As we reach the end of the year, we’re reflecting on some of the public service journalism we did in 2023 that you won’t find anywhere else. Here are some highlights from each month.
JANUARY
Downtown demolitions
When Mayor James R. Knight Jr. took office in January, he pledged to clean up Hopkinsville. The demolition of historic downtown buildings became a major focus of our coverage, which included documenting the history and removal of buildings that once housed Lee’s Game Room, the Holland Opera House and the landmark Phoenix Building.
Relics of the past
Alissa Keller, director of the Museums of Historic Hopkinsville & Christian County, announced the return of her popular Snapshots in Time column — with a twist. In 2023, she would focus on artifacts in the Pennyroyal Area Museum’s vast collection instead of photographs.
In her first column of the year, she dove into the history behind a pair of snowshoes from 1910 that once carried a Hopkinsville lawyer through town.
FEBRUARY
Black History in Hoptown
Whether through our Black History Month coverage in February, our reporting on Eighth of August celebrations, or our monthly Snapshots in Time column, our coverage of the past continues to help inform our future. It also aims to tell a more complete picture of the noteworthy people, places and events from our past — and how they helped shape and influence our community.
In our four-part Black History Month series, we used a new lens to reconsider the stories of 25 formerly enslaved Christian County residents, highlighted the lives of 10 local Black men who served in the Navy during the Civil War, chronicled the crucial role that Attucks High School played in building a local basketball tradition, and featured Claybron Merriweather, a lawyer, painter and poet from Hopkinsville.
MARCH
Gone from the streetscape
As the Holland Opera House building on Main Street was demolished, Alissa Keller used her Snapshots in Time column to tell the story of the Hopkinsville opera house built in 1882 — and the metal letters bearing its name that are housed in the museum.
Weathering the storm
When a storm ripped through downtown Hopkinsville on March 31, we reported the challenges facing local businesses, damage to the clock tower building — one of Hopkinsville’s most iconic symbols — and let you know how to help.
APRIL
Rotary Auction
The annual Rotary Club auction, which raises money for college scholarships, is a beloved tradition in Hopkinsville — one Hoptown Chronicle has covered since it launched in 2019. Auction items include everything from country hams and artwork to furniture, sporting goods, gift cards, homemade baked goods and special events.
In April, we brought you daily updates on the fundraiser and featured four individuals who worked to make it a success in our “Faces of the Auction” series.
MAY
Return of the grosbeaks
After editor Jennifer P. Brown wrote a column this spring anticipating the return of some flashy feathered friends, she heard from several Hoptown Chronicle readers and fellow bird-lovers — including a bird advocate in Philadelphia who warned against assuming a window-stricken bird that comes around is healthy.
As a reader-first newsroom, we value your feedback and aim to learn from it. And, ultimately, this reader tip led to a story about Christian County songbird rehabber Lynn Hazelrigg, which including tips for folks looking to help injured wildlife in the area.
JUNE
Abrupt departure
As the Human Rights Commission prepared for a 60th anniversary celebration honoring its founder, the late civil rights attorney Louis P. McHenry, the agency’s executive director abruptly resigned. Idalia Luna had previously announced she would be leaving the job for an out-of-state move with her family. But she resigned a month earlier, citing problems with a “political climate,” which Hoptown Chronicle brought to light through an open records request.
Her replacement, Raychel Farmer, has faced challenges as city officials reduced support for the agency and Christian Fiscal Court eliminated funding for HRC.
Restoring history
As cemeteries age and gravestones fade, burial sites — and stories of those who came before us — can be lost to history. This is especially true in the case of African Americans, for which historical records are often scarce.
When former Hopkinsville resident Joe Craver was honored on June 3 for his reclamation of Hopkinsville’s Union Benevolent Society Cemetery, the African American burial site where many of the city’s formerly enslaved residents now rest, we reported on it. Craver is no stranger to Hoptown Chronicle. Editor Jennifer P. Brown (who co-nominated him for the honor) highlighted his work on behalf of those buried in local cemeteries in February 2020.
(Later that month, we let readers know how they could give back to local cemeteries.)
JULY
Shining a light on the arts
We’re always looking for ways to shed light on Hopkinsville’s vibrant arts scene, as we did in July with this feature on a summer theater camp production of “Rapunzel.”
Voting center changes
Christian County voters have seen a lot of change in recent years, particularly when it comes to where they cast their ballots. We continue to work to keep readers informed of their polling place options, including when three locations were cut in September and what residents had to say about it.
AUGUST
‘Try That in a Small Town’
When a Hopkinsville police officer this summer posted a controversial video to social media, our reporting uncovered details about how city officials were responding to outrage from many in the community.
A new, consolidated school
Two years after approving the proposal for one consolidated public high school, the Christian County Board of Education approved construction bids totaling $106.41 million. We detailed how they scaled the cost of the school down by approximately $70 million and the story behind the final name and mascot the board landed on.
SEPTEMBER
Getting off the sidelines
In September, as city officials and downtown advocates wrestled with the future of Hopkinsville’s historic business district, we highlighted an expert’s recommendations for revitalization — prompting a grassroots effort to improve downtown and encouraging residents to “get off the sidelines.”
A community reads
From book discussions and concerts to craft workshops and poetry readings, the events celebrating this year’s Big Read inspired meaningful conversations, celebrated local creativity, elevated a wide variety of voices and perspectives and helped build stronger connections in each community.
After Hopkinsville received its ninth Big Read grant from the National Endowment for the Arts — a $20,000 award that will support a community read of “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude,” a book of poetry by Ross Gay — Hoptown Chronicle kept readers updated on how they could get involved.
OCTOBER
Versing with you
As an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) news organization, Hoptown Chronicle exists because we want to see the community thrive socially, culturally and economically. Most often, we fulfill that mission by providing fact-based reporting that helps residents make informed decisions and better understand the community.
But occasionally, we do so by engaging with readers in different ways — like convening and engaging people around issues that shape public and civic life and foster meaningful connections. In October, we co-sponsored our fourth poetry event with our partners at WKMS. Led by Hoptown Chronicle board member Constance Alexander, participants explored the people and places that have helped shape their lives. The event was one of many celebrating this year’s Big Read.
Brick & Mortar
In October, we launched a new monthly column from historical preservationist Grace Abernethy. Brick & Mortar Monthly follows one couple’s efforts to preserve a historic Hopkinsville home.
Grace walks readers through time while detailing her journey at the old Dalton home on East Seventh Street that she bought with her husband Brendan in March 2023.
NOVEMBER
Tales from the Thanksgiving Table
We love sharing readers’ stories and for several years have done so around the holidays. This year, we asked readers to share stories and recipes that illuminated the Thanksgiving traditions in their families.
As always, your contributions didn’t disappoint. They ranged from poignant to heart-warming to hilarious. And, we hope, inspired a few people to try some new holiday dishes.
A soldier’s roots
Many of the stories we tell wouldn’t be possible without the trust that local readers place in us to tell them with care. This certainly applies to the story editor Jennifer P. Brown wrote about Fort Campbell helicopter pilot Shane Barnes and his family after Shane was killed this year in the Middle East.
Barnes’ remains — and those of two other special operations soldiers who died when their Blackhawk helicopter crashed on Nov. 10 — were recovered from the Mediterranean Sea earlier this month.
DECEMBER
A uniquely Hoptown holiday season
As the holidays near, we try to remind folks of the value of shopping locally.
Our fourth annual “Only in Hoptown” gift guide featured everything from handcrafted soaps and homemade cookies to pickle ornaments and gourmet popcorn. We also let readers know where to pick up some last-minute gifts.
The holidays can have a unique way of bringing folks together and our readers always come through to help foster those connections. Earlier this month, we shared more of your holiday recipes that are connected to Hopkinsville stories, a story of a woman who returns each year around the holidays to honor her late brother, some shots from the annual Christmas parade, and a sweet story about a 5-year-old Hopkinsville girl who played a role in helping push an old holiday classic to to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Stories like these bring us together and strengthen our city. They need to be told. And they’re not cheap to produce.
We want to make independent journalism accessible to everyone interested in stories about Hopkinsville. To sustain — and grow — this ambitious effort, our nonprofit business model relies on donors.
From now until December 31, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift, up to $1,000. Your generous donations will help sustain our journalism — and help us produce more standout coverage — through 2024 and beyond.
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Hoptown Chronicle
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Hopkinsville, KY 42240
