BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT B1
Bud and Debbie Robke stand in front of their Fort Wright facility.
Your Community Recorder newspaper serving Elsmere and Erlanger kynews@communitypress.com T h u r s d a y, M a r c h 2 4 , 2 0 1 1
Volume 14, Issue 52 © 2011 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
RECORDER
Web site: NKY.com
B E C A U S E C O M M U N I T Y M AT T E R S
Volunteers seeks donations, those in need By Jason Brubaker
jbrubaker@nky.com
Miles blog
Miles Elementary School teacher Della Kemper decided to use a little bit of technology and new media to help promote discussion during a reading assignment by setting up a blog where her students could interact outside of the classroom. She didn’t realize how popular the blog would be with students and now gets to sit back and watch as they lead the discussion. SCHOOLS, A5
Making history
The Dixie Heights High School boys varsity basketball team played its first game in the first round of the state’s Sweet 16 high school basketball tournament since 1957. With Coach Ken Chevalier at the helm the team faced off against a veteran Lexington Catholic team they couldn’t quite beat. Read about the game wrap, what Chevalier thought of his team’s play, and what he hopes for next season. SPORTS, A6
March Madness
Take The Community Recorder quiz on March Madness and college hoops this week in Life. LIFE, B1
Share your news
Have a great photo from your kid’s latest field trip? Trying to drum up publicity for your group’s event? Visit NKY.com/Share to submit your photos, news and events. It’s a one-stop-shop for submitting information to The Community Recorder, The Kentucky Enquirer, NKY.com and our other publications and websites.
To place an ad, call 283-7290.
Phyllis Lay wants to clear up any confusion that may be out there. “We had a lady come by our thrift store the other day, and she said she was surprised it was open because she thought we had closed,” said Lay, a volunteer for United Christian Volunteers in Elsmere. “So we want people to know that we’re definitely still here, and we’re still looking to help people in any way we can.” Lay is one of about 15 everyday volunteers at the Elsmere center, which provides emergency assistance to Erlanger and Elsmere residents in the form of food, clothes, furniture and other goods. The center also has a weekly thrift sale open to the public that raises money used to help residents in dire need, such as those with utilities being disconnected or those in danger of being evicted. Items come in to UCV through
JASON BRUBAKER/STAFF
Phyllis Lay, a volunteer with United Christian Volunteers in Elsmere, straightens up some food on the shelves on March 22. The center provides assistance to Erlanger and Elsmere residents in need. area schools, churches and private donations, as well as help from businesses such as Kroger and Panera Bread Company. However, despite the down economy, UCV Director Charles Lambert said the client base is
slightly down in 2011. “You would think it would be the opposite, given the times, but we’ve had a little drop–off in clients,” he said. “We don’t really know why, but we just want to let people know we’re still there and
we’re still carrying on our mission.” Lay guessed that because UCV was closed several days throughout winter because of inclement weather conditions, some residents may have gotten the impression they were closed for good. The center is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. until noon. “The food orders we filled in February were the lowest number we’ve had going back to 2005,” she said. “I can’t explain it.” However, while the client base is down, Lay said they’re still happily accepting donations to keep the center stocked. “We’re always looking to get more in here, because we know there’s a lot of people out there who need help these days,” she said. “We just hope they can come to us to take advantage of what we have.” United Christian Volunteers is located at 15 Kenton Street in Elsmere. For more information, call 727-4417.
Lloyd band hitting right note for growth By Jason Brubaker jbrubaker@nky.com
Lloyd Memorial High School band director Randy Webb has a simple mission for the 2011-12 school year. “We don’t want there to be any reasons why someone can’t be in the band,” he said. “We’re getting rid of any barriers that might be there, so we get the band back where it needs to be.” Webb said he’s been working with the band boosters to address common concerns heard from students and parents about why they’re not involved with the band. The band currently has 38 members, compared to the nearly 70 it had before Webb left following the 2006 season to take over
the band at George Rogers Clark in Winchester. Webb returned to Lloyd in 2009. “We hear a lot of times that it’s too expensive to be in band, or that transportation is an issue because we practiced too late – all kinds of reasons,” said Webb. “So we’re making an effort to take care of that.” To begin with, Webb said there would be no band fees, which had risen as high as $400 in recent years, for the upcoming 2011-12 school year. He also said that the school board and band boosters have worked to secure funding for extra instruments, in case a student can’t afford one. Stacey Morrison, the treasure of the band boosters, said they’ve been able to raise the money
through their weekly Bingo games, held every Wednesday night at Pikes Place Bingo Hall in Covington. “A lot of schools are seeing their competition budget cut for marching bands, so we’ve been lucky to not have that happen here at Lloyd,” she said. “We’re just raising every dollar we can to help the band, because budgets are tight right now. Fortunately, we’ve been able to do well enough to provide instruments for kids who need them, and we’re even able to get new uniforms next year.” Webb said the boosters are also organizing a carpool system to help students with transportation to practices, which will be moved to directly after school. “We’ve got tremendous boost-
ers, and they’ve really stepped up to help us,” said Webb, who said he’d like to see at least 50 band members next year. “It just comes down to doing everything we can to get kids into band, because it’s such a wonderful experience for them.” Morrison, who has three children in the band program, agreed. “It’s a wonderful confidence builder for the kids, and a great way for them meet new people and build self-esteem,” she said. “That’s why we’re so dedicated to keeping it going strong.” There will be a meeting for anyone interested in the 2011-12 band on March 24 at 7 p.m. in the band room at Lloyd. For more information, contact Webb at 727-5910 or Randy. Webb@Erlanger.Kyschools.us.
Ky. 17 name change moves forward By Regan Coomer rcoomer@nky.com
Madison Pike, also known as Ky. 17, Old Ky. 17 and the 3L Highway, could be getting a new name. While it hasn’t happened yet, the potential for confusion when referring to Ky.17 during an emergency 911 call makes a name change for either Madison Pike or new Ky. 17/Madison Pike imperative, said Scott Hiles, Deputy Director for Infrastructure Engineering. “Dispatchers are worried that someone is going to call in a panic situation saying ‘I’m in an accident. I need help’ and they’re
going to go to the wrong 17,” Hiles said. The road runs from Covington through the southern end of the county. Hiles discussed the name issue with the Kenton County Fiscal Court at the March 22 caucus, explaining that the NKAPC hopes to change the name of new Ky. 17 or Old Ky. 17 from I-275 to the southern Kenton County line. To change either roadway’s name, the NKAPC hopes to first create a committee with representatives of the six affected communities (Independence, Edgewood, Covington, Erlanger, Fort Wright and unincorporated Kenton Coun-
ty) who will then choose a slate of possible names, Hiles said. Those names will then be posted in a online poll on the NKAPC website, nkapc.org, where residents can vote for the new name, Hiles said. Hiles hopes to have the committee in place and a slate of names designated within a couple of months. Cost to the cities and county should be very little, said Hiles, adding the NKAPC has agreed to pay the postage to notify the 400 or so citizens who live on the Ky. 17 corridor, around $200. The only cost to the cities could be the installation of a new street
CALL US ABOUT THE 2 FOR 1 CRUISE FARE AND $1000 SHIPBOARD CREDIT
HARPER’S STATION 513.247.1110 CE-0000439521
50¢
HYDE PARK 513.841.8257
sign, but Deputy Judge-executive Mark Kreimborg believes the signs could be made in-house by the county at a “minimal cost.” “We’re making signs all the time,” he said. In a March 8 Community Recorder story, most Edgewood officials were quoted as saying they had no strong feelings about the name change. Council Member Nancy Atkinson did say she doesn’t have a problem with the NKAPC pursuing a name change. “It can be confusing for people, especially if they’re not from here, so I think it’s a valid point,” she said.
CALL TODAY! OFFER ENDS MARCH 31
www.providenttravel.com