Kentucky wetlands, streams, and drinking water at risk under proposed changes to Clean Water Act. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU: #kyga26

I think my updates are done for tonight from the UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville that has killed at least 3 and likely more. Here's our current story, which is likely to change by the morning once more official information comes out.

A team of researchers with the University of Kentucky is contributing to a nationwide effort to understand a fungal disease impacting native snake species. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

See photos from “No Kings” protestors around the state from @kentuckypublicradio.org reporters. www.lpm.org/no-kings-pro...

We have rights when protesting. Learn more at www.aclu.org/deployment_kyr.

A growing coalition of conservation and advocacy groups across the country are working to shift the narrative surrounding beavers. A group at Bernheim Forest want to show the long-term benefits of coexisting with the animals rather than relocating them. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

BREAKING from PP We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens* The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied: Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado www.propublica.org/article/immi... by @nicolefoy.bsky.social

Just incredible stuff in here.

White House fires federal special education staff, but the impact across Kentucky remains unclear for now. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU: #kyga26

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman pushing for EPA to repeal federal carbon emission regulations. From WKU:

Local tourism offices greet Mammoth Cave National Park visitors amid government shutdown. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

After searching through court and state records, a pattern is clear. Kentucky swiftly stepped up SNAP disqualifications in 2016 and a review of several cases from 2020 onward shows a heavily reliance on suspicious shopping patterns to accuse people of selling benefits apnews.com/article/food...

For too long, addiction and mental health crises have been treated as criminal rather than healthcare issues. There’s a growing movement to change that mindset, and through real change like this, it’s gaining momentum. Check it out 👇🏽

What started as a preview for the Out of the Darkness Walk this weekend quickly turned into an unexpected, and candid, conversation on grief, suicide, and coming to terms with the fact that the world is a better place with you in it. Hear that conversation and read more about the walk below 👇🏽

My latest 👇

Tick-borne meat allergies on the rise in Kentucky and impacting a wildlife rehab in Bowling Green. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

In Bowling Green, the Fugees Freedom Fund was created to help cover the expenses of children who have been detained by ICE and are caught in a legal battle to be released. @derekparham.bsky.social www.lpm.org/news/2025-08...

Back to school season looks very different for some families - with ICE agents waiting outside schools to detain parents and children. Fugees Family is collecting funds to help free children that have been illegally detained and taken to facilities far from home.

A protected wildlife corridor at Bernheim Forest and Arboretum has been cleared to make way for LG&E's Bullitt County natural gas pipeline. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

The Trump administration has cut staff by more than 24% at the National Park Service since January, and the GOP Congress is proposing another round of cuts. WKU looked into how these cuts are affecting Mammoth Cave National Park:

Visitors at the park probably won’t notice the loss of park employees at first - and that’s by design. The cuts largely affect important behind the scenes work, like maintenance, scientific research, and emergency response. More below 👇🏽

The Warren County Fiscal Court has formally approved the purchase of a building near the Bowling Green-Warren County regional airport to serve as a new emergency operations center for the region. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

'How am I going to afford to make the rent?': Bowling Green group helping families find housing. From @derekparham.bsky.social of WKU:

“The truth is that I overheard Joey Lawson and Steve Lawson talking about moving the body on the Houck farm with a skid steer.” More details on day four of the Crystal Rogers trial.

Day three of the Crystal Rogers trial in Bowling Green wrapped up just before 5 today. The former lead investigator testified for over 6 hours, the judge struck a statement from the record, and Brooks Houck’s mother was accused of conspiring to “get rid of” Crystal. More details below 👇🏽

Roughly 70 international students were on track to come to Western Kentucky University in the fall, but many are now in a state of limbo due to the State Department halting the scheduling of visa interviews for foreign students. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

Somerset community rallies in the wake of deadly weekend tornado. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

TVA submits application for nation’s first small modular nuclear reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

Monarch butterflies are migrating through parts of the South and Midwest as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks public comment on a proposal to list them as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. www.wkms.org/2025-04-30/t...

Kentucky libraries and programs face uncertainty with recent federal cuts. A Marshall County librarian says smaller ones that are not set up as taxing districts and rely heavily on federal grants "may honestly have to close the doors." From @wkmsfm.bsky.social

Before sitting down to host the show, I take a daily walk around @wkuhilltoppers.bsky.social campus. Lately, I’ve been counting how many lizards I see, and using that as a metric for how the show/my day will go. It’s an 11 lizard day. Unprecedented. Let’s rock and roll.

Happy Earth Day 🌎 Here’s to our beautiful planet, and to the work we can do in our own homes to protect the rest of its inhabitants. Tosha and Kevin are excellent examples of working with our world instead of against it 🪻🌳🌼

Kentucky's karst system overwhelmed by rainfall, with more sinkholes expected. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

From Joshua Tree to Great Sand Dunes, these 10 special places are protected today thanks to their female champions. #WomensHistoryMonth

Gov. Andy Beshear called conversion therapy “torture on our kids” over the weekend after vetoing legislation that would overturn his recent executive order to ban the practice in Kentucky.

Kentucky employees who were fired by DOGE from Camp Nelson, Mammoth Cave and other U.S. National Parks locations were rehired beginning Monday.

Saying it’s ‘about hate,’ Beshear vetoes ban on DEI in Kentucky public higher education kentuckylantern.com/2025/03/20/s...

White Nose Syndrome has had a devastating impact on many bat species, with some declining as much as 99%. But there are a few species that have proven immune to the deadly fungal disease, giving researchers hope for future recovery. I got up-close and personal with the critters, check it out here🦇

MUST-WATCH: This is the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil from the perspective of his wife, who is 8 months pregnant. This is federal agents in plain clothes dragging a man from his home as punishment for his speech. @nyclu.org @ccrjustice.org @theimeu.bsky.social

At least 20 employees were laid of at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, part of the sweeping federal job cuts put in place by the Trump administration at national parks across the country. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

Thousands of national park employees across the country had job offers rescinded, or were outright fired outright among Trump and Musk’s nationwide purge. Mammoth Cave is no exception, with at least 20 employees cut in just one division. I spoke with one guide that was fired from her dream career.

It's protect public media day! Why? Public media is under threat. You can read more about that in the link below. I'm here to talk about why public media across Appalachia and the Mid-South is worth saving. Check this thread for great local stories serving communities across the region.

Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives would be banned under a bill that passed on party lines through a House committee Tuesday, after the GOP committee chair limited debate in opposition.

GOP bill shielding conversion therapy clears committee on party line vote. @liamniemeyer.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/02/27/g...

The Trump Administration’s major disaster declaration for the February flood means local governments and citizens in 11 Kentucky counties can apply for federal assistance. Floyd County was added to the list Tuesday.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is currently in D.C. lobbying Trump administration officials to let Kentucky households be eligible for FEMA disaster aid after the devastating floods. From @justinhicks.lpm.org

That was fast. Former Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron has launched a 2026 U.S. Senate bid on the heels of Sen. Mitch McConnell's retirement announcement. And by on the heels of, we mean mere minutes. ^TD www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

Here’s how you can help Kentucky disaster survivors amid the 2025 floods. From @justinhicks.lpm.org

I know my followers know this, but McConnell's no votes on Hegseth, Gabbard & RFK have nothing to do with aligning with Democrats or resisting. McConnell is a big proponent of "peace through strength," and he didn't think Hegseth or Gabbard strengthened America's position or interests in the world.

Bill barring use of public funds on transgender treatments for Kentucky inmates advances. Opponents condemn bill as cruel. @sarahelizabethladd.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/02/13/b...