Kentucky

Mark Pope says Kentucky's story is still being written — with good and bad chapters to come

Published

1 year ago

December 24, 2024

Mark Pope says Kentucky's story is still being written — with good and bad chapters to come

There hasn’t been much to complain about since Mark Pope took over at Kentucky back in April. He’s been a PR gold mine since day one while stacking up roster, staff and recruiting wins in the months since, then picked up statement on-court victories vs. Duke, Gonzaga and Louisville in the non-conference schedule before the turn of the new year. If you were to give him a grade on his early coaching report card, anything besides a big ‘A’ would be crazy.

The Clemson loss was his first misstep, but you could find positives there, specifically with the team’s second-half run to even the rebounding battle — and nearly the game overall, the Wildcats cutting it to two in the final seconds. Then came the real black eye: Kentucky folding like a lawn chair in New York City, falling to Ohio State by 20 points in a game the Buckeyes controlled from what felt like the opening tip.

Pope said it was a performance that would force him to ‘lose a lot of sleep’ in the coming days, promising to ‘find answers’ and ‘learn how to function at a better level when were under this particular type of duress.’ How is he feeling about his group after returning to Lexington ahead of the holidays after some time off?

He’s excited, but frustrated. Or is he frustrated, but excited? Either way, those are the emotions he’s feeling after laying an egg in the Big Apple.

“I’m really excited. What a bad night, just devastating. It was just the worst, the worst ever,” he said during his call-in radio show. “To do it in that venue wearing this jersey, it’s devastating. … There’s nothing you can do with it but help dig in and help it make you better, right? And in long conversations with our guys and our staff and digging into the numbers, the nuts and bolts, it’s also exciting to grow and get better, and to move forward.”

When you stumble in that fashion, an opportunity to regroup presents itself, learning from mistakes in a way you wouldn’t have felt without getting punched in the mouth. Even the best teams hit those walls over the course of a great season.

He hopes that’s the case with this one.

“There are always moments where there are just galvanizing moments, right? The championship teams have those moments, for sure, whether they show up in practice or in a game, or wherever they show up because you overcame something exceptional in a moment — or you failed to do it,” Pope said. “There’s just a series of galvanizing moments, and what championship teams do is whatever they have as they go along, the story is still being written, right? That’s what you do throughout the course of the season.”

It’s their season loss on the year, and almost certainly won’t be their last. It’s an all-time SEC schedule ahead with as many as 13 teams on pace to make the NCAA Tournament. The league is going to eat itself alive going into postseason play.

How will the Wildcats respond? That’s all that matters right now — and down the road when those moments come.

“You keep writing and keep writing and keep writing,” he said. “This won’t be our last difficult moment that we have this season, for sure. The question is where does it take us.”

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Kentucky

KHSAA Sweet 16 bracket, field for Kentucky girls basketball championships

Published

10 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

KHSAA Sweet 16 bracket, field for Kentucky girls basketball championships

Seventh Region champion Assumption will open play Wednesday against Calloway County.
Sixth Region champion Bullitt East will face Franklin-Simpson in a first-round game Thursday.

The field is nearly set for the 2026 Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Girls Sweet 16.

The tournament is scheduled for Wednesday-Saturday, March 11-14, at Rupp Arena in Lexington.

The field will include at least nine of the 16 teams in the final Kentucky High School Basketball Media Poll — No. 1 George Rogers Clark, No. 2 Assumption, No. 3 Simon Kenton, No. 5 Calloway County, No. 7 North Laurel, No. 9 Taylor County, No. 11 Notre Dame, No. 14 Ashland Blazer and No. 15 Henderson County.

Fifteen regional champions have been decided. The last regional final is set set for Sunday night — Paul Dunbar (25-4) vs. No. 8 Frederick Douglass (23-7) in the 11th.

Here is the Sweet 16 schedule:

Wednesday, March 11

11 a.m. – 11th Region champion vs. Henderson County (24-9)

1:30 p.m. – Assumption (24-5) vs. Calloway County (33-2)

6 p.m. – Notre Dame (24-7) vs. Pikeville (22-8)

8:30 p.m. – Taylor County (27-6) vs. West Jessamine (22-12)

Thursday, March 12

11 a.m. – Bullitt East (19-12) vs. Franklin-Simpson (24-7)

1:30 p.m. – Ashland Blazer (26-5) vs. Simon Kenton (31-2)

6 p.m. – Owensboro Catholic (26-9) vs. Letcher County Central (23-10)

8:30 p.m. – George Rogers Clark (29-2) vs. North Laurel (25-6)

Friday, March 13

11 a.m. – Third Region champion-Henderson County winner vs. Assumption-Calloway County winner

1:30 p.m. – Notre Dame-Pikeville winner vs. Taylor County-West Jessamine winner

6 p.m. – Ashland Blazer-Simon Kenton winner vs. Owensboro Catholic-Letcher County Central winner

8:30 p.m. – Bullitt East-Franklin-Simpson winner vs. George Rogers Clark-North Laurel winner

Saturday, March 14

11 a.m. – Semifinal No. 1

1:30 p.m. – Semifinal No. 2

7:30 p.m. – Final

This story will be updated.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.

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Kentucky

KY workers struggle in weakened unions while execs cash in | Opinion

Published

22 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

KY workers struggle in weakened unions while execs cash in | Opinion

House Bill 585 is about making sure Kentucky works for the people who do the work, not just those at the top.

Chad Aull and Adrielle Camuel
| Opinion Contributors

Kentucky’s 2017 “right-to-work” law has weakened unions and is being blamed for stagnant worker wages.
A recent poll indicates that a majority of Kentuckians support making it easier for workers to form unions.
House Bill 585 seeks to repeal the “right-to-work” law and strengthen unions.

“Right-to-work” isn’t working in Kentucky.

Kentuckians are struggling to keep up with rising costs and it’s not hard to see. Workers’ wages are not keeping up with basic needs, such as housing, groceries, health care and childcare. Some people need multiple jobs just to feed their families. While hardworking Kentuckians struggle, the wealthy and well-connected continue to receive tax breaks and special treatment from politicians in Frankfort and Washington.

This didn’t happen by accident. This was by design.

In 2017, we saw a dramatic shift against working families. The first order of business for the new Republican majority in the Kentucky House was passing so-called “right-to-work” legislation, House Bill 1. This legislation weakened unions and led to lower pay for workers. Nearly a decade has passed, and workers are not thriving in Kentucky like they said they would.

Kentuckians want support for workers

Big business has virtually no limits on their influence in Frankfort. They spend exceedingly large amounts of money on lobbying the Kentucky supermajority to shape laws to further enrich themselves. When workers try to organize, demand fair wages, safe workplaces and decent benefits, big business uses the profits they’ve gathered off the backs of working people to directly advocate against them.

Some wealthy business interests claim “right-to-work” has contributed to the state’s economic growth over the past several years, but whose growth is it, really? The fact of the matter is corporate profits are soaring and executives are cashing in, while families are left scraping by.

It’s true Kentucky has seen record-breaking economic momentum under the leadership of Gov. Andy Beshear, including $43 billion in private sector investments and over 63,000 new jobs. However, Beshear agrees Kentucky can attract businesses and investment without simultaneously suppressing unions.

A recent statewide poll conducted by KyPolicy found that 85% of Kentucky voters want the state legislature to prioritize raising worker pay and improving worker benefits. This poll also found that 60% of Kentuckians support making it easier for workers to join or form a union.

Kentuckians are telling us they want us to focus on supporting workers, and our colleagues in the General Assembly should listen.

A fight worth having

Bad faith politicians in Frankfort will tell you we have a worker shortage. They pin the problem on Kentuckians not willing to work, and absolve big business from any accountability. But in reality, we have a wage problem. Repealing “right-to-work” is a necessary step toward fixing that imbalance.

That’s why we have introduced House Bill 585, legislation to repeal Kentucky’s “right-to-work” law and restore Kentucky’s ability to have strong unions fighting for workers’ rights. House Bill 585 is about making sure Kentucky works for the people who do the work, not just those at the top.

Across the country, states with stronger unions have higher wages, better benefits and safer workplaces. Union workers earn more, are more likely to have health insurance and retirement security and are better protected on the job. When unions are strong, workers are strong.

This is a fight worth having. It’s a fight working people are ready for, and it’s a fight we cannot afford to keep putting off.

Standing together is how workers have always won dignity, fairness and opportunity. This is how Kentucky can build a stronger future for everyone.

Working Kentuckians deserve better.

Rep. Chad Aull represents Kentucky’s 79th House District in Lexington

Rep. Adrielle Camuel represents Kentucky’s 93rd House District in Lexington

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Kentucky

Man arrested after pound of meth found in Kentucky home during search warrant

Published

1 day ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

Man arrested after pound of meth found in Kentucky home during search warrant

BURKESVILLE, Ky. (WSMV) – A man was arrested Friday after a search warrant was executed at a Kentucky home, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

The search warrant comes after a weeks-long joint investigation between the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and Kentucky State Police.

CCSO said a search warrant was executed at a home at 4426 Glasgow Road about 1 p.m. Friday.

During the search, deputies found about one pound of methamphetamine inside the home.

Stephen Eaves, of Cumberland County, was arrested following the search, CCSO said.

“The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work with all first responding agencies to keep our community as safe as possible,” CCSO said.

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