Herald Newsletter 07-23-2026

Thursday, July 23, 2026

Editors Note:The Herald staff will be out of the office atACPMegaWorkshop July 22-26.

WKU alum Renee Shaw to retire from KET

Her time on the Hill left an impression on several faculty members. “She was one of those dream students,” Dan Modlin said. Shaw in return credits her time at WKU with shaping who she is and helping her on the path she has taken in her career. “Western taught me about being a good citizen.” Shaw said. (Wade Harris)

At the end of the month, two-timeWKU graduate Renee Shaw will be retiring from herposition as Directorof PublicAffairs and Moderator forKentucky Educational Television.

Since 1997, Shaw has played a role in expanding KET’s public affairs coverage through a current-events series, town hall-style forums, and various multiplatform initiatives.

VictoryVaka makes statement onWKU Football controversy

Ascreenshot ofVictoryVaka’s statement posted to his Instagram on July 18, 2026. (Diego Alcaraz-Monje)

VictoryVaka, aWKU defensive lineman recently removed from the team following the death of his mother and afterthe team said he failed to report, has released a statement detailing his perspective on the situation.

Posted Saturday to @victoryvaka on Instagram, the statement includes a timeline leading up to Vaka’s removal and his thoughts on the controversy spurred by a CBS Sports article published last week.

Bowling Green grants improvements to your neighborhood

Bowling Green is offering grants to eligible neighborhoods to help fund improvement projects, with applications due onAugust 1st.

The grant allocates $60,000 annually, split into Spring and Fall cycles, with $30,000 available foreach.Applications forthe Fall cycle are open and allow requests of up to $6,000 foreach individual project.

Read more by Josh Baumgardner

Expo showcases endless possibilities

Asmile swept overJosh Clayharris’face as he reached the summit of an indoorrock wall, a task that seemed insurmountable until now

Clayharris attended the Possabilities Expo on July 18, an event designed to showcase available resources to people with disabilities. The event occupied every room of the Knicely Conference Centerwith over160 resource tables, according to Possabilities Expo co-founder and President Savannah Mills.

WKU summercamp cares about the youth

WKU is hosting Camp CARE, an educational event running fromTuesday to Friday where young minds can explore the world of healthcare through a variety of hands-on activities.

The camp caters to students such as Marie Templeman’s grandson, who, before this camp, was undecided on his careerpath.WhenTempleman saw an ad fromWKU about the camp and showed her grandson, she was surprised to find out he wanted to participate.

The College Heights Herald is the independent, student-run news organization operating on the campus of Western Kentucky University, emphasizing accuracy and truth while being a public forum for the fair display of diverse opinions and viewpoints. The Herald works to be steadfast and unwavering in its pursuit of truth while being true to the tenets of the WKU Student Publications mission to grow exceptional journalists and innovative leaders through real-world experiences and a strong educational and ethical foundation centered on principled journalism. All creative and editorial decisions are made by the 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