Happy Thanksgiving

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to President Zachary Taylor, born in 1784.  In 1785, his family moved to a plantation in Louisville called Springfield.  Taylor maintained Kentucky as his official residence during most of his adult life. He owned stock in two Kentucky banks and purchased warehouses and town lots in Louisville.  In 1849, during his last visit to Kentucky on the way to his inauguration in Washington, Taylor visited Frankfort, where the locals honored him.

November 24, 1830, the Louisville Daily Journal made its debut.  Henry Clay created the newspaper to promote his candidacy for the presidency.  A.J. Buxton financed and published the paper, with Clay’s biographer, George D. Prentice, as the editor.  It was one of the most widely circulated newspapers west of the Appalachian Mountains, primarily because of Prentice’s writing.  Following the Whig party’s demise with Lincoln’s 1860 election, the Louisville Daily Journal endorsed the Native American (or Know-Nothing) party.  Finally, the Louisville Daily Journal merged with the Louisville Daily Courier, Louisville’s Democratic newspaper, becoming the Louisville Courier-Journal.  History of Kentucky by Lewis Collins; pg: 390

November 24, 1845, Constable John Holton, Augusta Police Department, died from knive wounds while serving a warrant.  Police found the warrant in Holton’s pocket at the scene.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lowes native Alben William Barkley, born in 1877 in Graves County.  The 35^th Vice President at 71 years old, he was the oldest to hold the office.

November 24, 1894, administrators filed the articles of incorporation for the new Louisville Jockey Club in the County Clerk’s office.  The incorporators included Messrs. Emile Bourlier, Henry Wehmhoff, and W.E. Applegate, each of whom held twenty shares valued at $100 per share, W.F. Schulte and C.J. Bollinger, fifteen shares, and M.S. Simonton, ten shares. They fixed the capital stock at 110,000.

November 24, 1912, Deputy Sheriff George M. Hart, Clark County Sheriff’s Department, died from a gunshot while investigating a shooting at a railroad camp at the corner of Main and Broadway a few minutes after 6 o’clock.  Kentucky convicted the murderer in January 1913 and executed him in the electric chair at Eddyville in February.

November 24, 1929, Chief of Police John H. Ashby, Madisonville Police Department, died from gunshots while arresting two brothers who had attempted to rob a group of children.  A posse shot and killed one suspect.  Kentucky convicted the other one, and he died in the electric chair on April 29, 1932.

November 24, 1948, Thanksgiving Eve, Kentucky’s 1^st television station, WAVE-TV, went on air from its studios at Preston and Broadway in Louisville.

November 24, 1950, Army CPL Benjamin J. Gossman from Campbell County died fighting in the Korean War.

November 24, 1951, Army PFC Kenneth R. Flowers from Jefferson County and Army PVT William T. Jackson from Jefferson County, and Army PVT Arnold Watts from Perry County all died fighting in the Korean War.

November 24, 1962, Kentucky beat Tennessee 12-10 to bring home the beer barrel.

November 24, 1964, a 13-mile stretch of combined interstate I-64 & I-75 in Northern Fayette County opened with fanfare.  The brief ceremony was at the Newtown Pike interchange.  The $16 million project connected I-75 with I-64 to the east and I-75 to the south at the Athens-Boonesboro interchange.  Governor Edward T. Breathitt attended.

November 24, 1966, Army SGT Ronnie C. Anderson from Russell County, Marine Corps 2LT Arthur Brumagen from Richmond, and Army SP4 Donald R. Duncan from Morning View in Kenton County all died fighting in the Vietnam War.

November 24, 1968, Army SSG Larry J. Mason, Jr. from Louisville died fighting in the Vietnam War.

November 24, 1969, Army SGT Joseph R. Harris from Versailles died fighting in the Vietnam War.

November 24, 1970, Kentucky closed 139 dirty meat processing plants throughout the state under the federal “Wholesome Meat Act.”  Dr. R.J. Henshaw, Director of meat inspection for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, offered no apologies and stated the processors would not reopen till facilities were properly cleaned.

November 24, 1991, STS-44, a Space Shuttle mission, launched at night with Story Musgrave on board as the Mission Specialist.  Their primary objective was the successful deployment of a Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite.  Story considers Lexington his hometown.

Kentucky Trivia: Story Musgrave is the only astronaut to fly aboard all five Space Shuttles.

November 24, 1995, Trooper Johnny Gordon Adkins, Kentucky State Police, suffered a fatal heart attack while responding to a domestic disturbance call.

November 24, 1999, the Fayette County attorney dropped obscenity charges against The Kentucky Theatre in downtown Lexington acknowledging they would not be able to prove their obscenity case.

November 24, 2000, teacher Stephanie Sorrell at Eminence Middle School transferred the daily English lesson electronically to her students.  The 7^th and 8^th graders went paperless in Henry County; hence students received a paper-size “personal digital tablet assistant” for the year.  At the time, they were the only school in Kentucky doing this.

November 24, 2000, the city of Benham dedicated a six foot eight-inch bronze statue for families who lost their loved ones in coal mining accidents.  One hundred individuals came together in Harlan County for the unveiling ceremony.   The statue base reads: In Loving Memory and Tribute To All Those Who Have Labored In The Coal Mining Industry.

November 24, 2012, Joker Phillips coached his last game for Kentucky football in a losing effort against the Volunteers 37-13.  He coached for three years to go 13-24.

November 24, 2016, with another drive-by shooting and another death of a young black man, Louisville marked their 112^th homicide, the highest one-year total since 1960, since the city began keeping such records.  Two homicides happened earlier in the day at the traditional Juice Bowl in Shawnee Park, where people gathered to smoke meats and have motorcycle races.  Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer attended and stood 20 feet away when the shootings occurred.

November 24, 2018, Churchill Downs ran the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (GII) for $200,000 guaranteed and valuable Derby points.

November 24, 2018, Kentucky clinched its 1^st nine-win regular season since 1977, routing Louisville 56-10 to return the Governor’s Cup to Lexington.  The Wildcats’ 46-point margin of victory was the largest in the rivalry since Kentucky won 73-0 in 1922.  The Cardinals finished the season 2-10, and fired Coach Bobby Petrino.

November 24, 2019, State Representative Charles Booker considered running for the U.S. Senate.  “I think it’s welcomed,” said Jonathon Miller, a former Democratic Chairman who went on to say that, “Kentucky Democrats have done a really poor job of promoting or encouraging candidates of color to run for office.”

November 24, 2019, Louisville native Norma Lewis, the oldest working sign language interpreter in the U.S. and a pioneer in the field, passed away.

On November 24, 2020, the coronavirus hysteria hit a new high, and things got crazy around Turkey Day.  UK Chandler Medical Center closed five operating rooms to get ready for a possible surge the Thanksgiving holidays might have brought.  It never happened, reminiscent of the $7 million-dollar mobile hospital UK built, and not one patient received care.  Kentucky announced two more state prisoners died for a total of 15.  The state ordered a Lexington coffee shop to close for not following state mandates and two families sued the governor for a mandate that limited indoor gatherings to eight people.

Kentucky Trivia:  In late 2019 the Kentucky prison population reached over 36,000.  By late 2020, the population dropped to just over 29,000.

Positives:  2,690 / 162,838
Deaths:  17 / 1,809 – 1^st Death 3/16/20
50&over: 1,762 / 49-30: 44 / 29&under: 3

On November 24, 2021, with 59% of Kentuckians vaccinated, the virus dropped from the headlines for one day and was replaced with how pharmacies are accountable for the opioid crisis.  Meanwhile, Governor A. Beshear appointed the 1^st black man to the Fish and Wildlife Commission, Jerry Ferrell.