Kentucky
Team Kentucky launches West Kentucky BBQ Belt initiative, with stops in Owensboro
Photo by John Kirkpatrick
Team Kentucky has launched the West Kentucky BBQ Belt, a collection of barbecue restaurants to experience in western Kentucky. Eighteen cities in western Kentucky are part of the mobile passport initiative, including Owensboro.
The campaign features stops at Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn, Old Hickory Bar-B-Que, Ole South Barbeque, and Smoke House. The initiative also includes stops at Kentucky Lake, Paducah, Henderson, Bowling Green, Cadiz, Franklin, Russellville, Mayfield, and Madisonville.
“Barbecue is Owensboro, and Owensboro is barbecue,” said Dave Kirk, destination management manager for Visit Owensboro. “Its history stretches all the way back to our founding. Having a signature style of barbecue with mutton over hickory smoke with a vinegar-forward sauce is a huge tourism draw for mutton. Owensboro is an absolute must-stop on the trail.”
Kirk cited several awards and recognitions the restaurants have earned throughout the years. Owensboro is highly touted in the barbecue world, from Southern Living and USA Today to KY Monthly, KY Pitmasters, and more.
Anyone interested in participating in the mobile passport program can access a pass at wkybbq.com. After selecting “get your pass,” a passport is delivered via text message and email to the user’s phone. No app is required, and the pass can be accessed on a phone’s home screen.
After visiting a participating restaurant, present the phone to a staff member to check in and redeem. The pass remains valid for 365 days after the time of purchase.
The program’s website reads:
Dotted along backroads and rolling hills that snake through Western Kentucky is a little-known culinary passage known as the BBQ Belt, where blink-and-you-might-miss-’em gems of the meat and molasses variety hide in plain sight. BBQ joints are locally owned by families and friends who have been protecting their craft and recipes for generations. It’s within the faded walls of the sweet and smoky BBQ joints along the Belt where hardworking pitmasters and their crews have been keeping the fire burning day in and day out, never putting an inkling of thought into “putting us on the map.” Carolina. Tennessee. KC. Texas. We love ’em all. But we ain’t them, and they ain’t us. Taste for yourself.
GRAYSON, Ky. (WSAZ) – New information has been released in the search for a missing woman at Grayson Lake.
According to game wardens with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Marly Kinney, 19, of Ashland, was last seen at Grayson Lake on Wednesday afternoon.
They say search efforts are focused on the water at this time and include Kentucky State Police aerial support, drones, boats, and K9 assistance.
Crews suspend search for missing teen for the night
The search is now into its third day, with officials saying on and off rain has hindered their search and that a group of 50 volunteers are walking the banks of the lake to help in the search.
Search and rescue boats have been seen at the lake as well.
Officials say there are still many questions, including if Kinney is still alive and where exactly she went missing.
They also say they’ve been using a variety of equipment, including sonar and thermal detectors, as well as helicopters and underwater drones.
WSAZ received a statement from Kinney’s family Friday afternoon:
“We are very appreciative of the absolute surplus of support from law enforcement, search and rescue, 1st responders, and all of the community and its volunteers that are here with us and for us searching for Marly. We do not even know how to express our absolute gratitude to you all. We continue to have faith she will be found and brought back to us. We know we have the very best people doing all they can to bring her home.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
We are still working to get more information.
Previous coverage can be found here.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Thursday, June 25, 2026 winning numbers for each game.
Cash Ball
02-08-24-32, Cash Ball: 09
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 6-3-0
Midday: 9-6-0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 5-7-6-0
Midday: 5-2-6-6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
03-13-14-34-45, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
On Thursday, Kentucky’s home and away SEC opponents for the 2026-27 season were revealed and on top of learning the three opponents who they will play twice, there are some very intriguing matchups. In conference play, Kentucky will face six teams who are among the top 25 in many preseason rankings.
In SEC play, Kentucky will play Tennessee, Vandy and Ole Miss all both home and away. The home matchups include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vandy. As for the road tilts, the Wildcats will face Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee and Vandy. Let’s take a look at some interesting developments from the schedule release.
John Calipari returns to Rupp Arena (again)
In Calipari’s first year with Arkansas, he got the best of Kentucky when he came into Rupp Arena and left with a 10-point victory, a game where you could really feel the tension all game long in the building from Kentucky fans, which translated onto the court with the players. Last season, it was Kentucky who shocked everyone when they stole one on the road against a top 20 Arkansas team after a rough up-and-down season up to that point. Now, the two will face off again as Kentucky will look to get the win in Rupp and make sure Calipari doesn’t get two in a row in the building. It’ll be another highly-anticipated showdown.
Kentucky hits the road at Texas
This is shaping up to be a major challenge for Kentucky next season and may even end up being one of the biggest games of the season. Texas is seen by many as a clear top 10 team, with some even having them within the top five and when you combine that with the fact that the game is on the road, the Wildcats will have their hands full. The Wildcats fell to the longhorns in the 2024-25 season, and it’ll be a much stiffer challenge this time.
Which game could be a trap?
We don’t have the game-by-game dates yet, so it’s hard to say with a lot of confidence, but opponent-wise, Georgia could really give Kentucky fits. In Pope’s first year, his team struggled handling the physicality of the Bulldogs and now, they’ve retained one of their best guards for another year and have added physicality through the portal. Mike White’s teams love to make opponents uncomfortable and they could do that once again down in Athens. Another sneaky team to watch is Oklahoma, who will have very good guard play. Kentucky will face both teams on the road.
Overall, it’s a pretty fair SEC schedule for a Kentucky team who has the capability of a return to being atop the conference once again. Mark Pope has such a system-fit squad and he can do some damage in the SEC.
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