Thank You For Visiting
September 18, 1861, the Kentucky state legislature formally declared the end of Kentucky’s neutrality in the Civil War and called for the removal of Confederate troops from Kentucky soil. Kentucky now entered the war on the Union side.
September 18, 1869, Sheriff Thomas Napier, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, died as he and the Stanford Town Marshal attempted to arrest a man who had fired his pistol into the ground during a night of drinking. As the officers attempted to arrest him on Main Street, the man turned and shot Sheriff Napier in the abdomen and shoulder, mortally wounding him and wounding the Town Marshal.
September 18, 1882, Chief Jerry Lee, Frankfort Police Department, succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained ten days earlier when he responded to a disturbance at the Frankfort Hotel. He was shot when he responded to a second disturbance call between two citizens at the location. The man who shot him was arrested and charged with murder but acquitted. Less than a month later, the same man shot and killed Deputy Tes Deakins of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
September 18, 1908, Policeman Henry Williams, Paris Police Department, died from stab wounds while attempting to stop a man from beating his wife.
September 18, 1914, Policeman Robert Thurman, Glasgow Police Department, died after arresting two drunken men in North Glasgow. He was walking the men along Main Street to the city jail when one of them shot him in the chest.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Corbin native Marion Cluggish, born in 1917. Marion played UK basketball from 1937-1940 after Coach Adolph Rupp recruited him heavily. The 6’10” versatile athlete went on to play for the New York Knicks in the ABA, being one of the first “big men” in the league. He also played football for Kentucky.
On September 18, 1920, Man o’ War traveled south to the Havre de Grace Racetrack in Maryland to run in the Potomac Stakes. He carried 138 pounds, conceding 24 to 34 pounds to his rivals, including Kentucky Derby winner Paul Jones. He beat Wildair by 1 1⁄2 lengths while breaking the track record by 1⁄5 seconds. Although Man o’ War was not seriously challenged, the high weight and a poorly maintained racing surface took a toll; he came out of the race with a swollen tendon on his right foreleg. The Potomac was his first race in 1920, his 11th race overall, and marked the halfway point of his racing career.
Localtonians wish a Happy Anniversary to Governor W. Ford and Jean Neel, who wed in 1943, at the home of the bride’s parents. The couple had two children, daughter Shirley (Ford) Dexter (1950), and son Steven Ford (1954). Wendell became governor in 1971.
September 18, 1946, Governor Simeon Willis, spoke at the dedication of Mammoth Cave National Park. When locals obtained the minimum acreage in 1941, the government declared the lands a National Park but there was an imperfection in the plan and Kentucky had to wait another five years and the close of WWII, to make it official. This made it America’s 26th National Park.
September 18, 1952, Army 1LT Samuel F. Robinson from Pike County died while fighting in the Korean War.
On September 18, 1952, Deputy Sheriff Lathe Warren, Bell County Sheriff’s Department, died when a 19-year-old man cursing employees and brandishing a pistol at the Log Mountain Café shot him through the neck. Deputy Warren returned fire killing the suspect.
September 18, 1954, Blanton Collier coached his 1st game as the Kentucky football head coach. He and his team were shutout by the 3rd ranked Maryland Terrapins 20-0. He had the difficult task of replacing Bear Bryant and would stay for eight seasons.
September 18, 1954, the Louisville Cardinals opened their season by hosting and losing to Murray State 33-13. They played the game in Parkway Field in Louisville.
September 18, 1965, Army PFC Jerry Dwayne Underwood from Louisville, died while fighting in the Vietnam War.
September 18, 1966, Marine Corps LCPL Jimmie Henry Rowlett from Middlesboro in Bell County, died while fighting in the Vietnam War.
September 18, 1967, Newport native Brent Spence passed away in Fort Thomas. The Brent Spence Bridge carries more than 150,000 vehicles daily and will move 200,000 each day by 2030.
September 18, 1968, Army PFC Robert Edward Gray from Corbin died while fighting in the Vietnam War.
On September 18, 1982, then called Latonia, the track became the 1st in Kentucky to offer simulcast wagering. That day our patrons saw Lemhi Gold win the Marlboro Cup at Belmont Park.
September 18, 1996, Horse Cave native Clarence H. “Cave″ Wilson, 70, died in Louisville. He played for the Harlem Globetrotters as captain and coach.
September 18, 2010, 1LT Eric D. Yates, 26, from Rineyville in Hardin County died in Afghanistan fighting in Operation Enduring Freedom.
September 18, 2012, the nonprofit organization, Trust for America’s Health, reported that nearly 2/3 of Kentuckians will be obese by 2030 if rates continue to climb as they were in 2011.
September 18, 2019, David A. Jones Sr., passed away at 88-years-old. Mr. Jones grew up in a tough Louisville neighborhood and became a Golden Gloves Boxer. One day he borrowed a $1,000 dollars to help fund what became the nation’s largest nursing home chain, then transformed it into the world’s largest hospital company and then finally a health insurance colossus worth over $50 billion.
“I can say without exaggeration that David was the single most influential friend and mentor I’ve had in my entire career,” Mitch McConnell.
Kentucky Trivia: Three in four Kentuckians are worried about affording health care, according to an August 2020 statewide poll. Kentuckians expressed dissatisfaction with the current health-care system on both sides of the political aisle. More than 90% of surveyed Kentuckians said they support expanding health-insurance options so that everyone can afford quality coverage.