Kentucky
Ky. women work to combat period poverty, free period pantries open in Lexington and beyond
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Gov. Andy Beshear signed a proclamation on May 5. It officially marks May 11-17 as Period Poverty Awareness Week in Kentucky.
According to a fact sheet from Alliance for Period Supplies, one in five women and girls in Kentucky between the ages of 12 and 44 live below the federal poverty level. Nationwide, two out of five people who get periods struggle to afford period products.
Skylar Davis founded Period Y’all in 2022. Since then, the organization has been fighting to end period poverty in the Commonwealth. Davis said the group has installed free menstrual product pantries in seven Kentucky counties.
That includes Letcher, Madison, Garrard, Jessamine, McCracken, Jefferson, and Washington County.
Davis said recent cost increases have left many with a difficult choice.
“Choosing between period products and feeding their kids,” Davis said.
Davis said many have had to skip work or school because of a lack of resources.
But through her organization’s work, she’s able to make a change.
This week alone, they were able to give out more than 19,000 free period products.
“Anything that we can do to raise awareness about this experience and help alleviate this is monumental,” Davis said.
Emily Yonter, creator of the more than 60,000 member Ladies of Lexington Facebook page, has noticed the problem too.
“We get tons of requests, pretty much daily, of women in the area needing period products,” Yonter said.
That’s why she and other members of the group launched “The Pink Box” last week on West Sixth Street downtown, right across from Coolavin Park.
Yonter said it’s simple to use. Anyone can open the door, take what they need and leave what they can.
“It’s time to start being more direct and be more hands on with the community,” Yonter said.
“We’re just really grateful that the community wanted to help us make it happen and that so many women in ladies of lex donated,” Yonter said.
Both groups rely on the community to keep these pantries stocked and they hope to open more pantries in Kentucky.
Ladies of Lexington is accepting monetary and supply donations. They also are now selling merchandise, and that money will go towards buying period products.
Period Y’all has an Amazon Wishlist and monetary donation link for anybody who’d like to donate.
Copyright 2026 WKYT. All rights reserved.
Kentucky
Northern Kentucky parents sentenced for shooting death of their toddler by his brother
COVINGTON, Ky. (WKRC) – Two Northern Kentucky parents were sentenced Monday for the shooting death of heir toddler at the hands of their other child.
Khalil Adams, 2, was shot and killed by his 3-year-old brother in January 2024 at the family’s Covington home. The 3-year-old found the gun in an unsecured dresser.
At the time of the shooting, Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders said the Tashaun Adams and Selena Farrell were asleep in the afternoon when their 3-year-old shot his little brother.
Farrell took off and was found hiding at a hotel in Florence. She told police at the time she was trying to avoid arrest on a warrant so she could attend Khalil’s funeral.
The couple originally faced a murder charge. Farrell was also charged with abandonment of a minor, and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.
Adams was also charged with hindering apprehension, for allegedly not telling police where Farrell was.
Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders said the pair was convicted of reckless homicide in April.. Farrell was also convicted of abandonment of a minor. Sanders believes it to be the first time in Kentucky that a jury has held parents criminally responsible for their failures to secure their gun and supervise their children.
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The jury had recommended a seven year sentence for Farrell and a five year sentence for Adams, which is what the judge handed down.
Kentucky
Missing teen Marly Kinney ID’d as body found in Kentucky lake days after vanishing from boat party
The body of a missing teen was recovered from a Kentucky lake during an extensive search days after she mysteriously vanished from a boating party, according to authorities.
The remains of Marly Kinney, 19, were pulled from Grayson Lake around 3:45 p.m. on Sunday — five days after she disappeared while partying on a rented pontoon boat with at least 10 friends, according to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Kinney, of Ashland, was last seen around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, before she went overboard to use the bathroom. Her group of friends didn’t initially realize she was missing, according to investigators.
Multiple law enforcement agencies deployed sonar, thermal detectors, helicopters, K-9 teams, heat-seeking, and underwater drones in the hunt for the missing teen, last seen in a pink, orange and white bikini.
More than 50 volunteers joined the search, despite scattered rain showers hampering efforts to find the girl. It’s unclear how Kinney’s body was eventually found.
The pontoon boat’s driver, Cameron P. Conley, 23, was taken into custody for boating under the influence after Kentucky State Police responded to the call to help find Kinney on Wednesday, WOWK 13 previously reported.
A trooper reportedly smelled alcohol and saw that Conley’s eyes were bloodshot and glassy while speaking to him. He failed a breathalyzer test and was transported to the Carter County Detention Center.
Kinney’s family has been notified, and the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort will now determine the cause of her death.
Smokin’ J’s Rib and Brewhouse, where Kinney worked, announced it would be closed for the next two days so her coworkers could mourn her loss.
“The Smoking J’s Family is saddened by the loss of one of our own, Marly Kinney,” the Ashland restaurant wrote in a Facebook Post.
“Marly was a model employee loved by all. Always with a friendly smile and a kind word. She was loved by her fellow coworkers and friends, many who have been volunteering over these last few days,” the statement added.
“Our love and prayers go out to Marlys’ family and friends through this tragic loss.”
This case remains under investigation, authorities said.
Anyone with information on Kinney’s disappearance is urged to contact Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement at 800-25-ALERT (25378) or Kentucky State Police Post 14 at 606-928-6421.
Kentucky
4 dead amid flooding caused by heavy rains, Kentucky governor says
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Four people have died due to flooding from thunderstorms in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said Saturday, and he declared a state of emergency with additional rainfall expected.
Flash flood warnings were in effect Saturday for parts of Kentucky and Indiana amid heavy rainfall, according to the National Weather Service.
The agency late Saturday afternoon said between 4 and 10 inches of rain had already fallen in some parts of southwestern Indiana, with more possible. Beshear’s office said up to 7 inches of rain were expected in parts of his state through the late evening.
He said on social media that three people had died in Madison County and one in Jackson County due to flooding.
Two of the flood victims, a man and a woman, were found dead inside their house after floodwaters inundated a section of the city of Richmond, Kentucky, and trapped residents inside their homes, according to the Madison County coroner’s office.
Another victim was extracted from a vehicle trapped in floodwaters on Tates Creek Road near Lexington, the coroner’s office said.
Carlos Coyle, the deputy Madison County coroner, said search and rescue teams were going door to door searching for victims in hard-hit areas. Some areas still were not accessible, he said.
Beshear said on social media there were “significant roads underwater” in Madison County. He also said at least 12 state roads were “out of commission” because they were flooded.
“This is a serious flooding event, where teams have already had to conduct multiple water rescues from vehicles and homes across the commonwealth,” he said in a separate statement. “As more heavy rain continues through late tonight, we need folks to remain alert and to avoid driving, especially after dark when there is limited visibility.”
In northwest Kentucky, just outside Louisville, Bullitt County emergency management officials asked residents of a rural road to evacuate as a precaution after a landslide at a dam embankment. The dam was holding, and there was no indication of imminent failure, they said.
The area saw about 3 inches of rain in the past two days, according to the National Weather Service.
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