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Photo: Secretary of State website
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes this week returned from an international trade mission to Taiwan with a delegation from the United States. She is releasing a report with information about the status of the sister-states’ economic relationship.
“This mission to Taiwan affirmed for me that even though the Kentucky-Taiwan economic relationship is strong, there are more ways to enhance our bond for mutually beneficial economic growth,” said Grimes, Kentucky’s chief business official.
Grimes was one of four secretaries of state selected to participate in the trip coordinated and funded by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO). She made a similar visit in 2013, making the trip her second in office.
Grimes met with several businesses with Kentucky ties in Taiwan, including Sunspring America, Inc., and Taihu Brewing. She also met with officials from Taiwan’s Bureau of Foreign Trade, Council of Agriculture, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“This trip reinforced for me the need for a Kentucky trade office in Taiwan, which would help facilitate more business relationships that are mutually beneficial to the Commonwealth and Taiwan,” said Grimes. “It’s the key to growing and reinforcing our already strong trading partnership.”
During her tenure, Grimes has called on Kentucky administrations to establish a trade office in Taiwan.
Taiwan and Kentucky have been sister states since 1982 in a partnership formed by former Gov. John Y. Brown, Jr.
Grimes’ Kentucky-Taiwan Report is available here.
Photo: Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation
Those who want to embrace their inner pop, R&B, country or rock star will have a unique opportunity to impress their friends with “Full Contact Karaoke” at the Iroquois Amphitheater on three nights this summer.
Full Contact Karaoke allows a participant to take the stage with a live band to sing their favorite song. The song menu includes hits from Journey, OutKast, Katy Perry, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Chris Stapleton and dozens more. The full song catalog can be found at http://www.fullcontactkaraokeband.com.
The three dates begin with a Friday, June 16 show at the 2,300-seat amphitheater, located just off New Cut Road outside Iroquois Park.
The show will return on Friday, July 14 and again on Friday, August 11. Admission is $5. Gates open at 6:30 and tickets can be purchased at the door, or online at iroquoisamphitheater.com. A full range of refreshments, including alcoholic beverages, are available at the Amphitheater.
“This is the perfect opportunity to get together with a group of friends and to have a party without doing all the planning,” said Mike Hallett, manager of the Iroquois Amphitheater. “For anyone who’s ever dreamed of playing a gig at the Amphitheater, these three nights are going to be a lot of fun.”
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes on Wednesday marked the 238th birthday of Kentucky bourbon and National Bourbon Day with a visit to Shelby County’s Jeptha Creed Distillery.
Jeptha Creed, a 15,000-square foot, $3-million distillery, opened in November 2016. The owners are mother-daughter team Joyce and Autumn Nethery. Joyce is one of three female master distillers in Kentucky. She, along with her daughter and marketing manager Autumn, designed the distillery from the ground up. The two had taken courses on distilling before deciding to open their own distillery.
“Today is another milestone in the history of Kentucky bourbon. As the bourbon industry continues to experience a tremendous boom, I’m excited Jeptha Creed – a woman-owned small business – is adding to Kentucky’s rich bourbon tradition,” said Grimes, Kentucky’s chief business official.
Jeptha Creed employs 14 people and is as a “farm-to-glass” operation with production using ingredients grown on-site or at nearby farms. The distillery sits on 64 acres of farmland.
“Even though we’re new to the industry, we feel right at home,” said Joyce Nethery. “Our whole family is involved. My son takes care of the bees and my husband is heavily involved and grows all of our corn. We grow everything we can think of to flavor our spirits straight from the Kentucky soil. We’re excited to join Sec. Grimes in celebrating bourbon’s birthday today.”
Jeptha Creed uses the “bloody butcher” corn variety in their products, an heirloom crop they grow and harvest themselves that dates back to 1845. This makes the bourbon mash pink rather than yellow. Current products include vodkas, moonshines, and Bloody Butcher’s Creed, a limited-edition bourbon that previews the distillery’s full roll-out of bourbons in 2019. Jeptha Creed’s products are distributed across Kentucky.
“Jeptha Creed is the quintessential Kentucky small, family business – mix hard work and bourbon and you have a recipe for success,” said Grimes.
Photo: Kentucky River Authority
The Kentucky River Authority (KRA) encourages volunteers to help in 19 Kentucky counties that will have teams removing debris as part of the Kentucky River Sweep this Saturday. The river sweep, a cooperative effort of the KRA and the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, encourages volunteers to clean the waterways of debris in six states.
The first Kentucky River Sweep, in 1994, was organized by the KRA to clean up the banks of the Kentucky River and its tributaries. Over the years, volunteers have removed tons of trash, debris and recyclable items.
The Kentucky River, including its upper tributaries, is approximately 420 miles long from its beginning in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky to the Ohio River in Carrollton. There are 42 counties in the Kentucky River Basin and more than 750,000 people depend on the Kentucky River for their primary source of drinking water, agricultural production, and industrial uses.
Individuals interested in participating in cleanup activities and a list of contacts for participating counties, visit www.kra.ky.gov or contact Sue Elliston 502-696-2830 or sue.elliston@ky.gov.
Credit: KY State Parks
A series of four Kids Day Camps on archaeology start June 23 at Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site.
The camps, also scheduled for June 30, July 7 and July 14, are open to kids ages 9-11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each of these four days.
These exciting and educational summer day camps will provide children hands-on learning experiences about archaeology. The four camp sessions will provide interactive activities about the methods and practices of archaeology at a kids level, a guided tour of the site, making clay pots, excavating in a simulated archaeological dig, identifying artifacts, playing Native American games and demonstrations of primitive lifeways.
The fee is $25 per child. If a child attends two or more camps, the fee for the subsequent camp is $20. Those who attend will also receive a gift bag with certificate.
Registration is required, so call early to save your spot. To register, call the park office at 270-335-3681. Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site is located at 94 Green Street, Wickliffe, KY 42087. Visit our website at www.parks.ky.gov
Photo: Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation
Mayor Greg Fischer and Metro Councilmen Stuart Benson (D-20), Robin Engel (D-22) and Kevin Kramer (D-11) participated in a ribbon-cutting yesterday to formally open the newly renovated picnic shelter in Charlie Vettiner Park, located in southeast Louisville.
The shelter project, which cost $370,000 to finish in its entirety, includes the new shelter on Chenoweth Park Lane, a new retaining wall, decorative fencing, new electrical outlets and water fountains. The shelter also provides a scenic view over an adjacent pond.
The funding for the project came from city general fund dollars as well as support from Benson, whose district the park resides in, Engel and Kramer.
“The summer is off to a great start for families and kids in the area, and it’s easy to see this new, spacious, modern shelter becoming THE place in southeast Louisville for birthday parties, family reunions, picnics and community events,” Mayor Fischer said. “I’d like to thank Councilmen Benson, Engel and Kramer for supporting the creation of this great new amenity in Vettiner that’s sure to see a lot of use.”
“With nearly 300 acres of open space, Charlie Vettiner Park is one of our community’s great assets. I am proud to have the support of neighboring Councilmembers Kevin Kramer, Robin Engel and our Metro Council colleagues as we have worked, since 2006, to secure annual funding for this latest improvement to the park,” Councilman Benson.
To reserve the shelter, the public can call the Metro Parks and Recreation permits office at the Iroquois Amphitheater at (502) 368-5865.
Gov. Matt Bevin today announced the creation of the Kentucky Work Matters Task Force at a press conference with federal and state officials and other special guests in the State Capitol Rotunda.
The new 23-member task force will bring together every department of state government that has a hand in workforce development with members of the private sector. Their mission is to address barriers to employment and promote workforce inclusion among people with disabilities, foster children, disabled veterans, and individuals burdened by substance abuse or criminal records.
“There is dignity that comes from work, and there is a sense of satisfaction and respect—for oneself and for others—that comes from being an engaged part of the community,” said Gov. Bevin. “And there’s nothing more integral than the dignity associated with being part of the fabric of that community through work.”
Deputy Assistant Secretary Jennifer Sheehy of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy commended Kentucky, which is the first state in the nation to initiate such a task force.
“We realize that the real change and the real work does not happen at the federal level,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary Sheehy. “We need to look at what federal policies do work, but also what is happening in states that works—and then support that.”
Gov. Bevin and Deputy Assistant Secretary Sheehy were joined at the press conference by Council of State Governments director/CEO David Adkins, Kentucky Labor Cabinet Secretary Derrick Ramsey, Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet Secretary Hal Heiner, and Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development executive officer Vivek Sarin.
Also participating in today’s event were Little Caesars Pizza franchisee Mike Michalak, Cincinnati Reds batboy Teddy Kremer, and Spalding University men’s golf coaches Michael Carter and Grant Gupton, who underscored what can be achieved when individuals are given opportunities.
Current statistics show Kentucky’s labor participation rate at 54.7 percent, well below the national average of 62.9 percent. In addition, 15.7 percent of the Commonwealth’s population is classified as “disabled,” compared to only 10.4 percent nationally.
Gov. Bevin strongly believes that citizens with disabilities and Kentuckians facing other obstacles to employment have valuable and unique contributions to lend to our society and our labor force, yet in many cases are underutilized. Employment is the most direct and cost-effective means to empower these individuals to achieve independence, economic self-sufficiency, and a greater sense of dignity and self-worth.
The Kentucky Work Matters Task Force will work closely with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy and their State Exchange on Employment & Disability (SEED). SEED is a collaborative effort with state intermediary organizations, including the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and The Council of State Governments (CSG), to help state leaders effectively address policy barriers that may hinder the employment of people with disabilities.
Members of the task force include:
- Adam Meier, deputy chief of staff for Gov. Bevin
- Secretary Scott Brinkman, Executive Cabinet
- Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson, Cabinet for Health and Family Services
- Secretary John Tilley, Justice and Public Safety Cabinet
- Secretary Derrick Ramsey, Labor Cabinet
- Secretary Hal Heiner, Education and Workforce Development Cabinet
- Secretary Tom Stephens, Personnel Cabinet
- Secretary Greg Thomas, Transportation Cabinet
- Vivek Sarin, Cabinet for Economic Development executive officer
- Deputy Commissioner Bryan Hubbard, Division of Income Support
- Buddy Hoskinson, Department for Aging and Independent Living
- Commissioner Beth Kuhn, Department of Workforce Investment
- Commissioner Stephen Pruitt, Department of Education
- President Bob King, Council on Postsecondary Education
- Senator John Schickel
- Senator Robin Webb
- Representative Jim DeCesare
- Representative Arnold Simpson
- Katie Shepherd, Kentucky Supreme Court designee
- Mike Michalak, citizen at-large (Shelbyville)
- Katie Wolf Whaley, citizen at-large (Lexington)
- Beth Davisson, citizen at-large (Louisville)
- Tim McGurk, citizen at-large (Prospect)
The group will present a final report that will include policy recommendations on improving workforce participation rates for individuals with disabilities, as well as other populations with impediments to employment, across the Commonwealth.
Today’s full press conference can be viewed on Gov. Bevin’s Facebook page, and an infographic detailing factors affecting Kentucky’s workforce can be downloaded here.
