VIEWPOINTS 6A • SOUTH KENTON RECORDER • JUNE 2, 2016
SOUTH KENTON
EDITORIALS | LETTERS | COLUMNS | CH@TROOM
Cincinnati.com/northernkentucky
NKY’s thriving startup ecosystem Startups, entrepreneurs, business mentors and angel investors don’t just exist in Silicon Valley. They are right here in our backyard. There is a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Northern Kentucky – and it affects each and every one of us. Entrepreneurship is crucial to both small and large cities. According to the Small Business Administration, the 28 million small businesses in America provide 55 percent of all jobs, and they have added eight million new jobs since 1990. For Covington-based UpTech, having so many of these businesses and entrepreneurs in Northern Kentucky is inspiring. From restaurants like Old Town Cafe and Catering, which has been family-owned and operated in Covington for more than 25 years, to businesses like W. Stephens Cabinetry & Design, which recently moved and renovated a new storefront on Dixie Highway in Fort Mitchell, businesses are not only creating jobs, they are bringing new people to our cities and communities, revitalizing empty storefront spaces, and stimulating the economy. With organizations like UpTech, The Kentucky Innovation Network at Northern Kentucky, Bad Girl Ventures, CONNETIC Ventures, and bioLOGIC, Northern Kentucky is quickly becoming a hub for entrepreneurs. These groups are creating jobs, helping en-
Abby Ober
J.B. Woodruff
COMMUNITY RECORDER GUEST COLUMNIST
COMMUNITY RECORDER GUEST COLUMNIST
trepreneurs start and grow their businesses across the region, providing low-cost office space, and connecting businesses with the capital to start and grow. In only four years, through UpTech alone, we have helped 30 innovative startups get off the ground and create more than 135 new jobs, right here in Covington. Adding to the region’s growing entrepreneurial hub, Skyward, one of the major engines behind building the conditions for economic growth in Northern Kentucky, and one of the founding partners behind UpTech, is also working to help entrepreneurs gain access to an environment that facilitates innovation, entrepreneurial success, and business expansion. One of Skyward’s goals is to ensure that Northern Kentucky has the talent and tools to retain, expand, start and attract businesses here. One example of this is the creation of the online site, NKY Startup Resource www.nkystartup resource.org.
Skyward, along with a team of entrepreneur support organizations, worked together to launch the nkystartup resource.org online directory, designed to help entrepreneurs navigate the landscape of organizations that provide business assistance in Northern Kentucky. Entrepreneurs are continually impressed by the talent base, financial support, urban lifestyle and reasonable cost of living that starting a business in Northern Kentucky provides. Whether you are interested in starting your own business, growing an existing one, or in getting involved as a mentor, we encourage you to take the leap and visit one of these local resources to learn how you can contribute to Northern Kentucky’s startup revolution: » www.uptechideas.org » www.nkystartups.com » www.nkyinnovation.org » www.badgirlventures. com » www.skywardnky.org » www.connetic.ventures » www.biologiccorp.com Be it as an entrepreneur, mentor, educator, supporter or volunteer, getting involved in the local startup ecosystem is beneficial to our region as a whole. Co-authored by Abby Ober, UpTech, and JB Woodruff, Kentucky Innovation Network at Northern Kentucky and UpTech.
However, that is still below the national usage rate of 88.5 percent. Seat belts save lives, but must be used Steven J. to do so. AcFranzen cording to the National HighCOMMUNITY RECORDER GUEST way Traffic COLUMNIST Safety Administration (NHTSA), when worn correctly, seat belts are proven to reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat occupants by 45 percent and by 60 percent in pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans. Also according to NHTSA, booster seats lower the risk of injury to children by 60 percent compared to the use of seat belts alone. Kentucky’s booster seat law was enhanced in 2015 to increase the height requirement to 57 inches and the age requirement to 8 years old. Children younger than 8 but taller than 57 inches will not have to ride in a booster seat. People often ask, “Aren’t there more serious criminals on the street other than those who simply are not buckling up? They’re not hurting anyone but themselves.” To the contrary, the people who choose to disobey the law by not wearing their seat belts are taking a chance with not only their lives, but the emotional and financial health of
SOUTH KENTON
RECORDER
A publication of
CH@TROOM Last week’s question What is your all-time favorite movie – the one that you will always watch if you come across it while channel-surfing? Why do you like it?
their families, friends and our community. Death may be the ultimate consequence for not wearing a seat belt, but even for those who escape a fatal crash, the economic costs of injuries caused by motor vehicle crashes are staggering. NHTSA estimates that every year motor vehicle crashes cost our country more than $230.6 billion. That equals more than $800 per person, per year! Yes, this is a national problem, but law enforcement and first responders see the local faces at too many crash scenes. So, it begins right here in Kentucky. We want to ensure that everyone arrives at their destinations safe and sound, so we are letting you know now: If you are not wearing your seat belt, you will be ticketed. Our officers are also trained to spot seat belt violations at night, so no matter what time of day, they will catch you. Buckling up costs you nothing, but the costs of not buckling up may be a ticket, or worse – your life. Treat this as a tough and potentially lifesaving reminder: Click It or Ticket! If you have any topics you would like to have covered in this column, please contact my office by email at countyattorney@campbellcountyky.org, by phone at 491-7700 or by regular mail addressed to 319 York St., Newport, KY 41071. Steven J. Franzen is Campbell County Attorney.
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION Describe your “brush with greatness.” Every week we ask readers a
“Easy A!”
Dalmesha Sloss
question they can reply to via email. Send your answers to ndaly@communitypress.com with
“Jaws.”
Ch@troom in the subject line.
Patrick Hijduk
“Apocalypse Now.”
Jim Longano
“The Spitfire Grill.”
Debra Higgins Robertson
“’My Cousin Vinny.’ Because it makes me laugh out loud every time I watch it.”
Susan-Mkac Gilmore Fultz
“’Tombstone,’ dock Saints.’”
‘BooneSteven Leicht
“’The Italian Job.’ Love the minis.”
“‘Crazy Stupid Love’ because it’s completely unpredictable.”
Linda Girard
“’Braveheart’ and ‘The Patriot.’” Sharon McDonald
“‘Home Alone 1’ and ‘2.’ And ‘Frequency.’”
Angela Bonney Cottrell
“I just can’t choose between my top three .... sorry, but they are ‘Gone With The Wind,’ ‘Excalibur’ and ‘Mr. Holland’s Opus.’” Roxie Held
Barbara Brown
“Eight Men Out.”
Ryan Sainola
“Steel Magnolias.”
Cassandra Jane
“Twister.”
Molly Miller
“Urban Cowboy.”
Nicole Stewart
Statistics show seat belts save lives For anyone who complains about getting a ticket for not buckling up when driving or riding in a motor vehicle, here’s a crash course in reality: » In 2015, 761 people were killed on Kentucky’s roadways. » Of those 761 killed, 588 were motor vehicle fatalities. » Of those 588 motor vehicle fatalities, 300 (61 percent) were not wearing a seat belt. » In 2015, 31 children age 15 and under were killed in motor vehicles on Kentucky roadways. Seventeen (55 percent) of those were unrestrained. While those may sound like just statistics, those of us at the Campbell County Attorney’s Office know from personal experience that those numbers are the actual faces of mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles and friends right here in Kentucky. We notify too many families about losses that may have been prevented had a loved one been properly restrained. This goes to the heart of our mission to protect the public. That is why we have joined with thousands of state and local law enforcement and other highway safety agencies nationwide to support the 2016 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization running May 23 to June 5. The good news is Kentucky’s seat belt usage rate increased with the passage of the primary law from 67.2 percent in 2006 to 86.7 percent in 2014.
RECORDER
Editor: Nancy Daly, ndaly@communitypress.com, 578-1059
“Pleasantville!”
Stephanie Collins
“‘Spencer’s Mountain,’ a great family movie.” Pamela Robinson Porter
“Say Anything.” Shawnda Walker
“Tombstone.”
Cody Painter
“’50 First Dates,’ ‘Gone in 60 Seconds.’”
Shannon Kessel
“Dirty Dancing.”
Sherry Johnson
“Saturday Night Fever.”
Connie Gille Painter
“’The Notebook’ because it is a beautiful love story.”
Jennifer Jackson House
“’Forrest Gump’ – Life is like a box of chocolates!”
Terry Smith
“’Steel Magnolias’ ... can recite entire scenes along with the movie.”
Suzie McGuire Langen
228 Grandview Drive, Fort Mitchell, KY 41017 654 Highland Ave., Fort Thomas, KY 41075 phone: 283-0404 email: kynews@communitypress.com web site: cincinnati.com/northernkentucky
“The Sound of Music.”
Kathy Wagner Williams
“‘The American President,’ great love story with very smart dialogue.”
Elizabeth Mason-Hill
“Everyone knows the only correct answer is ‘The Shawshank Redemption.’”
Brandon Kidwell
“‘Grease’ 1 in a million movie”
Lori Marksberry Hendricks
“Love love the ‘Godfather.’” Sharon McDonald
“‘Funny Farm’ with Chevy Chase. Because it’s hysterical. It makes me laugh out loud.” Teresa Davis
“‘The Princess Bride’ till I die.”
Bethany Pancerzewski Spence
“‘The Blind Side,’ “The Longest Yard,’ ‘National Treasure’ and ... ‘ELF.’” Rami Tannus
“’You’ve Got Mail.’ I love the nostalgia of the ‘90s ... the clothing, the sound of dial-up. I love NYC so the scenery is awesome. I did a YGM selftour there several years ago and loved it. Went to the cafe, Gray’s Papaya for a hot dog and had breakfast at one of the corner delis. I felt like I was living the movie! Ha, I liked Meg Ryan a lot better before she had her lips done but she’s still one of my favorite actresses and Tom Hanks is my favorite actor. Not to mention that the story is just sweet and innocent ... it will forever be my favorite.” Lori Mills
South Kenton Recorder Editor Nancy Daly ndaly@communitypress.com, 578-1059 Office hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday See page A2 for additional contact information.