Kentucky
Kentucky awards final dispensary business licenses
(LEX 18) — Kentucky awarded its final dispensary business licenses 15 days before the state’s medical marijuana program goes live.
Gov. Andy Beshear and the Office of Medical Cannabis announced dispensary business license winners for Jefferson and Fayette counties and the Bluegrass and Kentuckiana regions at the lottery headquarters in Louisville. Three weeks ago, licenses were awarded for most other counties in Kentucky.
In October, licenses were awarded to cultivators and processors. The reason those licenses were selected first was to give the businesses some extra time before the medical marijuana program goes live on Jan. 1, 2025. However, Beshear warns that supply may be limited in the early weeks of the program.
“It’s my hope that we’ll see it in Q1 of next year – product on the shelf,” said Beshear.
“Certainly, it’s going to take a little bit of time to ultimately get the dispensaries open and to get that product there,” he added.
Part of Kentucky’s program requires all products to be grown in the Commonwealth. So, is there a product currently being grown? The governor’s answer was unclear.
“There’s an ability to bring in seedlings, which is going to help it be grown faster in Kentucky,” he said. “Certainly, our cultivators have been licensed now – for what – about a month, and I know are working as quickly as they can towards that. And there’s at least one cultivator that was Kentucky-based before any and all of this.”
Beshear emphasized that Kentucky is still currently ahead of its original schedule. The initial law that created the medical marijuana program did not allow the state to even take business applications until Jan. 1, 2025.
There has been some criticism over Kentucky’s method of selecting businesses for licenses. Many of the selected companies are owned by out-of-state groups and some local businesses have questioned why current Kentucky businesses were not prioritized.
Sam Flynn, the executive director of the Kentucky Office of Medical Marijuana, defended the state’s lottery system, calling it the “most fair and transparent” way to provide licenses given the limited number available.
Beshear added that he gets the criticisms. He said the lottery system is the state’s way to avoid lawsuits. He said other states’ medical marijuana programs have been delayed due to lawsuits. That’s something Kentucky wanted to avoid.
“We set up this process with the patient in mind, believing that they should be able to get their medical cannabis as quickly as they can,” said Beshear.
Kentucky
Virginia woman arrested 30 years after newborn was found in a Kentucky landfill
More than three decades after a newborn’s remains were discovered in a Kentucky landfill, investigators say advances in forensic science have finally led to an arrest.
Jennifer Cummins of Fairfax County, Virginia, was taken into custody on January 6 in connection with the death of an infant known for decades only as “Baby Jane Doe,” Kentucky State Police announced this week.
The case dates to 1991, when a sanitation worker discovered the remains of a baby girl at the former Richmond Landfill in Madison County, near Eastern Kentucky University.
Despite early investigative efforts, authorities were unable to identify the baby or determine who was responsible, and the case eventually went cold.
Kentucky State Police detectives recently reopened the investigation using modern forensic tools and updated investigative techniques. With assistance from the State Medical Examiner, it was determined that the infant was born alive and healthy before being placed in a dumpster on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University.
The new information ultimately identified Cummins as a person of interest. In late 2025, the case was presented to a Madison County grand jury, which returned an indictment charging Cummins with murder.
“Even after decades of time that has passed, with the collaboration of new technologies, advancements, and persistence, we’ve been able to discover new leads in this case,” said Kentucky State Police Trooper Justin Kearney. “That’s why it’s so important for people to know these cases never go cold to us.”
Authorities have not released details about Cummins’ relationship to the child or the specific circumstances surrounding the infant’s death.
Kentucky State Police say the investigation remains active, and that investigators say they are still seeking the public’s help to resolve some unanswered questions.
Cummins is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center while awaiting extradition to Kentucky.
Kentucky
Kentucky Transfer WR Hardley Gilmore IV Commits to Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Montavin Quisenberry isn’t the only former Kentucky wide receiver to switch out blue for red this offseason.
Hardley Gilmore IV announced Thursday that he has committed to the Louisville football program.
He’s the fifth Wildcat to transfer to the Cardinals in this cycle, following Quisenberry, who committed earlier in the day, cornerback D.J. Waller plus defensive ends Jerod Smith II and Jacob Smith.
Gilmore is also the 11th portal pickup for UofL in the last three days, and their 15th transfer commitment overall in this cycle, beginning to offset 23 portal defections that UofL has seen so far. The 14-day transfer window officially opened up this past Friday, and is the only opportunity for players to enter following the removal of the spring window.
Despite Kentucky’s instability at quarterback this past season, Gilmore put together a productive 2025 campaign. Playing in all 12 games while starting five, the 6-foot-1, 165-pound receiver caught 28 passes for 313 yards and a touchdown. His reception and yardage total was second on the team to Kendrick Law.
The Belle Glade, Fla. native got immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2024. Appearing in seven games, Gilmore was able to haul in six passes for 153 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown vs. Murray State.
While Gilmore has shown high end potential on the field, he comes with some off-the-field baggage from last offseason. Last January after opting to transfer to Nebraska following his true freshman season, he was charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly punching someone in the face at a storage facility in Lexington. Then this past April, he was dismissed from the Huskers for unknown reasons, and wound up returning to Kentucky.
“Nothing outside the program, nothing criminal or anything like that,” Huskers head coach Matt Rhule said at the time regarding Gilmore’s dismissal. “Just won’t be with us anymore.”
Gilmore and Quisenberry are the first of likely multiple transfer pieces that Louisville will add to their wide receiver room. Between graduation and the portal, the Cardinals are losing six receivers – including Chris Bell & Caullin Lacy.
In their third season under head coach Jeff Brohm, Louisville went 9-4 overall, including a 4-4 mark in ACC play and a 27-22 win over Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Cardinals have won at least nine games in all three seasons under Brohm, doing so for the first time since 2012-14.
More Cardinals Stories
(Photo of Hardley Gilmore IV: Jordan Prather – Imagn Images)
You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:
Facebook – @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X – @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram – @louisvilleonsi
You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.social on Bluesky
Kentucky
Spotted lanternfly confirmed in 8 new Kentucky counties. About invasive insect
Spotted lanternflies congregate on grapevines
This undated video provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture shows adult spotted lanternflies on grapevines in Berks County.
PROVIDED BY PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, PROVIDED BY PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Entomologists have confirmed spotted lanternflies in eight more counties in Kentucky during 2025, according to a recent announcement.
These include Fayette, Franklin, Harrison, Pendleton, Robertson, Scott, Trimble and Woodford. The invasive insect was first found in the commonwealth in October 2023, in Gallatin County, and spread to counties including Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Grant, Henry, Kenton and Owen in 2024.
Here’s what to know.
What is a spotted lanternfly?
In short, the spotted lanternfly is a moth-like bug that’s not supposed to be in the U.S. The bugs tend to be red with black and/or white spots on their wings, according to the Department of Agriculture.
They’re native to China and first showed up in the U.S. in 2014. They’ve mostly been found in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, the USDA reports, but they’ve also been found in Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia.
One of the things that makes them so risky as an invasive species is that the eggs are thought to travel well, on everything from packages being shipped to moving boxes on U-Hauls.
Why are spotted lanternflies dangerous?
Spotted lanternflies can pose a major threat to the things such as orchards, vineyards and logging facilities. How? They tend to swarm and devour what they land on quickly, causing serious damage.
Their “waste product” — known as “honeydew” — can also attract molds and other bugs that further damage plants.
They pose a threat, according to the USDA, to everything from almonds, apples and hops to maple, oak and pine trees and more.
Is the spotted lanternfly in Kentucky?
Yes. The Kentucky Office of the State Entomologist said in a post to Facebook that the spotted lanternfly was confirmed in eight new commonwealth counties during 2025.
The species has been located in 16 counties total — Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Grant, Harrison, Henry, Kenton, Owen, Pendleton, Robertson, Scott, Trimble and Woodford.
What to do about spotted lanternflies
The biggest thing you can do, according to the USDA, to help control the spread of the spotted lanternfly is to keep an eye out for them.
It is recommended that you inspect trees, plants and other surfaces on your property for bugs. It’s best to do that around dusk, the USDA says, because that’s when bugs tend to congregate, making them easier to spot.
Signs that a plant may be infected include the plant oozing, becoming moldy or developing a fermented odor, according to the USDA. You may also see a “buildup of sticky fluid” beneath the infected plant.
The agency also recommends you keep an eye out for egg masses on everything from plants to boxes that hold things such as holiday decorations and often sit unattended for much of the year. If you spot an egg mass, you should scrape it “into a plastic zippered bag filled with hand sanitizer, then zip the bag shut and dispose of it,” according to the USDA.
In Kentucky, you should report sightings to your Department of Forestry regional office or reach the UK at 859-257-7597 or forestry.extension@uky.edu. UK experts also ask that anyone who finds one send a picture with the location to reportapest@uky.edu.
Contributing: Mary Ramsey, The Courier Journal. Reach Marina Johnson at Marina.Johnson@courier-journal.com.
-
Detroit, MI6 days ago2 hospitalized after shooting on Lodge Freeway in Detroit
-
Technology4 days agoPower bank feature creep is out of control
-
Dallas, TX5 days agoDefensive coordinator candidates who could improve Cowboys’ brutal secondary in 2026
-
Health6 days agoViral New Year reset routine is helping people adopt healthier habits
-
Iowa3 days agoPat McAfee praises Audi Crooks, plays hype song for Iowa State star
-
Nebraska3 days agoOregon State LB transfer Dexter Foster commits to Nebraska
-
Nebraska3 days agoNebraska-based pizza chain Godfather’s Pizza is set to open a new location in Queen Creek
-
Dallas, TX1 day agoAnti-ICE protest outside Dallas City Hall follows deadly shooting in Minneapolis