Home Care In Lexington, KY

Once the hero’s homecoming welcome subsided Saturday evening at Rupp Arena, Tyler Childers settled into a three-song solo acoustic set — a staple component of his live concerts, but one usually presented as an interlude of sorts late into his performances, not as a show-opener. The offering of “Nose on the Grindstone,” “Lady May” and a reflective “Follow You to Virgie” served as an intimate affirmation of his Eastern Kentucky heritage, not to mention as a wind-up for the sort of electric commotion his Food Stamps band were moments away from detonating.

Off to the stage right side of the lower arena, though, a fascinating sight unfolded — a sign language interpreter joyously presenting the lyrics to Childers’ songs for patrons near her. Who knows what level of hearing they possessed, if any, but they seemed transfixed. That begged a bigger question.

How much of a performance so auditory in design could hearing impaired fans truly absorb and enjoy?

Judging by the looks on their faces and the celebratory mood of the sold-out crowd of 15,000 that surrounded them, the answer was immediate: Quite a lot.

Needless to say, the temperament was heightened further once Childers’ six-member Food Stamps joined him for “Country Squire,” initiating a two-hour, single set, encore-less performance that boasted love songs both mischievous and delicate in nature alongside rural anthems that ran from the darkly revealing to the joyously honored. Setting all of that ablaze was considerable stylistic gusto underscored by refreshingly honest country and Appalachian inspirations.

That Childers is a keen and insightful songsmith is hardly news, although fresh listens to the evening’s versions of “Deadman’s Curve” (“You can go to hell, my dear; you’d probably like it better there”), “In Your Love” (“We were never made to run forever; we were just meant to go long enough to find what we were chasin’ after”) and especially “Universal Sound” (“My mind’s a mile a minute, and my thoughts they bark like hounds; I focus on my breathing and the universal sound”) simply reaffirmed such command. His works aren’t merely country songs. They work as poetry that links a rural and seemingly uprooted culture to the outside world.

In performance, what astounds beyond that is the vocal artillery Childers possesses. Gospel is in the DNA not only of his compositions, but his singing. That explains the kind of testimony he conjured during “Way of the Triune God,” a true revival of a tune to begin with. With the vocal charge as a catalyst, the Food Stamps summoned a firestorm jam to ease the tune into the giddier “Tulsa Turnaround,” a tune first cut by Kenny Rogers in 1971 that has long been covered in Childers’ performances.

Perhaps expectedly, Childers was generous with his personal and professional recollections of Lexington through the years during the concert (the first show in a two-night engagement at Rupp.) Between-song stories detailed foot surgeries at Shriners Hospital as a child as well as early career club shows in intimate haunts like Al’s Bar and the Green Lantern, many accompanied by guitarist and current Food Stamps bandmate C.J. Cain.

There were humorous turns, as well, including using a snippet of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” as a subversive intro to another cover that has been integral to Childers’ shows through the years — “Trudy,” a 1974 ball of Southern rock revelry penned by Charlie Daniels.

The gleeful jam that erupted out of the latter underscored the instrumental vigor of the Food Stamps. Through out the evening, James Barker’s solos and breaks on electric and pedal steel guitars framed the band’s overall drive while multi-instrumentalist Jesse Wells again proved a resourceful utility man. His fiddle runs on the show-closing “Heart You’ve Been Tendin’” countered one of Childers’ wilder vocal turns of the evening.

The show’s overall staging was simple by arena standards. The lone theatrical set piece: a vintage television that faced the audience and remained on for the entire concert. Fittingly for Rupp, it showed mostly basketball footage.

The Charleston, S.C., husband-and-wife duo Shovels & Rope opened the evening with a playfully rustic 45-minute set that drew on a variety of folk and Americana influences. Primarily utilizing Michael Trent as guitarist and Cary Ann Hearst as drummer, it was easy to view Shovels & Rope as a White Stripes variant. The coarse electric make-up of the set’s opening tunes, especially “Colorado River” (one of several new and unreleased tunes performed) played into that comparison. But then the two traded off instruments, with whoever landed in the drum chair doubling on basic keyboard orchestration. It was enormous fun, but no one seemed to be having a bigger time than the happy couple onstage.

“Here is a song about a midlife crisis,” Hearst said at one point. “But not the one currently playing out in front of you.”

When: New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31 at 9 p.m.

Where: Rupp Arena

Tickets: The concert is sold out.

This story was originally published December 31, 2023, 9:21 AM.

Following a 10-day break, Kentucky WBB returned to Transylvania’s Clive M. Beck Center with a 72-59 victory over Samford on Sunday. After a slow first half, Kentucky finally found their groove starting in the third quarter, and managed to secure a victory. Kentucky is now 4-0 at the Beck Center, and 7-7 on the season. Now, the ‘Cats are heading into their first conference game of the year against Arkansas on Jan. 4 with a three-game win streak.

Going into Sunday’s game, the ‘Cats were coming off an 87-80 win over Lipscomb, with three players in double-digit scoring: Maddie Scherr (25), Saniah Tyler (22), and Amiya Jenkins (20). Sunday’s game couldn’t be more different. Rather than three players doing the majority of the scoring, almost every player who hit the floor scored at least two points for the ‘Cats.

Leading Kentucky in scoring was Ajae Petty, the only Wildcat with more than 20 points. The forward scored 22 points on 9-17 (52.9%) shooting and 13 rebounds, marking her seventh double-double of the season and her ninth game with at least 15 points. The senior added two blocks, two steals, and two assists.

Senior Maddie Scherr stayed consistent today, with a 14-point performance on 4-12 (33.3%) shooting, including 1-3 (33.3%) from the perimeter. Five of Scherr’s points came from the free throw line, where she went 5-6 (83.3%). During the first half, Scherr only scored three points, contributing to the ‘Cats slow start, but in typical fashion, scoring began to pick up in the second half. The guard also had eight rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block.

Brooklynn Miles had her best game of the season on Sunday, finishing with 13 points and a rebound. Miles had been averaging just 5.2 points per game before Sunday’s performance. Considered the pace-setter for Kentucky’s offense, while Miles isn’t a renowned shooter, she always makes an impact on the defensive end. But Sunday, the junior stepped up and scored points when her team needed her. The guard added six assists and three steals.

As a whole, the Wildcats only had eight turnovers, well under head coach Kyra Elzy’s goal of 12. Luckily for the ‘Cats, Samford didn’t really capitalize off of Kentucky’s miscues, only scoring 10 points from them. Kentucky, on the other hand, scored 22 points off of the Bulldogs’ 22 turnovers.

Samford’s Masyn Marchbanks led her team in scoring with 19, but was only one of two Bulldogs in double-digits. The other was Carly Heidger, with 15 points. The Bulldogs combined for 21 fouls committed, contributing to the 12 points Kentucky scored from the free throw line.

The ‘Cats are back in action on Jan. 4 against Arkansas, for the first game of SEC play. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at Rupp Arena and can be watched on SEC Network+.

That’s it. That’s all she wrote. Whoever she might be, the story of the 2023 Kentucky football season featured a thrilling introduction, lost some readers midway through, and then brought it all together with a poetic albeit sad ending. I doubt many fans of the series will read it again but most would probably recommend it to a friend and look forward to the author’s next book, which comes out in about eight months.

Let’s forget about the crazy, drunken Taxslayer Gator Bowl for just a moment, and instead take a sobering review of the entire year.

Throughout this season, we have leaned on the analytical wisdom of Power Football Focus (PFF) to give all of us football Bennies (hmm…that doesn’t have the same ring to it as the basketball version) a simplistic numerical measurement of how each player performed in a given game. The eye test can usually tell a strong story, but if you weren’t watching the left guard’s pass blocking, PFF provided a nice little grade to let you know what you missed.

For quick reference, here are the PFF grades for every Kentucky game this season:

While combing through how each player graded out after each game is a great way to confirm your gut feelings following a big win or disappointing loss, it is now time to zoom out and assess the team as a whole and see how it stacked up against the rest of the SEC and recent Kentucky teams.

(Note: these season grades do not include bowl games)

Overall Grade

The overall grade is the one that matters right? When you’re taking the ACT, sure you care what you got in the reading and science categories, but the score that matters is the cumulative one.

Kentucky finished the 2023 year with an overall PFF grade of 84.8. That ranks them 42nd out of 133 teams in FBS, 28th in the Power Five conferences, and 8th in the SEC.

Kentucky’s highest overall individual grade came against Akron, where they posted an 89.4. The worst came against Georgia, where they graded out at just 49.5. The Bulldogs will make anyone look bad, but Kentucky was all out of sorts that day.

Finishing 8th in the SEC in overall PFF grade feels about right considering the ‘Cats also finished with the 8th-best record. Before the season, Big Blue Nation envisioned the Wildcats to have the success Missouri enjoyed, but that was not the case. That being said, the Tigers’ 10-2 record equated to an overall PFF grade of 90.5, good for 16th in Power Five conferences, and 5th in the SEC.

As mediocre of a season as fans may have perceived 2023 to be, Kentucky finished with the 4th best overall PFF grade of the Stoops era. These numbers only go back to 2014, but it is safe to say Stoops’ 2-10 season in 2013 did not grade well.

Seeing these numbers in chart format makes you go back and realize how special those 2021 and 2018 seasons were.

Historical Overall PFF Grades for Kentucky Football since 2014

Offense

Liam Coen came back to Lexington to implement his pro-style offense and reignite a stagnant 2022 scoring output. However, as the old saying goes, the best-laid plans of ‘Cats and offensive coordinators often go astray.

Kentucky finished dead last in the entire country in plays run per game. Several factors went into this but ultimately, Kentucky ran the clock down to nearly zero on every play and then did not move the ball with any sort of efficiency all year.

PFF graded the team’s overall offensive performance with a 76, which ranked them 56th in FBS, 29th in the Power Five, and 8th in the SEC. For comparison sake, Coen’s last season as OC featured an offensive grade of 93.2, and the Scangarello experiment last season graded out at 74.6.

What really helped Kentucky was their run game. Led by Ray Davis, who had the 11th-best individual run grade in the country, Kentucky did most of their damage on the ground. Their overall 93.2 run grade was third-best in the SEC behind only Ole Miss and LSU.

What makes Kentucky’s run grade more impressive is its below-average run-block grade. At 55.9, the Big Blue Wall did not do Ray Davis any favors and ranked 12th in the SEC. Still, Davis persevered.

You don’t need analytics to know the passing game is what held Kentucky’s offense back. It isn’t that Devin Leary was bad (he wasn’t), but a passing grade of 70.3 (10th in SEC) showcases the inconsistency of the Wildcats’ air attack.

Defense

Although it did not feel like it at times (especially on third and long or when trying to hold the lead in a bowl game), Kentucky’s defense held up fairly well according to PFF. Brad White’s unit finished with an overall defensive grade of 84.7, good for 41st in FBS, 23rd in the Power Five, and 5th in the SEC.

Shaky tackling and a lack of any sort of meaningful pass rush prevented Kentucky from excelling but the ‘Cats featured a stout run defense (PFF grade of 82.8 [5th in SEC]) and above-average pass coverage (PFF grade of 84.2 [6th in SEC].

Up front, it all started and stopped with Deone Walker. The behemoth who wears #0 finished 2nd in the SEC and 18th in the country amongst interior defense linemen who played at least 300 snaps in defensive rating with an 82. To drill down further, Walker also graded out as the second-best rush-defender among interior linemen and 15th-best in the country with a rating of 82.5.

As for pass coverage, Maxwell Hairston reigned supreme. On top of his five interceptions (some of which inexplicably came while wearing a cast on his wrist), Hairston’s 83.5 overall defensive rating placed him as the 9th-best cornerback in the SEC. It would have likely been even higher if he had been healthy all season.

Kentucky’s bend-but-don’t-break defensive philosophy broke a lot of this season, usually when it mattered most. However, as a whole, it is hard to call them a failure. If they could have wrapped up a few more tackles here and there (10th in the SEC in tacking grade) and found a way to get more pressure on the quarterback, the ‘Cats may have been able to squeak out another win or two.

Alas, the numbers are what they are. On to next year.

SEC PFF Grades for the 2023 Season

ESPN analyst Tim Hasselbeck couldn’t believe what he was seeing on Kentucky‘s final defensive drive against Clemson. Starting at the 32-yard-line down 35-30, the Tigers pushed to the opposing 35 before the Cats forced an intentional grounding on quarterback Cade Klubnik to set up a 3rd and 18 at the 50. One stop to win the game.

And then Clemson went for gains of 16, five, 11 and 15 to set up the three-yard game-winning touchdown run for Phil Mafah.

“Kentucky continues to play soft,” the befuddled Hasselbeck said as he watched the Cats give up mind-boggling cushions with minimal pushback, letting the win inexplicably slip through their fingers.

How could the Kentucky coaching staff just watch it all unfold? What is the explanation? Defensive coordinator Brad White confirmed the Wildcats were playing for two downs on the 3rd and 18 conversion.

“We got loose out to the field. We got to play that better,” he said. “It was just a flat route by a (slot receiver) and a stop route by (the outside receiver). No excuses. We gotta play that better. We gotta force them to check it down, make a tackle and play out fourth down.

“… Credit to them, they did a great job of making the plays that needed to be made when they needed to be made and we didn’t in that regard.”

As confused as Hasselbeck and the rest of us were watching it play out, Klubnik was equally confident taking what the Wildcats were giving him. It was the best of both worlds, really. He had seen Kentucky struggle with tempo on film and he saw a Charmin-soft zone in front of him for the game-winning drive.

“Obviously we know that they’re going to be playing a lot of three-high structure, so they’re going to give us some throws here and there,” Klubnik said. “But also two-minute drill, so we have to get rolling, got to get set fast. We kind of knew that tempo was a problem for them coming into it, and I think that we probably got to a little bit of faster tempo at times throughout the game because I think they had some struggles with it.

“I like the pace of it, and I think that that was just kind of naturally something we did. It wasn’t really something that we extra-emphasized. It’s just that mentality in two-minute drills, moving fast and getting the ball set.”

Klubnik called the ensuing 4th and 2 conversion “one of the biggest plays of the game,” a “that or nothing” moment for the Tigers. He also credited the Clemson offensive line for giving him “all day back there” to execute down the stretch and pull off the win.

“It just felt like I could sit back and just dissect and see things I needed to see,” he said. “Just really proud of them. … They did a heck of a job today.”

Feel free to place the blame wherever — coaching decisions or player execution, doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, Kentucky gave Clemson confidence to win the game down the stretch. And that’s a problem.

Random football notes:

? After UK’s 38-35 loss to Clemson in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, the Kentucky football fandom was quick to point the finger at Brad White, claiming UK’s defensive coordinator’s fourth-quarter strategy has cost the Wildcats victories.

Is that true? A deep dive into the record book shows that since head coach Mark Stoops promoted White from outside linebackers coach to defensive play-caller in 2019, Kentucky is 35-5 in games when the Cats were leading after three quarters. The bad news is that three of those five losses came this season.

Back in 2019, the Cats led Florida 21-10 after three quarters at Kroger Field only to see the Gators rally around backup quarterback Kyle Trask to score 19 points in the final frame to win 29-21. Florida took the lead with 4:11 remaining, then tacked on a 76-yard touchdown run with 33 seconds to go.

In the second game of the 2020 COVID season, Kentucky led Ole Miss 28-21 after three quarters in Lexington only to lose to Lane Kiffin and Company 42-41 in overtime. UK actually scored with 2:04 left in regulation to send the game to overtime.

The Cats had won 27 straight games when leading after three quarters until the 38-21 loss to Missouri on Oct. 14 this season. Kentucky had taken a 21-20 lead late in the third quarter before the visiting Tigers scored 18 points in the final 14:14 to win going away.

Then Nov. 18 at Columbia, Kentucky led South Carolina 14-10 heading into the final quarter before losing 17-14 to the Gamecocks. South Carolina scored the go-ahead touchdown with 7:44 remaining. After that, Kentucky failed to score on three straight possessions and fell to 6-5 on the season and 3-5 in the SEC.

In Jacksonville, Kentucky led Clemson 21-10 heading into the final quarter, only to give up 28 points in the fourth quarter. Clemson actually scored on the first play of the final frame to cut UK’s lead to 21-16. From there, both teams traded scores with UK taking a 35-30 lead with 2:39 remaining.

Alas, Kentucky couldn’t hold it. The killer play was Clemson’s 16-yard gain on a third-and-18 from midfield. That set up a manageable fourth-and-2 conversion. Three plays later, the Tigers scored with 17 seconds remaining to take home the Gator Bowl trophy.

? Kentucky had used a similar bend-but-don’t-break strategy in the 38-31 upset of Louisville back on Nov. 25. After Kentucky scored to take the lead with 1:02 remaining, the Cards took over at their own 28 with 56 seconds remaining. Jeff Brohm’s team moved the ball to the UK 31-yard line, but Kentucky safety Jordan Lovett intercepted Jack Plummer’s pass in the end zone to seal the UK victory.

So against Louisville, the late-game defensive strategy worked. Against Clemson, the same strategy did not.

? One other note: The Gator Bowl loss was the second in the final minute over the last two years. Kentucky led Vanderbilt 21-17 in the fourth quarter last season before the Commodores scored with 32 seconds remaining to earn the win at Kroger Field.

? Over the last five seasons, Kentucky’s record when trailing going into the fourth quarter is 2-21. The two wins? The Cats rallied from a 27-24 deficit to beat Virginia Tech 37-30 in the 2019 Belk Bowl. The Cats rallied from a 24-21 deficit to earn that win over Louisville this season.

? Let’s just say that the Rose Bowl was a tough night for former Kentucky offensive line coach Eric Wolford, who coaches Alabama’s offensive line. Quarterback Jalen Milroe was sacked six times and Michigan easily blew up Bama’s fourth-down play in overtime to give the Wolverines the 27-20 victory and a spot in the national championship game against Washington.

? By the way, I’ll be rooting for Washington in the final game. There would be something ironic and oddly satisfying about a Pac-12 team winning the national title in the final year of the league.

? After watching Monday’s College Football Playoff semifinals, I have come to the conclusion we are dangerously close to the networks airing a commercial between every play.

This story was originally published January 2, 2024, 11:28 AM.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - With the new year underway, the Lexington Fire Department is reaching out to anyone who’s passionate about serving their community.

They’re taking applications for the next few weeks.

The Lexington Fire Department says, historically, the hiring process could get them enough applicants to last them up to three years of recruitment classes. However, over the last few years, they’ve had fewer and fewer applicants.

“It is a tough job. It’s definitely not easy, but it’s very rewarding,” said Lieutenant Chris MacFarlane.

According to Lexington’s city ordinance, the fire department needs to have at least 622 firefighters to operate. They say, right now, they’re about 20 people short.

Fire officials say recruiting has been much more difficult since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To try to get people out of what they’ve gotten used to over the past 3-4 years and their work environment and say, ‘Hey, do you want to go out and be part of a team? Do you want to go make runs? Do you want to help people? Do you want to try to make a difference?’ It is just trying to recreate that culture,” said MacFarlane.

Lt. MacFarlane says they have a class of recruits going through training right now. It’s a rather lengthy process, but one MacFarlane said is really unique.

“When they come out, they will be fully certified firefighters and certified EMTs as well,” said MacFarlane.

In phase one, applicants must complete a written exam, a physical agility test and interviews. In phase two, applicants go through a background check and various medical exams.

“We want them to have the attitude we’re looking for as far as wanting to be a part of something big,” said Macfarlane.

Macfarlane says that while it’s a dangerous and hard job, they now have programs and measures geared toward mental health.

“We go through physicals for physical ailments that we might have, but for a long time, we didn’t have the mental part. We want to let our young men and women that are applying know that we have a lot of programs in place to keep you working through that,” MacFarlane said.

Macfarlane says that once hired, firefighters can make more than $53,000 per year with an opportunity for promotions. They also get various benefits and a 25-year retirement plan.

Copyright 2024 WKYT. All rights reserved.

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Sometime in the new year, you’re gonna want a little cheese, maybe a little wine or bourbon, or some chocolate ... or maybe something a little different, like a cornichon. And there will be a new place to look for all of that.

Cibon, a new nearly 4,000-square-foot boutique food and spirits shop, will be opening at 211 Rosemont Garden, across from PieTana and Rosemont Station and near Olive’s Apron bakery and tea shop, not far from the bustling Southland Drive corridor.

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West Sixth Brewing co-founder Brady Barlow and his wife, Megan Winfield, hope to have the shop open in early February.

Barlow, who is in charge of sales for the brewery, said more than 20 years ago he and Winfield were partial to such a place in Rochester, N.Y., where they were living at the time.

“We visited each Saturday,” Barlow said in a Facebook post. “It was our place, and it was special. Cibon had a ton of fine food, cheese, wine, and an atmosphere that you didn’t want to leave. ... We have always wanted to recreate that atmosphere in Lexington ... the wine, the fine foods that are deliberately sourced and that you can’t get just everywhere, and, since we are in Kentucky after all, it would be a bad decision to not throw in the best bourbon available and, since I am not changing my role at West Sixth, there must be some beer. Since we are not getting any younger, the time has come to start our passion project.”

Barlow said in an interview that they are sourcing specialty teas, chocolates, cheeses, salami and other things that they’ve found on travels.

“It will be things we like, that we think are good,” Barlow said.

Cibon will be “for people who like good food and good drink,” Barlow said. “We’ll try to be somewhere everyone can come and find something they want. Gifts will be a big part of it. I follow my stomach.”

The front room will be a wine bar with cafe seating and things to nibble on. “We won’t be cooking burgers or pizzas but we will do pairings with cheese, salami and other items you can buy in the store, and that menu will change quite often,” Barlow said.

They also will have a second room that’s more of a comfy space, with non-alcoholic offerings as well.

“The goal will be to have a coffee component in the mornings, kind of a hangout in the mornings, comfortable seating, interspersed with retail,” he said.

And he’s looking forward to introducing people to all kinds of things.

“That’s what excites me the most about it, people will be trying things they’ve never tried before” Barlow said.

Things like cornichons, a kind of pickle of which Barlow is particularly fond. “It’s not something readily available,” he said. “There’s a whole world of stuff out there that’s just not available. I just want this place to be different.”

The back room will be a bourbon room.

“We have a lot of rare bourbon that we will integrate into a program,” he said.

They will offer the space for guided tastings as well as other events, he said.

“We’ll have a fair amount going on, want people to be comfortable coming in, getting a glass of wine and imported cheeses. Everything will have a reason for being there but not pretentious,” Barlow said.

The MRI imaging machines have already been installed. Computers are now in post-operative rooms.

“The next four months we will be working to get furniture and other items into the building,” said Chris Roty, president of Baptist Health Lexington, on a recent tour of the more than 330,000 square foot new outpatient campus in Hamburg on Polo Club Boulevard.

By the end of April, parts of the new building — the emergency room and outpatient surgery center — will be open to the public.

Construction on the new building, which also includes a cancer center, doctor’s offices and diagnostic imaging, started in November 2020.

But plans for the new Hamburg outpatient campus have been in the works for decades.

The hospital system has owned the property since 2009. It announced in 2019 plans to expand to the Hamburg area. Hospital officials have long said the vast majority of Baptist Health Lexington’s patients are from outside Fayette County.

Because of its proximity to Interstate 75, the new ambulatory care center will be easier to get to than Baptist Health Lexington’s campus on Nicholasville Road.

The new outpatient campus will augment, not replace, the Nicholasville Road campus, said Ruth Ann Childers, a spokeswoman for Baptist Health Lexington.

“We are not moving from Nicholasville Road,” Childers said.

The new emergency room also will have observation beds that will help the hospital triage and manage emergency cases, Roty said during a tour in early December. The outpatient center will have a helipad and full-time ambulances to move more critical patients to Baptist Health’s Nicholasville Road hospital or the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, the area’s trauma center.

The interior of the new building is moving toward completion. However, there are still finishes and other work left to complete before parts of the building open in April.

The cancer center, which will have both chemotherapy and radiation therapy, will likely open in late June. As will the dozens of doctor’s offices also located in the new complex.

An on-site cafe toward the front of the spacious building will offer food and coffee. It will have outdoor seating for patients and guests.

The new campus also has hundreds of parking spaces on the campus for easy access.

When the building is fully staffed, it will have more than 300 employees. The surgery center will have staff moving from a different location off of Man O War. Most of the other staff at the complex will be new employees, Roty said.

“Right now we are focusing on hiring for the emergency department,” Roty said.

Many in healthcare have struggled to find employees due to a nationwide shortages in key areas, including nursing. However, Baptist Health is starting to see people return to health care.

“There’s really no better time than now to work in health care,” Childers said.

But the new outpatient treatment center is just the beginning for the Hamburg campus.

Included in the original plans is a 40-bed inpatient hospital that also includes 20 observational beds to be built adjoining the outpatient center.

“We have not set a date yet on when construction will begin,” Roty said.

Years in the future, the plans also show space for other medical buildings, retail and possibly restaurants. “They will have a health-centered focus,” Roty said.

When completed, the hospital system believes the new campus will add more than 600 jobs. To find out more about careers at Baptist Health Lexington go to www.baptisthealth.com/careers/our-locations/lexington.

This story was originally published January 2, 2024, 6:00 AM.

There wasn’t a major change in Kentucky’s ranking with the release of the latest Associated Press Top 25 college basketball poll Monday afternoon, but the Wildcats’ national standing heading into 2024 is certainly something new.

For the first time in seven years, UK is ranked in the top 10 in the first poll of the new year.

The Cats moved up two spots to No. 6 nationally after a light week for college basketball. Previously ranked No. 4 Arizona was upset by Stanford, and Florida Atlantic, the No. 7 team in last week’s poll, suffered an upset loss to Florida Gulf Coast over the weekend, facilitating the Cats’ slight move up the rankings.

Kentucky’s only game last week was a 96-70 victory over Illinois State on Friday night in Rupp Arena, the team’s final game before SEC play begins Saturday with a trip to Florida.

The victory ensured that UK would remain in the top 10. The last time the Wildcats were ranked in that range heading into the new year was 2017, when Bam Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk were the team’s stars. That 2016-17 squad was also ranked No. 6 in the first poll of the new year and ultimately finished the season at No. 5 before losing to North Carolina in the Elite Eight.

The current Wildcats obviously hope to advance further in the NCAA Tournament — UK hasn’t been to a Final Four since 2015 — and their ranking at this stage in the season is more in line with John Calipari’s top teams during his Kentucky tenure. The only other UK teams that have been ranked higher than this one in the first poll of the new year were the 38-1 team of 2014-15, the eventual national champions of the 2011-12 season, and the John Wall/DeMarcus Cousins group from 2009-10 — widely regarded as Calipari’s three best teams in his 15 seasons with the Wildcats.

This is also the first time since the 2009-10 season — Calipari’s first at Kentucky — that the Cats have been ranked higher in the first poll of the new year than they were in the preseason AP poll. This team was ranked No. 16 at the beginning of the season.

Purdue remains the No. 1 team in college basketball, according to the AP voters, who gave the Boilermakers 49 of 63 first-place votes in Monday’s poll. They were followed by Kansas at No. 2, Houston at No. 3, UConn at No. 4 and Tennessee at No. 5. After sixth-ranked Kentucky came No. 7 Marquette, No. 8 North Carolina, No. 9 Illinois and No. 10 Arizona.

UK’s only remaining non-conference opponent, Gonzaga, is No. 24 in this week’s poll. The Cats will host the Zags on Feb. 10 in Rupp Arena.

Four SEC teams are in the Top 25 with league play beginning this weekend. Undefeated Ole Miss (No. 22) and Auburn (No. 25) joined Tennessee and Kentucky in the latest rankings, with Texas A&M, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Alabama among those also receiving votes.

The Rebels will play at Tennessee in perhaps the most interesting matchup of the SEC’s seven-game opening slate Saturday. Ole Miss is one of only three undefeated teams — No. 3 Houston and No. 19 James Madison are the others — remaining in Division I.

UK’s next game

No. 6 Kentucky at Florida

When: 12:30 p.m. Saturday

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Mike Edwards is no stranger to the biggest football game in the world. The former Kentucky Wildcat is going back to the Super Bowl.

In his first season with Kansas City, the fifth-year veteran has been an impact player for the Chiefs. Unfortunately, injuries almost completely took him out of the postseason run. After picking off a pass in the Wild Card win over Miami, he suffered a concussion at Buffalo. Cleared to play in Baltimore, he got a little banged up against the Ravens, yet still tallied three tackles in the Chiefs’ 17-10 AFC Championship Game win.

Edwards was a third round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The following year Tom Brady made the move to the Bay and helped the former Cat get a Super Bowl ring. In a twist of fate, Edwards defeated his current team in that Super Bowl, Kansas City.

A member of the 300-Tackle Club at Kentucky, Edwards just entered even more rarified air. According to Corey Price, he is just the fourth former Kentucky football player to make it to the Super Bowl with at least two different teams. Marc Logan, Derrick Ramsey, and Jacob Tamme each accomplished the feat.

Edwards could become the first former Cat to win Super Bowls for two different franchises. Larry Seiple is the only former Kentucky football player with multiple Super Bowl rings, winning two as a punter for the Dolphins in the 70s.

Josh Paschal and the Detroit Lions come up short

We were this close to guaranteeing at least one Kentucky Wildcat would come away with a Super Bowl ring. Josh Paschal was incredible in the NFC Championship Game. He helped the Lions build a 17-point lead by getting his hand on a ball in the first half.

It may be difficult to tell from that clip. If you look closely, Paschal got three fingers on the football, forcing it to flail through the air and into the hands of Malcolm Rodriguez.

In addition to the tipped pass, Paschal also got a big tackle for loss. Unfortunately, his season is ending in a loss.

The Lions fell apart in the third quarter. An interception bounced off a Detroit facemask and into the hands of Brandon Aiyuk for a 51-yard gain, serving as the catalyst for the comeback. The Lions failed to convert two fourth downs and San Francisco capitalized, punching a ticket to the Super Bowl with a 34-31 victory.

San Francisco opened as a 2.5-point favorite over the Kansas City Chiefs on FanDuel Sportsbook with a total of 47.5 in Super Bowl LVIII.

Join the KSR Club! With a KSR membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.

Good morning, Big Blue Nation. We begin our Monday with congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, winners of their respective conferences in the National Football League and, thus, the two participants in Super Bowl LVIII. Kansas City punched its ticket to Las Vegas by beating AFC No. 1 Baltimore in Baltimore. The low-scoring game featured one of BBN’s favorite plays in sports: a costly Lamar Jackson fumble.

In the night game, the Lions jumped out to a 24-7 lead on NFC No. 1 San Francisco in San Francisco, only to give away the NFC Championship in the second half, allowing 27 unanswered points in a 34-27 loss. Yesterday’s results set up a rematch of Super Bowl LIV, the first of the Chiefs’ two Lombardi trophies in the current dynasty. San Francisco opened as a 2.5-point favorite in the rematch.

Former Wildcat Mike Edwards is in the Super Bowl again

With the Chiefs’ win, former Kentucky Wildcat Mike Edwards is going to his second Super Bowl, seeking his second Super Bowl ring. The two-time All-SEC safety in Lexington is the starting free safety in Kansas City, his first year in the Chiefs’ secondary. Originally, Edwards was drafted by Tampa Bay in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and in his second year, he helped the Bucs win Super Bowl LV, beating Kansas City, of all teams. Now, Edwards is on the AFC side, playing for the team he beat in Super Bowl LV, seeking a second piece of jewelry.

Yesterday, Edwards returned to the lineup from a week away to make three tackles in the win. The former Cat intercepted a pass in Kansas City’s Wild Card win over Miami.

Former Wildcat Darian Kinnard is also one game from winning a ring with the Chiefs. However, the offensive lineman has been a non-participant in 2023 as a practice squad member. One more Kentucky tie in Kansas City: the Chiefs signed former Kentucky cornerback Kelvin Joseph to a reserve/future contract earlier this month.

Josh Paschal gave it his all for the Lions

As Mike Edwards moves on in the AFC, his former Kentucky teammate, Josh Paschal, saw his season end in Sunday’s NFC Championship. Detroit’s starting defensive end made one of the critical plays that helped give the Lions the early lead over the 49ers. He got his hand on a Niners’ pass that was intercepted by a teammate and returned to the 20-yard-line, setting up Detroit’s third first-quarter touchdown. Paschal also had a couple of tackles in the heartbreaking loss.

Kentucky Basketball returns home for Rivalry Week

Moving on from Sunday’s events, your University of Kentucky Wildcats return home this week to host two SEC rivals in Rupp Arena. First, the Florida Gators come to Lexington for a rematch of the SEC opener in Gainesville. Kentucky won the first meeting, 87-85, in a tight finish. KenPom projects a 90-84 UK win in Round 2.

Then, one of the biggest games on the home schedule is Saturday, when Kentucky hosts Tennessee in a game with significant implications for Kentucky’s SEC dreams. KenPom is less confident Kentucky will defend home court in that one, predicting a three-point loss to the Vols. But we’ll worry about that one later in the week because Florida needs our undivided attention. The Gators have won three straight SEC games.

You can hear John Calipari on his call-in radio show tonight

At 6 p.m. tonight, John Calipari can be heard on his Monday night call-in radio show on the UK Sports Network. Calipari will be live with host Tom Leach for a conversation about Saturday’s win at Arkansas and what’s next in the return home for the rematch with Florida. Among the topics fans hope Calipari will address, the Big Blue Nation would like to know how he sees the rotation moving forward from the successful trip to Arkansas and how the offense will return to its high-scoring form. Any positive updates regarding the defense or Rob Dillingham‘s stomach virus will be welcomed, too.

Where will the Cats land in the new Top 25?

Each Monday brings a new Top 25 in college basketball. (Two, actually.) Today, Kentucky will likely slide in the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls for the Wildcats’ loss at South Carolina last Tuesday night. However, the fall may not be too far because the loss was a Quad 1, and UK responded with a win at Arkansas on Saturday. Other top-10 teams, like Auburn, were worse. The eighth-ranked Tigers dropped back-back games since last Monday, losing a grip on the Southeastern Conference standings.

No. 7 Kansas also suffered a road loss since the last update to the polls, as did the 9th, 10th, and 11th-ranked teams. For what it is worth, the new CBS Sports Top 25 put Kentucky at No. 18.

Kentucky’s unlikely candidacy for SEC Players of the Week

Mondays are also for the SEC’s weekly basketball awards. This week, Antonio Reeves is Kentucky’s best candidate to win the team’s first SEC Player of the Week award this season. However, Dalton Knecht‘s 32-point game and Wade Taylor IV‘s 49-point week may be the more deserving performances.

Reed Sheppard‘s second half at Arkansas may put him in the Freshman of the Week conversation, but Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard had games of 26 and 17 points, so he has a strong case for his third Freshman of the Week trophy this season.

Kentucky Women’s Basketball lost another one

Kentucky Women’s Basketball lost a second straight road game, going down at Alabama on Sunday in embarrassing fashion. The Wildcats lost by 17 points, 91-74, to a Crimson Tide team that had lost three conference games in a row, including two at home in Tuscaloosa. Combined with last Thursday’s 27-point loss at Arkansas, Kentucky lost its two road trip games by 22 points per game, pushing UK further down the standings to three places from the bottom at 2-5 in the SEC.

In Sunday’s loss at Alabama, sophomore Saniah Tyler was a bright spot with 14 points. Amiya Jenkins and Brooklynn Miles also played well. Read all about it in KSR’s game recap from Phoenix Stevens.

Kentucky returns home to host Mississippi State on Thursday.

College Basketball On TV Tonight

Looking for more sports to watch tonight? Two of the best in college basketball are in action tonight in an ESPN doubleheader. First, No. 12 Duke plays at Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. with the Hokies playing to match the Blue Devils in the ACC standings. Once that game ends, don’t touch the remote to see No. 4 Houston at Texas in the 9 p.m. game.

You can also see a replay of Kentucky-Arkansas today at 1 p.m. on SEC Network.

New “Floppy Action” on KSR’s YouTube channel

KSR’s Zack Geoghegan and Brandon Ramsey go to the film to find the biggest problems with Kentucky’s defense. The new episode of their “Floppy Action” asks, “What’s wrong?”

Matt Jones and Ryan Lemond are at KSBar and Grille

Today on KSR’s morning radio program, Matt Jones and Ryan Lemond are at KSBar and Grille in Lexington for two new hours of radio conversation. Tune in from 10 a.m. to noon. Even better, tune in now for the KSR Preshow with Shannon The Dude and Billy R. Sports.

Go Cats

I hope you have a great Monday.

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LEXINGTON — Kentucky is injecting new life into its offensive line room by hiring an old coach.

UK coach Mark Stoops on Monday officially announced Eric Wolford's return to lead the program's offensive line. Wolford spent the 2021 season as UK's offensive line coach before leaving for the same position at Alabama, where he served on Nick Saban's staff.

"Eric had a big impact in the year he spent with us," Stoops said in a statement, "and has only gained more SEC experience after working with coach Saban and Alabama the last two seasons.

"Eric and I go way back and I'm looking forward to having him return to our program."

Monday's news confirms a move that had been rumored last week, when FootballScoop reported the Wildcats would bring back Wolford, who was not retained by new Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer.

Wolford replaces his successor, Zach Yenser, Kentucky's OL coach during the 2022 and 2023 campaigns.

"I am thrilled to be back at Kentucky and have the opportunity to work with Coach Stoops and (UK offensive coordinator) Liam Coen again," Wolford said. "Stoops and I have a long history and he’s one of the best coaches I’ve worked for during my career. Liam is one of the brightest minds in football, and I loved my experience with the Big Blue Wall."

Wolford’s second stint in Lexington comes two years after he reportedly left under bizarre circumstances in January 2022. According to reports at the time, Wolford was thought to be on the road recruiting for the Wildcats. Instead, he went to interview for the Crimson Tide’s offensive line coaching vacancy, which he landed. Wolford reportedly never came back to Lexington after that trip to tell Kentucky players and his fellow coaches he was joining Alabama, immediately beginning his Crimson Tide tenure.

His exit now appears to be water under the bridge, as Wolford gives UK an ace recruiter. In his lone recruiting class with UK in 2022, he helped the Wildcats sign two of their most highly touted players, who enter the fall as crucial pieces of next season's roster: wide receiver Barion Brown and defensive lineman Deone Walker. Per 247Sports, Wolford was Walker's lead recruiter and the secondary recruiter (after Coen) for Brown.

But Wolford's off-field influence isn't the only reason he's a Wildcat once more.

In 2021, Wolford reshaped a UK offensive line that had lost three starters from the previous season. The 2021 unit was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, which is annually given to the nation’s top offensive line.

The line paved the way for a 10-win club — only the fourth 10-win season in school history — for a rushing attack that averaged 5.23 yards per carry. Kentucky led the nation in rushing attempts that went 4 yards or more, doing so 53.1% of the time. Two linemen earned All-SEC honors and went on to be selected in the NFL draft: Luke Fortner and Darian Kinnard.

Kinnard also captured the Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 2021, becoming only the second player in program history to win the award, which is handed out to the player SEC coaches vote the league's best lineman.

During Alabama's 2022 campaign, Wolford's offensive line produced a trio of All-SEC honorees (first teamer Emil Ekiyor Jr. and second-team selections Javion Cohen and Tyler Steen) as well as SEC All-Freshman Team pick Tyler Booker.

Last season was a different story.

Despite the Crimson Tide going 12-2, winning the SEC title and appearing in a College Football Playoff semifinal (they lost to eventual champion Michigan), Wolford and his unit endured constant criticism, particularly for its pass blocking — Alabama allowed 3.50 sacks per game, which ranked 122nd (of 130 teams) in the FBS.

A Kansas State alum, Wolford was a four-year starter (playing both left and right guard) under College Football Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder.

Wolford then became a graduate assistant at K-State before accepting his first full-time coaching job in 1996, when he worked as the offensive line and strength coach at Emporia State, a Division II school in Emporia, Kansas. Including Alabama and Kentucky, Wolford has been the offensive line coach at eight FBS schools: South Florida (1997-99), Houston (2000-02), North Texas (2003), Arizona (2004-06), Illinois (2007-08) and South Carolina (twice; 2009 and 2017-20). He was the assistant offensive line coach for the San Francisco 49ers during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Wolford was Youngstown State's head coach for five seasons (2010-14), posting a 31-26 record. Though the Penguins never advanced to the FCS playoffs during his tenure, Wolford authored a pair of signature victories: its first-ever win over an FBS foe (Pittsburgh in 2012) and an upset of North Dakota State — then the top-ranked team in the FCS — in 2011.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.