FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) – Kentucky’s state auditor Allison Ball released findings showing millions of dollars in questionable spending across executive branch agencies in fiscal year 2025, including $39 million in advertising expenditures and $7.4 million in out-of-state travel costs.

“It is clear that some executive branch agencies are spending tax dollars extravagantly and this needs to stop,” Auditor Ball said. “Public servants should be safeguarding money as if it was coming from their own pockets, rather than doling it out on extravagant travel and other unnecessary expenses.”

The Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts examined data within the state’s eMARS financial system to compile the spending report, which highlighted concerns about competitive bidding processes and detailed expenses for luxury accommodations and promotional items.

Advertising and promotional spending

Executive branch entities spent $39,055,133.96 on advertising expenditures, with $2,488,789.77 going to vendor Red7e across multiple agencies.

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services paid $249,950 for an ad campaign that included telling people to get a COVID vaccine. CHFS’s Office of the Secretary and Office of Medical Cannabis paid one vendor $339,365.90 for video footage assistance, social media strategy development and digital communications channel management.

The Department for Aging and Independent Living paid $198,000 for a media campaign for the Senior Meals Program, despite alleging a shortfall within that same program.

CHFS’s Department for Community Based Services spent $45,635.20 on promotional items including color changing tumblers, cotton canvas totes, stadium cushions, football rockets and antibacterial hand sanitizers with clips.

The Council for Postsecondary Education paid $300,000 to increase public awareness of the importance of post-secondary education.

Out-of-state travel expenses

State agencies spent $7,438,490 on out-of-state travel, with $398,897.12 charged to agency American Express cards.

The Kentucky Department of Education spent at least $929,947.88 on out-of-state travel, including $28,179.35 in flights for individuals who may not be state employees.

Kentucky State Police spent $183,575.87 providing security to Governor Beshear and staff members during out-of-state trips. Specific expenses included $11,786.33 for flights to Europe, $7,632.07 for a limousine in Germany, $5,192.16 for airport navigation services in Switzerland, and $520.73 for meals at the Caribou Club, a private membership club in Aspen.

Other notable travel expenses included $10,953.33 to stay at the Eau Palm Beach Resort, $3,499.50 for the Limelight Hotel in Aspen, and $3,179.19 for hotels in Beverly Hills.

Conference and training costs

Agencies spent $16,693,103.32 on trainings, conferences, food and trade show expenditures.

The Tourism Cabinet and Governor’s Office paid a combined $338,452.10 for Derby events to a non-profit company called First Saturday in May.

The Department of Public Advocacy spent $153,377.71 for its 2024 annual conference and $189,237.52 for its 2025 annual conference.

The Department for Medicaid Services held a banquet totaling $34,392.04, including $8,985 for breakfast, $13,485 for lunch and $6,431.04 in service charges.

Other spending concerns

The report highlighted $69,770,650.13 spent on temporary manpower services, with the Department of Vehicle Regulation’s Division of Driver Licensing spending almost $8 million. The auditor noted this spending occurred amid public reporting of an alleged black market of driver’s license sales to undocumented noncitizens.

The Department for Community Based Services spent $915,997.89 for legal services despite having over 50 attorneys on staff. The department also paid $481,523.05 to one vendor for emotional injury evaluations, which was $339,016.80 more than the next highest vendor for the same services.

The auditor noted several ongoing issues, including the Department for Medicaid Services failing to ensure Medicaid benefits are not given to ineligible noncitizens for at least two fiscal years and CHFS failing to prevent at least $836 million in Medicaid program waste since 2019.

The report stated that competitive bidding processes appeared not to be used to obtain some services and noted disadvantages in examining transactions including no uniform use of expenditure codes and expenditures not being recorded in real time.

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When Kentucky fans booed the Cats off the court in a 35-point loss to Gonzaga, it’s safe to say things were not going according to plan. Despite the injuries and disappointing losses in non-conference play, the Cats are right where we expected them: playing Florida for the top spot in the SEC.

Hopes were high ahead of the season, and amplified significantly by the blowout win over top-ranked Purdue in an exhibition. Like all of us, Mark Pope admits that he had much different plans for how the season would unfold, but the funny thing about plans is that they often change.

“We don’t look anything like we imagined. This is not the plan. This was not the scheme. This was not how this was conceived at all,” he admitted to Seth Davis and Andy Katz on the HoopsHQ podcast. “But that’s the beauty of a season, that’s the beauty of the journey. It’s adjusting and figuring things out, and guys stepping up, and guys maturing, and guys leaning on each other.”

It’s not just what happened. It’s how this team looked. That sword cuts both ways. They way they’ve figured things out is not what Kentucky fans are accustomed to seeing.

“We’re not doing this the traditional Kentucky way. It’s probably not the traditional Kentucky season. With all that said, I feel bad for you if you’re missing what’s happening right now because it’s awesome. I love stories. I love redemption. I love overcoming, and what these guys are doing right now, I wouldn’t trade anything,” said Pope.

Kentucky Keeps Finding Ways to Overcome

Slow starts defined this Kentucky basketball team. Early on, they dug themselves into holes that were too deep. After overcoming double-digit deficits against LSU and Tennessee (twice), those callouses have transformed into war scars from successful battles.

“I think you earn belief, and our guys have just figured out a way to do it.” Pope continued: “There’s probably not a lot that can happen to us in a game that hasn’t happened before. We’re not really scared of it. There’s probably a lot of things people can say about us that they didn’t say about us the week before or two weeks ago, so we know we can handle it. Let’s go. When you come out the other side of those difficult moments, you come out different.”

This Kentucky team looks different. They’ve won eight of their last nine. It’s not just that Otega Oweh is playing like the Preseason SEC Player of the Year. Collin Chandler has been en feugo, Denzel Aberdeen has gotten comfortable leading the offense, and role players are rising to the occasion.

Kentucky is playing great basketball. They could’ve had too much of their own medicine in the middle of the hype surrounding Saturday’s game against Tennessee. Pope shared a message with his team prior to the game, one they clearly heard.

“This is only about us,” Pope told his team. “This is the story you guys are writing right now, and it’s a great story. I don’t want to put the book down. I’m loving every second of this. It’s nontraditional, but it’s special because they keep raising up and doing things people don’t think they can do and shouldn’t be able to do. It’s not the way we expected to do it. We’ve had to recreate everything, but it’s been pretty cool.”

Pool 4 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager opens Friday through Sunday alongside the start of the Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series with Remsen Stakes (Grade II) winner Paladin tabbed as the 8-1 individual morning line favorite and “All Other 3-Year-Olds” not named within the 39 individual interests as the overall 4-1 choice.

          

The three-day pool, featuring $2 Win and Exacta wagering, will open Friday at noon (all times Eastern) and close Sunday at 6 p.m.

Pool 4 reflects a shift in the wagering landscape following the removal of Eclipse Award champion Ted Noffey from the Derby trail due to bone bruising. The colt closed as the individual favorite in each of the first three pools at 10-1, 7-1 and 6-1.

Paladin, owned in partnership by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Peter Brant, Brook T. Smith and Summer Wind Equine, is entered in Saturday’s $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes (GII) at Fair Grounds. He closed as the 14-1 third choice in Pool 3 behind All Other 3-Year-Olds (7-2) and Ted Noffey (6-1). 

          

The complete field for Pool 4 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (with trainer, sire and morning line odds):

#1 Blackout Time (Kenny McPeek, Not This Time, 40-1)

#2 Boyd (Bob Baffert, Violence, 40-1)

#3 Brant (Bob Baffert, Gun Runner, 20-1)

#4 Bravaro (Saffie Joseph Jr., Upstart, 80-1)

#5 Canaletto (Chad Brown, Into Mischief, 40-1)

#6 Carson Street (Brendan Walsh, Street Sense, 75-1)

#7 Chief Wallabee (Bill Mott, Constitution, 20-1)

#8 Chip Honcho (Steve Asmussen, Connect, 90-1)

#9 Class President (Todd Pletcher, Uncle Mo, 90-1)

#10 Commandment (Brad Cox, Into Mischief, 25-1)

#11 Courting (Todd Pletcher, Curlin, 90-1)

#12 Emerging Market (Chad Brown, Candy Ride (ARG), 30-1)

#13 Englishman (Cherie DeVaux, Maxfield, 40-1)

#14 Ewing (Mark Casse, Knicks Go, 50-1)

#15 Further Ado (Brad Cox, Gun Runner, 25-1)

#16 Golden Tempo (Cherie DeVaux, Curlin, 20-1)

#17 Intrepido (Jeff Mullins, Maximus Mischief, 30-1)

#18 Iron Honor (Chad Brown, Nyquist, 60-1)

#19 Jackson Hole (Todd Pletcher, Nyquist, 50-1)

#20 Litmus Test (Bob Baffert, Nyquist, 40-1)

#21 Mesquite (Cherie DeVaux, Union Rags, 75-1)

#22 My World (Brad Cox, Essential Quality, 80-1)

#23 Napoleon Solo (Chad Summers, Liam’s Map, 25-1)

#24 Nearly (Todd Pletcher, Not This Time, 10-1)

#25 Paladin (Chad Brown, Gun Runner, 8-1)

#26 Plutarch (Bob Baffert, Into Mischief, 20-1)

#27 Potente (Bob Baffert, Into Mischief, 50-1)

#28 Powershift (Todd Pletcher, Constitution, 80-1)

#29 Pyromancer (JPN) (Kenji Yoshimura, Pyro, 80-1)

#30 Renegade (Todd Pletcher, Into Mischief, 20-1)

#31 Secured Freedom (Tim Yakteen, Practical Joke, 90-1)

#32 Silent Tactic (Mark Casse, Tacitus, 30-1)

#33 Six Speed (Bhupat Seemar, Not This Time, 50-1)

#34 So Happy (Mark Glatt, Runhappy, 40-1)

#35 Soldier N Diplomat (Steve Asmussen, Army Mule, 75-1)

#36 Solitude Dude (Saffie Joseph Jr., Yaupon, 50-1)

#37 Talk to Me Jimmy (Rudy Rodriguez, Modernist, 80-1)

#38 The Puma (Gustavo Delgado, Essential Quality, 90-1)

#39 Thunderously (Bill Mott, Gun Runner, 25-1)

#40 All Other 3-Year-Olds (4-1)

          

Along with Paladin, Pool 4 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager also includes Risen Star entrants Carson Street, Chip Honcho, Courting and Golden Tempo.

          

There are no refunds in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. If Churchill Downs officials determine during the duration of this week’s pool that one of the wagering interests experiences an injury, illness, or other circumstance that would prevent the horse from participating in the Kentucky Derby, betting on the individual horse will be suspended immediately.

Other Future Wager dates are set for March 13-15 (Pool 5) and April 2-4 (Pool 6). Pool 5 also will include the Longines Kentucky Oaks Future Wager.

          

More information, Brisnet.com past performances and real-time odds on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be available before the pools open Thursday at KentuckyDerby.com.

This press release has not been edited by BloodHorse. If there are any questions please contact the organization that produced the release.