Good evening, Lexington. It's Sunday, December fifteenth, and as we close out another week in the Bluegrass, we're taking a moment to walk through the five stories that shaped our city and region. From campaign finance revelations to school budget cuts, it's been a week of significant local developments.

Let's start with what's shaping up to be a very telling mayoral race. What did we learn about the money flowing into these campaigns?

The final pre-primary campaign finance reports painted a clear picture of where support is coming from. Mayor Linda Gorton saw a major fundraising boost from horse industry donors, while her challenger Wu drew backing from local developers. It's interesting how these funding sources align with different visions for the city's future.

That really does tell a story about priorities, doesn't it? Speaking of budget pressures, Fayette County Public Schools made some dramatic moves this week.

Saturday brought sobering news from the school district. More than one hundred and fifteen district support positions were eliminated to address budget shortfalls. What struck me most was that they cut their entire sustainability team.

The entire team? That feels like more than just belt-tightening. By Saturday morning, were we getting any sense of how this might affect day-to-day operations in schools?

The district acknowledged these cuts will impact services, though they're still working through exactly what that looks like. It's a reminder of how budget constraints force some very difficult choices about what programs survive and which don't.

And we had a couple of incidents that caught attention this weekend too.

Yes, Sunday morning brought a three-car collision involving an off-duty Lexington police cruiser at East New Circle Road and Life Lane. Details are still limited about what led to the crash and whether anyone was seriously injured.

Then there was that tragic equipment accident in Bath County on Saturday.

A man died when a dozer overturned in what authorities are calling an equipment accident. It's a stark reminder of the dangers that come with heavy machinery work, though we don't yet know the full circumstances of what happened.

On a brighter note, there was news about next year's Pride Festival that caught my attention.

The Lexington Pride Festival announced it's moving to May in twenty twenty-six, shifting away from the traditional June timing. The reasoning makes a lot of sense, they're citing heat concerns and the opportunity to kick off Pride Month celebrations rather than compete with them.

That's smart planning. May weather should be much more comfortable for everyone.

As we head into a new week, Lexington, these stories remind us how much happens in our community when we're paying attention. From campaign dollars to school budgets to planning for celebration, it's all part of the ongoing conversation about who we are and where we're headed.

We'll be here tomorrow morning to start the week with you. Until then, take care.

Listen live: The Lexington Times runs a 24/7 local news livestream — watch on YouTube or on Facebook. This transcript is from a recent on-air segment.