In a move that’s sure to upset the dozens of people who still read a physical copy of the newspaper, the Lexington Herald-Leader announced Monday that it will shift its printing and packaging operations to Louisville beginning in August. The paper also plans to put its downtown building up for sale, hoping that another company with a dying business model will take its place, like a Sears or an asbestos factory. This announcement confirms what we here at the New Circle Circular have surmised for quite some time: that there’s only room enough in this town for one Harold Leeder.

Executives at the Herald-Leader wanted to assure readers that the overall quality of the publication would not be affected.

“It’s still going to be your same old hometown Lexington newspaper,” said Herald-Leader Vice President Regis N. Thursday. “It’s just going to have a little bit of that Louisville stank on it.”

The main worry most readers have is the logistical dilemma of having their papers delivered from somewhere so far away.

“That’s gonna be a tough trek for my paper boy, Seth, to make,” said Lexington resident Myrtle Grant. “I-64 seems like it might be pretty dangerous to navigate on a bicycle.”

The Herald-Leader hopes to incorporate some Louisville businesses to help with the delivery process. The paper has already begun discussions with Papa John about using his company’s warmer bags to make sure the papers arrive in Lexington as fresh as possible.

Herald-Leader employees are admittedly nervous about the switch, but some of them saw the writing on the paywall.

“I knew something was up after last week’s fire sale of all our printing equipment,” said one Herald-Leader reporter in an anonymous interview, which we’re comfortable publishing.

Other employees are curious how the move might affect their ability to do their jobs. Jerry Tipton is wondering if he should start writing negative articles about Louisville, while Joel Pett is concerned he won’t be able to get his little drawings to press in time.

Editors Note:  The New Circle Circular is committed to being Lexington’s only locally sourced, farm to tablet news outlet. That’s why when the Herald-Leader’s #Lexit was announced on Monday, I, Harold Leeder,  started inquiring about the soon-to-be vacant building, and have plans to maybe ask my nephew who’s good with computers to set up a Kickstarter to raise funds for an eventual purchase.

Yesterday afternoon, Bill Meck sat down for what he hoped would be his traditional, quiet pre-storm lunch at his favorite restaurant – Cheddar’s.  Meck, the LEX 18 weatherman,  always enjoys a hearty lunch whenever a big storm is on the horizon.  And, like an athlete before a marathon, Meck knew it was time to start carb loading for the long night ahead. Meck explained to the hostess, on the way to his favorite booth, that he knows when thunder is coming because he gets a rumblin’ in his tummy.

Jeff Yates, Meck’s usual waiter, brought him a Mountain Dew and asked if he was ready to order. “ Thanks Jeff, you know you can always COUNT on me to order the Monte Cristo,” the weatherman began his order while the waiter pretended to loosen a tie he wasn’t wearing. Meck took a sip, still waiting for a laugh that wouldn’t come, when he continued “hahaha, oh yeah and extra cheddar cheese on that because that’s what ya’ll are known for, the cheddar cheese hashedbrag (sic), am I right?”

Before that Count of Monte Cristo joke landed (never) and before the sandwich came, Meck was approached by what other diners believed to be a young, eager fan, but was actually WKYT meteorologist Micah Harris. As Harris approached Meck’s table, without looking up from his plate of onion rings, Meck waved him off and said, “Sorry kid, no autographs today.” Harris, a tad thrown, responded by telling Meck, “No, Mr. Meck, I work at WKYT. We met at the weather conference last year.” Meck quickly responded, “Oh right. You must be Jim Caldwell. Pretty sure I already signed a bunch of stuff for you all at that conference last year. Love your work.” A somewhat defeated Harris thanked the legendary weatherman and returned to his table to continue eating his kale salad.

After finishing his Monte Cristo, Meck stood up and headed for the exit, waving to friends he wouldn’t see until the next threat of a major storm. Before he reached the door, Meck’s waiter seemed to call him on his actions. “That was kind of rough back there,” Yates said. “I think that guy was just trying to be nice.” Meck then made direct eye contact with Yates and, with a tear in his eye said, “I know exactly who that was. I always know a good weatherman when I see one. He’s been on my radar for a long time.” Meck continued, “I see a lot of myself in that kid. He just needs to stay hungry but also stay humble. The worst thing that can happen to a weatherman is to get a big head. If he stays on the right track, someday we’ll all know the name Mitchell Harris.”

This week, the University of Kentucky announced their inevitable annual tuition hike. The 5% increase in tuition was met by displeasure and exasperation from most University students, however, a small subset of students reacted to the news with elation.

“Me and my fellow backpackers in the Camping Club are psyched,” Blossom Smith, president of the University of Kentucky’s Campus Rec Camping Club, told us. “Hiking is beautiful, getting in touch with nature is underrated in today’s social media age,” Smith said of walking around outside.

Since it appeared clear Smith didn’t really understand what “tuition hike” meant, we reached out to another unwashed student, and explained that tuition rates would be going up. “Tuition rates aren’t the only thing going up,” Moonbeam, or whatever weird name she said, told us. “On the tuition hike we’ll be headed up all sorts of places. We’ll be going down and around Red River Price Gouge (sic) and up to ‘The Pinnacles’ of Price. The great thing about the tuition hike is every time you think you’re at the peak you find out there is still more you haven’t seen yet.”

“After burning through all my extra money at Bonnaroo, I could really use the tuition credit,” Moonbeam continued, indicating she thought the simple act of her walking under the influence of mushrooms would somehow earn her a scholarship. University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto responded by shaking his head and muttering, “This is why a tuition hike is needed. We obviously need to be able to pay for better professors.”

It became apparent from our conversations that many of the students in the Camping Club were taking full advantage of their opportunities for ‘higher’ education. “It’s a good thing they’re in the Camping Club,” University Spokesperson Tammy Fulton said. “Because next year there is no way they’ll be able to afford to live in the dorms.”