Kentucky
Nate Sestina picks a side in Kentucky vs. Bucknell
Nate Sestina was on the phone with his agent on Friday when he received a FaceTime call from Mark Pope ahead of Kentucky’s matchup vs. Bucknell on Saturday.
“The first thing he asked me was, ‘Who are you cheering for tomorrow?’”
Sestina started his career as a Bison and graduated from the school in 2019 before finishing as a Wildcat, heading to Lexington as a grad transfer for the 2019-20 season. He was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection as a senior at Bucknell before taking on a crucial bench role at Kentucky to wrap up his time in college, averaging 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 40.7 percent from three — a sniper reserve piece.
It’s a difficult question for a guy like Sestina, who got his start and made a name for himself at Bucknell before creating new blue-blood memories at Kentucky — his new home, living in Lexington with his fiancee Madison Lilley during the offseason when he’s not hooping professionally in Spain.
“I was like, ‘It’s a tough one.’ He’s like, ‘I know you’re a Bucknell guy, but you’re still Kentucky Wildcat.’ … It’s a win-win for me, you know?”
Bucknell head coach John Griffin III was an assistant there when Sestina was a Bison, someone who “changed my perspective and trajectory as a young man,” he said. The former Wildcat reached out to Griffin leading up to the matchup and told him to make the most of the opportunity — he knows from experience you don’t get to play at Rupp Arena every day. Go try to win the game, obviously, but soak up the moment, too.
He remembers being in the players’ shoes going into a matchup like this, also against a blue-blood with all of the bells and whistles.
“When I was at Bucknell and we played high-major schools, part of it is you get to go play in a cool arena. For us, we played North Carolina and they have all the Jordans on the wall when you go through the locker room,” he said. “You soak in the experience. But you also want to compete. These guys, looking at these high-major teams when you’re a mid-major guy, that’s where you want to be. That’s where you want to get to, those are your goals.
“Whoever my matchup was, that’s who I wanted to go after. I wanted to gun, prove that mid-major guys are as good as high-major guys, it’s just a matter of time. The team Coach Griffin has put together the last two years he’s been there, you’re gonna have a bunch of scrappy junkyard dogs — guys diving on the floor and taking charges, guys getting excited and cheering their teammates on. The approach is that you want to enjoy it.
“This is a cool opportunity, you get to play Kentucky. How cool is that?”
It’s why he celebrated the matchup when it was announced. He knew how difficult it’d be to pick a side, but he’s been in both of those locker rooms and remembers what life was like as a mid-major looking for a shot and as a high-major after earning one.
Now he gets to celebrate both parts of his basketball journey.
“When I first saw it, my words were, ‘Oh, hell yeah! Let’s go!’ Bucknell is one of the most special places and a special program, it’s near and dear to my heart,” Sestina told KSR. “It helped shape me into the player that I ended up becoming and being able to become when I came to Kentucky.
“It’s weird that I have to choose a side — maybe I have to split it half by half and go first half Bucknell, second half Kentucky. I’m not sure yet, but I’m really excited. This is an awesome opportunity for Coach Griffin to play against the juggernaut that is the University of Kentucky.
“It’s a good opportunity for Kentucky to play against another good mid-major school and good mid-major programs.”
But there can only be one. Who is it gonna be, Nate?
“It doesn’t hurt me, but it hurts me. I think Kentucky is gonna get ’em, but the score? I don’t know,” Sestina said. “If Kentucky is hitting threes, it could get — I don’t know what Bucknell’s 3-point shooting is like, but I know they’re solid and run great plays. I know Coach Pope is fast-paced with lots of threes, so playing the law of averages, I’m gonna say a 15-point win. I’ll go with 88-73 (Kentucky).
“If I’m right, when I come back to Lexington, you gotta take me to Tony’s.”
Deal.
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Wednesday, June 3, 2026 winning numbers for each game.
Cash Ball
06-07-14-21, Cash Ball: 11
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 7-0-9
Midday: 8-9-3
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 2-2-9-3
Midday: 7-8-6-6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball
14-16-38-55-64, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball Double Play
26-28-31-56-64, Powerball: 13
Millionaire for Life
04-13-32-51-55, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
Kentucky
Fayette County school board chair, KEA sue to block Kentucky law that would oust current members
LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Fayette County Board of Education Chair Tyler Murphy and the Kentucky Education Association have filed a lawsuit challenging a newly enacted Kentucky law that would overhaul the governance structure of Fayette County Public Schools and force all current board members out of office at the end of 2026.
The lawsuit names the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Fayette County Board of Elections and Fayette County election officials as defendants.
At the center of the legal challenge is Senate Bill 4, which lawmakers passed over Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto earlier this year.
Under the law, the seven-member Fayette County Board of Education would be reduced to five district-based seats, the lawsuit reads. The terms of all current board members would end Dec. 31, 2026, and new elections would be held for the restructured board.
The lawsuit argues the law is unconstitutional and asks the court to block its implementation, including any election-related actions tied to the measure.
Court filings contend the legislation unlawfully targets a single school district and interferes with the terms of duly elected local officials. Plaintiffs also argue the law violates provisions of the Kentucky Constitution governing local elections and public officeholders.
Attorneys included exhibits detailing criticism of Murphy and Fayette County Public Schools leadership from state lawmakers, including a petition seeking Murphy’s removal and a letter from state Sen. Chris McDaniel calling for the resignations of Murphy and Superintendent Demetrus Liggins.
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that the law is invalid and requests expedited review from the court due to upcoming election deadlines.
No hearing date had been announced as of Wednesday.
The lawsuit comes as Fayette County Public Schools continues to face scrutiny over budgeting decisions, district spending and governance issues that have drawn attention from state lawmakers over the past year.
In a statement, Representative Matt Lockett criticized Murphy as he highlighted what he stated are district failures under Murphy.
“This lawsuit is nothing more than an attempt to distract from the disaster that Fayette County Public Schools is under Tyler Murphy’s leadership as board chair. Under his watch, the district has spiraled into a financial crisis so severe that it is now seeking to borrow up to $110 million simply to keep the lights on and make it through the school year. Students have been failed. Families have been failed. Teachers and staff have been failed. Taxpayers have been failed. And the Lexington community has been left paying the price for years of mismanagement and poor oversight.
Rather than taking responsibility for the district’s financial failures and focusing on what is best for students, he has chosen to file a lawsuit challenging a law that was duly passed by the General Assembly and enacted through the constitutional process. He may be emboldened by recent rulings by activist judges, but there are no legitimate grounds for overturning a duly enacted statute simply because you can’t do the right thing by this community. The General Assembly has both the authority and the responsibility to establish standards for public offices and governance structures across the Commonwealth.
At a time when Fayette County schools are facing unprecedented financial turmoil, the focus should be on accountability, transparency, and fixing the problems that have brought the district to this point. The only filing Fayette County taxpayers should be expecting from Mr. Murphy is his resignation.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has been causing fear around the world, and a Lexington doctor is preparing in the event a case is found in Kentucky.
According to the CDC, there have been 49 deaths and over 300 confirmed cases across the two countries, with more suspected cases still being investigated.
UK Healthcare is working to become a Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Center through the National Special Pathogen System, which would allow the facility to treat Ebola patients in-house.
Dr. Nicholas Van Sickels, an infectious disease physician at UK Healthcare, said the current outbreak is serious, but Kentucky residents are not at significant risk.
“Ebola scares people just because of the mortality, the death rate, associated with it and some of the long term consequences when you do survive. Fortunately, the strain that we’re seeing in Eastern (Democratic Republic of Congo) is thought to be not as deadly, but either way it’s a very serious disease. It carries a lot of stigma and fear,” Van Sickels said.
Here in Kentucky, however, is a very safe environment, Dr. Van Sickels said.
Currently, Dr. Van Sickels says UK Healthcare operates as an assessment hospital, meaning it can evaluate patients with symptoms who have traveled to regions with active outbreaks, coordinate testing with the state, and transfer patients to higher-level care centers if needed.
Once the Level 2 designation is complete, UK Healthcare will be the only facility in Kentucky with that capability.
“We’re the only facility in Kentucky that is able to have a level 2 designation once we finish this grant award and get approved,” Dr. Van Sickels said.
In January 2026, UK Healthcare received a grant from the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC), the governing body of the National Special Pathogen System.
“It’s approximately half a million dollars to transform our institution,” Van Sickels said.
The funding has been used to run simulation drills in coordination with Lexington Fire, EMS, and the state health department. The grant also enabled UK Healthcare to upgrade its protective outerwear, with all seam points covered to provide additional protection. Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids.
During a recent site visit and simulation, evaluators identified vulnerabilities in the facility’s previous protective suits.
“When we had our site visit and had our stimulation, for example, they said that the seams that we had on our old suits, you could pull and stretch, and that they were rather porous,” Van Sickels said.
Van Sickels had been working on the preparedness project since the beginning of the year.
Citing lessons learned from the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic, which spread to the U.S. and resulted in 4 cases and 1 death.
“Ebola 2014 taught a lot of hospitals in the US about high consequence infections, established what is now NETEC, the educating body for our country, uh, about high consequence pathogens,” Van Sickels said.
“We’re constantly wanting to push preparedness, uh, because that is the key to success in evading further outbreaks,” Van Sickels said.
UK Healthcare expects to complete its Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Center designation by the end of summer.
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