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Sunday January 25, 2026
Local Connection
The 2016 Kentucky State Fair is coming up on us quickly. The fair will run August 18th – 28th at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center here in Louisville.
Admission is $10 per person (children under 5 are admitted free) at the gate, but advanced tickets can be purchased online or at your local Kroger for $6. Any person who rides the city bus , TARC, from 4th St. downtown to Gate 4 during the fair will receive discounted admission at the gate. Parking is $8 per car and $20 per bus at the gate. Discounted parking can be purchased the Expo Center ticket office and Kroger for $5. There will not be any free parking available at the Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium this year. Some days will have special promotions:
- August 21 – Military Day: Free admission for active and retired military and their families, parking not included
- August 23 – Senior Day: Free admission for seniors 55 and older until 5;00 PM, parking not included
- August 24 – $20 Carload Day: $20 for every car, inlcuding parking
The Exhibition Hall opens at 9:00 AM daily and allows visitors to see a wide range of displays, including entries into the many contests, representatives from each county, LMPD, LG&E, and a flea market. Throughout the area, there will be daily shows, such as acrobatic performances, educational exhibits, BMX bike performances, music performances, dog tricks, cooking demonstrations, and even comedy shows. You can also watch people compete in the annual talent show, the World’s Championship Saddlebred Horse Show, Cheer & Dance Championship, and the cooking competitions.
No fair is complete without carnival rides for entertainment. The Midway will run throughout the entire fair, with rides opening at 12:00 PM on Friday – Sundays, and 2:00 PM on Monday through Thursdays. Rides do cost extra and wristbands are only good for one day. Wristbands can be purchased at the fair for: adults – $25 and children 12 and under that are also shorter than 56″ – $12. Discounted wristbands can be purchased online for $20 (no discount on child wristbands) through August 17th. During Military Day (August 21st), with proper military ID, military members and their families will be able to purchase wristbands for $10.
There is a large selection of food vendors to visit. Fried foods reign supreme, but you will be able to enjoy barbecue pork and beef from local farms and other fair treats, including hot dogs, hamburgers, gyros, french fries, funnel cakes, and the donut burger. There’s even the opportunity to bid on prized-country hams during the 53rd Annual Kentucky Country Ham Breakfast and Auction on August 25th.
Admission also gives access to the nightly Turf Concert series, which will feature performances by ABBA, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Chris Janson, Oak Ridge Boys, and Rachel Platten to name a few. There will also be three Main Stage concerts that cost extra, but the ticket price includes gate admission. These concerts will feature Reba McEntire, Jeff Dunham, and Chris Young and Brett Eldredge.
With over 600,000 visitors to last year’s State Fair, and the hope that this year will see an increase in attendance, the 2016 Kentucky State Fair will be a hot spot of activity this year.
There are a few options in Jefferson County this year if you’re looking for a way to celebrate the Fourth of July.
July 3: Louisville Orchestra on the Waterfront. Event begins at 5:00 PM, concert starts at 8:30 PM and fireworks will follow the Louisville Bats game. Admission is free
July 3: Lousiville Bats will be playing the Gwinnett Braves starting at 6:45 PM. Fireworks will be after the game. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online. Admission starts at $10.
July 4: LouCity will be playing Montreal starting at 7:30 PM. Fireworks will follow the game. Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate. Admission starts at $15.
July 4: The Crescent Hill 4th of July Festival is a two day event that starts on the 3rd. Event runs 10:00 AM until 10:00 PM both days with fireworks on the 4th.
July 4: Fort Knox 4th of July Celebration at Brooks Field from 5PM until 10:30PM features live music, kids activities, hot air balloon rides, inflatables, and fireworks at 10:15PM. Open to the public. Don’t miss the Salute to the Nation from 8:45-9:40PM.
The Metro City Council rejected a proposal from Metropolitan Sewer District to increase rates by 20% to help fund maintenance and replacement projects. Instead, customers will see a 6.9% increase starting in August. This is the largest rate hike that MSD can implement without prior approval from the city council.
Customers should expect to see their bills increase by about $3,40 per month.
Louisville Metro Council approved unanimously the $822 million budget that Mayor Greg Fischer proposed earlier this year. There were some adjustments made, totaling ~$10 million.
Some of the changes made that were increased include: $5 million for road repairs, $1 million for sidewalk repair, ~$200,000 for surveillance equipment for LMPD, and ~$450,000 to Louisville Metro Corrections for repairs and improvements
Some cuts that were made: $100,000 to the tree-planting program, and $150,000 to the bicycle network.
As of right now, there are three Jefferson County Board of Education seats that have no candidates running. The deadline to file is in less than two months, August 9th by 4:00 PM.
The three positions are: District 2, which includes parts of Newburg, Germantown and St. Matthews, and all of Crescent Hill and Highlands; District 4 which is a large portion of the southwestern part of the county; and District 7 which is a large part of the southeastern part of the county. The seats are currently held by David Jones, Jr., Chuck Haddaway, and Chris Brady respectively.
To run for the school board, a candidate must: be at least 24 years old, be a citizen of KY, be a voter within the district for the seat being sought, have a high school diploma or equivalent, may not hold a state office, not have a relative employed by the school district, and not involved directly or indirectly with sales with school funds. The term is 4 years if elected. School board members are not paid a salary, instead they receive $75 per meeting that is attended, up to $3,000 per year.
The filing fee is $20 and sample forms can be found on Secretary of State’s website. For more information on running, potential candidates should contact the County Clerk’s Office.
Governor Matt Bevin has announced a plan to rebuild the state’s Medicaid system. Bevin has plans to apply for a 1115 waiver and if approved, would allow the state government to create its own Medicaid program.
Bevin’s plan is called “Helping to Engage and Achieve Long Term Health” (HEALTH). A complete draft of the proposal is available online. During the Affordable Care Act implementation, the state’s Medicaid program was expanded and saw participation increase by more than 60%. Starting next year, Kentucky tax payers will have to start paying for a portion of that expansion, and the expected cost is $1.2 billion over the next five years. If the HEALTH plan is approved, the plan is expected to save taxpayers over $2 billion.
It estimated that nearly 1.2 million Kentuckians will be transitioned into the new HEALTH plan. The plan is different from traditional Medicaid, it is targeted for individuals that were added in the expansion, by requiring a monthly premium, $1 – $15, depending on income. The monthly payments will be in place of a co-payment when seeking care. For individuals that are 100% or more above the federal poverty level, after two years, the premiums will increase incrementally, to help transition those individuals into private insurance. There will be added incentives to help purchase additional coverage, such as dental and vision can be added for smoking cessation and weight loss.There will not be a work requirement, but able-bodied adults are expected to participate in activities, such as education, community service, or job skills training, to maintain eligibility. Individuals that would have been eligible for Medicaid prior to the ACA implementation will still be eligible for standard Medicaid coverage.
Comments on the proposal are being accepted and can be emailed to kyhealth@ky.gov mailed to :
Commissioner Stephen Miller, Department for Medicaid Services, 275 E. Main Street, Frankfort, KY 40621
There will also be three formal, public hearings throughout the state:
- Tuesday, June 28th at 10:00 AM, CT at Western Kentucky University’s Knicely Conference Center Auditorium, 2355 Nashville Rd Bowling Green, KY 42101
- Wednesday, June 28 at 1:00 PM, ET at Kentucky Capitol Annex, 702 Capital Ave. Frankfort, KY 40601
- Wednesday July 6 at 11:00 AM, ET at Hazard Community and Technical College Campus, Room 208, Jolly Classroom Center, 1 Community College Drive, Hazard, KY 41701
Comments must be received by July 22, end of the day. After the comment period has been closed, all comments will be reviewed an revisions may be made before submitting the waiver proposal.
A research team from the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville has received a $5 million grant to fund the “4 Your Child Project”. The project is hoping to connect fathers, who do not have custody of their children, with resources to enable them to be an active part of their children’s lives.
The program is working with the Kentucky Office of Child Support Enforcement to help fathers. The program hopes to help about 1500 families. The program features group-based parent education and individual case management that will help these fathers become financially independent and develop parents skills to become responsible fathers.
More information about the project can be found on the 4 Your Child’s website.
