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Growing Appalachia on WMMT’s Mountain Talk

Jessie Skaggs on March 19, 2015 in New Energy and Transition, Just Transition, Big Sandy

Growing Appalachia on WMMT's Mountain TalkLast week, members of the Growing Appalachia planning committee were guests on WMMT's Mountain Talk, which is a weekly program that covers a wide range of topics pertaining to life in the mountains. Floyd County’s Sister Kathy Curtis and Letcher County’s Valerie Horn were in the studio to talk with host Elizabeth Sanders about the history of the conference, how they got involved, and what people can expect at Saturday’s conference. They were joined in the studio by Jonathan Hootman and Hillary Neff and then joined over the phone by Mark Walden.

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SOKY members work toward statewide renters’ rights bill

KFTC Staff on March 12, 2015 in Economic Justice, Southern Kentucky

KFTC Southern Kentucky chapter members used the 2015 General Assembly to give their local work on renters’ rights a statewide platform.

The Uniform Residential Landlord Tenant Act (URLTA) is a set of codified best practices to clarify the terms of agreements between tenants and landlords.

It simply clarifies and standardizes the terms of a lease and protects renters from retaliatory evictions for reporting housing that is not up to code.

Based on best practices from the rental industry, URLTA is called a “win-win” for renters and landlords. Several states have adopted URLTA statewide. Kentucky’s state law, however, only allows individual communities to opt in to URLTA; it falls short of adopting it statewide.

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How$martKY offers money-saving energy efficiency improvements

Chris Woolery on March 12, 2015 in New Energy and Transition, Just Transition, , Energy Democracy, , Sustainable Energy

Many KFTC members who are interested in making their homes more comfortable and energy efficient are now able to make it happen!  

How$martKY is an on-bill energy efficiency financing program that doesn’t require a credit check. This means that rural electric cooperative members with high utility bills can often get energy upgrades with no down payment, add the financed payment to their electric bill, and still save money every month.  

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Jefferson chapter stands with adjuncts for economic justice

KFTC Staff on March 12, 2015 in Economic Justice, Jefferson County

Linda Stettenbenz, a Jefferson County member who serves on KFTC’s Economic Justice Committee, reached out to Jefferson Community and Technical College professors who are involved in an international movement to demand fair treatment for adjunct professors – professors who don’t have tenure and who often work for near-poverty wages with no job security from one semester to the next. Adjuncts at several colleges and universities opted for walk-outs; JCTC organizers opted for a teach-in.

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Jefferson County co-hosts grassroots lobby training

KFTC staff on March 10, 2015 in Voting Rights, Jefferson County, General Assembly, , Leadership Development, , workshop

The Jefferson County Chapter of KFTC (JCKFTC) partnered with eight local allies to host a Grassroots Lobby Training on January 27.

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March Jefferson County Chapter Meeting reportback

McElroy explains the need for more affordable housing.
Ryan Fenwick on March 10, 2015 in Coal and Water, Economic Justice, New Energy and Transition, Sustainable Energy, Jefferson County

Last night's JCKFTC meeting brought out twelve members of the chapter to deliberate, discuss, and take action on affordable housing, an LG&E rate change, the local air quality and economic just

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Kentuckians call on Senate committee to hear HB 70, dragged from room

Lisa Abbott on March 6, 2015 in Voting Rights, Kentucky Voting Rights Bill, General Assembly

Wearing buttons that read "Let Us Vote," about two dozen voting rights supporters attended the last regularly scheduled meeting of the Senate State and Local Government Committee on Wedneday to bear witness as Senate Republicans yet again refused to act on HB 70, a proposed constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to nearly a quarter million Kentuckians. As expected, they did not see senators take action on the bill. But there was plenty of other action in committee room that day.

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Members speak out for economic justice legislation

Kentuckians For The Commonwealth on March 4, 2015 in Economic Justice, Tax Reform, General Assembly

KFTC members have been active in Frankfort this week, supporting several economic justice bills as the session draws to a close. House Bill 374, which closes corporate tax loopholes to fund a state Earned Income Tax Credit, received a hearing in committee yesterday, and CKY member Jesus Gonzalez testified in support of the EITC. Here is Jesus's testimony:

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Shelby Co. chapter, NAACP settle down to soul food and celebrate Black History Month

Shane Ashford on March 4, 2015 in , Shelby County

Shelby County chapter members enjoyed a night of soul food and fellowship this past Friday. The spread ran the gamut: cornbread, corn chowder, breaded and fried catfish, fried chicken, barbecue ribs, coleslaw, beans, kale, peach cobbler, you name it! It was as down-home as you could get. The Shelby County chapter of the NAACP provided the tasty provisions while the KFTC chapter provided the entertainment. It came in the form of a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable presentation by local historian Diane Perrin Coon. 

Ms. Coon gave a talk entitled "Slavery, Anti-Slavery and the Underground Railroad in Shelby County." The talk was well-received, highlighting demographic trends as well as personal stories from history. Ms. Coon, a gifted storyteller, laid bare Shelby County’s complicities in the institution of slavery as well as its hand in the abolition of that institution. 

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Let Us Vote live stream

KFTC staff on March 3, 2015 in Voting Rights, Kentucky Voting Rights Bill, General Assembly

We will be live streaming the final Senate State and Local Government Committee hearing of this legislative session tomorrow, March 4 at noon.

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