Madison County Schools asks families to complete electronic communications consent form

RICHMOND, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — Madison County Schools is asking parents and guardians to complete the district’s electronic communications consent form ahead of the new school year. To give permission, families can visit the Madison County Schools website and click on the form link. Officials remind families that each form should cover only one student and one employee or…

Lexington event highlights support for young adults transitioning out of foster care

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — A special event this week in Lexington aims to raise awareness and support for young adults aging out of foster care. Youth Villages Kentucky will hosted its LifeSet Bash on Wednesday, at the Northside Branch of the Lexington Public Library. The event featured an experienced panel of former foster youth, who shared how the LifeSet…

Tragic Hart County case highlights importance of Kentucky’s new ‘Ian Alert’ system

HART COUNTY, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — Kentucky’s first-ever Ian Alert was issued Tuesday for a missing 5-year-old boy in Hart County — a system designed to help locate children with disabilities in immediate danger. Sadly, the search ended in tragedy when young Silas Shearer was found dead. But advocates say the new alert helped mobilize resources and search efforts…

New details emerge in Crystal Rogers murder case as sealed documents released; Joseph Lawson seeks new trial

BARDSTOWN, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — A major development in the high-profile Crystal Rogers murder case: sealed court documents from the trials of Brooks Houck, Joseph Lawson, and Steven Lawson are now public, offering the first detailed look at the Commonwealth’s case. Prosecutors allege Brooks Houck orchestrated Crystal Rogers’ 2015 disappearance to avoid child support and custody of their son,…

Kentucky Equal Justice Center to close after nearly 50 years

Organization cites loss of private grant funding and growing national challenges

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – A nonprofit legal advocacy group that has served low-income Kentuckians since the 1970s is closing its doors this month. The Kentucky Equal Justice Center (KEJC) announced it will officially shut down at the end of July, after  decades of legal support across the Commonwealth, particularly in areas such as immigration and public policy….

Rain and storm chances continue through the rest of the week

Scattered rain and storms could lead to a few localized flooding issues Wednesday

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – After a stormy start to the day for parts of central Kentucky—including Franklin, Owen, and Scott counties—we’ll continue to monitor the chance for more scattered downpours and thunderstorms through this afternoon and evening. The setup remains very muggy, with tropical-like air fueling pop-up storms that can produce torrential rainfall, gusty winds, and frequent…

Critics say Kentucky’s ‘Safer Kentucky Act’ hurts, not helps, homeless after one year

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — It’s been one year since House Bill 5 — known as the Safer Kentucky Act — took effect, creating the crime of “unlawful camping” among other measures. Now, some advocates and service providers say the law is punishing Kentuckians experiencing homelessness rather than helping them. Ashley Spalding, with the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy,…

Christina Combs remembered as devoted mother, nursing student after church shooting

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — Family and friends are sharing more about one of the women killed in Sunday’s tragic shooting at Richmond Road Baptist Church. According to her loved ones, Christina Combs was a devoted mother of five and a third-semester nursing student at Bluegrass Community and Technical College’s Lawrenceburg campus. BCTC President Dr. Greg Feeney described Christina…

Man arrested for menacing after trying to enter Lexington church shooting scene

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — Another arrest was made during Sunday’s deadly shooting incident at Richmond Road Baptist Church. Lexington Police and Kentucky State Police say they took 58-year-old Jerry Gumm of Nicholasville into custody after he allegedly tried to drive through the grass and enter the active crime scene outside the church. According to investigators, Gumm became belligerent…

CDC data shows tick bite emergencies highest since 2019

Doctors urge prevention as summer tick activity spikes

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is raising concerns about tick activity across the United States, with emergency room visits for tick bites spiking to the highest level in years. According to the CDC’s Tick Bite Data Tracker, emergency departments nationwide have seen a sharp rise in tick-related visits…

State Senator Dr. Donald Douglas visits KSP trooper victim

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — A Kentucky lawmaker is sharing a message of hope after visiting the state trooper injured in Sunday’s deadly shooting spree involving Guy House. Senator Dr. Donald Douglas posted a photo to his Facebook page showing the trooper in good spirits during his hospital recovery. Douglas said the trooper and his brother encouraged him to…

One Lexington offering victim support

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — The City of Lexington’s One Lexington program is working around the clock to support those directly impacted by Sunday’s deadly shooting that spanned from Terminal Drive to Richmond Road Baptist Church. In a joint statement, Mayor Linda Gorton and Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said One Lexington is ensuring “those affected have direct access to…

Joint statement from Mayor Gorton and Chief Weathers

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton and Police Chief Lawrence Weathers released a joint statement Monday evening, urging unity in the wake of Sunday’s deadly shooting spree that left three people dead, including the suspect, and others injured. In the statement, the city leaders said: “It’s important that we don’t let this tragedy divide us —…

Another pop-up storm chance as muggy pattern continues

Additional pop-up storms in the forecast Tuesday

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – We’re stuck in a classic July pattern across central and eastern Kentucky—hot, muggy, and stormy at times. Tuesday starts off muggy, with early sunshine quickly giving way to clouds and scattered storms. Not everyone will see rain today, but the atmosphere is primed with deep tropical moisture, and isolated to widely scattered pop-up…