home because the local Economy Inn owner "loves Corbin so much and wants to do something great for the community," Erin Cox reports in what in a fantastic Times-Tribune meeting story that has become typical of today's world of spartan community journalism in Kentucky (All Along™).

Hemp sales surge.

Man, oh, man ... everything's complicated (sun edition). 

Well, not everything: The state education minister gave 10 school districts until close-of-biz yesterday to name names. Bullitt County's superintendent, for one, was "still evaluating," per Shepherdsville's Pioneer News.

Rest in peace, John Horace Cox, born in Madisonville shortly after the Maroons' first Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1938, proud member of UK's "Marching 100,"  teacher in every Hopkins County school, Saint Mary's Episcopal organist, organizer of family "caveman suppers" and more.

Oh, Kentucky

On this last day of Black History Month, Madisonville’s Concerned Citizens Society details (in The Messenger) Hopkins County’s 1866-1941 history of schools, teachers, administrators and rules for its African-American students.  These reports have been fantastic all month. I've learned a lot; for example, I learned today there was a "Kitchen" in Hopkins County. Thank you, Concerned Citizens Society.

McCracken County High's alleged mishandling of sexual-abuse complaints prompts a Murray Ledger & Times review of policies in its local districts.

Hardin County Schools ups its ante against drivers who ignore those bus stop-sign arms.

Teachers are back in frankfort to protest a bill that would restructure the board of the Teachers Retirement System. @BGPolitics @heraldleader pic.twitter.com/zlGopPahKS

— Marcus Dorsey (@mdorseymedia) February 28, 2019

The protest "sickout" grinds to a halt public schools in (at least) Fayette, Jefferson, Madison and Marion counties.

Covington greases skids for commercialized urban farming.

Here's the long and winding road to Winchester's South Main Grocery.

Hiring in Louisville (for a Courier-Journal digital producer). 

Here's a fun FREE event for the kids this weekend! https://t.co/8xLnH6glp6

— WBKR (@WBKR) February 28, 2019

Hit the trails, in Dawson Springs.

Have some fun, in Henderson, courtesy of The Gleaner's Douglas D. White.

Oh, Kentucky

American Theater Hall of Famer George C. Wolfe (Frankfort High Class of '72) got robbed.

Star Country Market & Pizza on U.S. 60 in Rush did not--thanks, apparently, to Roxy.

Welcome to Lexington (here now).

Welcome back to Olive Hill (June 30, "NO DIRTBIKES!")

The problem of four-wheelers on "The Fork" draws about 100 to a community meeting, and Ben Kleppinger with Danville's Advocate-Messenger is there to deliver a great report.

"​PlayThink is a revolution. PlayThink is a community. PlayThink is an adventure. PlayThink is for EVERYONE!" Starts today in Berea.

Hiring at Nolin Lake State Park (for seasonal campground help).

Congrats to the Barren County Detention Center's General Equivalency Diploma (GED) graduate and 22 National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) recipients.

The new Metcalfe County Government Center appears to be coming along nicely.

Fulton County's UK grads got together at The Keg to award some scholarships last month, and Jack "Goose" Givens was the guest speaker!

Rest in peace, Thomas H. Porter Sr., Madisonville High Maroons basketball and football captain, Iwo Jima Purple Heart recipient, innovator of no-till farming in Kentucky, bringer of affordable municipal water and grade-school basketball to Nebo and husband of Kathleen for 66 years.

Oh, Kentucky

Ever want to gather your tribe and parade? Here's your chance! The application to be in our Christmas parade on Dec 2 is part of this post. See you soon! https://t.co/YSzKKwFYgC#visitmunfordville #holidaylikealocal pic.twitter.com/PU8RmJTRIY

— Munfordville Tourism (@MVKYtourism) November 17, 2017

Christmas parades: Irvington and Owensboro, Nov. 18; Ashland, Nov. 21; Lebanon, Nov. 24; Brownsville and Danville, Nov. 25; Greenup, Nov. 28; Cumberland, London, Monticello and Richmond, Dec. 1; Arlington ("Around the Block"), Barbourville, Beaver Dam, Fordsville, Georgetown, Harlan, Hartford, Henderson, Lawrenceburg, Madisonville, Marion, Munfordville, Murray, Paducah ("Let It Glow, Let It Glow, Let It Glow"), Somerset and Winchester, Dec. 2; Dawson Springs and Evarts, Dec. 3; Mount Sterling, Dec. 4; Lexington, Dec. 5; Bardstown, Dec. 7; Frankfort, Dec. 8; Augusta, Cave City, Elkton, Hanson, Hopkinsville and Paintsville, Dec. 9, and La Center (donated canned goods and nonperishables go to the Ballard County Food Pantries) and Oak Grove, Dec. 16.

Kentucky is reportedly spending 15.8 percent less per public-school student than it was in 2008.

With about 40 percent of the state's regulations on combat sports rolled back, the WWE has returned to Kentucky for the first time in six years.

The Franklin-Simpson SKYCTC is doing something about Kentucky's CDL-driver shortage.

Rest in peace, Mr. Ausenbaugh, Western Kentucky State College attendee as an infant, Nebo Aces basketballer, one-time coal miner, journalist in Princeton and Russellville (and elsewhere), husband of former gift-shop manager for Barren River State Resort Park, and bonafide hall-of-famer. Barry Rose in Bowling Green's Daily News:

He probably wouldn’t have liked this analogy, but Ausenbaugh was the rock of a dream team of sorts on Western Kentucky University’s faculty that began in the mid-1970s under the direction of David B. Whitaker, head of the Department of Journalism.

In photojournalism, Jack Corn and Mike Morse created a nationally recognized program. In print, Bob Adams – or “Mr. A,” as we called him – taught the basics and shepherded the College Heights Herald staff. Jim Highland taught public affairs reporting and told us we could do practically anything.

Ausenbaugh, a former regional editor of The Courier-Journal, brought us back to reality and taught us how much we had to learn. To us, he knew everything about writing and editing, knew every Kentucky editor who might hire a young student for the summer and could throw in stories from his days at what he called the "Curious Jumble." He probably knew more Kentucky history and its towns than anyone in the History Department.

The 7th District in 1975

In our continuing series on the 1975 basketball season in Western Kentucky, here are the scores from the Seventh District:

Earlington 66, South Hopkins 57

Madisonville 72, West Hopkins 64

Earlington 87, Dawson Springs 81

Madisonville 76, Earlington 66

This was the last year that the Earlington Yellow Jackets fielded a team. The next year, the 1967 State Champs disappeared into the West Hopkins Rebels and the South Hopkins Tomcats. After the 1995-96 school year, another redistricting left the Hopkins County School District with only two high schools: Madisonville-North Hopkins and Hopkins County Central.

Until the 1966-67 school year, Madisonville had a historically African-American school known as the Madisonville Rosenwald Tigers. My guess is that the school was named after this guy.

Until the 1964-65 school year, Earlington had a historically African-American school known as Earlington Million. Two years after the two Earlington schools were merged, they became the first team in the history of the Second Region to win the state championship.

After the 1961-62 school year, West Hopkins High School was formed from Charleston, Dalton, and Nebo High Schools, while Hanson High School was merged with Madisonville, which was re-named Madisonville-North Hopkins.

Although Dawson Springs was historically a member of this district, it played in the Hopkinsville district from 1960 to 1972. According to the invaluable information collected at KentuckySportsHistory.com, it was reported that in the 1959 Seventh District Tournament, a Madisonville Maroon fan poured a Coke on the head of Dawson Springs Coach George Perry, and Perry vowed never to play in that district again.

South Hopkins High School was formed from a merger between Mortons Gap and Nortonville after the 1954-55 school year.

So if anyone were inclined to make up an eight-team league for use in imaginary sports competition, he could do so with the eight high schools that used to belong to the Hopkins County School District: Charleston, Dalton, Earlington, Hanson, Madisonville, Mortons Gap, Nebo, and Nortonville.

And then the champion of that league could have a playoff against the champion of a league formed from the eight historic high schools in Graves County: Cuba, Fancy Farm, Farmington, Lowes, Mayfield, Sedalia, Symsonia, and Wingo.

Oh, Kentucky

Sunny Sweeney plays PCC tomorrow night, while HPKo10* rocks Racer Nation today.

Madisonville turned back visiting Hoptown on Monday night.

Kentucky--and specifically Louisville--is reportedly leading the nation in deployment of hybrid school buses.

I wonder if this is the end end for Anton's school. Per Joe Dorris in Hopkinsville's Kentucky New Era 49 years ago, Anton was once one of 12 Hopkins County schools--along with Dalton, Dawson Springs, Earlington, Earlington Million (not pictured), Hanson, Madisonville, Madisonville Rosenwald, Mortons Gap, Nebo, Nortonville and White Plains--before consolidations commenced.


Rest in peace, Pfc. Napier.

Oh, Kentucky

The Calloway County Lady Lakers (listen live; first pitch scheduled in two minutes!) and Hopkins County Central Storm were among the first-day winners in the double-elimination state softball tournament in Owensboro.

Meanwhile, in great Mike Fields's great look-ahead to next week's baseball tournament, there is a note of William Unseld's hiring as Warren Central High School's new boys' basketball coach. William is one of Wes Unseld's nephews.

Here's the problem.

Good jobs news from Earlington and Winchester.

Episcopals ... rocking Russellville for 175 years.

Basketball coaches at Randall K. Cooper High School in Union, the former coach at J-town and a football player from Lexington who's related to Dirk Minniefield are among those clobbering LeBron James.

Oh, Kentucky

SNOW DAY!

I'm especially happy for the Smiths of Princeton, Fred Cowan, Bird Averitt, Brandi Ashby, Stephanie Minor and Sharon Ottens.

The Internet is only starting to work now.

Kentucky's only magic dinner theater is Kentucky Magic Dinner Theater.

Actually, I'm with Bruce Pearl on this one.

On the other hand, Billy Donovan can shove it.