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Arkansas hires Kenny Payne as associate head coach under John Calipari
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Kenny Payne was hired Thursday as associate head coach at Arkansas under John Calipari. Payne was fired last month after going 12-52 in two seasons as the head coach at Louisville, his alma mater. Before…
Showers and storms exit giving way to a cooler weekend
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) - Happy Friday! We are tracking lingering overnight showers and a few storms early. Those…
Woman describes possible human trafficking situation at Lexington AirBNB
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) -- "This was the first time that I had stayed at an Airbnb home," said Laura. It's a trip that Laura will never forget.…
Reed Sheppard forgoes eligibility at UK, enters NBA draft
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) - SEC Freshman of the Year in basketball Reed Sheppard says he's entering the NBA Draft, and won't be coming back to play for UK next season. Sheppard made the video announcement on X…
Late April weather reality check on the way
We enjoyed another beautiful day of weather across Central and Eastern Kentucky with lots of sunshine, a few high clouds…
Lexington police: Man with gunshot wound walks into Fayette Mall
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) - Lexington police say a man was found inside Fayette Mall with a gunshot wound Thursday afternoon (4/18). According to police, officers went to the mall around 2:00 pm, and found the man who…
Madison County Sheriff: Elementary school student accused of Terroristic Threathening
MADISON COUNTY, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) - An elementary school student is facing Terroristic Threatening charges after a threat made by the student to bring a firearm to school, according to the Madison County Sheriff's Office. In a Facebook…
Allman Brothers Band co-founder and legendary guitarist Dickey Betts dies at 80
By STEVEN WINE and RUSS BYNUM Associated Press Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man,” has died. He was 80. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer died at…
Summer-like temps continue for one more day ahead of overnight storms
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) - Happy Thursday! We have one final day of our summer-like temperature pattern on the…
Candidates vying for council member positions hold meet and greet in Lexington
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) -- Election Day is May 21st, just over a month away and the city of Lexington will have twelve district councilmember seats on the ballot. District 1 candidates include current council member, Tayna Fogle, UK Anesthesia Technician,…
Local draft rescue giving horses a second chance at life
PARIS, Ky. (WTVQ) -- Central Kentucky, and Lexington in particular, is known as the "Horse Capitol of the World," but many are unaware of the…
Kentucky lawmaker says he wants to renew efforts targeting DEI initiatives on college campuses
By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press A Republican lawmaker has signaled plans to mount another effort to limit diversity, equity and inclusion practices at Kentucky's public universities after GOP supermajorities failed to resolve differences on the issue during the recently…
One more summer-like day on the way for Thursday
All things considered it turned out to be another pretty nice Wednesday weather-wise across Central and Eastern Kentucky. Other than an area of morning rain with some embedded…
Mercer County EMS to end emergency service this month
MERCER COUNTY, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) - The company which operates Mercer County EMS says it will shut down services on April 27th. Raintree Health posted the decision on its Facebook page earlier Wednesday (4/17). In the post, Raintree…
Person rushed away on a stretcher after fire extinguished outside Trump hush money trial
By JENNIFER PELTZ, MICHAEL R. SISAK, JAKE OFFENHARTZ and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Emergency crews rushed away a person on a stretcher after fire was extinguished outside the Manhattan courthouse where jury selection was…
Attorney General designates Special Commonwealth's Attorney for Perry County
FRANKFORT, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) - Jackie Steele will temporarily serve as Special Commonwealth's Attorney for the 33rd Judicial Circuit in Hazard, after former prosecutor Scott Blair resigned and was arrested. Steele currently is the Commonwealth's Attorney for the…
Medical cannabis business licensing begins July 1st
By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky will use a lottery system to award an initial round of licenses to businesses competing to participate in…
Judge denies request for Bob Baffert-trained Arkansas Derby winner Muth to run in Kentucky Derby
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A judge has denied a request by the owner of Bob Baffert-trained Arkansas Derby winner Muth for the colt to run in next month’s 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Mitch…
Arkansas hires Kenny Payne as associate head coach under John Calipari
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Kenny Payne was hired Thursday as associate head coach at Arkansas under John Calipari. Payne was fired last month after going 12-52 in two seasons as the head coach at Louisville, his alma mater. Before…
Woman describes possible human trafficking situation at Lexington AirBNB
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) -- "This was the first time that I had stayed at an Airbnb home," said Laura. It's a trip that Laura will never forget.…
Reed Sheppard forgoes eligibility at UK, enters NBA draft
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) - SEC Freshman of the Year in basketball Reed Sheppard says he's entering the NBA Draft, and won't be coming back to play for UK next season. Sheppard made the video announcement on X…
Lexington police: Man with gunshot wound walks into Fayette Mall
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) - Lexington police say a man was found inside Fayette Mall with a gunshot wound Thursday afternoon (4/18). According to police, officers went to the mall around 2:00 pm, and found the man who…
Madison County Sheriff: Elementary school student accused of Terroristic Threathening
MADISON COUNTY, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) - An elementary school student is facing Terroristic Threatening charges after a threat made by the student to bring a firearm to school, according to the Madison County Sheriff's Office. In a Facebook…
Allman Brothers Band co-founder and legendary guitarist Dickey Betts dies at 80
By STEVEN WINE and RUSS BYNUM Associated Press Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man,” has died. He was 80. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer died at…
Candidates vying for council member positions hold meet and greet in Lexington
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) -- Election Day is May 21st, just over a month away and the city of Lexington will have twelve district councilmember seats on the ballot. District 1 candidates include current council member, Tayna Fogle, UK Anesthesia Technician,…
Local draft rescue giving horses a second chance at life
PARIS, Ky. (WTVQ) -- Central Kentucky, and Lexington in particular, is known as the "Horse Capitol of the World," but many are unaware of the…
Kentucky lawmaker says he wants to renew efforts targeting DEI initiatives on college campuses
By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press A Republican lawmaker has signaled plans to mount another effort to limit diversity, equity and inclusion practices at Kentucky's public universities after GOP supermajorities failed to resolve differences on the issue during the recently…
Mercer County EMS to end emergency service this month
MERCER COUNTY, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) - The company which operates Mercer County EMS says it will shut down services on April 27th. Raintree Health posted the decision on its Facebook page earlier Wednesday (4/17). In the post, Raintree…
Lexington Police: Home, mailbox, vehicle hit by early morning gunfire
LEXINGTON, KY. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) - Lexington police are looking for suspects they say are responsible for shooting at a home, a vehicle and a mailbox early Wednesday morning (4/17). Police say it happened on Royal Wood Drive, off…
Cars damaged by "spike strips," say Georgetown police
GEORGETOWN, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) - Georgetown, Kentucky police say many vehicles were damaged by what appeared to be homemade "spike strips" at a local dealership. Police say it happened Tuesday (4/16) at Dan Cummins, near the detail shop.…
Ashland man arrested for child sex abuse material
Ashland, Ky. (WTVQ) -- On Friday, Kentucky state police arrested a man for child sex abuse material. According to KSP, an undercover Internet Crimes Against Children investigation led to 46-year-old Carl Hayes being interviewed after receiving an investigative referral. The…
Educators played the same Powerball numbers for years, then hid a $1M winning ticket in a math book
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A group of employees and teachers from a Kentucky middle school who bought a $1 million Powerball winning ticket tucked it in a math textbook for safekeeping…
Kentucky House boosts school spending but leaves out guaranteed teacher raises and universal pre-K
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Republican-led Kentucky House endorsed higher spending for education in its two-year state spending plan on Thursday but left out two of the Democratic governor's…
Senator pushing bill to implement Ashanti Alert System in Kentucky
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) -- Thursday in Frankfort, Sen. David Yates (D-Louisville) proposed an amendment to legislation that would call for the implementation of Kentucky's Ashanti Alert…
Kentucky National Guardsmen some of injured in drone attack on Jordan base
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) -- Some of the around 40 Guardsmen injured in the drone attack on a Jordan military base on Jan. 28 include soldiers from Kentucky. A press release from the National Guard Bureau confirmed at least 41 Guardsmen…
Kentucky spending plan calling for more state funding of student transportation advances
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky House Republicans proposed having the state pick up more of the costs for student transportation in K-12 schools under an updated budget plan that cleared a committee on Wednesday. The action by the House Appropriations…
Kentucky House committee passes bill requiring moment of silence in schools
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky House overwhelmingly passed a bill on Wednesday instructing public schools to set aside time for a moment of silence at the start of each school day. The measure easily cleared the House on a…
Kentucky juvenile facilities have issues with force, staffing, report says
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s juvenile justice system has lingering problems with the use of force and isolation techniques and has done little to implement a 2017 state audit’s suggestions for improvement, according to a report released Wednesday. The new report from…
State marks American Heart Month with proclamations
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) -- People across the country will help spread awareness about heart disease on National Wear Red Day. Wednesday in Frankfort, Gov. Andy Beshear and other state leaders met with the American Heart Association to sign proclamations for…
Kentucky college student dies after boat crash in South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. (CNN NEWSOURCE) -- A college student from Kentucky died Tuesday, nearly a week after he was involved in a boat crash. 21-year-old Jonathan Brian, of Shelbyville, was one of three people injured in the accident last Thursday. The…
Nearly $700K in upgrades coming to 2 regional airports in Ky.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) -- Nearly $700,000 in upgrades are coming to two regional airports in Kentucky. According to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the Federal Aviation Administration will award $379,620 to Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah and $294,000 to Stuart Powell…
Bill targeting college IDs clears Kentucky Senate in effort to revise voter identification law
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — College-issued student ID cards won't carry the same weight as a form of photo identification at polling places if a bill that advanced Tuesday in Kentucky's legislature becomes law. The Senate voted to revise the state's…
Ky. man sentenced to 2 years for assaulting officer during Jan. 6 Capitol riot
MAGNOLIA, Ky. (WTVQ) -- A Kentucky man was sentenced Tuesday to over two years in prison for assaulting a police officer during the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. Clayton Mullins, of LaRue County, was also sentenced to three years…
Bills would regulate Kentucky 'adult-oriented businesses'
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) -- Two new pieces of legislation were introduced at the Capitol Tuesday. If passed, Senate Bill 147 and House Bill 402 would enact stricter regulations on adult-oriented…
Special Kentucky Derby 150 gold trophy unveiled
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WTVQ) -- ABC 36 got a first look at the gold trophy that will be presented to the winner of the 150th Kentucky Derby. The unveiling…
Ky. crematorium closed after over 300 illicit cremations, AG says
BRECKINRIDGE COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) -- A Kentucky funeral home was ordered to stop cremations after it failed to register to operate a crematory and was performing services without a license, the Attorney General's Office says. In early January, Russell Coleman's…
Democratic lawmaker promotes bill aimed at improving student transportation across Kentucky
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Legislation allowing school districts to expand fleets transporting students to school and home was promoted Monday as a way to fix bus systems hampered by long routes and too few bus drivers. Democratic Sen. David Yates,…
Republican-led Kentucky House passes bill aimed at making paid family leave more accessible
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Legislation portrayed as a market-driven, voluntary approach to expand access to paid family leave in Kentucky was overwhelmingly passed by the state House on Monday. The measure, which drew strong bipartisan support, sailed through the House…
Kentucky Republicans working to lower state income tax again
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) -- As the tax season kicks off, Kentuckians will have an array of different taxes to pay. ABC 36 took a closer look at…
AMBER Alert canceled, missing 5-year-old Ky. girl found safe
PRINCETON, Ky. (WTVQ) 1/29/24, 2:24 p.m. The AMBER Alert has been canceled, KSP said in an update. Lela and her father were both found by KSP Post 2,…
Prisoners in the US are part of a hidden workforce linked to hundreds of popular food brands
ANGOLA, La. (AP) — A hidden path to America’s dinner tables begins here, at an unlikely source – a former Southern slave plantation that is now the country’s largest maximum-security prison. Unmarked trucks packed with prison-raised cattle roll out of…
The Super Bowl is set: Mahomes and the Chiefs will face Purdy and the 49ers
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are heading to Las Vegas with a chance for a rare repeat while facing the San Francisco 49ers in a Super Bowl rematch from four years ago. The Chiefs beat Lamar Jackson and…
A pastor and a small Ohio city tussle over the legality of his 24/7 homeless ministry
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A Christian church in Ohio filed a federal lawsuit this week after its pastor was charged with violating city ordinances when he opened up the sanctuary around the clock for homeless people and others to find…
WWE's 'Raw' is moving to Netflix next year in a major streaming deal worth more than $5 billion
WWE's weekly television show “Raw” will move to Netflix next year as part of a major streaming deal worth more than $5 billion. TKO Group Holdings Inc., which houses WWE and UFC, said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that…
Almost 80 years after the Holocaust, 245,000 Jewish survivors are still alive
BERLIN (AP) — Almost 80 years after the Holocaust, about 245,000 Jewish survivors are still living across more than 90 countries, a new report revealed Tuesday. Nearly half of them, or 49%, are living in Israel; 18% are in Western…
Dexter Scott King, younger son of Martin Luther King Jr., dies of cancer at 62
ATLANTA (AP) — Dexter Scott King, the younger son of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died Monday after battling prostate cancer. The King Center in Atlanta, which Dexter King served as chairman, said the 62-year-old…
Todd and Julie Chrisley to receive $1M settlement from state of Georgia
ATLANTA (CNN NEWSOURCE) -- Imprisoned reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley just had a major legal victory. The state of Georgia has agreed to pay them $1 million in a settlement. It comes from a lawsuit the couple filed…
Some Americans will get their student loans canceled in February as Biden accelerates his new plan
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will start canceling student loans for some borrowers in February as part of a new repayment plan that's taking effect nearly six months ahead of schedule. Loan forgiveness was originally set to begin in July under…
Michael Strahan's daughter reveals brain tumor battle
Good Morning America (ABC NEWS) -- Michael Strahan's 19-year-old daughter Isabella is battling a malignant brain tumor known as medulloblastoma, the "Good Morning America" co-anchor and his daughter shared Thursday. "I literally think that in a lot of ways, I'm…
Patriots parting with Bill Belichick, who led team to 6 Super Bowl championships, AP source says
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Six-time NFL champion Bill Belichick agreed to part ways as the coach of the New England Patriots on Thursday, bringing an end to his 24-year tenure as the architect of the most decorated dynasty of the…
Defense Secretary Austin was treated for prostate cancer and a urinary tract infection, doctors say
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has prostate cancer and his recent secretive hospitalization was for surgery and later to treat a urinary tract infection related to that operation, doctors said Tuesday. The 70-year-old Austin was admitted to Walter…
Teen kills 6th grader, wounds 5 others and takes own life in Iowa high school shooting, police say
PERRY, Iowa (AP) — A teen armed with a shotgun and a handgun unleashed terror at an Iowa high school on the first day of classes in the new year, authorities said, killing a sixth grader and wounding five others as people…
Multiple people have been shot at a high school in Perry, Iowa, police say
PERRY, Iowa (AP) — Police in Perry, Iowa, say multiple people were shot at the city's high school Thursday, early on students' first day back in classes after their annual winter break. Two gunshot victims were taken by ambulance to…
Court records related to Jeffrey Epstein are set to be released, but they aren't a client list
NEW YORK (AP) — Social media has been rife in recent weeks with posts speculating that a judge is about to release a list of clients or co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein, the jet-setting financier who killed himself in 2019 while…
More Americans think foreign policy should be a top US priority for 2024, an AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON (AP) — In this time of war overseas, more Americans think foreign policy should be a top focus for the U.S. government in 2024, with a new poll showing international concerns and immigration rising in importance with the public.…
New Year's Eve sweeps across the globe, but wars cast a shadow on 2024
New Year’s Day arrived to cheers from thousands in New York’s Times Square where a sparkling crystal ball descended to start 2024 with hope for some, even as the world’s ongoing conflicts subdued celebrations and raised security concerns across the…
2023 Year in Review: key stories from the past year from ABC 36
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) -- As 2023 wraps up, we're remembering some of our key news stories produced by ABC 36 over the last 12 months. From interesting to noteworthy to significant stories, we were there for them all. Here are…
World population up 75 million this year, standing at 8 billion on Jan. 1
The world population grew by 75 million people over the past year and on New Year's Day it will stand at more than 8 billion people, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday. The worldwide growth…
Trump is blocked from the GOP primary ballot in two states. Can he still run for president?
DENVER (AP) — First, Colorado's Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump wasn't eligible to run for his old job in that state. Then, Maine's Democratic secretary of state ruled the same for her state. Who's next? Both decisions are historic. The Colorado…
