Kentucky News Now

MINIMUM WAGE

Louisville council to vote on minimum wage hike

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville could become the first Kentucky city to enact its own minimum wage law.

Monday, the council's labor and economic development committee approved an ordinance that would eventually increase Louisville's minimum wage to $10.10 per hour from $7.25 per hour over the next three years. The 3-2 party line vote means the full council will vote on the ordinance on Thursday.

The ordinance would exempt certain workers, including farm workers and small businesses like baby sitters. Louisville could become the 16th local government to pass a minimum wage law, according to the National Employment Law Project.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer vowed to veto the minimum wage increase. Fischer said he supports a smaller wage increase.

BLUEGRASS MUSEUM-DIRECTOR

Bluegrass Museum director stepping down

OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP)— The chief executive of the International Bluegrass Museum is stepping down though she will continue to run its annual music festival.

The museum says in a release Gabrielle Gray is ending a 12-year tenure as the museum's creative leader. She was most recently the executive director.

Gray founded the ROMP music festival in 2004 and will continue as its executive producer and the museum's primary grant writer.

Assistant director Carly Smith will assume the role interim director. The museum's board, chaired by Yale University President Peter Salovey, will conduct a nationwide search for a new executive director.

The museum says Gray "constructed a strong foundation for future excellence at the museum," including leaving an operating endowment exceeding $1 million.

KCTCS INTERIM CHANCELLOR

Edwards named interim KCTCS chancellor

VERSAILLES, Ky. (AP) — Longtime educator and administrator George Edwards will assume the role of interim chancellor for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System starting next month.

As the system-level chief academic officer, the chancellor provides leadership for academic affairs, workforce development, distance learning initiatives and professional development.

KCTCS President-elect Jay Box announced Edwards' selection as interim chancellor on Monday.

Edwards retired recently from Big Sandy Community and Technical College, where he served as president for 14 years. Edwards has 35 years of teaching and administrative experience at four community colleges in Kentucky and Virginia.

Edwards begins his interim stint as chancellor on Jan. 26.

KCTCS officials hope to name a new chancellor by April 1.

Box served as chancellor for five years and begins his new role as president on Jan. 16.

LIBRARY FUNDING

Property taxes, library funding before Court of Appeals

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — Three state judges say they plan to rule in the next two months on a case that could lower property taxes for Kentucky homeowners while stripping more than half of the funding for most of the state's public libraries.

The issue is what law public libraries use to set their tax rates. A lawsuit originating in northern Kentucky says voters must approve any tax increase. But library officials argue another state law allows them to raise taxes up to 4 percent each year.

The Campbell County Public Library system says if the court orders it to calculate its taxes differently, it would cut the system's funding by about 60 percent. Another 99 public library systems use the same law to set their tax rates.

DROPOUT AGE

JCPS prepares for increased dropout age

(Information in the following story is from: The Courier-Journal, http://www.courier-journal.com )

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Jefferson County school administrators are trying to prepare for the dropout age in the district to increase to 18 next year.

Although the move has been applauded, administrators told The Courier-Journal that they expect an increase of about 2,800 more students who will be labeled as habitually truant. In addition, officials will have to bring back students who have already dropped out, but will be too young to stay out of school under the new rules.

Jefferson County officials are working to identify the short-term impacts and bolster responses for at-risk students.

The increase in dropout age goes into effect statewide in 2017, but it is starting earlier in some school districts including Jefferson County Public Schools.

OBIT-MILLER

Longtime Marshall County Judge-Executive Mike Miller dies

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Longtime Marshall County Judge-Executive Mike Miller died at a western Kentucky hospital after collapsing in his office.

Assistant County Attorney Jason Darnall says Miller collapsed at work Monday morning and died a short time later due to respiratory complications.

An obituary posted on Collier Funeral Home's website says Miller was 70. It says Miller died at the Marshall County Hospital emergency room.

The Kentucky County Judge/Executive Association says Miller, a Democrat, had served as Marshall County's judge-executive since 1974.

He was re-elected to another term last month in the western Kentucky county.