LINK Kenton Reader - Volume 2, Issue 18 - April 5, 2024

Police departments fight a numbers game for recruits

By Nathan Granger

Most mornings, Scott Paul can be found directing traffic through the St. Cecilia School parking lot in Independence.

The school resource officer has a wide smile, and he cheerfully greets each student as they enter the school. It’s a contrast to the stoney-faced disciplinarians that one might conjure when thinking of police officers.

“I’ve always wanted to help people,” Paul, who in a past life worked as a minister, told LINK nky. “I have never shot at another human being in my entire police career. Very few officers ever do.”

Paul served in ministry for 18 years, but he said he felt called to police work in 1997. He didn’t think he would stay, he admitted, fully intending to go back into ministry once his kids had left for college. The work suited him more than he initially expected, though, and he served in various police roles until 2019, when he retired just before COVID hit.

In September, Independence welcomed him back as a school resource officer.

Independence Police Chief Brian Ferayorni didn’t set out to work in policing either. He said he originally wanted to go into pharmaceuticals, but he demonstrated an aptitude for police work in college. Now he’s the chief for one of the region’s largest geographic areas, accepting the position on the same night the city appointed Paul as a school resource officer.

In spite of these roundabout routes to the profession, both Ferayorni and Paul agree on one thing: A person needs to have an intrinsic desire to be a police officer to succeed in the profession.

There’s another thing Feryorni, Paul and numerous other police attested to, though: There seem to be fewer and fewer people attracted to police work.

As conversations and observations with police and civic leaders across the region show, testing numbers are down, economic incentives to enter police work are School

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Holmes grad helps give student athletes taste of Italy

By Nathan Granger

Ten select high school athletes from Greater Cincinnati traveled to Lissone, Italy, on March 26 as part of a study abroad program with Step Higher Academy, a company founded and operated by Holmes High School graduate Isaiah Revels.

In Italy, the students will engage in cultural exchanges, stay with host families and compete against teams from around the world on March 28 at the Junior International Tournament. “They will be doing everything the Italian kids do in getting that cultural experience while playing in this basketball tournament,” Revels told

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Women share Achievements made despite impairments p8

What’s with all these seasonal allergies? p10 Camels look to get over hump in softball p16

Isaiah Revels, far left, and the 10 students traveling to Italy. Photo provided | Isaiah Revels

resource officer Scott Paul directs traffic outside St. Cecilia School in Independence. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky

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fraying and training requirements have become top heavy and inefficient. By all accounts, general interest in police work is waning, and departments are often struggling to fill positions.

Some of the reasons are systemic and mechanical; others are cultural. Go to any city meeting, though, and you’ll likely hear someone talk about it.

“In 2007, when I tested, we had 140 people come take the test,” said Erlanger Police Chief Kyle Rader. The department “hired one person; luckily that was me.”

Rader became chief in 2020, and he said Erlanger’s police department has been fully staffed over the past few years. Still, he’s noticed things change.

“2021, we gave a test,” Rader said. “We had 36 people that applied. Sixteen people showed up for the test. Fourteen people passed. We hired one.”

Fast forward to 2023: “We had 30 people that applied for the test,” Rader said. “Thirteen actually showed up on test day. Eleven passed, and we hired three. We will get another test in May of this year, so down from 140 to 16 people showing up.”

Other departments are showing similar trends. Newport City Manager Thomas Fromme reported at a city commission meeting in June that only 13 people showed up to the police test around that time, adding that there was a similar dearth in applicants for entry-level fire and public works jobs.

Ferayorni said on average between 25 and

30 people, sometimes fewer, show up for each round of police testing in Independence. “When I tested, I tested against 100 guys for one position,” Ferayorni said.

Rader agreed. “We’re all in the same boat.”

One of the reasons most often cited is the police training infrastructure, both in the commonwealth and the region. Police recruits in Kentucky are required to undergo 20 weeks of basic in-person training at an established training academy. That’s in addition to 80 hours of online work they must complete before the in-person training. The hiring department pays for the training.

In Ohio, by contrast, a student can pay his or her own way through basic training at any state-certified school or academy, a system more closely resembling tradeschool education.

The trade-off is that, while Ohio recruits are responsible for upfront costs, they have more flexibility in where they can be trained. Kentucky recruits don’t have to pay, but they’re limited to large state academies, often housed at universities. There are academies in Richmond, Bowling Green, Lexington and Louisville, the latter three of which offer training only to local recruits. The Kentucky State Police also has its own academy.

That means that everyone else, including recruits from NKY, has to travel to the training center at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond for basic training. What’s more, basic training is a residential program, meaning that recruits can sometimes be away from their families for long periods, another disincentive.

While there are facilities in NKY that offer continuing education for police, such as the Boone Sheriff’s Department and the Northern Kentucky Police and Sheriff Training Center, none of those facilities offers basic training. A university degree in criminal justice doesn’t count toward the basic training requirement either.

This has led several cities in the region to advocate for establishing a local basic training academy. Independence, Fort Wright, Covington and Park Hills, for instance, have all passed resolutions supporting the establishment of a Northern Kentucky basic training center.

Setting up an academy may be difficult, though, and for a familiar problem.

“The primary reason is instructor availability,” Taylor Mills Police Chief James Mills Jr., who is also a board member of the Northern Kentucky Police Chiefs Association, told the Kenton County Mayors Group in November.

Mills said the requirements for becoming a basic training instructor are long and involved. Even those that follow all of the necessary steps have no guarantee they’ll be certified. He gave an example of an officer from Erlanger who was preparing to become certified as an instructor.

“The last class that they had, we had one person in it from Northern Kentucky, and [the Department of Criminal Justice Training] canceled the class,” Mills said last year. The Department of Criminal Justice Training is responsible for training standards in the state.

The training facility at the Boone County Sheriff’s Office complex is one of the largest continuing education facilities for officers in the region. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky

To make matters worse, several chiefs said, COVID restrictions constrained the ability of the Richmond academy to move recruits through the program efficiently, creating a long backlog of recruits waiting for a spot.

Pat Morgan, the chief deputy with the Kenton County Sheriff’s Office, told LINK nky on March 16 that, if a local department hires a recruit today, it would likely be August or September before that recruit could get into the academy. When contacted, the Department of Criminal Justice Training provided some figures on the scale of their operations and corroborated Morgan’s estimate.

“Approximately 300 recruits graduate from DOCJT’s Basic Training Academy annually,” a statement from the department read. “Four Basic Training classes operate simultaneously, and in consecutive rotation, with a cap of 33 recruits per class. All basic training classes are full at this time, and the next availability for registration is August 2024.”

Since December 2019, 1,357 Kentuckians have completed basic training with the department, the statement concluded.

All of this adds to a large gap between when a person passes the police test to when she or he can get into basic training – as long as nine months in some cases, Rader said. “If you’re on the fence, and you’re hearing that you’re not actually going to be working by yourself as a cop for another 16 months, maybe you say, ‘Well, this might not be for me,’” Rader said.

Another factor chiefs bring up frequently is

reforms that have taken place to the state’s pension system. Underfunded for years, the system has gone through multiple iterations and reforms in an effort to control costs.

Today, police and other state pensions are split into three tiers. Tier 1 applies to workers hired before Sept. 1, 2008. It kicks in after 20 years of service and pays out defined benefits based on the length of one’s career. This means that retired officers under this plan are guaranteed a certain payout upon hanging up their uniforms.

“For people that are looking at government sector jobs, that used to be the big draw was you had a defined pension, you knew exactly how many years you had to work,” said Brad Degenhardt, police chief of Lakeside Park and former president of the Northern Kentucky Police Chiefs Association. “And then you had a general idea of roundabout what your pension was going to look like for the rest of your natural life.”

Most government jobs don’t have salaries that can compete with the private sector, Degenhardt and others said, but many recruits were willing to overlook that if they knew they were going to take home a stable, living income in their golden years under tier 1 of the system.

For those hired after Sept. 1, 2008, pension maturity periods were extended from 20 years to 25 years, but they still had defined benefits similar to tier 1. Workers under this system are classified as tier 2.

Then, beginning on the first day of 2014, pensions were switched from a defined benefits plan to a kind of hybrid cash con-

“Is it possible to get medical advice in the middle of the night?” -

tribution plan, now referred to as tier 3, which applies to anyone hired after that date. These plans are similar to 401(k) plans and other individual retirement accounts: Officers contribute consistently over a period of time to an investment pool that yields returns upon retirement. Payouts are based on the amount of cash contributions workers make divided by state-managed actuarial factors.

Although a worker’s age and the type of service performed are accounted for in the actuarial calculations, many argued that such plans rarely yield the same payouts as traditional pension plans. This has blunted one of the primary means by which departments attracted recruits.

Salary competition between departments doesn’t help either, especially in Northern Kentucky. Nearly 30 departments are packed into the region’s three counties, nevermind departments close by in Ohio and Indiana.

Median salaries for trained police officers in major jurisdictions in Northern Kentucky hover around $70,000 while the median salary for trained police officers in Cincinnati is closer to $80,000. Moreover, Cincinnati’s starting salary is considerably higher than most Northern Kentucky jurisdictions at about $70,000. The only major jurisdiction in NKY that comes close in minimum salaries is Florence at about $67,000 a year. While it’s true that maximum salaries for officers in several NKY jurisdictions are higher than Cincinnati’s, an early- or mid-career officer is much more likely to earn a higher wage across the river.

The political environment underpinning recruiting isn’t the only thing in play.

“I never imagined myself sitting at a desk all day and just writing paper,” said Elsmere Police Recruit Terry Perry.

Perry graduated from Ryle High School in 2019 and, like Ferayorni and Paul, didn’t actually plan on going into police work. He initially went to college for physical therapy but liked criminal justice so much after taking some classes that he switched majors. He goes to the Richmond academy in May.

“So growing up, I went to high school and

everything, and I found out my passion was helping people,” Perry said.

In spite of his interest in the work, he said, many friends and family didn’t think he should become a police officer. His comments give light to one of the key differences Perry sees between the 2000s, when Rader and others came up in the industry, to today: a changing public sentiment around the police.

“A lot of people just don’t like the police nowadays,” Perry said. “I’ve lost many friends just because I’m a cop now.”

Perry’s sentiment is shared by many other law enforcement officers who spoke with LINK nky. Public trust of the police is seemingly on the decline, particularly recently. Many attributed this to a combination of media scrutiny and the proliferation of smartphones and social media, which have made it easier for people to circulate videos of police encounters.

It’s impossible to contextualize this phenomenon without addressing the release of a video showing the murder of George Floyd, a Black Minneapolis resident, by Policeman Derek Chauvin in 2020. The recording of Floyd’s death was one of several video recordings of police officers killing Black Americans that have circulated widely on social media platforms in the past decade or so and which prompted outcry not only over how police forces in the United States treat Black communities, but also more general questions about how police departments operate, the attitudes they instill in their officers and the political environment behind the police as a public institution.

Although the feeling among NKY police that people didn’t like them was common – at least based on the conversations that LINK nky had – it’s much harder to corroborate the scale of these sentiments than the pension and training factors, all of which have concrete figures behind them.

Some polling data offers insight into public attitudes toward the police. Opinion data on the Northern Kentucky is limited, but there have been studies tracking attitudes toward the police on a national level.

One of the most recent polls was conducted by the Pew Research Center in early 2023;

Pew Research conducts polls on policing and other social issues at regular intervals. The study surveyed 5,152 American adults from Jan. 18 to Jan. 24, 2023. Pew then compared similar data from earlier polls they’d conducted in 2016 and 2020. Their results showed that, indeed, distrust of the police was its lowest in 2020, but it also showed that positive attitudes toward the police broadly were actually increasing in the early parts of 2023.

“The share of U.S. adults who say police are doing an excellent or good job in using the right amount of force in each situation increased 9 percentage points between 2020 and the January 2023 survey, from 35% to 44%,” a summary of the study states. “There were comparable increases in the

shares of Americans who say police are doing a good job in treating racial and ethnic groups equally (8 points, from 34% to 42%) and in holding officers accountable when misconduct occurs (12 points, from 31% to 43%).”

The only exception to this was whether police were doing an adequate job of protecting people from crime. On this item, “public ratings in late January were lower than in 2020: Just 47% said police are doing an excellent or good job in this area, down from 58% three years ago,” the study reads.

The study also showed that attitudes, whether positive or negative, were often split along racial and political lines, with white adults tending to have higher views

of the police than Black or Hispanic adults.

There are two things to note regarding this survey: The data was collected just before the release of a video showing five Memphis police officers beating 29-year-old Tyre Nichols on Jan. 7, 2023; the study’s title and headline indicate as much. Nichols died three days later. An autopsy revealed Nichols’ cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head. All five of the officers were later charged with second-degree murder, and the incident led to protests and outcry in multiple cities across the nation. As such, the study’s data can’t speak to whether attitudes took a similar downturn as they did in 2020.

Second, respondents to the survey tended to view police in their local areas more fa-

vorably than police elsewhere.

“Regardless of their race or ethnicity, Americans are more likely to say that police officers in their community are doing an adequate job in each of these areas when compared with officers across the country,” the study said. “For example, 61% say police officers in their community are doing an excellent or good job at using the right amount of force for each situation, compared with 44% who say the same of officers across the country. This pattern is largely evident among white, Black and Hispanic adults alike.”

Degenhardt told LINK nky that he’s witnessed changes about attitudes toward po-

Charts comparing the pension tiers for state workers in Kentucky. Chart provided | Kentucky Public Pensions Authority Continues

Continued from page 5 lice through his career. “I think that has its ebbs and flows,” he said. “Post 9/11, I mean, that was one of the most honorable things was to do law enforcement or firefighting or EMS.”

In spite of Perry’s earlier comments, he told LINK nky that his experience with the local community has generally been good. “What I see in Northern Kentucky is totally different than what people see in the media.”

Even Paul admitted that bad experiences with police would likely influence people’s perceptions. He recounted experiences from when he was working at a high school. Sometimes he would interact with students whose “only contact they may have had with the cops was seeing them patrolling, frisking and arresting their parents.”

Paul and Perry said they believe establishing better lines of communication with different parts of the community were ways to address this problem.

The Northern Kentucky branch of the NAACP agrees and has tried to accomplish that by holding annual symposiums with law enforcement agencies to build better communications channels. Jerome Bowles, president of the Northern Kentucky NAACP, appealed to shared

from his time at college.

“If you see a kid just playing football or something, go interact with him,” Perry said. “Go play football.”

He also emphasized the importance of recruiting police from historically under-represented demographics as a means of building out trust between different populations.

In addition, Perry pointed to the idea of community policing, a term he’d picked up

Charts tracking nationwide attitudes toward police on various topics. Data and chart provided | Pew Research Center

Nationwide attitudes toward police broken down by racial demographics and political affiliation. Data and chart provided | Pew Research Chart interests among different communities. However one felt about the police as an institution, Bowles told LINK nky, “we all want people to live in safe communities,” because violence affects every community.

Paul said of his early days as a school resource officer. “They started seeing police officers in a different light.”

“That really brought a sense of communication and community, when we started reaching out to the younger age groups,”

Bowles, for his part, repeated something to LINK nky he’d told people in the community who wanted to see change happen. “Become part of the institution you want to see changed.”

This is the second year Step Higher Academy has organized a trip like this. The company has also undertaken other programs to help student athletes in the region, such as the Preseason Tip Off Classic game, which took place at Holmes High School in November and which served as a partial fundraiser for the trip.

Step Higher Academy is an offshoot of Step Higher, which Janelle Hocker, Revels’ mother, and Jessica Perkins founded just over 20 years ago when they took about 40 students from Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati to visit historically Black colleges and universities across the country in an effort to inspire aspirations for adult success. Today, Step Higher & Nella’s Place, which operate jointly, administer four group homes for girls in Cincinnati’s Walnut Hills neighborhood.

Revels’ company focuses specifically on giving high school athletes the tools they need for success as adults. It provides various professional development services for athletes looking to go pro, including internships, financial literacy training and mentoring services, in addition to trips like the one to Italy when it’s able to raise enough funding.

Jabari Covington, a senior at Newport High School and recent 9th Region tournament MVP, has been involved with Step Higher Academy for two years. He said he’s looking forward to going to Italy and has appreciated what he’s learned from Step Higher Academy so far.

“It’s a really good environment,” Covington said. “He [Revels] helps out a lot, and it costs nothing.”

Covington said he wants to go to college after he graduates this year, although he is unsure where he wants to go or what he wants to study.

DeShaun Jackson, another Newport senior, has been with the program since the fall, and he’s looking forward to seeing what it’s like playing against teams from other nations.

“I love it,” Jackson said of the program. “It’s great. I mean, I get to play with a lot of local kids, and we get to go travel across the country.”

Jackson said he hopes to study business in college, although he hasn’t yet picked out a school.

Revels plans on documenting the trip in video and then screening it locally in June. Exact dates and locations for the screenings have not yet been determined.

“I think it’s good for these kids because, you know, some of these kids might not play basketball again,” Revels said. “Some might; some might not, but they will be able to build lifelong relationships with the families that they stay with, the people that they’re around and the people that they’re interacting with in the tournament, as well.”

The students will stay in Italy for about a week.

Jabari Covington practices on March 24. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky

Step Higher athletes at their March 24 practice. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky

Women share stories of achievement despite visual impairment

By Nathan Granger

The Northern Kentucky branch of the NAACP and the Covington Human Rights Commission hosted a community event March 22 at 6th District Elementary School in honor of Women’s History Month. Called “Community Speaks: Life of the Vision Impaired,” the event highlighted the accomplishments of Covington women who either had some degree of visual impairment or who have been integral in advocating for people with visual impairment.

“We don’t really understand what it is not to be fully sighted,” said Pam Mullins, a member of the Covington Human Rights Commission and a former Covington commissioner. As such, she said, addressing the problems pertinent to people with visual impairments inevitably entailed political action.

“You need to understand that, in order for changes to happen, generally some type of advocacy has to take place because folks don’t necessarily want things to change,” Mullins said.

The event highlighted four women: Teresa Meyer, who goes by Teri, Gerry Slusher, Diane Elizabeth Jennings and Helen Hutchins.

Meyer’s notable accomplishments include writing a bill that enables access to service dogs of all kinds – not just seeing-eye dogs – in Kentucky businesses. It became law in 2002.

She also penned, along with then-Covington Commissioner Michelle Williams, a local version of the Crown Act, which protects people from employment discrimination based on the texture and style of their hair. That ordinance passed in 2020, making Covington the first Kentucky city to pass such a policy. Meyer later advocated for a similar law at the state-level. The bill passed in the House but later stalled in the Senate.

Finally, she wrote a bill that mandated the addition of white cane safety into the Kentucky Driver’s Manual, which states that drivers must yield the right of way to pedestrians using white canes and service animals. The law passed in 2020 after three years of advocacy.

“If you want something done, and nobody’s doing it, do it yourself,” Meyer said at the end of her address.

Meyer is also an artist, despite being legally blind. Four of her art pieces were raffled off

to attendees as door prizes at the end of the event.

Gerry Slusher spoke next. She serves on the Covington Human Rights Commission and formerly served as executive director for the Disabilities Coalition of Northern Kentucky. Today, she serves as president of the Northern Kentucky Council of the Blind. She also wrote a grant that funded the purchase of a Braille printer in Covington, now housed at the Center for Great Neighborhoods and open to community use.

Slusher talked about her life growing up, especially her experience traveling to be educated at specialized schools for the blind, which weren’t then common. It was an experience that inevitably meant long periods of separation.

“We were children that were sent away from home,” Slusher said. “We had to leave our homes at 5 years, go to the school and learn to meet new people, make new friends, be with house parents who really weren’t our parents, and we had to adapt and overcome.”

Last, mother and daughter pair Hutchins and Jennings spoke. Both are accomplished

musicians.

“I’m self-taught,” Hutchins said, “but I played 55 years at my church and played 27 years at the funeral home.”

Jennings is also a novelist. She spoke about her series of romantic novels, which focus on the life of Antoinette Hunter, a blind pianist of color who falls in love with a white folk guitarist. Jennings’ music has been featured on several news outlets, and she even sang the national anthem at a Cincinnati Reds game in 1987.

Hutchins talked about the challenges of raising a visually impaired child in a society not built with them in mind; Jennings went through similar challenges growing up as Slusher in traveling to get specialized education. In spite of her challenges, Jennings eventually graduated from what was then Thomas More College in 1977 with a degree in English.

“As a parent, you do what you have to do to help your child,” Hutchins said.

“Their stories are not just stories of the past,” said Shena Thompson of the NAACP. “They are narratives that continue to inspire, empower and ignite change.”

Front, from left: Helen Hutchins and Diane Elizabeth Jennings. Back, from left: Pamela Mullins, Gerry Slusher and Teresa Meyer. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky Artwork by Teresa Meyer. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky

Covington Commission wants details on cycling infrastructure before Tri-State Trails vote

Covington City Commission on March 26 passed over voting on a proposed 10-year agreement with Tri-State Trails, a regional advocacy group that aims to improve cycling and trail infrastructure.

“In order to ensure that everybody understands all the nuances and complexities of the plan, [Wade Johnston, executive director of Tri-State Trails] agreed to a session for the commissioners that would be interested,” Mayor Joe Meyer said. He added that they will probably meet in about the next six weeks. Because the plan involves Covington and Newport, commissioners from that city may also attend.

Tri-State Trails presented its plan to the commission in January, and the commission discussed it at a caucus meeting in late March. The plan surveyed the city’s existing infrastructure to accommodate bicycles and offered ideas to make changes.

In addition to infrastructure recommendations, the plan recommends some policy and operational changes to create a more bike-friendly city overall. These include making a dedicated line item for bike infrastructure in the city budget, expanding the public bike-share program, creating dedicated detours for cyclists to circumvent construction projects and road closures, and generally expanding education and advocacy for cycling.

A similar proposal has been presented for Newport; the joint plan would connect the cycling infrastructure between the two cities.

Road expansion forces Independence Skateway to end two-decade run

The Independence Skateway roller rink closed permanently March 30 after nearly 20 years, according the business’s Facebook page. It’s closing because of the expansion of Ky. 536 from two lanes to four.

The business will not relocate, and the announcement asks people who have patronized the business to post pictures of their memories at the skate rink.

“We would like to thank all of our staff, loy-

al customers, friends and family for your support all these years,” the announcement said. “We appreciate each and everyone of you!”

Erlanger to host

Southern food truck for April 25 luncheon

Erlanger will host a food truck luncheon at the Erlanger City Building from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. April 25. The luncheon will feature food from Taylor Mill-based EJ’s Southern Fixins, which specializes in Southern comfort food.

Learn more at Erlanger’s Facebook event page, bit.ly/49h8MQK.

Sessions to focus on water quality in area rivers

Pam Mullins, former Covington City Commissioner and member of the city’s human rights commission, will host listening sessions this month on water quality in the Ohio River and its tributaries at the Covington branch of the Kenton County Library.

“These sessions will provide an opportunity for people to learn more about the benefits of clean water and understand the significance of removing and mitigating pollution and contaminants,” Mullins told LINK nky in an email.

The sessions are free and open to the public. Specific dates and times are listed below. Contact Pam Mullins at 513-903-1582

Street sweeping for spring begins across Covington

Street sweeping for the spring season began April 1 in Covington and will continue through May 23. Drivers who park on affected streets should plan accordingly.

Troy McCain, supervisor of Public Works’ General Maintenance Division, said in a city announcement that cars left on streets to be cleaned will lead to more trash, dirt and debris along the roads, which can back up storm sewers. Moreover, those cars risk being ticketed.

“Sweeping streets regularly is more than just a matter of making the streets pre-

sentable. It’s also a sanitation issue and a drainage issue,” McCain said. “Keeping curb lines, gutters and streets clean of debris helps our infrastructure last longer and function better. But we can’t do it if parked cars are in the way.”

Covington expands Community Connect program to improve

emergency preparedness

Covington has begun extending its Community Connect program, which aims to collect data for the fire and EMS departments, to residents. The system already is in use for businesses.

Covington Community Connect will serve as a data bank to provide firefighters and other first responders with specific information on residents at particular properties – if residents choose to share it. Such information includes things like the number of pets at the household or whether any occupants use wheelchairs or have a disability first responders ought to know about.

Covington residents can create a free account with the program to share information. The city said the following information would be most helpful:

• Occupants: The number of people living in a house.

• Contact information: How to get hold of you in an emergency.

• Health challenges: Whether anyone has a health challenge or condition – a physical disability, deafness or autism, for example – that could require special attention.

• Language barriers: Whether someone doesn’t speak English.

• Animals: The number of pets.

• Sleeping quarters: The location of bedrooms.

• Hazardous materials: Presence of fuel or explosives, and such features as solar panels.

• Safety equipment: Whether a house or building has smoke detectors or sprinkler system. (Residents can request a smoke detector when they sign up if they can’t afford one.)

• Utilities: Location of gas and water shutoffs.

• Setup: Whether your house has a basement, pool or live-in attic.

Residents interested in setting up a free account can do so at communityconnect. io/info/ky-covington.

Ky. Senate passes bill to abolish mandates for COVID-19 vaccines

The Kentucky Senate voted 25-11 March 26 to abolish COVID-19 vaccination requirements in Kentucky after years of debate about vaccine safety and efficacy, and constitutionality of the mandates. Senate Bill 295 moved to the House for consideration.

As written, the bill would specifically prohibit COVID-19 vaccine mandates for schools, employment (including unpaid training and internships), occupational licensing and access to all types of health care.

Sen. Lindsey Tichenor (R-Smithfield) – a staunch opponent of COVID-19 vaccine requirements – is the bill’s lead sponsor. Calling the issue a “matter of life and death,” Tichenor claimed before the vote that thousands of deaths and adverse effects have been linked to COVID-19 vaccine injections. He cited reports in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System – a federal database of unconfirmed reports that include thousands of claims of COVID-19 related vaccine deaths.

“The number of adverse events and deaths attributed to this vaccine are through the roof. We don’t have a count,” Tichenor said.

The vaccine was first approved for emergency use in the U.S. in December 2020. The FDA gave full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for those aged 16 and older in August 2021. Other vaccine authorizations followed.

The federal Centers for Disease Control has confirmed just nine deaths caused by COVID-19 vaccines as of January 2023. According to an Associated Press report that month, “Those cases were causally associated with rare blood clots caused by the Johnson & Johnson shot.”

Tichenor, however, said Tuesday common COVID-19 vaccines available today warn of significant possible adverse reactions. “This leaves many to question if the risk is worth taking,” he said

All Northern Kentucky senators except Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Ryland Heights) voted for the bill. Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer (R-Alexandria) spoke during the debate against vaccine mandates and in favor of SB 295.

NKwhy: What’s with these seasonal allergies

and what can you do about it?

By Maggy McDonel

The grass is greener, the flowers are blooming and the Reds are playing, which means … allergies are in the air.

Allergies can be frustrating and sometimes debilitating for those who are suffering. And maybe also for those who have to listen to people complain about their suffering.

So we wondered: How do allergies work, and what can we do to avoid them?

Who are the biggest culprits?

If you really want something to blame… blame the wind.

“The plants that contribute the most to seasonal allergies are ones that are wind-pollinated,” said Max Winkeljohn, graduate researcher at the Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

Because these plants are not manually pollinated from flower to flower by an insect, bird, or other organism, they produce “a large amount of pollen that is released and gets picked up by the wind.” The goal is for the wind to blow pollen into another plant, fertilizing it, but unfortunately humans get caught in the crossfire.

“The vast majority of the pollen produced just gets blown around and inhaled by people and animals, which leads to a variety of allergic reactions,” said Winkeljohn.

In the region, the usual suspects for seasonal allergies are oaks, maples, birches, walnuts and hickory trees. However, depending on what lives near you or what you have planted in your garden, “there could be a number of other plants that are causing your allergies, such as conifers (like pines and spruce trees), beeches, ash trees and alders,” said Winkeljohn.

So, we know where this dreaded pollen

Encounter

comes from, and now we wonder: Why now?

The time of year a plant produces pollen depends on the type of plant. However, Winkeljohn said that “nearly all of the wind-pollinated trees produce and release their pollen in early to mid-spring.”

These plants release a lot of their pollen before their leaves have come out for the season.

“Many trees will continue to produce some pollen after they’ve pushed their leaves, but those leaves will often act as a very effective barrier, preventing the pollen from being blown around,” said Winkeljohn. This means that, by late spring, allergy sufferers will get a break from the pollen for the start of summer.

If you live near a farm, however, Winkeljohn said, “you may find yourself sneezing as certain crops, particularly many cereal crops like corn and wheat, release their pollen.”

While there is a bit of a mid-summer reprieve, Winkeljohn said, allergies come back in the fall, while not as strong, due to pollen production from plants like “goldenrod, the infamous ragweed and various grasses.”

Applications are now open for this new, immersive leadership program that helps new and emerging professionals form deeper connections to our region.

Learn more at NKYChamber.com/EncounterNKY

Who suffers from allergies?

If you’ve lived in Greater Cincinnati for any amount of time, you may have heard, “the allergies here are worse than they are anywhere in the world.” Well, according to Dr. Hans Otto, a practitioner at Family Allergy and Asthma clinics in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, that isn’t true.

Wherever you are on earth, Otto said, about 15% to 30% of the population suffers from allergies. Otto, who has traveled the world with the Air Force, said that he has heard the “worst place on our earth for allergies” line everywhere from Korea to Anchorage, Alaska, to Germany.

The actual worst place on earth, Otto said, is Texas, where the population of allergy sufferers is closer to 20% to 40% because they have a tree that blooms in the winter.

The reason we tend to think it’s more: selection bias, according to Otto.

“So everybody that’s miserable, it will be obvious that they’re miserable, they will say that they’re miserable, and they’ll find other people that commiserate with them being miserable. Whereas the other 70% of people that don’t suffer from allergies will just nod their head and say sorry,” said Otto. So, while only 15% to 30% of people deal

with allergies, they are a loud bunch, which inflates people’s perception of the true numbers.

There are also risk factors that make people more likely to suffer from allergies, like asthma “60% to 80% of people with asthma will have allergic triggers,” said Otto.

What can we do about allergies?

So you’re one of the unlucky 15% to 30%; what can you do?

“Masks work,” said Otto. He said that even before COVID-19, doctors knew how effective masks were. However, Otto said that masks are cultural, which can lead to some trepidation for those who it would help.

“In American culture, if you wear a mask, you are probably a bank robber is our cultural bias. So Americans don’t like masks, but they are effective,” said Otto.

Staying inside with the doors and windows closed and the air conditioning running either in your home or in your car is also very effective, according to Otto. He also suggests cleaning your air filters consistently.

Avoiding allergens is nearly impossible this time of year unless you just don’t leave your house, so many will turn to medications to improve their symptoms.

Over-the-counter oral antihistamines work fine for those with mild symptoms, said Otto, but those with more moderate to severe symptoms should turn to nasal sprays.

Otto also suggests over-the-counter eye drops. “You’ll know the best anti-allergy eye drops because those are the ones that will be sold out in a month.”

There are also prescription medications as well as allergy shots, which Otto said allergy can improve symptoms 70% to 100%.

The wind is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to allergies, experts say. Photo provided | Brittany Colette via Unsplash

April

Book release: “From Peach Orchard to Park”, 6-8 p.m., Fort Thomas Coffee, 1 Highland Ave. Fort Thomas. Deanna Beineke, director of the Fort Thomas Museum, director, launches new book with a reception and book signing. “From Peach Orchard to Park” covers Fort Thomas history from the military base’s founding to present-day Tower Park. First 50 in line receive a Fort Thomas swag bag. Event is free; book is $50. Information: 859572-1225.

Comedy @ Commonwealth: Carter Dockerty and Friends, 7-9 p.m., Commonwealth Sanctuary, 522 Fifth Ave., Dayton. Comedy showcase hosted by headliner Carter Dockerty. Admission $10. Information: commonwealthsanctuary.com.

Comedy @ Commonwealth: Mark Chalifoux, 7-9 p.m., Commonwealth Sanctuary, 522 Fifth Ave., Dayton. Mark Chalifoux’s Midwestern upbringing contributes to the laid-back, relatable style that belies a sharp-wit and unflinching honesty. Admission $15. Information: commonwealthsanctuary. com.

Cocktails & Conversations, 4:30-6 p.m., Second Story, 100 W Sixth St., Covington. Join this Northern Kentucky Young Professionals networking event, sponsored by NKY Chamber of Commerce. Information: nkychamber.com, 859578-8800.

“The Play that Goes Wrong”, 7:30 p.m., The Carnegie, 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington. Presented by NKU School of the Arts, this Olivier Award-winning comedy – part Monty Python, part Sherlock Holmes – takes audiences to opening night of the alleged Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production, “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” Runs through April 20. Information: thecarnegie. com, 859-491-2030.

For more events, scan the QR code or visit: https://linknky.com/events/

Historic Covington home has modern upgrades

Address: 809 Willard St., Covington

Price: $460,000

Bedrooms: Three

Bathrooms: Two (plus one half-bath)

Square feet: 2,303

School district: Covington Independent

County: Kenton

Special features: Built in 1890, this Covington home features plenty of historic details with modern upgrades. The home offers hardwood floors and a kitchen island with quartz countertops. The primary suite has a copper soaking tub and a large walk-in closet with laundry. The property has a perfect courtyard for entertaining guests and a parking pad for two cars. It is conveniently located near Goebel Park and the bars, restaurants and boutiques of

historic

has been updated with modern amenities, including modern kitchen cabinets and appliances. Photo provided | Stephanie Steffen with Sibcy Cline

Streetscapes finds world of flavor in Newport plazas

By Maria Hehman

This week, Streetscapes heads to Newport to check out eateries around Newport Pavilion and Newport Shopping Center. We’ll sample a variety of cuisines including Indian, Japanese and even some healthful fare.

Jot India

Jot India has been a Newport staple for many years. It’s a haven for hungry guests after shopping or a reliable spot to grab carryout. Jot garnered so much success recently that it’s opened a second location in Florence. This week we explored the original location and the amazing food that won patrons over.

Jot’s food is authentic Indian, with samosas and naan complementing curries and other specialties. Those specialities are all served with rice and come in a variety of bases – vegetarian, chicken, lamb and seafood. Favorite flavors like saag – spinach –and masala – a tomato, onion and butter sauce – are just two of the options. The best thing about Indian food is the variety in flavors and offerings.

Jot’s portions are very generous, and ordering multiple dishes with a group is a fun way to sample the cuisine, and still have leftovers to take home.

Nasu Japanese Steakhouse

There’s no atmosphere quite like a hibachi grill. Few things are as thrilling as watching a chef light an onion tower on fire – for the first time or, heck, the 1,000th time. It’s a small show that brings out the inner child in every guest.

Nasu Japanese Steakhouse is one of the newest additions to the Newport area. Half hibachi, half traditional sushi restaurant, Nasu proves that sometimes it’s OK to play with your food. There’s also a place for more traditional dining.

On the hibachi side, guests watch as chefs prepare their meals while creating a fun and festive atmosphere. From lighting food on fire to squirting sake across the table into guests mouths, their chefs entertain the entire table. Hibachi typically consists of a protein, rice and veggies all sauteed on a grill. Nasu’s hibachi also comes with a salad tossed in ginger dressing and a light miso soup that guests can enjoy while watching their main courses be cooked.

This is one of the best places for a celebration and keeps guests of any age engaged and entertained.

Want a more intimate and relaxed environment? Order your mouthwatering hibachi on the restaurant side or opt for one of Nasu’s many sushi options. The restaurant side is quiet and better for conversation.

Clean Eatz

The beginning of the year often inspires new health habits. Whether it’s working out, changing diet or focusing on mental health, many of us have a hard time sticking to these commitments long-term. Time (or lack of it), often seems to be the No. 1 reason to opt for easier and less healthful food options.

Clean Eatz has eliminated that excuse.

Clean Eatz doubles as a cafe and meal plan prep. It’s an easy on-the-go option that doesn’t compromise for those counting calories. Their cafe menu includes createyour-own bowls, flatbreads, wraps and even burgers. (The burgers come in bison, black bean, turkey or salmon but still give guests burger satisfaction.)

The Clean Eatz menu covers options for those wanting high protein like the Big Boy Wrap (with chicken, brown rice, lettuce, corn and black bean, mozzarella cheese and Clean Eatz’s sweet chili sauce in a whole wheat wrap). Vegetarians can opt for a wrap with a superfood blend, pineapple salsa, green chickpeas and zucchini in a tomato basil wrap.

Meal plan options change weekly, and guests can choose the number of meals to suit their needs best. Whether it’s their convenient cafe or their meal plan preprepped microwavable meals, Clean Eatz gives guests plenty of healthful options to stick to their resolutions.

What to Know If You Go

Jot India

Location: 1709 Monmouth St., Newport

Hours: Monday closed; Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4:30-9 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4:30-9 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and 4:308:45 p.m.

Website: jotindiatogo.com

Phone: 859-415-2000

Nasu Japanese Steakhouse

Location: 165 Pavilion Parkway, Newport

Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Sunday, noon-9:30 p.m.

Website: nasunewport.com

Phone: 859-360- 3500

Clean Eatz

Location: 1759 Monmouth St., Newport

Hours: Sunday through Saturday, 11 a.m.7 p.m.

Website: cleaneatz.com

Phone: 859-291-3289

Sunday Morning roll and Asahi beer from Nasu Japanese Steakhouse. Photo by Maria Hehman | LINK nky contributor

Nasu Japanese Steakhouse has both hibachi and standard restaurant spaces. Photo by Maria Hehman | LINK nky contributor

9th Region sees surge in head basketball coaching openings

Over the course of the past week to 10 days, several head basketball coaching jobs have opened up in the 9th Region.

On the boys side, Conner’s Matthew Otte resigned after eight seasons with the team, and Tony Perkins resigned March 26 from Holmes.

Otte won 131 games, three district titles, made a region championship and was KABC 9th Region Coach of the Year twice. He guided a memorable four-year run that produced 79 victories from 2019-23 with three 33rd district championships and four trips to the 9th Region tournament, including a run to the region championship game in 2021.

Perkins guided Holmes the past two seasons. The Bulldogs are still looking for their first trip to the 9th Region tournament since 2015.

On the girls side, four openings came up, and one is already filled. St. Henry was the first to open up after Todd Smart resigned; Dan Trame accepted the role a little over a week later. The others: Beechwood’s Isaac Speicher and Ludlow’s Blake Clary resigned, while Newport Central Catholic’s Dan Albrinck was not retained.

Smart led the Crusaders for five seasons and won 69 games, guiding St. Henry to back-to-back 9th Region tournament appearances. They’ve finished 34th District runner-up to Dixie Heights the past two seasons and posted a 15-15 record in the

2023-24 season. In Smart’s first season as head coach, they reached the 9th Region All “A” Classic championship game before losing to Newport Central Catholic.

Speicher was at the helm at Beechwood for three seasons, leading them to 14 wins in the 2022-23 season, the most for the program since the 2013-14 season, when they also won 14 games.

Albrinck spent one season at NewCath, guiding the Thoroughbreds to a 19-12 record and a trip to the 9th Region All “A” Classic championship game.

Clary was with the Ludlow girls the past two seasons, going 33-30 in his tenure.

NKU’s Marques Warrick declares for NBA draft, maintains college eligibility

Northern Kentucky University senior guard Marques Warrick announced on March 24 that he is declaring for the NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility. He also plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal.

Warrick, the all-time leading scorer in NKU men’s basketball program history, averaged 19.9 points per game this season for the Norse. He scored a season-high 39 points at Wright State March 2. He was named a Horizon League first-team selection and also earned the league’s sportsmanship award.

After breaking NKU’s school scoring record, Warrick made a donation of more than $2,000 to the NKU general scholarship fund to go with a donation to the Queen City Book Bank in support of their

mission to increase literacy in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area, according to the Horizon League.

Warrick, who is from Lexington, broke the program’s scoring record Feb. 10 in a win over visiting Detroit Mercy. Warrick scored 22 points in that game. That brought his record-setting career total to 2,069 points.

He also earned the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 12 second-team honors this season.

The NBA draft is June 26-27.

Boone County serves up Court, now tennis coach, to take helm in football

Boone County’s search for a new head football coach did not have to leave the building.

The Rebels named Dan Court their new head coach on March 14 and held an introductory press conference March 19. Court is in his second year teaching physical education at the high school.

Court is a 2008 Highlands graduate and helped the Bluebirds to the first of a state-record six consecutive state championships his senior year as a wide receiver playing under Dale Mueller. Court then got into coaching, bringing 14 years of coaching experience at four different schools.

Court started his coaching career as an assistant on Mueller’s staff in 2010. He later assisted Stephen Lickert at Newport Central Catholic, helping the Thoroughbreds to state semifinal appearances in 2020 and ’22. He most recently served as the defensive coordinator at Scott in the 2021 and ’23 seasons.

Court is currently the head boys tennis coach at Boone County. Court said he will finish the season with that team, but he’s unsure what will happen after the season because of his new commitment.

The Rebels have lost 25 straight district battles, something Court said he’s fully aware of. The Rebels have not made the

playoffs since their last season in Class 6A in 2018. They are 19-107 since their last winning season in 2011, when they drove to the Class 6A semifinals.

The good news is Court takes over a program in better shape than when previous head coach Bryson Warner took over in 2019. The Rebels finished 13-36 in Warner’s five seasons as head coach after winning just six games the previous seven years, including two winless campaigns.

CovCath’s Krumpelbeck notches win No. 1,100 with defeat of Highlands

Covington Catholic coach Bill Krumpelbeck earned career win No. 1,100 on March 21 with a 7-3 baseball victory at Highlands. The Colonels won their first four games of the season by a combined score of 30-5.

Krumpelbeck, in his 47th year as CovCath head coach, won his 1,000th game in the 2018 9th Region tournament semifinals, becoming just the fourth Kentucky prep baseball coach to reach the milestone.

Krumpelbeck, a Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame member, ranks third all-time in state history and eighth nationally among active baseball coaches in career wins. He needs 45 wins to pass Bill Miller (1,144) for second all-time in Kentucky history. The career leader is current Harrison County coach Mac Whitaker who entered the season with 1,221 wins.

Northern Kentucky University guard Marques Warrick. Photo provided | Butch Dill of the Associated Press

Ludlow girls basketball coach Blake Clary resigned from the position recently. Photo provided | Blake Clary

Bill Krumpelbeck keeps hitting victory milestones as Covington Catholic baseball coach. Photo provided | Covington Catholic

Young Camels hope to get over the hump in 10th Region softball

By Marc Hardin

It’s a sunny afternoon on team picture day in Alexandria, and the prospects are just as bright for the Campbell County High School softball squad.

“Our goals are winning the district and region championships,” said sophomore Hope Hamilton, a power-hitting pitcher. “We’d love to go to the state tournament.”

Bre Tate stands next to Hamilton, who is regarded as the top local player in Kentucky’s 10th Region. The standouts are talking about the team and their coach, Sandi Kitchen, after practice.

“I think a big key to our success is coach Sandi is a great listener,” said Tate, a junior catcher. “She takes in what we have to say as a team. Individually, she’s a great person to talk to, which is a great thing to have in a coach.”

Hamilton agrees about Kitchen’s symbiotic relationship with her players and tossed out some more team goals and also gave a tip of the hat to her coach.

“We’re young, so I’d say we also need to keep the girls’ confidence up when things don’t go our way,” Hamilton said. “It’s going to take a total team effort all season long, and we have a coach with a lot of experience.”

Kitchen has been the Camels’ coach for 13 years. She also coaches volleyball at Villa Madonna. She understands the rewards of mutually beneficial and collaborative relationships. Under her guidance, the Campbell County softball team has established unquestioned dominance over the 37th District with 30 wins in a row against district opponents and six consecutive district tournament championships.

Meanwhile, as she piles up the wins, Kitchen keeps adding to her wisdom. She ranked among Kentucky’s all-time fastpitch leaders with a school-record 178 wins entering the season. The Campbell County graduate has guided the Camels to the 10th Region tournament every season she’s been head coach, but they’ve yet to advance to the state tournament. They reached the region final once in 2017.

“It’s always a tough task getting past the 10th Region,” Kitchen said. “We’ve got four or five really good teams with Harrison County, Montgomery County and Bracken County with us. We have one senior with Jaydin Glahn. She’s one of our captains, and she’s been out with an injury. But I have a bunch of talented young girls who work really hard.”

Tate, a co-captain, would love to be part of program history.

“I see very little drama this year,” Tate said. “I’ve been playing since the seventh grade. Teamwork and team bonding is the best I’ve seen.”

Hamilton, voted ninth-best 10th Region

player in a preseason poll conducted by the coaches and the area’s lone representative in the Top 10, is a big key for the Camels.

“She’s really good and nowhere near her potential,” Kitchen said. “She’s also a very good volleyball player. But, if she wanted to, she could play Division I college softball. That’s how much talent she has.”

Hamilton made six pitching starts last season. She won four games while posting a 3.77 ERA and striking out 13. In the Camels’ first two weeks of action this season covering four games, Hamilton was already halfway to last season’s win total with a 2-0 record while lowering her ERA to 2.33 and surpassing last season’s strikeout total with 15.

“I love her demeanor,” Kitchen said, “and I love watching her play.”

Hamilton hit .459 with a team-leading seven home runs and 37 RBI as a freshman. In the first two weeks this season, she was on her way to surpassing those totals. Through the first four games, she led the team in batting average (.583), home runs (3) and RBI (10) as the Camels raced to a 3-1 start.

Overall team batting remains stellar under the direction of hitting instructor Bob Kitchen, the head coach’s husband. He guided Campbell County to a .405 batting average last season.

The Camels hit .358 during the first two weeks of 2024 with an upward trajectory following a 16-2 win against Mason County. Five Camels had at least two hits, including Josie Feebeck with a 4-for-4 day and Tate at 3-for-3, raising her average to .500. Samantha Perry was hitting a team-high .571. Addysen Griffin checked in at .417 and Feebeck at .385.

“Bob is really good at breaking down hitting into the smallest details,” coach Kitchen said. “He’s good at seeing things and correcting them. Coaching hitting is an ongoing process, but he studies a lot. He talks with college coaches to stay on top of everything.”

That should help the Camels as they seek to finish on top of the 10th Region.

“Winning the region would be the ultimate for these girls,” Kitchen said. “We want to do everything we can to help.”

Softball coach Sandi Kitchen is in her 13th year at Campbell County. Photo provided | Sandi Kitchen Campbell County’s Moriah Price steps into a swing. G. Michael Graham | LINK nky

Two-sport star Hope Hamilton (24), shown here playing volleyball, is the Camels’ top softball player. Photo provided | Hope Hamilton

Campbell County’s Faith Whitford attempts to score in a contest against Bishop Brossart last season. Photo provided | Sally Schaefer

Child care, vaccines and more: Kid-focused bills

By Rebecca Hanchett

Abill to give working foster parents better access to child care subsidies is on its way to the governor’s desk after pushing through the Kentucky House on a bipartisan vote on March 25.

The Democrat-led legislation in Senate Bill 240 – one of a handful of child-related bills to advance in the session – would make sure eligible foster parents who work outside the home continue to have access to child care assistance while expanding access to foster parents who work remotely from home. The bill advanced 91-0 in the House after passing the Senate 37-0 earlier in March.

Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong (D-Louisville) is the bill’s lead sponsor. The freshman senator said in a press statement Monday that SB 240 “will decrease barriers to families who wish to participate in foster care.” She filed the bill after learning of the experience of Megan Hamilton – a woman who was deemed ineligible for Kentucky’s foster care child care assistance program because she worked remotely for a company out of state.

“We desperately need more foster families in Kentucky, and this legislation can help us achieve that goal. Kentuckians who want to provide a loving home to a child in foster care should be able to do so; I’m proud that this bill will help them,” Chambers Armstrong said in her statement.

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Child care is a hot issue during the 2024 General Assembly. Still pending in the final days of the current session is the $300 million “Horizons Act” – a multifaceted Senate proposal meant to boost Kentucky’s child care industry amid a decline in federal child-care-related pandemic funding.

State lawmakers are working this week to negotiate a state budget for the next two years, with significant new funding for child care programs pending.

Autism education task force

Also on March 25, the House turned its attention to improving public education for school children with autism spectrum disorder when it adopted House Concurrent Resolution 51.

Rep. Mike Clines (R-Alexandria) is the sponsor of the legislation.

Should it become law, HCR 51 would create a bipartisan autism in education task force to study and recommend ways to improve public school-based services for students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. The legislative task force would spend most of this year researching and comparing school supports and services for impacted students. It would be required to submit a final report and possible recommendations next year for potential consideration by the 2026 General Assembly.

The House voted 92-0 to adopt the resolution, sending it to the Senate for consideration.

Clines called the task force “a great opportunity for the commonwealth to analyze data and hear from experts in the field” in a press statement to LINK nky.

“One in 36 8-year-old children have been identified with autism spectrum disorder,” Clines said. “ASD provides educators with unique challenges, which requires our schools to provide additional services and support to ASD students.” He said the task force would allow lawmakers to “produce informed and evidence-based practices to support our students with ASD across the state.”

advance

Childhood vaccines

Legislation to allow children as young as age 5 to be vaccinated by licensed pharmacists in Kentucky is on its way to the governor’s desk after being signed off on by the Senate and House on March 25.

The current minimum age for pharmacist-administered vaccinations in Kentucky is age nine. An attempt to lower the minimum age to three in the legislation (House Bill 274) was changed to age five when the bill passed a House committee in February.

Pharmacists would be required to have parental or guardian consent and follow prescribed protocols to administer vaccines under HB 274, as they are now.

Rep. Danny Bentley (R-Russell), a licensed pharmacist, is the lead sponsor of the legislation. He told the House last month that the bill would make common vaccines like DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), meningitis and the flu more accessible.

“We’ve got counties without a pediatrician, while pharmacists are more readily available. By making these childhood vaccines more accessible to Kentuckians we are taking the necessary steps to prevent a public health crisis,” Bentley said. “We know it is safe, we know it is effective.”

HB 274 passed the Senate 26-11 March 22 with “no” votes from NKY Sens. Shelley Funke Frommeyer (R-Alexandria), John Schickel (R-Union), Damon Thayer (R-Georgetown) and Gex Williams (R-Verona). No NKY lawmakers voted against HB 274 when it passed by the House on a 94-0 vote in February.

The Kentucky General Assembly is in the final few days of its annual legislative session. Lawmakers were expected to recess for a scheduled 10-day veto period. They are then scheduled to reconvene for the last two days of the session on April 12 and 15.

Rebecca Hanchett is the Frankfort correspondent for LINK nky. You may contact her at RHanchett@linknky.com

Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-Louisville, listens as Senate Bill 110, an act relating to child support, was presented on the Senate floor. Photo provided | Legislative Research Commission

$21M proposed for shared NKY medical examiner, crime lab facility

By Rebecca Hanchett

The Kentucky Senate is proposing $21 million to bring a new state medical examiner’s office and current Kentucky State Police crime lab under one roof in Northern Kentucky.

The Senate budget plan, approved in late March, proposes $17.3 million in bond funds and $3.7 million in designated funds for the 10,000-square-foot facility. The shared building would be the former Highland Heights city building, located on Johns Hill Road near I-275. Northern Kentucky University owns the property and would lease it to the state.

The site could open in 18 to 24 months if lawmakers approve funding this year, state Justice and Public Safety cabinet officials told the Senate Appropriations and Revenue committee last month. No proposed funding is final until state lawmakers approve a state budget bill this session.

NKY has not had a state medical examiner’s office since 2017, requiring nearly 500 autopsies that could otherwise be performed locally to be moved to Frankfort or Louisville. The region’s KSP crime lab in Cold Spring has limited space, according to lab director Jeanna Oxenham.

Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer (R-Alexandria), chair of the Senate budget review subcommittee on justice and judiciary, supports funding for the project. On March 26, Funke Frommeyer told LINK nky that the new medical examiner’s office could serve 18 counties and possibly more.

The planned location near the I-275 interchange will be “a much better location” than the agency’s former site in Fort Thom-

as, she told LINK. “And the crime lab is just a little farther south on (U.S.) 27. So by colocating them immediately off the major interchange, that’s going to be good for Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties,” the senator said.

Gov. Andy Beshear had recommended funding the project in his biennial budget proposal this year. However, that funding was not included in the House budget (House Bill 6), passed in February.

The Senate and House are now in budget negotiations, with a final budget vote expected in the coming days.

Funke Frommeyer – who has worked on the project since before her election to the Senate in 2022 – told LINK she is hopeful the final budget will include funding for the

project. She said local officials have made it “very clear” to her that there is a need for the new space.

“I’m just grateful to (Senate budget chair) Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Ryland Heights) for really recognizing and allowing our efforts to coordinate with the crime lab and the medical examiner’s office,” she said. “This isn’t any budget ask, this is a significant need for the region. I’m praying that we’ll see that through as the budget finalizes.”

Design work on the project is mostly complete, said Funke Frommeyer. She said that could expedite project completion should requested funding be included in the final state budget.

“That may save us a few months. And, the building is already in the possession of

NKU. It’s just vacant, so no need to move out a current occupant,” she told LINK. “They could effectively be up and running sooner than 24 months.”

The new state medical examiner’s office and relocated KSP crime lab would have separate operations in the shared building, but Funke Frommeyer said there could also be ”synergies” between the two. The site’s location, near the UK College of Medicine’s Northern Kentucky campus at NKU, could mean medical training opportunities as well, she said.

Having both agencies under one roof on campus puts them “close to students who maybe need those additional educational opportunities,” Funke Frommeyer told LINK. “So we’re really achieving some great synergy. It could be a win-win.”

The state closed its NKY medical examiner’s office seven years ago primarily due to staffing issues. The Kentucky General Assembly alleviated those in 2022 when it funded salary increases for state medical examiner pathologists and autopsy techs in the current budget. Also funded was $1.8 million in one-time funds for equipment to reestablish the NKY medical examiner’s office. That $1.8 million will carry over to the new budget under the Senate budget plan.

The 2024 Kentucky General Assembly is required to pass a state budget before the current session ends on or before April 15.

Rebecca Hanchett is LINK’s Frankfort correspondent. You can reach her at RHanchett@ linknky.com.

Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer (R-Alexandria) hopes to secure funding this year to reestablish a state medical examiner’s office in Northern Kentucky.

Hot water is a key component to your home’s operation, and ultimately your comfort. But with various ways to achieve hot water, what is the best solution for you and your family? The two main types of water heaters are Tank Style and Tankless. Each water heater type has its own set of advantages and drawbacks, but the best choice between the two depends on individual need. We have laid out a few key differences between tank style and tankless water heaters to help you make the best decision for your household.

Tank water heaters, known for storing many gallons of water, have been the go-to choice for many decades. They consist of a cylindrical tank that stores and heats a predetermined amount of water, on a cycle. The heated water is then pushed to different rooms of your home whenever someone turns on a faucet, or uses an appliance requiring hot water.

Here are some pros and cons of traditional tank style water heaters:

Pros:

1. Simplicity: Tank water heaters are relatively straightforward and easy to install.

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2. Lower initial cost: Generally, tank water heaters have a lower upfront cost compared to their tankless counterpart.

3. Familiarity: Most people are accustomed to traditional tank water heaters, making them more commonplace.

Cons:

1. Limited efficiency: Because tank water heaters continuously heat, cool, and reheat water, even when not in use, they often times lead to energy waste and ultimately higher utility bills.

2. Limited lifespan: The average lifespan of a tank water heater is around 10-12 years, and corrosion is a common issue.

3. Possibility of leaks: Since tank water heaters hold on average 30-80 gallons of water, there is always a chance that you could experience water damage from a leak or burst.

Tankless water heaters, also known as ondemand water heaters, have gained popularity in recent years due to their energy efficiency and space-saving design. These units heat water only when needed, providing an endless supply of hot water without the need for a storage tank.

Let’s explore the pros and cons of tankless water heaters:

Pros:

1. Energy efficient: Tankless water heaters only heat water when needed,

reducing energy consumption and lowering utility bills.

2. Space-Saving design: Tankless units are compact and can be installed on walls, saving floor space and presenting a more discrete look.

3. Long lifespan: Tankless water heaters generally have a longer lifespan than tank models, often exceeding 20 years.

4. Endless Hot Water: With a tankless’ on demand heating ability, it will heat and run until you turn off the water, resulting in truly endless hot water.

Cons:

1. Higher upfront cost: the initial cost of purchasing and installing a tankless

water heater is usually higher than that of a traditional tank model.

In the tank versus tankless water heater debate, there is no one-size-fits-all answer.

But, as energy efficiency conversations continue in Congress, there is a possibility of the most common sized electric water heater undergoing major technological changes to achieve updated efficiency goals. These standards could mean big changes to come over the next several years, and might inform your decision on how to carry on with your water heater options; along with water usage patterns, available space, budget and longterm goals.

For more information on water heaters, same day water heater installs, or to find out what option may best suit you, give the professionals at SKPHA a call!