Derek Parham

Kentucky Attorney General pushing for EPA to repeal federal carbon emission regulations In an 88-page letter to the EPA, Attorney General Russell Coleman is encouraging the agency to move forward with a proposal to rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding.

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman pushing for EPA to repeal federal carbon emission regulations. From WKU:

Local tourism offices greet Mammoth Cave National Park visitors amid government shutdown While the visitor center at Mammoth Cave National Park is closed during the federal government shutdown, tourism offices from the nearby region are helping visitors make the most of their south-centra...

Local tourism offices greet Mammoth Cave National Park visitors amid government shutdown. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

Kentucky has kicked people off food benefits using data that doesn’t tell the full story The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services has brought hundreds of fraud cases in the last five years that are heavily reliant on transactional data with the goal of revoking people’s federal...

After searching through court and state records, a pattern is clear. Kentucky swiftly stepped up SNAP disqualifications in 2016 and a review of several cases from 2020 onward shows a heavily reliance on suspicious shopping patterns to accuse people of selling benefits

apnews.com/article/food...

Community leaders welcome the Anchor Project, a regional response to addiction and mental health crises Leaders broke ground Monday on the Anchor Project, a new approach to substance abuse and mental health crises.

For too long, addiction and mental health crises have been treated as criminal rather than healthcare issues. There’s a growing movement to change that mindset, and through real change like this, it’s gaining momentum.

Check it out 👇🏽

'First time I felt validated': annual walk benefiting suicide prevention planned in Bowling Green Hundreds of Out of the Darkness Walks are planned across the country as part of Suicide Prevention Week, including a walk in Bowling Green.

What started as a preview for the Out of the Darkness Walk this weekend quickly turned into an unexpected, and candid, conversation on grief, suicide, and coming to terms with the fact that the world is a better place with you in it.

Hear that conversation and read more about the walk below 👇🏽

My latest 👇

Tick-borne meat allergies on the rise in Kentucky and impacting a wildlife rehab in Bowling Green An estimated 400,000 people have been impacted by Alpha-Gal syndrome across the U.S.

Tick-borne meat allergies on the rise in Kentucky and impacting a wildlife rehab in Bowling Green. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

Bowling Green-based nonprofit collecting funds for children detained by ICE The Fugees Freedom Fund was created to help cover the expenses of children who have been detained by ICE and are caught in a legal battle to be released.

In Bowling Green, the Fugees Freedom Fund was created to help cover the expenses of children who have been detained by ICE and are caught in a legal battle to be released.

@derekparham.bsky.social

www.lpm.org/news/2025-08...

Bowling Green-based nonprofit collecting funds for children detained by ICE The Fugees Freedom Fund was created to help cover the expenses of children who have been detained by ICE and are caught in a legal battle to be released.

Back to school season looks very different for some families - with ICE agents waiting outside schools to detain parents and children.

Fugees Family is collecting funds to help free children that have been illegally detained and taken to facilities far from home.

Forest cleared for long-embattled pipeline through Bernheim Forest wildlife corridor A protected wildlife corridor at Bernheim Forest and Arboretum has been cleared to make way for LG&E's Bullitt County natural gas pipeline.

A protected wildlife corridor at Bernheim Forest and Arboretum has been cleared to make way for LG&E's Bullitt County natural gas pipeline. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

‘They’re not allowed to speak to us’ National parks clam up amid Trump staffing cuts The Trump administration has cut staff by more than 24% at the National Park Service since January. Republicans in Congress are now proposing another round of cuts as part of a budget bill.

The Trump administration has cut staff by more than 24% at the National Park Service since January, and the GOP Congress is proposing another round of cuts. WKU looked into how these cuts are affecting Mammoth Cave National Park:

‘They’re not allowed to speak to us’ National parks clam up amid Trump staffing cuts The Trump administration has cut staff by more than 24% at the National Park Service since January. Republicans in Congress are now proposing another round of cuts as part of a budget bill.

Visitors at the park probably won’t notice the loss of park employees at first - and that’s by design.
The cuts largely affect important behind the scenes work, like maintenance, scientific research, and emergency response.
More below 👇🏽

Warren County emergency management approved for regional operations center at airport The Warren County fiscal court approved a nearly $2 million purchase for a permanent regional emergency operations center.

The Warren County Fiscal Court has formally approved the purchase of a building near the Bowling Green-Warren County regional airport to serve as a new emergency operations center for the region. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

'How am I going to afford to make the rent?': Bowling Green group helping families find housing Across Kentucky, more than 96,000 affordable housing units are needed to meet growing national demand. A family in Bowling Green is making progress in that struggle.

'How am I going to afford to make the rent?': Bowling Green group helping families find housing. From @derekparham.bsky.social of WKU:

Witness testifies on Lawson plot to get rid of Crystal Rogers' body New testimony and digital forensic evidence was introduced during day four of the Crystal Rogers trial.

“The truth is that I overheard Joey Lawson and Steve Lawson talking about moving the body on the Houck farm with a skid steer.”

More details on day four of the Crystal Rogers trial.

Testimony stricken, Houck’s mother accused in day three of Crystal Rogers trial Thursday marked the third day of the trial for two men allegedly involved in the disappearance and presumed murder of Crystal Rogers.

Day three of the Crystal Rogers trial in Bowling Green wrapped up just before 5 today.
The former lead investigator testified for over 6 hours, the judge struck a statement from the record, and Brooks Houck’s mother was accused of conspiring to “get rid of” Crystal.

More details below 👇🏽

WKU among U.S. universities concerned about international student visa pause Roughly 70 international students were on track to come to WKU in the fall. Many are now in a state of limbo.

Roughly 70 international students were on track to come to Western Kentucky University in the fall, but many are now in a state of limbo due to the State Department halting the scheduling of visa interviews for foreign students. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

Somerset community rallies in the wake of deadly weekend tornado Late Saturday afternoon, Governor Andy Beshear said the official death toll in Pulaski County remained at one.

Somerset community rallies in the wake of deadly weekend tornado. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

TVA submits application for nation’s first small modular nuclear reactor The nation's first next-generation nuclear reactor is on track to make its home in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

TVA submits application for nation’s first small modular nuclear reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

To combat monarch butterfly population loss, federal officials seek threatened status Monarch butterflies are migrating through parts of the South and Midwest as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks public comment on a proposal to list them as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Monarch butterflies are migrating through parts of the South and Midwest as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks public comment on a proposal to list them as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
www.wkms.org/2025-04-30/t...

Kentucky libraries, programs face uncertainty with recent federal cuts Recent federal funding cuts have raised some concerns about the future operations of the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives and some public libraries across the Commonwealth.

Kentucky libraries and programs face uncertainty with recent federal cuts. A Marshall County librarian says smaller ones that are not set up as taxing districts and rely heavily on federal grants "may honestly have to close the doors." From @wkmsfm.bsky.social

Before sitting down to host the show, I take a daily walk around @wkuhilltoppers.bsky.social campus.

Lately, I’ve been counting how many lizards I see, and using that as a metric for how the show/my day will go.

It’s an 11 lizard day. Unprecedented.

Let’s rock and roll.

To mow or not to mow: Communities embracing native landscapes over the traditional American lawn A southern Kentucky family is working to shift national conversations around the benefits of a native lawn.

Happy Earth Day 🌎

Here’s to our beautiful planet, and to the work we can do in our own homes to protect the rest of its inhabitants. Tosha and Kevin are excellent examples of working with our world instead of against it 🪻🌳🌼

Kentucky's karst system overwhelmed by rainfall, with more sinkholes expected After record-breaking rainfall across the region, Kentucky's natural drainage system is overwhelmed.

Kentucky's karst system overwhelmed by rainfall, with more sinkholes expected. From @derekparham.bsky.social at WKU:

These 10 National Parks Wouldn’t Exist Without Women From Joshua Tree to Great Sand Dunes, these 10 special places are protected today thanks to their female champions.

From Joshua Tree to Great Sand Dunes, these 10 special places are protected today thanks to their female champions. #WomensHistoryMonth

Beshear vetoes bill reversing his conversion therapy ban for minors Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has vetoed legislation that would overrule his executive order limiting conversion therapy on minors in the state.

Gov. Andy Beshear called conversion therapy “torture on our kids” over the weekend after vetoing legislation that would overturn his recent executive order to ban the practice in Kentucky.

Fired Kentucky Mammoth Cave, Red River Gorge employees to return to work after court order It’s not known how many federal probationary status employees were terminated and how many have returned to the job.

Kentucky employees who were fired by DOGE from Camp Nelson, Mammoth Cave and other U.S. National Parks locations were rehired beginning Monday.

Saying it's 'about hate,' Beshear vetoes ban on DEI in Kentucky public higher education • Kentucky Lantern Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear issues expected veto of a Republican-backed bn on diversity, equity and inclusion in Kentucky’s public colleges.

Saying it’s ‘about hate,’ Beshear vetoes ban on DEI in Kentucky public higher education kentuckylantern.com/2025/03/20/s...

Rare bat species found at Mammoth Cave helping in the fight against White Nose Syndrome While some bat species have seen up to a 99% population decline, Rafinesque's big-eared bat has shown a strong resistance to the fungal disease.

White Nose Syndrome has had a devastating impact on many bat species, with some declining as much as 99%.

But there are a few species that have proven immune to the deadly fungal disease, giving researchers hope for future recovery.

I got up-close and personal with the critters, check it out here🦇

MUST-WATCH: This is the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil from the perspective of his wife, who is 8 months pregnant.

This is federal agents in plain clothes dragging a man from his home as punishment for his speech.

@nyclu.org @ccrjustice.org @theimeu.bsky.social