Lexington surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 cases

The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department says the city is up to 100,649 total cases and 625 deaths

EXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – The City of Lexington has now reported more than 100,000 COVID-19 cases since the outbreak began in March 2020. The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department says with 150 new cases on Friday, plus entry of backlogged cases, the city is up to 100,649 total cases and 625 deaths. The current 7-day rolling average is at 147 cases…

Drug overdose deaths up in Kentucky

Increased use of fentanyl largest contributor to rise in death toll

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ/PRESS RELEASE) – The 2021 Drug Overdose Report for Kentucky out on June 13, shows that 2,250 Kentuckians died from drug overdoses in 2021, a 14.5% increase compared with the year prior. More than 107,000 overdose deaths were reported in the United States between December 2020 to December 2021. According to cases autopsied by Kentucky’s Office of the…

Weather prompts change in trash collection times in Lexington

Lexington’s Division of Waste Management will adjust its collection times Tuesday-Friday this week

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – With daytime temperatures expected to be in the 90s and possibly higher, Lexington’s Division of Waste Management will adjust its collection times Tuesday-Friday this week. According to the City, waste collections will start 30 minutes earlier each day to limit the amount of time that employees are working during the hottest part of the day.  Collections…

Lexington Police, Bluegrass Crime Stoppers announce partnership to help solve unsolved homicides

This summer, Lexington Police and Bluegrass Crime Stoppers are committing $10,000 in reward money

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – This summer, Lexington Police and Bluegrass Crime Stoppers are working together to help solve the unsolved homicide cases in Lexington from this year, and they want your help in bringing justice to the people in our communities who’ve been affected by the violence. According to Bluegrass Crime Stoppers, eight homicide cases so far in 2022 remain…

Lexington Police respond to early morning stabbing on Versailles Road

According to Lexington Police, the incident happened around 7AM Monday morning

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – A man is in the hospital following a stabbing early Monday morning. According to Lexington Police, it happened around 6:55 AM at 1195 Versailles Road, flooring company Old World Timber. Police say they found a man who had been stabbed in the chest area twice and transported him to the hospital to be treated for non-life…

Police investigating after child shot in the arm Sunday night

According to Lexington Police, the incident happened Sunday night around 7:45

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Lexington Police say they’ve now spoken to all parties involved in a Sunday evening shooting that sent a child to the hospital. According to investigators, officers responded around 7:45 PM to the 1800 block of Balfour Drive for a child who suffered a gun shot wound to his right arm. Police are unsure at the time…

Honor Flight Kentucky makes history with state’s first all-women’s flight

This was the organization's first trip to Washington D.C. since before the pandemic in 2019

WASHINGTON D.C. (WTVQ) – Saturday was a monumental day for many lady veterans from all over the Commonwealth. Honor Flight Kentucky had its first flight since the pandemic and the organization’s first women’s only flight. It was a day to recognize these women for the sacrifices they made and the heroes they are. The veterans, spanning from the Vietnam War…

Near Record Heat Expected!

Following plenty of rainfall and temperate temperatures this past week, things will be drying out and heating up Big Time during the week ahead. While we are going to keep the chance for some cooling showers and storms Sunday and Monday, a large upper level high pressure system, often referred to as a HEAT DOME, will be taking control as…

Relatively quiet weather across the area over the weekend before summer-like heat and humidity returns

High should be well into the 90s by early next week with heat indices flirting with the century mark!

It was a little damp in spots to finish out the week across Central and Eastern Kentucky as a wave of energy moving through brought mainly light to moderate showers on Friday. This system should be in and out pretty quickly and at this point most locations look dry this weekend, although there may be a few exceptions to that….

Lexington Girl Scouts make a pledge and promise to Uvalde Texas

Lexington troops are crafting special cards and drawings to send to Texas in honor of girl scout killed in mass shooting

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Girl Scouts across America are honoring a pledge to help and serve others in need. Brownies from troops in Lexington had a meeting on Friday night to create drawings that will go to Texas in honor of a girl scout, killed in the Ulvade, Texas mass shooting. By participating in this project, Olivia Lintner is honoring…

A few passing showers to end the week as summer heat and humidity loom on the horizon

By early next week, afternoon may reach the low to mid-90s with heat indices approaching 100 degrees!

We enjoyed a nice break from the muggy conditions on Thursday as a breezy north to northwest wind pushed drier and more comfortable air into Central and Eastern Kentucky. With a mix of clouds and sunshine, afternoon highs reached the upper 70s but it felt fantastic as the humid briefly was pushed out of the region. Closing out the week…

Gun shot fired and fight breaks out following not guilty verdict of Jacourie Burns

In January, Jacourie Burns shot lonnie Oxendine, an up and coming Lexington rapper, he was found not guilty by a jury

LEXINGTON, Ky (WTVQ) – Gunshots were heard following a fight that broke out outside the Fayette County Courthouse Thursday afternoon. This came after a jury returned a verdict in the murder trial of a man accused of killing an aspiring rapper in Lexington last year. In Fayette County Circuit Court,  loved ones of Jacouri Burns and Lonnie Oxendine sat for…

Nearly half of the chemical weapons in Kentucky have been destroyed, but there’s still 50,000 more left to eliminate

More than 17,000 VX rockets have been safely destroyed, this was a three year effort yet workers say more has to be done

RICHMOND, KY (WTVQ) – At one point in time more than 17,000 VX rockets were stored  at the Bluegrass Army Depot in Madison County. After 3 years, 4 out of the 5 campaigns of the chemical weapons have been destroyed, but that’s only about half of the chemical weapons in the state Kentucky still has some weapons to get rid…

A quick break in our storm chances Thursday before things ramp back up

We've had plenty of back and forth with every other day seeing rain and storm chances this week and that should continue through Friday

Even though the calendar says early June, it felt more like July or August across Central and Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday. With a warm front to the north and a cold front sliding in from the south, it was a warm and muggy day with highs in the mid-80s but humidity levels making it feel much warmer than it actually…

Local ballet dancer traveling world to train, perform

Lexington native Ethan Maas will be studying at the two week Royal Ballet School summer program

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – A Lexington teenager’s dreams of training with the Royal Ballet School are about to come true. Ethan Maas has been accepted into the Royal Ballet School summer program in London and the YAGP intensive program in Italy. Maas started in a hip hop class, made the switch to ballet like his sister and has been practicing…

Area activists, business owners react to New York’s sweeping gun reform measures

Monday, the state's governor signed a 10-bill package aimed to tighten gun laws

MT. STERLING, Ky. (WTVQ) – Buffalo, Uvalde, Tulsa, and more. As gun violence across the country doesn’t seem to be slowing down, some states are enacting tighter gun laws. The most recent state to do so is New York, raising the age Monday for the purchase of assault rifles from 18 to 21 as part of a sweeping 10-bill public…

2 dogs in Mercer Co. left alone for months, couple accused of animal cruelty

The Sheriff's Office says 1 dog was left free roaming while another had been left inside of a cage

MERCER COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – A Mercer County couple is accused of animal cruelty after two dogs were left abandoned for four months. The Mercer County Sheriff’s Office says a deputy received information Tuesday about two dogs severely malnourished on a property in town. The Sheriff’s Office says 1 dog was left free roaming while another had been left inside…

Horse walker burns down in overnight fire

Horse walker burns in overnight fire in west Lexington.

Lexington, KY (WTVQ)- The Lexington Fire Department responded to a fire early Wednesday morning at 3416 Bowman Mill Road. According to Major Sorrell with the Lexington Fire Department, the flames were contained to a horse walker on the property that had already burned down to the ground by the time fire crews arrived. At the scene, Major Sorrell told us…

Woman arrested, accused of setting mobile home on fire

Hatfield's charged with arson

JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – A Nicholasville woman is accused of setting a mobile home on fire. According to the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office, deputies received a call around 10 Monday morning, about a suspicious woman reportedly stealing mail in the Tates Creek Estates on Lois Lane. The Sheriff’s Office says that woman was identified as Rebecca Hatfield. According to…