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.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – A former Kentucky education commissioner is out of a superintendent job he took in California.
A joint statement from the Governing Board of the Laguna Beach Unified School District and Jason Glass said Glass and the district has reached a mutual agreement to conclude his service.
Glass will be superintendent until the end of May, and the district thanked him for his service and dedication to the students, staff and families of the district.
“Dr. Glass expresses gratitude for the opportunity to serve this exceptional community and wishes the District continued success,” the statement said.
Serving as the Commonwealth’s education commissioner for three years, Glass had resigned from the position in 2023.
Glass had cited anti-LGBTQ laws and changes to future commissioner of education confirmation procedures as reasons for his departure
Copyright 2026 WKYT. All rights reserved.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – A former spokesperson for the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police pleaded guilty Thursday to wire fraud after stealing thousands of dollars from the union and fellow officers.
Ryan Straw entered his plea at the Eastern District federal courthouse in Kentucky.
Straw was under investigation for embezzlement as of last November, according to a letter from the FOP board.
According to that letter, Straw convinced other officers to give him money for an investment club. That money was never invested. Straw was also suspected of taking funds from the lodge itself.
The FOP gave Straw the chance to return the money, but he did not.
Straw previously conducted media interviews and spoke about police matters, including accountability issues at the state level.
He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Sentencing is pending.
Copyright 2026 WAVE. All rights reserved.
Warm and humid weather for Preakness Stakes this weekend
The second race of the Triple Crown is May 16 in Laurel, Maryland. Conditions at Preakness Stakes are expected to be warmer with humidity. There could be a spotty thunderstorm after the race.
Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby. He won’t be at the Preakness. And that’s becoming a familiar story.
This marks the second straight year and the third time in five years that the Derby winner has decided not to compete in the Preakness Stakes despite having a healthy horse. The reason is almost always the same: two weeks isn’t enough time.
Trainer Cherie DeVaux made the call quickly after Golden Tempo’s dramatic last-to-first Derby victory on May 2.
“Golden gave us the race of a lifetime,” DeVaux said in a statement. “We believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort.”
DeVaux and Golden Tempo are focused on the June 6 Belmont Stakes instead.
The pattern is pretty clear.
From 1997 to 2018, every Kentucky Derby winner ran the Preakness, keeping the Triple Crown path intact. That streak ended with Country House, who won the Derby on the disqualification of Maximum Security, was scratched from the Preakness. The sport has been wrestling with the question ever since. Maryland’s racing leaders have considered moving the Preakness one week later, from the third Saturday in May to the fourth, though no change has been made.
Of the 14 horses entered in the Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, just three made the trip from Churchill Downs. None of them won the Derby. One nearly caused the biggest upset in recent memory.
Ocelli (Post 2, 6-1)
The most intriguing Derby returnee. Ocelli finished third at 70-1 odds on May 2, giving trainer Whit Beckman and jockey Tyler Gaffalione a surprise ticket to Laurel Park. He was the lone maiden in the Derby field and remains a maiden heading into Saturday. Nobody expected him to be here.
Incredibolt (post 12, 5-1)
The morning-line co-favorite among Derby runners. Incredibolt finished sixth at Churchill Downs and trainer Riley Mott moved quickly to point him to Laurel Park. Jockey Jaime Torres won the 2024 Preakness aboard Seize the Grey. The connections believe the 1 3/16-mile distance suits Incredibolt better than the Derby’s mile and a quarter.
Robusta (Post 4, 30-1)
The longest shot of the Derby trio is Robusta, who finished 14th of the 14 in the Derby. The question with any horse coming back this quickly after a tough Derby is how much the race took out of him. At 30-1, it seems the market has answered that question.
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