Kentucky
Starting 5: Louisville and Kentucky basketball targets to face each other for title, more
Louisville and Kentucky basketball recruiting targets Tyran Stokes, a five-star sophomore from Louisville who plays for Prolific Prep, and Jasper Johnson, a five-star junior from Woodford County who plays for Link Academy, are scheduled to play for a national high school basketball title at the Chipotle Nationals tournament in Brownsburg, Indiana.
Third-seeded Prolific Prep is set to play sixth-seeded Link at 6 p.m. April 4 in a first-round game. The last time the teams played, Prolific Prep escaped with a 77-76 win in December at the Derek Smith Invitational hosted by St. Xavier.
Around the city: Louisville women’s basketball assistant to be inducted into inaugural Hall of Fame class
Louisville women’s basketball assistant coach Stephanie Norman will be part of the inaugural A STEP UP Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Norman, who has spent 17 seasons with the Cardinals on Jeff Walz’s staff, will enter the Hall of Fame on May 21 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
This year’s A STEP UP Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame class includes coaches from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12..
Around the state: Former KHSAA star, Kentucky basketball standout back on coaching carousel
Travis Ford, a former KHSAA star and Kentucky standout, is back on the coaching carousel after Saint Louis fired Ford on Wednesday. Ford went 146-109 during his eight seasons with the Billikens. The Madisonville North Hopkins alum has coached in seven NCAA Tournaments. He led Eastern Kentucky to the Round of 64 in 2005 as its coach.
High school recruiting: North Oldham track star commits to Penn State
North Oldham senior Brendan Ruggles committed to run for Penn State track. Ruggles is the defending Class 2A state champion in the 800 meters. He ran the fastest 3,200 in school history in February. He also ranks 11th in the state in the 1,600. Ruggles is a top-25 400 runner nationally, and he is the sixth-ranked 200 runner in Kentucky.
More: Sacred Heart’s ZaKiyah Johnson named Gatorade Kentucky Girls Basketball Player of Year
Mark your calendars
- Bellarmine baseball is scheduled to visit Louisville at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Knights are set to host Jacksonville in an ASUN series beginning at 2:30 p.m. Friday.
- Louisville softball is set to visit Miami (Ohio) at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The Cardinals are scheduled to host Duke in an ACC series beginning at 6 p.m. Friday.
- Bellarmine softball is set to visit Stetson for a three-game ASUN series beginning at 5 p.m. Friday.
- Louisville men’s golf is scheduled to compete at The General Hackler Invitational beginning Monday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
- Louisville women’s golf is set to compete at the Clemson Invitational beginning Friday.
- Bellarmine women’s golf is scheduled to play at the Nevel Meade Collegiate beginning Monday in Louisville.
- Bellarmine men’s lacrosse is set to visit Mercer at noon Wednesday and Queens University of Charlotte at noon Saturday.
- Louisville women’s lacrosse is scheduled to visit Liberty at noon Thursday and North Carolina at 11 a.m. Saturday.
- Louisville men’s tennis is set to host N.C. State at noon March 24 and Tennessee State at 5 p.m. March 24.
- Bellarmine men’s tennis is scheduled to visit Eastern Kentucky at 2:30 p.m. Monday and host Florida Gulf Coast at 2:30 p.m. Friday.
- Louisville women’s soccer is set to visit Kentucky at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Reach sports reporter Brooks Warren at bwarren@gannett.com and follow him on X at @Broookksss.
Kentucky
Former Kentucky education commissioner to leave California superintendent job
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – A former Kentucky education commissioner is out of a superintendent job he took in California.
A joint statement from the Governing Board of the Laguna Beach Unified School District and Jason Glass said Glass and the district has reached a mutual agreement to conclude his service.
Glass will be superintendent until the end of May, and the district thanked him for his service and dedication to the students, staff and families of the district.
“Dr. Glass expresses gratitude for the opportunity to serve this exceptional community and wishes the District continued success,” the statement said.
Serving as the Commonwealth’s education commissioner for three years, Glass had resigned from the position in 2023.
Glass had cited anti-LGBTQ laws and changes to future commissioner of education confirmation procedures as reasons for his departure
Copyright 2026 WKYT. All rights reserved.
Kentucky
Former Kentucky FOP spokesperson pleads guilty to wire fraud
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – A former spokesperson for the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police pleaded guilty Thursday to wire fraud after stealing thousands of dollars from the union and fellow officers.
Ryan Straw entered his plea at the Eastern District federal courthouse in Kentucky.
Straw was under investigation for embezzlement as of last November, according to a letter from the FOP board.
According to that letter, Straw convinced other officers to give him money for an investment club. That money was never invested. Straw was also suspected of taking funds from the lodge itself.
The FOP gave Straw the chance to return the money, but he did not.
Straw previously conducted media interviews and spoke about police matters, including accountability issues at the state level.
He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Sentencing is pending.
Copyright 2026 WAVE. All rights reserved.
Kentucky
Which Kentucky Derby horses are running in the 2026 Preakness Stakes?
Warm and humid weather for Preakness Stakes this weekend
The second race of the Triple Crown is May 16 in Laurel, Maryland. Conditions at Preakness Stakes are expected to be warmer with humidity. There could be a spotty thunderstorm after the race.
Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby. He won’t be at the Preakness. And that’s becoming a familiar story.
This marks the second straight year and the third time in five years that the Derby winner has decided not to compete in the Preakness Stakes despite having a healthy horse. The reason is almost always the same: two weeks isn’t enough time.
Trainer Cherie DeVaux made the call quickly after Golden Tempo’s dramatic last-to-first Derby victory on May 2.
“Golden gave us the race of a lifetime,” DeVaux said in a statement. “We believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort.”
DeVaux and Golden Tempo are focused on the June 6 Belmont Stakes instead.
The pattern is pretty clear.
From 1997 to 2018, every Kentucky Derby winner ran the Preakness, keeping the Triple Crown path intact. That streak ended with Country House, who won the Derby on the disqualification of Maximum Security, was scratched from the Preakness. The sport has been wrestling with the question ever since. Maryland’s racing leaders have considered moving the Preakness one week later, from the third Saturday in May to the fourth, though no change has been made.
Of the 14 horses entered in the Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, just three made the trip from Churchill Downs. None of them won the Derby. One nearly caused the biggest upset in recent memory.
Ocelli (Post 2, 6-1)
The most intriguing Derby returnee. Ocelli finished third at 70-1 odds on May 2, giving trainer Whit Beckman and jockey Tyler Gaffalione a surprise ticket to Laurel Park. He was the lone maiden in the Derby field and remains a maiden heading into Saturday. Nobody expected him to be here.
Incredibolt (post 12, 5-1)
The morning-line co-favorite among Derby runners. Incredibolt finished sixth at Churchill Downs and trainer Riley Mott moved quickly to point him to Laurel Park. Jockey Jaime Torres won the 2024 Preakness aboard Seize the Grey. The connections believe the 1 3/16-mile distance suits Incredibolt better than the Derby’s mile and a quarter.
Robusta (Post 4, 30-1)
The longest shot of the Derby trio is Robusta, who finished 14th of the 14 in the Derby. The question with any horse coming back this quickly after a tough Derby is how much the race took out of him. At 30-1, it seems the market has answered that question.
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