Posted by: Beth Bissmeyer on May 23, 2013
The Madison County chapter had a good, thoughtful chapter meeting this past Monday, May 20, in the beautiful Appalachian Center gallery at Berea College.
After a great icebreaker, Meta Mendel-Reyes facilitated an exercise from Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” Everyone looked at a list of a couple dozen statements having to do with everyday life and checked off the ones they felt were true for them. This led to a discussion of how people felt about these statements and what they found surprising.
Posted by: Dave Newton on May 23, 2013
Sean O'Donley lives in Hardin County and works next door in Louisville as a network maintenance technician for the cable company.
He also works on racing car engines with his dad (at O'Donley Racing), likes to hunt, fish, and kayak when there's time.
"Though mostly I work," he tells me, smiling. "I stay pretty busy between my job and my family."
Sean grew up between McCraken and Caldwell counties in Western Kentucky and has lived in KY all his life. "I like it here and can't say I've ever had a reason to leave," Sean says.
He also follows politics. "Democrats think Democrats are smartest and Republicans think Republicans are the smartest," Sean says, laughing a little. "But I think we've all got to work together."
"Overall, I consider myself a Republican."
Although at 28 years old, Sean just recently got the right to vote for the first time in his life.
Posted by: Dave Newton on May 23, 2013
Last night, Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes held a second town meeting, this one in Kenton County, to gather input from the public about election laws and processes in Kentucky.
About 60 people attended in all, including representatives from local county clerks' offices, political party groups, and Northern Kentucky KFTC members.
At the beginning of the event, Grimes recognzed KFTC and said that without us and other civic groups like the League of Women Voters, it wouldn't be possible to have smooth representative elections in Kentucky.
The format was simple - a 60 minute discussion facilitated by Alison Lundergan Grimes. There was some context at the beginning and some recognition of county clerks' office representatives, and then the audience was asked questions like "What are your thoughts about our current voter registration process?" "18 states offer online voter registration. Should we try to move in that direction?" "What is your election day experience like?" and "32 states allow early voting. Should we allow no-excuse early voting in Kentucky too?"
A few KFTC members were prepared to bring up the issue of restoration of voting rights for former felons who have served their debt to society, but Grimes beat us to it. She expressed her support in no uncertain terms and many people throughout the room voiced their support as well. This included Jim Cole, a representative of the AFL-CIO.
Posted by: Beth Howard on May 23, 2013
The Central Kentucky KFTC Chapter held its May chapter meeting on Thursday, May 16 at the Episcopal Mission House. The room was full with more than 20 members, including several who were attending the meeting for the first time.
The meeting focused on using communications for the work of justice. KFTC Communications Team member Tim Buckingham gave a presentation to members on the most effective ways to get their message heard in an age where we are bombarded with tons of information on a daily basis. Members learned best practices for working with the media and tips on writing letters to the editor, as well as framing our message based on our personal stories and our vision of what we want to see for Kentucky. Tim challenged members by asking: "The task of communication can feel daunting. Authenticity is the key. How will you engage other humans in a meaningful way?"
Posted by: Alicia Hurle on May 21, 2013
Last week’s Jefferson County Chapter meeting kicked off with a brief report from Mary Love about Alliance for Appalachia’s 8th Annual Week in Washington. Mary was a member of the KFTC delegation again this year. The Alliance focuses not only on ending mountaintop removal mining but is also working toward a just and sustainable transition in Appalachia.
Jared Zarantonello gave a presentation on WFOR Forward Radio, “a community-based, low power FM radio start-up and media project operating as an educational arm of the Louisville chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) in pursuit of peace and social justice. WFOR seeks to create a network of community partners to aid in building a more diverse and relevant model of media. This will ensure that our diverse local voices that are ignored by the mainstream media are heard and that the public interest is served through media.”
During the presentation, members shared their ideas for radion programming: story on the mission of St. George’s Community Center, Strange Fruit Podcast on LGBTQ issues, stories from TARC users, biking issues in Louisville, info from AARP, helping folks figure out if they owe taxes, and energy efficiency and renewables. If you have ideas you would like to share or if you want to learn more about WFOR contact Jared at, 502-468-6519 or [email protected].
Posted by: Tanya Turner on May 21, 2013
In order to comply with new clean air standards by 2015, American Electric Power/ Kentucky Power has put forth a request to the Kentucky Public Service Commission to shut down their coal-burning Bi
Posted by: Alicia Hurle on May 21, 2013
We know that young Kentuckians care deeply about our mountains and mountain communities. This year, we wanted to make sure their voices were heard loud and clear at Kentuckians For The Commonwealth’s 5th Annual Louisville Loves Mountains Festival on Friday, May 17, 2013. We asked young people to share their written thoughts and ideas for a brighter future for our mountains. Dozens of youth from across Louisville wrote essays on the topic, “Why we need to protect our mountains and mountain communities."
The three winning essays were displayed during Louisville Loves Mountains Festival. The young authors were also recognized during the festivities and presented with prizes by essay contest judge Carol Besse, co-owner of Carmichael's Bookstore. Heine Brother’s Coffee and Carmichael's Bookstore donated prizes and the winners also received a Louisville Loves Mountains Festival t-shirt. The winning essays are featured below.
Posted by: Laura Read on May 17, 2013
This is our live blog of Louisville Loves Mountains 2013 held on May 17.
4:10 pm
Everybody is setting up for the 5th Annual Louisville Loves Mountains Day!
Posted by: KFTC on May 17, 2013
Continuing their campaign to make sure Kentucky's water is safe for everyone, KFTC and allies have challenged plans by the Beshear administration to let Frasure Creek Mining "off the hook" for repeated violations of the Clean Water Act.
Appalachian Voices, Waterkeeper Alliance, Kentucky Riverkeeper, KFTC and several individuals (the petitioners) asked the Franklin Circuit Court Thursday to vacate an Agreed Order signed in April by Environment and Energy Cabinet Secretary Len Peters that claims to resolve all recent water quality violations by the company.
Posted by: Rebecca O’Neil on May 17, 2013
On April 25th, KFTC members in Portland, Oregon, held a benefit to support a new economy in Kentucky.
Why? Oregonians have strong opinions about coal power. The only coal facility in Oregon is scheduled to be closed in 2020. And while there is no coal mining in the state, Oregon has hotly debated whether to allow trains to carry Rocky Mountain coal to the Pacific Coast for export to other countries.
