Kentucky

We are experiencing an early and intense influenza season this year with the activity level in Kentucky remaining at widespread. Influenza is a very contagious disease caused by the flu virus, which spreads from infected persons to the nose and throat of others. Flu can lead to pneumonia and can be especially dangerous for the elderly, young children, pregnant women, or those with heart or breathing conditions. It is very important that the public remembers to practice good health habits to prevent the spread of the flu at home, work, or school.

I know it has been almost a week since the election, but things have remained very busy even after the election with picking up signs, thanking people, and still attending functions related to my legislative duties.  I wanted to take just a moment to thank everyone who supported me, worked hard for me, and prayed for me and my family. We could not have made it without your support.  Now is the time for all of us to come together. Whether your candidate won locally and/or nationally, I would ask that you pray for all our leaders, from the top to the bottom, and that you pray for our nation.

It’s not even winter yet — at least not officially — but brutal Arctic air will hover over Kentucky for some time to come with freezing rain forecast for portions of the state. As the current cold air mass moves into the Appalachians, a new cold air system will move into south-central Kentucky and produce some light snow starting Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service. The system will continue moving north through the day on Wednesday.

Endurance horse riding is a little-known sport that requires horse and rider to navigate a 25- to 100-mile course under the close supervision of veterinarians. The entire race organization is dependent upon an individual(s) or club to manage all the logistics of the rides, with the possibility that the ride manager could lose money and the guarantee all helpers at the ride work for free. Jim and Marty Rogan of Danville hosted the eighth annual Kentucky Diehard ride at Shakertown on Nov. 19. Horse and rider teams came from as far as Duluth, Minn., for one reason - Jim and Marty Rogan put on a great ride at a great venue.

FRANKFORT - The 2012 special session came and went this past week, as both chambers were able to approve both a budget for Kentucky's transportation needs and legislation to combat so-called “pill mills” in the commonwealth. House Bill 2 was essentially the agreed upon version of the transportation budget bill in the regular session, House Bill 266. The $4.5 billion budget will pay for road construction projects in various phases, from planning and design to those that are ready to be built.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards honored Kentucky's top two youth volunteers during its 17th annual State Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. Julia Higginbotham, 18, of Salvisa, was honored for founding an annual campaign that has provided warm fleece blankets to more than 1,000 needy children at Christmastime. Megison Hancock, 13, of Paducah, was honored for founding a recycling club at her school to keep recyclable trash from ending up in landfills. As state honorees, Julia and Megison were among 102 top youth volunteers from across the country who received $1,000, engraved silver medallions, and all-expense-paid trips to Washington, D.C., for four days of recognition events.

The Kentucky-Indiana college basketball series may be on hiatus, but the prep version of the rivalry continues this weekend. Kentucky and Indiana will battle for bragging rights when prep stars from both states meet for a two-day doubleheader, beginning Friday night at Freedom Hall in Louisville. The two teams will meet again on Saturday in Indianapolis. The Kentucky stars will face a tall order against the Hoosiers, who have swept six of the past seven series matchups and won 23 of the past 26 games between the two rivals.

During the past three years, Georgia has proven it can beat Kentucky at home and on the road. In the Bulldogs’ last contest against Kentucky, Georgia dealt the Wildcats a 77-70 setback on Jan. 8 in Athens. Two years ago, the Bulldogs handed Kentucky a 90-85 loss in Lexington. However, since its victory over Kentucky earlier this month, Georgia has lost three of the last five games, including a disappointing 104-91 loss in double overtime to Florida Tuesday. Following the loss to the Gators, Bulldogs coach Mark Fox said the setback was a “tough loss.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - After freshman Terrence Jones had 23 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks in No. 11 Kentucky's final exhibition game, he was told Wildcat fans will start to expect similar numbers each game. "They should," the native of Portland, Ore. said after Kentucky rolled over Dillard 122-54 on Friday night. Jones sleepwalked through Kentucky's first exhibition, a 97-66 win over Pikeville on Monday. He had nine points and seven rebounds but shot poorly and spent almost the entire game in foul trouble.

Paul Bimschleger, of Nicholasville, Ky., lost his wife and more than 50-year companion last May to Alzheimer's disease. A life-long golfer and founder of the Central Kentucky Senior Men's Golf Association, Bimschleger is hosting the first annual A Round to Remember ™ golf scramble to benefit the Alzheimer's Association Greater KY Chapter on Saturday, June 23. The event will take place at Connemara Golf Course in Nicholasville, Ky.  “We saw...