Kentucky opinions: Wild horses in need of rescue; FCPS budget

Herald-Leader columnist Linda Blackford holds Kentucky lawmakers and public figures responsible for their actions, highlighting the challenges faced by the state’s institutions and communities.

In Fayette County, a controversial payroll tax proposal stirs public discontent. The school board faces criticism for opaque financial decisions amid a significant budget shortfall. Calls for transparent and responsible financial practices are echoed in discussions about the tax.

The plight of wild horses in Breathitt County underscores the need for humane solutions. Rescue organizations strive to prevent horses from being sent to slaughterhouses.

NO. 1: KENTUCKY HORSES ARE GOING TO DIE BRUTALLY IN SLAUGHTERHOUSES. IT’S ALL LEGAL | OPINION

Kentucky likes to call itself the Horse Capital of the World. | Published August 13, 2025 | Read Full Story by Linda Blackford

This photo posted by the Anything Animal Foundation says these nine horses are from Breathitt County and have been rescued from a Tennesee kill pen.

NO. 2: NINE EKY HORSES TO BE RESCUED FROM KILL PEN IN TENNESSEE, ADVOCATE SAYS | OPINION

Nine free-roaming horses believed to have been taken off a strip mine in Breathitt County are being rescued from a killpen in Tennessee, by an animal rescue group. | Published August 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Linda Blackford

Hopemont or the Hunt-Morgan House has started to focus on “telling a more inclusive story” about the family that lived here and how they gained their wealth according to Jackson Osborne, the Preservation Outreach Coordinator for the Blue Grass Trust in Lexington, Ky., Tuesday, September 14, 2021. By Silas Walker

NO. 3: BLUE GRASS TRUST GETS LARGEST GIFT IN 70-YEAR HISTORY OF PRESERVATION | OPINION

The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation is turning 70 years old this year, and it just got a most excellent birthday gift to celebrate. | Published August 1, 2025 | Read Full Story by Linda Blackford

The property at the corner of Mason Headley and Versailles Roads will become the new Rise STEM Academy for Girls. The Fayette County school board wants to use eminent domain to acquire property along the right side of the driveway, but neighbors are resisting. By Linda Blackford

NO. 4: FCPS WANTS TO USE EMINENT DOMAIN FOR A SCHOOL DRIVEWAY. IT’S ANOTHER BAD MOVE | OPINION

Theresa Leito has lived on the corner lot of Fair Oaks Drive for a decade, and she’s spent a lot of money on the modern brick house and the carefully landscaped garden beside it. | Published August 5, 2025 | Read Full Story by Valarie Honeycutt Spears, Linda Blackford

Nora Williams, 100, looks at a photo from Maddoxtown at her home in north Lexington. By Christian Kantosky

NO. 5: MORE THAN MAN O’ WAR. FILM HIGHLIGHTS SLICE OF FAYETTE’S FORGOTTEN HISTORY | OPINION

Nora Williams is now 100, and she is one of the last people alive to remember Maddoxtown at its height. | Published August 8, 2025 | Read Full Story by Linda Blackford

NO. 6: COST SAVINGS AT HEART OF EMINENT DOMAIN, FAYETTE SCHOOL OFFICIALS SAY | OPINION

Fayette County school officials were thinking about cost savings when they decided to declare eminent domain on five properties next to the Rise STEM Academy for Girls on Versailles Road. | Published August 6, 2025 | Read Full Story by Valarie Honeycutt Spears, Linda Blackford

“Lexington: Resilience in the Redline” will premier at the Lyric Theatre on Aug. 23.

NO. 7: REDLINING AND RESILIENCE: NEW FILM SHOWS LEXINGTON’S TROUBLING, UPLIFTING HISTORY | OPINION

Amid all the angst and horrific headlines we now live with every day, it’s wonderful to see a small community project blossom into something bigger. | Published August 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Linda Blackford

The Fayette County Public Schools Budget Solutions Work Group holds its first meeting at the Hill in Lexington, Ky., on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. By Ryan C. Hermens

NO. 8: FCPS’ SUMMER FROM HELL ENDS WITH NEW BUDGET SURPRISE. DISTRICT MUST DO BETTER | OPINION

At the Fayette County schools budget workshop on July 15, the people who volunteered to help the district solve its $16 million shortfall were confused. | Published August 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Linda Blackford

Jason Sexton of Sexton’s Horse and Mule Company posted a video on Aug. 17 claiming to have about 40 wild horses from Breathitt County. They could be sold to dealers to take them to slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada.

NO. 9: EKY HORSES LIKELY AT A KILL PEN IN TENNESSEE. TIME IS RUNNING OUT | OPINION

A large group of wild horses from Breathitt County are likely at a horse dealer’s farm in Tennessee waiting to be sold either to new homes, or if not, to a slaughterhouse in Mexico or Canada. | Published August 18, 2025 | Read Full Story by Taylor Six, Linda Blackford

Laura Hartke raises her hands in frustration during a school board meeting on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, at Fayette County Public Schools Central Office in Lexington, Ky. By Christian Kantosky

NO. 10: NO ONE WANTS PAYROLL TAX HIKE, BUT FCPS OFFICIALS FOOLISHLY KEEP PUSHING IT | OPINION

When it came to the Fayette County schools and their cash-strapped budget, Monday’s school board meeting was full of confusion, obfuscation, doublespeak, triple-speak and downright gobbledygook. | Published August 19, 2025 | Read Full Story by Linda Blackford

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.