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Feds charge six in Lexington witness’s killing, alleged murder-for-hire plot to silence testimony
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A federal grand jury has indicted six men in the 2023 shooting death of Kristopher “Kris” Lewis, alleging they carried out a murder-for-hire scheme to stop him from testifying in a pending federal case, according to court records unsealed last week. The indictment, returned Oct. 2 and unsealed Oct. 8 in…
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Ex–FMC Lexington employee pleads guilty to taking $18.6K to smuggle drugs, tobacco into prison
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A former Federal Medical Center Lexington employee pleaded guilty Monday to a federal bribery charge, admitting she accepted $18,602 to smuggle tobacco and synthetic marijuana into the prison in 2023 and 2024, according to a plea agreement filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. A. Jade…
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Gatton Park’s First Big Flop: A $400 Meet-and-Greet With Reality
So it finally happened: a concert at Lexington’s shiny new Gatton Park got canceled — not because of rain or politics, but because not enough people cared to buy a ticket. Kansas, Jefferson Starship, and Molly Hatchet — a lineup that reads like the playlist at a 1983 Camaro meetup — were supposed to…
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Two Lexington federal drug cases lay out stark details: 28 kilos in a trap car; $251,000 and “M30” fentanyl pills in stash house
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Two separate federal drug prosecutions in the Eastern District of Kentucky moved toward guilty pleas this week, and newly filed plea papers spell out how agents say each case unfolded — from a 28-kilogram cocaine load steered to a Lexington garage to a Georgetown house where police reported finding more than…
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Lexington detective wins dismissal in suit over 2022 murder arrest
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A federal judge has thrown out a Lexington man’s civil-rights lawsuit against a city homicide detective, ruling police had enough evidence to arrest him in a 2021 shooting even though a grand jury later declined to indict. In a memorandum opinion signed Sept. 29, 2025, U.S. District Judge Gregory F. VanTatenhove…
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Judge upholds Fed’s debit-card fee rule, rejects Frankfort pizzeria’s challenge
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A federal judge has upheld the Federal Reserve’s cap on debit-card “interchange” fees, rejecting a Frankfort restaurant’s bid to strike down the rule and potentially lower costs for merchants. In an opinion dated Sept. 12 and filed Sept. 15, U.S. District Judge Gregory F. VanTatenhove granted summary judgment to the Fed’s…
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Irvine man admits to cutting white oak on Daniel Boone National Forest; ordered to pay nearly $5K
LEXINGTON, Ky. – An Irvine man has pleaded guilty to cutting and removing timber from the Daniel Boone National Forest and was ordered to pay $4,990.13 in restitution, according to federal court records. Autumn F. Reed admitted to harvesting trees at two sites along Little Ross Creek Road in Estill and Lee counties; a…
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Lexington couple admits stealing 150 cellphones from the mail
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Two Lexington residents admitted in federal court Monday to stealing more than 150 cellphones from the mail and reselling them in a scheme that cost a shipping company more than $50,000. According to court records, John Travis Howard and his wife, Trina R. Howard, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen…
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Lockett calls on Liggins and Murphy to resign, citing lack of confidence in ability to lead schools forward
Frankfort, Kentucky (September 22, 2025) – Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS) exists for one purpose: to educate children. According to Representative Matt Lockett, whose district includes part of Fayette County, under the failed leadership of FCPS Board Chair Tyler Murphy and Superintendent Demetrus Liggins, that purpose has been abandoned. On Monday, September 22, Lockett called on…
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Conservation District touts surge in urban projects, $1.2M impact as next steps head to public discussion
Lexington, Ky. – The Fayette County Conservation District says it delivered a bigger slice of its resources to city residents last year while keeping long-standing support for farmers — a shift that could shape how the district spends tax dollars and tobacco settlement funds going forward. The district’s new annual report cites a $1.2…