Herald Newsletter 02-06-2026

Friday, February 6, 2026

Students struggle to traverse icy campus

Students slip and slide on a patch of ice near Guthrie Tower on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. Many of WKU’s stairs and pathways remain unusable as freezing temperatures remain. (Brendan Culler)

The winter weather of the past two weeks has left sections of WKU’s campus difficult and dangerous to navigate, sending multiple students to the hospital.

Anational winter storm the weekend of Jan. 24-26 left at least 4 inches of snow and at least a quarter of an inch of ice on the ground in Bowling Green, according to the National Weather Service. Persistent freezing temperatures and periodic precipitation in the weeks since have kept campus travel tricky into the first week of February.

Students have faced the challenge of making it to class on time and on their feet.

Water main breaks on RegentsAvenue

Bowling Green Municipal Utilities responded to a water main break this morning on RegentsAvenue.

On-site personnel arrived around 9:30 a.m. just outside the WKU Health Services building, BGMU Water Crew Superintendent Matt Baker said.

At least nine workers were involved in efforts to repair the break.

Read more by Kane Smith

Mistakes cost WKU Men’s Basketball in home loss to Gamecocks

Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers Guard Ryan Myers (4) goes up for a layup during WKU’s game against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in E.A. DiddleArena on Thursday February 5, 2026.(Hallie Stafford)

WKU Men’s Basketball could not get in a groove offensively, falling to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks 71-66 Thursday night at DiddleArena. Behind 29 team fouls, it was start and stop all night for the Hilltoppers. Of the 29, three were technicals and two were flagrant fouls. Senior guard Terrion Murdix, and freshman guardArmelo Boone were both assessed disqualifying fouls. Senior forward Grant Newell also fouled out.

Panthers score 80 points in blowout win overWKU Women’s Basketball

Western Kentucky University guard Tia Shelling (3) attempts to make a basket against University of Delaware guard Ella Wanzer (3) during the women’s basketball game at E.A. DiddleArena in Bowling Green, Ky. on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.(Libby Simpson)

WKU Women’s Basketball “turned into a train wreck” following its star point guard’s battle with injury in its 80-54 road loss at Florida International Thursday night, Head Coach Greg Collins said.

An underwhelming offensive production from the Lady Toppers included just 25% 3-point shooting and only nine assists, which converted to poor defense on the other end of the floor. WKU grabbed just seven offensive

rebounds and 18 overall, coming nowhere near FIU’s 17 offensive and 40 total boards.

‘Organism and Energy’: FAC gallery welcomes exhibit by MazenAbufadil

MazenAbufadil’s art piece titled “Sentence, mid-Sentence” in the WKU FineArts Center Gallery on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.(Libby Simpson)

The Ivan Wilson FineArts Center’s first gallery exhibit of the year features Tulsa-based artist MazenAbufadil.Abufadil’s exhibit, “Organism and Energy”, is composed of photofresco artworks exploring themes of life, death and consumption.

From a young age,Abufadil, who is originally from Beirut, Lebanon, knew he loved art.

“That’s all I wanted to do when I was in class, that was my thing,” said Abufadil. “I wanted to draw, I wanted to use paints, I wanted to use clay, and I never stopped.”

WKU Softball set for 2026 season

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers infielder Charlotte Herron (20) gets ready to bat during the game at the WKU Softball Complex on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.(Hallie Stafford)

After a late-season rally in 2025, WKU Softball heads into the 2026 season with experience and momentum.

The Hilltoppers finished second in Conference USAin 2025 with a 30-21-1 overall and 14-10-1 conference record. They climbed their way from eighth to second in conference standings after going 12-5 to end the regular season, but a loss to Jacksonville State in game three of the CUSAtournament proved fatal.

OPINION: WKU Men’s Basketball midseason

report card

Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers guard Ryan Myers (4) steps onto the court before WKU’s game against the Missouri State Bears in E.A. DiddleArena on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. Myers contributed 8 points to the Hilltoppers 87-72 win.(Von Smith)

WKU Men’s Basketball continues to struggle under Head Coach Hank Plona in his second season. In his first season at the helm, Plona led the Hilltoppers to a first-round exit in the CUSAtournament, and as of Feb. 5, WKU sits eighth in the conference with a 5-6 record.

OPINION: WKU Women’s Basketball progress report

Western Kentucky University’s women’s basketball Head Coach Greg Collins discusses plays in a timeout during WKU’s game against Vanderbilt University on Nov. 19, 2025.(Wyatt Reading)

WKU Women’s Basketball sits dead last in Conference USAstandings.

There are only nine more games left to play for the season, and the Lady Toppers are looking at a 1-8 conference record and a 5-15 overall record as of Feb. 5. What’s gone wrong after such a successful 2024-25 season, and who stands on a team that’s struggled so much?

Herald’s student leadership, and all consequences of those decisions are the sole responsibility of these student leaders. While editorially and operationally independent from the university, the Herald participates in the mission of WKU to prepare students of all backgrounds to be productive, engaged and socially responsible citizen-leaders of a global society, both within and outside of its newsroom. Views expressed are diverse and, as an independent publication, should not be taken as representative of views of WKU and any of its administration, faculty, staff, student body or other constituency

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