Weather
Traffic
@LouisvilleDispatch
@LouisvilleDisp
Subscribe
Saturday January 24, 2026
Local Connection
Today marked the 60th anniversary for the St. James Court Art Show here in Louisville. The show continues all weekend and features over 700 artists from around the country and in many different medias. Everything from clay to clothes to photography will be represented. The festival also provides one scholarship per year to a talented high school student studying art. The festival takes up multiple blocks in the Old Louisville neighborhood near Central Park and street closure information is available for the area.
Parking is available around town and shuttles are provided from some of the garages or patrons can look at for TARC schedules that go to the area. If you are considering visiting the show this weekend, you should know that the show will go on rain or shine. Be sure to dress appropriately and be prepared for the rain. Admission is free and the event is open to everyone. On Saturday, the show opens at 10 AM and goes until 6 PM and on Sunday, the show opens at 10 AM and goes until 5 PM. Even though the festival is outside, please leave your pets at home as they will not be admitted into the show area.
Responding to new contracts for its vehicle hose assemblies, Yokohama Industries Americas Inc. plans to hire 134 full-time employees and invest $5.2 million in new equipment at its plant in Versailles, Gov. Matt Bevin announced today.
“This expansion by Yokohama and the new employment it will create further strengthens the Commonwealth’s 
automotive industry. This is a great day for Kentucky,” Gov. Bevin said. “We are grateful for Yokohama’s increased investment in Kentucky and look forward to their continued success.”
The project will add two new production lines at Yokohama’s Hose Division plant at 105 Industry Drive. The facility currently employs about 300 people producing and distributing hose assemblies for vehicle air conditioning, power steering and transmission oil cooler systems.
“Yokohama Industries Americas Inc. appreciates the great support provided by Kentucky’s Cabinet for Economic Development, the City of Versailles and Woodford County. Yokohama is very pleased to work with strong government team focused on expanding the automotive business in Kentucky and creating new jobs in the region,” said company President Yasu Tajima.
Yokohama Industries America is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd., which was founded in 1917 as a joint venture between Yokohama Cable Manufacturing and B.F. Goodrich Co. The Versailles facility, one of two Yokohama plants in the city, opened in 1989.
Sen. Julian Carroll, of Frankfort, said the region’s many assets will continue to make the Yokohama plant a success.
“Congratulations to Yokohama on its upcoming expansion. Versailles, Woodford County, and the surrounding region welcome the growth that will be generated and stand ready with a skilled workforce to meet any future needs,” Sen. Carroll said.
Rep. James Kay, of Versailles, said community members are proud to have Yokohama as part of the business community and Woodford County family.
“Yokohama’s decision to expand in our community is further proof that Woodford County is open for business,” Rep. Kay said. “Our people are our biggest asset and I am pleased that Yokohama recognizes our valuable workforce and is willing to invest and create more jobs in Versailles. Woodford County is an ideal place to do business. I’m proud to help grow new jobs and build our economy as we attract new business and industry to our community while helping those already here grow and thrive.”
Woodford County Judge-Executive John Coyle praised Yokohama for its expansion and ongoing commitment.
“Yokohama has long been an important part of our corporate family and we are delighted to assist them with this latest expansion,” Judge Coyle said. “Their expansion represents approximately $5 million and 134 new jobs for Woodford County. We want to thank the State of Kentucky’s Economic Development Cabinet and Woodford EDA for their hard work but most of all, Yokohama for their continued confidence in our community and its workforce.”
Versailles Mayor Brian Traugott expressed gratitude for Yokohama’s decision to expand its operations in Versailles.
“This company has been a great corporate citizen over the years,” Mayor Traugott said. “Their decision to invest more speaks volumes about all that our community has to offer and the workforce we have. I want to thank everyone who had a hand in making this possible.”
Yokohama can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives. Last year, the Kentucky Skills Network trained more than 84,000 employees from more than 5,600 Kentucky companies.
The next General Election will be held Tuesday, November 8th. Polls will open at 6:00 AM and close at 6:00 PM. Anyone arriving at a polling location after 6:00 PM will not be eligible to vote. As long as you are in line to vote before 6:00 PM, you will have the opportunity to vote. If you have not already registered to vote, you have until October 11th to register. If you do not know if you are registered to vote, you can check your status through the State Board of Elections online.
Sample ballots are already available on-line. Since there are a variety of state and local elections this year in addition to the federal elections, you will need to visit the Jefferson County Clerk website to see the sample ballot that is appropriate for your location. Once at the website, you will need to type in the address for which you are registered to vote.
If you cannot vote on election day, absentee voting has already started. Voters who cannot possibly make it to the polling location due to work, illness, or any number of other reasons, can vote early by going to the new Election Center located on W. Ormbsy Ave. To see if you qualify for early voting, visit the Jefferson County Clerk’s website. If you qualify to vote early, you may qualify for a mail-in ballot. Applications can be located online and applications are accepted until November 1st.
As a registered voter, you have certain rights and responsibilities, including access to voting assistance, to vote in privacy, follow all federal and state voting laws and to keep your voter registration up-to-date. It is a crime to impersonate another person to vote, to vote under a false name, to vote more than once in an election and to influence another person’s vote through the use of force, threat or bribery. Anyone can report election fraud by reporting it to the election officers at a polling location, calling the county or state board of elections, or contacting the state’s Attorney General directly at 800-328-8683.
JCPS elementary school one of 329 nationwide to earn distinction by U.S. Education Secretary
Today Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens announced that Schaffner Traditional Elementary has been selected as a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Education Secretary. The award, given to 329 schools across the country, is based on the school’s overall academic excellence or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.
“I am proud to lead a school district that is focused on raising the achievement of every child in every school,” said Dr. Hargens. “Congratulations to Principal Phil Poore and his teachers for achieving this prestigious honor for our district.”
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools where students achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap. The award affirms the hard work of students, educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging content.
“We are very excited to receive the 2016 National Blue Ribbon Award for excellence in education,” said Schaffner Principal Phil Poore. “This honor is a testament to the committed partnership between our parents, our staff and our students for the success of all.”
All schools are recognized in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates:
- Exemplary High Performing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
- Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s subgroups and all students over the past five years.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools flag gracing a school’s building is a widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning. National Blue Ribbon Schools are an inspiration and a model for schools still striving for excellence.
Now in its 34th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed this coveted award on fewer than 8,500 schools. On Nov. 7 and 8, the department will formally recognize the 279 public and 50 private schools at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.
The department invites National Blue Ribbon School nominations from the top education official in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Bureau of Indian Education. The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) nominates private schools. A total of 420 schools nationwide may be nominated each year.
Educators qualify to compete for 2017 Teacher of the Year
Three teachers from the Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) District are among the 24 statewide named this week as recipients of the 2017 Valvoline Teacher Achievement Awards by the Kentucky Department of Education and Valvoline.
Winning teachers Carren Cook of Kenwood Elementary, Alexandra Howard of Barret Traditional Middle and Kip Hottman of Fern Creek High now qualify to compete for the 2017 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Award, which will be announced next month.
“I am extremely proud of these remarkable teachers who are highly deserving of this great recognition,” “Each Teacher Achievement Award recipient is selected by a process that includes recommendations from peers, students, parents and administrators – making this award a very special honor and true reflection of the dedication and passion these teachers have for their students and for learning.”
Judging was conducted in August by a blue-ribbon panel of veteran educators, many of whom have more than 25 years of teaching experience.
All 24 teachers will be honored at a ceremony in Frankfort on Oct. 19 in the State Capitol Building. State leaders and Valvoline company officials will honor the teachers and recognize the Kentucky Elementary, Middle and High School Teachers of the Year.
From this group of three finalists, the Kentucky Teacher of the Year will be named and will represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition.
More than 50 students from the Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) District are among the 16,000 
across the country competing for merit scholarships worth about $33 million.
Semifinalists in the 62nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program were announced last week by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. Semifinalists from JCPS include students from Atherton, Ballard, DuPont Manual, Eastern, Male Traditional and Seneca High. Those students are:
- Atherton High School’s Madison Dalton
- Ballard High School’s William Brennan and Leah Kasdan
- DuPont Manual High School’s Vaannila Annadurai, Andrea Ballena, Clare Bosco, Sylvia Bosco, Austin Bridges, Veronica Chancy, Emily Coffield, John Cullen, Emily Dotson, Nicholas Dudzinski, Joshua Dye, Eleanor Ellis, Ryan Folz, Sara Frigui, Anna Gilbert, Rebecca Goldberg, Catherine Ho, Morgan Horsley, Lavanya Kanneganti, Jacob Keisling, Jumin Kim, Austin Kline, Sanjana Kothari, Rohan Kulkarni, Sofia Labrecque Nieves, Emily Liu, Vincent Liu, Lydia Mason, Diya Mathur, Andrew McFarland, Nicole McGrath, Praharshasai Paladugu, Nelson Penn, Benjamin Ragsdell, Matthew Raj, Sterling Richmond, Abraham Riedel-Mishaan, Nathaniel Stromberg, Rishi Talati, Sneha Thirkannad, Mukund Venkatakrishnan, Carolyn Williams, Callie Wright and Manting Xu
- Eastern High School’s Silas Zoeller
- Male Traditional High School’s Cameron Fontes and Makenzi Mulkins
- Seneca High School’s Chloey Ramsey
“I am extremely proud of these remarkable students and what they have accomplished,” said JCPS Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens. “They are leaders – both in our schools and in our community. At JCPS, we’re producing some of the brightest students in the state and the country, and the accolades today are a reflection of the hard work of these students as well as the dedicated efforts of our teachers and staff.”
The students were among approximately 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools who entered the program by taking the 2015 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which serves as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
To become a finalist, the semifinalist and his or her high school must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.
From the approximately 16,000 semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the finalist level. Finalists will be announced between April and July of next year.
Councilman Kevin Kramer of District 11 and Councilman Stuart Benson of District 20 will be holding a town hall meeting tonight at the Jeffersontown Fire Department (10540 Watterson Trail). The meeting will start at 6:30 PM.
The councilmen will be present as well as officials for other local government agencies to answer any questions. The meeting will include an update on the Urton Lane Project.
For more information, contact the office of Councilman Stuart Benson at 574-1120.
