Is autumn ever coming? Is there really some relief beginning to show up on the horizon? The soul-crushing heat advisory has been extended through today and the heat and humidity remain in full effect. So hold on tight as you stand in front of the air conditioner fanning yourself with junk mail. [WxOrNot]
Andy Beshear says he’s forgiving your medical debt. The only problem? Reality is a bit more complicated and you’ll probably want to read our cursory analysis of the whole thing. The numbers are already conflicting and the organization behind it all has a history of waste so concerning the city of Lexington went into meltdown mode about it last year. You don’t have to take our word or opinion at face value because we provide all of the data, external sources and more for you to review. Dig in. Get informed. The more you know, the better. [BLBG]
The Hispanic Community Alliance of Bowling Green held its first Latin American and Caribbean Festival, featuring Latin cultures, food and music. “We are all Hispanic, all Latino, we speak Hispanic, we have different cultures though. We eat different food, we dance different and I want to show that to the community,” Hicks said. Bowling Green city officials were on hand to proclaim the first-ever event. Hicks said that recognition means a lot to the community. [WBKO]
If you need to cool off and need some free entertainment, it’s time to go to the Capitol Theater downtown. Freaky Friday is today at 5:00 and Friday plays at 7:00. Yep, really, the Ice Cube classic from 1995. The movie where the phrase, “Bye, Felisha!” originated. [Capitol BG]
Like many things these days, exposure to the arts can now be delivered. The Ramsey Theater Company, based at the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center in Bowling Green, is now in its second year of bringing academically-linked plays to students in areas where exposure to arts is limited. [BG Daily News & AcTOURS]
If you have a child who is five-years-old or younger, you should sign them up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Your kid will receive a free book in the mail every month, for free, regardless of income. Kentucky only has about 50-51% participation and it’s high time we improve that rate. [Imagination Library]
The Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet released its “seasonally adjusted” (cooked) August unemployment report and the unemployment rate sits at 4.7%. Construct jobs are up 1,400 from last year; education and health services jobs are up 4,000; manufacturing down 2,000; financial services down 200; information services down 100; government jobs down 2,200; “other services” up 100; professional and business jobs down 3,400; leisure and hospitality up 1,800; trade, transportation and utilities down 1,200. [Press Release]
The Bowling Green Independent Board of Education approved a slight decrease in property taxes for 2027 on September 14, 2026. The Real Property rate drops from 84.8 cents to 84.2 cents per $100 of property value. The personal property tax rate proposal remains unchanged at 84.8 cents per $100. The district expects to collect approximately $19.1 million in total tax revenue in 2027 —which is $888,211 more than in 2026. A supermajority of those funds will go directly to instruction. [BGISD]
If you’re feeling froggy this weekend, you might want to hop over to Natural Bridge State Resort Park in Powell County. The Park is hosing a free Living Archeology Weekend on September 18 and 19 to explore the area’s rich cultural traditions. On Friday (today), only pre-registered school groups can attend but tomorrow is open to the public from 8:00 A.M. Central to 3:00 P.M. Central. The materials and skills presented at the event draw on more than 100 years of archaeological investigation in the Red River Gorge. [Living Archeology Weekend]
That sound you hear is us congratulating the student reporters at Western’s newspaper. We are not being facetious here. It’s actually a big deal. They published an entire article about Rosh Hashanah and didn’t once drop a backward trope or engage in revisionist history. Nearly every time Jewish people are mentioned in the paper, things get weird quickly. So this is a great start to the new year of publishing. Reporting like this is a great way to begin tamping down the spread of antisemitism on campus. [WKU Herald]
A coalition of states and local governments sued the Trump administration on Monday over what they called a “catastrophic” new policy that would make it harder for immigrants to obtain green cards if they rely on public benefits. The challenge, brought by two separate lawsuits, aims to block a policy that is set to take effect Friday. The suit filed by 22 states and the District of Columbia argues that the policy would hurt immigrant families by forcing them to either turn away from public assistance programs to meet their basic needs or risk being denied green cards in the future. [NY Times]
Got a kid attended the University of Kentucky? They may be subject to a new crazy-invasive tool the school has decided to waste taxpayer dollars on. An artificial intelligence company is collecting facial signatures of anyone entering certain buildings at the University of Kentucky. The university has licensed with a company called Alcatraz.ai to install its Rock technology, which uses facial biometrics to grant people access through doors. [Herald-Leader]
United Way of Southern Kentucky is hosting “9 to 5 for Little Readers,” a one-day fundraiser benefiting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library on Sept. 25. The event, inspired by Parton’s hit song “9 to 5,” encourages individuals, businesses and organizations to contribute between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to provide free, age-appropriate books to children throughout southern Kentucky. [WNKY & UWSK]
It’s finally Spooky Season again! And that means we need one or more of you to go take this Hilltop History and Haunts Tour and tell us all about it. Whether you are a believer in the paranormal or a skeptic, this ghost tour promises to intrigue and entertain you with spine-tingling true stories from across the WKU Hilltop. At WKU, it is not a question of “Is the University haunted?” but rather “Why is this University so haunted?” [Dr. Smith’s Spooky Stories]
Are you keeping up with what’s going down in your community? No? Then you don’t know that the Bowling Green Board of Commissioners approved funds for Riverfront Park and a new police precinct this week. Watch the September 15, 2026 meeting for free to get caught up. Let it play in the background and listen to it while you work. [YouTube]