Derek Operle
News DirectorA native of western Kentucky, Operle earned his bachelor's degree in integrated strategic communications from the University of Kentucky in 2014. Operle spent five years working for Paxton Media/The Paducah Sun as a reporter and editor. In addition to his work in the news industry, Operle is a passionate movie lover and concertgoer.
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A Louisville native with experience working with major television and film networks and studios is now attached to direct the Kentucky Film Office, the state agency geared toward marketing the Bluegrass State to the entertainment industry. -
The first day of the spring semester on Murray State University’s campus was interrupted by what school leadership considered to be a bomb threat Monday, though the administration and law enforcement have since reported that there is no credible threat. -
Bowling Green and Paducah are two of the sites where protesters gathered to denounce the killing of a Minnesota woman who was shot to death by a ICE agent. -
CEO Scott Nolan said this federal funding will accelerate General Matter’s production scale by years, with the DOE award going toward construction and startup costs for the company's western Kentucky facility. -
An evidentiary hearing that could reopen a more than 25-year-old Graves County murder case came to a close Thursday. -
The nuclear industry in the Bluegrass State took big strides in 2025, and the lawmaker who's helped lead the charge for nuclear power in Kentucky says he expects that momentum carry into 2026. -
A new book examines the racist background of the last public hanging in the U.S. when tens of thousands of people came to watch in a small Kentucky town.
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It’s been more than 25 years since 18-year-old Jessica Currin was found dead and burned behind a Mayfield middle school, but the man convicted for her murder still maintains his innocence. An evidentiary hearing for the case began this week and is expected to conclude in mid-December. -
Kentucky’s Administrative Office of the Courts and Kentucky State Police announced last week that a program aimed at modernizing the way search warrants get requested and evaluated is now live in all 120 counties. -
Grammy-winning mandolin player Chris Thile is out with a new album. This time he is taking the music of J.S. Bach to different locations.
