Kentucky

West Michigan farms ship 360 Christmas Trees to military bases in Kentucky, Tennessee

Published

1 year ago

December 7, 2024

West Michigan farms ship 360 Christmas Trees to military bases in Kentucky, Tennessee

VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI — In 2006, on the Monday after Thanksgiving, 10 volunteers and a few staff members gathered at Wahmhoff Farms Nursery in Gobles.

A tradition was born.

That tradition was packing up Christmas trees to have delivered to military members and their families as part of the Christmas Spirit Foundation’s Trees for Troops program.

Every Monday after Thanksgiving since, more and more volunteers have joined Wahmhoff Farms employees in packing up trees so families on military bases can feel the spirit of Christmas.

This year, on Dec. 2, a record 120-plus volunteers, along with staff members and some active duty military members loaded 363 trees onto two FedEx trailers. The trees were shipped to Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi, as well as Fort Knox and Fort Campbell in Kentucky.

Wahmhoff Farms Nursery in Gobles, Michigan, hosted 120-plus volunteers on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, as 363 Christmas trees were packed up and shipped to three military bases in Tennessee and Kentucky. Pictured are some of the volunteers.Provided by Betsy Wahmhoff Perales

The three bases are among 93 across the nation and overseas where the Trees for Troops program will provide free, farm-grown Christmas trees to U.S. armed forces members in all branches of services.

“We just want to say thank you to the troops themselves, they’re there for us, they’re keeping our country safe and we appreciate them,” said Betsy Wahmhoff Perales, executive assistant at the farm.

Wahmhoff Perales grew up in a military family, raised by an Army veteran, Carl Wahmhoff Jr.

Her grandfather Carl Wahmhoff Sr. planted the first Christmas trees at the Gobles farm in the 1950s and her father harvested them. The farm has been run by her brothers Dan and Ken Wahmhoff since 1996.

“Our family business my whole life has been Christmas trees,” she said. “And to be able to donate Christmas trees to the military families who we appreciate so much, not just because we have family members that were in the military, but because we love our country.

“These families, they are away from their homes. They are on military bases surrounded by other soldiers. And to be able to get a Christmas tree and celebrate, to me that is the Christmas spirit. It lifts you right up.”

Wahmhoff Perales said they couldn’t do this without the volunteers. Her family farm was one of five area Christmas tree farms shipping out trees on Monday morning.

Other Christmas tree farms who brought trees to Wahmhoff Farms this year included Armintrout’s Nursery, Janke Tree Farm and Badger Evergreen Nursery in Allegan, along with Circle B Tree Farm in Battle Creek.

“It’s definitely not just a Wahmhoff Farms thing, it’s a community event and it’s so cool to be a part of it,” she said.

The farm, in its 19th year of participating, is one of three across the state that serves as a pickup location for Trees for Troops. Through the first 20 years of the Trees for Troops program nationwide, more than 309,000 trees have been donated to military families, according to the Christmas Spirit Foundation website.

Each of the trees that left for Tennessee and Kentucky on Monday from Gobles also came with a handwritten tag from a Gobles Elementary School student, along with a handmade ornament from a student.

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Kentucky

Roadway in Northern Kentucky could be designated ‘Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway’

Published

20 hours ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

Roadway in Northern Kentucky could be designated ‘Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway’

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKRC) – A measure that includes naming a highway in Northern Kentucky after conservative activist Charlie Kirk is awaiting action from the governor.

Senate Joint Resolution 139, an omnibus bill designating honorary names for roads and bridges across the state, was delivered to the governor Thursday after clearing both chambers of the Kentucky General Assembly.

Among its provisions is the designation of a portion of Kentucky Route 18 in Boone County as the “Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway.”

The resolution passed the Senate 36-0 in March and later cleared the House 86-4 on April 1 before final concurrence in the Senate.

Lawmakers considered removing the Kirk designation during debate. A House floor amendment that would have deleted the “Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway” provision was defeated.

The measure includes several other highway and bridge designations statewide, including memorials for fallen service members and local leaders.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION (2)

If signed, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet would be directed to install signage marking the honorary highway names.

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Kentucky

Lexington veteran’s remains found in Indiana park

Published

1 day ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

Lexington veteran’s remains found in Indiana park

CLARKSVILLE, In. (WKYT) — The remains of a Kentucky veteran who was the subject of a Green Alert were found in a park.

The remains of Jyronna Dione Parker, 54, were found March 22 by officers from the Clarksville Police Department. His body was found in Ashland Park on the river’s shoreline.

Jyronna Dione Parker, 54.(Lexington Police Dept.)

In late 2025, a Green Alert was issued for Parker. This alert was cancelled by the Lexington Police department after they determined he was not at risk.

Despite the cancellation of the alert, Parker had been reported missing from Lexington since Oct 17.

What is a Green Alert?

Under Kentucky law, a Green Alert is issued when a veteran at risk goes missing. It’s designed to help first responders and the public locate missing veterans who may be in danger by quickly notifying emergency management agencies, search and rescue teams, and local media outlets.

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Kentucky

Kentucky legislature passes bill shrinking JCPS board to 5 members

Published

2 days ago

April 1, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky legislature passes bill shrinking JCPS board to 5 members

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A revamped bill unveiled late on the final day to pass legislation in the 2026 Kentucky General Assembly with the ability to later override a veto would significantly alter the makeup of Louisville’s public school board.

The new Senate Bill 4 would cut the number of seats on the Jefferson County Board of Education from seven to five. It includes an emergency clause, meaning it would go into effect immediately if passed — Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, who introduced the new bill in the House, said the legislation includes new district maps to be used when voters head to the ballot box this year but added JCPS would be able to redraw its own maps after that.

The bill passed in the House on a 72-21 vote mostly along party lines, with three Republicans (Rep. Vanessa Grossl, R-Georgetown, Rep. Patrick Flannery, R-Olive Hill, and Rep. Kim Holloway, R-Mayfield) joining Democrats in opposition.

It quickly passed 25-7 in the Senate a few minutes later, with Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, and Sen. Robin Webb, R-Grayson, joining Democrats in voting no.

A copy of the bill was not immediately available.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Stephen West, R-Paris, originally aimed to create a principal leadership and mentorship program. But after changes in the House, new provisions were added that would affect the makeup of boards for large school districts, including Jefferson County Public Schools and Fayette County Public Schools.

SB 4 is one of many education bills introduced this session, several of which have specifically targeted JCPS. Senate Bill 1, also passed on April 1, gives more power to JCPS’s superintendent while requiring the board to focus on long-term strategies.

The bills come as JCPS navigates an ongoing financial crisis, with a $188 million shortfall expected in the next budget. Prior to the revisions, the SB 4 would have required two new members with “expertise in finance” to be appointed by the state treasurer, Republican Mark Metcalf. That provision was removed during deliberations between the House and Senate.

In an interview after the votes, board Vice-Chair James Craig told The Courier Journal a five-member board “has made sense to me for a number of reasons.” It’s in line with every other district in the state, he said, and it can be difficult to find qualified candidates who have the bandwidth in their lives to devote enough effort to do the job right.

“I think given the realities of what the legislature could have done, how other districts are governed and the challenges that we’ve faced, Senate Bill 4 reflects a compromise that should be workable,” Craig said. “… But I have significant concerns about Senate Bill 1 and the way it interacts with Senate Bill 4.”

Lawmakers have listened to concerns he and other education advocates have raised, he said, removing some of the “problematic provisions” that had been floated as ones that could be included in SB 1. But the bill takes power from the elected board, he noted, and gives it to an unelected superintendent — in Louisville’s case, he added, someone who is “new to the city of Louisville in the last year.” JCPS Superintendent Brian Yearwood testified against SB 1 earlier this session in Frankfort.

“In my opinion, voters in the city of Louisville do not want a super-empowered superintendent. They want a democratically elected Board of Education that is accountable to them,” Craig added.

Board members will have a discussion with their attorney about potentially challenging SB 1 in court, he said. A similar bill passed in 2022 was struck down late last year by the state Supreme Court after previously being upheld by the high court.

JCPS leaders and board members have raised concerns about the earlier iteration of SB 4 and the removal of two board positions. Three members of JCPS board — Craig, Chair Corrie Shull and Linda Duncan — are scheduled to be up for reelection in November.

Craig does not plan to run again this year, he added.

“Eight years of intense, uncompensated public service have been fulfilling,” he wrote in a text message. “It is time for me to return to the full time practice of law.”

This story will be updated.

Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com. Reach reporter Keely Doll at kdoll@courierjournal.com or follow her on X at @keely_doll.

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