Kentucky
Glendale, KY, residents mourn death of solider killed in Iran conflict
Gen. Caine honors Sgt. Benjamin Pennington
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine spoke to reporters about the seventh soldier killed in the Iran war, Sgt. Benjamin Pennington.
GLENDALE, Ky. – The text message arrived on Mike Bell’s phone early on March 1. It was brief: Benjamin Pennington, the son of Bell’s close friend Tim Pennington, had been seriously injured in an attack at a U.S. air base in Saudi Arabia.
Bell hadn’t seen Benjamin Pennington in a while, but the executive minister and retired pastor of Glendale Christian Church clearly remembered the bright, ambitious boy who attended church every Sunday with his parents before enlisting in the U.S. Army.
Bell asked the Sunday school students gathered before him to pray for the 26-year-old Glendale native. Over the following week, he and Tim talked or texted daily, praying and hoping for the best.
There were signs of hope on March 5. Pennington asked the medical staff for a Pepsi, which his family saw as a positive sign. But by March 7, Pennington’s condition had worsened.
That night, after calling a basketball game at Central Hardin High School, Bell received a call from Tim. Benjamin had died from his injuries.
Bell said Benjamin was about to be moved from Saudi Arabia to Germany when his blood pressure dropped.
Bell ached thinking about Pennington’s family not being able to be with Benjamin in his final moments.
“Their hurt is so real and so powerful. I can’t fathom the loss of their son,” Bell said. “That distance made a real difference.”
As the conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran enters its second week, Glendale and the larger Hardin County community are now mourning one of their own. According to those who knew him best, Pennington was a well-liked, confident young man who made friends easily.
An Eagle Scout and high school athlete, Pennington was enrolled in an automotive technology career pathway at his alma mater, Central Hardin High School. However, he changed his career plans and joined the Army in 2017 right after graduating.
At the time of his death, Pennington was a sergeant assigned to the 1st Space Brigade at Fort Carson, Colorado. The U.S. Army said in a news release that Pennington will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant.
Glendale is a typical small town — a Mayberry of today, as Bell likes to say. It’s quiet, with plenty of antique shops and family-owned restaurants lining its historic boulevard. Residents here take pride in how long they’ve lived here, and many have never dreamed of leaving the community they’ve built.
“I moved here 20 years ago, and I’m considered a young-in,” said Sherry Creek, owner of The Mercantile, a home goods store on East Main Street.
Some, like Eddie Best, trace their roots back to the 1800s. On March 10, Best was inside The Whistle Stop, a southern-style family restaurant that has only changed hands twice in its 50-year history. It was a Tuesday, which meant he was picking up his family’s regular order of two open-faced roast beef sandwiches, a side of greens and baked apples.
“Family, that’s why I stayed all these years,” said Best, 45.
The ties that bind this close-knit community make Pennington’s death even more impactful for the town of about 2,000 residents, located about an hour south of Louisville. In the few days since the news broke, Bell said his and others’ phones have been ringing nonstop.
“The people are wanting to know what to do, how to do,” Bell said. “Everybody is struggling in darkness, trying to figure out how to bring a little light to the Pennington family in their struggle and transition.”
The Penningtons, by all accounts, are active and involved community members. Tim Pennington has been a long-standing member of the town’s Lions Club and coaches cross country and track at Central Hardin High School.
Pennington was on the team while his father was the coach. Contrary to what some might expect, Pennington showed at least no outward annoyance at his dad being coach, said Jonathan Ratliff, who was also on the school’s team. If anything, he put twice as much effort into his sport, showing he wasn’t going to get favorable treatment, Ratliff said.
Ratliff, who was a few years ahead of Pennington at Central Hardin, said Pennington was friendly and funny, someone who quickly made friends with teammates and even athletes on different teams.
“As soon as I joined the team, it felt like I had been with him forever,” Ratliff, a part-time actor in the Glendale community, said. “It didn’t matter if you knew Ben for a minute or two years. He just had a positive energy to be around. Very fun guy, great teammate to have.”
Pennington’s death marks a second blow to Glendale in recent months. In December, Ford and the South Korean company SK On dissolved their partnership to manufacture electric vehicle batteries at a plant just outside of the town. Although Ford plans to retool the factory and hire 2,100 workers for its second phase, the immediate impact resulted in termination notices to 1,500 people.
“Nobody was indifferent on it,” Bell said of the plant. “And then you have this, and everybody hurts. … It’s a family.”
Pennington is the seventh U.S. service member to die in the conflict that began Feb. 28. The other six soldiers died in an Iranian missile strike at a civilian port in Kuwait one day after the war began. Military officials are investigating the circumstances of the March 1 attack at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
Pennington received the Army Commendation Medal three times and the Army Good Conduct Medal twice during his military career, according to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. He also received the Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Korea Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
On March 9, Pennington’s body was returned to U.S. soil. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth attended the dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, a military tradition.
It’s unclear when Pennington’s remains will return to Glendale, but the community is ready to welcome him home.
Hardin County Judge Executive Keith Taul has ordered all flags at Hardin County government buildings to be lowered from March 9 to sunset March 11 in honor of Pennington.
The Glendale community “will get through this, together,” Taul said. “They will. They’ll reach out and put their arms around the Pennington family for sure.”
Monroe Trombly covers public safety. He can be reached at mtrombly@gannett.com.
Kentucky Wildcats reporter on UK basketball 20265-26 under Mark Pope
Kentucky Wildcats reporter Ryan Black on Year 2 under UK basketball coach Mark Pope after the season-ending loss to Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament.
LEXINGTON — Think about Mark Pope’s tenure through two seasons.
What are the first images that come to mind?
Do you think of a notable victory, like beating Duke in the Champions Classic in only his third game as Kentucky basketball’s coach? Or perhaps sweeping all four regular-season meetings against Tennessee? Maybe even topping ex-coach John Calipari last season, handing Arkansas its first — and what turned out to be, only — loss at Bud Walton Arena during the 2025-26 campaign?
Perhaps, as a pessimist, your focus is the losses. They aren’t hard to find. UK was run out of the building a couple times in his debut season (Ohio State in New York, Alabama in Nashville). Those one-sided setbacks — alarmingly — surfaced with more regularity in Year 2.
If you’re more about vibes, Pope has positivity in spades. In a world that can be relentlessly disheartening, Pope’s worldview is refreshing. Critics also can take the opposite tack: Pope hasn’t won enough games, at a high enough level, to be so upbeat all the time. Save those emotions for the offseason, they could say.
Those same detractors likely — and perhaps gleefully — cite his recruiting. The Wildcats’ propensity for missing on high-end high school talent and top transfers has turned into an Internet meme of sorts; though highly touted transfer Milan Momcilovic (formerly of Iowa State) committed to Kentucky on Monday, usage of the word “whiff” probably has increased tenfold since Pope took over the program.
All these varying factors can obscure the bigger picture.
But they also can be instructive.
While there have been highlights along the way, the bottom line is Kentucky hasn’t performed to its lofty historical standard. Pope is 46-26 (.639) entering his third season. If he walked away today, that winning percentage would better only one UK coach in the post-Adolph Rupp era. You Know Who. Billy Gillispie.
Not the company Pope wants to keep. Not the company any Kentucky basketball coach wants to keep if he wants to remain in the job.
Comparing win percentages does require some nuance, of course. Nothing Gillispie accomplished in his two-season stint in Lexington rivals, say, Pope’s first team topping eight opponents ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll at the time of the matchup, which set a single-season school record (and tied a Division I single-season mark). Of greater import is that the SEC waters Pope inhabits are far deeper and more fearsome than anything Gillispie faced. Ergo, conference losses are more likely for every team — even UK, which owns every league record worth crowing about.
The SEC’s toughness aside, Pope himself would admit that’s an excuse. The day he stepped to the microphone in front of a sellout crowd at Rupp Arena for his introductory news conference in April 2024, Pope loudly proclaimed he understood “the assignment.” Which he noted, was to “win banners” at the SEC Tournament. And return to the Final Four. And capture the Wildcats’ ninth national championship.
Through two seasons, no new banners have been added to Rupp Arena’s rafters.
If Pope makes good on those promises, he’ll do so by bucking history.
Almost all of his post-Rupp predecessors achieved more in their first two seasons at UK than Pope. And those that didn’t? They’d proven more at prior stops than Pope’s stints at Utah Valley and BYU.
For all the criticism Gillispie received — and rightly so — at Kentucky, he arrived in the Bluegrass State in 2007 fresh off piloting Texas A&M to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 for the first time in nearly three decades. In the near-20 years since Gillispie left, the Aggies only have reached the Sweet 16 twice more.
Don’t forget: Pope became his alma mater’s coach without an NCAA victory to his name (in two tries) at BYU.
The picture is bleaker when juxtaposed against other former Kentucky coaches.
Calipari went to the Elite Eight in his first season with the Cats, then the Final Four a year later. Orlando “Tubby” Smith won it all in his maiden campaign at UK, then followed up with an Elite Eight appearance. Rick Pitino guided a sanction-riddled Kentucky group to 14-14 record in Year 1, then had the best record in the SEC (12-4) in his encore campaign — though the Wildcats weren’t eligible to claim the regular-season championship. Even Eddie Sutton, whose tenure landed the program in NCAA hot water, got out of the gate with guns blazing in his opening campaign, posting a 32-4 overall record and sweeping the league’s regular season and tournament titles on his way to the Elite Eight.
Ironically, the closest parallel to Pope is Joe B. Hall.
Both played for UK. Both dearly loved the university. Both had the unenviable task of following ultra-successful coaches — with larger-than-life personalities, to boot — whose tenures had started to sour in the waning years. Both had solid first seasons that preempted a step back in Year 2.
Hall went 13-13 in his second season. He responded by winning a share of the SEC championship (in the days the conference tournament still was on hiatus) and the league’s Coach of the Year award in 1974-75 as the Wildcats finished 26-5. After Indiana demolished Kentucky by 24 points in the regular season in a game remembered for Bob Knight smacking Hall on the back of the head during an exchange in the final minutes, the Cats enacted their revenge in the Elite Eight, handing the undefeated Hoosiers their only loss. The season ended in a seven-point setback to UCLA in the final contest of coaching icon John Wooden’s career.
By the time the buzzer sounded in that national title tilt, Hall had demonstrated Year 2 was an aberration. There was life after Rupp, after all. Hall went to two more Final Fours, cutting down the nets to cap the 1977-78 season. When he retired in 1985, only Rupp had more victories as UK’s coach.
In 2026-27, can Pope author a season like Hall’s third?
A Final Four berth would be a godsend for a fan base that hasn’t enjoyed one since 2015, when the 38-0 bunch stunningly fell to Wisconsin in the national semifinals. Even if next season’s group falls short of the Final Four, Pope must show progress. Like Hall, he must confirm his underwhelming Year 2 was the exception, not the rule.
If he can’t, hope in Pope will be in short supply.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
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.”
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