Governor Beshear: $3 million for wastewater improvements in Somerset

Improvements will support economic growth, job creation in Southeastern Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 30, 2021) – On Monday, Gov. Andy Beshear congratulated the City of Somerset for receiving a $3 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to upgrade two wastewater treatment facilities, supporting future economic expansion and job creation. Paired with $750,000 in local funds, the award is expected to create 379 jobs, retain 580 jobs and generate $179 million in private investment.

“The importance of modern infrastructure cannot be overstated for its expansive benefits for Kentucky communities. The upgrades to two wastewater treatment facilities in Somerset will mean better service for Kentuckians, while creating opportunities for economic investment, growth and good-paying jobs,” said Gov. Beshear. “We are grateful for the EDA’s generous investment in Kentucky’s infrastructure and the future of our people.”

The EDA is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Commerce that strives to establish a foundation for sustainable job growth and to build durable regional economies across the country.

“The Biden Administration is committed to supporting coal communities as they diversify and build economies for the future,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “This EDA investment will provide critical infrastructure improvements necessary to support diversified economic growth and job creation in the region.”

“President Biden is working tirelessly to support coal communities as they work to grow their economies and create new jobs,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “This investment will support construction and equipment installation at two wastewater treatment plant sites to enable the city to meet future business needs.”

This project is funded under the Assistance to Coal Communities (ACC) initiative, which EDA funds on a competitive basis to assist communities severely impacted by the declining use of coal. ACC projects support economic diversification, job creation, capital investment, workforce development and re-employment opportunities.

The Lake Cumberland Area Development District (LCADD) led regional planning efforts that made this project possible. LCADD works to unite the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment and create jobs.

The EDA is an important partner in building a Better Kentucky. In May, the EDA invested $1.9 million in Pike County to construct water and sewer infrastructure at Wolf Pit Industrial Park, which is expected to generate $1 million in private investment and support the growth of Eastern Kentucky’s manufacturing sector. In June, the City of Earlington received $610,000 from the EDA to increase capacity in their water system. The EDA also invested nearly $3 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants to help Kentucky’s tourism industry recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19.

Kentucky State Police Investigates Fatal In Clay County

Oneida, Ky. (August 30, 2021) – The Kentucky State Police, London Post was notified by Clay County 911 approximately 10:24 PM on Sunday, August 29, 2021, of a single vehicle injury accident at the junction of KY 66 South and KY 1524 in the Oneida area of Clay County. The collision resulted in one fatality.

The initial investigation indicates that a Red Honda ATV operated by Clayton W. Mills, 78 years old of Flat Lick, KY, was traveling south on KY 66 when his ATV left the highway at the junction  KY 1524. Mr. Mills, ATV left the roadway, and overturned into the Red Bird River. Mr. Mills, succumbed from his injuries and was pronounced deceased by the Clay County Coroner’s Office.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by KSP Post 11 Trooper Jarrod Smith.  He was assisted at the scene by Post 11 Personal, Red Bird Fire Department, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and Clay County Coroner’s Office.

Winston Hubert Stanton

Winston Hubert Stanton, 79 of Kildav, KY passed away on Friday morning of August 27, 2021 at his home following a brief illness.
Winston was born June 16, 1942 to the late Jess and Rebecca Sergent Stanton; besides his parents he was preceded in death by his brothers, Marvin and Omar Stanton; his sister, Ruby Young.
He is survived by his sons, Christopher and Robert Stanton of Lafayette, IN; best friend and caregiver, Johnny Anderson and his children who was like grandchildren to Winston, Haylee Risner, Jacob Anderson and Morgan Anderson;  brothers, Clarence Stanton and Paris Stanton; sisters, Margaret Parker and Ester Parker; good friend, Tom King. He leaves a host of other relatives and friends to mourn his passing.
In keeping with Winston’s wishes, Cremation was performed by the Anderson-Laws & Jones Funeral Home and there will be no services.

Susan G. Saylor Obituary

 

 

 

Susan Gail Saylor, of Harlan, Kentucky, passed away with family by her side on Friday morning of August 27th in Lexington, KY.

Susan was born on August 7th, 1946 to the late Bernelle (Taylor) and Paul Saylor in Harlan and was the oldest of three daughters. She was a graduate of Harlan High School (class of ’64) where she was crowned Football Homecoming Queen. Susan attended college at Lindenwood College in Saint Charles, Missouri.

Susan’s adult life was spent loving, caring for, and enjoying her mother, many nieces and nephews, and great nieces/nephews. She was a lifelong member of Harlan Baptist Church where she was baptized into the faith at a young age. She was a member of the Women’s Missionary Union where she served as treasurer several times, as well as a part of the Christian Menders. Susan was also a friend of Bill W. for many years. Susan enjoyed cooking and baking which provided a place of gathering for her family for years. She was always up for an afternoon movie, a game of cards, shopping, a trip out of town, or a late night cup of hot tea. On any given beautiful day, Susan and her mother, Bernelle, could be seen sitting on their front porch, in downtown Harlan, welcoming a friend or family members to join them for a visit. For those who knew her well, Susan’s unpredicted humor and friendship will provide lifelong laughs and warm memories.

Susan was preceded in death by her mother and father; survived by her two sisters, Marsha Greer (Elmo) of London, KY and Paula Davis (Shawn) of Lexington, KY; nieces and nephews, including Whitney Greer, Sarah Mizuguchi (Nana), JR Greer, Kaitlyn Lacy (Lance), Cecelia Carroll (Will), Megan Whitfield (Jesse), Elise Irvin (Barry), Camille Tucker (Austin), and Hunter Davis (Kira); 26 beloved great-nieces and nephews; and a dear family friend, Marie Fields. Spending time and visiting with family and friends brought Susan great joy, but her great-nieces and nephews were especially a source of comfort and happiness for her. Her endearing nicknames, like Bunky, Chubby Cheeks, and Chicken Ass, to name a few, as well as her colorful personality, contagious laugh, and love of jokes—especially ones that embarrassed her mother—will long live in our memories and hearts.

Susan taught those she loved to slow down, be present, pick up the phone, send the card, and tightly hug your loved ones.

Visitation will be 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Thursday, September 2, 2021 at the Anderson-Laws & Jones Funeral Home, 114 S. 3rd Street, Harlan, KY 40831.  Graveside services will follow at 2:30 pm at the Resthaven Cemetery Chapel in Keith, KY with Rev. Jon Dickenson officiating.

Burial will follow in the Resthaven Cemetery with J.R. Greer, Hunter Davis, Will Carroll, Jesse Whitfield, Barry Irvin, Austin Tucker, and Nana Mizuguchi serving as Pallbearers.

In lieu of flowers the family suggest memorials be made to the Harlan Baptist Church, PO Box 883, Harlan, KY 40831 in memory of Susan.

Gov. Beshear: Crime Victim Support Professionals Attend First Virtual Kentucky Victim Assistance Academy

 

Conference hosted Aug. 22-27 expanding victim services in the commonwealth

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 27, 2021) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear and Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Kerry Harvey recognized and thanked 44 new and aspiring victim assistance providers, victim advocates, criminal justice personnel and allied professionals for attending the first virtual Kentucky Victim Assistance Academy (KVAA) held this week. The 15-hour virtual academy, held over a period of five days, uses a multi-disciplinary approach to improve the level of knowledge, skills and consistency of victim services in Kentucky.

“Thank you to all of the individuals who rose to the challenge and chose to attend KVAA to receive additional training and education so that they could better understand a victim’s experience and the trauma that follows,” said Gov. Beshear. By working together as one, Kentucky will strengthen the ability of our commonwealth to recognize, respect and respond to the needs and experiences of crime victims.”

The purpose of KVAA is to develop a community foundation that is survivor centered, trauma informed, culturally humble and founded on an ethical and anti-oppression framework to support Kentucky’s direct service providers.

“Victims of violent crime have faced horrific events most of us cannot even imagine, and it is imperative that as a state we are equipped with the resources needed to transform the lives of Kentucky’s survivors,” said Secretary Harvey. “I am honored that the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet has been able to leverage grant funding to host this event for the past several years, as it provides another step forward on our journey to make Kentucky a safer place for all of our families. By working together, we will be able to reduce violent crime and its impact on victims.”

The goals of the KVAA are:

  1. Promoting excellence in services to victims;
  2. Creating a community of practice among participants and KVAA alumni; and
  3. Assisting professionals in maintaining and enhancing sustainable practices.

“Training programs like KVAA are essential given that crime victims experience a complex array of needs, requiring the knowledge and cooperation of many different service providers and professionals,” said Director of the Grants Management Division, Dr. Marjorie Stanek.

The KVAA faculty included professionals who are widely recognized as leaders in their fields, many of which are the same professionals who speak at victim services conferences around the country and administer some of the best run programs in the state. In addition to the faculty, KVAA offers a unique mentorship aspect. Each attendee has access to several mentors who are established victim services professionals in Kentucky, which continues to be recognized as the highlight of the KVAA experience.

There is no charge for attendance at KVAA. All expenses are paid for by grant funding under the federal Victims of Crime Act program, known as VOCA.

Since taking office, Gov. Beshear has awarded more than $37 million in grant funding to victim service agencies across the commonwealth who work to prevent future acts of intimate partner violence and ensure the safety of survivors, while also providing victims access to and choice of domestic violence shelters and resources.

“As your Governor, protecting Kentuckians and promoting justice across our commonwealth is a top priority. These are the same values that guided me when I served as your attorney general and they will continue to be my focus throughout my time in public service,” said Gov. Beshear which is why it is imperative that the commonwealth provide victim advocates and service providers with the resources needed to transform the lives of victims of crime.

In July 2021, Gov. Beshear announced that nearly $2 million in grant funding is available to fight violence against women. The grant program supports law enforcement, prosecution, judicial strategies and victim services.

“This federal grant funding application furthers my administration’s commitment of providing direct services to victims and survivors of all types of crimes as they walk the path toward healing and recovery,” added Gov. Beshear. “I strongly encourage victim advocacy services, law enforcement agencies, local units of governments and other eligible applicants to apply. Let’s work together to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking once and for all.”

To learn more or to apply for the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Services, Training, Officers, Prosecution (STOP) Formula Grant Program, click here.

Also in July 2021, Gov. Beshear announced $1.5 million in U.S. Department of Justice grants awarded to the commonwealth to form the Kentucky State Police (KSP) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Investigative Team. To leverage existing investigative resources within the KSP Crime Lab, statewide investigative jurisdiction and existing connections with local law enforcement agencies, three trained investigators and a criminal intelligence analyst moved from the Office of the Attorney General to KSP. The team will continue to focus on investigating and identifying sexual offenders to further assist in the fight to end domestic violence against all Kentuckians.

As part of the ongoing efforts of the Beshear-Coleman administration to protect victims of sexual assault, Gov. Beshear signed HB 310, sponsored by Sen. Morgan McGarvey, of Jefferson County. HB 310 allows a commonwealth attorney to file a petition for an involuntary commitment for violent offenders who are incompetent to stand trial and would not benefit from additional treatment, but who are deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. By signing this bill, the Governor closed a gap in state law that allowed some defendants to avoid both prison time and mental health treatment.

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Gov. Beshear: Three FEMA Strike Teams Arrive Today to Help with Surging, Severe COVID-19 Cases

Gov. Beshear: Three FEMA Strike Teams Arrive Today to Help with Surging, Severe COVID-19 Cases

Governor requested strike teams to assist in Louisville, Prestonsburg and Somerset

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 27, 2021) – Gov. Andy Beshear said three Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) strike teams he requested arrived in Kentucky today to assist the commonwealth with record COVID-19 cases.

The teams will serve as backup for local ambulance services and perform patient transfers from one hospital to another.

“Our hospitals have never been more stressed and stretched during this pandemic than they are right now, and this FEMA assistance is critical to support some of our hospitals and health care heroes that need the most help,” said Gov. Beshear. “I will continue to act to boost our health care capacity and help our hospitals during the most dangerous stretch of this pandemic that has already killed more than 7,600 Kentuckians.”

With hospital staff and resources stretched thin, Gov. Beshear announced additional help the state has coordinated to assist hospitals, including: securing the FEMA strike teams; deploying the Kentucky National Guard to support COVID-19 response in hospitals; and providing COVID-19 testing assistance to some Kentucky hospitals.

The Beshear administration requested the FEMA strike teams from the National Medical Transport and Support Services to help with patient transports and patient care as the number of total COVID-19 cases, and cases requiring hospitalization, have dramatically increased in Kentucky over the past few weeks. At this time, the teams will not be responding to 911 calls, which are the responsibility of local emergency medical services (EMS).

“With our current COVID-19 trends, this will greatly impact our existing EMS resources in Kentucky. It is our responsibility to ensure the safety and the best patient care to the citizens of the commonwealth,” said Mike Poynter, executive director of Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services (KBEMS).

“Our thanks again to FEMA and other federal partners for the expedited tasking and deployment of these strike teams to assist in life-saving missions across the commonwealth,” said Michael Dossett, director of Kentucky Emergency Management.

The FEMA assistance includes 30 personnel and 15 advanced life-support (ALS) ambulance vehicles, with one paramedic and one EMS tech assigned to each ambulance. Each of the three strike teams, assigned to assist Kentuckians from today through Sept. 25, includes five of the ALS ambulances and 10 personnel. The teams are deployed to Louisville, Prestonsburg and Somerset. If a continued need is identified beyond Sept. 25, an extension can be requested. The state submitted a request for two additional EMS strike teams.

The deployment locations are subject to change based on needs in the commonwealth.

On Thursday, the Governor announced record numbers of Kentuckians in intensive care, 590, and on ventilators, 345, and a positivity rate of 13.24%. He announced more than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases and more than 90 deaths in the last two days.

“The pandemic is burning through our state and taking our loved ones and neighbors with it,” the Governor said. “I appreciate FEMA sending help to our health care heroes, who have worked tirelessly during the last year and a half to save our neighbors and loved ones during this pandemic.”

The Governor declared this Health Care Heroes Appreciation Week to recognize the dedication and sacrifice of our frontline workers during this pandemic.

The FEMA strike teams are positioned in areas that have shown an increase in infections or projected to have an increase in infections and in areas where hospitals are near full capacity. According to KBEMS’s current projections, the commonwealth will experience a deficit of medical transport resources if the upward trend in COVID-19 continues.

KBEMS’ mission is to ensure availability of high-quality, life-saving emergency medical services for Kentucky by certifying and licensing Emergency Medical Personnel, while also establishing standards for the education and training of Emergency Medical Services Personnel.

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Gov. Beshear Makes Appointments to Kentucky Boards and Commissions

Gov. Beshear Makes Appointments to
Kentucky Boards and Commissions

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 27, 2021) – Gov. Andy Beshear has made the following appointments to Kentucky boards and commissions:

Gov. Beshear has appointed the following Special Justices to the Supreme Court of Kentucky:

  • Hon. Emily Roark of Paducah, representing the 1st Supreme Court District.
  • Hon. Paul Whalen of Fort Thomas, representing the 6th Supreme Court District.

Gov. Beshear has appointed Michael Dudgeon as a member of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

  • Michael Dudgeon of Frankfort is a partner at Milam Farm and Milam Racing LLC and shall serve for a term expiring April 27, 2024.

Gov. Beshear has appointed Daarik Gray, Whitney Johns, Truman Bartleson and Helen Dedman as members of the Harrodsburg Sestercentennial Commission. Gov. Beshear has also appointed Helen Dedman as chair.

  • Daarik Gray of Harrodsburg is executive director of the Harrodsburg Tourist Commission and shall serve for a term expiring Jan. 1, 2027.
  • Whitney Johns of Harrodsburg is an attorney at Taylor and Johns PLLC and shall serve for a term expiring Jan. 1, 2027.
  • Truman Bartleson of Harrodsburg is a bus driver for Mercer County Schools and shall serve for a term expiring Jan. 1, 2027.
  • Helen Dedman of Harrodsburg is the owner of Beaumont Inn and shall serve for a term expiring Jan. 1, 2027.

Gov. Beshear has appointed David Farrar as a member of the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority. Gov. Beshear has also reappointed Ronald Lovan.

  • David Farrar of Lexington is vice president of Kentucky American Water. He replaces Kurt Stafford, who has resigned, and shall serve for the remainder of the unexpired term ending June 30, 2023.
  • Ronald Lovan of Union is president and CEO of the Northern Kentucky Water District and shall serve for a term expiring June 30, 2025.

Gov. Beshear has appointed Hal Smith and Sophia Voskuhl as members of the Governor’s Scholars Program Board of Directors.

  • Hal Smith of Louisville is retired. He replaces Thomas Noland, whose term has expired, and shall serve for a term expiring June 20, 2024.
  • Sophia Voskuhl of Lexington is a student. She replaces Phyllis Vincent, whose term has expired, and shall serve for a term expiring June 20, 2024.

Gov. Beshear has reappointed Maria Cantu as a member of the Governor’s Advisory Board for Veterans’ Affairs.

  • Maria Cantu of Elizabethtown is a community volunteer and shall serve for a term expiring Sept. 25, 2024.

Gov. Beshear has appointed Rachael King as a member of the Colon Cancer Screening Advisory Committee.

  • Rachael King of Paducah is a senior director at the American Cancer Society and shall serve for a term expiring July 15, 2023.

Gov. Beshear has appointed Ben Allison as a member of the Judicial Form Retirement System Board of Directors.

  • Ben Allison of Prospect is a financial advisor at Pillar Financial Advisors and shall serve for a term ending June 30, 2024.

Gov. Beshear has reappointed William Chadwick Noel, Jason Jones, Tammy Gilles, Michelle Morgan and Amy Beth Crump as members of the State Advisory Panel for Exceptional Children.

  • William Chadwick Noel of Lawrenceburg is a preacher at the Danville Deaf Baptist Mission and shall serve for a term expiring June 30, 2024.
  • Jason Jones of Lexington is a project coordinator at the University of Kentucky Human Development Institute and shall serve for a term expiring June 30, 2024.
  • Tammy Gilles of Louisville shall serve for a term expiring June 30, 2024.
  • Michelle Morgan of Georgetown is a speech-language pathologist at Georgetown Community Hospital and shall serve for a term expiring June 30, 2024.
  • Amy Beth Crump of Lexington is a district mental health specialist at Fayette County Schools and shall serve for a term expiring June 30, 2024.

Gov. Beshear has appointed the following as members of the Kentucky State Board on Electric Generation and Transmission Siting:

  • James Mooneyhan of Franklin, representing residents of Simpson County.
  • John Price of Flemingsburg, representing residents of Fleming County.
  • Kyle Henderson of Paducah, representing residents of McCracken County.
  • Herb McKee of Henderson, representing residents of Henderson County.
  • Richard Thomas of Richmond, representing residents of Madison County.
  • Ryan Wilson of Inez, representing residents of Martin County.
  • Larry Waddell of Elizabethtown, representing residents of Hardin County.
  • Andrew Wood of Maysville, representing residents of Mason County.

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