Monday January 26, 2026
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SubscribeTwenty-three Kentucky schools will send students to compete on March 7 for the title of state champion in the Poetry Out Loud statewide competition.
Poetry Out Loud is a poetry recitation contest sponsored by the Kentucky Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. The competition starts at the classroom level. Winners advance to schoolwide competition, then to the state competition in March at the Grand Theatre in Frankfort. The state champion will represent Kentucky at the Poetry Out Loud national finals April 25-26 in Washington, D.C.
A group of storytellers, poets and stage performers from the Kentucky Arts Council’s Teaching Artists Directory will be visiting each of the participating schools to mentor students on how to improve their recitations.
Among the 23 schools is Central Hardin High School in Cecilia. This will be Central Hardin’s second year in the statewide competition, and Kathy Thompson, Central Hardin arts and humanities teacher, said Poetry Out Loud provides a different method of artistic expression than what is in most school curriculums.
“The arts are important. Student performance is important. We have lots of kids in band, chorus and doing drama, and those are wonderful, but this is a different genre, and it focuses on the poetry,” Thompson said. “It’s performance, but it’s about the poetry. This allows them to delve into specific poems they can really learn and go beyond the words.
“Poetry Out Loud gives students a purpose for studying poetry,” she added. “They pick the poetry apart to find the meaning, and then they perform it.”
Participating schools are:
- Allen County-Scottsville High School, Scottsville
- Augusta Independent Schools, Augusta *
- Barbourville High School, Barbourville *
- Betsy Layne High School, Stanville
- Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green *
- Boyle County High School, Danville *
- Central Hardin High School, Cecilia
- Clay County High School, Manchester *
- Conner High School, Hebron
- Elizabethtown High School, Elizabethtown
- George Rogers Clark High School, Winchester
- Grant County High School, Dry Ridge
- Hart County High School, Munfordville
- Leslie County High School, Hyden
- Livingston Central High School, Smithland
- Marshall County High School, Benton *
- McCracken County High School, Paducah
- Middlesboro High School, Middlesboro *
- Moore Traditional School, Louisville *
- Phelps Junior and Senior High School, Phelps
- Red Bird Christian School, Beverly *
- Trimble County High School, Bedford *
- West Carter High School, Olive Hill
*Denotes a school new to the Poetry Out Loud program in 2017
The winner of the state finals receives $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip with an adult chaperone to Washington, D.C., to compete for the national championship. The state winner’s school receives a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The first runner-up receives $100, with $200 going to his or her school library.
For more information about Kentucky’s Poetry Out Loud state finals, visit the arts council’s website or contact Jean St. John, arts education director, at jean.stjohn@ky.gov or 502-892-3124.
A $10 adoptions special will begin Tuesday, Dec. 27 and run through Saturday, Jan. 1. Stop by the Animal House Adoption Center (3516 Newburg Rd.) to take advantage of this deal, which was made possible through sponsorship by the Best Friends Animal Society. The goal is to get pets home for the holidays. Help us make that happen and adopt today! The normal adoption fee is $135-$150 for dogs and $50-$75 for cats. All pets will be spayed or neutered, microchipped and vaccinated prior to adoption.
This Christmas, more than three hundred children who have incarcerated parents will be remember during the holiday thanks to the work of Mr. and Mrs. Santa and the giving spirit of people those children will never meet.
“I am proud of the people of our city and I want to say thank you to everyone who helped us,” says Council Jessica Green (D-1). “They opened their hearts to join us in making Christmas special for children who would not otherwise have a good holiday.”
During the week of December 5th through December 9th, Councilwoman Jessica Green and Councilman Kelly Downard (R-16) became Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus at the corner of Sixth and Jefferson. Their goal was to ask passersby to either bring an unwrapped toy or donate some money to buy toys for children whose parents were incarcerated. Toys were also dropped off at Historic City Hall and the Jefferson County Courthouse during that week.
“It was a privilege to be able to participate in this worthy cause,” said Councilman Kelly Downard (R-16). “I am so proud to have been part of this toy drive and would like to thank the many people who work and commute near City Hall that helped ensure no child is punished because of the actions of others.”
When the toy drive was over, several bags of toys had been collected and $2,000 had been raised to buy new toys.
Last Friday, the toys were delivered to the Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women in Pewee Valley. Additional toys were delivered to Louisville Metro Department Corrections and Jefferson County Family Court.
“At this time of year, it is important that we remember all children and I amazed at the response but not surprised by the help we received this year,” said Green.
Kentuckians from across the Commonwealth gathered at the State Capitol today to observe Kentucky’s eight Presidential Electors cast their ballots for President and Vice President of the United States.
“The meeting of the electors is a special opportunity to see our democracy in action,” said Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes. “It’s wonderful to have so many people come together to witness our electors cast their votes on behalf of all Kentuckians.”
Pursuant to the United States Constitution, the President and Vice President are elected by the Electoral College, which is comprised of electors from each state. The number of electors allocated to each state is equal to the number of Senators and Representatives the state has in Congress.
Because Republicans Donald Trump and Mike Pence won Kentucky’s popular vote, Kentucky’s electors are those nominated by the Republican Party:
- Robert M. Duncan – State-at-Large
- Jim Skaggs – State-at-Large
- Dr. Michael Carter – 1st Congressional District
- Scott J. Lasley – 2nd Congressional District
- Walter S. Reichert, Sr. – 3rd Congressional District
- Troy M. Sheldon – 4th Congressional District
- Mary D. Singleton – 5th Congressional District
- Dave Disponett – 6th Congressional District
Throughout the United States, each state’s electors meet on the same day in their respective state capitals to cast their electoral votes. Kentucky is one of 21 states in which the electors are not required to vote for the candidate who won the popular vote. Nonetheless, Trump and Pence received all eight of Kentucky’s electors’ votes for President and Vice President, respectively.
The meeting was held in the Supreme Court’s chambers in the State Capitol in Frankfort. In addition to Grimes, Chief Justice John Minton administered the oath to electors and historian Ron Bryant gave a historical overview of the electoral college. The ceremony also featured performances of The Star-Spangled Banner and My Old Kentucky Home by students from Westridge Elementary in Frankfort and the Pledge of Allegiance from students from J. Graham Brown School in Louisville.
The electors’ votes will be transmitted to the President of the U.S. Senate, who on January 6, 2017, will open and read before both houses of Congress the electoral votes from each state. The candidates with the most electoral votes will be declared the next President and Vice President of the United States.
Every Thursday through Sunday until Friday, December 23rd, downtown Louisville will be hosting Holiday in the City. Patrons of the event will be able to shop, ice skate, and enjoy local entertainment at 4th Street Live!.
The ice skating week is open daily. During the week, it open 4 PM until 10 PM, until JCPS goes on break, then it will be open 11 AM. Friday and Saturday hours are 11 AM until 11 PM. Sunday hours are 12 PM until 6 PM. Tickets are $10 per person and includes the skate rental. Season passes can be purchased for $45.
The Holiday Market is located on 4th Street Live!. Vendors include Home for the Holidays, Anatolian Fashion, Lucky Clover Farm, Myroslava Creations, Gyename of Louisville, Food Craft, German Sweets, Gluhwein, Don’t Forget the Flowers, and more. Some local businesses already in the area will be featured on the Gumdrop Trail. Participating businesses will be offering promotions and discounts during Holiday in the City.
The weekend has more entertainment, including free photos with Santa, live music, performances by CirqueLouis and a showing of the movie “Elf” on the giant screen at 4th Street Live!.
A full schedule of events and maps can be located on the website.
The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet in Frankfort for a special called session at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern time) Jan. 6 to discuss proposed changes to the state’s elk regulations.
Items on the agenda for discussion include:
- Compress or reduce the elk season;
- Eliminate elk hunting in January;
- Establish a regulation to eliminate elk hunting during deer season;
- Establish a regulation to mandate a minimum bull size of 3 points on one side;
- Establish a regulation to mandate wounding an elk ends that hunt if the animal is not successfully retrieved. Convicted hunters get substantial penalties, plus lose the right to hunt elk. Guides lose guide license for 10 years;
- Establish a wanton waste regulation for elk, deer and bear with substantial penalties;
- Establish a regulation to establish refuge (no hunting) areas at tourist/viewing areas;
- Requests for management and data collection plans to be developed by the Department for Commission Discussion;
- Meet in executive session if necessary.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission meetings are open for the public. Sessions are conducted at the Arnold Mitchell Building on the main campus of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife headquarters is located at 1 Sportsman’s Lane (formerly 1 Game Farm Road) in Frankfort. The entrance is located off U.S. 60, approximately 1½ miles west of U.S. 127.
With sandhill crane hunting season opening the third weekend in December, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is issuing its annual advisory to hunters to watch out for federally protected whooping cranes.
The whooping crane is an endangered bird that may not be hunted. The Eastern Population of whooping cranes migrates between Wisconsin and Florida, with their main migration corridor taking them through west-central Kentucky. There are 107 whooping cranes known in this population.
Wildlife biologists have confirmed the presence of six whooping cranes in Hopkins County. In previous years, whooping cranes have also been sighted in several other locations, including Barren County.
Kentucky’s sandhill crane hunting season begins Dec. 17 and continues through Jan. 15. The season will end sooner if the quota of 400 birds is taken prior to Jan. 15. Hunters who have applied for this quota hunt and been drawn to participate must successfully complete an online sandhill crane identification course before they can receive a permit.
Whooping cranes are solid white with black wingtips. They have a red crown. Adults may have a wingspan of 7½ feet and stand up to 5 feet tall on stilted legs. Juvenile birds are similar to the adults, but will have patches of brown or tan mixed in with the white.
Whooping cranes are similar in silhouette to sandhill cranes. However, sandhill cranes have gray bodies and are smaller than whooping cranes. Whooping cranes may associate with sandhill cranes so caution must be used while hunting sandhill cranes.
Hunters should always be sure of their target before firing a gun, regardless of the species being hunted.
