Richmond search built for locals

2+ hour, 22+ min ago (86+ words) CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. " A very special resident of the Metro Richmond Zoo is celebrating a birthday. Poppy, the pygmy hippo who quickly garnered national attention after her birth, turned 1 year old on Tuesday. She was born Dec. 9, 2024, to parents Iris and Corwin. Watch: Pygmy hippo parents welcome baby girl born at Virginia zoo More than 100,000 people from around the world cast a vote to name Poppy in January. The Metro Richmond Zoo is located at 8300 Beaver Bridge Road in'Moseley, Virginia....

4+ hour, 35+ min ago (637+ words) Breezy with some sun. Kentucky coach Mark Stoops walks off the field at half-time of a 2024 game against Georgia. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- When Kentucky football made the decision to part ways with head coach Mark Stoops, it knew the cost would be high. As the third-largest coaching buyout in college football history " $37.7 million " it might even have proved unworkable for the university. But Stoops himself came to an agreement with UK officials that helped secure a deal far less damaging to Kentucky's budget than the original terms of his contract required. Under the deal Stoops signed in 2022, he was owed75% of his remaining salary in a lump sum within 60 daysof termination without cause. At the time of his firing following a season-ending 41-0 loss to Louisville, that meant UK coming up with nearly $38 million in two months, which would be no simple…...

4+ hour, 48+ min ago (185+ words) Eastern Kentucky Colonels (1-7) at Eastern Illinois Panthers (2-6, 0-1 OVC) Charleston, Illinois; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Illinois hosts Eastern Kentucky after Kooper Jacobi scored 20 points in Eastern Illinois' 82-74 loss to the Lindenwood Lions. The Panthers are 2-1 in home games. Eastern Illinois is 0-4 when it wins the turnover battle and averages 12.5 turnovers per game. The Colonels have gone 0-4 away from home. Eastern Kentucky ranks second in the ASUN with 34.5 rebounds per game led by Montavious Myrick averaging 6.2. Eastern Illinois averages 62.1 points per game, 23.0 fewer points than the 85.1 Eastern Kentucky gives up. Eastern Kentucky averages 10.6 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.7 more made shots on average than the 7.9 per game Eastern Illinois allows. TOP PERFORMERS: Jacobi is scoring 11.1 points per game and averaging 5.6 rebounds for the Panthers. Terry McMorris is averaging 10.6 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 50.8%. Juan Cranford Jr. is shooting 43.2% and averaging…...

8+ hour, 32+ min ago (350+ words) James Franklin's arrival as head coach of the Virginia Tech Hookies marks the beginning of a new era for the football program. The 53-year-old coach signed a multi-year deal worth up to $41.75 million on Nov. 17, following his mid-season dismissal from the Penn State Nittany Lions. Franklin spent 12 seasons with the Nittany Lions, compiling a 104-45 overall record, which included a Big Ten championship, a Fiesta Bowl victory, and six seasons with double-digit wins. However, persistent struggles against elite competition, including a 4-21 record versus AP top10 teams, and a disappointing 3-3 start to 2025 contributed to his firing. He now takes over a Virginia Tech program that finished 3-7 (2-4 ACC) under interim head coach Brent Pry, who was dismissed midseason. Franklin faces high expectations to stabilize the program and revamp recruiting, particularly in the talent-rich I95 corridor. He will now be tasked with returning the Hokies, who…...

8+ hour, 50+ min ago (144+ words) The Kentucky Lottery says two winning Powerball tickets, totaling $150,000, were sold in the state ahead of the Dec. 8 drawing. According to the lottery, winning tickets were sold in: The ticket sold in Lebanon was a $50,000 winner, while the ticket purchased in Franklin was a $100,000 winner (a Power Play ticket with 2x multiplier). Dec. 8's winning drawing numbers were: 8 " 32 " 52 " 56 " 64 with a Powerball of 23. The winning tickets sold matched all five white balls. The Kentucky Lottery advises all winners to sign the back of their tickets and keep them in a secure location. Winners have 180 days to claim their prizes, and must do so at lottery headquarters at 1011 W. Main St. in Louisville. Wednesday night's Powerball jackpot is currently estimated at $930 million, making it the seventh largest jackpot to date....

9+ hour, 34+ min ago (273+ words) Texas A&M (11-1, 7-1 SEC) is headed to the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. Still, head coach Mike Elko is now dealing with the departure of his second-year offensive coordinator, Collin Klein, who is the newest Kansas State head coach but will stay with the Aggies throughout their playoff run. Elko's 2025 coaching staff includes several young and up-and-coming coaches, including tight ends coach Christian Ellsworth, who will reportedly follow Klein to K-State after the season, which isn't surprising given Klein's need to build his staff as quickly as possible. This season, Texas A&M's tight end room has made strides, led by senior Nate Boerkircher and junior Theo Melin "hrstr'm, who have combined for 332 yards and four touchdowns. At the same time, the inline blocking has been impressive throughout the year, helping lead to just 12 sacks…...

10+ hour, 44+ min ago (779+ words) Kentucky basketball is starting to recruit one of the best high school basketball players in the commonwealth. On Tuesday, the Wildcats will host Martin County junior guard Braxton Keathley on an unofficial visit for their home game against North Carolina Central at Rupp Arena. A 6-foot-5 point guard, Keathley has already developed a reputation as a high-scoring, do-it-all prep player. Last season as a sophomore at Prestonsburg, Keathley was the top scorer in Kentucky high school basketball at 34.3 points per game. He was also one of the state's top rebounders (10.0 boards per contest). Perhaps most impressively, Keathley made a state-best 92.2% of his free-throw attempts as a sophomore. Now, Mark Pope's UK basketball program is taking an interest in Keathley. Thus far in his recruitment, Keathley has reported seven Division I scholarship offers, all from mid-major programs: Bowling Green, East Carolina,…...

11+ hour, 56+ min ago (233+ words) Kentucky's lack of effort and energy in recent games has caused frustration among Big Blue Nation. The Cats have admitted that change is going to happen. This year's group is one that claims to be competitive, but it hasn't shown in big games. "The mood is always the same with us," Aberdeen said. "No matter win or lose, we're always going to bring it in the next practice. We're definitely going to make a change. As far as our energy and effort coming into these games, they haven't been where they're supposed to be, but we're definitely going to make a jump from now on forward." A team that reportedly cost $22 million in name, image and likeness is 5-4 on the season, following a 35-point blow loss to Gonzaga, and still searching for its first signature win. Before another Power 4 team…...

12+ hour ago (870+ words) We're about a month into the college basketball season. We've made it through Feast Week, but still have some holiday tournaments to get through and some other electric nonconference games on the schedule before SEC league play tips off in January. This seems like a great time to take a look back at my preseason men's hoops power rankings and figure out what has changed. Spoiler alert: A lot has changed. Seriously, almost every team has moved either up or down in my rankings over the past month. We've had teams like Kentucky disappoint. Vanderbilt has looked incredible. Alabama, Tennessee, Auburn, Arkansas and others continue to challenge themselves in nonconference play, which could end up paying dividends come SEC season. For now, though, we'll take a snapshot of the state of SEC men's basketball as we enter the second week…...

12+ hour, 12+ min ago (253+ words) The regime change in Lexington hasn't daunted Greater Cincinnati recruits. In a Dec. 8 post on X, Covington Catholic senior quarterback Cash Harney announced his commitment to the Kentucky Wildcats. "I'm blessed and excited to announce my commitment to the University of Kentucky," Harney said in the post. Harney will be joining the Wildcats as a walk-on. In his senior year at Covington Catholic, Harney threw for 1,648 yards, rushed for 754 yards, and had 63 yards receiving. He scored 22 total touchdowns as the Colonels finished the year at 9-3 in the state quarterfinals. Harney was also named Division 2 player of the year by the Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association. The Wildcats announced on Dec. 1 the dismissal of former coach Mark Stoops. Former Oregon offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Will Stein was hired to fill the coaching vacancy the very same day. A talented recruiter…...