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Three businesses were approved for loans totaling $410,000 by the Department of Economic Development’s Metropolitan Business Development Corporation (METCO) and the Department of Community Services’ Microbusiness Development Program. The loans will leverage a total investment of $3.4 million and will assist the companies to open, to expand services or to revitalize properties.
METCO loans have been awarded to the following businesses:
- Three loans were approved for Butcherblock Properties, LLC for properties located at 115-117 N. Wenzel Street, 1004 E. Washington Street and 1007 E. Main Street in the Butchertown neighborhood. The loans will allow owner, Andy Blieden, to improve the façades of the buildings and to make accessibility improvements.
- $65,000 façade loan (115-117 N. Wenzel Street)
- $65,000 façade loan (1004 E. Washington Street)
- $65,000 façade loan (1007 E. Main Street)
- $200,000 business loan has been approved for Gravely Brewing, LLC for its property located at 514 Baxter Avenue. The loan will allow owners, Nathaniel and Holly Gravely and Cory and Kelly Buenning, to purchase equipment and prepare the building for commercial reuse as a brewery/music venue/taphouse.
A microbusiness loan has been awarded to the following business:
- $15,000 loan to The CERA Group, LLC to assist the owners, Jamie Keith and Mary Jefferson, with rental space, office equipment and marketing efforts. Located at 332 W. Broadway, The CERA Group provides consulting expertise to non-profit organizations, businesses and individuals to develop ideas and concepts that impact education and the greater good.
The Metropolitan Business Development Corporation (METCO) governs metro government’s small business loans, which include facade, accessibility and gap financing loans. Because metro government is not the primary lender, the loan program allows many public-private partnerships between government and private business ventures that further the vitality and quality of life in the Louisville community.
The METCO board meets the fourth Thursday of each month. Meetings are at 9:00 a.m., at the offices of Louisville Forward, located at 444 S. 5th Street, 6th floor. Remaining meetings for 2017 are scheduled for March 23, April 27, May 25, June 29, July 27, August 24, September 28, October 26 and December 14.
To learn more about the METCO loan program, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/louisville-forward/local-loan-programs
Louisville Metro’s Microbusiness Development Program helps low and moderate income business owners with starting and growing small businesses. A microbusiness employs five or fewer people, including the owner. The program includes training, technical assistance and an opportunity to apply for a loan.
Many microbusinesses have little or no access to the commercial banking sector, and this loan program helps businesses owners who need capital. Loans range from $500 to $15,000. Borrowers have a choice of two programs, one for businesses which have been open for at least one year, and the one for start-up businesses.
For more information about Community Services’ microbusiness program, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/community-services/microbusiness-program.
Amy Hinton, a Carter Traditional Elementary School reading teacher, has been awarded the Excellence in Classroom and Educational Leadership (ExCEL) Award. Representatives from Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and from the award sponsors — LG&E KU and WHAS11 — honored the teacher last week during a ceremony at the school.
“Mrs. Hinton is well-deserving of the Excellence in Classroom and Educational Leadership (ExCEL) Award,” Carter Principal Jamie Wyman said. “Her never-ending dedication to Carter’s students and families goes above and beyond at all times. Parents of the students she works with are deeply grateful for the positive impact she has on their child, as well as the guidance and support she offers them.”
Hinton has been instrumental in helping Carter reach its Third Grade Reading Pledge, assisting students in increasing their reading fluency and comprehension. In addition, she serves on multiple committees, including the Instructional Leadership Team and Site Based Decision Making (SBDM) Council. She is a Kentucky Teacher Internship (KTIP) mentor teacher, and participates in the first- and second-grade professional learning communities.
“Amy Hinton truly loves her job and every student she encounters,” said Melissa Silvano, a first-grade teacher at Carter, adding that Hinton’s ability to make learning fun and beneficial is only one of her many skills and talents. “Amy is determined, motivated and a true example of what an educator should be.”
As an ExCEL Award winner, Hinton will receive a $1,000 instructional grant from LG&E KU.
Dr. John Marshall, Chief Equity Officer for Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS), has been named a 2017 ‘Leader to Learn From’ by Education Week. A profile highlighting his contributions to JCPS appears in the publication’s annual special report spotlighting innovative school district leaders around the nation.
Marshall was selected by Education Week editors from a pool of hundreds of nominees submitted by readers, staff reporters and other education writers, state school administrator groups and experts in the K-12 field.
“I’m incredibly humbled and grateful to be recognized by Education Week,” Dr. Marshall said. “This recognition is really a reflection of the tremendous work undertaken by my entire department to continually promote diversity and equity in our school system, and I’m very proud to accept it on their behalf.”
He will be recognized at a special ‘Leaders to Learn From’ event at the end of March in Washington, D.C.
Education Week – founded in 1981 and published by Editorial Projects in Education, a nonprofit corporation based in Bethesda, Maryland – is the leading independent provider of news, information and analysis in K-12 education.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens announced today that the District is holding a series of feedback sessions as it begins the process of updating the Student Support and Behavior Intervention Handbook for the 2017-18 school year.
Feedback Session Dates and Locations:
- Saturday, February 25, 2017, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
- Waggener High School
- Marion C. Moore School
- Central High School
- Pleasure Ridge Park High School
- Tuesday, February 28, 2017, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
- Waggener High School
- Marion C. Moore School
- Central High School
- Pleasure Ridge Park High School
Those wishing to provide feedback, but are unable to attend a meeting, may also do so in one of three ways:
- Feedback forms may be filled out during normal business hours at the VanHoose Education Center, 3332 Newburg Rd.
- Interested parties may download the stakeholder handbook review feedback form and email it to Assistant Superintendent Dr. Katy Zeitz.
- Feedback will also be taken by phone at (502) 485-6266.
Feedback should be submitted to the District by March 7. The data and comments will be collected and reviewed by both internal and external role groups before final recommendations are made to the Jefferson County Board of Education in late March.
Gov. Matt Bevin has issued a proclamation declaring the week of Feb. 24 through March 4, 2017, as Kentucky Saves Week.
Kentucky Saves Week is a local part of America Saves Week, an annual opportunity for organizations to join together and encourage individuals and families to take financial action through saving.
The Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) will host a Kentucky Saves Week celebration at the Capitol on Tuesday. The event will educate Kentuckians about the importance of personal and household savings, which Governor Bevin describes in the proclamation as “fundamental to the stability and vitality of the Commonwealth and the nation.”
At the event, students from across the state will receive awards for participating in a piggy bank contest, sponsored by Kentucky Cooperative Extension, and a poster contest, sponsored by the Kentucky Jump$tart Coalition. OJ Oleka, Chief of Staff and Assistant Treasurer in the Office of Kentucky State Treasurer Allison Ball, will present the keynote address.
Celebration Event at the Capitol
| WHAT: | A Celebration of Kentucky Saves Week, including a presentation of student awards in two savings-themed contests
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| WHEN: | 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 |
| WHERE: | Rotunda, Kentucky Capitol
700 Capitol Avenue Frankfort, KY 40601
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| WHO: |
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| WHY: | Saving money is important for every Kentuckian! |
There are many ways to celebrate Kentucky Saves Week. Join the celebration by participating in the following programs:
Kentucky Saves Campaign
Visit www.kentuckysaves.org to take a savings pledge and find helpful articles on savings strategies, newsletters, and a sign-up area for text message reminders.
Kentucky Jump$tart Coalition Information Table
The Kentucky Jump$tart Coalition will host an information table on Tuesday, Feb. 28, in the Capitol Annex.
STABLE Kentucky
Kentucky STABLE (State Treasurer Achieving a Better Life Experience) accounts allow individuals with disabilities the opportunity to save and invest money without losing eligibility for certain public benefits programs. Earnings in STABLE Kentucky Accounts are not subject to federal income tax, so long as funds are spent on qualified disability expenses. Find out more at http://stablekentucky.com.
Financial Field Manual for Military Families
DFI offers the updated Kiplinger’s Financial Field Manual: A Personal Finance Guide for Military Families, which helps military members and their families make the most of the special financial benefits open to them. This updated version also includes information on the new 2018 retirement plan rules. Find it online at http://kfi.ky.gov/public/Pages/invest.aspx.
Conversation Starters
DFI offers conversation starters to help all Kentucky families start a discussion about their finances. Each conversation starter includes questions designed to help families kick-start an ongoing dialogue about budgeting, saving, investing and avoiding investment fraud. The series includes sets of questions for new couples, families, working adults and employers, retirees and seniors, and military families. Start the conversation by visiting http://kfi.ky.gov/public/Pages/invest.aspx.
Tips Through Social Media
Follow the Public Protection Cabinet on Facebook to receive Kentucky Saves Week tips. Search @ppckentucky or visit www.facebook.com/kypublicprotection.
Attorney General Andy Beshear today joined with other state attorneys general to send a letter to federal officials expressing continued support of recent federal protections for students in higher education and taxpayers.
Beshear sent the letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Elisabeth DeVos and congressional leadership detailing how rolling back federal education laws would allow some of the “worst actors in the for-profit school industry” to harm Kentuckians.
“College has never been more unaffordable, and students are being crushed with debt,” Beshear said. “My office is focused on ensuring Kentucky students are treated fairly but if these protections are rolled back by the federal government, those days are over.”
According to the letter, millions of students have been defrauded by unscrupulous for-profit, postsecondary schools over the past 15 years.
The list of investigations and enforcement actions against for-profit colleges by state AGs include: American Career Institute; Ashford University/Bridgepoint Education Inc.; Corinthian Colleges Inc.; Career Education Corporation; Education Management Corporation; Daymar College; DeVry University; ITT Tech; National College of Kentucky and Westwood Colleges.
In December, Beshear announced nearly 3,500 former students of Daymar College’s Kentucky campuses and online programs will receive restitution checks totaling $1.2 million. The payments are pursuant to a settlement agreement the Office of the Attorney General entered into with Daymar in 2015 resolving a consumer protection lawsuit.
In August, Beshear announced that the Kentucky Court of Appeals had affirmed a previous order by Franklin Circuit Court requiring National College of Kentucky Inc. and its attorneys to pay the state a combined $157,000 in civil monetary sanctions. Earlier this month, the Kentucky Supreme Court declined to take up National College’s request to overturn the appeals’ court decision.
In March, Beshear joined seven other state attorneys general in asking the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to restore educational and vocational benefits to thousands of veterans victimized by Corinthian Colleges Inc. for predatory practices.
Beshear said he and the other attorneys general need federal officials to keep a number of protections, including the Gainful Employment Rule, which ensures students who attend career-training programs are able to repay their federal student loans once they graduate.
The AGs are pushing to keep vigorous federal oversight of school accreditors who are tasked with providing prospective quality assurance of schools, and the Borrower Defense to Repayment Rule, which will provide a fair and transparent process for students who have been defrauded to apply for federal student loan relief.
On Saturday, February 25th, Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith (D-4) and Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton (D-5) will join the family, friends and others touched by the late Michael T. White and unveil an honorary sign at 22nd and Jefferson Streets to commemorate his life and legacy in Metro Louisville.
“Michael White had a significant impact on many people here through his businesses and community service. He took a personal struggle, turned his life around and in doing so helped many people deal with their addiction and start new lives,” says Sexton Smith. “He was a businessman, community advocate, and philanthropist who received numerous honors and awards. He was also a family man and friend to many.”
This Saturday, Michael White’s life and service to Louisville Metro will be honored and memorialized at 22nd and Jefferson Street going west to 24th and Jefferson Street will be designated as “Michael T. White Street.”
Mr. White was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He studied business at Lindsey Wilson College and Yarmuth University.
However there was a low point in his life when addictions nearly destroyed him and his family. He made a fateful decision to enter recovery, follow through with rehab, take it one day at a time and recover.
It was that recovery that led to his founding of America’s Finest Filter which today employees 21 people in Louisville.
The honorary sign will be displayed in the area where he had a major impact on the lives of others. He was Co-Founder of Our Father’s House, which today is a rehab and recovery program located in the 2300 block of Jefferson Street.
He was also Co-Founder of The Token Club, Co-Founder of Reno and White, Co-Founder of Divine Steps, and Founder of WF Development and the Kentucky Recovery Resource Center.
“He left us too soon but his work in our community is an example we need now more than ever as we deal with a drug problem that is affecting our families and safety,” says Hamilton. “Let Michael White’s example show all of us that people need and deserve a second chance and something to believe in.”
The formal unveiling will take place at the corner of 24th and Jefferson Streets beginning at 1:00pm.
