Kentucky
First Down Kentucky: Offense Prepares for Disruptive South Carolina Defense
If you haven’t turned the page to South Carolina, the time is now. The Gamecocks did not show a lot of pop offensively in week one, but the defense is going to pose some problems for the Kentucky offense. The Wildcats shared how they’re addressing those ahead of Saturday’s SEC opener.
Ball Security is Job Security
Let’s be candid for a moment. South Carolina would be 0-1 if their defense did not create four turnovers. The Gamecocks narrowly won 23-19 and two scoring drives started in the red zone thanks to those turnovers.
A big reason why South Carolina has won consecutive games against Kentucky is because of the turnover battle. The Gamecocks have an 8-2 advantage in turnover margin over the last three games in this series. Ball security is always a priority, but even a bigger point of emphasis this week.
“I think there’s a correlation to playing clean and being fundamentally sound with your technique and it how it correlates to taking care of the football,” Bush Hamdan said Tuesday evening.
“For us, it’s all on the tape from a week ago in situations where those two defensive edge rushers have one-on-ones and were able to get takeaways. I think it’s a mixture. It’s fundamentally, but it’s also schematically, putting our guys in a position where we’re not forced to hold onto the ball too long and have one-on-ones on the perimeter.”
Communication is Key for the Kentucky Offensive Line
Speaking of those edge rushers, Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart combined to force four fumbles. Kentucky QB Brock Vandagriff faced a little pressure in the season opener. It’s up to the Big Blue Wall to make sure those talented defensive linemen do not go unaccounted for this Saturday.
“They do a lot of shifts and movements,” said offensive tackle Marques Cox. “Just communicating up front is huge for us, and also communicating through our back is huge, making sure we’re on the same page. Once we’re on the same page, just executing at a high level.”
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Kentucky Preparing for Experienced South Carolina Secondary
It’s not just the edge rushers that will stress the Kentucky offense. The Gamecocks have a deep, experienced group of defensive backs who picked off a pair of passes against Old Dominion. They’ve been there so long, Hamdan remembers scouting some of them during his time at Missouri three years ago.
“I feel like some of these guys have been here for seven years now,” said Hamdan. “That whole DB is similar. They got great length. They got long speed, can turn and run. So I think there’s a ton of experience.”
Learning to Operate with the Helmet Radio Technology
Before the 2023 season ended, Mark Stoops called on his offense to improve its operation. In short — they had to get much more efficient at calling plays, getting lined up, and executing. A new offensive coordinator with shorter play-calls played a part in helping that, as well as implementing new technology that allows Hamdan to speak directly into the quarterback’s helmet. There is still a learning curve with the new helmet tech.
“Sometimes you come out here in practice and you feel like you got three minutes to talk to the quarterback and it’s not really cutting off. Then all of a sudden, you get in the game and you’re talking to him and it’s like somebody hung up on the other line. I think that just hit me. There’s something to be said about getting calls in fast and having some time to talk to him, but I can’t tell you how many times I asked, Are you hearing me? And it’s already past that 15 seconds,” Hamdan laughed.
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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 Wednesday, June 3, 2026 winning numbers for each game.
Cash Ball
06-07-14-21, Cash Ball: 11
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 7-0-9
Midday: 8-9-3
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 2-2-9-3
Midday: 7-8-6-6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball
14-16-38-55-64, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball Double Play
26-28-31-56-64, Powerball: 13
Millionaire for Life
04-13-32-51-55, Bonus: 04
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.
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.
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