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Special Election TOMORROW

Dave Newton on June 24, 2013 in , Central Kentucky, Voter Empowerment

56th District map from the Lexington Herald-LeaderThere is a special legislative election tomorrow (Tuesday, June 25th) in the 56th House District, which covers Woodford County plus parts of Franklin and Fayette Counties. 

If you live in the district or think you might, please visit KFTC's election website at www.KentuckyElection.org to learn about candidate stances, find voting location information, and more.  And whether you live in the district or not, please share this link with people who do live in the district - through email, Facebook, and more. 

In the last few weeks, KFTC members have sent out a mailing to thousands of likely voters, collected candidate responses, promoted our website heavily, brought people out to the candidate forum, and have held phone banks to follow up with people we know in the district. 

Unfortunately, turnout is often low in special elections, but KFTC members vote and the election might be decided by just a few votes, so each one matters.  

For KFTC members and friends who live in or near the district can get involved in some final election events today and tomorrow:

- Final Phone Bank - Monday, June 24th from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.  We'll be calling from the Central Kentucky KFTC Office at 250 Plaza Dr. Lexington, KY 40503.

- Election Day Field Work - Tuesday, June 25th from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. with a base location in Versailles in order to encourage people to go to the polls, direct voters, hold signs, run a sound car, and maybe even offer folks a ride to the polls. Let us know if you'd like to volunteer with us.

And again, please visit and share the link to www.KentuckyElection.org

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Energy for Change rally draws more than 2,000

KFTC on June 22, 2013 in Coal and Water, New Energy and Transition, Communities Taking Action, Jefferson County, Air Quality, , coal ash, , Power Plants, , Water Quality

KFTC members joined more than 2,000 others in Louisville on Thursday for the Energy for Change: Interfaith Action for Clean Energy and Healthy Communities rally.

"It matters little where we live … dirty energy is polluting our air and water," said Mark Steiner of Kentucky Interfaith Power & Light told the crowd, many of whom were in Louisville from across the country for the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly. "Dirty energy is making us and making our children sick."

Activist Tim DeChristopher said he grew up in West Virginia where people live with "fear under the oppression of the coal industry." But he was able to overcome his fear "when my actions aligned with my sentiments.

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Secretary of State meets citizens in Madison County

KFTC staff on June 21, 2013 in Voting Rights, Madison County, Leadership Development, , Voter Empowerment

Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes held her final town meeting last night in Madison County, and KFTC members were there to talk about expanding voting rights and ways to increase voting.

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Nelson County folks tell Williams, Keep your pipeline out of our Bluegrass

Kentuckians For The Commonwealth on June 20, 2013 in , featured

Stories, maps, reports of safety violations, photos of the destruction from gas line explosions. Nelson County residents were eager to share with each other at this week’s fiscal court meeting.They were building the case against the so-called “Bluegrass Pipeline.”

The representatives of Williams, the company trying to cut through Kentucky with the Bluegrass Pipeline, seemed unprepared for the research, preparation, and passion that Nelson County folks brought. Nearly 100 attended to learn more and let their fiscal court representatives know how they feel about the pipeline proposal.

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Building power and having fun in Wilderness Trace

Beth Bissmeyer on June 20, 2013 in , Wilderness Trace

Since becoming an official chapter last September, the Wilderness Trace chapter (representing Boyle, Mercer, Garrard, and Lincoln counties) has been hard at work contributing to KFTC’s statewide issue campaigns and making their presence known in the community.

Vice Presidential Debate, Centre College 2012

Wilderness Trace made quite a splash last fall by registering 58 new voters at Bluegrass Community and Technical College in just two days and playing an active role in the Speaker's Park at the Vice Presidential Debate at Centre College. Several members spoke, including Daniel Morgan, Lee Ann Paynter, and Preston Miles, sharing their personal stories, while other members staffed a KFTC information table.

After the election, members kept momentum going with their first chapter fundraising event in December with the No Greater Task: Art and Activism poster show at V the Market in Danville, where they recruited several new members and raised more than $900 for the organization, making it one of the most successful poster show events across the state.

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Water testing workshop planned for Floyd County

Jessie Skaggs on June 19, 2013 in Coal and Water, Communities Taking Action, , Community Science & Public Health, , Mountaintop Removal and Strip Mining, Big Sandy, , Perry County, Water Quality, , workshop

Advanced Water Testing Workshop

On Saturday June 22, from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm, KFTC will offer the second of four additional water testing workshops planned for this year as part of the ongoing Community Science and Public Health project. At this workshop, which will be held in Floyd County, we will learn how to do basic tests of local streams, learn how to get others in your community involved, and learn about other water quality issues we face in the mountains. We will spend a portion of the day out in streams, practicing what we’ve learned and testing local water sources.

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Years later, permit given for mining in Sloans Valley

KFTC on June 18, 2013 in Coal and Water, Mountaintop Removal and Strip Mining, Water Quality

Residents of the Sloans Valley area of Pulaski County once again find themselves fighting to protect their homes and community after the Beshear administration granted a strip mine permit for a con

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Jefferson County Annual Chapter Meeting

Alicia Hurle and Emily Nordling on June 12, 2013 in , Jefferson County, Air Quality, , coal ash, , Fundraiser

 Twenty-five members came out to this week’s Jefferson County Annual Chapter Meeting and potluck at First Unitarian Church. The meeting started off with a review of the chapter’s work over the past year:

Our chapter registered 1,400 people to vote during the 2012 Election and transported dozens of people to the polls in November. We recruited 24 new members during the 5th Annual Louisville Loves Mountains Festival in May 2013. Chapter members attended all the major lobby days in Frankfort during the 2013 General Assembly and turned out busloads of people to I Love Mountains Day. We have tabled at 6 community events in Louisville since the beginning of the year. Hundreds of people have signed KFTC petitions and interest forms during these events. Members have given presentations about KFTC’s work at two colleges and two churches since January. Our chapter celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. We are kicking off the celebration with a Birthday Bash on Saturday, June 22nd at Tim Faulkner Gallery.

 

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56th District Special Election in 2 weeks www.KentuckyElection.org

Dave Newton on June 11, 2013 in , Central Kentucky, Voter Empowerment

56th District map from the Lexington Herald-LeaderThere is a special legislative election coming up in two weeks on Tuesday, June 25th in the 56th House District, which covers Woodford County plus parts of Franklin and Fayette Counties. 

We've sent surveys out to the candidates so that we can communicate their answers out far and wide and they're now online at www.KentuckyElection.org !  There are also links to candidate sites, voting location information, and more.  So please share this link with people you know in the district.

Note that 56th District candidate Lyen Crews has not yet responded to the candidate survey.  Please feel free to contact his campaign and encourage him to respond.  We're eager to post his answers along with the other candidates' stances. 

We're also sending a mass mailing to voters in the district plus phone banks, field work and social media work to reach thousands of voters and help them cast an informed vote. 

Unfortunately, turnout is often low in special elections, but KFTC members vote and the election might be decided by just a few votes, so each one matters.  

For KFTC members and friends who live in or near the district can get involved in some of our upcoming events:

- Candidate Form - Tuesday, June 18th at Midway College at 7:00 p.m.  We need volunteers to help us pass out survey responses. 

- Phone Banks - Saturday, June 22nd from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. and on the evening before the election on Monday, June 24th from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.  We'll be calling from the Central Kentucky KFTC Office at 250 Plaza Dr. Lexington, KY 40503.

- Election Day Field Work - Tuesday, June 25th from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. with a base location in Versailles in order to encourage people to go to the polls, direct voters, hold signs, run a sound car, and maybe even offer folks a ride to the polls. Location and details will be announced closer to election day.

And again, please visit and share the link to www.KentuckyElection.org

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Bluegrass Pipeline will cut across Kentucky

KFTC on June 6, 2013 in New Energy and Transition, Northern Kentucky, , Rolling Bluegrass, , Shelby County, Air Quality, , Water Quality

As many as a 18 Kentucky counties are within the possible path of a new pipeline that would carry natural gas liquids from the fracking fields of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio to processing plants and export terminals along the Gulf Coast.

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