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The Louisville Metro Office of Sustainability and the Louisville Sustainability Council (LSC) will co-host the fifth annual Sustainability Summit on Friday, Oct. 19, at the University of Louisville’s newly renovated Student Activities Center.
The Summit will feature local and national speakers and give attendees a chance to discover successes, identify opportunities, and creatively learn from each other about how to create a culture of sustainability in Louisville.
“For the health of our residents and our city, we must work together to embed sustainability in all aspects of our lives,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “Please join the 2018 Sustainability Summit to engage with local leaders and stakeholders on how we can integrate sustainability into our community.”
The keynote speaker of the event will be David Orr, PhD, the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies & Politics, Emeritus at Oberlin College. Orr is the author of eight books, including Dangerous Years: Climate Change and the Long Emergency (Yale, 2016) and Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse (Oxford, 2009). The title of the keynote address is “The (Missing) Politics in Environmental and Sustainability Education.”
“This year’s summit will help call attention to creating a culture of sustainability, which is inextricably linked to a healthy economy and reduced carbon emissions” said Maria Koetter, Director of the Office of Sustainability. “From national experts to local practitioners, the event aims to engage citizens and generate conversations that will help cultivate a culture of sustainability.”
Emily Chandler, Executive Director of the Louisville Sustainability Council, said, “The summit is our annual opportunity to gather together under one roof as concerned individuals, nonprofit organizations, school groups, faith-based groups and sustainability professionals from the public and private sectors. It is a day for celebration, collaboration and exploration that cannot be missed if you are concerned about creating a culture of sustainability in Louisville, Kentucky.”
The event also features local speakers, including University of Louisville president Dr. Neeli Bendapudi, along with a facilitated community discussion titled “Creating the Future in Your Space Through a Culture of Sustainability.”
Summit attendees also have the opportunity to go on one of four sustainability-related tours through different areas of the U of L campus, including the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research and the new LEED Gold Belknap Academic Building.
The 2018 Sustainability Summit is proud to receive support from its Patron Sponsors: Yum! Brands and Humana; as well as its Summit Friend Sponsors: Brown-Forman, CMTA, PNC Bank, and Aramark; and its Supporting Sponsors: the UofL Sustainability Council, Festival of Faiths, Copper & Kings, WestRock, Harshaw Trane, K. Norman Berry Associates, Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, the Partnership for a Green City, TARC, UPS, Spalding Design, and Stantec.
At the day of the event, standard tickets will be $40 for Louisville Sustainability Council members and $75 for non-members. (There also is a lunchless ticket option that costs only $15.)
To register before the event, visit http://louisvillesustainabilitycouncil.org/2018-sustainability-summit/more-information-registration/
As Election Day approaches, Kentuckians may be receiving calls from candidates, political organizations and now scammers, according to Attorney General Andy Beshear.
Beshear issued a scam alert Wednesday to help Kentuckians avoid providing their personal information over the phone to a scammer who claims he or she can help Kentuckians register to vote or vote by absentee ballot.
Beshear said the National Association of State Election Directors issued a warning after voters in Mississippi said scammers were calling pretending to be employees of TurboVote, a legitimate voter registration service, requesting Social Security and driver’s license numbers.
Mississippi officials confirmed that the calls are not affiliated with the organization, Beshear said.
“Kentuckians cannot register to vote over the phone,” Beshear said. “If someone calls you and asks for your personal information to supposedly help you register to vote or obtain an absentee ballot – hang up – it is likely a scam.”
The deadline to register to vote in Kentucky for the Nov. 6, 2018, election was Oct. 9.
For future election cycles, Kentuckians should visit the Kentucky State Board of Elections website for systematic instructions and registration options, including submitting a form online, through the mail or in person at a county clerk’s office.
If eligible, Kentuckians may cast an absentee ballot by mail or in the County Clerk’s office before Election Day. According to the state’s website absentee ballots can only be obtained by contacting the County Clerk’s office.
Beshear said Kentuckians should stay on alert for the scam calls through Election Day.
Beshear said if Kentuckians are receiving these scam calls, they should report them to his office via an online form.
Kentuckians can also report election irregularities or possible election law violations to Beshear’s office at 800-328-VOTE (800-328-8683). The hotline is open during regular business hours and from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Eastern time) on Election Day.
Beshear’s Special Prosecutions Unit coordinates election monitoring with the State Board of Elections, Secretary of State’s Office, Kentucky State Police, U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI. This monitoring looks at not only primary and general elections, but also special elections held throughout the Commonwealth. Several employees within the office participated in the Election Integrity Task Force with those agencies to enhance the coordinated efforts of all agencies to combat election fraud.
Since taking office Beshear has been working to protect Kentucky families from scams by issuing an alert when new and trending scams are reported in the Commonwealth.
Beshear recommends all Kentuckians stay ahead of scammers by signing up for his office’s Scam Alerts. To enroll text the words KYOAG Scam to GOV-311 (468-311) or sign up online at ag.ky.gov/scams and select text message or email alert.
The Louisville, Kentucky Metro Government was recognized as the 2018 Green Leadership City, a distinction awarded by the Propane Education & Research Council, a Washington, D.C.-based national non-profit organization. The award recognizes the city for its adoption of clean, propane-powered mowers, among other environmentally-friendly programs that support the city’s highly-regarded sustainability plan.
Mayor Greg Fischer accepted a $5,000 donation from PERC at a celebration event at Sun Valley Park with city officials and Parks & Recreation Department employees, who operate the propane mowers regularly.
“The Green Leadership City Award highlights public agencies demonstrating a commitment to environmentally-friendly and sustainable practices, which the city of Louisville has shown by adding propane mowers to its municipal equipment fleet,” said Jeremy Wishart, director of off-road business development for PERC. “Louisville has set an incredible example for the rest of the region of what a municipality can accomplish when it decides that its environmental impact matters and takes necessary steps to reduce its carbon footprint.”
Earlier this year, Louisville added 11 propane mowers to its Metro Fleet Division, with plans to continue transitioning to propane equipment as the city’s 68 remaining gasoline mowers wear out. Compared to gasoline mowers, using propane reduces greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (NOx), and sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions, which contributes to a healthier local environment.
According to the city, it will also cost approximately 25 percent less to operate a propane mower over the life of the unit because of the lower cost of propane.
“Propane mowers help us improve upon our long-term sustainability goals as a city while also being prudent with the taxpayer’s money,” said Greg Fischer, Louisville mayor. “Anytime we can make operational changes that improve the community’s quality of life while saving on costs is a win-win.”
The propane mowers are used by five departments that manage grass growth on city properties as well as vacant and abandoned private properties, including the Louisville Zoo, the Vacant Lots Division of Codes & Regulations, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, and the Metro Facilities Division.
Because of their lower emissions profile, propane mowers allow city crews to continue mowing on Air Quality Alert Days, when mowing with both commercial and residential gasoline equipment is discouraged to avoid adding to ground-level pollution.
To learn more about propane mowers, visit propane.com/commercial-landscape.
Attorney General Andy Beshear announced that a Grayson Rite Aid Pharmacy manager has been indicted for allegedly dispensing a controlled substance without a proper doctor’s prescription and for falsifying pharmacy medical records.
Tommy Dearfield Jr., 30, of Ashland, received a 37-count indictment by a Carter County grand jury Oct. 5 for alleged illegal conduct in 2017 as pharmacy manager.
Beshear’s detectives and members of the Grayson Police Department arrested Dearfield Oct. 12. He was lodged in the Carter County Detention Center.
The investigation was conducted by Beshear’s Department of Criminal Investigations with assistance by the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy and Rite Aid Loss Prevention.
Beshear said Dearfield voluntarily surrendered his pharmacy license during the course of the investigation.
Dearfield is scheduled to appear in Carter Circuit Court at 9 a.m. on Nov. 5.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio announced today that Kevin C. Brown, an attorney with extensive experience with education and administrative law in Kentucky, has been named the district’s general counsel. Brown most recently served as associate commissioner and general counsel for the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE). Brown joins JCPS on November 1 and is the latest hire as part of Dr. Pollio’s restructuring to reflect best practice urban school districts across the country.
“Kevin Brown is a leading expert on education law in this region and the right person to guide our district through legal questions and provide expertise on a variety of matters,” Dr. Pollio said. “His background as associate commissioner and general counsel for KDE will be tremendous for JCPS. With Brown’s addition, we continue to build one of the top school district leadership teams in the country.”
Brown joined KDE in 2004 as staff attorney and assistant general counsel. He transitioned to general counsel in 2008 and associate commissioner two years later. As associate commissioner, Brown managed and supervised various offices and divisions, served as a congressional liaison and as a member of the commissioner of education’s senior leadership team. During his career at KDE, Brown oversaw state processes involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), provided legal guidance in support of the requirements of the federal Child and Adult Care Food program, and coordinated the promulgation of administrative regulations for the Kentucky Board of Education. Brown served as Kentucky’s federal liaison for the Council for Chief State School Officers. Before joining KDE, Brown served as an assistant attorney general in the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General.
“I’m excited to join the leadership team being assembled by Dr. Pollio and the board,” Brown said. “What’s clear is that Superintendent Pollio is serious about transforming education in our largest school district. I look forward to playing a role in that transformation by supporting the district through legal guidance and counsel.”
Brown graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2001 and received a bachelor’s degree from Transylvania University. He is a member of the National Council of State Education Attorneys and the Kentucky State Government Bar Association.
The creation of the general counsel position was among the recommendations from the Council of the Great City Schools’ organizational review of JCPS. Dr. Pollio called for the review to improve the district’s organizational coherence.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
The holidays are just around the corner and before long everyone will be out shopping and getting the decorations ready for another festive season. But it’s also the time when crime is on the rise and the potential exists for fire hazards if you don’t know how to protect yourself.
The next South Central Regional Forum will focus on how you can make the holidays safe with help from the Louisville Metro Police’s Seventh Division and the Okolona Fire Department.
“This forum will be a reminder for everyone of what you need to be aware of when you are shopping for holiday gifts,” says Councilwoman Madonna Flood (D-24). “The hustle and bustle of the season can be a time when we forget about the safety.”
The forum is set for October 17th at the new South Central Regional Library at 7400 Jefferson Boulevard from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.
Russ Miller and Dale Gallagher, Resources Officers with the LMPD Seventh Division, will make presentations on staying safe for the holidays. The Okolona Fire Department will talk about how to keep the Christmas tree and other holiday decorations safe and prevent fire hazards. All questions will be answered.
As always, Code Enforcement Officers will be on hand to answer property maintenance questions.
The South Central Regional Forums are sponsored by Councilwoman Flood and Council Members James Peden (R-23), Vicki Aubrey Welch (D-13) and Barbara Shanklin (D-2).
For more information about this South Central Regional Forum, contact Councilwoman Flood’s office at 574-1124.
The Jefferson County Coroner is seeking the next of kin on a Mr. David Williams, age 69, black male, DOB 11/19/1948; please call 574-6262 with any information.