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SubscribeThe rate of fatalities on Kentucky’s roadways is increasing in 2016, according to preliminary numbers from the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS). As of Oct. 24, there were 640 fatalities – 29 more than at the same time last year.
“With only two months left in the year, we are encouraging drivers to take responsibility for their driving behaviors,” said KOHS Executive Director Dr. Noelle Hunter. “More people are traveling our roadways, which might explain the fatality increase; however, it does not explain why people are not making safe decisions behind the wheel.”
Of the 640 people killed on Kentucky roadways so far this year, 238 were not wearing seat belts, 110 died in crashes involving alcohol, 90 occurred due to speeding, 154 were a result of driver inattention and 59 were pedestrians. Motorcyclists accounted for 81 fatalities, 50 of which involved a rider not wearing a helmet.
Roadway fatality numbers are increasing nationwide as well. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2015 marked the largest increase in traffic deaths since 1966. Preliminary estimates for the first half of 2016 show an increase of approximately 10.4 percent, compared with the number of fatalities in the first half of 2015.
“Recent roadway tragedies have put highway fatalities and injuries back in the headlines, but it is what we deal with on a daily basis,” said Hunter. “It is our goal to bring highway safety awareness to all Kentucky motorists and support law enforcement in their effort to remove anyone from the roadway who is endangering the lives of others.”
The KOHS distributes federal grant money to state and local law enforcement agencies for enforcement and awareness campaigns throughout the year. The “Click It or Ticket” seat belt enforcement campaign occurs yearly through the Memorial Day weekend, and the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign occurs through the Labor Day weekend and again during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday.
“Contrary to popular belief, officers are not required to write a specific number of tickets,” said Hunter. “It’s not about a quota – it’s about saving lives.”
According to NHTSA, more than 90 percent of crashes are due to driver error. Also according to NHTSA, one of the most effective countermeasures in reducing highway traffic fatalities is creating general deterrence through a combination of high-visibility enforcement and public awareness. When the perceived risk of getting caught by law enforcement goes up, the likelihood that people will engage in unsafe driving behaviors goes down.
For more information, visit http://highwaysafety.ky.gov.
George Ella Lyon’s term as Kentucky Poet Laureate has only a few months remaining, but the Harlan County native’s story collection project, “‘Where I’m From’: A Poetry of Place,” will live beyond her tenure as the state’s literary ambassador.
Lyon’s goal with the project is to collect, from each of Kentucky’s 120 counties, individual stories fashioned on “Where I’m From,” her iconic 1993 poem that has been used as a model for poetry writing in communities around the world.
Groups in several Kentucky communities have accepted Lyon’s challenge with enthusiasm. Janine Musser of the Appalachian Heritage Alliance in Campton has collected a dozen poems from women of a wide range of ages and backgrounds. She also leads a group of senior women that meet once a month to collaborate on a group poem.
“‘Where I’m From’ is a beautiful way to realize that each of our personal stories is a poem, and the simplicity of the format gives the encouragement to write it,” Musser said. “In my community, where the oral tradition is the standard of remembering, ‘Where I’m From’ has served as a reminder that it is important to write it down to preserve a way of life that is no longer common. It also reminds us that you don’t have to be a scholar to write your own story.”
Suszanne Jones, a paraeducator for the Morehead Youth Development Center, which serves at-risk young women between the ages of 15 and 18, said the poem has been helpful to her students. Jones herself wrote a “Where I’m From” poem, adding hers to the 11 contributed by young women at the center. The exercise was enlightening for students and staff.
“In the students own words, their lives were a touchy subject, and for others it forced them to remember things that they had forgotten, and it made them cherish them even more,” Jones said. “Our greatest and most appreciated responses, though, were from our staff. It opened a door for many of them into our students’ backgrounds.”
The project has been helpful in educating the community at-large about her students, Jones said.
“Many people, though I cannot speak broadly for all, see our students as criminals, truants and sometimes bad kids. This project isn’t going to change that overnight, but it did allow some people to see, through their written words, that these students are just like any other teenager. They remember sweet memories of where they came from. It also allowed us to see a small glimpse of the hurt and feeling of being unwanted.”
People interested in participating in the “Where I’m From” project can do so by emailing their county contact. If there is no contact listed for your county or you are interested in being the county contact, email Tamara Coffey, individual artist director, at tamara.coffey@ky.gov.
The U.S. Dept. of Labor has announced over $50.5 million in grant awards to 37 states to help expand apprenticeship opportunities across the U.S. – including $896,600 for Kentucky.
The proposal calls for a workforce pipeline to be created in Kentucky, increasing the number of Registered Apprentices by 1,300 individuals, including women, minorities, 16-24 year olds, individuals age 45+ or older, veterans, and people with disabilities.
“In Kentucky we recognize the value of apprenticeships and the vital role they play as the Commonwealth works to become the manufacturing hub of excellence in America,” said Gov. Bevin. “Employers across the state are in need of skilled laborers, and this funding will help train a workforce ready to fill that need. By re-committing ourselves to fully embracing the power of apprenticeships, we place ourselves in the best position to move Kentucky forward.”
“Receiving this funding is critical to the Labor Cabinet’s goal of expanding the scope of industries with Registered Apprenticeships,” Labor Sec. Derrick Ramsey stated. “We’re very proud of the approximately 1,100 employers and 150 different programs that already exist here in Kentucky, but this award will play an important role in growing those numbers. Kentucky is working toward becoming the manufacturing hub of excellence in America, and I’m proud that this vision is being endorsed by this grant award.”
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who contacted U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez on behalf of the Kentucky Labor Cabinet, said, “there is a shortage of skilled workers in Kentucky in a number of critical industries, and this competitive funding will help the Kentucky Labor Cabinet implement employer-driven training programs for Registered Apprenticeships in the healthcare, manufacturing, and construction industries. This important project could significantly benefit those seeking a path to employment and meet the demand for skilled labor in an effort to make Kentucky a more competitive place for employers to locate and expand. I was happy to work with Governor Bevin and the Kentucky Labor Cabinet to help secure this important grant.”
Called the ApprenticeshipUSA State Expansion Grant Initiative, this is the second phase of the Dept. of Labor’s strategy to diversify Registered Apprenticeships into new sectors and engage under-served populations. According to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, the grant initiative is intended to:
- Help States advance Registered Apprenticeship as a workforce development strategy and post-secondary education career pathway that maintains the nation’s strong, adaptable, and highly skilled workforce.
- Support integrated, statewide apprenticeship strategies and State capacity to engage industry and meet the demand for new programs in both traditional and non-traditional industries such as IT, Healthcare, Advanced Manufacturing, Building Trades, Cybersecurity, and Business Services.
- Catalyze State innovations to significantly increase Registered Apprenticeship opportunities for all American workers, particularly underrepresented populations in apprenticeship including opportunity youth, women, communities of color, Native Americans, and persons with disabilities, and taking steps to facilitate their successful completion of apprenticeship programs.
Full information on the ApprenticeshipUSA State Expansion Grant Initiative can be found HERE.
For more information on Registered Apprenticeships in Kentucky, click HERE.
Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate for September 2016 was 5 percent from a revised 4.9 percent in August 2016, according to the Office of Employment and Training (OET), an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.
The preliminary September 2016 jobless rate was 0.4 percentage points lower than the 5.4 percent rate recorded for the state in September 2015.
The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate for September 2016 was 5 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 September 2016, Kentucky’s civilian labor force was 1,981,794, an increase of 12,605 individuals compared to the previous month. Employment was up by 10,571, and the number of unemployed increased by 2,034.
“The sharp increase in the labor force signals that more workers are returning to the workforce as they see the employment situation improving. For the last five months our unemployment rate has hovered around 5 percent, which is effectively full employment,” said economist Manoj Shanker of the OET. “Though there has been an uptick in labor force participation, Kentucky is still ranks near the bottom of the stack in participation rates.”
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 11,500 jobs in September 2016 from the month before and was up 25,800 positions since September 2015.
“Nonfarm employment, or what’s normally called the jobs number, is at a historical high. The September report delivered an unexpected boost to the flat situation we have experienced so far in 2016, “said Shanker. “The biggest increase was in professional and business services which was buoyed by jobs in temp services.”
Nonfarm data is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics program. According to this survey, eight of Kentucky’s 11 major nonfarm North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) job sectors registered gains in employment, while two declined and one stayed the same from the previous month.
Employment in Kentucky’s professional and business services increased by nearly 3 percent with the addition of 6,200 jobs in September 2016 from a month ago. Year-over-year there was a gain of 6,000 jobs. This category includes establishments engaged in services that support the day-to-day activities of other organizations, including temporary employment services and payroll processing.
“Typically, when businesses plan to expand they test the waters by hiring more temp employees. The robust gain in temp hiring—after a nine-month decline—is reassuring,” said Shanker.
The leisure and hospitality sector gained 2,500 jobs in September 2016 from a month ago. Since September last year, the sector has expanded by nearly 2 percent with the addition of 3,500 jobs. This sector includes arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services.
Kentucky’s trade, transportation, and utilities sector expanded by 1,200 jobs in September 2016 from a month ago. This is the largest sector in Kentucky with nearly 400,000 jobs accounting for one-fifth of all nonfarm employment. Since September 2015, this sector has expanded substantially with a gain of 9,300 jobs. Retail trade added 1,000 jobs over the previous month, and gained 7,600 jobs over the year, while transportation and warehousing added 700 jobs from a month ago and increased 2,400 positions over the year.
The manufacturing sector rose by 700 jobs in September 2016 compared to the previous month. Over the year, however, manufacturing employment declined by 1,300. Durable goods account for two-thirds of the manufacturing sector and grew by 1.5 percent from a year ago with the addition of 2,400 jobs, while nondurable goods lost 3,700 jobs over the year.
The government sector, which includes public education, public administration agencies and state-owned hospitals, increased by 600 jobs in September 2016 but declined by 2,100 positions compared to last September. Almost all of the month-to-month gain was in federal employment.
Employment in educational and health services sector was up by 500 positions in September 2016, and had a robust gain of 10,600 jobs, or 4 percent, from a year ago. Health care jobs account for about 15 percent of all nonfarm employment in Kentucky and decreased by 200 positions for the month, but showed strong gains over the year with the addition of 12,000 jobs.
The financial activities sector expanded by 300 jobs in September 2016 from a month ago. The sector has added 4,600 jobs since last September.
Mining and logging sector jobs increased by 100 in September 2016 from a month ago. The industry has declined by 2,300 positions from a year ago.
Employment in the information sector remained unchanged in September 2016. This segment has declined by 900 positions from a year ago. The industries in this sector include traditional publishing as well as software publishing; motion pictures and broadcasting; and telecommunications.
The construction sector dropped by 200 jobs in September 2016 from a month ago. Since September 2015, construction jobs have decreased by 1,800 positions.
Employment in the other services sector, which includes repairs and maintenance, personal care services, and religious organizations, decreased by 400 positions in September 2016 from a month ago. This sector has increased by 200 jobs from a year ago.
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.
Learn more about the Office of Employment and Training at http://www.kylmi.ky.gov/.
The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) today announced six new research fellows. Each fellow will receive monetary support to conduct research for a time of one to four weeks at KHS in Frankfort.
Recipients include:
Fall 2016 Scholarly Research Fellowships
- J. Matthew Gallman, University of Florida, “Kentucky Democrats and Family Politics: The Strange Case of ‘Willie’ Weller
- Robert P. Murray, Mercy College, “Slavery Times in Kentucky Redux”
- Jonathan W. White, Christopher Newport University, “Abraham Lincoln and the Slave Trade”
2016 Oral History Research Fellowship
- Rebecca Hasselbeck, University of California – Irvine, “Behind the Tracks: Social and Labor Relations in the United States Horse Racing Industry”
2016 Churchill Weavers Fellowships
- Ricki Dwyer, independent scholar, “Weaving in Contemporary Culture”
- Maggie Leininger, University of Louisville – Hite Art Institute, “Churchill Weavers and Textile Industrialization”
The Research Fellowship Program is funded by the Kentucky Historical Society Foundation. The program encourages and promotes advanced research on all aspects of Kentucky-related local, regional, national, transnational and comparative history using KHS collections. More information is at history.ky.gov/research-fellowships/.