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The Bloomberg Kentuckiana index showed signs of area businesses recovering from the beating that they took following the stock market shakeup on news of Britain’s exit from the European Union – dubbed Brexit.
Stocks fell sharply across the board last Friday as investors heard news that leave votes had outnumbered remain votes, spurring uncertainty about currency valuations and changes to trade deals. Businesses tied to the Kentuckiana area did not escape the plunge.
The Bloomberg Kentuckiana Index is a price-weighted index that tracks companies either headquartered in Kentucky or Indiana, or having a large presence in the area. Each company has a minimum market capitalization of $15 million. The index was developed with a base value of 100 as of December 29, 1995. Index members include Kindred Healthcare, Humana, Churchill Downs, Lexmark, Ford, GE, Yum! Brands, Papa Johns, and Brown Foreman, among others.
The index closed at its recent peak of $451.51 last Thursday but then dove sharply when the markets opened on Friday with Brexit news. The dive continued on Monday as the index bottomed out at $425.34, which was still higher than lows seen as recently as February of this year.
Investors seemed to have settled down Tuesday and Wednesday as the index rebounded, lead higher by gains by Kindred, Cummins, Churchill Downs, CSX, and Ashland. Although BKYIN:IND is not back to pre-Brexit levels, two straight gains of positive movement are promising as the index climbs into the $430s.
For more information on the Bloomberg Kentuckiana Index, track it here.
Governor Matt Bevin, after months of talking with University of Louisville President James Ramsey, issued an executive order that dismissed the UofL Board of Trustees that were appointed. The members that were elected by students and faculty will remain. Governor Bevin will appoint a three-member team to serve for two weeks until the new board can be appointed.
The new board will consist of 13 members; 10 of which will be appointed by the Governor. Along with the dismantling of the board, President Ramsey also submitted a letter of resignation to the Governor, which will take effect as soon as the new board is appointed.
The order comes after multiple scandals at the university: the basketball-escort scandal, the dean at the school of education being indicted for defrauding the university, an FBI probe into misuse of federal grant money and a state audit into the relationship between the UofL Foundation and the Board of Trustees.
The results are in. Louisville’s own Slugger Field has been declared the winner of the Best Triple-A Ballpark in the US for 2016.
The contest, held by Ballpark Digest, ranked fields in a bracket style tournament. Then, fans were given the opportunity to vote for their favorite in each round. Over 14,000 fans voted for their favorite ballparks throughout the tournament.
The final round, came down to Louisville Slugger Field and Indianapolis’s Victory Field. In a narrow margin of 51% to 49%, Louisville won.
A complete list of all fields with rank as well as the results for each round of voting can be found at Ballpark Digest.
Louisville is one of five cities selected by national funder Living Cities and the Government Alliance on Race and Equity to join an effort, Racial Equity Here, to improve racial equity and advance successful outcomes for all in America’s cities.
“Louisville is a compassionate city, dedicated to offering each and every individual the opportunity to reach their full human potential,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “We have taken many steps to improve our city through innovation and regular analysis of our daily work and are focused on system-wide change.
“Racial Equity Here will help us develop even more tools to address disparities that seriously affect individuals across our community. We look forward to further advancing racial equity here in Louisville and taking a lead in closing the opportunity gap.”
Louisville will join Albuquerque, Austin, Grand Rapids, and Philadelphia as part of this effort.
Government leaders in each city will complete a racial equity assessment of their core government operations. This assessment will include an intentional focus on operations as they relate to adults and youth of color aged 16 to 24, who are disproportionally out of school or work.
By understanding how and where municipal operations affect young people of color, governments will not only better understand their role in perpetuating disparities but will also begin addressing them in transformative ways. Over a two-year period, the jurisdictions will develop a blueprint of government-wide strategies and begin executing the skills, tools and processes they develop through this work.
The cities participating in Racial Equity Here were selected based in part on a demonstrated commitment to improving racial equity and improving outcomes for young people of color, and to expanding efforts across the breadth of outcomes that government influences.
A cross-functional team of Louisville government leaders, led by the Office of Performance Improvement & Innovation (OPI2), submitted the application to participate in the initiative. The Center for Health Equity, Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, Office for Globalization, Departments of Community Services and Human Resources and the Human Relations Commission will all participate in the 24-month cohort, alongside OPI2. Continue reading
Mayor Fischer will appoint a Chief Resilience Officer to lead local efforts
Mayor Greg Fischer welcomed an announcement today from 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation (100RC), selecting Louisville to join the 100RC Network to build urban, environmental, and economic resilience.
Louisville is among the final cohort of cities invited to join the worldwide 100RC Network. As a member of 100RC, Louisville will gain access to tools, funding, technical expertise, and other resources to build resilience to the challenges of the 21st century.
Mayor Fischer said entrance into the 100RC Network will help Louisville fight the resilience challenges of environmental sustainability, as well as the economic resilience challenges that impact many low-income and disadvantaged citizens. The grant will help the city hire a Chief Resilience Officer who reports directly to the Mayor.
“Louisville’s selection to join the 100 Resilient Network is not only a significant honor but will give us the tools to support a better today, tomorrow and for future generations to come. Our application recognized Louisville’s commitment to addressing and environmental issues that disproportionately impact low-income and minority neighborhoods. It will also examine income inequality in our city,” Fischer said. “As a new member of 100 Resilient Cities, we can work with the best in the private, government, and non-profit sectors in developing and sharing tools to plan to and respond to the resilience challenges ahead.”
“We are so proud to welcome Louisville to 100 Resilient Cities,” 100RC President Michael Berkowitz said. “We selected Louisville because of its leaders’ commitment to resilience building and the innovative and proactive way they’ve been thinking about the challenges the city faces. We’re excited to get to work.”
“For us, a resilient city has good emergency response and meets its citizens’ needs,” Berkowitz continued. “It has diverse economies and takes care of both its built and natural infrastructure. It has effective leadership, empowered stakeholders, and an integrated planning system. All of those things are essential for a resilient city.”
Momentum from 100RC’s two earlier challenges made this year highly competitive, spanning over 90 countries across six continents. Louisville was chosen from more than 325 applicants on the basis of their willingness, ability, and need to become resilient in the face of future challenges. The application process showed each city’s unique vision for resilience, a long-term commitment to building resilience in a way that connects silos of government and sectors of society, and specific attention to the needs of poor and vulnerable citizens. Applicant cities also demonstrated the willingness to be leaders in urban resilience, sharing learning experiences and becoming a model for other cities across the globe.
Member cities were selected upon the recommendation of distinguished judges from around the world, including: A. Eugene Kohn, Chairman of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Acha Leke, Director at McKinsey & Co Africa, Co-Founder of African Leadership Network, Ann Fudge, Vice-Chair and Senior Independent Director of Unilever, Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Director-General of Swedish International Development Cooperation (SIDA) , Dan Doctoroff, CEO of Sidewalk Labs, Dr. Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, Kai-Uwe Bergmann, Partner at the Bjarke Ingels Group, Michael Kocher, General Manager at Aga Khan Foundation, Nachiket Mor, Former Director and Current Board Member, Reserve Bank of India and Senior Advisor to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, andNena Stoiljkovic, Vice President, Global Partnerships at the IFC.
Selected cities are now part of a global community of cities working together to build urban resilience. In the months ahead, as part of the 100RC Network, Louisville will be eligible to receive grant funding to hire a Chief Resilience Officer, who will lead the citywide resilience-building process and engage stakeholders from across different government agencies, public and private sectors, and various communities to incorporate diverse perspectives and knowledge. Louisville will also receive technical support to develop a Resilience Strategy that reflects the city’s distinct needs, and the support and services they need as they work towards implementing that strategy. Each new network member will gain access to a variety of 100RC Platform Partners in the private, public, academic, government, and nonprofit sectors. Partners offer tools and services valued at over $200 million USD at no direct cost to 100RC members, in areas such as innovative finance, technology, infrastructure, land use, and community and social resilience. Finally, the cities will be linked together in a global network so they can learn from each other’s challenges and successes.
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture is accepting applications from community organizations interested in hosting Kentucky Proud dinners now through fall of 2016.
The Kentucky Proud Food to Fork Program will provide funding to qualifying applicants for dinners that showcase local food products. The program will also promote local agritourism businesses and provide educational background on locally produced agricultural food and products.
“The purpose of the Kentucky Proud Food to Fork Program is to raise awareness of local farms, farmers, producers, and Kentucky Proud products while helping a good cause,” Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said. “I encourage local organizations to send us your proposals.”
Applicants must agree to display the Kentucky Proud logo in all graphics and promotional materials for the event. Successful applicants will agree to make every effort to source local agricultural products from area farms and producers. Applicants must designate a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization as the beneficiary of the dinner. The department will provide a 50-50 match for eligible expenses. Funding limit will be based on attendance.
Applications must be submitted by Sept. 2 to Alisha Morris, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Office of Agricultural Marketing and Product Promotion, 111 Corporate Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601 or alisha.morris@ky.gov. Successful applicants must hold their events no later than Nov. 30.
To download an application and guidelines, go to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s website,www.kyagr.com, and click on “Kentucky Proud” in the Forms menu.
Morgan Cross, along with her parents Craig and Susan, join Gov. Bevin, Sen. Mike Wilson, Rep. Rita Smart, Rep.Regina Bunch, Rep.Derrick Graham and Sen. Dorsey Ridley for ceremonial signing of Senate Bill 228.
Gov. Matt Bevin, joined by the Guess family and co-sponsors Sen. Dorsey Ridley and Sen. Mike Wilson, today held a ceremonial signing of Senate Bill 228. The bill, which was passed into law April 9, gives a statewide definition for bullying in the K-12 school system.
“It’s always a great day when we can pass legislation that protects our children,” said Gov. Bevin. “No child should ever fear going to school or participating in events because of a bully. This law ensures all public schools in Kentucky have a common definition of bullying, allowing them more freedom to prevent and discipline this unacceptable behavior.”
Senate Bill 228 defines bullying as “any unwanted verbal, physical or social behavior among students that involves a real or perceived power imbalance and is repeated or has the potential to be repeated.” This law is effective at school, in the classroom, any school transportation, school-sponsored event or any place that disrupts the education process of the student.
Morgan Guess, daughter of Craig and Susan Guess, was bullied by a classmate when she was eight years old. Morgan didn’t tell anyone and suffered in silence. Her mother discovered it but not before Morgan started experiencing stomach spasms and panic attacks. Morgan’s pediatrician diagnosed her as clinically depressed and prescribed anti-depressants.
Susan Guess told her that bad things are going to happen in life and that Morgan could choose to ignore it, blame others or be part of the solution.
The duo decided to start the Guess Anti-Bullying foundation and have since been nationally recognized for their work. They have raised nearly $50,000 and have used the funds to bring speakers to local schools, among other projects like hosting the international Inside Out Project.