Latest news with #Lahera
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Gov. DeSantis signs Andy Lahera Act ensuring healthcare coverage for injured law enforcement officers
The Brief In May 2023, Citrus School Resource Deputy was critically injured when he was struck by a car. Worker's Compensation covered his injuries from the crash, but his health insurance was uncertain. Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new law that would provide full premium coverage to all officers injured in the line of duty. LECANTO, Fla. - A Citrus County deputy is at the center of a new Florida law. The Deputy Andy Lahera Law is aimed to provide healthcare coverage to law enforcement officers injured in the line of duty, who weren't covered before. The backstory Deputy Andy Lahera joined the Citrus County Sheriff's Office as a patrol deputy in 2009. He moved onto becoming a detective until the Parkland mass shooting. His wife, Michelle, said "...he had come home, and he sat the boys down and he said to them that he was going to apply to become a School Resource Officer. He said that he would make us have to be okay with it." Deputy Lahera became an SRO at Lecanto Middle School. In May 2023, he was on a detail, directing traffic outside of Lecanto High School when he was struck by a car. Deputy Lahera was left with a traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. RELATED:Critically injured Citrus County deputy honored for service amid family's health care concerns Michelle Lahera said ever since, he's been living at a post-acute rehab facility, working to reconnect his brain to the rest of his body. She explained, "We have our good days and we have our bad days. He's fighting. He's working hard. He's able to do things that he hadn't been able to previously. But for me, it's not as fast as I would like it to be." What they're saying Michelle Lahera said there's a gap for a subsection of officers injured in the line of duty like her husband. Worker's comp covers treatment related to the crash. But healthcare insurance beyond that is not guaranteed. "From the beginning, I said, I never wanted Andy to be forgotten, and I had to make sure that he would have insurance above what workers comp wouldn't cover for him," she explained. RELATED: Benefit held to help Pasco deputy injured in the line of duty As the law stood, injured officers were only guaranteed full premium insurance coverage if they were injured in a pursuit, emergency, or unlawful act committed by a criminal. FL House Rep. Judson Sapp was among three legislators behind the Andy Lahera bill that would provide full coverage to all officers injured in the line of duty. Sapp said, "Across the board, every single member up in Tallahassee was shocked that this already wasn't part of law. It was such a narrow law as to what constituted eligibility." On Tuesday, Governor DeSantis signed it into law. "So, we fixed something and sometimes the system works, and it worked this time and I'm just so proud that we got this across the finish line," Sapp explained. Click here to read more about the new law. Click here to follow Deputy Lahera's recovery journey. The Source This story was written with information gathered by FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter Follow FOX 13 on YouTube
Forbes
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Woodford Reserve Blends Art And Bourbon For The Kentucky Derby
Woodford Reserve tapped Humberto Lahera, a Kentucky-based artist originally from Cuba, for the art ... More featured on the 2025 commemorative Kentucky Derby bottle. Horses will have raced at the Kentucky Derby for 151 consecutive years after the next crop of three-year-old thoroughbreds meet at Churchill Downs on May 3. Sponsor Woodford Reserve has its own tradition to commemorate the occasion, though it only goes back a mere 26 years. Beginning in 1999, the bourbon brand has sold commemorative Kentucky Derby bottles each year, often working with new artists to capture the tradition and thrill of the event that's been called 'the most exciting two minutes in sports.' The 2025 commemorative bottle features the artwork of painter Humberto Lahera, whose vividly colored painting 'Carrera Dinamica,' which translates to 'dynamic race,' evokes the fluid motion of the Kentucky Derby. Lahera tells me during a virtual interview that he's been an artist all his life, drawing on the walls of his childhood home by the age of three, painting portraits from what he saw on television, and later reproducing classic works like Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa.' His mother encouraged his interest in art and later, Lahera was only one of eight students admitted to Cuba's prestigious El Alba Academy of Fine Arts. He relocated to the U.S. in 2022 and his work has been exhibited in private galleries and institutions including Louisville Metro Hall and the Governor's Derby Exhibit. 'I have had a natural talent since I was born,' says Lahera of his lifelong interest in art. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Shortly after moving stateside, Lahera says he worked to integrate himself into the Kentucky community and the regional art museum and gallery scene. Within just a couple years, he received a call from Brown-Forman, the parent company of Woodford Reserve, who shared that he was a finalist for the Kentucky Derby commemorative bottle. After he was selected for the project, Lahera visited the distillery to meet with the team. The initial concept he sent to the Woodford Reserve team was ultimately approved for the bottle. 'Everybody wants to have the American dream,' says Lahera. Kentucky, he adds, 'is full of culture. I love it.' The Woodford Reserve Derby 151 bottle is for sale at a suggested retail price of $49.99. His artwork has evolved to represent a blend of his Cuban background and his exposure to American culture. Lahera says his approach to art has changed now that he's had an opportunity to see artwork from greats like French painter Claude Monet and American artist Jackson Pollock, who were stuck in books when he lived in Cuba but was able to experience in real life in American museums. 'I like to show people that in one painting, you can find all the styles—photorealism, realism, impressionism, abstraction—everything,' says Lahera. 'That's not art used for Americans or Cubans. I feel that my art can be recognized and loved internationally, because it has everything in one piece of art.' Lahera's Derby bottle is meant to represent the event's action as a jockey and horse are depicted vaulting from an explosion of roses, racing toward the finish line, Lahera explains. 'Everything is fluid and full of colors and movements,' he says, including the classic representations of Churchill Downs with the twin spires that are part of the spectator stands and roses that are given to the winning horse. 'Carrera Dinamica,' Lahera adds, captures the image of a jockey 'chasing his American dream. Just like me.' The Woodford Reserve Derby 151 bottle is for sale at a suggested retail price of $49.99 and available for purchase at the Woodford Reserve Distillery and online for shipping to select states at ReserveBar and Woodford's online store.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Governor's Derby Celebration poster for 2025 unveiled
FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — On Thursday, Gov. Beshear, First Lady Britainy Beshear, and Lieutenant Gov. Jacqueline Coleman welcomed some special guests during a Team Kentucky update. Humberto Lahera González and Kentucky Derby Festival President Matt Gibson met with state leaders to unveil the poster for the 2025 Governor's Derby Celebration. Lahera is a beloved artist in the Cuban and American art worlds alike, engaging diverse audiences through public work to inspire the next generation of artists, celebration organizers said. The poster, titled 'Unleashed at the Finish,' captures the dynamic energy and challenges of the Kentucky Derby, according to a press release. Lahera was also given the honor of artist for the Woodford Reserve bottle for the 151st Derby. Henderson County assesses damage after 'historic flooding' Governor's Derby Celebration poster for 2025 unveiled Ashland doctor admits to giving patients unapproved weight loss drug 'Being selected as the artist for the Governor's Derby Celebration poster is one of the greatest honors I have ever received. This project represents my contribution to Kentucky, combining artistic techniques I learned in the land where I was born with new techniques I've developed in the United States,' said Lahera. 'Leaving my artistic mark brings me great satisfaction, especially knowing that I've only been living in America for two years and yet I'm already becoming part of its legacy, history, and tradition. I can only express my gratitude to everyone, especially Gov. Beshear, for believing in my art.' The 151st Kentucky Derby will be held on May 3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The 2025 Governor's Derby Celebration Poster is available for purchase, along with those of previous years, at the Historic Properties Online Store. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
