By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnist
I’m regularly blessed to be around and write about uplifting Kentucky stories — witness the over 480 columns I’ve shared right here with the Northern Kentucky Tribune. But last week was special. My cup surely did “runneth over” with exhilarating items of statewide note.
It started at 7 p.m. Monday night when the long-time men’s college basketball rivalry between the Eastern Kentucky University Colonels and the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky continued after several years of not playing. This time, it took place in Richmond before a packed house at EKU’s newly renovated Baptist Health Arena at Alumni Coliseum.
Though my team, EKU, lost 87-79, there was plenty of excitement, with the teams exchanging leads thirteen times, only to have WKU pull further ahead at the end. The rivalry started back in the early 20th century, and the teams have now played each other over 200 times.
The renovated arena is beautiful, and I believe it will help recruit great players and many new fans in the stands. Hope you’ll be there soon for a men’s or women’s basketball game or other sports or campus events.
On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of interviewing Janie Olmstead, who reigned as Miss Kentucky in 1966. Growing up in the small town of New Castle, in Henry County, she has quite an inspiring story to tell (“beehive” hairdo and practiced her dancing in the fire station). I plan to help her share those nostalgic times in a future article.
Then, on Thursday night, I was honored to attend the annual Al Smith Awards Dinner, sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists, Bluegrass Chapter and the Institute for Rural Journalism at the University of Kentucky. It took place at The Campbell House, in Lexington. I was invited by representatives from Kentucky Living, a magazine for which I’ve contributed articles. Notably, former director of the Institute, Al Cross, is a Northern Kentucky contributor.
It was a crowded event, and I found it exciting to rub shoulders with some of Kentucky’s most passionate advocates for the First Amendment, along with being great promoters of rural journalism. There seems to be a strong following despite recent attacks on the press and challenges to sustain local, community-based news. All told, it’s comforting that there are a whole host of people willing to fight for such noble things.
Here are a few of those noteworthy fighters recognized on that night:
• Bill Estep received The Al Smith Award for his over 40 years of reporting, mostly about the needs of communities in Appalachian Kentucky, with much of his work being with the Lexington Herald-Leader. Peter Baniak, former Herald-Leader executive editor, said Estep “told stories that matter for an entire region and its people, and he’s told them with great care, empathy and honesty that news coverage — especially national news coverage — of the region often lacks.”
• The Tom and Pat Gish Award is a tribute to the work of this deceased couple who published The Mountain Eagle in Whitesburg, gaining a reputation for courage in printing truth and withstanding the fierce pushback from local vested interests. The 2025 award goes to The Mountain Citizen, of Inez, whose most noted endeavor is its ongoing fight to see its Martin County residents have clean water. The newspaper’s owner, Lisa Slayton, said this of the issue: “When you live here and see your neighbors carrying bottled water into their kitchens, you understand this is about survival.”
The night at the Campbell House had a nice bow tied to the proceedings when the keynote speaker, Dee Davis, president of the Center for Rural Strategies and a long-time producer of Appalshop public TV documentaries, regaled the audience with stories from his days as a child and later days in rural journalism, keeping the emphasis on the common dignity of individuals and the need to carry on the work of organizations highlighted at the Al Smith Awards Dinner. His closing remark, “we’re all in this together,” seemed to touch the hearts of those in the audience.
But the whole week touched me.