A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Art Lander’s Outdoors: Kentucky’s fall turkey season offers excellent chance to bag that holiday bird

Hunters in Kentucky have lots of opportunities to bag a wild turkey in the fall, considering our long archery season, and split crossbow and shotgun seasons. The 2023 fall turkey season dates are: Fall turkey bow kill (Photo by Art Lander, Jr.) • Archery, September 2, 2023 through January 15. • Crossbow, October 1 through October 22, and November 11 through December 31. • Shotgun, October...

Farmers display equipment on grounds of State Capitol to mark Raising Hope’s Appreciation Day

By Tom Latek Kentucky Today It’s not often you see farm machinery on the grounds of the State Capitol, but on Wednesday the equipment was there to help mark Farmer Appreciation and Award Day, sponsored by Raising Hope, a group supporting healthy lives on Kentucky farms. Ag Commissioner Ryan Quarles spoke on the importance of farming in Kentucky. “It’s the second-largest employer across the Commonwealth....

Louisville customs agents sieze $12 million in counterfeit jewelry from Hong Kong

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Louisville on Tuesday night seized a shipment containing 1,672 pieces of counterfeit designer rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. The items were deemed to be counterfeit by CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts, and if genuine, would have had a combined manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of...

Former Governor Brereton Jones, 84, dies after a long illness; remembered as dedicated leader

By Jack Brammer NKyTribune reporter   Former Kentucky Gov. Brereton Jones, who emphasized healthcare reform and ethics in his administration from 1991 to 1995 and who was a major figure in the state’s horse industry, has died at the age of 84 after a long illness. Governor Jones, official portrait Gov. Andy Beshear announced the death late Monday on social media. “I was sad to learn that former...

Kentucky shares in multi-million dollar settlement with Tempoe LLC in consumer protection on leasing

By Tom Latek Kentucky Today Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced that Kentucky will share in a multi-million dollar settlement involving over 40 states with Tempoe, LLC, in a consumer protection case involving leasing versus buying. The agreement settles allegations that Tempoe systematically misled its customers, leading them to believe that they were agreeing to an installment plan to purchase...

Kentucky’s quota hunt application period for deer, waterfowl and pheasant open through Sept. 30

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources offers annual quota hunts for deer, waterfowl and pheasant at state wildlife management areas and other public lands, and for sandhill cranes on a statewide basis. Randomized drawings are conducted to determine recipients of the hunt opportunities that are each limited to a specific quota number. (Photo from KDFWR) Hunters can apply for these quota...

Big Blue Madness set for October 13 at Rupp Arena; tickets available September 29

By Keith Taylor Kentucky Today Big Blue Madness is set for Oct. 13 at Rupp Arena. Tickets for the annual event will be available beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29. Big Blue Madness (File photo/UK) Big Blue Madness, which will showcase the Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball teams, will begin at 7 p.m. and tickets are free. Because of ongoing renovations at Memorial Coliseum, there will be...

Art Lander’s Outdoors: Once nearly absent in the state, the house wren now most abundant in NKY

The House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) has the distinction of being one of the very few songbirds that were rare or absent during the early settlement of Kentucky, but has become established during relatively recent times. Author Brainard Palmer-Ball Jr. wrote in The Kentucky Breeding Bird Atlas that “Audubon did not observe the species during the early 1800s, and even as late as the early 1900s it was...

Daniel Boone National Forest to hold clean up event, waive fees for National Public Lands Day Sept. 23

In honor of the 30th annual National Public Lands Day, the Daniel Boone National Forest is supporting a trash clean up in the Red River Gorge and waiving fees at recreation areas across the Forest on Saturday, September 23. National Public Lands Day was first established in 1994 by the National Environmental Education Foundation and is the nation’s largest single-day volunteer event for public...

Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance VanMeter announces he will not seek re-election

By Tom Latek Kentucky Today Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter officially announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election to the high court bench when his current eight-year term expires at the end of 2024. In making known his decision, VanMeter said, “The greatest privileges of my professional life have been to serve the people of Central Kentucky as their Justice on the Court...

Appalachian Regional Commission awards $14m in grants to help people in recovery re-enter workforce

By McKenna Horsley The Kentucky Lantern The Appalachian Regional Commission announced nearly $14 million for projects that help people recovering from substance use disorders to re-enter the workforce.   Across 11 states, 43 projects were selected to receive part of the funding through ARC’s  Investments Supporting Partnerships In Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative. Federal Co-Chair Gayle...

State seeing uptick in cases of ‘whooping cough,’ a highly contagious respiratory illness

By Sarah Ladd Kentucky Lantern Kentucky is seeing an uptick in cases of pertussis, more commonly called whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory illness. File photo The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services said in a newsletter: “Recent cases have occurred primarily in central Kentucky but cases are being seen throughout the Commonwealth.” Whooping cough can be a life threatening...

Small Business Administration finalizes rule to increase financial support for disaster survivors

By Tom Latek Kentucky Today The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced it has finalized a rule to increase support to disaster survivors and small businesses needing relief following a federally declared disaster. The rule becomes effective for all disasters declared on or after July 31, 2023. (Image from Kentucky Today) “The Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized maximizing resources...

Public Service Commission denies energy subsidies for proposed cryptomining facility in Eastern KY

By Nadia Ramlagan Public News Service China-based company Ebon International will not be getting discounted energy prices for its proposed cryptomining facility in eastern Kentucky, the state’s regulators announced. The Public Service Commission is also expected to issue a decision this month on rate discounts for another cryptomining facility in Hatfield. Foreign-owned cryptomining companies...

Art Lander’s Outdoors: Grant County’s Williamstown Lake is a popular boating and recreation destination

Editor’s note:This is the seventeenth article in an occasional series on small lakes in central and eastern Kentucky. Williamstown lake is a popular boating destination (Photo from Lemons Landing) Williamstown Lake is east of Interstate-75 in Grant County, reached via US 25, Ky. 467, Ky. 22, Ky. 2360, and Ky. 489. Impounded from south fork of Grassy Creek, a tributary to the Licking River, the...