Kentucky
Frankfort prepares for the crest of the Kentucky River, record high
FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Kentucky River is set to crest at 49.5 feet and Frankfort city leaders have been working hard to make sure everyone in the area is safe.
It’s been a race against time for Frankfort after flood waters rushed into the city following heavy rain the last several days.
“It’s been a lot. It’s been a lot so at this point. We’re mostly just focused on persons. You know yesterday was property. Everybody was, especially along the river people are used to flooding in Franklin County,” explains Franklin County Judge Executive Michael Mueller.
Frankfort faces the threat of more flooding as the Kentucky River is predicted to crest at 49.5 feet Monday morning: a record high.
The city’s floodwall system is designed to withstand 51 feet of water. Officials have been working around the clock to secure the wall.
Areas that may flood are North and South Frankfort, Holmes Street, Compton Drive and Bellepoint.
“What we’re focused on right now is hopefully tonight and the middle of the night it’s gonna crest and then as it starts going down, we’re gonna kind of get things set up to help people,” said Mueller.
A curfew has been put in place in Frankfort from 8 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday to keep everyone off the roads.
Many businesses are closed Monday, but some will be open to offer food and a helping hand.
Porter’s is a community space. We try to keep everything focused around the community that we service right here in South Frankfort and so it’s just part of what we do,” explains Tiffany Seppenfield, the owner of Pourter’s Self Serve Tap House.
Seppenfield gave out 45 cases of water on Sunday and plans to give out 80 more. “We had guys in and out today that were like ‘where’s the next place that somebody’s posted they need help’ and you know they come in, dry off and then they’re back to the next place.”
“We’re just asking people to stay at home if you can. We have a lot of people in the community that need places to stay. If you know somebody that needs a place to stay, please open your home,” stresses Mueller. “It’s going to be for a while. It’s not going to go down for a couple of days and then the whole cleanup is going to start.”
Two shelters are set up in Frankfort:
- Senior Citizens Center
- Franklin County High School
Kentucky
Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report
Jones posted on Twitter that “Kentucky will have (absent a major change) either Freeman or Rancik by tomorrow,” while also noting the Wildcats still need to add another shooter and another big to round out the roster.
One of the top targets is Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore forward transferring from Syracuse. Freeman arrived in Lexington on Tuesday night and began his visit on Wednesday before leaving without a commitment. While there was concern he could land at UConn, that visit has since been canceled, leaving Kentucky and St. John’s as the top teams.
Freeman averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season, while adding nearly a block and a steal per contest. He shot 47.4% from the field but 30.2% from 3-point range across 23 games.
The other option is Sebastian Rancik, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound sophomore forward transferring from Colorado. Rancik visited Kentucky starting Wednesday through Thursday and brings a versatile skill set, averaging 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 33.1% from 3.
Either Freeman or Rancik would provide a significant boost at the power forward position for head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has already added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins in the portal.
Kentucky football coach Will Stein reflects on new position
Will Stein was officially introduced to fans and media as the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats, replacing Mark Stoops.
LEXINGTON — Kentucky football had its first spring game under new coach Will Stein at Kroger Field on Saturday.
The offense, in blue jerseys, had its moments. So too the defense, donning white uniforms.
Ultimately, the blue squad earned a 23-18 victory in a game called just after noon because of inclement weather.
Stein admitted he “got emotional” as he charged onto the field prior to kickoff.
“I know it wasn’t a real game, but when I ran on the field, I definitely — man, I felt it,” he said. “It was like a wave running over me. And very, very, just cool.”
While it doesn’t count in the standings, Stein walked away pleased.
“I think we got a lot of really good work,” he said. “That’s the goal of spring is to improve with fundamentals and technique, learn how to practice, learn what winning edges that we need throughout spring to go into summer and fall and prepare the team for play. And we came out of the scrimmage clean. There (were) no injuries, which to me, that’s the biggest win of the day. I could (not) care less about the score.
“If we come out clean, that’s good. The Wildcats won.”
New starting QB Kenny Minchey looked about as expected, with sharp passes evened out by moments of inconsistency. Martels Carter Jr., a defensive back who is lining up at running back this spring, scored a touchdown and had several nice runs.
And the defense forced multiple three-and-outs and also picked off one Minchey pass on a two-point conversion.
This story will be updated.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
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