The nonpartisan election work that we do on the ground might not seem to have a whole lot in common with the national presidential race - at least not in the context of this election cycle... and furthermore our eyes should be on the field, not the scoreboard... but if you want to take a peek, I think these three sites are absolutely fascinating in showing how the national election is unfolding - at least in terms of the numbers.

Polling website links:

www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/10/electoral.map

www.fivethirtyeight.com

www.realclearpolitics.com/polls

In case you haven't noticed, we've begun taking registrations for our 2008 Annual Membership Meeting on October 10th--12th.  We encourage all members to attend this meeting.  It is a great opportunity to meet with members from around the state and to discuss the future of the organization.  If you wish to attend, please sign up online here.

2007 Annual Membership Meeting

   This week, 14 KFTC Electoral Organizers start work across the state. For the next 11 weeks,  they'll help members to identify, register, educate, and mobilize 15,000 voters between now and Election Day to build grassroots voting power that will have an impact this year that we can build upon next year and every year after.

   We have a fantastic team with a strong mix of skills, experiences, and backgrounds including lots of active KFTC members, people with experience in ally organizations, advanced degrees, three former felons, and people with tremendous excitement, dedication, and life experiences

Jefferson County

- Whit Forrester – A KFTC member and returning Electoral Organizer from last year. 

- Carl Matthews – A former felon KFTC met a year ago who just got his right to vote back a couple of weeks ago.  Came to the Voter Empowerment training in Louisville.

- Amar Shah – A student activist at UofL who has worked with KFTC throughout the year.  Came to the Voter Empowerment training in Louisville.

- Doante Davis – Active with Women in Transition.  Came to the Voter Empowerment training in Louisville. 

Central Kentucky Chapter

- Danny Cotton – Former Central KY KFTC Intern and active member with a focus on connections on UK’s campus. 

- Jerry Moody – An active KFTC member from Central Kentucky and long-time involved community activist.

- George Moorman – Long-time North Lexington activist in African American communities.  Former felon spokesman.

Madison County Chapter

- Jeff From – Berea Restorative Justice Practitioner with a Masters in Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding. 

Northern Kentucky

- Tayna Fogle – Active KFTC member and relentless former felon spokesperson.

Bowling Green

– George Eklund – Student and active KFTC member.  Came to the Voter Empowerment training in Louisville recently. 

Rowan County Chapter

– Paul Lovelace – College instructor, KFTC member and Former Kentucky Heartwood Organizer.

Harlan County Chapter

- Ashley Long – Berea College Appalachian Studies graduate from a ccoal mining family in Appalachia.  Former Lead-Supervisor for Youth Conservation Corps. 

Floyd County Chapter

- Lisa Perry – Oral Historian, teacher, and Doctoral Candidate in Heritage Studies.

Letcher County Chapter

- Willa Johnson – KFTC member and former Appalachian Media Institute Intern and Vista worker.  Worked with KFTC to create 'True Cost of Coal.'

The Electoral Organizers are spread over the state in a mix of urban and rural areas where KFTC is strong or actively growing chapters.  They're all across the state with a tremendous potential to have an impact on voter education and turnout in traditionally under-represented communities. 

   Yesterday, the public radio service of Western Kentucky (WKPB 89.5, WKYU 88.9, WDCL 89.7, and WKUE 90.9) started airing a story about Restoration of Voting Rights for former felons including an interview of KFTC member and former felon spokesperson Tayna Fogle.  To listen to the piece online, click Here. 

"When Judge Overstreet gave me ten years, I completed that sentence, I didn't come out to re-enter into society to have a lifelong sentence."  Tayna Fogle

   Also quoted in the piece is Governor Beshear, Raul Cunningham of the Jefferson County NAACP, Teena Hablig with the League of Women Voters, Secretary of State Trey Grayson and many others. 

To listen to the piece online, click Here.  

The $200 million facility will be built on a 40-acre site on Ford Mountain, that is currently being mined and where the county’s landfill is located. Pike County  Judge Executive Wayne T. Rutherford  spoke about the project following the regular meeting of Fiscal Court. He was joined by Zig Resiak, an associate with Agresti. representatives from Oppenhiemer and the Royal Canadian Bank.

Resiak explained the process which will turn garbage into fuel.  The first step is to separate the recyclables from the solid waste, which is done using a patented water sorting method. There will be no “pickers”, people who have to sort through the waste, it was explained, and so reducing odors from the plant.  Once sorted, the biomass will be sent to an underground  concrete enclosed vessel where it will be mixed with a very weak acid solution to be converted into sugars. The sugars will then be fermented and distilled into alcohol. The fermentation step produces carbon dioxide, which, instead of being released into the atmosphere, is funneled through a closed system and used to generate the weak acid that is required in the biomass conversion process. The type of plant proposed by Agresti generates about 800,000 gallons of clean water each month, and reuses its water. The facility, officials said, is “environmentally friendly.”

When fully operational, the Central Appalachian Ethanol Plant could process as much as 1,500 tons per day, and could accept garbage for processing from all counties in Eastern Kentucky, western Virginia and southern West Virginia. Pike County currently receives 400 tons of MSW each day. The Pike County hollow landfill is nearing capacity, and the government will not authorize the creation of any more landfills.

 According to Rutherford, the plant will cost $200 million to build, provide a projected $87.3 million in construction wages to the local economy and once constructed, create 120 jobs and $30 million in wages at full production. “Pike County could realize up to $750,000 in revenue per year, with a contract we’re negotiating,” Rutherford said. The income would come in the form of fuel-offset credits, carbon credits and recyclable materials.

To read more see the following articles:

Appalachian News Express http://www.news-expressky.com/articles/2008/08/20/top_story/01trash.txt

The Williamson (WVa.) Dailey News http://www.williamsondailynews.com/articles/2008/08/20/news/doc48ac5029060ed017296111.txt

and WYMT, including public comments, http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/27150479.html

“For too long, Kentucky has neglected the important role of entrepreneurs of all kinds in building a stronger and more resilient economy,” said MACED President Justin Maxson. “This report provides important insights and policy recommendations on how to build a true entrepreneur support system in our state.” 

MACED commissioned the report, written by the Rural Policy Research Institute’s (RUPRI) Center for Rural Entrepreneurship,  as part of its High Road Initiative, a joint effort with Kentuckians For The Commonwealth to advocate for a new, broader approach to economic development in Kentucky.  The Lexington Herald Leader highlighted the report in its August 26 edition http://www.kentucky.com/101/story/502356.html.

“It’s increasingly evident that Kentucky must turn more of its attention to building our economy from within,” said Maxson. “MACED’s 32 years of entrepreneur support has helped us see the tremendous economic potential that lies in the untapped talents of Kentucky’s people. Much more could be done to help them start their own enterprises and advance the small businesses that already exist.”

The report notes that Kentucky has many of the ingredients of a support system that helps entrepreneurs of all kinds move through the pipeline from identifying an idea to establishing and growing a successful enterprise. What Kentucky doesn’t have is adequate state commitment to and investment in these efforts, and the leadership needed to help various programs and organizations work together as a system.
 
The study’s recommendations include:
 
• An increase in the share of state economic development resources that go into entrepreneurship and small business development;
 
• The creation of a state commission to raise the profile of entrepreneurship, conduct research and convene an annual summit;
 
• A new system of expanded performance-based investments in existing and new entrepreneurship and small business programs across Kentucky;
 
• A new state role in helping coordinate and connect the various public, non-profit and private programs across the state.

To learn more and view the report go to MACED's website: http://www.maced.org/entrepreneurship-release.htm

This blog post was written by Beth Bissmeyer, a Berea College student and co-chair of the Madison County chapter.

We've heard a lot this summer about the rising costs of gas, food, and utilities, and how folks are feeling the pinch of paying extra. But how about folks living in poverty? Just how much are they being impacted? That's a question I can't begin to answer, but there are now more than half a million Kentuckians living in poverty who could.

An article posted today on the Lexington Herald-Leader website reports that the number of Kentuckians living in poverty last year has increased.

U.S. Census Bureau figures released Tuesday show that 714,080 people were living in poverty in Kentucky in 2007, up from 693,479 in 2006.

The Census Bureau also reports that Kentucky's median household income fell. It was $43,050, below the national median household income of $50,740.

And there are now more children younger than 18 living in poverty. That figure rose from 223,290 in 2006 to 234,959 in 2007.

If we want to work to change Kentucky for the better, we must continue to work on issues of economic justice so that the next time we see a Census report, we see the number of people living in poverty drop.

To learn more about KFTC's Economic Justice campaign, visit: http://www.kftc.org/our-work/tax-justice.

Almost 40 folks came out to Berea last night to attend the Madison County KFTC Chapter annual meeting.  Members discussed plans for work throughout the fall as well as elected chapter officers and conducted official business.  Berea Mayor Steve Connelly was their invited guest. 

I would like to say how proud I am that we have a group like KFTC in Berea,” said Berea Steve Connelly who was the invited guest speaker.  “We are glad you are here.

Mayor Connelly brought with him two city council members and discussed issues relating to the future of Berea and answered questions from the audience.  Topics discussed included growth and economic development, education, energy conservation, and the needs of low-income folks.

I was really energized by the meeting,” said chapter member Gail Waldeck.  “I learned more about issues facing Berea from Mayor Connelly.  And I also saw a lot of new faces at the meeting, folks I hadn’t met before.

Members also celebrated previous efforts and renewed their commitment to the issues.  “I was really encouraged by the article about the mountain-top removal tour with Representative Chandler,” said chapter member Joyce Hubbard.  “It shows that we mean business.”

    The Floyd County KFTC Chapter held their 1st Annual Mountain Music Gathering as a Picnic and Friendraiser today, the even was a huge success. About 60 people came out to the Dewey Lake Picnic Shelter to hear some relatively new and some very old traditional mountain music. Larry Webster and the Mule Band kicked things off with a song from the mid 1800's that mentions the Breaks in the Mountain near Elkhorn City in Pike County.

    There were loads of traditional old-time mountain musicians performing in front of the PA system and gathering in circles for jam sessions. The highpoint of the day was definitely when Joseph Ratliff went on stage. Joseph is a former preacher from Floyd County and is the father of Dolvin Ratliff. According to Dolvin this was the first time his father had ever played in front of an audience besides family and friends.

    A few months ago at a Floyd County Chapter meeting Beverly May mentioned that Joseph Ratliff had a unique style of banjo picking, well unique is an understatement. Apparently he uses his thump as well as his other fingers to pick in a style different from most. It was incredible.

    When Mr. Ratliff got up on stage he opened up by saying "There are two types of Bluegrass music, flatland Bluegrass like what Bill Monroe use to play and Mountain Bluegrass which is what I play. I don't have a lot of people who try to play along with me because I play so fast, it's just the way I've played since I was 8 years old. Bill Monroe use to play fast, but I play a whole lot faster than Bill." He then proceeded to play about five banjo tunes and everyone was amazed by how fast he could play. After about the third song Mr. Ratliff said it's getting harder for him to play because he's got arthritis in his hands. He finished his set off with an a cappella version of Amazing Grace.

    There were a host of other great musicians who performed, John Hawood and Ponty's Camper, John Harrod and Tona Barkley and Ada and Jimmy McCown and many others. Members of the Floyd County Chapter of KFTC provided hamburgers and hot-dogs, chips drinks home-made desserts as well as a host of great door-prises for everyone attending. We got some new members, raised some funds, and had members sign-up for our Each One Reach One Campaign. Special thanks to KFTC members Sr. Kathleen, Rick, Beverly, Betty, Kathy, Nathan, Glen, John, Kris, Charlene and Dolvin for helping to make this an excellent event.