Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to John B. Bibb, born in 1789, a Kentucky statesman who also developed Bibb Lettuce.
October 27, 1869, Sheriff Lewis C. Story, Clinton County Sheriff’s Department, died from a gunshot while arresting a subject in Albany. A group of citizens lynched the subject.
October 27, 1914, Deputy Sheriff James F. Smith, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, died from a gunshot while making an arrest in the Mills area along Stinking Creek.
October 27, 1923, Kentucky hosted Georgetown to play their 5th game against each other. Kentucky won 35-0, coached by J.J. Winn. The following year would be the last time they played each other; Kentucky won them all.
October 27, 1934, Kentucky and Auburn met for the 1st time. The Wildcats shutout the Tigers 9-0 under Kentucky head coach C.A. Wynne; they finished the season 5-5.
October 27, 1936, Marshal Meredith “Merdie” Wolford, Phelps Police Department, succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained two days earlier while arresting a county constable. The constable had become upset because Marshal Meredith had arrested one of his friends the previous night.
October 27, 1961, locals found 19-year-old sophomore Betty Gail Brown murdered in her car, parked in front of Morrison Hall, at Transylvania University. The case is still cold.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Mary Terstegge Meagher Plant, born in 1964. In 1981, she improved her world records in the 100-meter butterfly (57.93) and 200-meter butterfly (2:05.96). These times would hold for 18 and 19 years and are considered among the greatest sports performances ever.
October 27, 1965, Marine Corps CPL Gary L. Dowell from Louisville died fighting in the Vietnam War.
On October 27, 1966, click to see Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali, 24, leave Freedom Hall after a six-round charity exhibition fight with Doug Jones. UPI called it “humiliating” for Jones, who had hoped a good showing for a rematch. In 1963, Jones lost a 10-round decision Cassius Clay, 21, in a sold-out Madison Square Garden.
October 27, 1968, Army MAJ Larry D. Delano from Murray died fighting in the Vietnam War.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Fort Thomas native Jeffrey Jacob Walz, born in 1971. In his 2nd year as Louisville’s women’s basketball coach, he guided the Cardinals to a national championship in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. He then won a 2nd championship in 2013. He attended Highlands High School in Fort Thomas 1971.
October 27, 1973, Fran Curci’s Wildcats defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 12-7 in Athens. Kentucky would finish the season 5-6. It would be the 1st of three straight wins for the Cats; next was #14 Tulane and then Vanderbilt.
On October 27, 1980, dynamite exploded 175 feet underground in a wildcat coal mine, and three wildcat miners died. Federal Mine Inspectors called the deaths “senseless.” However, one of the brothers of a dead miner stated, “This will not be the last one; there will be more because we have to work and eat.” Woodbine in Whitley County, where the accident occurred, had the worst record for illegal-mining deaths in the nation.
On October 27, 1981, the World Heritage Site added Mammoth Cave in Edmonson, Hart, and Barren Counties to its list.
October 27, 1993, Lieutenant Floyd Cheeks, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, died from a gunshot while serving an emergency protective order sought by a woman against her half-brother.
Localtonians wish a Happy Anniversary to Heather Renee French and then Lt. Governor Steve Henry, who wed in 2000. The wedding led to controversy when state resources were used to plan the ceremony. The Henrys repaid the state $3,200. The couple have two daughters, Harper Renee (b.2001) and Taylor Augusta (b.2003).
On Saturday, October 27, 2001, Belmont Park hosted the 18th BC Championship with military-style police standing guard throughout the facility, including the roof where Ground Zero was visible. Horse racing fans watched arguably the greatest Classic ever.
October 27, 2003, Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc. bought Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation. They took the Kentucky headquarters and 450 jobs to North Carolina. B&W has worked in Louisville since 1927; their 2002 net sales were $3.57 billion selling popular brands Kool, Pall Mall, and Lucky Strike. They provided $500 million annually to the state. The federal government approved the merger of the #2 and #3 tobacco companies because our modern government has not seen a monopoly they didn’t like.
By October 27, 2004, Brookside Elementary 4th graders worked together to save the old Nicholasville Colored School, which had been converted into apartments and destined to be demolished. It wasn’t the first time a Nicholasville school teamed up for history. In the 1990s, Rosenwald Dunbar Elementary protested the mining of Black Mountain.
Saturday, October 27, 2007, in the 1st year of the two-day format, the 2nd day of the 24th BC included eight races. Monmouth Park hosted for the 1st time.
On October 27, 2010, while the 82 Horse Mania statutes started to be removed from Lexington streets, 30 Lincoln County students and the bus driver wound up at the hospital after pranksters mixed chemicals. They caught possession charges of an explosive device. Meanwhile, in other court news, two former UK basketball players pleaded guilty in separate cases, theft & DUI.
On October 27, 2016, John Yarmuth, Rand Paul, Thomas Massie, and 16 other Bluegrass legislators asked the Obama Administration to revive guidelines that prohibited the shipment of Hemp plants across state lines for research. Kentucky and 27 other states grew industrial hemp. In 2016, Kentucky had 135 growers on 4,500 acres.
October 27, 2017, Ford Motor Company invited local press and dignitaries to witness two redesigned SUVs roll off the Kentucky Truck Plant; the new Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. Ford redesigned both models for the 1st time in nearly twenty years with a $2 billion investment.
October 27, 2021, two years after the Kentucky Republican party filed a complaint against Matt Jones, who considered a run against Mitch, the Federal Election Commission unanimously dropped it. Looking back, Jones said, “This case demonstrates why folks are hesitant to run for office, especially if they are an outside candidate who lacks the support of the Democratic or Republican parties.” The donors to both parties dictate who will run locally.
On October 27, 2022, with declining test scores and 11,000 statewide teacher vacancies, Governor A. Beshear unveiled an “education first” legislative agenda that he said would advance student learning after the COVID-19 pandemic classroom closings.
On October 27, 2023, Jacob Ball, a 6th-12th grade agriculture teacher at Carter G. Woodson Academy in Fayette County, received the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award, the “Oscars of Teaching.” Ball earned a $25,000 unrestricted cash prize in a surprise ceremony at his school, including the Lt. Gov.
The Portrait In Landscape