Kentucky
Anna Nicole Smith's daughter and her dad make their annual Kentucky Derby trip: See their outfits through the years
For the late Anna Nicole Smith’s 18-year-old daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead, the Kentucky Derby is a family tradition.
Dannielynn gets all dressed up to attend the fashion-forward horse race with her father, Larry Birkhead. The tradition started in 2010 when she was just 3 years old, and posts of the day have become fan favorites.
This year, Dannielynn and her dad kicked off Derby weekend in style. In an Instagram post on Friday, May 2, Larry Birkhead shared a series of photos of him and his daughter together at 2025 Barnstable Brown Gala.
In caption of his post, Larry revealed that his daughter was wearing the same evening gown that her mother, Anna Nicole Smith, wore 21 years ago when she attended the same gala.
“Life full circle,” he captioned the post. “She said she chose the dress because it was her Mom’s and ‘super cool.’”
In a 2022 interview with the Courier Journal, Larry Birkhead explained why it means so much for him and his daughter to go to the Kentucky Derby together.
“It’s our ‘one day a year’ outing that we do publicly,” he said. “And I think you guys probably can take pictures and watch her grow from just this event … there’s a lot of people that are interested in things because of her mother, and I don’t let her fall into that. I just say, ‘Hey, let’s do one thing a year (and) let people see how you are.’”
Dannielynn was only five months old when Smith died in February 2007 after accidentally overdosing on prescription drugs. Five different men claimed to be Dannielynn’s father, but after a DNA test, Larry was legally designated as her father.
Dannielynn spent a relatively private childhood with Larry in their Kentucky home. But the father-daughter duo step into the spotlight on this one special day.
Let’s look back on Dannielynn and her dad at the Kentucky Derby through the years.
2010
Larry Birkead brought his daughter to the Kentucky Derby when she was 3 years old.
Dressed all in pink, Dannielynn looked thrilled by the cameras … and reassured by having her father nearby.
2011
Dannielynn sipped her kid’s drink like a lady when she attended the festivities in 2011, wearing a fun animal-print dress.
2012
Dressed in sunshine yellow at the 138th Kentucky Derby, Dannielynn sweetly gave her dad a giant smooch. Of course, her cute cow puppet is along for the ride.
2013
Is there anything sweeter than Larry and Dannielynn dressed up as Bert and Mary Poppins for the Kentucky Derby? After all, both feature a horse race!
2014
The family tradition continued to bloom when Dannielynn was 7. The floral bodice, tulle skirt and butterfly shoes signal her creativity. Larry sweetly echoes his daughter’s color choices in his striped tie.
2015
From bright colors to pastels, Dannielynn sports a slightly more grown-up look in 2015. Doing a complete 180 from last year, she wore a very demure pale pink dress and carried a sequin purse with flowers on it.
2016
An updo seems perfectly fitting for this elegant young lady who is wearing a light grey dress with pink flowers. With a grey suit, pink shirt and jaunty tie, Larry matches her exactly.
2017
Stunning as ever at the age of 10, Dannielynn looks like a perfect English rose in a pink dress with matching fascinator.
2018
Dannielynn and Larry change up their color palette by switching to blues in 2018. Just as she did last year, Dannielynn wore a fit-and-flare dress with a 1950s silhouette. Larry looks like the perfect parental escort in plaid.
2019
The pair switched back to bubble gum pink in 2019. Dannielynn looked right at home on the red carpet.
2020
The Triple Crown event was postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19. It was ultimately held in September without any spectators, so Dannielynn and Larry had to sit this one out.
2021
In their return to the race in 2021, Dannielynn wore a rhinestone face mask that perfectly coordinated with her JOVANI suit.
“She cleaned out the chocolate brownies, ice cream and nachos while at the same time critiquing my outfit,” Larry wrote on Instagram of his then 14-year-old daughter.
2022
Dannielynn was all color and joy in 2022, while Larry’s neutrals really let her grab the spotlight.
Along with two photos posing with his daughter, Larry posted an old snap of Smith giving her best pout for the camera on Instagram.
“Saw this pic of Anna and thought Dannielynn looked like her twin!” he added in the caption.
2023
The 2023 Kentucky Derby marked a special year for Larry, as it was his 20th anniversary of meeting Smith.
At the Barnstable Brown Derby Eve Gala, Dannielynn paid tribute to her mom by wearing a long-sleeved black and white top printed with a pattern of photos of Smith from her famous Guess campaign. Larry’s tie included the same print of Smith from his daughter’s shirt.
At the Derby itself, Dannielynn’s fashion sense was in full bloom with her flower-themed gown. Dad Larry Birkhead, as always, matched his look to hers.
2024
Last year, Larry detailed his Kentucky Derby weekend on social media. Dannielynn wore a bright red dress with puffy sleeves and a matching feathered headpiece. Larry shared that the ensemble was “inspired by her favorite character Hino Eiji, Kamen Rider OOO TaJaDor combo.”
He added, “Hey whatever works, just trying to spend a little quality time as this weekend of traditions come to a close…”
2025
This year, Dannielynn decided to pay tribute to her mother when she attended the annual Barnstable Brown Gala on the eve of the Kentucky Derby with her dad.
For the gala, she wore the same dress that her mother wore 21 years ago when she attended the same event.
“Life full circle,” Larry Birkhead captioned the post. “She said she chose the dress because it was her Mom’s and ‘super cool.’”
Kentucky
Fayette County school board chair, KEA sue to block Kentucky law that would oust current members
LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Fayette County Board of Education Chair Tyler Murphy and the Kentucky Education Association have filed a lawsuit challenging a newly enacted Kentucky law that would overhaul the governance structure of Fayette County Public Schools and force all current board members out of office at the end of 2026.
The lawsuit names the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Fayette County Board of Elections and Fayette County election officials as defendants.
At the center of the legal challenge is Senate Bill 4, which lawmakers passed over Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto earlier this year.
Under the law, the seven-member Fayette County Board of Education would be reduced to five district-based seats, the lawsuit reads. The terms of all current board members would end Dec. 31, 2026, and new elections would be held for the restructured board.
The lawsuit argues the law is unconstitutional and asks the court to block its implementation, including any election-related actions tied to the measure.
Court filings contend the legislation unlawfully targets a single school district and interferes with the terms of duly elected local officials. Plaintiffs also argue the law violates provisions of the Kentucky Constitution governing local elections and public officeholders.
Attorneys included exhibits detailing criticism of Murphy and Fayette County Public Schools leadership from state lawmakers, including a petition seeking Murphy’s removal and a letter from state Sen. Chris McDaniel calling for the resignations of Murphy and Superintendent Demetrus Liggins.
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that the law is invalid and requests expedited review from the court due to upcoming election deadlines.
No hearing date had been announced as of Wednesday.
The lawsuit comes as Fayette County Public Schools continues to face scrutiny over budgeting decisions, district spending and governance issues that have drawn attention from state lawmakers over the past year.
In a statement, Representative Matt Lockett criticized Murphy as he highlighted what he stated are district failures under Murphy.
“This lawsuit is nothing more than an attempt to distract from the disaster that Fayette County Public Schools is under Tyler Murphy’s leadership as board chair. Under his watch, the district has spiraled into a financial crisis so severe that it is now seeking to borrow up to $110 million simply to keep the lights on and make it through the school year. Students have been failed. Families have been failed. Teachers and staff have been failed. Taxpayers have been failed. And the Lexington community has been left paying the price for years of mismanagement and poor oversight.
Rather than taking responsibility for the district’s financial failures and focusing on what is best for students, he has chosen to file a lawsuit challenging a law that was duly passed by the General Assembly and enacted through the constitutional process. He may be emboldened by recent rulings by activist judges, but there are no legitimate grounds for overturning a duly enacted statute simply because you can’t do the right thing by this community. The General Assembly has both the authority and the responsibility to establish standards for public offices and governance structures across the Commonwealth.
At a time when Fayette County schools are facing unprecedented financial turmoil, the focus should be on accountability, transparency, and fixing the problems that have brought the district to this point. The only filing Fayette County taxpayers should be expecting from Mr. Murphy is his resignation.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has been causing fear around the world, and a Lexington doctor is preparing in the event a case is found in Kentucky.
According to the CDC, there have been 49 deaths and over 300 confirmed cases across the two countries, with more suspected cases still being investigated.
UK Healthcare is working to become a Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Center through the National Special Pathogen System, which would allow the facility to treat Ebola patients in-house.
Dr. Nicholas Van Sickels, an infectious disease physician at UK Healthcare, said the current outbreak is serious, but Kentucky residents are not at significant risk.
“Ebola scares people just because of the mortality, the death rate, associated with it and some of the long term consequences when you do survive. Fortunately, the strain that we’re seeing in Eastern (Democratic Republic of Congo) is thought to be not as deadly, but either way it’s a very serious disease. It carries a lot of stigma and fear,” Van Sickels said.
Here in Kentucky, however, is a very safe environment, Dr. Van Sickels said.
Currently, Dr. Van Sickels says UK Healthcare operates as an assessment hospital, meaning it can evaluate patients with symptoms who have traveled to regions with active outbreaks, coordinate testing with the state, and transfer patients to higher-level care centers if needed.
Once the Level 2 designation is complete, UK Healthcare will be the only facility in Kentucky with that capability.
“We’re the only facility in Kentucky that is able to have a level 2 designation once we finish this grant award and get approved,” Dr. Van Sickels said.
In January 2026, UK Healthcare received a grant from the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC), the governing body of the National Special Pathogen System.
“It’s approximately half a million dollars to transform our institution,” Van Sickels said.
The funding has been used to run simulation drills in coordination with Lexington Fire, EMS, and the state health department. The grant also enabled UK Healthcare to upgrade its protective outerwear, with all seam points covered to provide additional protection. Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids.
During a recent site visit and simulation, evaluators identified vulnerabilities in the facility’s previous protective suits.
“When we had our site visit and had our stimulation, for example, they said that the seams that we had on our old suits, you could pull and stretch, and that they were rather porous,” Van Sickels said.
Van Sickels had been working on the preparedness project since the beginning of the year.
Citing lessons learned from the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic, which spread to the U.S. and resulted in 4 cases and 1 death.
“Ebola 2014 taught a lot of hospitals in the US about high consequence infections, established what is now NETEC, the educating body for our country, uh, about high consequence pathogens,” Van Sickels said.
“We’re constantly wanting to push preparedness, uh, because that is the key to success in evading further outbreaks,” Van Sickels said.
UK Healthcare expects to complete its Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Center designation by the end of summer.
The Kentucky Wildcats have had some fits with West Virginia over the past few days, as the baseball team was sent home by the Mountaineers on Monday night. Now, they have flipped a Wildcat commit.
Bryian Duncan Jr., a Cario, Georgia native, committed to the Wildcats in March and has now flipped to West Virginia. The 3-star running back had a recent visit to Morgantown, then announced his commitment to the Mountaineers.
Duncan, a 5-foot-9 player who can play out wide and at running back, is the No. 60-ranked ATH in the nation and the No. 89 player in Georgia, according to 247 Sports. He’ll play in the Big 12 with the Mountaineers, giving himself a good opportunity to become a true gadget guy with legit speed.
This isn’t a big disappointment for the Wildcats, as they’ll collect nearly 10 commitments as the summer rolls on and already have a pretty loaded RB room for the class of 2027. Kelsey Gerald and Mason Ball are two tailbacks who have already pledged their commitment to the program.
Head coach Will Stein and Co. have been stellar on the recruiting trail as they have the 13th-best class overall and the fourth-ranked class in the SEC, according to 247 Sports. Expect the Cats to pick up a few more commits here soon and rise in the rankings.
-
Georgia4 minutes agoPrices climb as Georgia gas tax break ends
-
Hawaii11 minutes agoBystander video shows damage after concrete falls at Ala Moana Center
-
Idaho14 minutes agoSecretary of State: Idaho’s rapid growth is reshaping state politics
-
Illinois19 minutes ago104th Illinois General Assembly passes bills for immigration, technology
-
Indiana26 minutes agoIndiana extends gas tax suspension: ‘Cheapest gas in the country’
-
Iowa29 minutes agoTrump's primary endorsement winning streak just ended in Iowa
-
Kansas34 minutes agoWhere to watch Kansas City Royals vs Cincinnati Reds: TV channel, start time, streaming for June 3
-
Kentucky41 minutes ago
Fayette County school board chair, KEA sue to block Kentucky law that would oust current members
