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Steve Bittenbender

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News Editor Gambling Insider (@Stepbitt); Replacement-level sports writer @fieldlevelmedia, @AP_Sports & @sports_cj; Yacht Rock aficionado; Vintage, not old
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Man sleepwalks off Kentucky cliff, suffers minor injuries

Man sleepwalks off Kentucky cliff, suffers minor injuries

Reuters — Ryan Campbell, 27, was camping with his friends in the northern part of the Daniel Boone National Forest early last Thursday when he plummeted down a steep incline a few yards into his nighttime stroll. It took several hours for emergency crews to rescue him. "He had facial trauma and a head laceration, but his mood was very good. He was responding to our instructions," said John May, with the Wolfe County search-and-rescue unit and one of the first responders to reach Campbell. Campbell fell on a bush, which broke his fall and saved him from potentially more serious or fatal injuries.
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Kentucky bans tobacco products on most state properties

Kentucky bans tobacco products on most state properties

Reuters — Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear signed an executive order in Frankfort prohibiting smoking, the use of smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes in more than 3,400 state-owned and leased executive branch properties. The order, which also restricts tobacco use in state-owned vehicles, expands upon a 2006 order that banned smoking inside state buildings. "Smoking and tobacco use are the single-biggest causes of preventable illness and death in our state," Beshear said in a news release. "This policy will protect non-smokers from the effects of secondhand smoke, and encourage tobacco users to seek help in quitting." Beshear's order takes effect on Nov.
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Manual tops Male in soccer on early goal, late save

Manual tops Male in soccer on early goal, late save

Courier-Journal — A high school soccer team's fourth game of the season rarely serves as its biggest, but an exception can be made for Manual's boys' team. The Crimson (3-0-1) got a big early goal and an even bigger save late to knock off host and rival Male 2-1 Thursday night. Goalkeeper Andrew Hagan preserved the victory, producing a monstrous save on Bailey Wheeler's penalty kick with just 1:32 remaining in the game. Hagan lunged to his right, and while he overextended himself, he was able to deflect the ball with his foot.
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Carmel gets revenge, edges Trinity 10-7

Carmel gets revenge, edges Trinity 10-7

Courier-Journal — Revenge was sweet for Carmel. The loss could be painful for Trinity. Nick Stacy's 42-yard field goal with 34.4 seconds left in the game boosted the Greyhounds, the No. 1 team in Indiana's Class 6-A Associated Press high school football poll, to a 10-7 victory over the host Shamrocks Friday night. In addition to the loss, the Rocks (0-2) also saw their starting quarterback, Ryan Young, leave the game in the fourth quarter after taking a hard hit to the head. Coach Bob Beatty said Young would be evaluated each day, preferring to err on the side of caution.
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Carmel gets revenge with 10-7 victory at Louisville Trinity

Carmel gets revenge with 10-7 victory at Louisville Trinity

Indianapolis Star — Revenge was sweet for Carmel. Nick Stacy's 42-yard field goal with 34.4 seconds remaining boosted the Greyhounds, No. 1 in Class 6A, to a 10-7 victory over host Louisville Trinity on Friday night. Carmel coach Kevin Wright had the chance to use Stacy for a 42-yard kick with 3 minutes left in the game, but he opted to go for a first down instead. Michael Viktrup's pass to Jalen Walker in the end zone was broken up, giving the host Shamrocks (0-2) the ball on downs.
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DeSales beats Holy Cross 31-0 after slow start

DeSales beats Holy Cross 31-0 after slow start

Courier-Journal — It took some time, thanks to Mother Nature and some early mistakes, but the DeSales Colts started their Class 2-A title defense with a solid 31-0 victory over host Holy Cross Sunday night in a resumption of their high school football game from Friday night. After a first quarter in which nothing seemed to go right for the Colts, everything fell into place for them in a 17-point second quarter. Matthew Ruxer added two rushing scores in the third quarter to finish the scoring. Bryant Pirtle Jr., who has committed to Western Kentucky, gave the Colts a strong start Friday, returning the opening kickoff 40 yards into Cougars territory.
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Knights turn out the lights on Bats in 10th, win 5-2

Knights turn out the lights on Bats in 10th, win 5-2

Courier-Journal — Jim Riggleman does not believe in the law of averages, at least when it comes to baseball. “I’ve always been of the belief you can go 144-0 or you can go 0-144,” the Louisville Bats manager said. “You’ve got to go out and win the game.” The Charlotte Knights went out Friday night and won the game, 5-2 in 10 innings before 12,813 at Louisville Slugger Field. The Knights, winners in 10 of their last 11 games, rallied twice before taking advantage of three walks by Elvin Ramirez (2-3) to keep their hot streak going.
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Klefot scores 19 to lead Bullitt East past Bullitt Central in Sixth Region

Klefot scores 19 to lead Bullitt East past Bullitt Central in Sixth Region

Courier-Journal — Brandon Klefot scored a season-high 19 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead Bullitt East past Bullitt Central 54-50 in an electric Sixth Region semifinal Friday night at Valley High School. The Chargers (26-7) will play Pleasure Ridge Park, the No. 7 team in The Courier-Journal's Litkenhous Ratings, at 7 p.m. Monday for a spot in the Sweet 16, which starts March 19 at Lexington's Rupp Arena. Klefot inflicted most of his damage after Bullitt Central's center, Brett Bourland, picked up his fourth foul with 5:16 left in the third quarter.
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LSU's Theresa Plaisance leaves as one 18 of Lady Tigers with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds | Noteboo...

LSU's Theresa Plaisance leaves as one 18 of Lady Tigers with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds | Noteboo...

New Orleans Times-Picayune — Louisville, Ky. -- Theresa Plaisance sat at the podium Sunday after LSU's 73-47 loss to Louisville in the NCAA Regional Semifinals, the last time she would as a Lady Tiger. "For me, it's a pretty sad moment," the 6-foot-5 senior said. "I really take pride in wearing LSU across my chest, and to know that I won't get the opportunity to do that again is pretty heartbreaking to me." She thought back to her first two years with the Lady Tigers, when she admitted she struggled with the adjustment to the college game after leading Vandebilt Catholic to the state title in 2010.
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LSU's tournament run ends with 73-47 loss to Louisville

LSU's tournament run ends with 73-47 loss to Louisville

New Orleans Times-Picayune — Louisville, Ky. - LSU's season ended Sunday in the middle of a perfect storm. Down to only eight players, the No. 7-seeded Lady Tigers could not keep up with No. 3 seed Louisville as the host Cardinals pulled away to a 73-47 victory in an NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal Sunday afternoon. The Lady Tigers (21-13) shot a season-worst 23.9 percent (16 of 67), thanks in large part to 30 misses in 37 second-half attempts, and scored a season-low point total. On the other end of the court, Louisville, last year's national runner-up, connected on 12 three-point attempts, which matched the most LSU gave up all season.
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No.7 Louisville rolls past Temple

No.7 Louisville rolls past Temple

Philadelphia Inquirer — Louisville (24-4, 13-2) jumped out to a 24-6 lead with 12:53 left in the first half. The Owls cut it to 30-21 on Cummings' baseline jumper with 5:37 left, but another Cardinals run, this one by 8-0, made it a 17-point game with 3:15 remaining. Temple trimmed Louisville's lead to 11 in the first minute of the second half, but the Cardinals soon eliminated any hope for a comeback. The hosts, who boast one of college basketball's toughest defenses, held Temple to 13-of-33 shooting in the second half and grew the lead to as many as 29 points.
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Fern Creek rallies past Jeffersontown 77-74 in 24th District boys' basketball

Fern Creek rallies past Jeffersontown 77-74 in 24th District boys' basketball

Courier-Journal — Joe Jackson scored 23 points and Shawn Best added 22 as Fern Creek overcame a 15-point second-quarter deficit to beat host Jeffersontown 77-74 in a 24th District boys' basketball semifinal Wednesday night. Jackson, a senior forward, hit two free throws with 34.2 seconds left to give the Tigers (19-10) a 75-72 lead, but he missed two more 16 seconds later and fouled out with 11.8 seconds left. Brandon Marshall cut the Tigers' lead back to one with those free throws, and the Chargers (14-14) had a chance to win after Best missed a pair.
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Houston again comes up short in upset bid

Houston again comes up short in upset bid

Houston Chronicle — Going in to Saturday's game against 19th-ranked Louisville, Houston head coach Tony Levine would have loved his team's chances if the Cougars could hold the high-powered Cardinals offense to just 20 points. Houston's leading receiver, Deontay Greenberry, didn't return after suffering a head injury in the first quarter. The Cougars (7-3, 4-2 American Athletic Conference) were outgained 332-195 and racked up 130 of their yards in the second quarter, during which they turned a 10-0 deficit into a 13-10 lead.
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USF blows lead, falls to Cincinnati

USF blows lead, falls to Cincinnati

Tampa Bay Times — CINCINNATI - For 35 minutes, USF had Cincinnati, and possibly the Bearcats' NCAA Tournament hopes, on the ropes. The Bulls held an eight-point lead. The crowd at Fifth Third Arena grew restless, and national basketball pundits began tweeting about a possible upset. But like many Bulls opponents this season, the Bearcats (21-10, 9-9 Big East) rebounded. They crashed the boards, especially on offense, to force overtime and pull out a 61-53 victory Saturday. The Bulls led 45-37 after a Zach LeDay 3-pointer with 5:45 left in the second half. But Cincinnati closed regulation on a 10-2 run, with two offensive rebounds sparking the rally.
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USF Bulls move closer to NCAA Tournament bid with 58-51 win over No. 19 Louisville Cardinals

USF Bulls move closer to NCAA Tournament bid with 58-51 win over No. 19 Louisville Cardinals

Tampa Bay Times — LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After the final horn sounded and the teams exchanged handshakes, Stan Heath's broad smile and bounce in his step said it all. On Leap Day, USF took a major leap itself, beating Louisville 58-51 at the KFC Yum Center on Wednesday. Not only did it give the Bulls their 12th Big East victory, the win against the No. 19 Cardinals gave them the signature win they sought to secure a bid for the NCAA Tournament. And after shaking hands with Louisville coach Rick Pitino, Heath ran across the court to kiss his wife, Ramona, and personally thank boosters Pam and Les Muma for their support of the program.
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Louisville field hockey upsets No. 1 North Carolina

Louisville field hockey upsets No. 1 North Carolina

Courier-Journal — If you're going for your first win in your new conference, you might as well make it as big as possible. That's exactly what happened yesterday at Trager Stadium when the University of Louisville field hockey team knocked off North Carolina, the top-ranked team in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll, 3-2. Senior Becca Maddock's goal off a penalty corner with five minutes left put the No. 14 Cards up for good. Not only was it UofL's first win in the Atlantic Coast Conference, it also was the team's first win over a top-ranked team in program history.
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N. Oldham runs past S. Oldham, 28-14

N. Oldham runs past S. Oldham, 28-14

Courier-Journal — Arien Beasley ran for 165 yards and two scores, leading North Oldham to a 28-14 victory over host South Oldham Friday night. The Mustangs (3-1) used their horsepower to run away with the victory over their rivals. With their starting quarterback, Taylor Heckenberg, out with a separated shoulder, North Oldham ran the ball 47 times for 309 yards. Beasley led the way with some spectacular runs. Most notably, his 48-yard run with 9:28 left in the game made it 21-7. It started as a sweep to the right, but as the senior turned the corner, he cut to his left, found a lane and raced to the end zone unscathed.
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N. Oldham runs past S. Oldham, 28-14

N. Oldham runs past S. Oldham, 28-14

Courier-Journal — Arien Beasley ran for 165 yards and two scores, leading North Oldham to a 28-14 victory over host South Oldham Friday night. The Mustangs (3-1) used their horsepower to run away with the victory over their rivals. With their starting quarterback, Taylor Heckenberg, out with a separated shoulder, North Oldham ran the ball 47 times for 309 yards. Beasley led the way with some spectacular runs. Most notably, his 48-yard run with 9:28 left in the game made it 21-7. It started as a sweep to the right, but as the senior turned the corner, he cut to his left, found a lane and raced to the end zone unscathed.
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Kentucky preservation society cracking century old bourbons

Kentucky preservation society cracking century old bourbons

Reuters — By Steve Bittenbender LOUISVILLE Ky. (Reuters) - A Louisville preservation society will raise a glass in December to toast the end of the Prohibition Era, but not with just any ordinary drink. The Filson Historical Society will celebrate "Repeal Day," the day in 1933 when the United States lifted a ban on alcohol, by popping open more than two dozen rare bottles of bourbon, some over a century old. Donated by a member, most were bottled during the 13-year period when the sale and production of alcoholic beverages was prohibited, an era of contraband, speakeasies and larger than life gangsters like Al Capone.
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