Florence City Council presented a Distinguished Service Award to a Florence police corporal who talked a man in crisis down from the Interstate 75 overpass in Florence on Aug. 9. The conversation lasted two hours. Second and third shift officers, the Florence Fire Department and the Boone County Sheriff's Department also took part in the response.
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Boone County's unemployment rate was 3.9 percent in September 2026, tied with Franklin, Jessamine, Kenton and Scott counties, according to the state's latest report. Campbell County posted 3.8 percent. Statewide, unemployment fell in 54 counties and rose in 47 between September 2025 and September 2026, and Northern Kentucky counties remain among the lowest in Kentucky.
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Boone County Fiscal Court approved a purchase agreement with Dinsmore Homestead Foundation for 41.888 acres at 5656 Burlington Pike, the Middle Creek Park property, for more than $200,000. The county currently leases the area for an easement. Commissioners also awarded a $2,210,675 road stabilization bid to Geostabilization International, below estimate, and approved a Ryle Road stabilization agreement with the state funded through the rural grant pool.
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Florence City Council could not pass legislation at its Tuesday special meeting because it lacked a quorum. Council discussed annexing a 0.7127 acre parcel on Yealey Drive and a 33.5 acre site near Bowman Way, Old Union Road and Longbranch Road. Zoning map amendments for 14.64 acres on Houston Road next to Lowe's and 32.96 acres on Old Union Road, which the planning commission recommended denying, were also discussed.
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I am looking for businesses to spotlight in the Florence Pulse. Enquire about having your business in the spotlight. Email me at [email protected].

☀️ Monday — 74° / 49° · Mostly Sunny
☀️ Tuesday — 74° / 52° · Mostly Sunny
☀️ Wednesday — 75° / 52° · Mostly Sunny
📍 Source: weather.gov — Florence, KY 41042

I am putting together a holiday events guide for Florence and Boone County, covering craft shows, pop-ups, markets and seasonal events in October, November and December. Email [email protected] with the event name, date and time, location, and a link or contact for details. Vendors, churches, schools, businesses and organizers are welcome to send events, including ones hosted by someone else.

Monday, October 26
The 859 Taproom and Grill, 8720 Bankers St, Florence, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Florence Kentucky Pride hosts its second Pride Trunk or Treat, with costume and trunk decorating contests.
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Tuesday, October 27
7210 Turfway Rd, Florence, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Free. Lender affiliates share practical insights on how they keep preparing their clients. Rob Trump moderates a panel.
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Wednesday, October 28
Scheben Branch, Boone County Public Library, 8899 US 42, Florence, 6 to 7 p.m.
A Halloween themed family dance party with music and craft activities. Costumes are welcome.
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Thursday, October 29
Family Essentials Chiropractic, 8544 U.S. 42, Florence, 5 to 7 p.m.
Free. A family friendly Halloween event with treats for all ages, a bounce house and a live DJ.
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Saturday, October 31
Unincorporated Boone County, Florence, Union and Walton, 6 to 8 p.m.
Trick or treat is not a county sponsored event. Residents giving out candy can turn on porch lights. Drivers are asked to slow down in neighborhoods and turn on headlights before sunset.
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Saturday, October 31
Dave & Buster's, 781 Heights Blvd, Florence
Two sessions: the family Boo Bash from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a pancake banquet, from $21 per person, and the Moonlight Mixer for ages 18 and older from 7 to 10 p.m., from $24.99 per person. Prices exclude taxes, gratuity and fees. Both include costume contests, themed activities and unlimited game play for a set time.
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Tuesday, October 27: Healing Power of Connection
Tuesday, October 27: Fall Tree and Wildflower Hike
Tuesday, October 27: Intermediate Paper Mache
Tuesday, October 27: Wildlife Critters October 2026
Wednesday, October 28: Horticulture Planning Meeting
Wednesday, October 28: Hike the Trails
Wednesday, October 28: Intermediate Paper Mache
Wednesday, October 28: Sleep Smarts: Getting Better ZZZs
Thursday, October 29: Fall Tree Planting
Thursday, October 29: Intermediate Paper Mache
Monday, November 2: Intro to Backyard Poultry
Wednesday, November 4: Hand Lettering and Calligraphy, 10 a.m.
Wednesday, November 4: Sleep Smarts: Getting Better ZZZs
Wednesday, November 4: Hand Lettering and Calligraphy, 2 p.m.
Thursday, November 5: Native Shrubs for the Home Landscape

Date: Every Saturday through Oct 31.
Time: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Location: 1961 Burlington Pike, Burlington, KY 41005
Description: About 50 member farm families sell Northern Kentucky-grown produce, flowers and other items. Vendors may also set up on other days, and the market's Facebook page posts pop-ups.
More Info: Boone County Farmers Market

Get your event listed here. Contact me at robert@florencepulse.com to get your event featured in the Florence Pulse.

BCHS Varsity Sports Schedule: Oct. 26 to 30

No BCHS varsity games are scheduled for Monday, Oct. 26, through Thursday, Oct. 29.
Friday, Oct. 30: Varsity Boys Football vs. Lloyd Memorial High School, 7 p.m.

Cooper defeated Boone County 41 to 7 in Week 10 of Northern Kentucky high school football, according to the weekly LINK nky roundup of scores.
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Ryle beat Newport Central Catholic 3 to 0 Saturday to win the 9th Region boys soccer championship and finish 22 wins, 3 losses and 1 tie. Diego Lakis, Preston Scott and Parker Wilson scored. Ryle hosts Bishop Brossart on Tuesday, and the winner hosts a state quarterfinal Oct. 31. Coach Stephen Collins said, "We told the guys at the beginning of the year that if you want to be a dangerous team, make it hard to defend us."
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Let us know about your sport results. Send to [email protected]

Boone County sits on a line that mattered more than most of its residents ever said aloud. Kentucky was a slave state. Across the Ohio River, Ohio and Indiana were not. Indiana's legislature abolished slavery in 1816, and Ohio never allowed it in its constitution. For Boone County, that river was a state border and a legal boundary between slavery and freedom at the same time.

Slavery was part of Kentucky from its earliest settlement. By 1860, according to the U.S. Census, 225,483 enslaved people lived in Kentucky, about 19.5 percent of the state's population of 1,155,684. Many Kentucky counties regulated enslaved people's lives with local rules covering gatherings, church services, and travel away from home.

Kentucky's position was unusual. Its farms were smaller than the great plantations of the Deep South, and its ties to Ohio and Indiana were close, with trade, family, and travel crossing the river every day. That closeness shaped everything that followed, including how people escaped and who helped them. Tomorrow, we look at what slavery meant inside Boone County itself.