Tuesday February 3, 2026
Local Connection
Weather
Traffic
@LouisvilleDispatch
@LouisvilleDisp
Subscribe
Mayor Greg Fischer and Ocala (Florida) Mayor Kent Guinn today made their annual wager on the Kentucky Derby, placing a new Louisville bourbon and Ocala brandy on the line.
This is the fourth year for the friendly wager between the mayors of the two cities, both steeped in thoroughbred tradition.
Mayor Fischer chose J Boys Echo, trained by Louisvillian Dale Romans, as his winning horse. “It’s time for this Louisvillian to get into the Derby Winner’s Circle,” the Mayor said.
Mayor Guinn is predicting favorite Classic Empire will emerge victorious in the Derby. Classic Empire, son of Pioneer of the Nile, has traditional Florida bloodlines of Unbridled, Fappiano, Dr. Fager and In Reality. But mostly, Mayor Guinn said he chose him because he is a big fan of trainer Mark Casse, who grew up in Ocala.
“With Mark’s hometown roots and farm in Ocala, I hope he brings the Kentucky Derby trophy home,” Mayor Guinn said. “The first Florida winner, Needles, has had his trophy prominently displayed in the city for a long time, so it is only fitting that the latest winner’s award also be on display so residents here in Horse Capital of the World can celebrate the honor.”
Last year, Mayor Guinn’s pick, Gun Runner, finished third, and Mayor Fischer’s selection, Brody’s Cause, finished seventh. So no spirits were exchanged.
Mayor Fischer’s bet this year is a bottle of the new Old Forester Statesman from Louisville’s Brown-Forman Corp. The company announced earlier this week that Old Forester Statesman will debut in acclaimed filmmaker Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming 20th Century Fox film, “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” and will available for film fans and bourbon aficionados to enjoy in August.
Mayor Guinn again bet Marion Black 106 —the Spirit of Florida Tangerine Brandy, distilled by Fishhawk Spirits of Ocala.
“We love our traditions in Louisville, and nothing is more traditional than Derby and bourbon,” Mayor Fischer said. “This bet with Ocala has become fun annual wager – and yet another tradition!”
Kentucky’s legal community has raised more than 350,000 pounds or 175 tons of food through donations for families and children across the state, Attorney General Andy Beshear said today.
The effort is part of the inaugural Kentucky Legal Food Frenzy that takes donations of food, money and volunteer time during the competition announced in February by Beshear and partners.
Lawyers and staff competed outside the courtroom for two weeks – March 27 to April 7 – to raise food and funds for Kentucky’s food bank network.
A total of 125 law firms and legal organizations representing more than 2,500 attorneys and staff competed for the grand prize – the Attorney General’s Cup – Beshear said.
GE Appliances’ legal department won the grand prize by raising the equivalent of 33,379 pounds of food. Paducah’s Bryant Law Center, who won the Small Firm Award, missed winning the grand prize by 156 pounds of food; they donated 33,223 pounds total.
The Office of the Attorney General, the Prosecutors Advisory Council (PAC) and several local prosecutors joined the competition to raise food and funds for local food banks. The Office of the Attorney General donated the equivalent of 6,792 pounds of food, and PAC and the offices of county and commonwealths attorneys combined donated the equivalent of more than 51,000 pounds of food.
Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney Lou Anna Red Corn and her staff won the Government and Public Service Award by donating 16,109 pounds.
Kentucky’s three law schools held their own competition. Northern Kentucky University’s Chase College of Law won the division title this year by raising the equivalent of 1,610 pounds.
“Congratulations to the Attorney General’s Cup winner GE Appliances’ legal department, NKU Chase College of Law and all of the 2017 Kentucky Legal Food Frenzy winners,” Beshear said. “I could not be more proud of Kentucky’s legal community for its generosity toward those in need in our state. The true winners of this competition are the children who will receive healthy, balanced meals this summer.”
Tamara Sandberg, Kentucky Association of Food Banks executive director, said Beshear issued the challenge to the state’s legal community to take action against hunger, and “the Kentucky Bar Association Young Lawyers Division answered that challenge with zeal.”
“On behalf of Kentucky’s food bank network, I want to express our gratitude to the Young Lawyers Division, Attorney General Beshear and all the firms, legal organizations and law schools that worked hard to help stock the shelves of food banks,” Sandberg said.
The Kentucky Legal Food Frenzy, a partnership between the Office of the Attorney General, Kentucky Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and the Kentucky Association of Food Banks, is timed to help food banks prepare for increased demand during the summer months when children do not have access to school meals.
Nearly all (94 percent) of Kentucky’s food bank client households with school-aged children receive free or reduced-price school lunch through the National School Lunch Program.
Only one in 13 school-aged children who receive free and reduced-priced lunch during the school year, however, have access to such meals during the summer months when school is out.
Kentucky’s seven regional food banks serve 53,000 Kentuckians each week. All of the food and funds collected during the Legal Food Frenzy benefit the regional food bank that serves each competitor’s community.
Beshear said a large part of the campaign’s success was the leadership behind the competition.
“I would like to thank the Kentucky Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Chair Rebecca Schafer and campaign co-chairs Lee Metzger and Miranda Click of the Young Lawyers Division as well as Susan Rieber in my office,” Beshear said. “Their hard work and dedication made the inaugural Legal Food Frenzy a success. I appreciate the generosity of all Kentucky lawyers and legal staff who contributed to this important effort.”
Winners of the 2017 Kentucky Legal Food Frenzy
- Corporate Legal Department/Grand Prize Winner: GE Appliances: 33,379 pounds. (Louisville)
- Small Firm: Bryant Law Center: 5,537 pounds per attorney (33,223 pounds total) (Paducah)
- Large Firm: Wyatt Tarrant & Combs: 165 pounds per attorney (19,645 pounds total) (Lexington and Louisville)
- Government and Public Service: Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office: 16,109 pounds (Lexington)
- Medium Firm: Graydon: 386 pounds per attorney (9,640 pounds total) (Fort Mitchell)
- Solo Firm: The Risk Firm: 2,063 pounds per attorney (4,125 pounds total) (Covington)
- Law School: NKU Chase College of Law: 1,610 pounds (Highland Heights)
“My first priority is to protect Kentucky families and children, and each day far too many are struggling to obtain enough food for a healthy, active life,” Beshear said. “The Legal Food Frenzy will continue to be an opportunity for the state’s legal community to challenge each other outside the courtroom for the noble cause of reducing hunger.”
Kentucky eighth-graders headed for high school in the fall might find “High School Basics,” a four-page flyer, helpful. The free flyer can be ordered from the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA).
“High School Basics” has sections about:
- Credits and graduation requirements.
- Calculating a GPA.
- Reading a high school transcript.
- The Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES).
- Earning college credit while in high school.
Free copies are available by emailing publications@kheaa.com. Please remember to include a mailing address.
KHEAA is the state agency that administers KEES, need-based grants and other programs to help students pay their higher education expenses.
For more information about Kentucky scholarships and grants, visit www.kheaa.com; write KHEAA, P.O. Box 798, Frankfort, KY 40602; or call 800-928-8926, ext. 6-7214.
As part of the 52 Weeks of Public Health campaign, the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH), within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS), is calling on homeowners to help control mosquitoes by eliminating standing water from containers that can collect rainwater where insects breed.
“Everyone needs to do their part to help reduce the mosquito population,” said Hiram Polk Jr., MD, DPH commissioner. “As we are out in the garden getting ready for the growing season or after a rain shower, spend a moment or two thinking about other potential breeding areas for mosquitoes. Walk around your yard once a week or after a rain shower to see if there are any containers holding water and drain them.”
Female mosquitoes need only a teaspoon of water in which to lay eggs; can become an adult mosquito in just seven days; and have a lifespan of about two weeks. Mosquitoes will lay eggs in almost anything such as a bottle cap, a candy wrapper, folds of a plastic tarp or downspout, discarded tires, children’s toys or the seat of a riding lawn mower. Mosquitoes lay eggs on the walls of water-filled containers and the eggs stick like glue and remain attached until they are scrubbed off. The eggs can survive when they dry out up to 8 months. Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover or throw out containers that can hold water.
Common household items that can be a home for mosquito larvae include buckets, garbage cans, tires, tarps, gutters and flexible downspout extensions, decks and porches, kiddie pools and pool covers, sand boxes, wagons and big plastic toys, planter saucers or planters without drainage holes, wheelbarrows, watering cans, bird baths, decorative ponds without fish and unscreened water barrels.
If you cannot eliminate or drain a breeding ground because it is too heavy to move, consider using a larvacide such as mosquito dunks containing a biological larvacide.
For more information about the mosquito proofing your yard to reduce mosquito populations, see this video featuring Dr. Anna Yaffee, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Kentucky Department for Public Health.
For further information visit the DPH website http://healthalerts.ky.gov/zika or the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/zika. Be sure to follow KYHealthAlerts on Twitter and DPH’s Zika mascot, Marty Mosquito, on Instagram, @martymosquito.
Throughout the planned 52 Weeks of Public Health promotion, DPH will spotlight a specific public health issue. Additional information about the campaign is available on the DPH website: http://chfs.ky.gov/dph/default.htm and will be posted on the CHFS Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/kychfs where Kentuckians are encouraged to like and share posts among their networks of friends.
Hollywood has a new character – he’s bold and daring with a rustic, yet smooth approach. America’s first bottled bourbon, Old Forester, is known for being full of character. But this time, Old Forester is introducing a new type of character – a straight bourbon whiskey – named Old Forester Statesman that will debut in acclaimed filmmaker Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming 20th Century Fox film “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” and available for film fans and bourbon aficionados to enjoy August 2017.
In “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”, our heroes face a new challenge when their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage. Their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US called Statesman, dating back to the day they were both founded. The Statesman, based in Louisville, Kentucky, act as Master Distillers to hide their true identity. In a new adventure that tests their agents’ strength and wits to the limit, these two elite secret organizations band together to defeat a ruthless common enemy, in order to save the world, something that’s becoming a bit of a habit for Eggsy. The sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle is directed by Matthew Vaughn and stars original cast members Colin Firth, Taron Egerton and Mark Strong, and introduces new cast members Jeff Bridges, Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal, Halle Berry and Julianne Moore.
“Bourbon is an American tradition that Old Forester has celebrated for five generations, and we’re proud to reinforce the authenticity of the characters, The Statesman, as bourbon distillers,” said Campbell Brown, President of Brown-Forman.
When choosing partners for the Kingsman brand i look for excellence, integrity and taste. Old Forester is my first partner who takes the taste requirement to the next level,” said Matthew Vaughn.
Old Forester chose a unique taste profile when selecting the Statesman bourbon specifically for the film. Taking inspiration from the dynamic characters, Old Forester Statesman offers bold flavor blended to a smooth 95 proof, resulting in an exceptional balance of heat and spice.
Celebrating the film’s inclusion of Louisville, Kentucky as home of the Statesman, Louisville’s Mayor, Greg Fischer, declared the premiere date of September 22 as Statesman Day in the city.
An exclusive sneak peek of the film which highlights Old Forester’s Statesman bourbon and Kentucky will debut to fans at the Kentucky Derby this Saturday. Jeff Bridges, lead Statesman as “Champ” in the film will be in attendance at this year’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and attendees at the track will be the first people in the world able to sample this new product.
“Kingsman: The Golden Circle” will be in theaters on September 22, and Statesman will be available for purchase in the U.S. in August. For more information, please visit www.oldforester.com
Attorney General Andy Beshear and the Kentucky Bankers Association (KBA) are teaming up to protect seniors statewide from financial exploitation by scam artists.
This is the latest in a series of partnerships Beshear has announced aimed at preventing scams targeting seniors. His office most recently announced a partnership with Kentucky’s faith-based community to help educate its senior ministries and the communities they serve on potential scams.
Through the KBA collaboration, Beshear’s office will work with member banks to host scam events across the state. Beshear’s office presented scam prevention information at KBA’s spring conference earlier this month. The AG’s Office of Senior Protection will present at the upcoming Owensboro Rotary Club on May 31 with South Central Bank in Daviess County; and will hold an upcoming training for bank tellers on the warning signs of scammers and financial elder abuse.
“Banks are an important line of defense in protecting seniors who may be in the process of falling for a scam and are requesting to withdraw large sums of money from their life savings at a bank,” Beshear said. “Now having bank employees on the front lines helping us monitor and prevent scams in their communities is monumental. I cannot think the KBA enough for its partnership with my office.”
“Senior Kentuckians are the bedrock of our communities,” said Ballard Cassady, president/CEO of KBA. “We are pleased to work with the Kentucky Attorney General to provide Kentuckians with the tools they need to prevent bad actors from taking advantage.”
“It is a privilege to bring this information to the Owensboro Rotary Club,” said David Fort, president/CEO of South Central Bank of Daviess County. “Seniors are a part of America’s Greatest Generation and through this program, we will help them guard against potential losses from those who will do them harm.”
Beshear is working to bring new solutions and ideas to address scams because of the severe harm they are having on Kentucky families. More than 3 million consumers were conned out of $765 million across the country in 2015. Seniors nationwide lose nearly $37 billion a year to elder financial exploitation.
To date, more than 100 nonprofit and retail organizations have joined Beshear’s initiative as a Scam Alerts partner, including Kroger, AARP of Kentucky, the Kentucky Council of Churches, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, the Better Business Bureau and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
To protect seniors, Beshear launched Scam Alerts last year as the state’s first direct messaging service that notifies Kentuckians of financial schemes by con artists attempting to steal a person’s money or identification.
Kentuckians may sign up for Scam Alerts by texting the words KYOAG Scam to GOV311 (468311), or enroll online at ag.ky.gov/scams and select text message or email alert.
Attorney General Andy Beshear and his Cyber Crimes Unit today announced a Jefferson County man has been arrested for allegedly seeking sex with a minor.
Scott Louis Craven, 35, of Louisville, has been charged with one count of prohibited use of an electronic communication system for the purpose of procuring a minor for a sex offense, a Class D felony.
According to Beshear’s cyber investigators, Craven became the subject of investigation after seeking sex with a minor in a chatroom and sending sexually explicit photos of himself to cyber investigators.
Craven was arrested May 1 and lodged in Louisville Metro Corrections. Beshear’s cyber investigators were assisted by Louisville Metro Police Department, Third Division and Kentucky State Police Post 12.
The work of the Cyber Crimes Unit, a division of the Department of Criminal Investigations in the Office of the Attorney General, is part of Beshear’s core mission to keep sexual predators away from Kentucky’s families and children.
“The Attorney General is the chief advocate and protector for our Kentucky families, and it’s our job to ensure our communities are safe by taking off the streets anyone who would exploit children,” Beshear said. “I want to thank LMPD and KSP for working with my office on this case.”
Beshear’s work to prevent child abuse led to nearly 80 arrests, indictments and convictions of online child predators in 2016
Craven was to be arraigned in Jefferson District Court May 2. His cash bond is set at $10,000.