We won’t be focusing on the nightmare incident we all already know about because the entire community is stressed enough. You can read about it everywhere else and see coverage on pretty much every website and social media platform that exists. The same goes for the other nightmare that occurred a couple days prior. We’re gonna focus on less upsetting content.
Okay, it’s definitely starting to feel more like fall and we are 100% here for it. Rain arrived this morning but by the early afternoon it may or may not just be a bunch of spotty showers. Who cares if it’s gloomy? Or it rains a little bit throughout the weekend? The devil heat is finally gone and cooler temperatures are settling in. Despite some potential rain on Saturday, it’s looking pretty great and Sunday could be amazing. [WxOrNot]
Are you ready for the 2026 Fall Fiesta at the Harvest Festival? It takes place on October 17 at Fountain Square Park from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and it will be the highlight of your month, so be sure to show up. There will be free pumpkins, a Catrina contest, face painting, food, music and more. See that cool image at the top of the post? You can get that on a t-shirt. And if you’re a vendor or community fixture, you should consider supporting the 501(c)3 non-profit organization behind the event, the Bowling Green Community Development Initiative, started by Jose Gonzalez. Contributions are tax-deductible. Pro-tip: You can snag a t-shirt before the event. [Fall Fiesta Bowling Green]
Brett Guthrie apparently still has a Democratic opponent. But you won’t find her being promoted by the Democrats and local Democratic Party people didn’t know who she was when we called to ask questions about the campaign. We’re pretty sure this is a race we should all ignore regardless of partisanship… and that’s coming from us, people who get mad at friends for not voting. [Courier-Journal]
A new animal ordinance for Warren County is a major step toward being finalized after Warren Fiscal Court magistrates unanimously approved a first reading of the first-of-its-kind measure for the county. Under the ordinance, all domestic animals within Warren County must be provided with “minimum care” by their owners, preserving the animal’s health and well-being. Domestic animals include cats and dogs along with birds, rabbits and other animals raised in and/or kept in confinement. [BG Daily News]
Circus Square Park was packed Saturday afternoon as community members gathered for the 36th annual Bowling Green International Festival. Held each year on the last Saturday of September, the festival brings together traditions, foods, and performances from around the globe to celebrate the city’s diverse population. [WBKO]
In higher education, change is inevitable. But like a rock in a turbulent sea, Christy Spurlock’s smiling face has graced the exhibits of WKU’s Kentucky Museum for the past 21 years. As the museum’s education curator, Spurlock has dedicated her time at WKU to creating educational programming for thousands of students, educators, faculty and the general public. You won’t (or maybe you will) believe just how poorly she’s paid after 21 years of service at Western. [WKU Herald]
Andy Beshear says he doesn’t throw anybody under the bus. But… that doesn’t jibe with appointing someone deeply tied into antisemitism to serve on the Kentucky Democratic Party’s State Central Executive Committee. Or allowing the Antisemitism Task Force to wither and die on the vine nearly a year ago. And most certainly not with appointing a loud and vocal antisemite, with no campaign finance experience, to serve on the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. Words matter in politics unless you say them out loud, apparently. [Herald-Leader]
You know that book Andy Beshear was in town to promote this week? Turns out he didn’t write it himself, a guy named Mark Tabb wrote it. And to manipulate sales figures, Beshear got the Kentucky Democratic Party to buy more than $10,000 worth of the books and his own Political Action Committee bought another $9,000 worth. In case you’d forgotten, the KDP is so broke it can’t pay its chairman and had to sell its headquarters. What a world we live in. [Kentucky Lantern]
A Southern Kentucky fundraiser supporting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has reached about half of its $7,000 goal following Friday’s “9 to 5 for Little Readers” campaign, with organizers continuing to accept donations as enrollment grows. The campaign supports children enrolled in the Imagination Library program, which provides children from birth to age 5 with a free, age-appropriate book in the mail each month at no cost to their families. [WNKY]
The NOAA flood mapping tool just got a major update and it now covers nearly all U.S. residents. NOAA’s Flood Inundation Map forecasts and maps the heights of rising rivers and streams during heavy rainfall events. It is accessible to the public on the National Water Prediction Service website, so click the clicky. [WKYT & NOAA Flood Map]
Some Kentucky media outlets are blowing these college rankings out of proportion but we’ll link to them anyway. National public and private: UK is 148, UofL is 179, NKU is 365. National public: UK is 74, UofL is 91, NKU is 200. Regionals in the south: Murray State is 22, Bellarmine 26, WKU 30, Asbury 32, EKU 32 (yep, tied), Morehead is 41, Spalding 54, Georgetown 79, Brescia 85, UPike 85. Here’s what they’re not telling you: WKU fell out of the national rankings and that’s why it’s now classified as “regional”. Feel free to dig in if you have nothing better to do. [US News]
Eligible Kentucky veterans and active-duty military service members can now bypass the written Commercial Driver’s License exam under an emergency regulation signed Tuesday. The measure waives the written knowledge test for qualified service members who have operated commercial-style vehicles within the past two years, expanding on an existing road test waiver designed to streamline the transition into civilian transportation careers. Applicants can request a waiver application through the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. [Drive.ky.gov]
Why is that important? Because of situations like this. The VA lost about 700 social workers and 500 psychologists and psychiatrists throughout 2025. Quite the significant change for the veterans agency that was adding mental health staff nearly every month leading up to Trump’s return to office. This country can and should do better. [ProPublica]
The Capitol Theater by the Warren County Public Library is one of the coolest places in town. And the way it operates rivals almost any similar program in Kentucky. So we don’t have to tell you twice about checking out free movies. Some of the upcoming shows: Inferno with BG Horror Club is Sunday at 7:00 P.M.; Creature from the Black Lagoon plays Monday at 2:00 and 6:30; Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers and a Scooby-Doo meet-n-greet is Tuesday at 12:30; Jennifer’s Body is Wednesday at 6:30. The big things we’re excited about: Halloween (1978) is Friday at 6:30 and Halloween (2018) is at 9:00 P.M. [The Capitol]
Bowling Green is finally getting reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for protective measures during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The Bowling Green-Warren County Community Hospital Corporation will receive more than $4.7 million. [Press Release & State Govt PDF]