Latest news with #Staghorn
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Distinguished Almunus: Ashland's own Keisha Bahr making waves in marine science
Editor's note: The Ashland City Schools Foundation will host its 12th biennial Distinguished Alumni banquet Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Ashland University Convocation Center. Five inductees will be honored, bringing the total inducted since the first event in 2003 to 65. This week, the Ashland Times-Gazette is featuring information on one inductee online Monday-Friday. Dr. Keisha Bahr, a marine biologist from Ashland, discovered her passion for marine biology through the Tri-County Educational Service Center's marine biology course in her AP biology class. A transformative, weeklong field experience in the Florida Keys, where she first encountered the ocean, sparked her lifelong passion for marine science and coral reef conservation. After graduating in 2007, she moved to Florida and then Hawaii, becoming the first in her family to attend college. She earned a bachelor of science in marine biology in 2012 and a Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Hawaii in 2016. Bahr is a tenured associate professor of marine biology at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and the chair for Coral Reef and Ocean Health at the Harte Research Institute. As a leading expert in coral reef responses to environmental change, her research bridges academia, government agencies and local communities to develop innovative tools for coral reef restoration, preservation and management. She has secured over $6 million in research funding to support coral reef conservation efforts. Bahr has traveled globally, witnessing pristine coral reefs and observing firsthand the devastating effects of climate change. These experiences strengthened her resolve to protect coral ecosystems. She led Operation Coral Rescue, relocating over 300 corals from Florida to Texas during a marine heatwave to preserve the critically endangered Staghorn coral. The initiative earned national recognition and established her as a leader in coral conservation. As a council member of the International Coral Reef Society, Bahr helps shape global research and conservation strategies and has represented the society at the United Nations, advocating for stronger protection of coral reefs. She also is a pioneer in citizen science, developing coral color cards used in Hawaii, Tahiti and the Caribbean to help local communities monitor coral health. Bahr's mentorship has earned her the 2023 Outstanding Doctoral Mentor Award and the 2024 College of Science Teaching Excellence Award. She has trained more than 500 students through immersive field courses in Hawaii, Belize and Fiji, shaping the next generation of marine scientists and conservation leaders. This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Keisha Bahr is Ashland City Schools Foundation Distinguished Alumus
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Large, new Kentucky distillery closes amid $2.2 million lawsuit, liens
A large, new Kentucky distillery apparently is sitting idle amid financial difficulties, less than 14 months after filling its first barrel. Garrard County Distilling Co., which opened in January 2024, was sued for nearly $2.2 million in October in Garrard County Circuit Court by Doss & Horky, the general contractor that built the distillery at 450 Southern Soul Way in Lancaster. According to the lawsuit, the contractor also has placed a $2.2 million lien against Garrard County Distilling's property with the Garrard County Clerk's office. At least one other lien also has been reported. The distillery also has furloughed workers for at least two weeks, according to news reports by WLEX 18, which cited Lancaster Mayor Michael Gaffney. Gaffney was not immediately available for comment. The phone for the distillery appears to be disconnected; the distillery's parent company, Staghorn in Atlanta, did not respond to a request for comment. Founder Ray Franklin has left the company, according to a spokesman. 'We started building in 2020, and we were able to keep it quiet because of COVID,' Franklin said in a 2024 interview. 'We quietly built one of the largest all-new distilleries in the country.' According to WLEX, the distillery owes more than $250,000 in unpaid property taxes, due in April. The distillery is also suing supplier Kentucky Steel Buildings, Panels and Supply for more than $1.2 million over the collapse of a warehouse roof in February 2021, and American Industrial Contractors over the collapse of a crane in November 2022. Both cases are ongoing. The distillery is one of the largest independent operations in Kentucky, with two 45-foot by 36-inch column stills capable of filling up to 150,000 barrels a year, founder Ray Franklin said in 2024. The $250 million project by Atlanta-based spirits company Staghorn sits on 210 acres about 30 minutes south of Lexington, with a 50,000-square-foot distillery, 18 fermenters and three rickhouses. The company planned to build up to 24 25,000-barrel warehouses by 2030. 'We're swinging for the fence,' founder Franklin said in a 2024 interview. 'In my opinion, we've caught the golden age of distilling.' Garrard County Distilling in February 2024 named Lisa Wicker as its first distiller, luring her away from the Lyons Brewing & Distiling Co. in Lexington, owned by Alltech. Wicker left the company just a few months after her hiring. Garrard County also planned to offer contract distilling to other small labels. Gov. Andy Beshear welcomed the addition to Kentucky's bourbon landscape in a news release last year, saying, 'Garrard County Distilling Co. is Staghorn's first distillery and the dedication and size at which they are entering the category is a true testament to the worldwide appeal of bourbon from our great commonwealth. 'Staghorn's investment is a welcome addition to the Lancaster and Garrard County communities, as well as to Kentucky tourism. I want to thank the company's leadership for their vision to grow in the commonwealth, contributing to Kentucky's position as the bourbon capital of the world.' Parent company Staghorn sells All Nations Whiskey bourbon and rye, as well as Prohibition Reserve, a blend of rye and bourbon. The first releases were produced using barrels sourced from Wilderness Trail Distillery in Danville; last year, Staghorn had about 17,000 barrels of the original whiskey aging on site that they said would continue to be used while Garrard County's whiskey matured. The name is a nod to a poster that hung in many bars during Carrie Nation's temperance crusade in the late 1800s: 'All Nations Welcome Except Carrie.' Carrie (or Carry) Nation, a Kentucky native, was born in Garrard County, earning it the nickname 'the birthplace of Prohibition.' A member of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in 1900, Nation gained fame as a hatchet-wielding crusader against alcohol, smashing bars in Kansas and Missouri. Franklin transported and reconstructed her Kentucky birthplace stone by stone to the distillery site for tourists to visit. The distillery's shuttering, at least temporarily, comes at a time when some other Kentucky bourbon makers also are pulling back on production amid industry uncertainty. Global spirits giant Diageo, which makes Bulleit bourbon in Kentucky, paused production at its Lebanon plant from February through June and is closing a bottling line at another facility. Brown-Forman, which makes Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and Woodford Reserve Premium Bourbon, in January laid off about 12% of its workforce (about 650 people) and permanently closed its Louisville cooperage. Bourbon makers say they've caught up with demand, need to 'get rid of these tariffs' KY man accused of illegally selling 1,700 bottles of bourbon to Fayette Mall store
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Mote Marine Laboratory's Coral Gene Bank works to preserve coral species
The Brief Mote Marine Laboratory Coral Gene Bank is working to preserve coral species as they face threats from disease and warmer water temperatures. . Scientists have been able to save coral like Elkhorn and Staghorn. Officials say the Coral Gene Bank is one of the few organizations working to save coral species, which is important for conservation. SARASOTA, Fla. - When you step through the doors of Mote Marine Laboratory's International Coral Gene Bank, you're a witness to lifesaving underwater work. "Mote's International Coral Gene Bank is a Noah's Ark for coral species preservation," said Dr. Erinn Muller, the director of the gene bank. "We are one of the few organizations around the world that is doing this. It's such an important infrastructure we can utilize for conservation," Muller said. The backstory During the unprecedented 2023 coral bleaching event, scientists with the gene bank were able to save the last known species of coral in the Dry Tortugas. READ: Alligator attack: 911 call reveals gator bit woman, snatched life vest as group kayaked in Polk County "Some of the most important reef-building species, like the Elkhorn coral and the Staghorn coral, unfortunately, are very few and far between on the reef. Because of places like Mote's Gene Bank, we have all the genotypes preserved," said Muller. Working with NOAA and the Department of Interior, the gene bank has branched out to deep-water aqua corals were harmed in the Gulf following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. READ: Sarasota illegal gambling bust: 5 arrested, nearly 60 illicit slot machines seized "This is a way to ensure all the species of coral in Florida are preserved and that their diversity is preserved so we can restore the reef in years to come," said Muller. Dig deeper To ensure their future, the gene bank uses technology called Cryopreservation to freeze coral sperm and create a genetic 'time capsule.' "We will be focused on sexual propagation on these corals, creating thousands and thousands of babies so we can pump into the pipeline," Muller said. Each coral saved and every one produced gives hope for the future of the Florida reef system. CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube "This infrastructure and the people here really give me hope so we can recover Florida's coral reef in our lifetime," said Muller. The Source FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon collected the information in this story. 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
