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Mayor Greg Fischer announced today that a public-private partnership to help people who are visually impaired find points of interest in Louisville will expand, thanks to a $250,000 grant from the James Graham Brown Foundation.
The Indoor Explorer program, which is operated by the American Printing House for the Blind and created in partnership with the city’s Office for Civic Innovation, places low-power Bluetooth beacons in public buildings that feed information about amenities and points of interest to an app called Nearby Explorer.
People who are visually impaired will use this information to independently find their way through and around the public buildings to find features, such as an airline ticket counter at the airport.
“The American Printing House for the Blind is a nationally recognized leader in innovation, and so is Louisville Metro Government — so this is a natural partnership,” Mayor Fischer said. “This program will expand opportunities for citizens and visitors with vision loss, and is another example of big ideas becoming a reality in Louisville through collaboration, good thinking and hard work.”
The grant will fund the installation of low-power Bluetooth beacons inside additional public buildings, expanding the uses of the Nearby Explorer app for independent travel, employment, civic engagement, tourism, education, dining, recreation, shopping and more. The beacons will also improve indoor navigation — which is limited under current technology — for app users who are blind and visually impaired.
“We are energized by Mayor Fischer’s commitment to making APH’s vision of a world where people who are blind or visually impaired can work, learn and live without barriers a reality here in Louisville,” said APH President Craig Meador. “Working together we have the opportunity to show the world what a truly welcoming community looks like by making Louisville the most accessible city for people who are blind and visually impaired.”
The project aligns with Louisville Metro’s Smart City initiatives, which also include the Waze app for traffic notifications, collaboration with the app IFTTT, and the LouieLab civic innovation space in downtown Louisville.
Attorney General Andy Beshear and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey are calling on health insurance companies to assist in finding workable solutions to the nation’s opioid epidemic.
Beshear and Morrisey, who will officially make the announcement at 1:30 p.m. today in West Virginia, are joining with 36 other state attorneys general to press health insurance companies to adopt a financial incentive structure for the use of non-opioid pain management techniques when viable for chronic, non-cancer pain.
The AGs are reaching out to insurance companies to promote non-opioid pain management alternatives that may not be currently covered at the same level as prescription opioids.
“Nearly 80 percent of heroin users first become addicted through prescription pills,” Beshear said. “If we can reduce opioid prescriptions and use other forms of pain management treatment, we will slow or even reverse the rate of addiction.”
Beshear said the issue is not a Republican or Democratic issue, and thanks AG Morrisey for continuing his nonstop efforts to work with the Kentucky Office of Attorney General to find workable solutions to the opioid epidemic.
Kentucky, like West Virginia, is facing the challenge of “our lifetime” with its drug epidemic, Beshear said, who joined Morrisey and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine last year for an addiction summit in West Virginia.
“We have to ensure that financial incentives, or a lack thereof, for the provision of certain items and services do not contribute unintentionally to this deadly problem,” Morrisey said.
Insurance companies can play an important role in reducing opioid prescriptions and making it easier for patients to access other forms of pain management treatment, the AGs said.
“Simply asking providers to consider providing alternative treatments is impractical in the absence of a supporting incentive structure,” the AGs said. “All else being equal, providers will often favor those treatment options that are most likely to be compensated either by the government, an insurance provider or a patient paying out-of-pocket.”
The AGs want to create a dialogue with the entire insurance industry concerning its incentive structure along with state insurance commissioners in an effort to identify best practices.
Beshear is co-chair on the National Association of Attorneys General Substance Abuse Committee.
Beshear’s participation in this initiative is the latest effort in his ongoing work to address the opioid crisis in Kentucky.
In August, he launched the Kentucky Opioid Disposal Program, the state’s first initiative to allow Kentuckians to safely dispose of opioid medications at home. The program has the potential to dispose of more than 2.2 million unused opioids.
In June, Beshear announced that his office intends to file multiple lawsuits against drug manufacturers, distributors and retailers where there is evidence that they contributed to the opioid epidemic by illegally marketing and selling opioids to Kentuckians.
To support this litigation, Beshear issued a request for proposal (RFP) for legal services to assist the Commonwealth in multiple lawsuits and to ensure that Kentucky tax dollars are not used for the costs of the litigations.
The AG’s office previously settled a $24 million lawsuit with Purdue Pharma regarding OxyContin. Beshear’s office has provided $8 million from that settlement directly to 15 substance treatment centers across Kentucky.
From a different drug company settlement, the office dedicated $2 million to expand and enhance Rocket Docket programs that expedite drug cases, generate significant cost savings and allow select defendants rapid access to substance abuse treatment.
Beshear is currently working with local law enforcement and community leaders to host substance abuse awareness forums across the state. The office has also been instrumental in numerous drug related arrests, including working with federal authorities on arresting a fentanyl dealer whose drugs had killed several Kentuckians.
Bordering state AGs participating in this effort include Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Virginia and West Virginia.
Attorney General Andy Beshear today joined with 33 attorneys general to send a letter demanding that Equifax take immediate steps to strengthen customer protections and improve services to the nearly 143 million people impacted by the massive data breach.
“I share Kentuckians frustration surrounding this data breach and that is why I am asking Equifax to move quickly to alleviate unnecessary confusion and improve customer service,” said Beshear. “The victims of a data breach should never have to pay to freeze their credit, nor should they have to face inadvertently signing up for a costly program instead of the free service.”
In the letter, Beshear demands Equifax stop using its own data breach as an opportunity to sell services to victims, and specifically requests the company disable fee-based credit monitoring services and reimburse customers for any fees they have paid to other credit reporting agencies for a credit freeze.
Beshear said in the wake of the data breach, Equifax is asking customers to visit their website where they can enroll in a free credit monitoring service – yet, the website also offers customers a fee-based credit monitoring service, thereby causing confusion and creating the potential for a customer to incur unnecessary fees.
General Beshear has demanded that Equifax resolve this issue by disabling information that leads to the fee-based services until the sign-up period for the free service has ended.
Beshear said Equifax has also agreed to waive credit freeze fees for customers, but the other two credit bureaus, which are not responsible for the breach, Experian and Transunion, continue to charge fees. The attorneys general are asking Equifax to take steps to reimburse consumers who incur these fees as a result of the breach.
The letter also relays consumer complaints expressing difficulty locating the Equifax breach hotline number and long wait times reaching customer service. In response, the AGs ask Equifax to properly staff the hotline and make it available 24 hours a day.
Earlier this week, Beshear issued a Scam Alert to help make Kentuckians aware of the Equifax data breach, and provided instructions on how to sign up for the free credit monitoring service and guidance on how to avoid and respond to identity theft.
Beshear wants Kentuckians to know that his office will continue to monitor the company’s response and asks Kentuckians to take immediate steps to closely monitor their credit and report any suspicious credit activity to his office’s Security Breach hotline, 855-813-6508.
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell previewed the annual publication of delinquent child support obligors Thursday that will be printed in The Courier-Journal on Sunday, September 17 and available online the same day.
The office’s Child Support Division has collected a total of $15.2 million, sent wage withholding orders to 11,450 employers and found 18,911 new addresses that are directly attributable to the lists printed each year since 2005. This year’s theme is “Get in the Game. When Adults Pay, Kids Win.”
“Everyone in Jefferson County can get in the game and help track down those who are not fulfilling their obligation to their children,” O’Connell said. “Please contact my office if you know the address or the employer of someone on this year’s delinquent child support list.”
Starting Sunday, this year’s list of 1,473 names can be found online at www.louisvilleky.gov/countyattorney. Only 506 names appear in the printed insert, with this year’s focus on cases with an outstanding child support warrant.
“Each person on my child support staff is committed to connecting kids and families to the money that is rightfully theirs,” O’Connell said. “Outstanding warrants clog our courts, frustrate families and, most importantly, may cut off support to deserving children.”
Child support collection offers a strong return on investment of public dollars. For every $1 spent, federal child support programs collect $5.25. In Kentucky that figure rises to $6.45 for every $1 spent.
Anyone with information that could help locate someone on the list should call the Jefferson County Attorney’s child support tip line at (502) 574-0821, go online to www.louisvilleky.gov/countyattorney or visit the office at 315 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd.
2017 Delinquent Child Support Fact Sheet
- Names in Insert and on Website: 1,473
- Insert: 506
- Total arrearage for Insert and website: $57,058,297.73
- Highest Male arrearage: $232,521.47
- Highest Female arrearage: $61,262.96
Females (232) make up 15.75 percent of the list this year’s list, compared with 84.25 percent for males (1,241)
Insert History
Eleven previous annual inserts have collected a total of $15.2 million
General Child Support Information for Office of the Jefferson County Attorney
- 146 Child Support employees
- 15 attorneys
- $65+ million collected last year (17% of state’s total collections)
- 55,629 open cases
- Only office in the state with a dedicated cash window, located at 315 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd.
- Only office in the state with child support detectives (eight).
Authority: KRS 405.411
The Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ designee under KRS 205.712(6) for…
the administration of child support may compile a list of the names of persons under its jurisdiction who have a child support arrearage that equals or exceeds six (6) months without payment, or fails, after receiving appropriate notice, to comply with subpoenas or warrants relating to paternity or child support proceedings as provided by 42 U.S.C. sec. 666(a)(16). The cabinet may furnish this list to the newspaper of general circulation in that county for publication.
General Criteria for Both Lists
Each year the theme and/or dollar amount will change but the following criteria is used on a yearly basis.
- Child support arrearage that equals or exceeds 6 months without a payment
- Open IV-D case (a person has applied for our services)
- Obligor is not incarcerated
- The case is not pending closure
- The obligor does not receive Supplement Social Security Income (SSI) as far as we know
- At least one of the obligor’s cases has been audited
- Mother and child reside in Jefferson County
For 2017, Obligors in the printed insert have an outstanding child support warrant and a delinquency of at least $1,000.
Elk photos from Starfire WMA Oct. 27, 2005. Photos taken by Dave Baker.
The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission modified the elk voucher cooperator and elk restoration permit program and boating regulations at its quarterly meeting Sept. 8.
The Commission recommends all hunting, fishing and boating regulations for approval by the General Assembly and approves all expenditures by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. All recommendations must be approved by legislators before they become law.
In wildlife-related business, the Commission proposed modifying the point system used for the Voucher Cooperator Elk Permit and the Elk Restoration Permit programs in an effort to increase landowner participation. Commissioners voted to reduce the number of points needed by participating landowners to receive an elk permit. Commission members also recommended requiring elk guides to report elk wounded by clients.
In other wildlife-related business, commissioners proposed adding a third quota fox hunting field trail at Clay Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Nicholas County for the last weekend in February. They also recommended changes to testing and permitting requirements for falconry.
In boating-related business, the commission recommended creating a maximum centerline length of 24 feet for monohull boats with seating for at least eight passengers on the following lakes: Guist Creek Lake in Shelby County, Cedar Creek Lake in Lincoln County, Lake Beshear in Caldwell and Christian counties and Lake Malone in Muhlenberg, Todd and Logan counties.
If approved by legislators, the boating regulation proposed at the meeting would take effect March 1, 2018.
The next Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting is currently scheduled for 8:30 a.m. (Eastern time), Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. Meetings are held in Frankfort at Kentucky Fish and Wildlife headquarters, 1 Sportsman’s Lane. Commission meetings are open for the public.
The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission unanimously recommended today that the department increase prices for some resident Kentucky hunting and fishing licenses.
The Commission is the guiding body for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. It took the action during its September quarterly meeting. It will be the first resident license price increase in more than a decade, and the first increase of the senior and disabled sportsman’s licenses since their inceptions in 1999.
The Commission recommends all hunting, fishing and boating regulations for approval by the General Assembly and approves all expenditures by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. All recommendations must be approved by legislators before they become law.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife relies primarily on license sales and federal excise taxes from the sale of hunting and fishing equipment for its revenue. It does not receive state General Fund money, such as those derived from income taxes or property taxes. The Department manages more than 600,000 acres for public use and stocks nearly 10 million fish each year. Hunting, fishing, boating and wildlife watching generate an estimated $5.9 billion to Kentucky’s economy each year.
The Commission’s recommendation includes resident hunting licenses, fishing licenses, combination hunting/fishing licenses, senior and disabled sportsman’s licenses and joint fishing licenses for spouses.
“Periodic license price increases are necessary to keep pace with inflation and general costs of living,” said Commission Chairman Jimmy Bevins. “We usually project that an increase will last five years, but solid fiscal management historically has allowed us to make them last much longer.”
The Department’s last three resident rate changes happened in 1992, 1999 and 2007. License and permit fees for non-residents increased to help offset rising operational costs in 2014, but resident fees remained unchanged at the time.
Commission members said they took the action to help offset the rising costs of operating the Department’s three summer camps and the Salato Wildlife Education Center. In addition, increased revenue also will be utilized for increased conservation law enforcement efforts across the Commonwealth.
The three summer camps annually graduate more than 5,000 youth. The Salato Wildlife Education Center, located on the main Kentucky Fish and Wildlife campus, hosts more than 50,000 visitors each year.
“These programs are one main reason why Kentucky continues to see robust participation in hunting and fishing despite decreases seen in surrounding states,” said Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Gregory K. Johnson. “Our children are our future sportsmen and sportswomen, and our future leaders.
“These license increases help the Department maintain a commitment and solid investment in outdoor education of our youth,” said Johnson. “Revenue also will support a more complete law enforcement presence across the state, and improved law enforcement recruitment and retention.”
“We operate almost entirely from user fees derived from hunting and fishing license sales, and federal excise taxes generated by the sale of hunting, fishing and shooting equipment and ammunition,” said Bevins. “Other Kentucky state agencies are largely funded by General Fund tax dollars.”
“The new rates for residents would not happen until the 2018 license year,” said Bevins, “so that means we will have made our last increase last for 11 years – more than twice the original projection.”
The Commission voted to increase a resident hunting license from its current $20 to $27, a resident fishing license from $20 to $23, a combination resident hunting/fishing license from $30 to $42 and the resident joint fishing license for spouses from $36 to $42.
Currently, the senior and disabled sportsman’s licenses provide $165 worth of licenses and permits for $5. A resident sportsman’s license cost $95.
Under the Commission action, the senior and disabled sportsman’s licenses would increase to $18. In 2007, Kentucky sold 90,184 of these licenses. Kentucky’s aging society caused that number to reach 120,426 by 2016, with that number projected to continue increasing.
“We surveyed senior and disabled license holders across Kentucky and had a strong response,” said Bevins. “Nearly three quarters said they would continue to purchase a license even if it was as much as $20.
“I believe the support from our seniors is a direct reflection of their own memories and experiences,” he said. “They remember when all deer hunting in Kentucky was prohibited prior to 1956 because there were very few deer, and when there were no wild turkey, elk or bears, or fish hatcheries to raise and stock fish.
“Today our fish and wildlife populations are healthy and abundant, and our management program is a national model. Our seniors know better than most that our conservation camps and school programs are helping to leave a better natural Kentucky for their children and grandchildren,” Bevins said.
For the third consecutive year, property tax rates will go down for Louisville residents, according to Metro Government’s Office of Management and Budget.
“The benefits of our economic momentum reach Metro residents in many ways,” said Mayor Fischer. “A decrease in property tax rates is one of them.”
This year, the countywide Metro real property tax rate will go from 12.45 cents per $100 assessed value to 12.35 cents. That change amounts to a one dollar savings for every $100,000 of assessed property value.
“Continued growth in our local economy and a strong real estate market are drivers of the downward movement in our property tax rates,” said Metro Chief Financial Officer Daniel Frockt.
The Urban Service District real property tax rate will hold steady this year at 35.38 cents per $100 assessed value according to a property tax ordinance filed today with Metro Council.
Both real property tax rates are at their lowest level since merger.
Property taxes fund approximately 25 percent of the city’s budget.
Metro residents have an opportunity to comment on the proposed property tax rates during a public hearing at noon on Thursday, Sept. 14, in room 106 at Metro Hall.
Once Metro Council approves the ordinance, the rates take effect on property tax bills released by the sheriff in early November.