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Kentucky high school seniors and college freshmen are invited to enter a vlogging contest sponsored by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA).
The high school student must attend a school that participates in the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) program and plan to attend college next fall. The college freshman must be a KEES recipient attending a Kentucky school.
One senior and one freshman will be chosen to provide four vlogs for KHEAA between January and August 2019. The high school senior vlogs will tell about the winner’s experience with the college admissions and financial aid processes. The college student will talk about making a successful transition from high school to college.
Each winner will receive a $500 scholarship to a Kentucky school.
The contest begins on Oct. 22 and ends Nov. 16. For complete rules, visit www.kygoestocollege.com.
To enter, students must create an original video no more than 2 minutes long that introduces them and tells why they would be the best person to share their experiences. They must submit an entry form and post the vlog to YouTube no later than Nov. 16.
Employees and the immediate family members of KHEAA and the Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation (KHESLC) are not eligible.
KHEAA is the state agency that administers KEES, need-based grants and other programs to help students pay their higher education expenses. It also disburses Advantage Education Loans for KHESLC.
For more information about Kentucky scholarships and grants, visit www.kheaa.com; write KHEAA, P.O. Box 798, Frankfort, KY 40602; or call 800-928-8926, ext. 6-7214.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Louisville Metro Councilman Robin Engel (District 22) will hold a town hall meeting on Monday, October 22, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. at Bates Elementary School (7601 Bardstown Road in Fern Creek.
Residents of District 22 will have the opportunity to get an update on the work underway on the Southpointe Commons Development as well as meet with Councilman Robin Engel and numerous Metro and Fern Creek based entities and non-profits including: Metro Public Works, Metro Codes and Regulations, Metro Animal Services, Metro Parks, Parklands of Floyds Fork, MSD, Louisville Water Company, Fern Creek Chamber of Commerce, Fern Creek/Highview United Ministries and Louisville Metro Police (6th and 7th Divisions) along with representatives from the Fern Creek Volunteer Fire Department, Jefferson County Public Schools, Kentucky State Senator Jimmy Higdon (14th Senate District), State Senator Morgan McGarvey (19th Senate District) and State Representative Kevin Bratcher (29th District).
Persons seeking additional information on the forum are encouraged to call the office of Councilman Engel at 574-1122 or e-mail robin.engel@louisvilleky.gov.
Photo: Kevin Kelly/Kentucky Department Fish and Wildlife
Many deer hunters rejoiced this past weekend over a break in a weather pattern that had been alternating between stifling heat and soaking rains.
A cool down coincided with the two-day gun season for youth deer hunters. It also excited archery and crossbow hunters getting into the woods, blinds and tree stands.
“It wasn’t really fit to do much but go hunting,” said Gabe Jenkins, deer and elk program coordinator with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “We saw good participation over the weekend.”
On deck for deer hunters in Kentucky are the October muzzleloader (Oct. 20-21), modern gun (Nov. 10-25) and late muzzleloader seasons (Dec. 8-16) before the free youth weekend on Dec. 29-30, 2018.
Difficult hunting conditions defined the first six weeks since archery deer season arrived at the start of September, which also ushered in numerous changes to deer hunting regulations.
The changes are detailed in the updated version of the Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, on the department’s website at fw.ky.gov and in videos posted on the department’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
“What I’ve been telling people is, if you’re a deer hunter in this state, read the hunting guide because something that affects you has changed,” Jenkins said.
Major differences from last season:
- The statewide and youth deer permits allow for the harvest of up to four deer, either one antlered and three antlerless or four antlerless.
- The modern gun deer season is 16 days statewide.
- A total of 32 counties have been moved up into a different zone.
- Hunters can take as many deer as allowed for each zone. In order to take more than four deer statewide, an additional deer permit must be purchased.
- Hunters in Zones 2 and 3 can harvest no more than four deer. In Zone 3, only one antlerless deer can be taken with a firearm.
- The bag limit in Zone 4 is two deer but only one can be an antlerless deer. Antlerless deer can be harvested during the archery season, crossbow season, free youth weekend or the last three days of the December muzzleloader season. Again, the statewide bag limit of one antlered deer applies.
Hunters are still allowed only one antlered deer statewide regardless of zone, method or season. In Zone 1, hunters can still harvest an unlimited number of antlerless deer with the statewide deer permit and additional deer permit.
The changes encourage greater harvest of does and increased deer harvest in areas where a reduction in herd numbers is sought. At the same time, they are designed to foster a bounce back in areas of east Kentucky hit hardest by last year’s epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) outbreak.
“The new regulations are intended to help meet those objectives,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said this week there has been one confirmed case of EHD with test results pending on five others, most from north of Interstate 64 and east of Interstate 75.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see an uptick in harvest with people wanting to try to fill their four-deer limit,” Jenkins said. “But we also know that three-quarters of our total harvest comes during the modern gun season. That’s the key. If we get a bad weather weekend or two in there, that’s going to have an effect.”
Hunters harvested 136,026 deer during the 2017-18 season, the fifth highest total on record, and the state’s deer herd remains robust overall.
“Things are good,” Jenkins said. “We had a very wet winter and there’s plenty of forage for both adults and fawns, so we expect to see high survival. Traditionally, you have a stress period in July and August. That did not exist this year. They’ve had plenty of groceries on the landscape, so they should be in prime condition health-wise.”
While September’s harvest was down year-over-year, understandable considering the unkind heat and rain, it remained higher than the 10-year average.
Hunters reported taking 4,654 deer during this month’s youth-only gun season weekend, second only to the 2015 season.
That year, the statewide mast survey noted poor white oak acorn production with red oaks rated average. Early returns from mast surveys conducted this year point toward uneven acorn production. Deer will frequent areas around white oaks littering the ground with acorns first before turning attention to red oaks.
“They’re going be more active in weather like this than they are in 90-degree temperatures,” Jenkins said. “They’re going to do what they’re going to do breeding wise when the season is right. However, if conditions are more conducive to eat and be up and moving, they’re going to.
“Right now the key is acorns. Deer are just going to sit there and munch on acorns all day long.”
A chill in the air gets hunters thinking about deer in Kentucky. The best part is its arrival this year comes with plenty of season still left.
A two-headed copperhead snake born in the wild less than one month ago is now in the care of the Salato Wildlife Education Center and will be available for limited public viewing at the facility in Frankfort.
A Leslie County couple donated the rare snake for educational purposes after discovering it in their yard this month.
“I may encounter a two-headed snake in the wild every two or three years but a two-headed copperhead is a first for me,” said Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources State Herpetologist John MacGregor, a leading expert on snakes in Kentucky. “It is a really interesting animal to have on display and a unique opportunity for the public.”
The copperhead is one of four species of venomous snakes found in Kentucky. The others are the cottonmouth, timber rattlesnake and pygmy rattlesnake. Of those, the copperhead and timber rattlesnake are the most common in Kentucky.
A two-headed copperhead snake is extremely rare and its life expectancy in the wild typically is short because of physical limitations caused by the mutation.
“One big question is if the throat connects to the rest of the intestinal tract,” MacGregor said. “That is sometimes a problem with two-headed animals; neither head is completely formed, and there is no way they can swallow anything. Sometimes one head works and the other head does not. With this snake, both tongues work, so there is a pretty good chance that both are functional.”
The snake’s well-being is a top priority for the Salato Center’s staff.
As long as it appears to be in good health, the snake will be available for public viewing 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. starting Friday, Oct. 19.
Public viewing times are subject to change and do not include the Salato Center’s annual Halloween Walk with the Animals event scheduled Saturday, Oct. 27. Viewing times on the day of that event have not been determined.
“Salato is thrilled to host this unique animal,” said Heather “Teach” Teachey, Salato Center director. “We hope the snake will thrive under our care and be an educational ambassador of a native Kentucky species.”
The Salato Center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday. It is closed on Sunday, Monday and state holidays. Admission is charged for visitors ages 5 and older. Visitors can confirm if the snake is available for viewing on the day of their visit by calling 1-800-858-1549.
The Salato Center, operated by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, is off U.S. 60, approximately 1½ miles west of the U.S. 127 intersection. Look for the bronze deer statue at the entrance of the main Kentucky Fish and Wildlife campus.
The Salato Center will be closed for the winter after Nov. 21.
As part of a cultural exchange program initiated by Mayor Greg Fischer and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, six teenage boxers and their coaches from the Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABA) are visiting Louisville from October 8-14.
The Louisville-Liverpool cultural exchange is meant to build on the series of iconic photographs showcasing the February 18, 1964 meeting between Louisville’s Muhammad Ali and the Beatles, of Liverpool. In May, local musician Carly Johnson and her band represented Louisville in Liverpool, performing at the Sound City Music Festival and at the iconic Cavern Club.
During their stay in Louisville, the English boxers will train with James Dixon at TKO Boxing, tour area cultural institutions, and visit with area schools to better understand Muhammad Ali’s lasting impact on Louisville. Thanks to a generous $5,000 donation from Danny Wimmer Presents, the boxers will stay at the iconic Galt House Hotel.
“This exchange builds on the connections between Liverpool and Louisville that were initiated with that 1964 meeting of world-changing artists and a barrier-breaking athlete,” Mayor Fischer said. “The Champ and the Fab Four were committed to making the world a better, more compassionate place – a common bond that’s always worth celebrating.”
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram echoed this sentiment: “More than half a century on from the famous photo that brought those two icons together, we are determined to build on those links to create a strong cultural and sporting partnership that will bring our two regions together, paving the way for future cultural and commercial collaborations.”
More than 3.4 million Kentuckians are registered to vote ahead of the General Election on Nov. 6, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes announced Thursday.
Democrats represent the plurality of the electorate with 1.68 million registered voters, or 49.6 percent of voters. Republicans total about 1.41 million, around 41.7 percent of voters, and more than 295,400 voters, about 8.68 percent, are registered with another party or as “Other.”
“We’ve made it easy to get registered to vote in Kentucky,” Grimes said. “At GoVoteKY.com, our one-stop voter portal, folks can register and make changes to their registration online. We’ve seen tens of thousands of Kentuckians getting registered to vote since the Primary Election. That’s only the first step, though. We want all registered Kentuckians to cast a vote in the General Election on Nov. 6.”
The final report of voters for the General Election shows a net increase of nearly 35,000 voters since the May 22 Primary Election.
Each of Kentucky’s six Congressional Districts gained voters since the Primary Election. The 6th Congressional District, where a hotly contested race for the U.S. Representative is underway, saw a net gain of more than 9,100 voters. The Republican Party and other affiliations gained voters in all the districts, while the Democratic Party gained voters in the 3rd, 4th, and 6th Districts.
Since the launch of GoVoteKY.com in 2016, more than 63,000 new voters have registered online to vote. Approximately 27,700 registered as Democrats, 23,500 as Republicans, and 12,200 as some other affiliation. More than 860,000 Kentuckians have visited the portal since it launched with about 200,000 coming since the Primary Election. Nearly 273,000 registration applications have been submitted and processed since 2016.
“This midterm election year in Kentucky is important. On the ballot, Kentuckians will have the opportunity to choose candidates for local offices all the way up to Congress. I join all our election officials – the State Board of Elections, county boards of elections, and our 15,000 precinct election officers – in calling on Kentuckians to go to the polls on Nov. 6.”
Grimes urges Kentucky voters to visit GoVoteKY.com, the Commonwealth’s one-stop elections portal for voter resources, for information on absentee voting, voter registration status, sample ballots, and locating polling places.
Complete registration statistics are available on the State Board of Elections website, elect.ky.gov.
Photo: Kentucky Cabinet For Economic Development
Ring Container Technologies, a plastic container manufacturer, has opened its $23.3 million, 41-job facility, Gov. Matt Bevin announced recently.
“We are excited to welcome Ring Container Technologies to Kentucky, and we look forward to helping this company flourish at its new location,” Gov. Bevin said. “In addition to a new investment and job creation in Jefferson County, Ring will offer the added benefit of providing products to local businesses in the region. We wish the company all the very best as they begin this new venture.”
The new Ring operation will produce food-grade polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles for local companies in the Louisville area. The new location will eliminate the company’s need for hundreds of shipments from its facilities in the Midwest. To accommodate the project, Ring leased a more than 125,000-square-foot facility on Johnsontown Road in Louisville and expanded it to over 128,000 square feet. The company also purchased and installed energy-reducing materials and equipment, including LED lighting, a chilled water system and a variable speed compressed air system.
“We’re thrilled to open a new plant in Louisville, which is strategically located to better service key customers,” said Ben Livingston, president and CEO at Ring.
Additionally, the Louisville facility will be the first to produce the company’s latest breakthrough technology, expected to be unveiled later this year.
“This cutting-edge application was developed to support the needs of our current and prospective customers, and we are pleased to be launching it in Louisville,” said Brian Smith, Ring’s senior vice president of innovation and supply chain.
Ring is a privately held company founded in 1968 and based in Oakland, Tenn. focused on the creation of sustainable products within the consumer packaging industry. It produces plastic food packaging products, including containers for Jif peanut butter, McCormick spices and large cheeseball containers, among a wide range of other items. The company operates 18 locations in the US, Canada and the UK. Ring is a sister company of RAPAC, a producer of eco-friendly polystyrene resins and finished products and a major recycler of polystyrene in the US.
Sen. Perry Clark, of Louisville, said Ring’s presence will benefit existing local companies.
“Ring Container Technologies’ decision to open its facility in Jefferson County and provide products to local businesses will be good for businesses in our region and provide a welcome boost to our economic base,” Sen. Clark said. “We look forward to the new jobs and stand ready with a skilled workforce to meet the company’s needs.”
Rep. Joni Jenkins, of Shively, described the project as a “win-win” for the entire community.
“I’m happy to welcome Ring Container Technologies to our community and want to thank its leaders for investing so much and creating these additional jobs,” Rep. Jenkins said. “I know many of Louisville’s other companies appreciate this as well, because it will make their jobs easier. This is a win-win for everyone involved.”
To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in September 2017 preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $700,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
In addition, Ring can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives. In fiscal year 2017, the Kentucky Skills Network provided training for more than 120,000 Kentuckians and 5,700 companies from a variety of industry sectors.
For more information on Ring Container Technologies, visit www.RingContainer.com.