Kentucky

Fentanyl plaguing south central Kentucky

Published

2 years ago

May 1, 2024

Fentanyl plaguing south central Kentucky

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – An 18-year-old dies, and a juvenile is hospitalized after what is presumed by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office to be a fentanyl overdose in Bowling Green.

Drug overdose leads to one dead, one hospitalized in Bowling Green

WCSO and local drug task forces have raised concerns over fentanyl-related overdoses, incidents and deaths in the area, as the drug, and its deadly nature plague south central Kentucky.

“Two high school kids or they were little about high school, about 19 years old. Last year they split a split an M30A blue fentanyl pill. They bought it and they split it. One took one, half one took the other. One of them overdosed and died, and one of them lived because that one that overdosed and died had a hot spot of fentanyl in it,” Director of the South Central Kentucky Drug Task Force Jacky Hunt said.

The South Central Kentucky Drug Task Force has reported the amount of fentanyl pill seizures in 2024 is seven times what it was in 2023; that year having 50 interceptions, and 2024 seeing 350 already this year.

“I have [spent] 20 plus years in narcotics alone,” Hunt said. “These last few years I’ve never seen a drug like fentanyl, ever.”

The DTF over the past two years has investigated over 120 known fentanyl overdose cases in Logan and Simpson Counties alone.

Although recent statistics from Kentucky’s Office of Drug Control Policy show that in 2022, fentanyl-related deaths have decreased 5% from 2021, the number of pill seizures and recent fentanyl-related overdoses are still concerning numbers to law enforcement agencies.

“Roughly just in round numbers, one-third of the overdose death cases in Kentucky are attributed to methamphetamine and the other two-thirds to fentanyl,” Director of the Warren County Drug Task Force Tommy Loving said. “I think the fentanyl is probably the worst thing we’ve seen because it is so deadly and so unpredictable.”

Warren County Sheriff Brett Hightower is urging the community to not buy or use any pills or drugs from a third party, because substances such as Valium, Xanax, and marijuana, have the potential to be laced with fentanyl.

“So many people think it’s just one pill, but one pill can kill and. And that’s all it takes. You absolutely cannot take any pill it seems like right now, period, that’s from the street in any way,” Hightower said.

Administering Narcan can save the life of someone experiencing a fentanyl-related overdose.

Narcan distributors in Kentucky can be found here.

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Kentucky

Kentucky price gouging hotline receives more than 70 reports

Published

4 hours ago

January 29, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky price gouging hotline receives more than 70 reports

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT)- Kentucky’s Attorney General Russell Coleman says complaints about price gouging are on the rise, as the Commonwealth’s State of Emergency continues. Coleman says his office has received more than 70 complaints since last Friday, and says most of those complaints are tied to fuel prices. Kentucky law limits emergency price increases to […]

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Kentucky

National Guard helps dialysis patients

Published

16 hours ago

January 28, 2026

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LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ky. (WSAZ) – The National Guard is helping people get access to critical care in Eastern Kentucky during challenging weather conditions.

Members have been volunteering their time to help transport patients and medical professionals alike to appointments and medical facilities.

Sgt. Cole Carroll is from Bowling Green, Kentucky, and has been taking dialysis patients to their appointments and back home.

“A lot of people that we’ve seen out here, they’re driving two-wheel drive sedans, so it’s pretty hard for them to get up these hills, especially with the ice, so we’ve been doing our best to get up there with our Humvees and stuff.”

If you need to get in touch with the National Guard to help you get to your appointments, they say to call Lawrence County Emergency Management.

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Kentucky

EXCLUSIVE: A Kentucky Derby-Inspired Movie Filmed at Churchill Downs Is Coming to Hallmark

Published

1 day ago

January 28, 2026

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EXCLUSIVE: A Kentucky Derby-Inspired Movie Filmed at Churchill Downs Is Coming to Hallmark

Hallmark has revealed it is teaming up with Churchill Downs to make a Kentucky Derby-inspired movie filmed at the historic racetrack.

The network shared exclusively with TODAY that its new original film, “Kentucky Roses,” will honor the “pageantry, tradition, and enduring spirit of the Kentucky Derby.” The movie will premiere on Hallmark Saturday, May 2, the same day of the 2026 Kentucky Derby. The sporting event is famously held the first Saturday in May every year at Churchill Downs.

“Kentucky Roses,” which will also stream the next day on Hallmark+, will star Andrew Walker and Odette Annable, as well as Ally Ledford, Peyton Meyer, Brynn Thayer and Gregg Henry.

The film’s storyline will take place across two timelines. Sadie Moore, played by Annable, will be at the center of the story in present day. She works at a Churchill Downs greenhouse and dreams of becoming a florist and following in her great-grandmother’s (Ledford) footsteps by supplying the Derby with a display of roses. Sadie then meets Ash Taylor, Walker’s character, who is the son of the Churchill Downs CEO (Henry). Ash has to repair one of the racetrack’s iconic Twin Spires after it is damaged in a storm.

Sadie and Ash develop a connection, but it could be cut short after they discover “a bittersweet love story from the past that threatens to repeat itself.”

Speaking about the collaboration between Hallmark and Churchill Downs, Jessica Callahan, vice president at Hallmark Media, said in part, “Together, we’re thrilled to bring audiences an inspiring story of community, courage and time-honored traditions.”

Along with the romantic flick, Hallmark and Churchill Downs are also partnering to release a collection of jewelry inspired by “Kentucky Roses.” The jewelry will be sold in Hallmark Gold Crown stores.

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