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It’s often said these are the good old days for deer hunting in Kentucky, but for those of a certain age, or new to hunting, it’s all they have ever known.
The world was tip-toeing into a new millennium the last time Kentucky’s deer harvest did not break 100,000 for a season. The 2016-17 season cleared that mark and surpassed 130,000 for the fifth consecutive season.
Hunters combined to take more than 139,000 deer before the book closed Jan. 16 on one of the three best seasons on record in Kentucky. The only seasons with higher harvest totals were the 2013-14 and 2015-16 seasons.
“We’ve been harvesting a lot of deer and that’s a reflection of how many deer we have on the landscape,” said Gabe Jenkins, big game program coordinator with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “The good thing is our quality is still up. I’ve talked to a lot of folks who saw a lot of nice deer harvested this season.”
The 2015-16 season produced new records at nearly every turn, including the overall harvest record. Archery hunters kept the trend going this past September by starting the 2016-17 season with a record opening weekend.
A slowdown ensued as unseasonably warm temperatures set in. High winds, an ample acorn crop and a full moon added to the challenge for early muzzleloader season in mid-October and the two-day take was down sharply from the previous year.
Cooler temperatures arrived for modern gun season in November and coincided with the peak of breeding activity across the state.
Hunters responded by checking 41,796 deer the first weekend of modern gun season and 102,848 for the modern gun season overall. Both figures were the second highest on record behind the 2015-16 season.
“I think the warm weather possibly shifted some early season hunters to later,” Jenkins said. “I’ll have to look at that when I start digging into the numbers. I would venture to say that a lot of folks who normally take deer in September and October didn’t and waited until November.”
For the first time in 18 seasons, Owen County did not lead the state in the number of deer taken. Pendleton County finished ahead of it.
Harvest totals in the northern Kentucky county have been on the upswing for several seasons, and the recent results bring added attention to the fact. Hunters there reported taking more than 3,200 deer this past season. Owen, Crittenden, Graves and Christian counties completed the top-five.
Hunters took more than 5,500 deer on public lands across the state, according to telecheck harvest results. Two areas of interest entering this past season were Big Rivers WMA and State Forest in Crittenden and Union counties and the new Rolling Fork WMA in Nelson and LaRue counties.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife debuted a first-of-its-kind quota hunt for archery and crossbow deer hunting this past season at Big Rivers, which expanded in 2016 with the addition of the 841-acre Jenkins-Rich tract in Crittenden County.
“It was a pretty big move for us,” Jenkins said. “When we looked at this one, it wasn’t people shooting five or six deer. It was one person coming and shooting one deer, and it was a lot of people doing that. So it was strictly a numbers game.”
The action achieved the intended result: the deer harvest on Big Rivers was reduced by 38 percent this season.
Rolling Fork WMA came online this past September and allows modern gun hunting for deer. Of the 27 deer taken with a modern gun on the area, 19 were bagged on the more rugged LaRue County side of the property. A total of 32 deer – 15 male, 17 female – were taken on the WMA across all seasons.
Hunters reporting their harvest to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife through the telecheck process this past season were asked for additional information if they were checking male deer with or without antlers. Their answers will help biologists.
“We will be able to get a better feel for age-at-harvest more than we ever have,” Jenkins said. “It will allow us to analyze how we’ve been estimating in the past through our collections in the field compared to what our hunters are reporting. It will be beneficial to make those comparisons.”
Hunters who took a trophy deer this past season are encouraged to submit the necessary information for recognition in the trophy deer list that will appear in the next Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide. The deadline for submissions is May 1.
To be eligible, a hunter must have taken a white-tailed deer in Kentucky this past season that net scored 160 or higher typical or net scored 185 or higher non-typical going by the Boone and Crockett scoring system. The completed and signed score sheet along with a photo should be sent to Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, #1 Sportsman’s Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601. Include the county in which the deer was taken and the equipment used to harvest the deer. Emailed submissions to info.center@ky.gov also are accepted.
As tax season begins, Attorney General Andy Beshear issued a scam alert to help Kentucky families avoid falling victim to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and tax-related identity fraud.
The start date for electronic filing of tax year 2016 federal and Kentucky returns began Jan. 23, 2017, and, as a result, reports of tax identity fraud are increasing.
Beshear’s office has received nearly 100 IRS scam reports over the past seven months, and the most recently reported scams were in Boyd, Greenup and Hardin counties.
“The IRS will never call, text or email asking for your personal or financial information,” Beshear said. “If you are contacted by someone claiming to be an IRS agent and requests your Social Security number hang-up and report it to the actual IRS.”
Tax identity fraud occurs when someone uses your Social Security number to file a tax return in your name, before you file in order to steal your refund.
Beshear and his Office of Senior Protection and Mediation recommends these tips from fraud.org to help Kentucky families avoid falling victim to tax-related identity theft.
- File early. Beginning Jan. 23, 2017, the IRS and the state will begin accepting electronic filing of tax returns. By filing early in the tax season, you can reduce your risk of identity theft by submitting your return before scammers. Waiting only gives con artists more time to steal your refund.
- Consider e-file. To help file quickly, consumers may qualify for the state and IRS’s Free File programs, which allows the use of free, name-brand tax filing software. For more information on the IRS Free File program, click here and for information on the state program, click here.
- Monitor your refund. Review the status of your refund by visiting the IRS’s Where’s My Refund? website or take advantage of the IRS2Go smartphone app. Remember, by law, the IRS must hold refunds claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit and/or the Additional Child Tax Credit until Feb. 15. The first day the Kentucky Department of Revenue will issue refunds is also Feb. 15; click here to visit the state refund site.
Victims of tax fraud may receive a mailed letter from the IRS or the victim may discover the fraud when they attempt to file their return.
Victims need to act quickly and follow these recommended steps:
- Contact the IRS. To contact the IRS directly call, 800.908.4490. Contact the Kentucky Department of Revenue at 502.564.4581.
- Follow the Attorney General’s Identity Theft Kit. Learn how to obtain an incident report of identity theft from your local law enforcement agency, place an immediate and free fraud alert on your credit file, order and review your credit reports, and create a comprehensive recovery action plan.
For additional information, visit the Office of the Attorney General’s website at ag.ky.gov; the IRS site, www.irs.gov/identitytheft; and Kentucky Department of Revenue at http://revenue.ky.gov/.
One of the critical missions of the Office of the Attorney General is to help Kentucky families and seniors recognize and avoid scams.
Kentucky State Treasurer Allison Ball announced earlier this week that she has promoted her current Communications Director, OJ Oleka, to serve as Chief of Staff and Assistant State Treasurer.
“For the past year, OJ has shaped the message coming out of my office,” Treasurer Ball said in a statement. “He has been a leader in developing policy goals and has developed a strong understanding of all functions within Treasury. I’m confident in his ability to do the job.”
As Chief of Staff, Oleka will advise Treasurer Ball on policy and legislative issues, while also managing the day-to-day operations in Treasury.
“Treasurer Ball is one of best leaders in Kentucky,” Oleka said. “It is an honor to serve in this capacity.” Oleka is a Frankfort native; he has an MBA from Bellarmine University and a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Louisville, where he served as Student Body President and Chairman of the Board of Student Body Presidents. Oleka led the Unclaimed Property Division as Director during Treasurer Ball’s first year. Prior to joining Treasurer Ball’s staff, Oleka served in numerous private sector and non-profit management roles. Oleka will continue to maintain the communication duties within the office.
Treasurer Ball has also hired Samara Heavrin to serve as the Unclaimed Property Division Director. In addition to that role, Heavrin will assist in promoting Treasurer Ball’s new STABLE Kentucky initiative and other legislative priorities.
“Samara is a tremendous asset to our team,” Treasurer Ball said. “She is a hard worker and will bring an additional level of organization and a fresh perspective to our team.”
Heavrin is also a Kentucky native, with roots in Grayson County. Prior to joining Treasurer Ball, Heavrin worked for Senator Rand Paul in his Washington, D.C. office for two years, serving as Executive Assistant and leading the scheduling and logistics efforts. Prior to Senator Paul’s office, Heavrin worked for Congressman Brett Guthrie.
“It is great to be home working for such an accomplished public servant in Treasurer Ball,” Heavrin said. “I’m excited for this new opportunity.” Heavrin is a Western Kentucky University graduate with a degree in Advertising.
The appointments were made at the beginning of this year.
According to a recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Kentucky employers reported the lowest incident rate for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in the state’s history.
Based on a mathematical calculation that describes the number of recordable incidents per 100 full-time employees, Kentucky’s rate improved from 3.8 in 2014 to 3.7 in 2015 – reflecting the most recent data available. This rate has steadily declined since it was first calculated in 1996, when a rate of 8.4 was reported.
“Improving workplace safety for all 1.9 million workers in the Commonwealth is the Labor Cabinet’s top priority,” Labor Secretary Derrick Ramsey stated. “While setting an all-time low for the number of workplace injuries and illnesses is an important feat, it is also important that we stay steadfast in our mission to make the Commonwealth the safest place to work and do business in the country. We want every Kentuckian to go home safe and sound at the end of a day’s work, and maintaining a culture of workplace safety is an important foundation to accomplish Gov. Bevin’s goal of making Kentucky the engineering and manufacturing hub of excellence in the nation.”
According to the BLS report, approximately 2.9 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported nationally by private industry employers in 2015 – resulting in 48,000 fewer injuries from the prior year. This produced a national injury and illness rate of 3.0.
Five sectors in the Commonwealth saw significant improvements in industry-specific incident rates. Comparing data from 2014 and 2015, Cement and Concrete Product Manufacturing improved by 9.8 points; Sawmill and Wood Preservation improved by 9.2 points; Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing improved by 5.6 points; Wood Product Manufacturing improved by 2.0 points; and, Machine Shops improved by 4.0 points.
The Labor Cabinet’s Division of Occupational Safety & Health Education & Training leads the Cabinet’s proactive efforts to create safe and healthful workplace conditions. This includes providing free consultative services to employers across Kentucky on ways to increase workplace safety – including how to improve injury and illness rates. Services include free on-site consultations to small employers, as well as other compliance assistance, educational materials, and class-style and online training for all employers.
Last year, the Division conducted 334 consultative surveys identifying and ensuring the abatement of 3,154 serious hazards. Also, 129 training courses were conducted, reaching approximately 4,400 attendees in response to training requests from employers.
Employers and employees all across Kentucky and the nation have access to cost-free safety and health eLearning programs on the Labor Cabinet’s eTrain website. Since the launch of this program, 100,000 participants have utilized this service. This free initiative saves employers money and reduces workplace injuries. Consultants from state agencies or universities work with small and medium-sized businesses to identify workplace hazards, provide advice on compliance with OSHA standards, and help employers establish injury and illness prevention programs.
In addition to these training and education programs, the Division of Compliance is responsible for the enforcement of safety and health standards. Compliance officers inspect workplaces for hazardous conditions and issue citations where violations of standards are found. Inspections may be the result of regular scheduling, imminent danger reports, fatalities, and worker complaints or referrals. Overall, both the education and enforcement responsibilities of the Cabinet comprise a comprehensive goal to “Plan, Prevent and Protect” Kentucky’s workforce.
Mayor Greg Fischer and Gov. Matt Bevin today announced Diversified Consultants Inc. (DCI), a collection services company servicing major-name telecom clients, will locate a new operation in Louisville with a $6.65 million investment expected to create 433 jobs.
“Louisville’s economy continues to thrive with the addition of a new business services company in south central Louisville. As we usher in a new year, we are proud to welcome DCI to our community,” Fischer said. “We are especially excited to welcome home DCI’s chief operating officer, Gordon Beck, a Louisville native and a graduate of Fern Creek High School.”
DCI will lease the bulk of a 60,000 square-foot building in the Commerce Crossings business park. The new DCI office will not only employ customer service agents but office-support staff, including HR, quality administration, compliance and other functions.
“DCI’s commitment to exceptional service makes it a great fit for Kentucky,” said Gov. Bevin. “Their high standard of customer care will make them a terrific partner for the commonwealth’s dedicated workforce. We welcome DCI to Kentucky and look forward to seeing both their client base and workforce grow in the years ahead.”
Beck said he plans to quickly fill all available positions. Buildout of the space could begin in late February, and Beck said he and aims to open the new office by April 1. His Kentucky roots and confidence in the local workforce played into the decision to open the new office.
“Ours is an industry that too often gets a negative reputation. DCI is changing that in how we treat our customers and through our own company culture. We got to the top of our industry by being nice. We focus on the customer experience and are legal, moral and ethical,” Beck said. “The reason we’re opening this office in Louisville is our company is looking to expand its customer base, and we know we can recruit the kind of employees who want to be a part of our company.”
Founded in 1992 in Jacksonville, Fla., DCI is a family owned telecom collection services company. Charlotte Zehnder has acted as the company’s CEO since 2010, and the company is a certified member of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council as a woman-owned business. DCI has quadrupled in size since 2009, currently employing 930 people across three locations in Jacksonville, as well as operations in Portland, Ore., and in the Philippines. Of those, 835 employees are located in the U.S.
To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in January preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $1 million 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.
For more information on DCI, visit www.DCIcollect.com
To read more about Louisville’s business services sector, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/louisville-forward/business-services
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is beginning a tour of the state to hold conversations with Kentuckians about the state of the commonwealth’s civic health. The series of stops, which will be in every part of Kentucky, started Thursday at the University of Louisville.
“At the beginning of the year, my office released the second installment of Kentucky’s Civic Health Index, which revealed some alarming figures about the trust Kentuckians place in public institutions,” said Grimes. “We know that the more engaged people are, the more faith they are likely to have in important institutions such as media and government – and even in the people around them, like neighbors.”
The Index showed the commonwealth improved in national rankings in social connectedness, community engagement and voter registration since Grimes released the first report in 2012. But, it also showed that fewer than half of Kentuckians have confidence in media, a decline of more than 10 percent in three years, and fewer Kentuckians are trusting of their neighbors. Overall, Kentucky ranks 48th in the nation, ahead of only New Mexico (49th), Montana (50th) and Utah (51st), for public confidence in media.
Grimes has called on Kentucky’s elected officials – including legislators and constitutional officers – to help start down the road of restoring trust by signing a pledge to not share fake information and to call out inaccurate news and information to constituents. The Restore Trust in Kentucky pledge has already been signed by many officials, and Grimes is encouraging other Kentuckians to sign on at sos.ky.gov.
“Kentucky is at its best when everyone is engaged,” said Grimes. “This latest Index confirmed our work is not complete when it comes to improving the commonwealth’s civic health, and we are rededicating ourselves – with many partners – to formulating fresh strategies to help bridge participation and engagement gaps.”
The next stop on Grimes’ civic health tour is next week at Western Kentucky University, a partner in the release of the Civic Health Index. The roundtable discussion will be held Feb. 1, 3:30 p.m. CT, at the Faculty House.
The full Civic Health Index and related information is available at sos.ky.gov.
Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate was unchanged from November 2016 to December 2016 at 4.8 percent, according to the Office of Employment and Training (OET), an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.
The preliminary December 2016 jobless rate was 0.9 percentage points lower than the 5.7 percent rate recorded for the state in December 2015.
The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate for December 2016 was 4.7 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, are based on estimates from the Current Population Survey of households. It is designed to measure trends rather than to count the actual number of people working. It includes jobs in agriculture and those classified as self-employed.
In December 2016, Kentucky’s civilian labor force was 2,016,835, an increase of 11,903 individuals compared to the previous month. Employment was up by 11,715, while the number of unemployed increased by 188.
“In December, our labor force increased by .6 percent,” said Kentucky Labor Market Information Director Kate Shirley Akers, Ph.D. “Over the last year, Kentucky has seen growth in both the labor force and the number of employed, with the labor force growing by 3.3 percent and employment increasing by 4.3 percent.”
In a separate federal survey of business establishments that excludes jobs in agriculture and people who are self-employed, Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment increased by 800 jobs in December 2016 compared to November 2016.
“Overall, nonfarm employment has increased by 11,000 positions or .6 percent from one year ago,” said Akers. “The largest month-to-month gain in jobs was in the trade, transportation and utilities sector.”
Nonfarm data is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics program. According to this survey, six of Kentucky’s 11 major nonfarm North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) job sectors registered gains in employment, while five declined from the previous month.
Kentucky’s trade, transportation and utilities sector expanded by 2,100 jobs in December 2016 from November 2016. This is the largest sector in Kentucky with nearly 400,000 jobs accounting for one-fifth of all nonfarm employment. Since December 2015, this sector has expanded by 8,100 jobs.
“The month-to-month increase in the trade, transportation and utilities sector was driven by gains in retail trade. This area added 2,400 jobs from November 2016 to December 2016,” said Akers.
The financial activities sector rose by 1,700 jobs in December 2016 from November 2016. The sector has added 5,700 jobs or 6 percent since December 2015.
“The financial activities sector had the largest month-to-month percent growth among the sectors at 1.7 percent,” said Akers. “The increase was in the finance and insurance subsector.”
Employment in the information sector grew by 400 in December 2016, but had a drop of 400 jobs from December 2015. The industries in this sector include traditional publishing as well as software publishing; motion pictures and broadcasting; and telecommunications.
The educational and health services sector rose by 200 positions in December 2016, and had a gain of 6,300 jobs or 2.3 percent from December 2015. Health care jobs, which account for about 13 percent of all nonfarm employment in Kentucky, increased by 7,900 jobs from December 2015 to December 2016.
Employment in Kentucky’s manufacturing sector jumped by 900 jobs in December 2016 compared to November 2016. Over the year, manufacturing employment rose by 500. Durable goods account for two-thirds of the manufacturing sector and grew by 1.6 percent from a year ago with the addition of 2,500 jobs. Nondurable goods lost 2,000 jobs from December 2015.
Mining and logging sector jobs increased by 100 in December 2016 from November 2016. The industry has declined by 1,900 positions from a year ago.
The government sector, which includes public education, public administration agencies and state-owned hospitals, decreased by 100 jobs in December 2016 and declined by 2,600 positions compared to December 2015.
The construction sector fell by 1,500 jobs in December 2016 from November 2016. Since December 2015, construction jobs have decreased by 5,000 positions.
Kentucky’s professional and business services sector lost 1,800 jobs in December 2016 from the month before but remained steady from a year ago. This category includes establishments engaged in services that support the day-to-day activities of other organizations, including temporary employment services and payroll processing.
The leisure and hospitality sector declined by 1,100 jobs in December 2016 from November 2016. Since December 2015, the sector has added by 100 jobs. This sector includes arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services.
Employment in the other services sector, which includes repairs and maintenance, personal care services, and religious organizations, decreased by 100 positions in December 2016 compared to the month before, but gained 200 positions since December 2015.
Civilian labor force statistics include nonmilitary workers and unemployed Kentuckians who are actively seeking work. They do not include unemployed Kentuckians who have not looked for employment within the past four weeks.
Kentucky’s statewide unemployment rate and employment levels are seasonally adjusted. Employment statistics undergo sharp fluctuations due to seasonal events, such as weather changes, harvests, holidays and school openings and closings. Seasonal adjustments eliminate these influences and make it easier to observe statistical trends. However, because of the small sample size, county unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
