Kentucky
Jury awards $450,000 to Kentucky employee who declined birthday party
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – A Kentucky jury has awarded a person $450,000 who sued his employer after he requested them to not rejoice his birthday at work – and so they did it anyway.
Kevin Berling advised his supervisor at Gravity Diagnostics in Covington in 2019 {that a} birthday celebration would trigger him immense stress.
However the firm didn’t heed his request, and Berling suffered a panic assault, the Courier Journal reported. The subsequent day Berling had one other panic assault when his supervisor chastised him for “stealing his co-workers’” pleasure and “being a bit of lady,” in response to a lawsuit. Berling was fired after the second assault.
Berling alleged in his lawsuit the corporate discriminated in opposition to him primarily based on a incapacity and retaliated in opposition to him for demanding an inexpensive lodging to it.
The jury returned the decision after a two-day trial in Kenton County that resulted in late March. The jury awarded him $300,000 for emotional misery and $150,000 in misplaced wages.
An lawyer for the corporate, Katherine Kennedy, mentioned it continues to disclaim legal responsibility and is pursuing its post-trial choices.
Julie Brazil, the corporate’s founder and chief working officer, mentioned in an e-mail assertion to the newspaper that “with ever-increasing incidents of office violence, this verdict units a really harmful precedent for employers and most significantly staff that except bodily violence really happens, office violence is suitable.”
Brazil mentioned that her staff, slightly than the plaintiff, had been the victims within the case.
Berling’s lawyer, Tony Bucher, mentioned as soon as the jury received to satisfy his consumer, they realized the corporate’s declare that he posed a risk was far-fetched.
Berling had advised his supervisor {that a} birthday celebration would convey again dangerous childhood reminiscences surrounding his dad and mom’ divorce. The supervisor forgot to move alongside his request, the corporate mentioned.
Kentucky
Amy Strassner named assistant principal at Kentucky School for the Deaf
Amy Strassner has been named assistant principal at the Kentucky School for the Deaf. With more than two decades of dedicated service in education, Strassner brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to fostering inclusive learning environments. Some highlights from Strassner’s resume include:
“Amy’s leadership style is characterized by transparency, authenticity and collaboration,” said Interim Commissioner of Education Robin Fields Kinney, “She is dedicated to building positive workplace cultures, removing barriers to growth and fostering restorative practices within educational communities. We are so pleased to welcome her to the KSD community and we look forward to working with her.”
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Kentucky
Kentucky School for the Deaf welcomes Lynn Petrey as principal for the 2024-2025 school year
(DANVILLE, KY) – The Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD) is proud to announce the appointment of Lynn Petrey as principal for the 2024-2025 school year. Petrey brings a wealth of experience in educational leadership and special education, demonstrating a strong commitment to fostering inclusive and supportive learning environments for all students.
Petrey has been serving as interim principal at KSD, where he has already made significant contributions to the school community. During his tenure, he has revitalized student extracurricular and athletic programs, expanded post-secondary transition opportunities, enhanced the recognition of student achievements, and boosted KSD’s presence on social media and other communication platforms.
In addition to his work at KSD, Petrey holds a position as an adjunct professor at Western Kentucky University. Petrey said he’s enthusiastic about the new role at KSD.
“I am honored to continue serving the Kentucky School for the Deaf in this new capacity,” he said. “I look forward to working with our dedicated staff, students and community to build on our successes and create an inclusive and empowering environment for all.”
Petrey has an extensive professional background. He completed his doctoral degree at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in the summer of 2021, with a dissertation focused on “Appreciative Inquiry: Transition Strategies for Students with Disabilities.” Additionally, he holds multiple professional certifications, including superintendent administration, learning and behavior disorders, and physical education K-12.
Throughout his career, Petrey has demonstrated exceptional leadership and dedication to improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities. Prior to coming to KSD as interim principal, Petrey served as a postsecondary transition specialist with the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Office of Special Education and Early Learning. He also previously served in roles for schools in Madison and Lincoln counties.
Petrey is a recognized presenter at national and state conferences, sharing his expertise on post-secondary transition strategies and special education programs. His work has been instrumental in developing and implementing successful transition programs, such as the School to Work Transition Program in Madison County. Among his numerous awards and recognitions, Petrey was honored with the S.E.A. Monthly Award in 2022 and has received multiple grants and scholarships for his contributions to education and athletic training.
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Kentucky
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Kentucky's primaries
WASHINGTON – All of Donald Trump’s top opponents for the Republican nomination for president dropped out of the race weeks ago, but the whole gang will be back together on Kentucky’s primary ballot on Tuesday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie all suspended their campaigns after Kentucky finalized its ballot in January, as did pastor Ryan Binkley.
Trump has easily won nearly every Republican contest so far, but Haley has won a significant number of votes in several recent primaries, including Maryland (20%) and Nebraska (18%) this week.
President Joe Biden’s opponents in Kentucky are author Marianne Williamson and U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips. Democrats can also vote for “Uncommitted,” which has attracted protest votes in other states.
Kentucky Voters will also decide six primaries for the U.S. House. One race to watch is the 4th Congressional District Republican primary. Rep. Thomas Massie, who backed DeSantis’ presidential bid and co-sponsored a motion to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson, is facing a challenge from Eric Deters, a staunch Trump supporter. However, Deters hadn’t reported raising any money as of the latest filing deadline and placed fourth in the 2023 gubernatorial primary.
Here’s a look at what to expect on Tuesday.
PRIMARY DAY
Kentucky holds its presidential and state primaries on Tuesday. Most of Kentucky falls in the Eastern time zone, where the polls close at 6 p.m. ET, while 41 counties are in the Central time zone, where the last polls close at 7 p.m. ET.
WHAT’S ON THE BALLOT
Besides the presidential primaries, voters will choose nominees for the U.S. House, the state legislature and the state Senate. Kentucky held elections for governor and other statewide offices in 2023.
WHO GETS TO VOTE
Kentucky has a closed primary system, which means that only voters registered with a political party may participate in that party’s primary. Democrats may not vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. Independent or unaffiliated voters may not participate in either primary.
DELEGATE ALLOCATION RULES
Kentucky Republicans allocate their 46 delegates proportionally to any candidate who receives more than 15% of the vote, meaning any of Trump’s opponents could qualify for delegates. They could also splinter the anti-Trump vote, increasing Trump’s chances of being the only candidate to receive 15% of the vote and therefore the only candidate to receive any delegates.
Kentucky’s 53 pledged Democratic delegates are allocated according to the national party’s standard rules. Twelve at-large delegates are allocated in proportion to the statewide vote, as are six PLEO delegates, or “party leaders and elected officials.” The state’s six congressional districts have a combined 35 delegates at stake, which are allocated in proportion to the vote results in each district. Candidates must receive at least 15% of the statewide vote to qualify for any statewide delegates, and 15% of the vote in a congressional district to qualify for delegates in that district.
DECISION NOTES
While Republican state parties that hold primaries this late in the cycle tend to embrace a winner-takes-all system for delegate allocation, Kentucky Republicans are dividing their delegates proportionally among candidates who receive at least 15% of the vote. For signs that a candidate not named Trump could reach that 15% threshold, look to suburban areas like Louisville and Lexington. Those areas — Jefferson and Fayette counties — are also the biggest source of GOP votes in the state.
In the 2020 presidential primary, “uncommitted” and Trump were the only two options on the Republican ballot. Statewide, “uncommitted” received 13% of the vote in the GOP primary. In Jefferson County, however, “uncommitted” received 23%.
The 4th Congressional District runs along the Ohio River, sharing its northern boundary with Indiana and Ohio. It stretches from Louisville suburbs in the western part of the district, toward the Cincinnati suburbs in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties. Outside of those two major suburban areas, however, much of the district is rural.
In the 4th Congressional District, the United Democracy Project, a group that has criticized Massie for his record on Israel, has spent $328,672 on the race as of Tuesday. However, those ads do not support an alternative candidate.
The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
Kentucky mandates a recount if the top candidate wins by less than 0.5 percentage points. However, that recount rule does not apply to the presidential race. Candidates can ask for a recanvass of the vote, which entails retabulating the vote totals, if the margin is less than 1 percentage point. However, to request a recount, in which each ballot is individually hand-counted, a court must approve and prescribe the procedure.
WHAT DO TURNOUT AND ADVANCE VOTE LOOK LIKE?
As of March 31, there were 3,487,292 registered voters in Kentucky. Of those voters, 43% were Democrats and 46% were Republicans.
In the 2023 race for governor, turnout was 6% of registered voters in the Democratic primary and 9% in the Republican primary. In the 2022 Senate race, turnout was 8% of registered voters in the Democratic primary and 11% in the Republican primary. In the 4th District, turnout among registered voters for the Republican primary was also 11%.
In 2022, 17% of voters cast their ballot before election day.
HOW LONG DOES VOTE-COUNTING USUALLY TAKE?
In the 2023 primary election, the AP first reported results at 6:03 p.m. ET, or three minutes after the first polls closed. The election night tabulation ended at 9:56 p.m. ET with about 98% of total votes counted.
ARE WE THERE YET?
As of Tuesday, there will be 168 days until the November general election.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2024 election at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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