FRANKLIN, Ky. – Tractor trucks were on the road Thursday morning in Franklin with future farmers behind the wheel. The Future Farmers of America student chapter at Franklin- Simpson High School kicked off its annual Drive Your Tractor to School parade on Thursday morning. Students rode tractors ranging different sizes down North Main Street back to their school. “I know...

Robert Schwader, Jr., 63, of Providence KY passed away on Saturday, August 30, 2026 at Baptist Health Deaconess in Madisonville. He was born on March ...

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ill., (KBSI) — A 68-year-old Tennessee man died following a motorcycle crash Wednesday afternoon in rural Franklin County. The Franklin County Office of Emergency Management and Communications received a 911 call around 4:53 p.m. reporting an injured motorcyclist along Yellow Banks Road, according to Franklin County Sheriff Kyle Bacon. Investigators determined the motorcycle was traveling west when the...

FRANKLIN, Ky. – Tractors are hitting the road Thursday morning in Franklin with future farmers behind the wheel The Future Farmers of America student chapter at Franklin-Simpson High School kicked off its annual ‘Drive Your Tractor to School’ parade Thursday morning. Students rode tractors ranging in sizes down North Main Street and back to the school. It’s also rush week,...

SIMPSON COUNTY, Ky. – A burn ban is now active in Simpson County as hot temperatures and dry conditions persist. According to an executive order by Simpson County Judge Executive Mason Barnes, the ban is being ordered due to excessive dryness and fire hazardous conditions. The document states this is a no outside burn order, including the lighting of fireworks...

DU QUOIN, Ill., (KBSI) — A major fire at a downtown Du Quoin lumber company has spread to nearby buildings, damaging multiple businesses and prompting a significant mutual-aid response. The Franklin County Office of Emergency Management and Communications said crews are battling a five-alarm-or-greater fire involving multiple commercial structures. The agency’s communications division is providing dispatch and communications support for...

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – In this week’s edition of Topper Tuesday, presented by Franklin Bank & Trust, News 40’s Samantha Money and WKU football safety Jaylen Lewis meet up in the Tim and Sarah Ford Fieldhouse to chat about the Hilltoppers’ first game of the 2026 season coming up this Saturday, September 5, at Nevada.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — A suspicious-person call at a Tennessee truck stop led police to an Arkansas man wanted in connection with an investigation involving suspected human remains. Franklin police said officers responded to a truck stop Friday, Aug. 21, after receiving a report of a suspicious person. Officers identified the man as Rudy Ray, 56, of Trumann, Arkansas. Police said...

FRANKLIN, Ky. (WNKY) — The Franklin-Simpson Industrial Authority has selected Meredith Wilson as its next executive director. Wilson will begin the role Sept. 28, according to a release from the authority. Wilson previously spent 13 years at the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, where she negotiated more than $6 billion in industrial revenue bond incentives and served as the...

Mrs. Kimberly Mae Dowell, age 60, of Irvington, KY, passed away on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at her residence. Kim was born on January 3, 1966, the daughter of Franklin Dee Blevins and Nellie Marie (Smith) Linder. Kim loved being outdoors. She enjoyed working in her flower garden and searching for arrowheads and mushrooms. She just loved being a part of nature. Kim was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Jerry Dowell; and her brother, Frankie Blevins. She is survived by three...