English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Lexington, KY

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Today’s Good Question is: I saw someone with AAA say one of the reasons gas prices go up during the summer is because of the summer gas blend. What does it mean for gas companies to switch over to the summer blend?

The gasoline used during the summer is a different formula than the one used during the winter.

The EPA says the change is mandated to reduce a fuel’s Reid Vapor Pressure. Reid Vapor Pressure is a common measurement of gasoline volatility.

The measure reflects how easy it is for gasoline vapors to escape from car fuel systems and from storage tanks. The EPA says those vapors are a major contributor to ground-level smog and can impact ozone-related health problems.

Summer fuel requirements

There is a measurement that fuel companies must meet from May 1 to September 15. Nationwide, gasoline RVP may not exceed 9.0 pounds per square inch during the summer season, but some states have a lower threshold.

There is a cost associated with manufacturing a different formula. The lower RVP gas is more expensive to manufacture.

Why not use one formula year-round

In a report in Forbes, chemical engineer Robert Rapier says that the summer blend has less butane. Butane makes the gas cheaper to manufacture and also impacts how the car runs in the cold.

“Winter gasoline blends are designed for cold-weather performance, ensuring that engines start easily and run efficiently in low temperatures,” Rapier said. “A lower-volatility summer blend could make it harder to start a car in freezing conditions.”

Even if there were no other factors impacting gas prices, prices could be expected to go up during the summer months.

If you have a Good Question you’d like us to try to answer, send it to goodquestion@wkyt.com.

Boone Brothers turning donated venison into jerky distributed through school take-home snack programs

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Boone Brothers, a Lexington-based hunting ministry has partnered with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife to convert harvested deer meat into ready-to-eat jerky for children in central Kentucky school districts.

Boone Brothers, founded by former Southland Christian Church pastor Jon Weece takes donated deer meat and turns it into jerky called Boone Bites. Deer meat donated by hunters is processed into jerky and distributed to school districts for their take-home snack pack programs.

“The feedback we’ve gotten from children has been outstanding. Kids love them, the taste of it and they love how accessible it is,” Weece said.

From a bible study to a ministry

Weece stepped away from his congregation in January after leading Southland for more than two decades. He had previously created a bible study for hunters, that became quite popular and it eventually led him to create Boone Brothers.

“It took off and I saw all the excitement around the subject of hunting and conservation,” Weece said.

The ministry is named after Daniel Boone and operates out of a restored warehouse in Lexington.

“Not only is he Kentucky’s native son in terms of hunting and outdoors activity, he had a wonderful desire to help,” Weece said.

How the program works

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife approached Weece about the partnership.

“Fish and Wildlife contacted me and said we have a unique opportunity to take care of kids in the school system,” Weece said.

Through the program, hunters are encouraged to harvest as many does as possible each season. The deer are dropped off at a processor in the hunter’s surrounding area, and Kentucky Fish and Wildlife covers the cost of processing.

“That eliminates any excuse for a hunter not to donate deer,” Weece said.

One deer can generate nearly 200 packages of jerky.

Managing Kentucky’s deer population

Ben Robinson, Director of Wildlife with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, said deer management is a core part of the agency’s mission.

“We are tasked with managing the state’s wildlife resources, natural resources — specifically deer — and that’s challenging,” Robinson said.

More than 145,000 deer were harvested by Kentucky hunters in 2025.

“One of the biggest challenges though is hunters only need so many deer. They will go out and harvest one, two or three deer, but they don’t need many more than that,” Robinson said.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife already partners with Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry, which donates more than 70,000 pounds of venison to food banks each year. Robinson said the addition of Boone Brothers expands that reach.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for hunters who may not be accustomed to service projects helping others. This is a great opportunity to dip your toe in the water,” Robinson said.

Teaching the next generation

The Boone Brothers facility also plans to use the space to teach children how to hunt, including a bow shooting lane, with youth safety programs planned for spring and summer months.

Weece said the program’s impact on children is central to the ministry’s mission.

“Kids are kids, and for us to be able to serve a demographic of people that don’t often get to choose their circumstances they are born into — that brings a lot of joy to us,” Weece said.

Weece said he has been approached by several other states about setting up similar programs. Boone Brothers also has an app available for those who want to get involved.

Kentucky saw modest net population growth from July 2024 to July 2025, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, but where are new residents coming from?

The Census Bureau estimated Kentucky had 4,606,864 residents as of July 1, 2025, up by 18,492 individuals compared to the previous year. While some states lost residents during the pandemic, the Bluegrass State’s population is up from its 2020 figure of 4,506,287.

A handful of states are leading in moves to Kentucky, including some in the Midwest, as well as the South.

One of the leading contributors to Kentucky’s recent population growth is immigration, as reported by WEKU. The Census Bureau reports 4.7% of residents are immigrants.

While Kentucky is gaining residents overall, some of the commonwealth’s counties are performing better than others for growth. Jefferson, Fayette, Warren, Boone, Kenton, Madison, Scott, Jessamine, Bullitt and Nelson counties led in population growth from 2023 to 2024.

Conversely, Pike, Floyd, Perry, Letcher, Harlan, McCreary, Martin, Christian, Knott and Larue counties saw the greatest population decreases in the state over the same period, according to Census data.

Here’s what to know about migration to and from Kentucky in 2024, the most recent year for which Census data is available.

Where are new Kentucky residents coming from?

Here’s a roundup of the top 10 states with movers to Kentucky in 2024, according to the Census Bureau:

1. Ohio: 14,376 movers to Kentucky

2. Tennessee: 14,181

3. Indiana: 7,756

4. Florida: 7,326

5. California: 6,856

6. Georgia: 5,106

7. North Carolina: 3,509

8. Illinois: 3,102

9. West Virginia: 2,915

10. Texas: 2,807

Some of the same states that saw the greatest number of residents move to Kentucky also made the list for top states residents are moving to. Ohio was the No. 1 destination state for former Kentucky residents, with 13,444 movers, with Indiana, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan and Alabama rounding out the top 10.

Note: An AI tool assisted with organizing the data for this story. A Lexington Herald-Leader journalist reviewed the data and wrote the story. It was also edited by a Herald-Leader editor. You can read more about our AI policy here.

Do you have a question about living in Lexington or Kentucky for the Herald-Leader? We’d like to hear from you. Email ask@herald-leader.com or fill out our Know Your Kentucky form below.

Starting at the end of 2025, the Lexington dining scene has seen a rash of restaurants announcing they are closing. Here is a rundown.

A longtime Central Kentucky Chinese restaurant with a popular motto is closing.

Wok ‘N’ Go, located in Versailles, announced on social media that its owner is retiring and is closing Friday, April 24.

“Wok N Go has always been more than just a restaurant to us — it has been a home, a gathering place, and a backdrop to countless special moments,” Henry Panda Lam wrote online, speaking for the family-owned Chinese restaurant.

Reached for comment, Lam said the popular restaurant was once part of a local chain owned by Indy Chane. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, Wok ‘N’ Go had many Central Kentucky locations including Lexington restaurants on Jefferson Street, South Limestone Street, Richmond Road, Southland Drive and New Circle Road. Lam says each restaurant was eventually sold off and ran independent of one another, including a Danville location that is still open.

“While they may have had similar menu items, taste was with the owner/operator,” said Lam.

The restaurant locations were known for their saying, “I know it’s only Wok ‘N’ Go, but I like it.”

After more than 35 years of running the cash-only restaurant, Charlie Lam’s retirement will hit hard, his son said.

“My dad is honestly an end of an era,” said Lam. “My dad’s generation was friends with a lot of the Lexington restaurants people from there grew up on, Ho Ho’s on New Circle Road, Great Wall on Winchester road, etc.”

LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Months of planning have led to this: Lexington’s first Civic Assembly held its inaugural meeting on the campus of Transylvania University on Sunday afternoon.

The first meeting was set up to be more of an orientation-style meeting for the 36 randomly selected assembly members.

“This is their first time coming together, meeting each other. So that’s a big part of today is having them get to know each other, doing some icebreakers and understanding where they’re coming from, and just getting familiar with each other,” Communications Director of Civic Lex, Haley Wartell, said.

The 36 assembly members are tasked with recommending potential updates to the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Charter.

During the opening session, members learned more about the assembly process and heard from guest speakers like Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton and Fayette County Clerk Susan Lamb.

Members also learned about the importance of the Urban County Charter and what specific topics they will focus on during a series of six meetings. On the docket: compensation for council members and how often the charter is reviewed.

“This Tuesday, they’re going to look at council compensation. So they’re going to look at what the current council compensation is, what in cities like Lexington, what council members are paid there. And then they’re going to hear from council members past and present, what their experience has been like serving as a council member. And then next week they will look at the charter review process,” Director of Communications Haley Wartell said.

Speakers included Mayor Linda Gorton, Vice Mayor Dan Wu, Fayette County Clerk Susan Lamb, and CivicLex Deputy Director Kit Anderson.

The assembly is scheduled to meet six times. Community members can register in advance to attend meetings in person or watch them live online. The public may also submit comments online for the assembly to review at each meeting.

For more information on the Civic Assembly, click here.