Kentucky
Goodwill Kentucky opens new center aimed at helping young adults in need
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Goodwill Industries of Kentucky will now be able to help more young adults in need in the Louisville area after opening its new Young Adult Opportunity Center on Oct. 23.
Officials with the organization described the new addition as essential to the community.
“Since opening our doors in 2021, we have seen over 1,400 young adults in much smaller spaces,” Nicole McGill, Goodwill Kentucky’s director of young adult services, said. “So to be able to have this brand new, beautiful building means our capacity and our reach is just going to be bigger.”
The center, which is located at 216 West Chestnut Street, is meant to meet the needs of people ages 16 to 24 who have issues finding and keeping employment or who struggle with self-sufficiency.
It will feature services that include barrier identification, soft skills training, educational assistance, behavioral and mental health services, legal assistance and expungement, digital and financial literacy training, resume writing and job placements among others.
“We understand that it may be hard to be successful in any of those areas if you have a lot of barriers, so we provide supportive services to reduce barriers like transportation, mental health, housing, clothing, and technology,” McGill added.
The Young Adult Opportunity Center will also be the new home of The Spot, a program developed in partnership with KentuckianaWorks.
The Spot’s programming helped Kerrion Watts get out of a dark place in his life.
“I was dealing with a lot of trauma, a lot of pain, a lot of anger,” he recalled. “I was more so drowning in my sorrows. I was drinking all the time, popping pills, smoking all the time. Just wasting my life.”
Watts remembered how the help he got at The Spot allowed him to regain control of his life one step at a time.
“First it started just mentally with you learning about yourself and what your emotional triggers are,” he explained. Watts then learned how to properly interact and communicate with people and he now has a career in the service industry.
He is now hoping the Young Adult Opportunity Center will help other young adults find success in their lives.
“If you are in a dark place, just know there is light at the end of the tunnel,” Watts pointed out. “People understand how you feel and if you feel alone, there are people that have also felt alone and they know what that feels like and they can guide you.”
If you or someone you know is interested in these services, you can click here for more information or you can visit the Goodwill offices located in downtown Louisville and in Shively.
Copyright 2024 WAVE. All rights reserved.
Kentucky
Kentucky woman, 35, charged with homicide after using abortion pills then burying fetus in backyard
A Kentucky woman was charged with fetal homicide after allegedly using abortion pills and burying the fetus in a Christmas-wrapped lightbulb box in her backyard — when she got pregnant following an affair.
Melinda Spencer, 35, was arrested Wednesday after going to a Campton health care clinic, where she told staff members she used medication purchased online to end her pregnancy, which is illegal in the state, according to Kentucky State Police, FOX 56 reported.
Police said Spencer allegedly admitted to taking the pills on Dec. 26 and burying the fetus — described as a “developed male infant” — two days later in a shallow grave at her Flat Mary Road home.
After obtaining a search warrant, cops found the remains wrapped in a white rag and stuffed in the holiday-decorated box inside a plastic bag, court documents showed.
Spencer later confessed that she allegedly ordered the pregnancy-ending drugs after conceiving with a man who was not her boyfriend, claiming she didn’t want him to find out, police said, per the outlet.
Authorities said she wanted to “abort the fetus on her own.”
It’s unclear how long she was pregnant before taking the pills.
An autopsy has reportedly been scheduled to establish how developed the fetus was.
In Kentucky, nearly all abortions are illegal, with a doctor only authorized to perform one to prevent death or serious injury to the mother.
There are no exceptions for rape or incest.
State law also bars the distribution of abortion medication.
Spencer was charged with first-degree fetal homicide, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and first-degree promoting contraband, the outlet reported.
The homicide offense makes her eligible for the death penalty. She also faces life behind bars if convicted.
Spencer is being held at Three Forks Regional Jail in Beattyville.
Kentucky
Lancaster resident describes Kentucky earthquake experience
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – A 3.1 magnitude earthquake hit Kentucky Sunday afternoon with an epicenter between Richmond and Lancaster, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The USGS “Did You Feel It” survey received reports from people in Richmond, Danville, Stanford, Lancaster and Lexington.
Caroline Boyd, a retired nurse from Lancaster, was reading at home when the earthquake began at 12:47 p.m.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say shaking but it felt like a rumbling in my basement or even outside,” Boyd said.
Boyd said she felt and heard the ground beneath her rumble followed by a loud boom.
“I thought to myself what on earth is that? Because there is no trains or train station nearby, so I knew it was not a train. So, I just sat there and listened. I would say it lasted about 10 to 15 seconds,” Boyd said.
After the tremor, Boyd called her neighbors and then the sheriff’s office. Dispatchers told her there had been an earthquake.
Dustin Price, deputy director and public information officer for Garrad County Emergency Management Agency, said the agency first heard from Bluegrass 911 about reports of a loud boom and shaking.
“Approximately we were able to confirm through the state that there was a confirmed 3.1 magnitude earthquake that hit through Garrad County,” Price said.
No injuries or property damage were reported, according to Price.
Boyd said she was thankful the earthquake did not cause more serious problems.
“Even if I would’ve had to relocate if there was a problem. I have two pets, so it could’ve been really bad,” Boyd said.
Garrad County EMA said they are thankful for all the agencies who helped respond to the incident.
Copyright 2025 WKYT. All rights reserved.
Kentucky
3.2 magnitude earthquake with no immediate reports of damage confirmed in Garrard County
GARRARD COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Governor Andy Beshear reports that a 3.2 magnitude earthquake has been reported in Garrard County.
“This range does not typically produce sizable damage – just shaking – and thankfully, that is all that’s been reported so far,” Beshear said on social media Sunday.
According to the Lincoln County EMA, the earthquake happened around 12:47 p.m. with a shallow depth of 8 kilometers.
NWS Louisville reports the location of the quake to have been near the Garrard/Madison County line.
Multiple agencies are also reporting no immediate reports of damage.
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