WKU Herald, Bowling Green, KY (2025)

10/15/2025

Blanco Brown brought “trailer trap” to WKU Tuesday with a pre-game concert on South Lawn.

Brown headlined this year’s pre-game concert before the football game against Florida International University. Brown’s concert featured some of his original music, covers of various country songs and remixes of 2010s hits.

For this year’s concert, the university worked with an artist agency to help put together a list of performers that would be a good fit for this year’s pregame concert, said Jace Lux, WKU spokesperson, in an email with the Herald.

“Then feedback was solicited from student groups to see which artist they were excited about,” Lux said. “Blanco Brown stood out, largely due to his mix of musical styles and his energetic live performances.”

Some students had different opinions on Brown’s performance.
“The university needs to start giving more of a say to the students about who comes and who is able to if they’re going to spend money on somebody,” said junior Carrington Coppinger.

She said that she thinks the pregame performer should be someone students, faculty and the Bowling Green community would enjoy, since she didn’t think there was a big turnout.

Blanco Brown brought “trailer trap” to WKU Tuesday with a pre-game concert on South Lawn. Brown headlined this year’s pre-game concert before the football game against Florida International University. Brown’s concert featured some of his original music, covers of various country songs and r...

10/14/2025

A microwave fire broke out on the third floor, room 309 of Jody Richards Hall, around 9:30 p.m. Monday.

Lauren Howe, a senior and video editor for Cherry Creative, part of Student Publications, was in JRH when the fire started.

“We were all working in lab 127 in Jody Richards, and then all of a sudden, we just hear the fire alarms going off, and we were deciding what to do,” Howe said. “I personally packed up all my stuff and then waited for them to do the same.”

Howe said when she walked out to the lobby, students were coming downstairs, who said there was smoke on the third floor.
Myah Griffin, a junior and photo editor for Cherry Creative, said she was sitting with Howe when the fire started.

“At first we thought it was fake, so we kind of just sat around because nothing was happening,” Griffin said. “We went outside and we didn’t see anybody coming to help.”

Griffin and Howe said it took at least five minutes for emergency vehicles to arrive on the scene.

A microwave fire broke out on the third floor, room 309 of Jody Richards Hall, around 9:30 p.m. Monday. Lauren Howe, a senior and video editor for Cherry Creative, part of Student Publications, was in JRH when the fire started. “We were all working in lab 127 in Jody Richards, and then all of a...

10/10/2025

The Bowling Green Humane Society had close to 20 dogs die from Canine Parvovirus in two weeks, said Brandon Taylor, Bowling Green Humane Society operations manager.

Taylor said as of Saturday, Oct. 4, the Humane Society had 27 dogs brought in over the past two weeks with parvovirus. Only “about four or five” of the infected dogs survived, Taylor said.

Parvovirus is a fatal, highly contagious viral disease that affects unvaccinated dogs, predominantly puppies less than one year old, Taylor said. He said there is no “magic medicine,” or cure for parvovirus, but pet owners can prevent it with vaccinations.

The Bowling Green Humane Society had close to 20 dogs die from Canine Parvovirus in two weeks, said Brandon Taylor, Bowling Green Humane Society operations manager. Taylor said as of Saturday, Oct. 4, the Humane Society had 27 dogs brought in over the past two weeks with parvovirus. Only “about fo...

10/09/2025

WKU is paying musician Blanco Brown $50,000 to perform before WKU Football’s game against Florida International University on Tuesday, Oct. 14.

According to the contract with TrailerTrap Music LLC, Brown’s representative, WKU paid $25,000 on June 30, with the rest to be paid on the day of the show. Brown, who has 1.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify as of Oct. 8, was announced as the pregame performer on Sept. 25.

WKU is paying musician Blanco Brown $50,000 to perform before WKU Football’s game against Florida International University on Tuesday, Oct. 14. According to the contract with TrailerTrap Music LLC, Brown’s representative, WKU paid $25,000 on June 30, with the rest to be paid on the day of the sh...

10/09/2025

Sitting in his bright blue and muddied yellow caving gear, topped with a headlight and helmet, WKU Hydrogeology Professor Chris Groves posed for his portrait among photos of rocky caverns and watery walkways.

The New York Times published “A Miles-Long Cave in Kentucky Was a Smelly Disaster. Now It’s Spectacular.” Aug. 20 as part of its 50 States, 50 Fixes series. Reporter Hiroko Tabuchi and photographer Jason Gulley reported the transformation of Hidden River Cave in Horse Cave, Kentucky, from sewage-filled to tourist-attracting. Groves contributed hydrogeology and cave exploring expertise as the news story’s first quoted source.

Groves first experienced Hidden River Cave as a WKU student in 1983, before the 1987 cleanup project that rerouted wastewater from the groundwater systems.

“It was in the middle of summer, and summer’s even worse, because it’s hot and humid, stinky,” Groves said. “That was very visceral.”

He worked as a research assistant collecting water samples. While collecting samples from a well, he was approached by the mayor, who asked him for solutions.

Sitting in his bright blue and muddied yellow caving gear, topped with a headlight and helmet, WKU Hydrogeology Professor Chris Groves posed for his portrait among photos of rocky caverns and watery walkways. The New York Times published “A Miles-Long Cave in Kentucky Was a Smelly Disaster. Now It...

10/03/2025

Downing Student Union room 2084 may no longer be known as the ISEC Pride Center, but the Q***r Student Union still has access to the space—along with other students.

The QSU posted a statement on its Instagram Thursday morning that said the room will still serve as the “central space where we carry out our mission.” QSU has never had ownership of the space, according to the group’s statement, though it has long been the main organization to operate out of the room.

The statement followed Tuesday’s Student Government Association meeting, at which WKU General Counsel Andrea Anderson said the Pride Center could not maintain its office in DSU due to House Bill 4 compliance.

Downing Student Union room 2084 may no longer be known as the ISEC Pride Center, but the Q***r Student Union still has access to the space—along with other students. The QSU posted a statement on its Instagram Thursday morning that said the room will still serve as the “central space where we ca...

10/03/2025

In compliance with House Bill 4, a bill eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in Kentucky’s public universities, WKU has been tasked with flagging programs, scholarships and classes within the university that may not meet the bill’s requirements.

Vetoed by Gov. Andy Beshear, and then overridden by the Kentucky House and Senate via the Republican majority on March 27, HB 4 prohibits Kentucky colleges and universities from considering race, religion, s*x and national origin when funding scholarships and making admission decisions. The bill also prohibits funding toward DEI-related programs and organizations, and DEI training and statements.

WKU, along with all other public universities in Kentucky, was required to submit an audit of the university’s HB 4 compliance efforts to the Kentucky Interim Joint Committee on Education.

“At its most basic, all universities are prohibited from providing preferential treatment or benefits, or promoting discriminatory concepts based on race, color, national origin, s*x and religion,” Andrea Anderson, WKU general counsel, said during the Board of Regents retreat on Aug. 7. “We have evaluated almost every aspect of the university.”

As part of WKU’s compliance efforts, a committee composed of Anderson, Lindsey Carter from WKU’s General Counsel, and a representative from each academic college was tasked with reviewing course syllabi and materials that may not meet HB 4 requirements.

In compliance with House Bill 4, a bill eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in Kentucky’s public universities, WKU has been tasked with flagging programs, scholarships and classes within the university that may not meet the bill’s requirements. Vetoed by Gov. Andy Beshe...

10/02/2025

Staff senators gathered in the SGA Chambers Wednesday to talk taxes and grant awards.

Chair of the Department of Accounting Stacy Bibelhauser addressed changes made by the recent 2025 Tax Act. Bibelhauser explained that the premium tax credit is set to expire Dec. 31 after being excluded from the One Big Beautiful Bill.

“In my opinion, this is a bad thing. It’s a very bad thing,” Bibelhauser said. “It’s one reason that we’ve got the shutdown right now.”

The credit covers the premiums for health insurance for low-income individuals and families whose employers don’t provide healthcare.

WKU employees have health insurance subsidiaries in a group plan.

“The average cost for a 50-year-old person who does not have health insurance through their employer is anywhere from $666 to over $800 a month,” Bibelhauser said.

Bibelhauser also discussed Trump accounts, savings accounts that can be created for children born in 2025 and seeded with $1,000 from the IRS. The accounts are not taxed until the holder turns 18 and may make their first withdrawal.

Staff senators gathered in the SGA Chambers Wednesday to talk taxes and grant awards. Chair of the Department of Accounting Stacy Bibelhauser addressed changes made by the recent 2025 Tax Act. Bibelhauser explained that the premium tax credit is set to expire Dec. 31 after being excluded from the On...

10/01/2025

The WKU Pride Center will be changed to a student-run organization as part of new restrictions regarding House Bill 4 legislation, General Counsel Andrea Anderson announced at Tuesday’s Student Government Association meeting.

The Pride Center will no longer maintain its status as a university-related initiative and will lose its office in Downing Student Union.

The Pride Center began in 2017 as a common area for LGBTQ+ students. The Pride Center was relocated to DSU a year later in 2018 and collaborated with various LGBTQ+ groups on campus to promote activism and community, according to previous reporting from the Herald.

The WKU Pride Center will be changed to a student-run organization as part of new restrictions regarding House Bill 4 legislation, General Counsel Andera Anderson announced at Tuesday’s Student Government Association meeting. The Pride Center will no longer maintain its status as a university-rela...

10/01/2025

WKU Public Media cut its staffing by a third Wednesday, due to the “recent elimination of federal support for public media,” WKU Public Media Interim Executive Director Jordan Basham said in an email.

The organization cut six full-time positions and two part-time positions. The elimination of jobs comes months after WKU Public Media announced it was preparing to lose $1.2 million in funding in July.

WKU Public Media cut its staffing by a third Wednesday, due to the “recent elimination of federal support for public media,” WKU Public Media Interim Executive Director Jordan Basham said in an email. The organization cut six full-time positions and two part-time positions. The elimination of jo...

09/30/2025

Coolant sprayed and parts flew from mud-bathed cars, held together by ratchet straps and duct tape, as the Allen County Fairgrounds was packed Saturday evening for the 2025 King of the Bluegrass State Championship Demolition Derby.

There were 79 entries in the derby, spread across four divisions. Kids’ Gut & Go featured 17 drivers aged 15 or younger with a parent or guardian in the passenger seat.

Gut & Go cars have most of their interiors stripped and all glass removed, but are mostly stock aside from some reinforcement for safety and steel bumpers for ramming.

Next came the Most Wanted Fine Art (MWFA) Stock Class with 16 entries, mostly minivans and SUVS, many of which sported spray-painted designs.

The MWFA Stock Class was introduced in 2019 with an aim to “democratize the sport of demolition derbies,” according to MostWantedFineArt.com. MWFA was founded by Jason and Nina Gibbs Sauer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2007 as an initiative to build community and unite local artists.

Competitors in the adult Gut & Go division followed with 24 mid-sized sedans. Twenty-four competitors followed in mid-sized sedans for the adult Gut & Go division.

Coolant sprayed and parts flew from mud-bathed cars, held together by ratchet straps and duct tape, as the Allen County Fairgrounds was packed Saturday evening for the 2025 King of the Bluegrass State Championship Demolition Derby. There were 79 entries in the derby, spread across four divisions. Ki...

09/30/2025

When Immigration and Customs Enforcement incarcerated Gladis Yolanda Chavez Pineda, a Chicago mother and organizer with Organized Communities Against Deportations, the Kentucky jail that held her could barely make room.

ICE arrested Chavez Pineda for her asylum-seeking status and transported her to Grayson County Detention Center on June 11. She recalled people sleeping on concrete floors with just one mattress for a group of 20 people, and a single bathroom for 20 or more detainees with no privacy partitions, according to information her daughter provided to CBS News.

Kentucky Revised Statute 441.055 establishes minimum standards for jails that house state prisoners. The statute requires one toilet, sink and drinking fountain per 10 inmates, and one shower per 20 inmates. The statute also requires 40 square feet and one bunk for every detainee.

Chavez Pineda isn’t alone in her detention experience. Kentucky inmates are being housed in increasingly overcrowded conditions as county jails contract with ICE to hold its detainees.

President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14159, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” on Jan. 20. The order added Section 287(g) to the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the Department of Homeland Security to partner with state and local law enforcement agencies, like county jails, and assist in ICE operations.

When Immigration and Customs Enforcement incarcerated Gladis Yolanda Chavez Pineda, a Chicago mother and organizer with Organized Communities Against Deportations, the Kentucky jail that held her could barely make room. ICE arrested Chavez Pineda for her asylum-seeking status and transported her to....

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