Lexington/Richmond

Records and publications that chronicle the Works Progress Administration, which provided millions of jobs at the height of the Great Depression, have found a home at the University of Kentucky. Three years in the making, the collection is among the most complete in the United States, said Sandee McAninch, head of the UK Federal Depository Unit. U.S. Archivist David S. Ferriero will present a speech to highlight the collection, titled "Putting America Back to Work During the Great Depression," at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at UK's William T. Young Library.

Public golf in Lexington is on an uptick.  In recent years, the Urban County Government had been subsidizing the five golf courses by hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Then last spring the green fees were reduced substantially and a golfer loyalty program implemented.  Director of Golf Mike Fields says it has resulted in a turnaround.  “I think it allowed us to get our rates in line with what the market demand was.  We were out pricing ourselves, we didn’t have any programs in place to create any loyalty for our customers to keep returning to us,” said Fields.

News that Lexmark will lay-off hundreds of local workers has city leaders worried about their finances.  The Lexington-based firm will reduce it’s workforce by 350 full-timers and 200 contract employees.  According to one city official, such a job loss could result in a million dollar loss in revenues.   Mayor Jim Gray says ‘our hearts go out to this folks who have been hit with this bad news, losing their jobs.’  Gray adds there can be no complacency when it comes to job creation.

It's more than seven weeks after July 4, and periodically, when the sun goes down, the Bluegrass still goes boom. That's why a committee of Lexington's Urban County Council passed a proposal to ban the purchase and detonation of aerial fireworks including bottle rockets, mortars and loud firecracker explosives.

They’ve heard from citizens across the state, so now members of a tax reform panel must make recommendations.  The sixth and final public hearing by the Governor’s Task Force on Tax Reform was held Tuesday in Lexington.  Lexington council member George Meyers predicts state lawmakers will make tax changes this time.

Fire crackers and flying fireworks would be banned in Lexington under a proposal discussed today at city hall.  Members of the Public Safety Committee voted unanimously to restore the city’s fireworks ordinance of 20-10.  A year later, the state legislature approved the expansion of fireworks, but allowed cities to adopt tighter restrictions.  Council member Tom Blues says a flood of citizens complaints have come this summer.  “It only takes one person to disturb and disrupt and annoy to the point of distraction almost an entire neighborhood,” said Blues.

Funds for road resurfacing are now divided up in Lexington according to the greatest need.  But that formula doesn’t work well for Council member Tom Blues.  His council district will get 117-thousand dollars, but Blues argues the need is nearly a million dollars in road work.  “I’ve got 117 thousand dollars for one of the largest geographic districts in the city.  I can virtually nothing with that money,” said Blues.  Kevin Wente is with the Environmental Quality and Public Works Department.  He says the new formula emphasizes neighborhoods with the biggest problems.

Livestock, like small goats and pigs, remain prohibited in urban Lexington’s backyards.  A council committee this week rejected an exemption for those animals. Council Member Steve Kay sponsored the proposal.“I think we gave it a good shot.  We may bring it back at some later time.  But, I think for the moment, it’s off the table,” said Kay.  Critics of an exemption for goats and pigs worry about waste, noise and enforcement.  Council member Doug Martin believes the vast majority of Lexington’s residents don’t want pigs or goats living in their neighborhoods.

Property taxes in Fayette County will remain unchanged.  The city council stuck with tradition and voted Tuesday to keep the rates at their current level.  Given Lexington’s fiscal troubles, outgoing council member Doug Martin was disappointed with the action.  “I think it is irresponsible to leave these rates alone, knowing what we know about the financial storm that is headed for this city,” said Martin.  Martin has repeatedly expressed concerns about the ever growing cost of police and fire fighter pensions.  Council member Kevin Stinnett argued a tax increase would be hasty.

Lexington city leaders come back after a summer break with a taxing issue on their minds.  Besides setting property tax rates, council members will seek funds for street lights.  Those funds now come from an increased tax on utilities.  Now, Vice Mayor Linda Gorton says they might reverse that tax increase and increase the city’s streetlight tax.

A public hearing format new to many in Lexington is being held to consider issues related to homelessness.  It’s called ‘Open Space’ and involves constructive group discussion on a public issue.  The ‘Open Space’ program is scheduled from nine a.m. until 4:30 Saturday August 25th at Calvary Baptist Church.  The meeting is sponsored by the Mayor’s Commission on Homelessness.  Under the ‘Open Space’ format, the agenda is not set in advance.  The Commission’s meeting will be centered on the question, ‘What should our community think about, know about, and do in order to best address the opportunities and challenges presented by homelessness?’

Lexington is looking to boost the size of its police force.  Applications are now being accepted for a police academy. class.Lexington’s police department is authorized for 555 officers.  23 police recruits are being sworn in Friday, but the new count will still be significantly shy of authorized strength.  So, applications are being accepted now for a new police academy to begin in February or March.

When citizens complain to the city about poorly maintained properties, they go to Lexington’s code enforcement office.  Code violations can include cases of peeling paint, cracked bricks, and unsafe sidewalks.  The process for handling those complaints is under review at city.  Council member Steve Kay, who co-chairs the committee looking into the issue, says enforcing current regulations is a concern.

More than 400 ideas on ways to improve Lexington have been submitted by its residents.  The suggestions, which are being gathered this month, are part of a competition sponsored by the Bloomberg Foundation.  Lexington Mayor Jim Gray says these ideas must now be categorized.  “Shrink all the suggestions into themes and we’re seeing themes emerge that relate to education, quality of life,” said Gray.

Former Eastern Kentucky University President H. Hanly Funderburk Jr. died Friday night in his home state of Alabama. He was 81. Funderburk was the eighth president of EKU, serving from 1985 until 1998. Following his retirement, he moved to Montgomery, Ala., where he stayed until his death following a long illness, his family said.

A search continued Thursday for an Estill County jail escapee, and Eastern Kentucky University urged its students and staffers to take precautions while the man remains free. Daniel Patterson, who escaped Wednesday from a deputy jailer, is the estranged husband of an EKU employee, according to authorities. Police said Patterson should be considered dangerous.

Police arrested Crystal R. Little, 29, shortly after a bank robbery in Lexington on Saturday morning and charged her in connection with that robbery and three others dating to 2010. Little, charged with two counts of first-degree robbery and two counts of second- degree robbery, was being held in the Fayette County jail.