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The Second Battle of Lexington: the day the courthouse mob met volley fire, Feb. 9, 1920
Five days after the murder of 10-year-old Geneva Hardman, ten thousand people surged at the Fayette County courthouse to lynch the confessed killer mid-trial. The troops on the steps fired. Six died, Lexington spent two weeks under martial law — and the nation called it a turning point against lynching. A century later, the…
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One in thirteen: the 1833 cholera epidemic, and the town drunk who buried Lexington’s dead
In two months of 1833, cholera killed about one of every thirteen people in Lexington. The Kentucky Gazette kept a diary of the disaster — the named and half-named dead, the mercury-and-bleeding cures, the farmers driving free firewood into a dying town — and a much-mocked vagrant named William “King” Solomon picked up a…
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Misery for Rent: the 2000 investigation that blew up Lexington code enforcement — and still reads like today’s news
In late August 2000, four Herald-Leader reporters published a four-month investigation into Lexington’s substandard rental housing. Within a week, the code-enforcement director was gone, his interim replacement lasted 72 hours, and inspectors’ own rentals were under review. A Lexington History deep read of the series, its fallout, and why its catch-22 still defines low-income…
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Settled: The mystery surrounding the 1881 death of Lexington police captain Neale Hendricks (updated)
On election day 1881 — “the bloodiest affair” of a day with fifty fights — Lexington police captain Neale Hendricks was killed in the Short Line Saloon by Charles Steele, a fellow Confederate veteran of his own regiment. Three days later, Steele walked free. An updated edition of our 2022 deep dive, with new…
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Introducing KREF Watch and KLEC Watch: two new free databases tracking money in Kentucky politics
The Lexington Times launches KREF Watch (krefwatch.com) and KLEC Watch (klecwatch.com): free, searchable databases covering $466M in Kentucky campaign contributions since 2016 and $223M in Frankfort lobbying since 2015 — cross-linked, open-source, and refreshed weekly.
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Four Wildcats earn Phil Steele preseason All-SEC honors
Four Kentucky football players earned preseason All-SEC honors from Phil Steele’s magazine, led by tight end Willie Rodriguez and center Coleton Price on the second team, as new coach Will Stein prepares for his debut season.
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Beshear uses budget flexibility to counter General Assembly cuts
Gov. Andy Beshear is shifting state funds to counter budget cuts made by the Republican-controlled General Assembly, citing GOP leaders’ comments as justification for the unusual move.
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A week after announcing budget cuts, Kentucky gov moves millions to offset them
Beshear to restore some funding cuts he announced last week.
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37 municipalities request Beshear’s gas tax reduction after KY lawmakers question the move
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said 37 local governments have requested the state continue reducing the gasoline sales tax in their areas by 10 cents after a Wednesday night deadline through June 30.
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Lexington builds first mini roundabout on Wilson Downing Road
Lexington is constructing its first mini roundabout in a neighborhood on Wilson Downing Road starting in June, with major street closures planned from July 6-31 to accommodate the safety improvements.