Kentucky

Nine Kentucky Teacher Achievement Award winners named for 2025

Published

2 years ago

August 13, 2024

Nine Kentucky Teacher Achievement Award winners named for 2025

(FRANKFORT, KY) – The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) announced the selection of nine outstanding Kentucky educators as recipients of the 2025 Kentucky Teacher Achievement Awards on Aug. 13.

These teachers qualify to compete for the 2025 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Award, which will be announced in September.

“The Kentucky Teacher of the Year Awards honor outstanding teachers who go above and beyond to help develop the next generation of leaders in Kentucky,” said Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher. “I truly believe that our educators are among the best in the nation, and we at KDE are proud to celebrate their tireless efforts in their classrooms and communities.”

The nine Kentucky Teacher Achievement Award winners and their positions for the 2023-2024 school year are:

Elementary School

Angela Nicole Hardin, Peace Academy (Jefferson County)
Scott Johnson, Red Cross Elementary (Barren County)
Sarah Wallace, Robert B. Turner Elementary (Anderson County)

Middle School

Jennifer Montgomery, Eminence Independent Middle School (Eminence Independent)
Jessica LF Talley, Mt. Washington Middle School (Bullitt County)
Alicia Christine Thomas, Lexington Traditional Magnet School (Fayette County)

High School

Jamie Brown, Marion County High School (Marion County)
Katy Cecil, LaRue County High School (LaRue County)
Hayley Dant, Randall K. Cooper High School (Boone County)

“More than 40,000 of their colleagues who are still dedicated to serving students and the teaching profession are represented by these award-winning educators,” Fletcher said. “I want to recognize and thank all Kentucky teachers who give of themselves daily to encourage our students to dream, to persist and to succeed in life.”

All nine teachers will be honored during a ceremony in Frankfort on Sept. 10. During the ceremony, KDE will announce winners of the elementary, middle and high school teaching divisions. From those three finalists, one will be named the 2025 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, who will then represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition.

All award recipients will receive cash prizes. The overall Kentucky Teacher of the Year will receive $10,000 and will be offered a six-month sabbatical with KDE during their year as an ambassador of the teaching profession.

KDE received 528 teacher nominations this year and judging was conducted by a blue-ribbon panel of veteran educators from across the state.

Applications included information on the nominees’ teaching philosophies, teaching experiences and involvement in their respective communities, as well as letters of recommendation from peers, students, families, administrators and others.

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Kentucky

June unemployment rate shows slight increase in Kentucky Center for Statistics latest report

Published

5 hours ago

July 17, 2026

Press Room

June unemployment rate shows slight increase in Kentucky Center for Statistics latest report

Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary June 2026 unemployment rate was 4.7%, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics. The preliminary June 2026 jobless rate was up from the 4.5% reported in May and up 0.1 percentage points from one year ago. The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate for June 2026 was 4.2%, which was down from…

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Kentucky

Saturated soil raises flooding risk across Kentucky after recent heavy rain

Published

17 hours ago

July 16, 2026

Press Room

Saturated soil raises flooding risk across Kentucky after recent heavy rain

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Recent heavy rainfall has left soil across the state completely soaked, contributing to localized flooding in some areas.

When rain falls, some water soaks into the ground through a process called percolation.

Soil can only hold a limited amount of water. Once the small air spaces within the soil fill with water, the ground becomes saturated and additional rainfall has nowhere to go.

Soil type plays a role in how quickly water drains.

Much of Kentucky has clay-heavy soil, which is made up of very small, flat particles packed tightly together.

That composition makes it harder for water to move through. In clay soil, water may drain at a rate of only 0.02 to 0.17 inches per hour.

When rainfall comes down faster than the ground can absorb it and water cannot drain into a stream or storm drain quickly enough, it begins to build up.

That buildup is what leads to localized flooding.

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Kentucky

Cyclosporiasis spreads across Kentucky

Published

1 day ago

July 16, 2026

Press Room

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – Cyclosporiasis is a microscopic parasite that can contaminate food and water — is making people sick across several states, including Kentucky.

Dr. Patricia Tellez-Watson said, the illness is caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis and spreads when someone ingests contaminated food or water. “It is an intestinal infection caused by this water-borne, food-borne microscopic parasite,” she said.

Symptoms can include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

Tellez-Watson said, cases are often sporadic, but outbreaks can happen — especially during hot, wet months, when the parasite can survive in the environment long enough to become infectious.

Health experts recommend taking extra precautions with food and water. Washing hands and thoroughly rinsing produce before eating or cooking can reduce risk.

Watson also urged people to be cautious with fresh produce, particularly pre-packaged items, and to consider using bottled water.

Officials have confirmed cases in Bowling Green, though it’s unclear how many.

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