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SubscribeLocal Company Offers Auto Repair In Exchange For New Winter Coats Through December
Councilman Tom Owen (D-8) is praising the effort of one local business to help keep children in need warm through the coming winter. AcuDENT’s “Dents for Kids” program is underway to assist young people at Boys & Girls Haven by trading automotive dent repairs for winter coats.
Every Friday in December, AcuDENT Paintless Dent Repair will offer up to one, 3-inch dent repair, normally a $159 value, for free. In return, the customer must provide an M-XL adult sized winter coat that equals $50 or greater that will be donated to Boys & Girls Haven.
“I believe this is an innovative way to help Boys & Girls Haven and at the same time shows community involvement by a local business during the holiday season,” says Owen. “Anytime we can help those in need, it helps all of us enjoy the spirit of this time of year.”
The company has worked with Boys and Girls Haven in the past, and realized the specific need for coats for the boys and girls in this organization.
“AcuDENT is always looking for ways to give back to the community,” says owner Gavin Reherman. “This seemed liked the opportunity with the largest impact. Many of these children go through the winter without any type of protection from the cold.”
Since 2004, AcuDENT has served clients from its retail shop, newly located at 1647 Norris Place, and from several reputable car dealerships and body shops in the area. To participate in the program, please call AcuDENT-Paintless Dent Repair to make an appointment at (502) 648-2693.
Boys & Girls Haven began in 1950 and currently serves over 800 children each year from across the state of Kentucky through a variety of programs. The kids they serve have come to Boys & Girls Haven to heal from abuse and neglect. Boys & Girls Haven gives these kids a sense of belonging and a home. They receive the therapy they need to recover in a warm and caring environment.
Louisville has received $1.5 million in federal funding for a project to improve conditions in downtown Louisville for pedestrians and people with disabilities, among others, Mayor Greg Fischer and Gov. Steve Beshear announced today.
When the work is completed, sidewalks in the project area – South Fourth Street between West Chestnut and Broadway – will be repaired or rebuilt to comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and to encourage pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Current conditions, including deteriorated pavers, have significantly limited ADA mobility.
“South Fourth Street is a valued asset to our downtown economic development,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “Our goal is to attract people living, working, shopping and dining in downtown Louisville and this investment from the state helps to make that continual mission possible.”
The funding announced today will build upon the $1.5 million in Metro funds already spent on enhancements along South Fourth Street between Muhammad Ali Blvd and Chestnut St., as well as Gutherie St. and complement the $100 million in private sector investment currently being made in the area.
“Projects such as these enhance a community’s transportation choices and therefore enhance the quality of life for citizens of the community,” Gov. Beshear said. “This award furthers the City of Louisville’s larger plan for making it easier for pedestrians to get around downtown.”
The project area is near a number of non-profit agencies – the Salvation Army, Volunteers of America, KentuckianaWorks and the Housing Partnership – that work with the disabled, veterans, the elderly, the poor and minorities.
Other work is to include enlarged tree wells, restriping of pavement on Fourth Street, and there will be parking on both sides of the street.
The funding is through the federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), a reimbursement program administered by the Office of Local Programs in the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Department of Rural and Municipal Aid.
TAP assists communities in funding transportation improvements such as safe bicycle and pedestrian facilities, scenic routes, beautification, and other investments. Projects may be a mix of elements and accessible to the general public or targeted to a broad segment of the general public.
photo credit: Jamesmac96
After being challenged by the Kentucky Concealed Carry Coalition, or KC3, the blanket ban on weapons at the downtown KFC Yum! Center has been lifted.
Following yesterday’s board meeting, the Louisville Arena Authority had agreed to bring their policy on bringing legally carried weapons, such as firearms, into compliance with state law – which prohibits public agencies from restricting the licensed carry of weapons on their premises.
Although the blanket prohibition on firearms has been lifted, restrictions still remain. For instance, University of Louisville events held at the Yum! center will still be gun-free and promotors will have the option to prohibit weapons at other events for which they have leased the center.
AEG Facilities, the company contracted to manage the Yum! Center, issued a statement saying that “[t]he arena intends to adhere to all federal, state and local regulations” and that it “will allow each event promoter or tour management company who leases the building for an event to determine the venue’s firearms policy on a show-by-show basis.” Although the facilities themselves are operated by a public agency, private lessees of the facilities are able to regulate weapons during the time for which they have leased them under KRS 237.110.
Grant covers Dixie Highway improvements from downtown and beyond
Metro Council President David Tandy (D-4) joined other Metro Council members, Congressman John Yarmuth, Governor Steve Beshear, Mayor Greg Fischer and members of Jefferson County’s Legislative Delegation on Monday to praise the announcement that Metro Louisville will receive a $16.9 million TIGER Grant for the Dixie Highway Master Plan.
“Dixie Highway is just as vital to Metro Louisville as any interstate when it comes to moving people to and from destinations and helping our economy and local businesses,” said Tandy. “We on the Metro Council continue support and advocate for improvements and the modernization of this vital highway.”
The TIGER Grant, along with $11 million in state funding, will improve Dixie Highway by constructing multipurpose lanes for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. There will also be state of the art traffic synchronization for better traffic flow. The funding will also provide TARC with more buses and develop modern rapid transit lanes.
The President said this grant is another enhancement of transportation for Metro Louisville’s urban core.
“It is easy to forget that Dixie Highway begins at 18th Street and Broadway. This grant will help correct traffic flow problems in our downtown and then move out to Algonquin Parkway, Shivery and the Watterson Expressway and then on to the Gene Snyder,” said Tandy.
The grant will also develop landscaping and center medians along the Dixie Highway corridor as a way of improving traffic flow in and out of business locations
“Improving Dixie Highway is just as significant to our infrastructure as the current Ohio River Bridges Project. Both projects will be another plus in Metro Louisville’s favor when it comes to business and travel and our economy.”
Emergency crews are responding to a report of an explosion that happened shortly after 1:30PM today at LG&E’s coal-fired Mill Creek Generating Station in the 14000 block of Dixie Highway.
MetroSafe has reported that there are multiple burn injuries, although there is currently no word on the severity of their burns.
More information will be posted as it becomes available.
Attorney General Jack Conway and his Office of Consumer Protection today announced that the Daymar College settlement administrator will be mailing claims notice packets to all qualifying former students of Daymar College. The administrator is mailing the first claims packets today.
“This settlement with Daymar will provide much-needed relief for former students and protection for students considering enrolling in Daymar in the future,” said Attorney General Conway. “I encourage all qualifying students to file a claim and participate in this long-awaited settlement.”
Under the terms of the consent decree announced by the Attorney General on September 10, $1.2 million will be distributed to former Daymar College students that submit claim forms and are qualified participants. A “qualifying student” is a student that started a term of study at a Kentucky Daymar campus beginning July 27, 2006 through July 27, 2011 and completed at least one term of study at a Kentucky Daymar campus during this time period. Any qualifying student wanting to participate in the distribution must provide the information requested on the claim form and return it to the administrator by first class mail postmarked no later than December 10, 2015. Any qualifying student that does not provide a claim form by the deadline will not be entitled to participate in the distribution. Click this link to read the general terms of the consent decree:http://migration.kentucky.gov/Newsroom/ag/daymarsettlement.htm.
The claims administrator will divide $1.2 million by the total number of school terms that qualified claimants completed during the qualifying period. This dollar amount per completed term shall be distributed to each qualifying student who has submitted a claim.
In addition to providing $1.2 million in cash distributions, the consent decree requires Daymar to forgo collection of $11 million that qualifying students owe to Daymar College. Students do not need to file a claim to be awarded this benefit, but they must file claims to receive a cash distribution.
If Daymar stopped collection on any student loans of more than $1,000 for any qualifying student, that student will not be eligible for a payment from the reimbursement fund. If Daymar stopped collection on loans totaling less than $1,000, qualifying students are eligible for a distribution based on the number of terms completed at a Kentucky Daymar campus during the qualifying period.
For questions about the claim process, you may call the claims administrator at 1-844-814-8813 or visit the website www.DaymarCollegeSettlement.com for further information.
Councilman Steve Magre (D-10) and Patrick Carrico, President of the Bon Air Neighborhood Association have issued the following joint statement after learning of the decision by a State Hearing Officer that the Economy Inn must be re-inspected:
“We are disappointed!
It seems this is a continuation of a cycle that has now lasted almost ten years of inspect, fail, appeal, re –inspect, pass, surprise inspection, fail, appeal and pass. One would think that after all this time; the Economy Inn would have gotten its act together and become a safe place for lodging.
It boggles the mind!
Our disappointment is compounded by the state hearing where it appears the Hearing Officer took the Economy Inn’s owners at their word about repairs being made at the facility. A simple online search recently shows one company that apparently did repairs is no longer operating and there are some serious questions as to whether the repairs were done according to state law. There are also concerns as to whether similar repairs are going on at a Clarksville, Indiana establishment owned by the same people.
It is time to see work orders for these renovations that have been done by certified professionals and inspected and approved according to the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. If a state inspector could be allowed to enter the facility to check those repairs that issue might be resolved.
We can only say that while our local Health Department has come out again with strong warning words of closing if the facility does not improve, it should be noted the community is serious about this. We must also remember the people who are living at Economy Inn and what they must deal with under this cycle mentioned before.
It is time to do the right thing and fix the continuing problems at the Economy Inn. No more window dressing and no more claims of being victims who are being singled out. The neighborhoods surrounding the Economy Inn deserve better and they are going to make sure the right thing is done if the owners decide not to act.”