Friday January 30, 2026
Local Connection
Weather
Traffic
@LouisvilleDispatch
@LouisvilleDisp
Subscribe 
WHO:
Dr. Joann Schulte, Director, Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness
WHAT:
The Department of Public Health and Wellness is asking any Jefferson County/Louisville Metro resident who attended Camp Blanton in Harlan County, Ky., June 5 through June 22, to contact LMPHW communicable disease staff at 502-574-8200.
WHY:
Several dozen Jefferson County individuals who attended the camp from June 5 to June 22 may have been exposed to bats. It is not known at this time whether or not the bats had rabies. To err on the side of caution, LMPHW staff need to talk to these families to determine risk. LMPHW is working in conjunction with the state department of health and other county health departments to evaluate the exposures to bats.
MORE:
Residents outside of Jefferson County who attended this camp from June 5 through 22 should call their local health department.
As the current fiscal year ends, Attorney General Andy Beshear today announced that his office has returned nearly $8 million to the state’s General Fund from a variety of civil settlements over the last 12 months.
Included in that amount is $574,000 Beshear returned today to the state’s General Fund from a settlement with a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary. Combined with Beshear’s Bryant Heating and Cooling Co. Inc. settlement, the AG’s office has secured more than $1 million for the state this week.
The Johnson & Johnson settlement resolves allegations that McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division, which is now a division of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., promoted over-the-counter drugs as complying with federally mandated manufacturing standards even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that some of its manufacturing facilities were not in compliance with federal standards between 2009 and 2011.
The drugs include Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl, St. Joseph Aspirin, Sudafed, Pepcid, Mylanta, Rolaids, Zyrtec and Zyrtec Eye Drops – all manufactured and distributed by McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division.
“At a time when the state is facing a projected current fiscal year budget shortfall of $113 million, I’m proud my office is doing its part to secure millions of dollars for our state coffers,” Beshear said.
These civil settlements include Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. (MERS), Volkswagen, Hyundai-Kia, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Western Union, Target, Bryant Heating and Cooling Co. Inc. and Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc.
Beshear is currently in civil litigation against Johnson & Johnson and its medical device unit, Ethicon, for its deceptive marketing of surgical transvaginal mesh.
Gov. Matt Bevin today restored the right to vote and hold public office to 284 more prior offenders who have completed their respective sentences and have applied for restoration of their civil rights.
The orders are pending final background reviews by the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. They exclude individuals convicted of violent or sex crimes, bribery or treason.
“As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day, it is fitting to reflect upon the many blessings that we enjoy as citizens of the United States of America,” said Gov. Bevin. “The opportunity for second chances and redemption has been a cornerstone principle of our great nation since its inception.
“The criminal justice system should not exist solely to punish offenders, but also to rehabilitate and assimilate them back into society. Through this executive action, we are empowering men and women with the opportunity to become contributing members of our communities. Restoring the voting rights of certain prior offenders who have paid their debt to society is a significant step towards achieving this goal. There will be many more such opportunities in the months and years ahead.”
A total of 308 Kentuckians have had their civil rights restored thus far, as the Bevin Administration continues to work through the backlog of applications it inherited in December 2015. Each individual application is carefully considered on a case-by-case basis.
While the orders restore the right to vote and hold public office, they do not restore any other civil right, including but not limited to the right to receive, possess or transport in commerce a firearm or serve on a jury.
The Bevin Administration has initiated groundbreaking criminal justice reform efforts aimed at removing barriers for offenders to successfully reenter society.
In 2016, Gov. Bevin signed into law historic felony expungement legislation that gives non-violent felony offenders who have paid their debt to society a second chance. House Bill 40 allows Kentuckians convicted of certain Class D felonies—who have paid their debt to society, have stayed out of trouble as required by the law, and have shown that they are indeed trying to get back on track—to erase their criminal records and obtain a second chance at jobs, housing, and other opportunities sometimes denied felons.
Also, this past February, Gov. Bevin issued an executive order that removes questions about criminal history from the initial application for state jobs in the executive branch. The Fair Chance Employment Initiative means that applicants will not be required to check the box for criminal convictions on the initial state application, a policy in line with twenty-four states and more than 150 cities and counties across the nation.
Individuals who are interested in applying for restoration of their civil rights may do so by obtaining a form at any Probation and Parole office, or by contacting the Department of Corrections at 502-782-2248 or online at corrections.ky.gov, and returning the form to the address listed.
A spreadsheet listing all Kentuckians who have had their civil rights restored during the Bevin Administration can be downloaded here.
Louisville’s resilience efforts will initially focus on strengthening education, racial equity, economic development and sustainability throughout the city — challenges identified in partnership with more than 200 citizens, Mayor Greg Fischer announced today.
Louisville is a member of 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation, which seeks to build resilience to economic, social and physical challenges in cities worldwide. Each city is tasked with identifying its own “shocks” — sudden events such as natural disasters — and long-term challenges, or “stresses.”
“Louisville is on a rapid trajectory, with 63,000 new jobs and $11 billion in capital investments since 2011,” Mayor Fischer said. “That’s all the more reason we need to be strengthening ourselves against the stresses and shocks that could slow or even halt our momentum – be it a natural disaster, like a flood, or economic distress, like a major employer leaving the city. We can do this by working with partners to build resilience in education, racial equity, economic development and sustainability.”
Louisville identified education, racial equity, economic development and sustainability as the initial focus of the resilience efforts during a workshop in January that included city leaders and representatives from dozens of local agencies, nonprofits and businesses. A full report on the Agenda Setting Workshop was released today and can be read at https://louisvilleky.gov/sites/default/files/asw.pdf
Eric Friedlander, who was named the city’s chief resilience officer in April, will use the Agenda Setting Workshop report as he leads the crafting of a resilience strategy — an outline for how the city will strengthen itself against shocks and stresses that could disrupt or slow the city’s momentum. This begins the process of identifying, with the larger community, and preparing for, the most impactful shocks and stresses that Louisville will need to address.
(Learn more about Resilient Louisville)
“For Louisville to thrive as an entire community, we must be able to respond to inevitable shocks and address and minimize stresses,” Friedlander said. “That will be accomplished by examining how to build on our ongoing initiatives in the areas of education, racial equity, economic development and sustainability, and to launch new efforts that will lead to as stronger, more resilient Louisville.”
Mayor Fischer will discuss the city’s resilience efforts at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 6, at the Ali Center during the community conversation Capturing Ali’s Spirit: Creating a City of Peace.
Kentucky Adult Education (KYAE) will launch a new brand logo July 1 for the free instructional programming it offers in all 120 Kentucky counties. “Skills U” reflects an increased emphasis on helping adults build academic and essential workforce skills for college and careers.
“Our new brand is a reflection of the reality that it is no longer enough for Kentuckians to earn just a high school or GED diploma, a reality further underscored by the implementation of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act,” says Reecie Stagnolia, vice president for adult education, Council on Postsecondary Education.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) improves connections to employment and training opportunities that lead to economic prosperity for workers and their families. For KYAE Skills U, this translates to more intentional strategies to help its students enter college and be better prepared to gain and retain living-wage jobs.
“Kentucky Adult Education Skills U will continue to provide the free instructional services that have always been offered through Kentucky Adult Education – everything from foundational academic skills and essential skills identified as critical by employers to preparation for the GED test – and beyond,” Stagnolia says. “Now, we are working more intentionally with our partners to create a seamless system that encourages Kentuckians to get the postsecondary education and sustainable employment they need.”
Kentucky Adult Education Skills U is a unit of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. The logo is available at http://kyae.ky.gov/educators/logo.html. More information about KYAE Skills U, including a listing of county contacts, is available at http://www.kyae.ky.gov.
During the month of July the Kentucky Artisan Center will present demonstrations by four Kentucky printmakers who will show visitors an array of print techniques and printing processes.
Beginning on July 1, Steve Wiggins, of Lexington, will demonstrate how he cuts linoleum blocks to create relief images. He will then print these images onto paper and fabric using a small tabletop press. Wiggins has been drawing since he was a child and worked with acrylics and oils before settling on printmaking.
On Saturday, July 8, Elizabeth Foley, of Louisville, will demonstrate how she creates and prints her one-of-a-kind monotypes from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Kentucky Artisan Center. Foley taught art at the Sayre School in Lexington for 20 years and she exhibits her artwork throughout the U. S.
On Saturday, July 8, the Kentucky Artisan Center will offer visitors free guided tours through the center’s gallery exhibit, “225: Artists Celebrate Kentucky’s History” and in the lobby, “Agates: Kentucky’s Jewels.” Tours are at 11 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. and include a tour of the Center’s outdoor sand sculpture “The Sands of Time,” with information on its construction by artist Damon Farmer.
On Saturday, July 15, three members of the Berea Welcome Center Carvers will demonstrate a variety of woodcarving styles and techniques from 10:30 to 3:30 at the Center.
On Saturday, July 22, printmaker Nick Baute, co-owner of Hound Dog Press, a full service letterpress shop in Louisville, will demonstrate printmaking from 10:30 to 3:30 at the Center.
In operation since 2008, Hound Dog Press specializes in custom invitations, greeting cards, stationery, posters, art prints and design. All the press’s finished works are printed on vintage letterpress equipment with handset metal and wood letters used for printed type. All of their illustrations are made by hand carving wood and linoleum blocks.
On Saturday, July 29, artist Marta Dorton, of Lexington, will demonstrate collograph printmaking techniques from 10:30 to 3:30 at the Center.
Dorton states, “After 10 years of printmaking, I still marvel at the surprise on the paper as I pull off the print. I apply ink or paint onto the plate I have created – and run it through the press, each time creating a one-of-a-kind print. I love the planned and the unexpected outcomes.”
The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is located at 200 Artisan Way, just off Interstate 75 at Berea Exit 77. The center’s exhibits, shopping and travel information areas are open daily, year-round, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the cafe is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information about center events call 859-985-5448, go to the center’s website, or visit the center’s Facebook page.
Louisville is already experiencing a negative economic impact from California’s decision last week to ban state-funded travel to Kentucky, Mayor Greg Fischer said today.
In a news conference at the Waterfront, Mayor Fischer, Karen Williams, President and CEO of the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau; and Sarah Davasher-Wisdom, COO for Greater Louisville Inc.; and other business and community leaders outlined concerns about the ban’s impact on the city’s tourism industry.
Williams said two conventions, one for 2018 and another for 2021, decided this week not to come to Louisville, citing concerns about the travel ban. Together, those conventions had an expected economic impact of $2 million.
“That’s $2 million that would have covered the salaries of waiters, waitresses, hotel staff, museum workers and hundreds more people who work downtown but live all over this community,” the Mayor said.
He added that any lost convention also means less money for the Tax Increment Financing district that helps fund the KFC Yum! Center and the new Omni Hotel.
And the potential economic impact extends beyond downtown, he said, noting that the 24 million tourist visits Louisville sees each year translate to about $3.5 billion in economic impact for the city and $14.5 billion for the state. And overall, Louisville tourism generates about $1.5 billion tax revenue for the state.
Williams added that Louisville’s commitment to compassion, fairness and equality “is a boost to our city’s economic development efforts, given that cities that are inclusive are increasingly winning in the competition for residents, businesses and employees.”
Sarah Davasher-Wisdom, C.O.O. of Greater Louisville Inc., also spoke during the news conference, noting, “Compassion and diversity are consistently embraced by Greater Louisville’s business, civic, and community leaders as keys to economic development and community building. We continue to market these and other assets to the world as we work toward advancing our mission of growing the regional economy.”
