Kentucky news

• State lawmakers hear public’s data center concerns

  02-10-2026 20:20 via state-journal.com
  
  With such a high volume of discourse over the rapid growth of data centers, state lawmakers gave the public a chance to voice their concerns on Thursday.Held in the Capitol Annex, people from across the commonwealth each had three minutes to speak and present their thoughts and opinions to Rep. Adam Moore (D-Fayette), Rep. Adrielle Camuel (D-Fayette), Rep. Anne Gay Donworth (D-Fayette), Rep. Vanessa Grossl (R-Fayette, Scott), Rep. Lisa Willner (D-Jefferson), Rep. Al Gentry (D-Jefferson), Rep. Er
  
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• Candidate forums set for Monday and Oct. 19

  02-10-2026 20:19 via state-journal.com
  Two candidate forums featuring the county’s only contested local offices are being hosted by two community organizations this month.
  Together Frankfort and Development Interest Group Frankfort (DIG) are partnering with Kentucky State University and Cable 10 for the forums to be held at KSU’s main auditorium, 400 E. Main St.
  The Frankfort Board of Commissioners forum will be at 6 p.m. Monday. The sheriff and magistrate candidate forum is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19. Both are
  
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• Frankfort Independent board approves working budget, sets tax rate

  02-10-2026 20:18 via state-journal.com
  
  The Frankfort Independent Schools Board of Education approved a working budget for fiscal year 2027 at its board meeting Monday.
  The budget will be $16,013,707.43, an increase of $1.8 million from the previous year.
  The board also approved a tax rate of 105.2 cents per $100 on real and personal property and 47.4 cents on motor vehicles.
  The 105.2 tax rate is a 2% increase from the previous rate. A 4% increase would have been a tax rate of 107.3.
  The 2% tax rate as opposed to the 4% tax rate resu
  
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• City, AOC secure FEMA reimbursement funds

  02-10-2026 20:18 via state-journal.com
  
  Gov. Andy Beshear announced Wednesday that his administration has secured more than $21.9 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster funds to reimburse Kentucky cities, counties and utilities for expenses incurred during severe weather events in 2019, 2021, 2025 and 2026 — including two in Franklin County.
  “From federally declared weather disasters to the pandemic, Kentucky was owed millions of dollars to help our communities and our people recover and I am proud
  
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• WesBanco Student of the Week: Western Hills’ Assibey-Mensah leads by example

  02-10-2026 20:17 via state-journal.com
  
  Western Hills junior Dorian Assibey-Mensah is a standout in the classroom and on the football field, and he is the WesBanco Student of the Week.
  Assibey-Mensah was selected as the Franklin County Schools Student Champion of the Month for September, and FCS Superintendent Mark Kopp read the nomination for Assibey-Mensah at the district’s Sept. 14 board meeting.
  “Dorian is an outstanding student, athlete, leader and role model who consistently demonstrates what it means to live out the
  
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• Police, fire blotter (Oct. 1)

  02-10-2026 20:17 via state-journal.com
  
  The following calls were received by the Frankfort Police Department, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Frankfort Fire and EMS, and Franklin County Fire Department on Thursday:
  • At 8:05 a.m., officers and EMS responded to a non-injury motor vehicle accident on Kings Daughters Drive near U.S. 127 South.
  • At 8:41 a.m., officers were called to a non-injury motor vehicle accident on Versailles Road.
  • At 8:48 a.m., officers took a vandalism complaint on Woodgate Road. A caller
  
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• ‘Phil’-ing in: Retirees remain active volunteering at history center

  02-10-2026 20:16 via state-journal.com
  
  Their backgrounds are as varied as their jobs, but all the volunteers I met at the Kentucky History Center have the common desire to help preserve history and the willingness to offer their time and talents to do so.
  Kristen Wheatley, volunteer program coordinator, planned an intensive visiting schedule with several of the volunteers — 30 minutes or so with each, gather their stories and what they do, and move to the next.
  As “time to move” approached, Wheatley seemed to appear
  
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• Franklin County Schools board passes working budget

  02-10-2026 20:16 via state-journal.com
  
  A working budget for fiscal year 2027 has been passed by the Franklin County Schools Board of Education.
  The board passed the budget at a special called meeting Monday at Bondurant Middle School.
  The working budget for FY27 is $104,293,542.77 for all the funds, and the contingency fund is $7,174,380. Last year’s working budget was $93.1 million.
  School districts are required by Kentucky state law to maintain a contingency fund of at least 2% of their total budget expenditures.
  In August, t
  
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• Becoming Kentucky History Center volunteer is a process

  02-10-2026 20:06 via state-journal.com
  
  Occupying an entire city block between Ann and Mero streets and fronting on Broadway in downtown Frankfort, the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History — commonly known as the Kentucky History Center — is 167,000 square feet dedicated to preserving the heritage of the state.
  In 2025, according to Dana Zinger, director of marketing and communications, more than 31,000 visited the center — and more than a million have been welcomed since it opened in 1999.
  Curating the more t
  
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• PHOTO: Frankfort Elks Lodge #530 donates funds to Capital City Activity Center/Meals on Wheels Greater Frankfort

  02-10-2026 04:56 via state-journal.com
  
  Frankfort Elks Lodge #530 recently donated $3,500 to Capital City Activity Center/Meals on Wheels Greater Frankfort. The funds came through the Gratitude Grant Program from the National Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks.
  
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• Ashbrook Hotel launches on-site restaurant Field Note

  02-10-2026 04:47 via state-journal.com
  
  The Ashbrook Hotel announced the launch of Field Note, the new identity of its on-site restaurant, led by Chef Mikey Miller on Thursday.
  Field Note will be open Wednesday through Sunday and will serve brunch, lunch, and dinner, with a seasonal menu crafted around ingredients heavily sourced from regional farms and producers.
  Set within The Ashbrook Hotel — the former residence of Col. E.H. Taylor Jr., the founder of today’s Buffalo Trace Distillery — Field Note pairs a historic
  
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• Police, fire blotter (Sept. 30)

  02-10-2026 04:46 via state-journal.com
  
  The following calls were received by the Frankfort Police Department, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Frankfort Fire and EMS, and Franklin County Fire Department on Wednesday:
  • At 8:02 a.m., officers took a fraud complaint at Hickory Hills Apartments on Marlowe Court. A caller reported a friend coerced her into signing a fraudulent check.
  • At 10:29 a.m., officers took a theft report at Juniper Hills Apartments on Louisville Road. A caller reported a bike had been stolen.
  &bul
  
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• Bridgeport Christian Church to host haunting afternoon of classic literature

  02-10-2026 04:46 via state-journal.com
  
  Bridgeport Christian Church will host a readers theatre production, “Medley for the Dead of Night,” on Sunday, Oct. 18. The church is located at 175 Evergreen Road.
  The program will begin at 3 p.m. and is expected to last about one hour.
  The production will include selections from classic literature favorites: “The Raven,” “The Bells,” and “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe; “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs; “Macb
  
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• Kentucky State football ranked No. 1 in country in HBCU poll, No. 24 in NCAA II poll

  02-10-2026 04:44 via state-journal.com
  
  Kentucky State football continues to climb to new heights as the Thorobreds have reached the top of the HBCU Division II Coaches Poll powered by BOXTOROW, earning the No. 1 ranking in Week 4 following a historic road victory over Albany State.
  The Thorobreds, 4-1 this season, received 17 of the 18 first-place votes and totaled 179 points to move up one spot from No. 2.
  Kentucky State strengthened its case for the top spot with a 24-16 victory over Albany State on Sept. 26, defeating the Golden R
  
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• Guest columnist: Data centers benefit ratepayers, homeowners

  02-10-2026 04:44 via state-journal.com
  
  The data center battle is about more than money, but one thing is clear: There are potentially massive financial benefits to individuals both as ratepayers and homeowners.
  Getting real-life data on the modern hyperscale data center has required a bit of “wait and see.” Supply and demand indicators are not always immediate; economic revenue projections need to be verified, and reports of whether data centers make electricity and property taxes more affordable need to bear out. New dat
  
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