Are we in the Dog Days of summer? We’re pretty sure that’s where we are. Heat, humidity and chances of scattered storms continue. It’ll be gross-sticky this afternoon. Storms could arrive at night. Rinse and repeat for Saturday. Then it’ll be in the low 90s on Sunday. We’re pretty much over it. [WxOrNot]
Need to cool off tonight? Go to the movies for free. Downtown. At The Capitol. WKU Public Media is screening Dogs of Service at 7:00 P.M. Central. But if tomorrow afternoon is when you want to go out, Twin Peaks (Part I) plays at 3:00 P.M. [The Capitol]
Call us crazy but maybe Bowling Green should do more just outside of this super-tiny area they’re calling downtown every once in a while. There are countless businesses actually driving the local economy just a few blocks away on all sides that consistently get ignored. Y’all should drive around and check them out sometime. You might find something you enjoy or a new restaurant to try. [WBKO]
We can’t properly summarize this in-depth reporting on Andy Beshear’s intentional poor oversight of the addiction recovery mess but these two excerpted lines will give you a sense of it all. Despite the warnings, the Beshear administration did little to rein in the skyrocketing state spending. Almost all those warnings came true. [ProPublica]
Wondering what you missed at Fancy Farm? Of course you aren’t. Because you missed absolutely nothing. Michael Adams isn’t running for governor, he endorsed Jamie Comer. Jamie Comer will win the gubernatorial election. Rand Paul will be senior Senator and Andy Barr will be junior. The jokes were bad. [Courier-Journal]
A motion to disqualify Bowling Green City Attorney Hillary Hightower as the city’s legal counsel in an ongoing lawsuit against the city over a towing ordinance was denied last Monday by Warren Circuit Court Judge John Grise. The motion was filed by Alan Simpson, the attorney representing Fountain Square Towing owner Brian “Slim” Nash and is the latest development in a court battle that started earlier this year when city commissioners voted unanimously to, among other actions, lower the maximum amount that can be charged by towing companies for vehicle retrieval. [BG Daily News]
We’ve all heard of the Governor’s Scholars Program and Governor’s School for the Arts in Kentucky but there are some prestigious programs outside the Commonwealth. Sarah Pannell, a rising senior at Bowling Green High School, recently participated in the Summer Academy for Math and Science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. SAMS is a rigorous six week, in-person experience designed to increase the number of outstanding students from diverse backgrounds who pursue education in science, technology, engineering and math disciplines at the nation’s top colleges and universities. High school seniors across the United States apply to the highly competitive program, which provides students an opportunity to take courses and complete hands-on research projects with Carnegie Mellon faculty members. In addition, students participate in skill-building workshops focused on the college application process. Fun fact: Pannell was the only Kentuckian accepted. Disclosure: Her dad owns this website, sure, but he has no idea we’re writing this or mentioning it. [Press Release & SAMS]
WKU’s general counsel answered questions about the university’s ongoing dorm situation from members of the Staff Senate on Wednesday. Andrea Anderson, WKU’s general counsel, began the discussion by showing renderings of the new dorm building and discussing the first phase of the project, which includes the demolition of Hugh Poland Hall and Douglas Keen Hall, as well as The Den restaurant and Pit Stop convenience store. [WKU Herald]
In the 13 months since universities across the nation have been allowed to pay athletes directly for their names, images and likenesses, Kentucky’s public schools have spent tens of millions of dollars. Western Kentucky ranked second, spending $2.48 million, not categorized by sport. The University of Kentucky is the only school that withheld data. Yeah, it all sounds like a big racket to us, too. [More Courier-Journal]
There’s no way to sprinkle sugar on top of this one. U.S. News has ranked Kentucky as one of the worst states in the country, giving the Commonwealth the 41st spot. The TL;DR: 10th for Crime & Corrections, 33rd for Education, 46th for Health Care, 19th Natural Environment, 45th for Economy, 37th for Fiscal Stability, 28th for Infrastructure, 25th for Opportunity. [U.S. News]
If you live in Bowling Green, this directly impacts you and your daily life whether you realize it or not. Police departments across the state are denying open records requests for the locations of Flock Safety cameras using an amendment passed last March by the Kentucky General Assembly. [Herald-Leader]
Are you one of the people who complain about SNAP without considering how many children, who can’t make decisions for themselves, are impacted? With school just a few weeks away, Warren County Public Schools is getting ready for the new school year, and that includes getting ready to feed thousands of mouths a day. But that effort doesn’t stop after the school year ends this summer. WCPS was a part of the SUN meals program, providing over 323,000 meals this summer break. That is up nearly 100,000 meals from the over 227,000 that they provided last year. [WNKY]
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is decertifying Network for Hope, an organ procurement organization serving Kentucky and parts of Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia. The decision came after extensive reviews by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) found “persistent patient safety failures despite repeated oversights, repeated warnings, corrective action plans, and multiple opportunities to improve.” [WKYT]
If you’re remotely intelligent, you’ll feel proud of your fellow Americans after reading this. Regardless of your political leanings. When visitors to Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park were asked by the federal park service for feedback on signs that could be perceived as unpatriotic, they had a lot to say. None of it was about problematic signs. [More Herald-Leader]
City Commissioners met on Tuesday and you might want to know what they discussed. Keeping up with your local government is one of the most important things you can do in your daily life. Sure, it’s boring. Sure, it’s sometimes infuriating. But knowing what’s going on will give you a leg-up on everything. Start by watching or listening to this August 4, 2026 regular meeting of the Bowling Green Board of Commissioners. [YouTube]