Kentucky

Former Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky employees seek investigation into safety concerns

Published

1 year ago

January 26, 2024

Former Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky employees seek investigation into safety concerns

COVINGTON, Ky. — Former employees of the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky are asking city officials to investigate their safety concerns.

One of these ex-employees is Deborah Zepf, who said she resigned over the summer after working for the shelter for nearly three years.

“I’m a retired nurse, 30 years. So after I retired I wanted something to keep me busy and this was a good outlet, thinking I was being helpful and helping people,” she said.

But Zapf said she didn’t receive enough training to handle the situations she encountered at the shelter, plus she had to deal with situations she doesn’t think a female staff member should be responsible for.

“Men overdosing in the bathrooms. Women on staff, we had to go in and take care of that. That was inappropriate, I think,” she said.

Zapf said she didn’t feel equipped to deal with some of the mental health emergencies she encountered, plus she and other staff had to intervene and de-escalate physical altercations.

She said when she brought her concerns to management, they weren’t addressed.

Earlier this week, she went to a Covington commission meeting to ask the city to investigate the shelter.

When asked what changes she thinks need to be made to make the shelter safer, she said “stronger laws.”

“I mean, somebody needs to get a grip on them,” Zapf said.

At the commission meeting, a commissioner asked city staff to respond to these concerns in the next week or two.

The city provided WCPO with a statement that said, “City officials have been meeting with shelter administrators on an ongoing basis to discuss issues and concerns related to its operations and the impact on the surrounding neighborhood.

As a licensed facility, some of the shelter’s operations are regulated by City ordinance, and the City will continue to enforce to the best of its ability those regulations. Other issues may be outside the City’s regulatory scheme and jurisdiction. We will continue to seek more information to formulate our response.”

WCPO also reached out to the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky. They provided a statement in response to these concerns.

“We work day in and day out to keep our promise which is printed on our front door, “We will trust, value and respect everyone that enters our doors.” Like many non-profits we operate on a shoestring budget and are mostly funded by private donations and grants. We receive less than 10% of our funding from governmental entities. However, Kenton County is our landlord and the City of Covington issues our permit annually. Therefore, we have very good working relationships with both and are proud to have been issued our permit every year since the permit process started.

Our staff are trained to work with vulnerable adults and in a shelter setting. Training includes de-escalation, CPR/ First Aid/AED, Universal Precautions, Covid guidelines, mask wearing, Emergency Responses for fire, lockdown, weather, and Naloxone. New hire orientation includes ESNKY history, mission & values, staff professional boundaries, guest code of conduct, email, technology, timeclock system, payroll system, food handler permit, data system (for those that jobs require data collection), accepting material donations volunteer management, use of equipment, keys, assignment of staff locker, and on the job training of internal procedures, community resources, etc. Additional training includes active shooter training, mental health first aid, peer support, boundaries, harm reduction, DEI, LGBTQ+ and any other additional training throughout the year.

Working with people who are in crisis is demanding and can be stressful work. We balance that in several ways. Staff have time away from our guests to meet, collaborate, and work together as a team or individually. We regularly take time to celebrate success and provide recognition. We encourage staff to leave work behind each day. The most important strategy is self-care. Not everyone is suited for this work. We have procedures and policies in place to create a safe work environment for our staff, guests, and visitors. All staff are thoroughly trained in these and are expected to adhere to them for their own safety and that of their co-workers and others present in the shelter.

As to any comments made by ex-employees, employment matters are confidential and therefore we are unable to provide any statements about these individuals or their former work with our shelter and guests. What we can tell you is that their opinions are not based in fact, are heavily biased and do not represent the great work we do at ESNKY. Our community partners, Kenton County, the local police and a host of other community stakeholders stand behind us in the work we do to help the less fortunate in our community.”

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Kentucky

Overnight investigation occurs on Kentucky highway

Published

13 hours ago

June 9, 2025

Press Room

Overnight investigation occurs on Kentucky highway

CYNTHIANA, Ky. (WKYT) – WKYT is monitoring an overnight investigation on a highway in Kentucky.

Kentucky Highway 36 West was closed at Poindexter Road for a police investigation in the overnight hours.

It reopened around 5:30 a.m. Monday.

We’re told Kentucky State Police is leading the investigation.

WKYT has reached out to several officials to try to learn more.

This is a developing story.

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Kentucky

‘We gave the crowd a game.’ Indiana All-Stars, Kentucky set girls single-game scoring record in 2OT nail-biter

Published

1 day ago

June 8, 2025

Press Room

‘We gave the crowd a game.’ Indiana All-Stars, Kentucky set girls single-game scoring record in 2OT nail-biter

Rich Torres
| Indianapolis Star

Indiana Miss Basketball Maya Makalusky lead the All-Stars with 29 points, but Kentucky got finished off the series sweep Saturday night.

INDIANAPOLIS – After the marathon double-overtime battle between the girls Indiana All-Stars and Kentucky ended Saturday night inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Hamilton Southeastern’s Maya Makalusky sat near the scorer’s table to decompress.

Exhausted after Indiana’s 106-103 loss to rival Kentucky in the finale of the two-game series’ 49^th running, Makalusky didn’t absorb her team’s sweeping defeat as much as the overall experience.

On Friday night at Lexington Catholic High School, the Indiana All-Stars girls lost 84-73 to Kentucky by the series’ largest single-game margin since 2022.

The next evening back in the Hoosier State, Indiana attempted to stave off Kentucky’s first series sweep since 2012 and 10^th all-time since 1977.

Following a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Laila Abdurraqib (Lawrence Central/New Mexico) at the end of regulation to tie the score 76-76, it seemed Indiana had the momentum on its side.

Indiana’s 11-4 run to deadlock the game countered Kentucky’s 17-5 run that erased an earlier five-point deficit.

However, two five-minute bonus quarters proved enough time for Kentucky Miss Basketball’s ZaKiyah Johnson (Louisville Sacred Heart/Louisiana State) to secure the sweep.

Johnson tied the score in overtime by sinking 3-of-3 free throws in the final seven seconds after drawing contact on a desperation 3-point heave at the top of the key, and she dropped in eight of her game-high 34 points in the double overtime to lock down the win.

Johnson set a new single-game series record for points scored by besting both Kentucky’s Amiya Jenkins (31 in 2022) and Indiana’s Tiffany Gooden (1994) while establishing a two-game record with 62 points to again beat Gooden’s mark of 55.

Makalusky, the 2025 IndyStar Indiana Miss Basketball honoree, had a team-high 29 points. The Indiana University commit finished with 47 points for both games before fouling out with 27.4 seconds remaining in the final bonus period. She was named the Hoosier Shooting Academy MVP.

“Obviously, we have nothing to hang our heads about,” said Makalusky, who posted a team-high 14 rebounds with two assists and three steals. “I mean, we got double overtime. We played hard, and we should be proud of what we gave.”

What the Indiana and Kentucky All-Stars gave the downtown Indianapolis crowd was a historic show.

Marking the series’ first double-overtime game and third overtime contest in history.

Saturday’s game set a new single-game record for combined points scored at 209, while adding new standards for most combined field goals (72) that broke the record of 68 in 1994. Kentucky’s 106 points were the most scored by the neighboring All-Stars in a single game. The previous high was 101 in 2008 and 2022.

“We gave the crowd a game, and it’s all you could ask for,” Makalusky said. “It’s super exciting, and it’s great to see girls sports having their moment and the amount of support. Obviously, we want to go out winning, but at the end of the day, we have nothing to hand our heads about. The energy was up, and we were ready.”

Indiana led 16-15 after the first quarter and carried a 35-32 lead into halftime. Indiana took a 45-42 advantage in the third quarter on an and-1 layup by Makalusky and were up 53-48 entering the fourth.

In the game’s final five minutes of regulation Kentucky’s run created a whirlwind 15 minutes of tug-of-war with 13 ties and 13 lead changes.

Peyton Bradley (Meade County/Louisville) had 26 points, eight assists, five steals and seven rebounds for Kentucky as one of four players in double figures.

Abdurraqib finished with 11 points, four assists and eight rebounds. Indiana had five players with 10 or more points, including Jaylah Lampley (Lawrence Central/Mississippi State) and Addison Baxter (Columbia City/Butler) with 17 each. Monique Mitchell (South Bend Washington/Akron) had 10, while Brooke Winchester (Warsaw/Ball State) had 11 rebounds and eight points.

Kya Hurt (Lawrence North/Illinois State) dished out a team-high seven assists with eight points and three steals.

“I’m just glad I finally got to play on this team with everybody and enjoy this moment,” Hurt said. “We wanted this one really bad, especially because it went to double overtime. I was excited because we got a chance to play again and try to win the game.”

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Belmont Stakes Matches Top Three Kentucky Derby Finishers

Published

2 days ago

June 7, 2025

Press Room

Belmont Stakes Matches Top Three Kentucky Derby Finishers

The Belmont Stakes-G1 is back at Saratoga for the second year in a row, and it looks to be a highly competitive race. With Belmont Park still under construction, the race has shifted north and the distance has been trimmed to 1¼ miles, same as the Kentucky Derby-G1. The change has transformed the traditional “Test of the Champion” into a Travers-G1 preview.

This year’s race includes a rematch of the top three finishers from the Kentucky Derby: Sovereignty, Journalism, and Baeza. Sovereignty, the Derby winner, skipped the Preakness-G1 to rest and is the second favorite on the morning line at 2-1.

Journalism, who finished second in the Derby and won the Preakness in thrilling fashion, is favored at 8-5, while Baeza, who was third in Louisville has been assigned 4-1 morning line odds.

The field also includes Hill Road, winner of the Peter Pan Stakes-G3, and Rodriguez, trained by Bob Baffert, at 6-1.

Longshots Uncaged and Heart of Honor round out the eight-horse lineup.

The race is set for Saturday, June 7, with a post time of 7:04 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on FOX and streamed on FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports app.

Trainer Michael McCarthy expressed confidence in Journalism’s condition and adaptability, pointing out that his charge is the only horse to compete in all three legs of this year’s Triple Crown.

“Obviously, he put forth a heck of an effort in the Preakness, and he’s coming back here in three weeks’ time,” McCarthy told the Times Union, adding that the colt’s last — and only — workout since the Preakness was “solid,” with “little to no urging.”

Jockey Umberto Rispoli, who has been in the saddle for six of Journalism’s seven career starts, was also impressed with his mount’s June 1 work, noting afterward that the son of Curlin “looks like he didn’t even run two weeks ago.”

John Shirreffs, who will saddle Baeza on Saturday, was also optimistic about his chances, telling the New York Post that jockey Flavien Prat said “he didn’t get all the run he could have out of Baeza had he had an opportunity to get out a little sooner.”

Meanwhile, the winner of the Kentucky Derby, Sovereignty, is looking to prove that his 1½-length victory wasn’t a fluke. As it is, his jockey, Junior Alvarado, faced controversy and was fined and suspended for alleged whip overuse during the Derby, a ruling he is currently appealing.

Here’s a look at the field:

Horse	Trainer Advertisement	Jockey	Odds
1- Hill Road	Chad C. Brown	Irad Ortiz Jr. Advertisement	10-1
2-Sovereignty	William Mott	Junior Alvarado	2-1 Advertisement
3-Rodriguez	Bob Baffert	Mike Smith	6-1
4-Uncaged Advertisement	Todd A. Pletcher	Luis Saez	30-1
5-Crudo	Todd A. Pletcher Advertisement	John R. Velazquez	15-1
6-Baeza	John Shirreffs	Flavien Prat Advertisement	4-1
7-Journalism	Michael W. McCarthy	Umberto Rispoli	8-5 Advertisement
8-Heart of Honor	Jaime Osborne	Saffie Osborne	30-1