Kentucky
Kentucky victims left in the dark on court notices about their offenders
FRANKFORT, Ky. — On Thursday, July 18, lawmakers spoke with members of the state’s court system about an issue they say has been going on for three years.
Kentucky victims aren’t being notified about their offenders’ whereabouts in court.
Vine, or victim information and notification everyday, is a system Kentucky’s court system used for 14 years to notify victims about their offenders.
Judge Chris Cohron said during the committee meeting that in some situations, it has saved victim’s lives.
“It is not unusual for me during a criminal docket to inquire of the commonwealth: has the victim been notified of this hearing? Is the victim aware of the resolution in this case? We’re wanting to make sure,” Cohron said.
The system is still used by the Department of Corrections to notify about incarceration status
But it hasn’t been used for court hearings since 2021. Katie Comstock,executive director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, said that’s because, at the time, her office became concerned about allowing Appriss access to all court data.
Appriss, which administered the program, has since been bought by Equifax.
“We help victims and their families become safer and more informed through timely offender release, court cases and protective order notifications,” said Ali Mock, director of government relations for Equifax.
Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, questioned Comstock about what they delay has been on getting a notification system up and running.
“At the end of the day, this is now three years the court system has decided to stop notifying our people. It’s their responsibility to do it and they’re not doing it,” Nemes said. “This is a problem that should have been fixed. It has not been fixed. I don’t know how much more we can express our dismay.”
Comstock said the office of the courts has had recent discussions with Equifax about a path forward to start notifying again victims about court hearings.
Equifax says it could have the system up and running in 45 days if it’s allowed access to data. Comstock said it would cost $500,000 for a one time implementation fee, and another $360,000 for a service fee for the first 12 months.
“I want to emphatically reiterate that our organization does not retain search history, or engage in any unauthorized use of registered victim information,” said Jarrod Carnahan, vice president of government and Victim Services for Equifax.
However, the Kentucky Prosecutors Advisory Council is also working on its own case management system. Comstock said it might be better for the courts to rely on this system.
“The prosecutors’ new system, it’s undoubtedly an option for providing court notification to victims. We already share many data points with prosecutors,” Comstock said.
Currently, prosecutors are notifying victims themselves through phone calls and texts.
“As a case manager, calling folks on a regular basis can get tedious, and so if there is a way we can expedite making sure there is some type of automated system,” said Rep. Keturah Herron, D-Louisville.
Members of the committee agreed it’s not the most efficient use of time.
Equifax says, in 2023, individuals conducted more than 1.2 million searches using Kentucky Vine. And more than 200,000 people registered for notifications.
The Kentucky Wildcats are getting ready to start a new era of their football program. In his 13 seasons as head coach, we have all become accustomed to seeing Mark Stoops teams at Kentucky play a certain way. This has been both on defense and on offense, the Wildcats have had a similar blueprint of winning games and finding success. Now, both sides of the ball will look a lot different in terms of scheme, so we will start on the defensive side and what differences you will see in 2026 under new coach Will Stein.
Old: Conservative 3-4
Mark Stoops and defensive coordinator Brad White had a lot of success in their 3-4 defense with a conservative play style, but it had plenty of weaknesses as well. With a nose tackle head up on the center and two defensive lineman playing on the inside shoulder of each offensive tackle, the defense would create pressure but couldn’t consistently finish to make them sacks. This defense required a guy like Joshua Hines-Allen to win one-on-one blocks on the edge in a dominant fashion to thrive as a defense. Since 2020, Kentucky finished top five in total sacks in the SEC just once, in 2023; every other team finished ninth or less in the conference in team sacks.
This conservative 3-4 defense allowed Kentucky to stay in similar personnel throughout the game. The conservative nature had a bend-don’t-break philosophy of keeping everything in front and making tackles. Kentucky rarely switched things up and rolled the dice with blitzes or had pre and post snap coverage rotations on the back end. It was cover 3 and cover 4 heavy, while not disguising coverages and typically sending four pass rushers at the quarterback.
New: Aggressive 4-2-5
The new scheme under defensive coordinator Jay Bateman will be the entire opposite of the old regime. This scheme will be primarily out of an even front, and we have highlighted current players on the team that will benefit from a change in technique. Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace will switch to a traditional edge rusher lining up outside of the offensive tackle, whereas Tavion Gadson will move to a true three technique on the outside shoulder of the offensive guard and both of these players played in the same technique in the previous scheme. Both Humphrey-Grace and Gadson should have more production moving to techniques they more accurately fit.
Kentucky’s defense will utilize five defensive backs for a majority of snaps, which is beneficial with most offenses living in 11 personnel with three wide receivers on the field. This scheme’s success in year one will heavily rely upon the experienced safety duo of Ty Bryant and Jordan Castell. Coach Bateman will have a lot more safety rotations in this scheme and switch up coverages a lot, disguising a particular coverage pre-snap before switching it post-snap. This defense will have a ton of eye candy to try and keep offenses off balance.
This aggressive scheme will not only roll the dice more on passing downs, playing more man coverage. However, it will also be more aggressive in terms of blitzing the quarterback or sending simulated pressures. Simulated pressures are shown as four defensive lineman rushing, but one will drop into coverage with a back seven player blitzing, still sending four at the quarterback while finding creative ways to do so. This amount of disguise and blitzing can create more havoc in the passing game, but it can also allow players to get out of position in the run game.
This schematic change will greatly benefit Kentucky against pass heavy teams, but it remains to be seen how that will be a benefit or a detriment to the run defense. In theory, this scheme should be able to create more havoc plays like sacks and tackles for loss, which can also provide more turnovers. Will Stein mentioned in a press conference, as an offensive minded coach, he wants to steal possessions on defense to get the ball back for his offense. This aggressive style is built towards a common theme of the new regime, which is they will try to win football games on offense rather than on defense.
WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Wilson County leaders are looking to introduce guardrails on data centers during a meeting Monday night.
The commissioner that introduced the idea said they are looking to mirror an ordinance that passed about an hour north in Warren County, Kentucky.
“We have thought about it significantly, and that’s why today is about protection,” said Warren County Judge/Executive Doug Gorman during a Warren Fiscal Court meeting on June 11.
Where to put data centers has become a global conservation, including here in Middle Tennessee.
“Over the past several weeks, I’ve watched Metro Council deal with the potential of a large data center next to the Nashville Zoo. I want to avoid being in that situation in Wilson County,” District 18 Commissioner Lauren Breeze said during a commissioner meeting last week.
Breeze said there are currently no requirements when and if a data center wants to move to town. So, she is working on a zoning amendment for data centers that mirror regulations that were crafted just an hour north.
“Bowling Green and Warren County, Kentucky, will have the gold standard of ordinances for data centers in America,” Gorman said.
Planning leaders in Warren County and Bowling Green spent eight months drafting an ordinance that they hope will protect their community from potential data center developments.
“Everyone and their brother are calling and asking what this ordinance says,” Gorman added.
The ordinance has strict standards on location, design, utility protections and even decommissioning.
For example, the data centers would need to be set back 1,500 feet from homes, schools, and hospitals, as well as look discrete—like an office building. It’s language Wilson County is looking to mirror.
“In my neck of the woods, we have a lot of warehouse and really big warehouses that honestly could be turned into one,” District 11 Commissioner John Gentry said.
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While some communities, like Cedar Hill, passed moratoriums, which put a pause on data centers, the Wilson County attorney said a moratorium might not hold up in court. However, in Warren County, Kentucky, leaders said their regulations will legally protect them.
“What we are doing is making sure to tighten the rules up enough so when they want to look at us and have to jump through seventeen thousand hoops to get done what they want done, chances are they will move on to somebody else,” another leaders expressed during the Warren County meeting.
The Warren County zoning ordinance will go through a second reading.
Meanwhile, the Wilson County Planning and Zoning Committee will meet at 5 p.m. on Monday, June 22. Data center regulations, as well as a moratorium, will be discussed during the meeting.
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