Posted by: Lisa Abbott on December 13, 2014
Back-to-back decisions by grand juries in Ferguson, Missouri and New York City not to press charges against police officers who killed Mike Brown and Eric Garner, two unarmed black men, have sparked massive protests, along with heartache, anger, and calls for accountability and change in communities across Kentucky and the nation. The injustices exposed by these recent cases are sadly not new, and neither is the movement that is growing in response to them. However, recent events have created a moment filled with a sense of urgency, energy and determination.
Posted by: Sarah Martin on December 2, 2014
>800 Tickets
50 Beers
35 Volunteers
14 Breweries
3 Food Trucks
3 KY Hops Organizations
1 Awesome Honky-Tonk DJ
= FUN!
Posted by: KFTC staff on November 24, 2014
The Franklin Circuit Court on Monday issued two long-awaited orders rejecting settlement deals between the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet and Frasure Creek Mining arising from the coal company’s thousands of violations of the Clean Water Act from 2008 through 2011.
In extraordinarily vigorous language, Judge Phillip Shepherd said that due to the coal company’s actions, “The inherent danger of the violations at issue here to the environment is impossible to determine based on Frasure Creek's wholesale abdication of its monitoring and reporting responsibilities, and the cabinet's inability to fully investigate the environmental harm that is likely to have occurred.”
“Since October 2010, we have been in the courts to see that the law be enforced in the state of Kentucky,” said Ted Withrow, a member of KFTC's Litigation Team. “These rulings by Judge Shepherd serve to enforce that right of the people."
In 2010, Appalachian Voices, Kentucky Waterkeeper Alliance, Kentucky Riverkeeper, KFTC and several individuals made public more than 20,000 violations of the Clean Water Act from 2008 to 2010 by Frasure Creek and a second coal company, International Coal Group (which later settled out of court). Under the law, these violations could be subject to hundreds of millions of dollars in fines. On the 57th day, the cabinet and Frasure Creek entered a proposed consent agreement that included only 1,520 violations and combined fines of just $310,000.
Posted by: George Eklund on November 18, 2014
We are our own best hope for change in Kentucky. We have a vision of the Kentucky we want to create and how to get there. Hardworking Kentuckians share their hopes and dreams every day in laundromats and coffee shops, over kitchen tables and on front porches. How do we share our visions for Kentucky in an intentional way with our friends and families?
Posted by: KFTC staff on November 4, 2014
The polls in Kentucky are getting ready to close. As we await the election results we want to say THANKS for the incredible work done by KFTC members, volunteers, short-term voter empowerment organizers and staff over the past few months. With your help we are building a healthier democracy in Kentucky.
Posted by: KFTC Staff on October 31, 2014
Posted by: KFTC Staff on October 30, 2014
Madison County KFTC members gathered in Berea on October 25 to celebrate the chapter’s 10th birthday, share a potluck, enjoy live music and take silly photos.
The annual Friendraiser was a chance to not only reflect on the past year’s work but also celebrate the good work of the chapter’s first 10 years.
Posted by: Lillian Prosperino on October 27, 2014
On October 7, KFTC’s Letcher County Chapter paired with Appalshop in Whitesburg and the After Coal project of Appalachian State University, to host a public community forum on economic transition, and a local candidate meet and greet reception.
The evening reception began with informal conversation among the 80 guests and several candidates for local office, including the mayor of Whitesburg and a few city council candidates. Mair Francis, founder of the DOVE Workshop, and Hywel Francis, a Labour Member of Parliament for Aberavon, Wales, traveled all the way to Whitesburg in order to discuss policies on sustainable community development in Wales and Appalachia. This was Mair and Hywell's first visit back to east Kentucky since sharing their experiences as the opening session of Appalachia's Bright Future conference in Harlan last year.
Posted by: KFTC Staff on October 24, 2014
Be the Change!
This Fall KFTC is PowerRaising: registering, educating and empowering voters; developing a statewide network of community leaders; and inviting people to invest in Kentucky’s bright future. With more voters, members, leaders, and the resources to fund these efforts, we can build the Kentucky we want to call home.
We are Kentuckians. We are our best hope for change.
That’s you. All of us together investing in KFTC and in Kentucky.
We CAN make a difference by (click on the link):
Getting Involved
Creating a personal fundraising (PowerBuilder) page
Donating, joining or renewing your membership
For more information, reach out to KFTC Development Associate JoAnna House at [email protected] or 502-532-1286.
Posted by: KFTC staff on October 22, 2014
Take action NOW if you need to vote absentee in Kentucky
If you are registered to vote in Kentucky but won’t be able to get to your polling location on Tuesday, November 4, you need to act NOW to cast an absentee vote, either in person or by mail, in the upcoming election. We recommend in-person if you can manage that.
