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Saturday December 6, 2025
Local Connection
Fan Fair giveaway event held on July 16
Thanks to the generosity of local businesses, community organizations, and residents, hundreds of electric fans have been collected to provide heat relief for seniors and people with disabilities. A “Fan Fair” giveaway event is scheduled for Saturday, July 16 from 9 a.m. – 12 p. m. at the United Steelworkers Local 1693 headquarters, 1233 S 10th St.
Fans will be available for seniors 60 and older, as well as for individuals with physical disabilities, on a first-come, first-served basis. Fan Fair qualifications and guidelines:
- Person 60 years or older
- OR documentation verified by a physician of a physical disability
- Resident of Jefferson, Oldham, Henry, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble or Bullitt counties
- Proof of address and age
- One fan per household
A Health Fair will coincide with the fan giveaway event to provide basic health checks and information from local resources. Participating vendors include AARP, Kentuckiana Regional Planning & Development Agency (KIPDA), Stroke Association of Kentucky & Southern Indiana, Sickle Cell Association of Kentuckiana, U of L School of Dentistry, the Local Long Term Care Ombudsman, and Louisville Metro Community Services. Louisville Pure Tap water will also be provided.
Fan Fair is sponsored by KIPDA Area Agency on Aging and Independent Living and Louisville Metro Office for Aging & Disabled Citizens (OADC). These organizations joined forces a few weeks ago to implement a fan drive when it became apparent there was a need in the community because of the many calls they were receiving.
The fan drive ended July 8 with more than 250 fans being donated, and more than $2,200 in monetary donations received to purchase additional fans. Some of the many donors include:
- AARP
- Diversicare -Highlands Healthcare and Rehabilitation
- Electrician’s Union #396
- Fastsigns Inc.
- Louisville Elks Lodge #8
- Home Depot
- Lowes
- Park Community Federal Credit Union
- 310 Tempering
- United Steelworkers Local 1693
- WLKY
- Numerous Individual Donors
- Local churches
WLKY served as the media partner providing both on-air and on-line advertising to promote the fan collection and serving as one of the donation drop-off sites. The United Steelworkers Union provided multiple levels of support including collecting fan donations, offering their headquarters for the event venue and recruiting staff and volunteers to help with the fan distribution.
“We are so very grateful for the incredible outpouring of support we’ve received from the Louisville community”, stated Sarah Teeters, Coordinator for OADC, part of Louisville Metro Community Services. “This level of need and interest will hopefully keep this program going every summer.”
“Providing these fans is an immediate step we can take to provide relief to vulnerable members of our community, I am elated that a conversation between two individuals – from two different agencies — turned into such a wonderful response from the community,” stated Jennifer Craig, Aging and Disability Resource Specialist for KIPDA.
Comic Expo Moving to New Venue for 2016
Fandom Fest is “Getting Nerdy Again in Louisville” July 29th through 31st.
The largest Comic Con in the region returns with another iteration of the popular event, which spans a total of seven days with the convention portion lasting the traditional three days.
Fandom Fest aims to draw the Anime, Comic Book, Pop Culture, Movie, TV, Scifi, Horror, Literary, Arts crowd by “bringing the best of popular culture to the region.” Fandom Fest, which has been operating in one form or another since it started as Fright Night more than a decade ago, is the flagship show of the event organizer’s multi-city tour.
Typically held downtown in past years, this year the event moves to the Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center at 937 Phillips Lane. Doors are open 4-10PM on Friday, 10AM-7PM on Saturday, and 11AM-4PM on Sunday. Tickets will be available at the door and are currently available online at discounted prices.
Celebrities slated to attend the 2016 Fandom Fest include comic book creator Stan Lee, Kevin Smith, Anthony Michael Hall, members of the bands N*Sync and Backstreet Boys, original Ultraman Satoshi Furuya, actors from zombie shows such as The Walking Dead and Z Nation, professional Cosplayers, and a star-studded lineup of the artists and authors of fans’ favorite works.
In addition to the celebrity meet-and-greets, photo-ops, and autograph sessions, Fandom Fest also features a large hall of exhibitors with comic books, graphic novels, accessories, memorabilia, services, and more for sale, as well as a full schedule of talks and presentations that is sure to have something for everyone.
For more information about the 2016 Fandom Fest, visit fandomfest.com.
Donald Trump’s campaign appears to be signaling that Indiana’s Governor Mike Pence is dropping his re-election bid in order to fill the position of the Republican front-runner’s VP.
Two other top choices for the vice-presidential candidacy, Sen. Joni Ernst and Sen. Bob Corker have both withdrawn from the list of potential picks. This comes after rumors have been swirling that Pence would be the choice, fueled by talk that other potential running mates were scheduled for speaking engagements at the upcoming Republican National Convention in Cleveland while Pence was not scheduled.
Pence represents a social conservative position on the GOP White House ticket. Republican strategists believe that he will draw more rank-and-file Republicans as well as providing fundraising power and conservative credibility on a range of issues on which some may have felt that Trump wavered.
Pence was facing tomorrow’s deadline to decide whether or not he would seek reelection as governor of Indiana. This means that the Indiana Republican State Committee will determine the GOP candidate for governor for the first time in the state’s history. The 22-member committee has 30 days to chose a replacement once Pence officially withdraws from a reelection bid.
A formal announcement of the VP pick is expected in Manhattan tomorrow ahead of the convention, which begins next week. Following yesterday’s tragic events in Nice, France, the Trump campaign decided to postpone the announcement conference. Trump, instead, opted to tweet out the announcement:
I am pleased to announce that I have chosen Governor Mike Pence as my Vice Presidential running mate. News conference tomorrow at 11:00 A.M.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2016
At Tuesday’s Wake Up Wind Down event in conjunction with “Louisville Business First,” Greater Louisville Inc., the metro chamber of commerce, named the 30 companies in the running for the 2016 Inc.credible Awards. The annual awards celebrate small businesses within the Greater Louisville region.
GLI is pleased to recognize small businesses in six categories this year. All finalists are listed below in alphabetical order. Continue reading
Newly created bond fund to modernize facilities, better equip Kentucky’s workforce
Gov. Matt Bevin and Education and Workforce Development Secretary Hal Heiner today announced the launch of the Kentucky Work Ready Skills Initiative. This new $100 million statewide bond program is aimed at developing a highly trained, modernized workforce in the Commonwealth to meet the needs of employers and promote sustainable incomes for Kentuckians.
“As I travel the state, I hear repeatedly from employers about the shortage of workers with the skills needed to get the job done,” said Gov. Bevin. “Making this problem worse, is the fact that Kentucky’s workforce as a percent of its population is currently one of the smallest in the nation.
“We must work diligently to be more economically competitive and create more jobs. We intend to make Kentucky the manufacturing and logistical center of excellence in America. This will start with having the most highly skilled and well trained workforce in the country. To accomplish this, we will better align our education systems and our workforce needs. This is exactly why we have created the Work Ready Skills Initiative.”
This bond fund infuses resources to expand career and technical education facilities and to upgrade equipment in those schools to current and future industry standards through local partnerships between private industry and educational institutions. The locally driven initiatives will train and educate workers to meet the workforce needs of Kentucky’s employers now and in the future.
“The Work Ready Skills Initiative will bring industry together in partnership with educational institutions like KCTCS (Kentucky Community and Technical College System) to propose workforce training projects that lead straight to jobs,” said Sec. Heiner. “Proposals will be detailed and require industry to come together with the regional community and provide a local source of funds to match the state’s investment.”
The initiative was passed and funded by the General Assembly in the recent biennial budget and will be administered by the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet with support from the Cabinet for Economic Development. Proposals will require at least 10 percent match by local partners. Applications will support locally developed projects that include the participation of a private employer, educational agency and other interested local and regional partners, so that the plan is tailored to the workforce and industry needs of the area. Continue reading
Rates Now Unchanged Since 2008 – 12.2¢ per $100
According to a release from the Jefferson County PVA, the Kentucky Department of Revenue has set the 2016 State Real Property Tax Rate at 12.2 cents per $100 of assessed value. Kentucky Revised Statute 132.020 requires the Department of Revenue to set the real property rate no later than July 1 of each year.
This rate is based on the revenue generated from the increase in taxable real property assessments from 2015 to 2016 as calculated after meeting the requirements of KRS 132.020 and KRS 133.110. Because the total real property assessment increase for 2016 did not exceed 4 percent, the state rate will remain the same as the 2015 rate, 12.2 cents per $100 of assessed value.
All of the revenue generated from the state property tax rate will go into the state’s general fund.
With the summer travel season upon us, state and local authorities are working with retailers to prevent thieves from stealing consumers’ data at fuel pumps, Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles announced recently.
“This form of identity theft, known as card skimming, is exploding around the world,” Commissioner Quarles said. “Losses due to skimming are expected to exceed $3 billion globally this year. Kentucky Department of Agriculture inspectors are on the lookout for evidence of skimming to protect Kentucky consumers and businesses.”
The KDA is charged with the task of inspecting motor fuel pumps in every retail establishment in the Commonwealth once a year. KDA inspectors test pumps to ensure that the amount of fuel dispensed matches the amount shown on the pump, and check to make sure pumps are in proper working order.
As part of the inspection, they look for signs that a pump has been compromised by thieves who install electronic devices called “skimmers” that capture data from consumers’ credit cards. The data is used to produce fake credit cards and make fraudulent charges on the victim’s account. Inspectors shut down any pump that may have been tampered with and report the incident to law enforcement authorities.
Jason Glass, assistant director of the KDA’s Division of Regulation and Inspection, said card readers on fuel pumps are especially susceptible to tampering because pumps often are located out of sight of an attendant.
Glass said retailers are taking action to prevent credit card skimming by installing proprietary locks on pumps, using security tape to seal the pumps, and logging the numbers on the tape to make sure the seal hasn’t been broken and replaced. Some pumps shut down when they are entered unlawfully, Glass said. Credit card companies are deploying technology to make credit cards harder to skim, he said.
Glass said consumers can help themselves by looking for signs that a pump has been tampered with, such as locks that appear to have been compromised, doors that may have been pried open, and security tape that is broken or doesn’t adhere to the pump.
Consumers may report suspected tampering to the retailer, law enforcement, or the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. To submit a report to the KDA, call (502) 573-0282 or email ag.web@ky.gov. Please include the retailer’s name and location, the pump number, and the fuel grade.
