Boone County : Buzz

The nonprofit Impact 100 donates time, effort and resources to help the community. On Sept. 12, the organization gave $101,000 to four local groups focusing on impact areas that include: culture; education; environment, preservation and recreation; family and health and wellness.

One of those groups, the NKY Community Action Commission, will use its award to help fund the Lincoln Grant Scholar House, a home located in Covington for single parents pursing college education. The Scholar House provides an affordable living option as well as childcare and free workshops designed to help single-parent families escape generational poverty.

Impact 100 was started in Cincinnati in 2001 by Wendy Steele, with the goal of promoting philanthropy among women. The thinking was, if 100 women each donated $1,000, a grant of $100,000 could be awarded to a nonprofit community organization.

The nonprofit has since gone global, now with more than 30 chapters in the U.S. and two in Australia. Locally, Impact 100 has raised more than $400,000 annually, enough to give $100,000 grants to four recipients every year.

This year's recipients were selected from a pool of more than 100 nonprofit candidate groups.

Read the full story at SoapboxMedia.com.

In a huge win for Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), which recently downsized to just one terminal, Southwest Airlines has announced it will be moving in this summer.

Cincinnati was known as a hub for Delta until a few years ago when a number of cutbacks affected Delta's service to CVG. Delta now only operates about 100 flights per week at the airport. This has opened the airport up to other airlines, including budget airlines like Allegiant, Frontier and now Southwest. 

Passengers will be able to take one of eight daily Southwest flights from CVG to Baltimore-Washington International Airport or Chicago Midway.

Read the whole story here.
 

Last week, CVG received more good news: Amazon is planning to build a $1.5 billion cargo hub at the airport. This comes on the tail end of Southwest Airlines' announcement that it will be adding flights from CVG to Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Chicago Midway.

With the completion of the proposed 2-million-square-foot facility, Amazon will be able to rely less on UPS and FedEx for air deliveries. The hub will also house Amazon's current and future fleet of airplanes, and bring about 2,000 jobs to the area.

To read the full Forbes story, click here.
 

Two Northern Kentucky organizations were identified for potential first-round funding by the Work Ready Skills Initiative.
 
The first is Boone County Schools and the second is Brighton Center, Inc. in Newport. They were among 22 other education-based finalists from around the state who applied and were selected to advance from a pool of more than 40 applicants from Kentucky’s 10 workforce areas.
 
The initiative is aimed at developing a highly trained, modernized workforce to meet the needs of employers and promote sustainable incomes for Kentuckians. A 10-member committee met last week in Frankfort to conduct interviews with applicants and review site-visit reports.
 
The committee will reconvene in January to examine budget specifics in an effort to maximize the funding impact across Kentucky. They will reserve at least $35 million for a second round of funding in 2017.
 
“We were overwhelmed by the quality of proposals and the strong public-private collaborations we witnessed this week,” said Education and Workforce Development Cabinet Secretary Hal Heiner, who chairs the committee. “It is apparent that the Work Ready Skills Initiative is being embraced statewide, as communities seek to transform their workforce.”
 
Read the full NKY Tribune article here.

 

Four of the 22 law enforcement offers who graduated last week from Kentucky’s Criminal Justice Executive Development (CJED) program hail from Northern Kentucky.
 
The program involves an advanced leadership course designed for supervisors at small- and mid-sized agencies across the state.
 
CJED is a four-week, 168-hour program that focuses on identifying, analyzing and solving problems as well as leadership, personnel administration, operations, fiscal management, and executive and environmental relationships. The most recent cohort represents the Department of Criminal Justice Training’s 19th CJED class.
 
Students attend CJED courses for one week each month over the four-month program.
 
To take part in CJED, candidates must be supervisors who rank sergeant or above. Applications are reviewed by a committee of CJED graduates from departments across Kentucky.
 
The four graduates from Northern Kentucky included:

• Sgt. Matthew Kremer, Erlanger Police Department
• Capt. Todd Massey, Kenton County Sheriff’s Office
• Sgt. Emily Melville, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport Police Department
• Commander Brian Valenti, Covington Police Department 

Keynote speakers at the graduation ceremony included Kenton County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Shawn Butler and Oldham County Police Sgt. James Brown.
 
Read the full River City News story here.

 

Attorney General Andy Beshear recently announced that Daymar College, which has campuses throughout Kentucky, must issue refunds to nearly 3,500 former students as part of a consumer protection lawsuit filed against the school in 2011.
 
The lawsuit alleged that Daymar violated the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act by denying students access to financial aid to buy their textbooks from vendors other than Daymar’s bookstore, which allegedly charged significantly higher prices than other vendors; misrepresenting students’ ability to transfer credits earned at Daymar to other institutions; admitting students who failed Daymar’s admissions assessment in violation of the school’s own admissions policy and hiring unqualified faculty who lacked the required credentials.
 
The college continues to “emphatically deny” these allegations.
 
As part of the case settlement, Daymar has already forgiven $11 million in student debt to nearly 6,500 qualifying students.
 
“College has never been more unaffordable, and students are being crushed with debt,” Beshear said. “The Attorney General’s office is focused on ensuring Kentucky’s students are treated fairly. Every week it seems our office receives a call by a former Daymar student who is wanting finality in this case. I’m pleased that our office could announce that these students will be receiving restitution.”
 
Read the full River City News story here.

 

In a November press release, longtime Skyward president Bill Scheyer announced his retirement from the organization that aims to create and implement a strategic vision for Northern Kentucky.
 
Scheyer is a 40-plus-year veteran of service to NKY and has been a member of Skyward’s leadership since 2009, when the organization was known as Vision 2015. Vision 2015 rebranded early last year, following consensus from participating organizations that culminated in the creation of a four-point myNKY regional plan to facilitate job growth, education enrichment, health and wellness and community vibrancy.
 
Candace McGraw, CEO of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and chair of the Skyward Board of Directors noted at a recent sendoff ceremony, “We’re grateful to have had Bill lead us through the significant shift from Vision 2015 to Skyward and through the myNKY strategic planning process. Collective visioning is a strong community asset, due in large part to Bill’s vision, leadership and commitment to improving Northern Kentucky.”
 
Among his goals for retirement, Scheyer noted a desire to spend time with family, but said, “I plan to continue to stay involved and support the important issues I have cared about for so many year.”
 
Read the full River City News story here.

 

A segment of KY state route 536 will soon undergo expansion that will see the addition of widened roadways, roundabouts and multi-use paths.
 
WL Harper Company and Bluegrass Paving, Inc. of Hebron were contracted to complete the project along a three-mile stretch of Mt. Zion Road, which is expected to increase safety and improve traffic flow in the surrounding Union area.
 
“This project has been designed to accommodate the Union Town Center development,” said Bob Yeager, acting chief district engineer for Department of Highways District 6 in Covington. “There will be raised medians on the new Kentucky 536 and U.S. 42 to further enhance pedestrian friendliness.”
 
The Mt. Zion roadway will be widened from two to five lanes starting at the I-71/75 southbound entrance and exit ramps, westward to U.S. 42. The five lanes will revert back to two at Old Union Road.
 
Yeager also said the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will continue advancing design for improvements to additional KY 536 segments in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties.
 
Read the full River City News story here.

 

The Northern Kentucky Chamber Foundation will partner with regional family resource coordinators this season to help identify the needs of local homeless populations and to collect and distribute personal hygiene products for those groups.
 
More than a dozen organizations from around the region are joining in the effort, with groups like Anthem, Staffmark, General Cable, L’Oreal, TANK and others providing support.
 
The initiative will help the more than 1,000 families across Northern Kentucky school districts who have been identified as homeless and/or in need of basic essentials.
 
“We have been overwhelmed by the response from our community,” said Tiffany Osborne, Vice President of Workforce at the NKY Chamber Foundation. “What started as a small project has turned into a regional effort to provide these products to a growing number of homeless here in Northern Kentucky. It has been great to see businesses getting involved, organizing their own collections, and doing whatever they can to serve these families.”
 
Read the full NKY Tribune story here.

 

At one critical point last year, a levee at Covington’s 21st Street was sliding, prompting an “unacceptable” inspection rating from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last October.
 
The sliding posed a serious flooding threat for the Wallace Woods and Austinburg neighborhoods along the Licking River.
 
City Officials worked quickly on repairs that were estimated to cost between $1-2 million. The Licking River Greenway & Trails were closed while Great Lake Construction Company conducted repairs to the levee and finished portions of the greenway/trails.
 
As the city now works to secure funds for additional necessary repairs to a paved section of the greenway connecting to 8th Street, officials announced that the paved portion that runs along the top of the levee has been reopened.
 
Currently, the Licking River Greenway & Trails consists of a mile of paved trail. Organizers hope to ultimately extend the trails project through Covington, Latonia and Taylor Mill in Kenton County, and Wilder and Newport in Campbell County, where it will connect with neighboring trail systems like Riverfront Commons, which will run east to west along the Ohio River.
 
Read the full River City News story here.

 

The Community Foundation of Northern Kentucky (CFNK) recently announced it will close its doors and divide $8.3 million in accumulated funds and assets across 16 local organizations.
 
In additional to administrative and operational oversight for the NKY region, the CFNK provides social, educational and health services to Northern Kentucky residents. The reasons for the organization’s dissolution have not been made public.
 
Representatives will present a check for the donation in a ceremony planned for this Thursday morning at the Metropolitan Club in Covington.
 
Organizations that will received the disbursed funds include Brighton Center, Covington Ladies Home, NKU Nursing program, St. Elizabeth Foundation and others.
 
Individual donation amounts have not been disclosed.
 
Read the full River City News story here.

 

Out of 114 pre-applicants, 91 finalists were chosen to advance to the first-round funding phase of Gov. Matt Bevin’s Kentucky Work Ready Skills Initiative program.
 
Among those finalists is the Northern Kentucky Home Builders’ Enzweiler Institute.
 
The initiative is aimed at developing a highly trained, modernized workforce to meet the needs of KY employers and promote sustainable incomes for Kentuckians.
 
Applicants submitted nearly $540 million in funding requests, with individual requests ranging from $40,000 to $28 million. Proposals came from all 10 state workforce areas and represented industry sectors that include manufacturing, healthcare, technology, transportation and construction/trades.
 
NKY Home Builders Executive Vice President Brian Miller echoed a key goal of the initiative in citing public-private partnerships his organization has forged with Boone County Schools, NKY Cooperative Education Services, Ludlow High School and Gateway Community & Technical College.
 
“We had created a plan to expand and renovate our facility,” Miller said. “And we are seen as the priority place for construction trades workforce development in Northern Kentucky.”
 
Read the full NKY Tribune story here.

 

Community leaders gathered last week in Burlington to break ground on an expansion project at R.C. Durr YMCA that will feature a St. Elizabeth Healthy Living Center.
 
“The idea is that we’ll renovate our existing fitness center and add about 3,000 square feet,” said YMCA executive director Jacob Brooks. “What’s really exciting about the Healthy Living Center and that concept is all of the health and wellness programs that St. Elizabeth and the YMCA will collaborate on. We plan to maximize each other’s expertise to provide some really unique and innovative programs for our members and our community.”
 
St. Elizabeth Health Care contributed a $1M gift to make the expansion possible; total cost is projected at $2.7M.
 
In addition to expanding the fitness center, the expansion project’s first phase will include a 1,500-square-foot expansion of the center’s group exercise room, additional 800 square feet of space to accommodate new specialty exercise programs and an additional 3,250 square feet for licensed childcare and early-teen programs.
 
Read the full NKY Tribune story here.

 

John Tilley, Secretary of the Kentucky Justice & Public Safety Cabinet will be the featured guest at a government forum November 18 at The Hilton Cincinnati Airport (7373 Turfway Road, Florence).
 
The forum will be presented by Fidelity Investments and Duke Energy.
 
Tilley was a key member of the legislature as chair of House Judiciary Committee before being appointed to his current post by Governor Matt Bevin last December.
 
“Secretary Tilley was always well-respected during his time in the legislature for being an expert in his policy area and working across party lines,” said Scott Sedmak, Vice President of Public Affairs & Communications at the NKY Chamber. “He was heavily involved in heroin legislation during recent legislative sessions and will bring a well-rounded wealth of knowledge on issues impacting the justice system.” 
 
The cost to attend the event is $30 for NKY Chamber members and $60 for future Chamber members. Reservations can be made by calling (859) 578-8800 or online here.
 
Read the full NKY Tribune story here.

 

At a recent Florence Rotary Club meeting, three area employers received the Secretary of Defense 2016 Patriot Award for their commitment to hiring members of the National Guard and Reserve.

The awards were presented by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR).
 
“Our nation has relied heavily on Guard and Reserve members since entering continuous operations more than 14 years ago,” said Rod Bell, chair of Area 7 of the Kentucky Committee of ESGR.

The award was created to recognize employers who go beyond the legal requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act by extending additional, non-mandated benefits to National Guard and Reserve employees. Those benefits may include differential or full pay to offset lost wages, extended health benefits, paid time off, leaves of absence and other benefits.
 
“Employer support enhances retention rates in the Armed Forces and, in the end, strengthens our national security,” Bell said. “Recognizing supportive employers is vital to ESGR’s mission. ESGR’s state committees actively promote awards as a key element in furthering employer support, while strengthening relationships between service members and employers. These Department of Defense awards recognize and honor the sacrifices made by so many employers year-after-year.”
 
Those honored included:

• Dylan Jaynes, Homeland Security (TSA); nominated by KY Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Ryan Richter
• Martha Chomyszak, U.S. Bank (Florence); nominated by U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Cpl. Dan McKibbin
• David Clark, CSX Transportation (Florence); nominated by U.S. Army Reserve 1 Lt. Brian Murphy