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Seven Kentucky State Parks were recognized in Kentucky Living magazine’s “Best in Kentucky” Awards announced Thursday at the 2019 Kentucky State Fair: My Old Kentucky Home, Cumberland Falls, John James Audubon, Green River Lake, Dale Hollow Lake, Natural Bridge and Barren River Lake.
“We’re proud of all of our Kentucky State Parks and the people who work there,” Parks Commissioner Donnie Holland said. “We appreciate being recognized by our guests.”
My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown received first place in the historic site category. The centerpiece of the park is Federal Hill, a mansion completed in 1818 by the Rowan family. Tours of the home and special events are offered throughout the year. The park also has a golf course and campground.
Cumberland Falls State Resort Park near Corbin received two 2nd place awards for long weekend getaway and day trip. Cumberland Falls is the home of a beautiful waterfall, 125-feet wide and 65-feet high, that also produces a “moonbow” during a full moon. The park has a lodge, cottages, restaurant, campground, hiking trails and many other recreational activities.
Other Kentucky State Parks recognized were:
- John James Audubon State Park in Henderson received 2nd place for museum.
- Green River Lake State Park near Campbellsville received 2nd place for camping spot.
- Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park near Burkesville received 3rd place for golf course and for houseboating lake.
- Natural Bridge State Resort Park at Slade got 3rd place for place for adventure.
- Barren River Lake State Resort Park at Lucas received a 3rd place award for public hunting/fishing area.
For more information about these and other Kentucky State Parks, visit www.parks.ky.gov
Meeting planners looking to ‘connect’ with peers and suppliers will be assembling in Louisville August 26-28 for Connect Marketplace, a leading tradeshow in the meetings, events, travel and tourism industry. Approximately 4,000 meeting professionals will be attending Connect Marketplace around the one-year anniversary of the renovated and re-opened Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC).
The opening address will be given by retired American competitive swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history with 28 medals. To conclude the conference, the closing keynote will be delivered by Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman, a Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women, focusing on raising awareness of ending violence against women and girls.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to once again showcase the city of Louisville to such an important audience,” said Karen Williams, President and CEO of Louisville Tourism. “Hosting Connect Marketplace 2019 will support our mission to continue attracting world-class industry tradeshows in Louisville. This will be the second time Connect Marketplace has been to Louisville, and we plan to take every opportunity to show the best our city has to offer, including the explosion of tourism infrastructure over the last decade.”
Connect Marketplace organizers committed to hosting this show in Louisville in the fall of 2017 after confirming it would be ready before 2019. They last met in Louisville in 2010. The estimated economic impact to Louisville from the three-day conference is $4.4 million, however the city stands to benefit additionally from the prospective future convention bookings that occur as a result of showcasing Louisville’s convention package to these key site selection decision makers.
“We are so pleased to be the host city for the 2019 Connect Marketplace,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “This is a time of great transformation for our city, and we’re proud to host the meeting industry’s top event professionals and give these decision-makers a front-row seat to the nearly $1 billion in tourism-based infrastructure improvements underway here.”
Louisville Tourism planned several initiatives to help the city stand out. Some of the key elements of the welcome program include sponsoring a pink-out opening party at Churchill Downs for breast cancer awareness, chalk art downtown and arranging free artist entertainment outside the convention center in the form of buskers. The buskers are part of the Art in Lou pilot program in partnership with the Fund for the Arts to provide artists with paid opportunities to perform for the community in public spaces, providing a welcoming, lively atmosphere for visitors and residents.
Commercial anglers on Kentucky and Barkley lakes are deploying indicator flags to mark the locations of their nets.
“We want to make anglers and recreational boaters aware of ongoing commercial angling and net locations,” said Jessica Morris, fisheries biologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
“These bright yellow flags are visible for a mile. While nets are generally set 3-feet underneath the surface, boaters still should not go between flags or use them for skiing buoys because of the risk of entanglement.”
The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation purchased about 100 flags and the materials to attach them to the nets.
This spring, the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to allow commercial netting during summer weekends as part of the ongoing effort to control numbers of invasive Asian carp in Kentucky and Barkley lakes. Commercial anglers previously were restricted to netting during the weekdays in summer.
Asian carp outcompete native fish for food. Silver carp, one of the Asian carp species, can be hazardous to boaters as they jump out of the water as a boat approaches.
The net indicator flags are part of a collaborative effort between the department and Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation to avoid user conflicts on the lakes. Nets may be deployed day or night, and not all will be marked.
So far this year, commercial anglers have netted 2.8 million pounds of Asian carp from Kentucky waterways, more than double the 1.1 million pounds taken by the same time in 2018. Morris said approximately 80 percent of the harvest comes from Lake Barkley.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is working with commercial anglers and processors to develop markets for Asian carp.
As part of the effort to control Asian carp, construction is underway on a deterrent system designed to thwart the fish from entering a boating lock chamber into Lake Barkley. The device, known as a bio-acoustic fish fence, could be operational by fall.
The Governor’s Scholars Program, within the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet (EWDC), recognized 1,024 outstanding Kentucky high school students, representing 118 counties, for completing the 37th Governor’s Scholars Summer Program.
The Governor’s Scholars Program is a summer residential program for outstanding high school students focused on enhancing Kentucky’s next generation of civic and economic leaders through educational and career opportunities.
“The Governor’s Scholars Program is a nationally recognized program that has helped foster the next generation of Kentucky leaders,” said EWDC Secretary Derrick Ramsey. “For 37 years, GSP has provided unique opportunities for the high school students to exchange ideas, learn new disciplines, and interact with peers from different regions of our state.”
To participate in the program, a statewide selection committee chooses participants based upon nominations submitted by each Kentucky school district. Selection criteria is based upon academic records and test scores, teacher and community recommendations, extracurricular and service activities, and a writing entry. The program is available at no cost to eligible students.
This year, the program was hosted at Centre College from June 16 – July 20; Morehead State University from June 22 – July 26; and Bellarmine University from June 23 – July 27.
Scholars balanced a busy academic schedule in the sciences, mathematics, social sciences, humanities and the arts with a variety of co-curricular and residential activities. They also participated in community projects, seminars, and other student-initiated activities throughout the five week program.
To learn more about the Governor’s Scholars Program, visit https://gsp.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx.
Five state and local prosecutors were awarded honors by Attorney General Andy Beshear at the annual Kentucky Prosecutors Conference today in Covington.
The conference hosted by the Office of the Attorney General’s Prosecutors Advisory Council (PAC), serves as an annual opportunity for county and commonwealth’s attorneys and state prosecutors to receive specialized training and recognition for their public service.
On Wednesday, Beshear highlighted the outstanding contributions prosecutors have made in their communities by presenting four 2019 Outstanding Prosecutors Awards and an Ian Sonego Award of Excellence.
Those receiving outstanding county or commonwealth’s attorney awards include:
- County Attorney Hon. Virginia Harrod, serving Henry County
- County Attorney Hon. Robert Neace, serving Boone County
- Commonwealth’s Attorney Hon. Michelle Snodgrass, serving the 17th Judicial Circuit in Campbell County
- Commonwealth’s Attorney Hon. Ralph Vick, representing the 45th Judicial Circuit in McLean and Muhlenberg counties.
Beshear awarded the Ian Sonego Award of Excellence to Hon. Barbara Maines Whaley of the Office of the Attorney General. Whaley has served under eight attorneys general for 36 years and prosecuted cases in more than 100 of Kentucky’s counties.
PAC established the Ian Sonego Award of Excellence in 2016 to honor the contributions of Ian Sonego, a former prosecutor, criminal appellate attorney and true champion for Kentucky prosecutors. The attributes honored by this award include perseverance in the pursuit of fairness and integrity in the criminal justice process and knowledge and respect for the law.
“This year, we are proud to honor five outstanding prosecutors for going above and beyond the call of duty,” Beshear said. “As state and local prosecutors they are on the front lines working to build a better, safer state for our families, and we see their dedication and appreciate it.”
The three-day conference takes place today through Aug. 24, at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. The conference will provide a wide selection of seminars and presentations designed to help prosecutors try cases. Subjects include evidence collection, jury selection and understanding trauma.
A number of lectures specifically address changes in law that recently went into effect, including the state’s animal cruelty law. One presentation focuses on sharing information on how to best prosecute animal abuse cases, including collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses and preparing for trial.
Beshear said the presentation was needed to help ensure our new and current prosecutors have the information and resources they need to protect animals from abuse and prosecute those who abuse them.
President Donald Trump visited Louisville yesterday to speak at the American Veterans 75th National Convention. At the end of his speech, the President signed a presidential memorandum that will cancel student loan debt for approximately 25,000 disabled veterans. He was joined on stage with Governor Bevin, Sergeant Katherine Castle, Sergeant Nick Stefanovic, Deputy Secretary Byrne, and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
During his speech, President Trump touted the improvements that have been noticeable at the VA since he took office. The wait times have decreased by more than 33% and that patients’ trust in the VA has increased by nearly 100%. He also went on to say, “We’ve secured a record $8.6 billion for mental health services”, which includes a White House VA Hotline and same-day emergency mental care.
President Trump also talked about other improvements to veterans lives, such as finding permanent housing for over 30,000 veterans over the past two years and stating: “Veterans unemployment has reached the lowest level ever recorded.” The GI Bill has also been expanded to allow veterans to use their benefits to get a higher education at any point in their lives.
President Trump also mentioned the opioid crisis and the effect it has had on veterans over the years. Recognizing that many of the veterans affected are in pain, he wants scientists to find a pain killer than is non-addictive: “Get a pain killer that, when you break your arm and you go to the hospital, you don’t come out of the hospital addicted to opioids.”
His entire speech can be read here.
Following reports from Kentucky teachers in Franklin, Jefferson and Whitley counties, Attorney General Andy Beshear issued a scam alert to warn of a new scam targeting Kentucky school systems and teachers.
Beshear said his office has recently received multiple reports of a “Deputy Hart” calling schools asking to speak with a specific teacher who allegedly has an outstanding warrant or missed jury duty. School officials have been threatened with “obstruction charges” if the scammer is not given information or allowed to speak with the teacher. Once on the phone with the victim, the scammer requests payment via gift cards to resolve the legal matter and avoid arrest.
“While this scam is similar to the widespread jury duty scam, now there is a troubling new twist that indicates scammers are targeting teachers through social media,” Beshear said. “It is despicable that at a time when our teachers are focused on returning to their classrooms to educate children they are being targeted by scammers. I want to make sure every teacher is aware of this scam and takes steps to protect their information online.”
Reports indicate that the scam call is spoofed appearing to be from a local area code and one victim said the scammer pressured her to purchase $2,500 in gift cards, but ultimately she did not fall victim.
Beshear’s office has been in contact with each school district, local officials and the Department of Education and is asking teachers and school district employees to follow these tips to avoid falling victim to the scam:
- Change your privacy settings – Be aware that con artists may use the information that is publicly available on social media against you. Consider adjusting your privacy settings to protect key information about you and your family.
- Verify the call – A scammer may call from a spoofed phone number and pretend to have information like badge numbers, names of actual law enforcement officials, courthouse addresses and phone numbers. Never trust the caller and always verify information independently before making a payment.
- Never pay over the phone using gift cards or reloadable credit cards – Scammers typically use gift cards and reloadable cards as their preferred method of payment because they are almost impossible to track and recover. Know that legitimate local authorities will not ask you to pay using these methods.
One of Beshear’s top priorities is to protect Kentucky consumers, especially senior citizens from scams, abuse and exploitation.
Since taking office, Beshear has repeatedly warned of jury duty and similar warrant scams. Since the beginning of 2019, the office has already received 23 reports of these scams in Breckinridge, Campbell, Fayette, Hardin, Henderson, Jefferson, Kenton, Ohio, Owen and Shelby counties, with losses totaling nearly $2,000.
Beshear’s office caught and convicted a Florida man posing as a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy who was ordered to pay thousands of dollars to the two victims.
To report a scam contact the Office of the Attorney General at 888-432-9257 and file a complaint online. Kentuckians are urged to stay up to date on new and trending scams by signing up for Scam Alerts. To enroll text the words KYOAG Scam to GOV311 (468311), or enroll online at ag.ky.gov/scams and select text message or email alert.
