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Families are invited to the North Great Lawn inside Kroger’s Festival today, Sunday, April 30, from 1-4 p.m. for the YMCA Healthy Kids Day Presented by Humana. The Derby Festival joined forces with the YMCA of Greater Louisville and Humana to bring free family fun to the Waterfront.
“We are excited to join forces with the award-winning Kentucky Derby Festival team,” said Steve Tarver, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Louisville. “It’s community partnerships like this and the support of Humana that make YMCA Healthy Kids Day a truly unique family event that emphasizes the value of health and fitness for everyone during an exciting time of year in our city.”
Geared toward children ages 3 and older, plus adults, the event will feature interactive and family fitness activities, inflatables and giveaways. The fifth annual miniFun Run for Kids will also be a part of the festivities. The best part is, admission is free!
“This partnership allows us to expand on our miniFun Run event for kids, which started in 2013,” said Mike Berry, KDF President and CEO. “There will be activities for children and adults alike, all while promoting healthy lifestyles and healthy families.”
The event is coordinated by YMCA of Greater Louisville with Presenting Sponsor Humana. Joining them are Media Sponsors Today’s Family Magazine and 102.3 The Max.
Food, drink and pets are not permitted. For more information, visit ymcalouisville.org or call 502-587-9622.
Attorney General Andy Beshear issued a Scam Alert to warn Kentuckians of reports of suspicious calls being made to utility customers in southeastern Kentucky.
Kentuckians in Harlan, London and Pineville reported receiving a call from someone claiming to be a utility company employee who asks for a utility bill payment over the phone. If the customer refuses to pay immediately, the scammer threatens to shut off the customer’s electricity.
“One of our top priorities is to help protect Kentuckians, especially senior citizens, from scams by warning them of the latest scams and providing tips on how to identify each scam,” Beshear said. “The best way to avoid this utility scam is to contact the utility company directly and verify any billing questions.”
Beshear said utility companies work to educate and warn customers of these types of scams and offered these tips to help others avoid the scam:
- Do not provide your personal information. Utility companies will never call and ask for credit or debit card numbers or other personal information.
- Contact your utility company. Customers who receive a suspicious solicitor at their home or a phone call, email or letter should contact their utility provider to verify. Do not rely on information or a phone number provided by the suspected scammer.
- Ask about bill payment options. Ask your utility company to explain the variety of official and secure ways to pay your bill.
- Sign up for billing notifications. Check with your utility provider to determine what types of billing notifications are available.
To report possible scam activity contact the Attorney General’s Office at 888-432-9257, or file a consumer complaint online.
Beshear issued a similar Scam Alert last summer when high rates of utility scam calls were being reported. Beshear said utility related scams occur in cycles and are often most common in the hot summer months and cold winter months.
In addition to the new scam reports, over the past eight months the Attorney General’s Office of Senior Protection and Mediation received 10 reports of utility related scams. The scam cost Kentuckians in Calloway, Fayette, Floyd, Grayson, Jefferson, Taylor and Trigg counties more than $2,500.
To help Kentuckians stay up to date on new and trending scams, Beshear launched Scam Alerts – a communication service that alerts Kentuckians when con artists are on the attack. To sign up for Scam Alerts, text the words KYOAG Scam to GOV311 (468311) or enroll online at ag.ky.gov/scams and select text message or email alert.
The Kentucky Derby Festival is partnering with the Louisville Bicycle Club to produce the PNC Tour de Lou, which will ride through Louisville this Sunday, April 30. Created for cyclists of all experience levels, this is the Festival’s fourth annual bike event. For riders who still want to participate, late registration is available this week. They can register on site at the Kentucky Derby Festival Race Expo at the Kentucky Exposition Center, West Wing, April 27, from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. and Friday, April 28, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Cyclists who have already registered can pick up their packets at the Expo.)
As in the past, the 2017 PNC Tour de Lou route will be an open course, with two lane or bike lanes provided for over 90% of the route. Cyclist will start and finish at Waterfront Park near Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville. There are separate distances based on experience levels:
- 20 miles – Beginner/New to cycling (Open course, no streets closed.)
- 35 miles – Moderate/Experienced (Open course, no streets closed.)
- Metric Century, 62.1 miles – Seasoned (Open course, no streets closed).
The course highlights include a scenic Olmsted Park Tour showcasing Shawnee, Chickasaw, Wayside, Iroquois and Cherokee parks. Cyclists will also travel through neighborhoods around the city from Downtown along Main Street and Waterfront Park, to Portland, Algonquin and South Louisville; as well as Old Louisville NULU, the Highlands and Butchertown.
Late registration (April 27 and 28) is $50. A portion of the registration fee also benefits the Louisville Bicycle Club. For more information, visit www.kdf.org or call (502) 584-FEST.
PNC is Title Sponsor of the event. Official Safety Sponsor: AAA East Central. Contributing Sponsors: Baptist Health Sports Medicine, Louisville Marriott Downtown, and Scheller’s Fitness & Cycling. Media Sponsors: 102.3 The Max and The Courier-Journal. Supporting Sponsors: Louisville Bicycle Club and Louisville Water Company.
Since 1956, the Derby Festival has worked to bring the community together in celebration. The Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single-attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
The Kentucky Derby Festival’s Celebration Sunday returns this weekend with a Christian Contemporary concert and gospel choir showcase. Featured on the Music Stage at the Chow Wagon, the Passport GospelFest will begin at 2 p.m with performances until 7 p.m. Celebration Sunday presented by WJIE, which will feature Sidewalk Prophets with John Tibbs and Hannah Kerr starts at 5 p.m. on the Great Stage inside Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville. Admission to both shows is a 2017 Pegasus Pin.
Packed with powerful performances, the Passport GospelFest will showcase choirs from around the State. Grammy-nominated artist Jason Clayborn and the Atmosphere Changers, St. Stephen Youth Choir, and Sensational Bentleys will headline the event. GospelFest is sponsored by Passport with Contributing Sponsor Kentucky Department of Tourism and Media Sponsors B96.5 and WLOU 104.7.
This year’s Celebration Sunday concert features headlining artist, Sidewalk Prophets, an award-winning Contemporary Christian band. The 2010 Dove Award winner for New Artist of the Year will bring their energetic live-performance to the Great Stage with singles from their latest album like “Prodigal,” “To Live Is Christ,” and “Impossible.” John Tibbs and Hannah Kerr will open the show for the second year in a row. Tibbs, originally from Lexington, KY is a rising songwriter and worship leader whose signature southern heartland roots shine through in his first studio album, “Dead Man Walking.” Kerr, a breakthrough Christian singer from New York is sure to lift the crowd with her latest album, Overflow. Celebration Sunday is sponsored by WJIE.
Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville is open through Derby Eve, Friday, May 5. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, except Sunday 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. This ultimate entertainment experience offers national concerts, family fun, food vendors, a children’s inflatable playground, midway rides and more. Admission is a 2017 Pegasus Pin. Kroger is title sponsor of the event, with contributing sponsor Miller Lite and media sponsor The Courier Journal.
Photo credit: Olga-Maria Cruz
Gov. Matt Bevin has appointed Louisville poet, author and teacher Frederick Smock as Kentucky Poet Laureate for 2017-18, the Kentucky Arts Council announced last week. Smock, will be formally inducted during a ceremony on Kentucky Writers’ Day, May 1 at the Old State Capitol, 300 W. Broadway St. in Frankfort.
“I’m thrilled,” Smock said shortly after learning of his appointment. “Jim Wayne Miller (2015 Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame inductee) has said that Kentucky is a writerly state, and that’s so true. Many of our poets laureate have been writers I’ve looked up to, and I’m excited to join their company.”
Though he has only begun to think about goals for his two-year term as poet laureate, Smock said he wants to make poetry relevant to all Kentuckians.
“In my teaching, I like to bring poetry to everyone,” he said. “I imagine that will color some of what I do as poet laureate.”
As a boy, Louisville native Smock immersed himself in the literature of Kentucky luminaries James Still and Jesse Stuart. He even corresponded with Stuart while working on a book report. In his last letter to Smock, Stuart wrote, “I hope you get an A,” an endorsement Smock made sure to include in his report.
“And I believe I did,” Smock said.
Though he was born in Louisville and has lived in the city for much of his life, Smock’s work reflects upon his formative years spent in the country.
“I find myself drawn to nature. When I was 6, we moved to Fern Creek (in Jefferson County) where my father built a house on a hill in the midst of a forest. Those years were spent wandering fields and forest mostly on my own,” Smock said. “It was laying my imagination on that landscape and drawing from that experience. I can’t say I direct my mind that way. The inspiration comes to me, but those sources give me a lot to work with.
With the exception of one summer teaching in Denmark, Smock has lived, written and taught in Kentucky all his life. An author of 10 books of poems and essays, with two more on the way, and four chapbooks, Smock has earned several awards for his writing and teaching, including the 2002 Henry Leadingham Poetry Prize, the 2003 Jim Wayne Miller Prize for Poetry, Bellarmine University’s 2005 Wilson Wyatt Faculty Award and the 2008 Kentucky Literary Award for Poetry. The Kentucky Arts Council honored him in 1995 with an Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship in poetry.
“Frederick Smock has the passion and insight required to take on this important literary ambassador position for Kentucky and I have no doubt that he will impact people’s lives in meaningful ways through his work in this role,” said Lydia Bailey Brown, arts council executive director. “The arts council looks forward to working collaboratively with him during his tenure.”
Although the Writers’ Day and Poet Laureate Induction ceremonies of May 1 will include traditional elements from past events, this year’s celebration will include some modern twists and will provide a more diverse program, incorporating literary-related arts into the event and including youth talent. Grant County High School senior Haley Bryan, Kentucky’s 2017 Poetry Out Loud state champion, will present a recitation and Kentucky Crafted visual artist Mike Maydak will create a performance painting interpreting a literary impression of the day. In addition, Louisville music group Small Time Napoleon, a juried member of the arts council’s Performing Artists Directory, will perform.
Kentuckians who cannot come to Frankfort for Writers’ Day can still participate by organizing events in their own communities. The Writers’ Day Planning Guide is a free publication, downloadable from the arts council’s website. It provides a blueprint for planning local celebrations of Writers’ Day.
The Kentucky poet laureate promotes the literary arts in Kentucky through readings of his work at community and educational events, meetings, seminars and conferences across the state. Since 1995, the governor has appointed the position in consultation with the arts council. Smock succeeds poet laureate George Ella Lyon, who was appointed in 2015. Smock will serve through the end of 2018.
The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, fosters environments for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) was named a national finalist for the 2017 John F. Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts and National School Boards Association Award. The award recognizes school boards for their outstanding support of arts education.
“It’s an honor to have our school board recognized by such a prestigious organization for its commitment to arts in the classroom, and making sure that every student has the opportunity to incorporate arts into their educational journey,” said Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens.
A national panel reviews nominees and selects a top school board from entrants across the country. For JCPS, the review panel noted that it was “impressed by the board’s commitment to the arts, as evidenced by the presence of three arts supervisory staff and an extensive list of available art courses,” and they applauded “the large list of local arts partners and the STEAM pilot project in four schools.”
This year’s top award was presented to Lexington County School District One Board of Trustees, in Lexington, South Carolina.
Mayor Greg Fischer proposed a new city budget that focuses heavily on public safety, including significant investments in LMPD, while continuing the city’s momentum, with investments in affordable housing, paving and a new Northeast Regional Library.
The $593 million general fund operating budget anticipates $23 million in new revenue, with the greatest chunk of that – $19 million, or 83 percent – earmarked for LMPD and the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, including 112 new LMPD recruits.
“Public safety is our top priority,” the Mayor said in remarks today to the Metro Council, adding that his budget is evidence of that: “This will bring LMPD’s projected average strength to 1,293 the new fiscal year, the largest number of sworn officers serving our citizens since merger.”
Learn more about the budget here
Considering retirements and natural attrition in LMPD, the proposed FY2017-2018 budget will result in 55 net new police department positions since last year’s budget. That includes 44 new officers and 11 other positions, from crime scene technicians to firearms analysts.
The mayor’s budget also includes other public safety investments:
- Hiring an additional prosecutor in the Commonwealth Attorney’s office to focus on violent criminals;
- Hiring a new arraignment court prosecutor in the County Attorney’s office to work with low-level, non-violent offenders to get cases resolved efficiently, helping reserve limited bed space at Metro Corrections for the most violent offenders;
- Hiring 30 firefighters and 60 corrections officers;
- Spending $4 million on new police cars, ambulances, firetrucks and equipment;
- Funding to move LMPD headquarters, make repairs to the Louisville Fire Department headquarters in Russell and the city’s aging jail; and to relocate the 911 backup center.
Stressing the need to take a holistic approach “to fighting crime, and preventing crime,” the Mayor said his budget includes an increased investment in the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, and its Cure Violence program, and $200,000 to hire additional staff and support in the city’s Office of Addiction Services.
And recognizing that investments in people and places help make the community safer and keep the city’s economic momentum going, the budget also continues a commitment to workforce housing, with $2.5 million to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and $12 million to the Louisville CARES revolving loan fund. That’s the highest level of city funding dedicated to affordable housing since merger.
“Investing in affordable housing is investing in our future. And it is critical to keeping communities safe,” the Mayor said.
Continuing his theme of building on momentum, the Mayor announced that the city, with the help of a state grant, is officially moving forward with construction of the Northeast Regional Library, which will feature 40,000 square feet of space and have a sustainable, eco-friendly and cost-efficient design.
“When this library opens, my administration will have fulfilled our commitment under the Library Master Plan to provide a full-service library within five miles of 90 percent of Louisville residents,” he said.
He also highlighted significant announcements in west Louisville over the last few weeks: the West Louisville YMCA is a go; Passport Health Plan is moving its corporate headquarters to 18th and Broadway; and plans for Waterfront Phase IV are moving forward.
Complementing all that, he said, his budget includes funding to begin the revitalization of Beecher Terrace and Russell. “We’ll use the Choice Neighborhood Grant to leverage more than $200 million in public and private funds to transform Russell into a sustainable, mixed-income community offering citizens of west Louisville quality services and schools, as well as better transportation and job opportunities,” he said.
“Overall, there’s more investment in this part of the city today than we’ve seen in a generation or longer,” he added, “with more to come.”
Other budget highlights:
- $25 million for paving, street improvements and sidewalk repairs, as part of the city’s Move Louisville plan and fix-it first strategy. In addition, there is $500,000 for bike lanes.
- $5.4 million to work with Kentucky Wired to lay extra fiber optic cable in the city, an investment that will pay for itself as the city leases the cable to private internet service providers, and will help bring high speed internet fiber to west Louisville, closing the digital divide.
- $1.7 million for Metro Parks upgrades and maintenance, and funds to continue building the Louisville Loop, implement the Tyler Park master plan, and to build a walking path at Joe Creason Park and a new boat ramp at Shawnee Park.
- $100,000 each for Dare to Care for its food bank.
- $100,000 to implement Imagine Greater Louisville, the community’s arts master plan.
- $600,000 to plant trees.
- A 2 percent raise for non-union employees. (Union employee salaries are set by their contracts.)
The Mayor noted that, “When you look at this budget as a whole, you’ll see that it’s balanced in more ways than one. This budget balances the need to honor our past commitments with the need to invest in our future.”
