(LEX 18) — 2025 brought heartbreak and hope to Kentucky in equal measure, with devastating natural disasters, shocking criminal cases and inspiring acts of resilience shaping communities across the Commonwealth.
Natural disasters claim dozens of lives
Mother Nature delivered devastating blows throughout the year, beginning with widespread flooding in Eastern Kentucky during the second weekend of February. All 120 Kentucky counties reported flooding during that frigid weekend, claiming 22 lives as flash floods swallowed entire bridges.
"Where do you go from here? What do you do?" LEX 18 asked one resident whose apartment had flooded. "That's a good question. I don't really know," the flood victim said.
More rain arrived in April, leaving the state capital unrecognizable and drowning the Franklin County Courthouse basement, which held thousands of important records. April flooding claimed seven lives across the state, including 9-year-old Gabriel Andrews, who was swept away while walking to his school bus in Frankfort.
The night of May 16, an EF-4 tornado barreled through Somerset and London, picking up helicopters like toys, leveling streets and claiming 20 lives. Among the victims was Major Leslie Leatherman of Laurel County Fire, who died in the line of duty.
"Surviving. That's the word I've consistently used," a fellow firefighter said, visibly emotional.
Criminal cases shock communities
The year delivered closure in some cases while opening new investigations in others. In May, two Lexington teens vanished. Days later, Ali Naqvi's body was recovered and Aoun Basboos was presumed dead. Police say another teen carried out the killings, and a grand jury indicted 18-year-old Jesus Reyes Ocampo on two murder charges and his father, Jesus Reyes Rodrigues, for evidence tampering.
In August, Felicia Gross reported her 10-year-old son Jayden Spicer missing from Breathitt County. After days of searching by locals and law enforcement, Jayden's body was found in a shallow grave. His mother was charged with murder and his stepfather with complicity to murder.
October brought another missing child case when 13-year-old Wynter Wagoner disappeared from her foster home in Rockcastle County. More than two months later, she was found safe in Maryland, and 37-year-old Christian Delgado was charged with kidnapping.
A story that made national headlines unfolded in August when police discovered a dead newborn inside a closet near UK's campus. Former UK stunt team member Laken Snelling, 21, admitted concealing the birth and is charged with abuse of a corpse. She's out on home incarceration after posting a $100,000 bond.
On Sept.17, a judge handed Brooks Houck a life sentence for his role in the 2015 murder of Crystal Rogers. Ten years after Crystal's disappearance, her mother came face to face with her daughter's convicted killer.
"I do hope that every day you're incarcerated you see my daughter's beautiful face and you think about the evil you have committed and how many lives you have destroyed. I pray this haunts you for the rest of your miserable life," Sherry Ballard said in court.
Campus violence and church shooting
On Dec. 9, two students were shot on KSU's campus — one killed, one injured. Police charged 48-year-old Jacob Bard, the father of a KSU student, with murder, but a grand jury later accepted Bard's self-defense claim and declined to return the murder indictment. The parents of the victim, 19-year-old Dejon Fox Jr., were later arrested on intimidation charges.
In July, a violent rampage ended at Richmond Road Baptist Church. State troopers stopped 47-year-old Guy House near Blue Grass Airport. He shot and wounded an officer, carjacked a vehicle and drove to the church looking for the mother of his children. When she wasn't there, House opened fire, killing Beverly Gumm and Christina Combs and wounding Pastor Jerry Gumm and Randy Combs. Police shot and killed House at the scene.
"She was like, 'God, please help me, and she told me she loved me,' and that was it," a relative told reporters later.
Aviation tragedy strikes Louisville
In November, a UPS cargo plane's left engine detached during takeoff from the Louisville airport, triggering a crash that killed 15 people. The explosion near the airport created images that won't soon be forgotten.
Political and economic challenges
A stalemate in Washington triggered the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, running for more than six weeks. Federal workers went without pay while millions faced pauses or delays in SNAP benefits, affecting kitchen tables across Kentucky.
"There's seven of us, so it's kinda getting harder to afford everything," one Kentucky resident said.
Closer to home, Fayette County Public Schools grappled with a $16 million budget shortfall, sparking crowded school board meetings and demands for transparency. State Auditor Allison Ball launched a special examination of the district's finances.
After more than 40 years in Congress, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell announced he will not seek re-election. The Kentucky senator made the announcement on his 83rd birthday, marking the end of a long era in the Senate.
Unusual arrests make headlines
The year brought some bizarre criminal cases that captured attention, and all of it was caught on camera. After winning a $167 million Powerball jackpot, James Shannon Farthing's celebratory Florida trip ended with a bar fight and an arrest after he allegedly kicked a sheriff's deputy in the face.
Rapper Armani White's creative vision to film a music video on I-75 hit a roadblock when he was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.
A bourbon burglary at Castle and Key Distillery led Versailles police on an all-night manhunt after four Cincinnati men broke into the facility to steal one bottle of bourbon.
"They scattered like cockroaches," police said. "It was just a spontaneous idea between the both of us," one suspect admitted.
Moments of joy and achievement
Despite the challenges, 2025 brought milestones worth celebrating. Lexington toasted its 250th birthday, while UK volleyball had a historic run with a 30-3 season, a ninth straight SEC title and a national runner-up finish.
Change came to Kroger Field when Mark Stoops was let go after 13 seasons with a $37 million buyout. Kentucky native Will Stein was welcomed back to the Commonwealth as the new head coach.
Even a drunk raccoon became a symbol of compassion when Letcher County nurse Misty Combs administered CPR to save the animal's life after it dove into fermented peaches. The story went viral, and Combs was invited to The Jennifer Hudson Show in Los Angeles.
Through every challenge of 2025, ordinary neighbors showed up with extraordinary heart, proving that even in the darkest moments, there's still a lot of good in the world.
