Kentucky

Kentucky by Heart: Kyians share thoughts on how to make an already-great Commonwealth even better – NKyTribune

Published

5 months ago

July 30, 2024

Kentucky by Heart: Kyians share thoughts on how to make an already-great Commonwealth even better – NKyTribune

By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnist

People who adore our state give an assortment of reasons. They mention things like the beauty of its landscape, the goodness of its people, its miles of running fresh water and state parks, the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, a reasonable cost of living, and the state’s usually moderate weather. That is only a start. Read most any of my Kentucky by Heart columns for more.

But in the spirit of “we can always do better,” I checked to discover what one added thing Kentucky lovers think would make their great Bluegrass state even greater. Many contributed and many offered quite compelling ideas.

A whole slew of responses involved improving the state’s education system and the economy of Eastern Kentucky.

Tracy Whitaker, of Lexington, had a more specific education suggestion. “Kentucky needs to get on board with developmentally appropriate practice in education of young learners. Kindergarten is a good start, but early education really goes all the way up to age 8. If we can fix that, a lot of the later issues with learning and behavior would melt away.”

Lexington resident Autumn Barber suggested emphasizing technical schools in the mining towns of southeastern area of the state “to teach new vocations and improve standards of living (and) perhaps with computer tech concentration.”

In her role as a public educator in the Kenton County district, Cyndee Banta believes that “we need to be pouring into our next generation with quality resources. If we could quit arguing in the political realm and just think about what would move our state forward. It’s educating the youth so that they can sustain our economy and move us forward.”

Author/editor David Miller, of Lexington, would “require that net tax proceeds from any extractive industry, including “data mining” for cryptocurrency, go exclusively to public education, making us a national leader in per-pupil spending and teacher satisfaction.”

A resident of Letcher County, Shad Baker would like to see Kentucky be a bit more like other states having “a distribution of investment spread across their state.” He notes that Kentucky has its investments and resources limited to a few urban areas. “This has led to poverty and depopulation in other areas,” he said.

Along with that, Shad, a strong advocate for hiking in the Eastern Kentucky mountains, wants litter cleaned up in the state. “We need a program to systematically eliminate all litter from the head of every tributary and road to the Mississippi,” he explained.

Steve Flairty is a teacher, public speaker and an author of seven books: a biography of Kentucky Afield host Tim Farmer and six in the Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes series, including a kids’ version. Steve’s “Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes #5,” was released in 2019. Steve is a senior correspondent for Kentucky Monthly, a weekly NKyTribune columnist and a former member of the Kentucky Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. Contact him at sflairty2001@yahoo.com or visit his Facebook page, “Kentucky in Common: Word Sketches in Tribute.” (Steve’s photo by Ernie Stamper)

Jeff Spilman, a former Campbell resident now living in Florida, also wishes better things for Eastern Kentucky’s economy. “My hope is that the next governor focuses on bringing industry there. It can be done. It just takes a focus on education so that businesses will want to be there.”

Lydia Jacobs, a retired teacher living in Pippa Passes, in Knott County, believes getting rid of a negative assumption will spur a positive result. “I think the elimination of the ‘Winchester Wall’ in the minds of Kentuckians would be beneficial to the state,” she said. “The belief that Kentucky ends at Winchester should be replaced by ‘Eastern Kentucky: Land of Opportunity.’ There are so many opportunities there for tourism, manufacturing, and other things.”

Gayle Deaton is another lover of her native Kentucky mountains, and she suggests “more funding for rails-to-trails and other recreational developments.” And Rachel Njenga, resident of Nicholasville, likewise hopes for “opportunities for growth and learning in counties like Owsley,” her native land.

Frankfort resident Miche Branscum suggests Kentucky needs to expand broadband access. “This alone would bring increased educational and earning power to rural areas,” she stated. “I completed a degree 100% per cent virtually and have worked remotely since 2017 in fields that would not have been available to me in a traditional in-office setting based on my geographical location.”

When she moved from Lexington to Trigg County, Jayne Moore Waldrop, an author, cited trouble with internet access. She wonders how school children can learn remotely under those circumstances and hopes those issues will be remedied.

Improved overall literacy is a key need and the training needs to start even before birth, emphasized Stephanie Brown, who lives in Webster County. She suggested “classes to promote and help new mothers read with their babies,” she said. “Would also love to see more bookstores and Little Free Libraries.” She also mentioned integrating more traveling storytellers into communities around Kentucky.

And what about our vaunted state park system? Several of them need renovating, according to Cynthiana resident Evonne Blackburn. “These are some of our biggest tourist attractions, and should be kept up to date,” she said.

And the health of Kentucky’s citizens? Bettie Ockerman, a retired nurse, wishes for “adequate health care in isolated areas. Many patients must come to Lexington for providers, treatment, and hospitalization.”

Along with Bettie’s concerns for the health of Kentucky’s citizens, Debby Morgeson, of Independence, would like to see “better and more manageable coverage for the disabled… aides, equipment, and assistance in purchasing a handicap vehicle.”

Connie McDonald, of Nicholasville, wants to “improve support for those who care for the elderly at home, and improve quality of nursing home care.”

Here’s a list of other “make Kentucky greater” mentions:

• “a funded and functional foster care program” – Shelia Shain, Shepherdsville
• “respect each other more”- Jim Palm, Claryville
• “eliminate state income tax” – Kenny Byrd, Richmond
• “fiber optics for all areas” – Missy Bradley, Georgetown
• “all non-partisan elections” – Robert Blanton, Winchester
• “flood our libraries with adult readers” – Vickie G. Hunter, Beechmont
• “a more progressive Commonwealth” – Bruce Florence, Cynthiana

And on the humorous side, Ramon Greene, Keven Greene, and Mig Feuser all would like to have ocean beaches in Kentucky. Joyce Burnette longs to “keep our outdoor beauty, all the while removing the allergens from the pollen… dreaming, I know.”

Looking over the responses, it seems we have common views on many things and, for sure, a common love for Kentucky with a desire to improve it.

Let’s get started.

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Kentucky

Efforts by state agencies, local organizations work to curb domestic violence in Kentucky

Published

2 hours ago

December 20, 2024

Press Room

Efforts by state agencies, local organizations work to curb domestic violence in Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Anthony Nichols will have another preliminary hearing in Jefferson County court Friday on murder charges.

Nichols is accused of killing Arica Brown and dumping a her body in the Ohio River. He had a lengthy history of domestic violence charges against the her.

“We were outraged. We were very disappointed and very concerned,” Tammy Taylor, the Center for Women and Families Communications Director, said.

Many times, even survivors who take steps to protect themselves are still at risk.

In this case, Brown had a protection order against Nichols which he violated twice.

“They’re going to do everything they can to gain access to that person and cause harm to them,” Taylor said.

Earlier this year, Kentucky’s Attorney General’s office released an updated Domestic Violence Prosecution Manual as a resource for victims and attorneys.

Attorney General Russell Coleman says he will ask lawmakers for more deterrence laws for repeat offenders.

“So that we can give prosecutors more tools in their toolkit in the domestic violence space to better protect victims to deter this conduct on the front end,” he said.

However deterrence alone is not always enough.

“You have to hold the person accountable for what they have chosen to do,” ZeroV Chief Legal Officer Meg Savage.

Meg Savage and the team at ZeroV have worked to do just that – supporting parts of legislation like House Bill 5 that now make it easier to increase penalties.

While there’s no shortage of words on paper meant to crack down on domestic violence in Kentucky – those laws can often fall short once they are in effect.

“It’s just a case of making sure that they’re enforced consistently and uniformly across the state, which often doesn’t happen,” Savage said. “You can get really widely different results from one county to another.”

“We have to work together – federal, state, and local more effectively to get better outcomes,” Coleman said. “The releases, the lack of accountability, the lack of incapacitation results and lack of deterrence and we’re seeing this play out on our streets.”

As Kentucky addresses these issues, Taylor says it’s important victims have avenues like the Center for Women and Families to Turn to.

“Pick up the phone and give us a call,” Taylor said. “We can provide free safe confidential services to assist you.”

To get help from the Center for Women and Families, call 1-844-237-2331.

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Kentucky

Mark Pope answers four controversial questions ahead of Kentucky vs. Ohio State

Published

9 hours ago

December 19, 2024

Press Room

Mark Pope answers four controversial questions ahead of Kentucky vs. Ohio State

You never know what a press conference will look like walking into one, certainly under Mark Pope. Sometimes it’s loaded with team- or player- or event-focused questions, other times you’ll get big-picture updates about the trajectory of the Kentucky basketball program with recruiting and coaching and roster-building philosophies. Shoot, Pope used the platform last week to share his first idea to fix college basketball, something John Calipari did for 15 years in Lexington.

His pre-Ohio State presser was a mixed bag of topics going down a number of paths, ranging from the rivalry win over Louisville to the team’s upcoming trip to New York City and everything in between. Among the in between? A couple of hot takes and controversies here locally and with the sport overall, maybe a basic stance or two on the normal day-to-day leading a program.

Let’s run through a few of them and share his responses as we gear up for the Buckeyes in the Big Apple.

Do you believe in a universal basketball?

Ah, yes, Steven Peake’s pride and joy. KSR’s video extraordinaire finally got to ask Pope about the lack of basketball uniformity plaguing the sport and how teams shoot worse with certain balls than others. His stance? All programs and events need to use the same ball — or use the same one they play with in the NCAA Tournament, at minimum. No reason to spend all year getting used to one only to toss it aside in win-or-go-home situations. He did a whole feature complaining about the Wilson Evo NXT and how it has ruined the sport we know and love.

Pope’s take? He likes the chaos.

“Now you’re trying to get me in trouble! You’re going to have all of the ball companies bartering for the one that is gonna be named the universal ball,” he said. “I don’t know, that’s way above my pay grade. I like it, I like using the different balls because it gives all of the fans and everybody something to talk about and conspiracy theorize about. That helps the game of sports.”

There you have it, folks. The basketball conspiracy theories are good for the game. His words, not ours.

Is L’s down an acceptable celebration?

How do you balance a good old-fashioned postgame celebration that highlights a rivalry victory vs. respecting your opponents as a gracious winner? In other words, is L’s down good or bad in Pope’s eyes and where do you draw the line?

The Kentucky head coach compared it to brotherly love, winning a backyard brawl and bragging about it to your friends and family. It doesn’t come from a place of disrespect, Pope going above and beyond to really drive that point home.

“I don’t actually know the answer to that question. I think that our guys love competing, our fanbase loves competing, I think we love that game and I think Louisville loves that game,” he said. “It’s where your emotions are at their highest. It’s kind of like a backyard brawl, that’s what it is. It’s like, when you go in the backyard and you play one on one with your brother, it just hits different. There’s no way around it, it just hits different. I do a poor job of monitoring what’s out in the the world of media, but my instinct is that we have a really good tone with Louisville. I think Pat (Kelsey) is doing an unbelievable job there. Two of the kids on that team (Noah Waterman and Aly Khalifa), I love from the bottom of my heart. We’ve shared fights and tears and wins and celebrations, and I get to be at Kentucky right now because of what those two kids did for me. I think Louisville probably feels that from us, I think that they do.”

It wasn’t kicking the Cardinals while they were down or rubbing it in. Instead, it was a back-and-forth heavyweight battle that saw the Wildcats take a firm lead and Pat Kelsey’s group chip and claw its way back in respectable fashion. When you win a hard-fought battle like that, you earn the right to celebrate.

Pope was just fine with all of it — just as Kelsey would have been had Louisville won and celebrated.

“Pete Carroll always talks about how much he loves great opponents, because that’s what actually gives his teams the chance to go perform the game of football in a spectacular way. I feel the same way,” Pope said. “I hope that people feel like there’s no lack of deep respect for Louisville and the history there and the program and what Pat’s doing, what those players are doing. I thought they came and battled like crazy, and they they performed really well. So all of that’s true. And also, when you beat your brother, that kind of backyard relationship, you walk into the house and you tell everybody about it too. I mean, that’s part of the joy of it, and I don’t think that’s disrespectful. I think it’s the way it is. …

“I did feel like there was a healthy amount of respect and a whole load of intensity and fight. I feel like it was a pretty good balance.”

Should fans stand or sit inside Rupp Arena?

It’s been a hot topic since Kentucky’s win over Louisville on Saturday, fans bickering over their right to sit at games vs. those pushing for a rowdier home environment wanting everyone to stand. Law enforcement (embarrassingly) got involved at Rupp Arena as one sitting fan asked another standing fan to sit — words I never thought I’d type when talking about a sporting event, especially Cats vs. Cards.

But here we are, in the middle of controversy, Pope asked for his take on sitting vs. standing inside of Rupp freaking Arena.

In typical Mark Pope fashion, though, he gave a pretty good answer that pushed both sides to get back on track with what actually matters: Kentucky having the best home environment in college basketball.

“Let’s do this — I can tell this is gonna get me in a whole lot of trouble. You’re gonna hate me for this, but I’m gonna tell you, man, I just hope everybody comes in that arena and has an incredible experience,” Pope said. “It’s really — I can’t tell you how important it is to us. It’s important to our staff, it’s important to our players, that people come into this arena, this incredible, one of a kind, sacred building known as Rupp Arena. They’re with their moms and dads and their parents and their frat brothers and sorority sisters and their children, and they come in that gym and they have an experience that they will never forget.

“That’s what that building has done for the last 50 years, 60 years. Now it’s our turn to continue in that building, to serve BBN in that way. That’s really important to us, so I hope we keep doing it.”

How important are academics at Kentucky?

How about something less spicy, a little more big-picture about the importance of academics for his student-athletics? It is finals week, after all — ’tis the season.

In short, life is bigger than basketball for all of these guys. They’re expected to perform in the classroom just as well as they perform on the court.

“We have so many different guys on different pathways academically. We’ve got a bunch of grad guys, undergrads, freshmen. It’s a really important part of the experience, right? You’re here to do well and do well in class, and that’s really important to us,” Pope said. “It’s an incredible opportunity to learn and grow and prepare yourself for a future that’s going to come outside of basketball. Since the beginning of time, a great professional basketball career is 10 years and an insanely long professional basketball career is 20 years. We’ve got a whole lot of life after that where you should be doing something great.

“We talk to our guys all the time, if you live a great life, then playing in the NBA is going to be like the sixth or seventh or eighth or ninth coolest thing you do in your life. There are a lot of numbers before those. Doing well in school and building networks and building relationships and gaining education, it’s about living a great life. Our guys take it seriously.”

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Kentucky

2024 National computer science report highlights Kentucky’s achievements

Published

18 hours ago

December 19, 2024

Press Room

2024 National computer science report highlights Kentucky’s achievements

The 2024 State of Computer Science Education report shows Kentucky continues to make progress in bringing computer science opportunities to students and ensuring all students have the chance to participate in these courses.

This annual report – released by Code.org, the Computer Science Teachers Association and the Expanding Computing Education Pathways Alliance – offers a deep dive into the state of computer science education nationwide, providing a detailed analysis of policy developments, implementation, and student access at national and state levels, focusing on ensuring equitable access for all students.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Office of Education Technology’s Computer Science (CS) and Information Technology (IT) Academy program has been instrumental in the Commonwealth’s computer science education progress. This program eliminates financial barriers by fully funding student certification opportunities and assisting partners in providing professional development for teachers.

Through this initiative:

Teachers can earn computer science teaching credentials;
Students can obtain industry certifications free of charge;
Districts can offer Advanced Placement computer science exams without budget impact; and
Schools can showcase student achievement in computer science.

“We are proud of the progress Kentucky has made in computer science education,” said Sean Jackson, CS and IT Academy program manager and K-12 computer science lead at KDE. “Equipping our students with a strong computer sciences foundation is crucial for their future success and the continued growth of our state’s technology and innovation sectors.”

Jackson said these achievements wouldn’t be possible without the commitment of Kentucky’s teachers, students, school administrators, parents and advocates, as well as support from policymakers.

Kentucky has enacted seven of the 10 recommended policies outlined by the Code.org Advocacy Coalition. States that implement seven or more policies have seen a significant increase in the percentage of high schools offering computer science courses.

The Code.org national report also found that in 2024, 76% of public high schools in Kentucky provided foundational computer science courses, with 76% of those high schools residing in rural communities, well above the national average for those school types. Additionally, 34% of students participating in these courses were female, again a gain from previous years and above the national average.

The state’s commitment to education technology infrastructure has been pivotal in expanding computer science education access.

“Kentucky’s strategic investment in the Kentucky Education Technology Systems (KETS) and the CS and IT Academy program has been transformative and still serves as a national example,” said David Couch, associate commissioner and K-12 chief information officer at KDE. “This critical funding continues to enable the upgrade of digital infrastructure in rural and urban schools alike, ensuring every student has access to the tools and resources needed for quality education, including computer science.

“We’re seeing the impact in real-time, with a 31% increase since 2019 in students participating in computer science courses in districts that otherwise may have limited access to computer science instruction. Continued and expanded funding in KETS and the Computer Science and IT Academy program ensures that we can serve schools and students now and for years to come.”

National Data – Comparing Where Kentucky Stands:

60% of U.S. public high schools offer foundational computer science courses. Kentucky’s percentage is 76%.
4% of U.S. high school students enroll in computer science. In Kentucky, 11.5% of students are taking these courses, putting Kentucky 6th nationally in participation by student population.

“These data points showcase the strides made across the country and highlight how Kentucky educators and education partners continue to expand students’ access to these courses,” Couch said. “Ensuring every student can develop these critical skills empowers the next generation to succeed in an increasingly tech-driven world.”