Kentucky
West Michigan farms ship 360 Christmas Trees to military bases in Kentucky, Tennessee
VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI — In 2006, on the Monday after Thanksgiving, 10 volunteers and a few staff members gathered at Wahmhoff Farms Nursery in Gobles.
A tradition was born.
That tradition was packing up Christmas trees to have delivered to military members and their families as part of the Christmas Spirit Foundation’s Trees for Troops program.
Every Monday after Thanksgiving since, more and more volunteers have joined Wahmhoff Farms employees in packing up trees so families on military bases can feel the spirit of Christmas.
This year, on Dec. 2, a record 120-plus volunteers, along with staff members and some active duty military members loaded 363 trees onto two FedEx trailers. The trees were shipped to Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi, as well as Fort Knox and Fort Campbell in Kentucky.
Wahmhoff Farms Nursery in Gobles, Michigan, hosted 120-plus volunteers on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, as 363 Christmas trees were packed up and shipped to three military bases in Tennessee and Kentucky. Pictured are some of the volunteers.Provided by Betsy Wahmhoff Perales
The three bases are among 93 across the nation and overseas where the Trees for Troops program will provide free, farm-grown Christmas trees to U.S. armed forces members in all branches of services.
“We just want to say thank you to the troops themselves, they’re there for us, they’re keeping our country safe and we appreciate them,” said Betsy Wahmhoff Perales, executive assistant at the farm.
Wahmhoff Perales grew up in a military family, raised by an Army veteran, Carl Wahmhoff Jr.
Her grandfather Carl Wahmhoff Sr. planted the first Christmas trees at the Gobles farm in the 1950s and her father harvested them. The farm has been run by her brothers Dan and Ken Wahmhoff since 1996.
“Our family business my whole life has been Christmas trees,” she said. “And to be able to donate Christmas trees to the military families who we appreciate so much, not just because we have family members that were in the military, but because we love our country.
“These families, they are away from their homes. They are on military bases surrounded by other soldiers. And to be able to get a Christmas tree and celebrate, to me that is the Christmas spirit. It lifts you right up.”
Wahmhoff Perales said they couldn’t do this without the volunteers. Her family farm was one of five area Christmas tree farms shipping out trees on Monday morning.
Other Christmas tree farms who brought trees to Wahmhoff Farms this year included Armintrout’s Nursery, Janke Tree Farm and Badger Evergreen Nursery in Allegan, along with Circle B Tree Farm in Battle Creek.
“It’s definitely not just a Wahmhoff Farms thing, it’s a community event and it’s so cool to be a part of it,” she said.
The farm, in its 19th year of participating, is one of three across the state that serves as a pickup location for Trees for Troops. Through the first 20 years of the Trees for Troops program nationwide, more than 309,000 trees have been donated to military families, according to the Christmas Spirit Foundation website.
Each of the trees that left for Tennessee and Kentucky on Monday from Gobles also came with a handwritten tag from a Gobles Elementary School student, along with a handmade ornament from a student.
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Kentucky
June unemployment rate shows slight increase in Kentucky Center for Statistics latest report
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Recent heavy rainfall has left soil across the state completely soaked, contributing to localized flooding in some areas.
When rain falls, some water soaks into the ground through a process called percolation.
Soil can only hold a limited amount of water. Once the small air spaces within the soil fill with water, the ground becomes saturated and additional rainfall has nowhere to go.
Soil type plays a role in how quickly water drains.
Much of Kentucky has clay-heavy soil, which is made up of very small, flat particles packed tightly together.
That composition makes it harder for water to move through. In clay soil, water may drain at a rate of only 0.02 to 0.17 inches per hour.
When rainfall comes down faster than the ground can absorb it and water cannot drain into a stream or storm drain quickly enough, it begins to build up.
That buildup is what leads to localized flooding.
Copyright 2026 WKYT. All rights reserved.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – Cyclosporiasis is a microscopic parasite that can contaminate food and water — is making people sick across several states, including Kentucky.
Dr. Patricia Tellez-Watson said, the illness is caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis and spreads when someone ingests contaminated food or water. “It is an intestinal infection caused by this water-borne, food-borne microscopic parasite,” she said.
Symptoms can include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
Tellez-Watson said, cases are often sporadic, but outbreaks can happen — especially during hot, wet months, when the parasite can survive in the environment long enough to become infectious.
Health experts recommend taking extra precautions with food and water. Washing hands and thoroughly rinsing produce before eating or cooking can reduce risk.
Watson also urged people to be cautious with fresh produce, particularly pre-packaged items, and to consider using bottled water.
Officials have confirmed cases in Bowling Green, though it’s unclear how many.
Copyright 2026 WBKO. All rights reserved.
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