It was one of those years where each week, without fail, I knew the following week was finally going to be the one that slowed down.
It never happened, but there’s always 2026!
When I sat down to look back at some of the biggest stories from 2025, I realized why our weeks here at LINK just kept getting crazier.
The year started out with lane closures on the Big Mac Bridge after several people allegedly set a fire at the playground on the Cincinnati side of the river underneath the bridge in November of 2024. Closures lasted until February, leading to the Bridging Back Business initiative to try to make up some of the lack of business in Newport during that time.
The closure hinted at what Covington and Newport may soon face with the closure of the 4th Street Bridge, expected in January. More on that below.
Former Northern Kentucky University President Jim Vortuba died in March. We have a special place for him in our hearts here at LINK nky because he was on our Editorial Board, which gives us feedback and helps us make sure we are staying true to our mission.
While he may be most well known because of his tenure at NKU, which stretched from 1997 to 2012, in Northern Kentucky, Votruba has always been known for his leadership, mentorship and kindness.
“Jim pioneered the way on so many fronts for NKU and this community,” said Karen Finan, president and CEO of the OneNKY Alliance.
Finan worked with Votruba in many capacities, including as a board member of Educate NKY. “He had a wisdom about him that always balanced the room and steadied all sides so we could have logical discussion and impact could be achieved. He was a beacon, a mentor and a role model for so many and he will be remembered for his incredible contributions to this community.”
The LINK nky team fanned out to meetings across the region all year, from Covington to Florence to Alexandria. They told stories about potential developments and kept residents apprised of what their taxes will look like next year or how to vote in order to try to keep taxes from going up.
We also told the stories of everyday people finding themselves in unexpected situations.
During a rainy spring, Harold Enda, who lives on top of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Latonia, found himself and his building completely surrounded by water. The building was completely inaccessible to outside foot traffic.
But Enda didn’t seem to mind.
“I didn’t know it was going to get that high,” Harold Enda told LINK nky in a phone call. “The next thing I know, I look out and the parking lot was covered in water.”
The water eventually went down, but not before some friends floated over in a boat to get him out.
There were some stories out of Ludlow that we weren’t expecting, like one about a council member who licked a city administrator, and the arrest of a former city councilmember in April.
We launched the Reader’s Choice Awards, which showcased businesses, residents, nonprofits and many more in the Northern Kentucky Community. Learn more about the 2025 Readers Choice awards at linknky.com/readerschoice and stay tuned for this year’s contest!
In August, we noticed a giant circular structure being built near I-275 in Fort Wright. Turns out, y’all were curious too, because it was one of our most clicked on stories of the year.
Turns out, it’s a 10.5 million-gallon equalization tank, designed to collect excessive water runoff during extreme weather events.
This is obviously not an exhaustive list – just some examples of stories we told this year that had a big impact on the community.
Toward the end of 2025, we turned our focus to the 2026 election. We launched our LINK nky Election HQ in November even though there aren’t any races for the region to vote on until May. Why?
In a region with 36 cities and municipalities and 13 public school districts, it’s hard to figure out what races you’re even voting in, let alone who the people are you’re voting for.
And look at that – that brings us to 2026. Here are some of the stories and topics I anticipate being top of mind for the community next year.
At the polls
Next year is a big election year for Northern Kentucky. Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties have had judges/executive who work well together for almost three decades now: Gary Moore, Kris Knochelmann and Steve Pendery, respectively.
Moore is facing a challenger in current Commissioner Chet Hand, and Pendery is being challenged by Alexandria Mayor Andy Schabell, so it will be interesting to see how those races play out and what effect that will have on the counties’ ability to work together in the years’ ahead.
Zooming out, Northern Kentucky is set to help decide the future of Mitch McConnell’s seat and whether Thomas Massie will keep his congressional seat.
But on a very local level, Shane Noem, chair of the Kenton County Republican Party, said most other local races are likely to be par for the course.
“I think most Northern Kentuckians are very satisfied with their local government, and a lot of the cities and counties have been lowering taxes or at least not raising them, even with economic uncertainty, and that bodes well for incumbents,” Noem told LINK nky.
From statewide offices to local council races, candidates have not been shy about throwing their hats in the ring. Anyone interested in running for office must register with their county or the Secretary of State by Jan. 9, 2026. Click here to see the latest election news and updates.
As for the topics likely to be on voters’ minds when they go to the ballot, Noem said education and healthcare are probably the biggest issues.
“A lot of our elections are going to be focused on who can right the ship in a big way,” Noem said. “And the issues that matter the most to Kentuckians right now are health and education.”
On the roads
The 4th Street Bridge, connecting Newport and Covington, is set to close in January for longstanding improvements. The current bridge was built in 1936 and is not up to modern standards, though it is still capable of handling basic bridge traffic.
Cycling and pedestrian groups also worked closely with state and local governments to create lanes for people who are traveling without a car.
While the last couple years led to many conversations about what the bridge should look like, how many lanes it should have and how it should accommodate cyclists and pedestrians, Newport and Covington are now turning their attention to making sure small businesses aren’t negatively affected the way they were when the Bic Mac Bridge caught fire.
After a fire damaged the bridge in November 2024, closures had a disastrous effect on Newport businesses until all lanes reopened in February of this year.
“It was like seeing the air being let out of the balloon,” said Party Source General Manager Micah Denison in February.
Party Source, one of the largest brick-and-mortar alcohol stores in the United States, experienced a devastating sales decline during the winter. Denison estimated that the bridge closure affected 20% to 25% of the business.
“When we think about this business, November and December are the biggest months of the year,” Denison said. “It’s very backloaded. That’s when you do most of your sales. It was extremely impactful to us. To give you a ballpark, it was between 20 and 25% of our business was impacted.”
Coupled with the impending construction of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project and its attending closures, local leaders have been working to come up with ways to soften the blow local businesses and communities might suffer as a result of the closures.
“We’re trying to do the best we can to bring this to the state’s attention that the sooner they get that done, it would be better for our residents and our businesses,” Covington Mayor Ron Washington told LINK nky.
In November 2025, leaders from Newport, Covington and Kenton and Campbell counties asked the state for an infusion of cash that would accelerate the timeline by 30-45 days. The project is currently expected to be completed sometime in 2028.
In an effort to combat the problem before it starts, the City of Covington started the Bridging the Gap initiative, an effort to help the community make it through the closures.
One strategy, City Manager Sharmili Reddy said, is coordinating with local businesses, organizations and community leaders to come up with novel solutions to the problem.
“We don’t think that we have all the answers and all the solutions, and we need everybody to bring their solutions to the table and hopefully partner with us on some of these ideas,” Reddy said, later saying that meetings with local stakeholders thus far suggests that “everybody wants to help.”
At the statehouse
Our most viewed story of 2025 was about a Beechwood High School superintendent who lost his license to work in education in Kentucky after he was found not to have reported a teacher who admitted to grooming at least one student in 2020.
The story led us to discover that, in Kentucky, it is legal to have sex with a student – as long as that student is 18.
Rep. James Tipton, a Republican from Taylorsville, sponsored bills to require teachers to disclose past investigations to future employees in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
None of the bills have passed, but, Tipton said, he once worked on a bill for six sessions before it finally passed, and now everyone thinks it’s “the greatest thing since apple pie.”
The issue will likely be discussed at some level in Frankfort in 2026.
“I would anticipate that it be brought up again next year,” Tipton said. “I’m debating whether or not to try and find another sponsor.”
Grooming is also not addressed in Kentucky state law, though one NKY legislator made it clear she hopes to change that.
Rep. Marianne Proctor, a Republican from Union, introduced a bill in September 2025 to define and criminalize grooming.
A draft version of the legislation says that an adult would be guilty of grooming a minor under the age of 14 if they have “intent to entice, coerce, solicit, or prepare the minor to engage in sexual conduct with the person or another person” or are a person of authority over a minor with such intention. Violating the law would be a Class A misdemeanor, unless the victim is under the age of 12, which would be a Class D felony, with a possible sentence of one to five years in prison.
And that is just the tip if the iceberg when it comes to what I expect to be top of mind for Northern Kentuckians in 2026. I’m happy to be here with you for the ride.
Meghan Goth is LINK’s executive editor. Click here to read more Inside LINK columns from Meghan and LINK nky CEO Lacy Starling.
