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Take a number
There is nothing like an odd-year "non-budgetary" session of the Kentucky General Assembly to highlight the state's many urgent needs for additional revenue.
The lowering of Lake Cumberland has towns scrambling for funds to ensure continued water intake while marinas request dollars to offset the costs of extending boat ramps to lower levels.
A key economic driver in Central Kentucky, the Kentucky Horse Park, is in need of an outdoor arena to accommodate the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in 2010 and to attract the major national events in the years beyond 2010 that will ensure the park's goal of reaching self-sufficiency by 2012.
Now word that Blue Grass Airport is in urgent need of $9 million from the state now in order to beat the October expiration of an FAA grant.
The airport needs a total of $26 million to relocate runway 8/26, the runway from which Comair Flight 5191 made its fatal takeoff. The project budget calls for $9 million in FAA funds, $9 million from the state and $8 million provided by the airport. If the state legislature fails to appropriate at least a portion of the requested state funding the matter would be delayed until the 2008 session, too late to obtain the FAA grant.
Airport officials said relocation of the runway is needed to relieve a critical shortage of hangar space, a discouragement to corporate site location teams and a need for additional parking space to accommodate crowds anticipated for the 2010 Games.
UK Healthcare negotiating purchase of Samaritan
With the UK Chandler Hospital running out of space, officials of UK HealthCare and Samaritan Hospital have signed a Letter of Intent with Ventas, Inc. (NYSE: VTR) that could lead to the eventual purchase of Samaritan Hospital by the university.
About 1,300 jobs have been added since 2004 at UK Chandler Hospital and the UK College of Medicine, in large part because of the growth of the hospital's patient volumes. Discharges, a measure of inpatient activity at the hospital, have grown by 33 percent during the last three years.
Michael Karpf, UK's executive vice president for health affairs, said a purchase of Samaritan will not impact plans for the expansion of UK Chandler Hospital, which includes plans for a new 1.1 million-square foot patient-care facility and parking garage. The garage should be completed by the end of 2007. The new patient-care facility is scheduled to open by 2011.
With a medical staff comprised of 530 members including 387 physicians, Samaritan is home to Central Kentucky's largest Orthopedic Joint Replacement Surgery Program. The hospital offers Central Kentucky's only hospital-based Lithotripsy and Geriatric Psychiatry services.
If negotiations are successful and necessary approvals granted, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees would be asked to approve the transaction at a board meeting within the next few months, according to Karpf.
Current facilities, services, executives, management team and employees at Samaritan will be retained.
Auditor cites tuition crisis in Kentucky
A sobering report from state Auditor Crit Luallen is inspiring yet another round of prioritizing in Kentucky. Luallen notes a 66 percent increase in the past four years in in-state tuition to attend Kentucky's public universities and community colleges. She cites the increase as a leading cause of a dramatic decline in enrollment of in-state students.
The report, available online at www.auditor.ky.gov, highlights Kentucky's reciprocity arrangements with neighboring states which allow out-of-state students to pay in-state tuition. Under this arrangement, she observes, approximately 1,000 more out-of-state students are attending Kentucky colleges and universities than in-state students.
Luallen, a Democrat with deep experience in state government and business, proposes that the state study the costs versus the benefits of reducing or even eliminating in-state tuition.
Report: more spending, little progress in KY education
Kentucky has increased spending on education by 96 percent in the last 20 years, yet the state's average standardized test scores have barely changed.
The statistics are cited in the 13th edition of the American Legislative Exchange Council's state-by-state analysis, Report Card on American Education.
In the opinion of ALEC Education Task Force Chairman Rep. Jane Cunningham (R- Missouri), "Raising student achievement levels and improving our schools is not a matter of spending more money doing the same things as before but rather using the resources we have available in better and more innovative ways." Cunningham asserted that "We need to hold our schools accountable and demand results, and we need to give parents more choices when it comes to their children's education."
Hassloch Office Supply joins Hurst Group
Hassloch Office Supply of Versailles will join Lexington's Hurst Office Suppliers and Hurst Office Interiors as operating divisions of The Hurst Group.
In a press release, Richard Hurst said, "This is a great fit for both organizations. We know that local businesses want to support the local economy by doing business with other local businesses. It just makes too much sense economically. We think this will only strengthen our position as the independently-owned & locally-operated business products provider of choice in the Bluegrass."
Hassloch said the merger means "I will be able to spend more of my time doing what I love: working with customers."
Update on the regional economy
The concept of regional cooperation and collaboration will dominate the theme at this year's Bluegrass Tomorrow Regional Economic Analysis and Vision Awards ceremony.
With a goal of determining how the Central Kentucky region can become more competitive while expanding jobs and tax base, Bluegrass Tomorrow and numerous regional partners commissioned an analysis that has produced eye-opening results, including the feasibility of revenue sharing.
The findings are to be presented at the annual event at the Marriott Griffin Gate on March 9. Information is available online at bluegrasstomorrow.org.
Chamber trip sold out!
Commerce Lexington's annual Leadership Visit is, for the first time ever, sold out. One hundred and ninety of Central Kentucky's foremost business, education, government and community representatives, including 30 first timers, have registered, and there is a waiting list.
Trip organizers say work is well underway on finalizing what will be an active agenda for the May 16-18 journey, the chamber's 68th.
Past trips have resulted in a long list of new programs, services and amenities in Lexington.
Lexmark study: Knowledge workers more productive
A national survey commissioned by Lexmark finds that knowledge workers -- defined as individuals who use a computer at work for word processing, database, spreadsheet, Internet or e-mail applications--are much more productive than they were five years ago. Nearly two-thirds (66 percent) said they are at least somewhat more productive and over a third (37 percent) said they are a lot more productive. Very few (6 percent) said they are less productive now.
Increased productivity is very pronounced among those who say they are working more from home than they were five years ago, according to a Lexmark press release. Three-quarters (75 percent) of those who work from home for at least one hour per week agree that they are more productive as a result, it said.
The survey indicates that more than half of the respondents (55 percent) spend at least one hour a week working from home, one third (34 percent) spend more than five hours a week working from home and one in 10 (11 percent) spend more than half of their working week working from home.
Ipsos Public Affairs, a global polling and market research firm, interviewed 711 knowledge workers by telephone between Oct. 10 and 24, 2006. The margin of error for the total sample is +/- 3.7 with a 95 percent confidence level.
Anti-slavery film has Asbury connection
Asbury College students and faculty have partnered with Bristol Bay Productions, sister company to Walden Media, to produce an educational multimedia experience about abolitionist William Wilberforce's life.
The movie titled, Amazing Grace, documents the 20-year struggle of Wilberforce to end the slave trade in England. The movie will be released Feb. 23, marking the 200th anniversary of the abolishment of slave trade in Britain.
View the trailer online at www.asbury.edu/ amazinggrace.
Heads up — IT folks, in particular
The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005, approved by Congress in 2005, extended Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the United States by approximately four weeks. As a result, beginning this year, DST will start three weeks earlier on March 11, and end one week later on November 4, 2007, resulting in a new DST period that is four weeks longer than previously observed.