Latest news with #KentuckyStateUniversity
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
250 pounds of stranded fish rescued from Buffalo Trace Distillery after historic Kentucky flood
FRANKFORT, Ky. – The historic flooding in Frankfort, Kentucky, led to an unexpected rescue at Buffalo Trace Distillery. After the record-breaking floodwaters receded, a large, isolated pool nearly a quarter-mile from the Kentucky River was discovered. Surprisingly, it was full of stranded fish. The distillery noted with a touch of irony that among them was a Bigmouth Buffalo. Famous Bourbon Distillery Suffers 'Substanial' Damage From Flooding In Kentucky's Capital The unusual situation prompted a two-day response from Kentucky State University's Aquaculture Program students. "When the waters rose, so did our commitment to community," the university said in a statement on social media. As crews suited up, they waded in to rescue the stranded fish, using seine nets to safely transport over 250 pounds of native species back to the river. "This unexpected moment of teamwork, resilience and care for the local ecosystem reminded us that the spirit of Buffalo Trace goes far beyond bourbon," the distillery said. Watch: Drone Video Shows Kentucky Highway Underwater Amid Historic Flooding Heavy rains throughout the first week of April in the state of Kentucky resulted in unprecedented flooding, specifically in Franklin County. Having stood on the Kentucky River for over 200 years, the Buffalo Trace Distillery is now showing strong signs of recovery just a week after peak floodwaters. Sisters Battle Flooding At Their Generational Home Swallowed In Kentucky River's Raging Current The distillery said in an April 15 update that cleanup and restoration, supported by hundreds of professionals, are over 75% complete. Power has been restored to key areas, allowing craft bottling in Blanton's Bottling Hall and main bottling operations to resume. Buildings have been emptied of water, and interior restoration is underway. Buffalo Trace has also reopened to visitors with a limited retail article source: 250 pounds of stranded fish rescued from Buffalo Trace Distillery after historic Kentucky flood
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
KSU president asks for ‘trust,' committee votes to release $5 million for nursing building design
Kentucky State University President Koffi C. Akakpo urges lawmakers to "give me your votes" for releasing money to design a health science building on his campus. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Liam Niemeyer) FRANKFORT — After hearing a plea from Kentucky State University President Koffi C. Akakpo, a Senate committee reversed itself Friday and approved releasing funds to design a new home for KSU's nursing program. Earlier in the day, the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee had rejected House Joint Resolution 53 after chair Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights, voted against the resolution. McDaniel said because KSU has 'underperformed for a dramatic period' that he wanted to see 'sustained' improvement before releasing the $5 million appropriated by the legislature last year. The committee later reconvened in a special meeting at which Akakpo told McDaniel he understood the senator's concerns, noting that the state's only public historically black college or university was in a 'financial crisis' before he became president in 2023. No money to build new nursing school raises old question: 'When will it be Kentucky State's time?' 'I understand things are not coming out fast enough,' Akakpo said. 'This has been the hardest job in my life, but I am committed to making it happen. Give me your votes. Trust me, I'll come back next year and show you what we have been able to accomplish.' Some Republican senators who had earlier opposed releasing the money changed their vote, and the resolution was approved 9-2, though McDaniel still voted against it. McDaniel said Akakpo is doing 'magnificent work' at KSU but that 'the institution still has steps to take as a whole.' 'They need your leadership to do it. They need to be listening to your leadership and following it,' McDaniel told Akakpo. 'I look forward to you utilizing the funds here in a good manner.' The resolution, which now must be approved by the Senate. also requires KSU to submit to the legislature 'a comprehensive business plan' for the health science building project including how the project would 'work within and supplement the current health science programs' of other Kentucky universities. KSU has dealt with a number of controversies including misused funds under a former administration and had received a warning in 2023 from its accreditation body. The legislature in 2022 put the university under a management improvement plan and provided $23 million to help it recover from a budget hole. The legislature had set aside last year $60 million for campus maintenance and repairs, along with the $5 million for the design of the health science education building. Akakpo told the Lantern last year his vision for moving the university toward sustainability meant supporting academic programs that meet the needs of the region and state. Senate Democratic Floor Leader Gerald Neal, D-Louisville, praised Akakpo after the vote for the university president's dedication and diligence for 'concrete progress that clearly has been made.' 'This is going to be good not only for the students, not only for future students that come there. This is going to be good for Kentucky, and I think it's a win all the way around,' Neal said.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Witness challenges Black Belt, Mobile ‘community of interest' in Alabama redistricting case
The front of Hugo L Black Courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama on August 15, 2023. A witness for the state argued against linking Mobile and the Black Belt as a single community of interest, saying historical racism isn't the only factor in demographic disparities. (Jemma Stephenson/Alabama Reflector) BIRMINGHAM — A witness for the Alabama attorney general's office said historic racism might play a role but isn't the only factor in achievement gaps between demographics in a trial over the state's congressional map on Friday. Kentucky State University political science professor Wilfred Reilly, who authored three books criticizing progressive politics, suggested historical racism does not mean Mobile and the Black Belt can be considered the same community of interest today. 'There's some relationship [between Mobile and a Black Belt county] … The relationship is lesser than the relationship between Mobile County and Baldwin County,' Reilly said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX His testimony was met with skepticism from attorneys for plaintiffs seeking to preserve a 2023 congressional map that created one majority-Black Alabama congressional district and one near-majority one in the interest of ensuring adequate representation for Black Alabamians. 'None of your papers focus specifically on the political environment below the Mason-Dixon Line. Correct?' Brittany Carter, an attorney for the plaintiffs, asked. He said 'not as a primary focus.' 'You're not a professional expert on Southern politics, correct?' Carter asked. He said 'no.' She then asked if any of his academic research focused on Alabama politics, to which he also said 'is correct.' The attorneys questioned his expertise in redistricting and community identity. Under cross-examination, Reilly said he had not conducted extensive research on Alabama's redistricting history or specific state policies. 'I don't hold myself out as an expert on redistricting,' he said. The plaintiffs' counsel also pressed him on his methodology, pointing out that his report did not incorporate widely accepted academic definitions of communities of interest. When asked whether he had reviewed Alabama's redistricting guidelines before his deposition, he said, 'that is correct.' Reilly's testimony came near the end of a two-week trial over the state's congressional maps. The maps were put in place by a three-judge federal panel after an almost two-year battle that went to the U.S. Supreme Court twice. The courts ruled that racially polarized voting patterns in Alabama — where white Alabamians tend to vote for Republicans and Black Alabamians tend to vote for Democrats — meant that a 2021 congressional map approved by the Legislature prevented Black Alabamians, who make up about 27% of the population in the state, from meaningfully participating in the election process. The court ordered the creation of a second majority-Black district 'or something quite close to it,' and rejected a map from the Alabama Legislature, which they said failed to address Voting Rights Act violations. Reilly's testimony also addressed the concept of communities of interest, a key issue in the case. The plaintiffs argue that Mobile and the Black Belt, both home to significant Black populations, share common social and economic interests and should be linked in a congressional district. Reilly contended, however, that shared historical racial discrimination does not necessarily mean these regions constitute a single political community today. Using labor and commuting data, Reilly said that Mobile County has closer economic and social ties to Baldwin County, a majority-white area, than to Black Belt counties. 'Well, 71% of the people who work in Mobile County live in Mobile County, prominently including the city of Mobile itself. About 13% live in neighboring Baldwin County,' Reilly said, adding that Black Belt counties each account for about 1% of people who work in Mobile. But Baldwin County's population is significantly higher than any county in the Black Belt. With about 253,500 residents, Baldwin County is about 17 times more populous than Washington County, which borders northern Mobile County and has a population of about 15,000. They also questioned his data, including his reliance on non-peer-reviewed literature and publicly available real estate metrics, like the real estate website Zillow. 'You didn't rely on any peer-reviewed studies concerning the identification of communities of interest, correct?' Carter asked. The trial is expected to conclude next week. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
