Kentucky Focus
Owed Money? Saving on your Electric Bill?
Could you be owed money or property you don't know about? Also, how would you like to save even more on that electric bill this summer?
Plus, the Olympics are coming up and Kentucky has plenty of local representation. All in this week's Kentucky Focus with Scott Fitzgerald!
- Duration:
- 31m
- Broadcast on:
- 14 Jul 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
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The show that looks at issues affecting the Commonwealth and its citizens. We cover state politics and history, human interest stories, sports, and even entertainment. It's Kentucky Focus on KNN. All right, son, time to put out this campfire. Dad, we learned about this in school. Oh, did you now? Okay, what's first? Smokey Bear said to you. First, drown it with a bucket of water. Then stir it with a shovel. Wow, you sound just like him. Then he said. If it's still warm, then do it again. Where can I learn all this? It's all on Smokey Bear.com with other wildfire prevention tips, because only you can prevent wildfires. Brought to you by the USDA Forest Service, your state forester, and the Ad Council. You can't escape a traffic jam. No one else you can't escape? Seasonal allergies. And you might think you can avoid that coffee stain until... Really? You can't escape a lot of things in life, but you can escape prediabetes. Prediabetes captures one in three adults. There are usually no signs of prediabetes. In fact, most people don't even know they have it. But with early diagnosis, you can change the outcome and prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Take action by taking the one-minute risk test at doihaveprediabetes.org. You might not be able to escape having this song stuck in your head. But you can escape prediabetes. Go to doihaveprediabetes.org today. Brought to you by the Ad Council and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You know, I grew up hearing that women are bad with money. But like many of you, I spent years paying bills, managing checking accounts, and taking care of my family. So, turns out, women are pretty good with money after all. And now, I'm taking control of my financial future by saving for retirement. It's never too late to start, and there's a great website to help you. Check out wesaysaveit.org, and jumpstart your retirement savings on your budget and your timeline. That's wesaysaveit.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. Are you prepared for an emergency or disaster? Because it's not a matter of if, but when. Don't find yourself saying. When the storm rolls in, my time to find a pet friendly evacuation center will have run out. The scorching heat wave will leave me powerless to cool my insulin. I'll face a hurricane without meds. Now, that's a tough pill to swallow. Let's prepare so we all have a better story to tell. Get started at ready.gov/olderadults. Brought to you by FEMA and the Ad Council. From ABC News, Tech Trends, Samsung is expected to unveil new folding smart phones at Gizmodo's Florence Ion says don't expect Samsung to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip. This is the sixth generation of the foldables, and so it's going to be interesting to see exactly what an incremental update looks like in the foldable sphere. Rumors have indicated bigger batteries could be in the cards and a new processor for both phones, but Ion says the bigger news from Samsung may not be foldable at all. I guess it's foldables this year, but I think the bigger thing that's going to take the stage is whatever Samsung's doing in the wearable sphere. Wearables like the company's upcoming Galaxy Ring, a new smart ring that the company previewed back in January, which links up to your phone. You'll be able to wear it and get all those wellness stats without wearing a smart watch. With Tech Trends, I'm Mike Diboski, ABC News. While serving in Vietnam, a grenade took my ability to see. Today, I'm a sculptor. Now, my fingers are my eyes. I'm Michael Norano. As a veteran, I know the challenges of life can be great. In my art, turning a lump of play into something beautiful, that is worth doing. Life is like that. We each must use what we can to make things better. DAV helps veterans like Michael get the benefits they've earned. They help more than a million veterans every year in life-changing ways. Now, I show others how they can create something with their own hands. I know it can do a lot of good. With support from DAV, more veterans can shape their lives into a thing of beauty. My victory is bringing beauty into the world. Michael Norano, may your victories inspire many more. Support more victories for veterans. Go to DAV.org. In June of 2021, the Kentucky Public Service Commission approved a request by LG&E to implement an advanced metering infrastructure that resulted in meter upgrades for homes here in the Commonwealth. This recently happened at my home, and it was not only free of charge, but seamless. Joining us to talk about why this is happening is LG&E's Liz Pratt. Welcome, Liz. And thank you for taking time to talk to us about this important part of our lives. So why the change? So what you experience Scott is a multi-year phased project where we are upgrading customers' electric meters and installing gas modules on LG&E gas meters. So this is a project, a rollout we began back in September of 2022. And so as your experience, we will let customers know when we're coming to their area. And so, so glad to hear your experience. And we want to continue to educate our customers about our meter upgrade project and the benefits that these new meters will provide. Liz Pratt with LG&E and Kentucky Utilities is with us talking about the meter upgrades that are coming or have already been installed on homes throughout the Commonwealth, as they did mine just last week. So Liz, how do these meters enhance a customer's LG&E and KU experience? So these new advanced meters, which are available at no additional cost to customers, provide a tremendous value and really provide more detailed information for customers about their energy usage. So once the new meter has been installed, it gives customers access to personalized online information. So it's available through a dashboard through their online account called My Account. The personalized online dashboard is called My Meter. And that is because it provides tools and resource and insights to better help customers understand how they're using energy at their home or in their business, and to also take steps to help reduce their monthly energy bills. If I remember correctly years ago, LG&E and KU had a program where you could roll back the services at certain times to help folks reduce costs and save money. This program, though, is completely different from that, correct? So that's a really great question. Our energy efficiency programs that we offer customers and these new advanced nears really go hand-in-hand. Both are resources and tools and programs available to our customers. So we want to make things more convenient for customers. So these combinations, once the new meter is installed, customers have more information about how they're using energy. Unlike the previous meters that may have been read once a month, a new advanced meter can transmit energy usage information in more frequent intervals throughout the day. Once customers receive their new advanced meter, they can go into their online account, use a personalized online dashboard called My Meter, and really dig into how they're using energy. And they can do things like setting up words. They can set reminders. So all of these things are tools available to them to help manage how they're using energy at their home or in their business. This is Brad with LG&E and Kentucky Utilities is with us talking about meter upgrades that are coming or have already been installed at homes throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. So Liz, is this technology being used in other parts of our nation? Yes, absolutely. So these are meters and advanced metering infrastructure that's being used nationwide with the combination of these new advanced meters. Coupled with is really an exciting time because we are also in the midst of rolling out the largest portfolio of energy efficiency programs that we've offered to customers in our company's history. So with the new advanced meters, coupled with the energy efficiency programs that we're making available to customers, we want to help our customers better manage their energy use and make things more convenient. These are things that we're offering to our customers, many of which can be available at their fingertips. So as you mentioned, Scott, being on the go or if your kids are at home, you know, how they're using energy, we really want to help customers make things more convenient and really help understand how they're using energy in their home or in their business. And while we have you Liz, given the latest round of extreme heat, how is the LG&E and KU grid holding up? For this time of year, our customer's energy usage is pretty normal in our systems or performing well, but always we want to be mindful of impacts to customers. How we use energy and the weather are the two major factors that can affect our utility bills. So our systems are performing well and working as designed. This is the time of year where we're always trying to kind of help customers understand how they're using energy and offer tips and things that they can do at home to help manage that energy usage. Liz Pratt with LG&E and Kentucky Utilities is with us talking about initiatives to help us get the most bang for our buck when it comes to energy costs. So Liz, how can folks help themselves in these summer months? That's a great question. So it's always helpful to keep in mind that the summer months and even the winter months, when temperatures are most extreme, that's really the times of year where it's making our HVAC systems work harder. Doing things like just around your house, looking for drafty doors, drafty windows, sealing up those drafts and those leaks can really make a difference. Also taking a mind, you know, this time of year, if you can adjust your thermostat up a couple degrees, keep it comfortable, keeping it safe, but that also can make a difference. And then you think about ways that may draw the hotter temperatures, closing blinds, closing curtains during the peak time of day when those sun rays can help heat up the home, keeping those closed and thinking about alternative ways that you can do cooking, grilling outside or, you know, using a crock pot, thinking about things that you can do to, you know, as your HVAC system is working harder this time of year, thinking about things you can do at home to make sure that conditioned air stays inside and also what you can do to help prevent some of that residual heat that can be added from other sources. Insert list six. She is Liz Pratt with LG&E and Kentucky Utilities as they work together with customers to help better understand energy costs and if they haven't already, they'll be coming around to install an electric and gas meter. Upgrade your home as they did mine. In the process, again, it's until I said this before, it's seamless. It literally takes just a couple of minutes and will save you a lot in the long term. And Liz, your folks were fantastic. And like I said, I can't wait to dive in and see how I'm using the energy in my home. Oh, thank you, Scott, and appreciate that feedback. And, you know, for anyone who's interested in learning more about our advanced meters and the tools and resources that are available, customers can visit us online at lge-ku.com/meter-upgrade. And there, we've got a lot of great information and some of the frequently asked questions that we hear from customers. That's outstanding, Liz. I know we're going to talk as the weather gets colder, too, about keeping that house warm as well, for sure. Absolutely, absolutely. Glad to do so, Scott. Thank you, Liz. Coming up, the Commonwealth of Kentucky has cash and property, and it could belong to you. Now, can you find out how to get your hands on it? We'll talk with the first new nose. I'm Scott Fitzgerald, and you're listening to Kentucky Folk. Wake up and text. Text and eat. Mm-mm. Text and catch the bus. Text and miss your stop. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Text and be late to work. Sorry, I'm late. Text and work. Text and pretend to work. Text and act surprised when someone calls you out for not working. Mm-mm. Me? Text and meet up with a friend you haven't seen in forever. Hi. Oh, hey. Text and complain that they're on their phone the whole time. Ugh. Text and listen to them complain that you're on your phone the whole time. Ugh. Text and whatever. But when you get behind the wheel, give your phone to a passenger. Put it in the glove box. Just don't text and drive. Visit stoptexts, stoprex.org. A public service announcement brought to you by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the AT Council. Have you noticed bad behavior has become normalized at inter-scholastic athletic events? Some fans seem angry. They lack civility toward one another. Some even get aggressive and unruly. Time out! What is going on? This has to stop. Let's not forget, school sports aren't just about winning. And they're definitely not an excuse to take your frustrations out on the official or the opponent. They're about teaching lessons, like perseverance, respect, and empathy, so students can learn and grow as people, not just as players. We all have a role to play in setting a good example for our students and teaching them these important values. So fans, it's time to step up your game and behave positively at inter-scholastic athletic events in Kentucky. Brought to you by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association and the Kentucky Athletic Administrators Association. For over a century, local broadcasting has evolved with the needs of the community. We move past the stigmas of opinion journalism and bring the most relevant news on air, online, and on the go. You have trusted us with your news, sports, weather, and entertainment. Trust us to keep moving with you. Text radio to 52886 and tell Congress local broadcasting is here to stay. For what it's worth, I'm Sherry Preston. We've known for a long time about the risk of dementia when we gain weight, and now Dr. Darian Sutton says. This new study reveals clues as to not -- maybe it's not about how much weight we gain, but how we distribute that weight. Researchers in St. Louis took a look specifically at the fact that hides in our belly, expanding our waistline. They found that those who had higher ratios of visceral fat, that said abdominal obesity, had a significantly increased risk or signs of brain disease, which include protein deposits that we know are associated with dementia. Some tips to help keep our bodies and our minds healthy. You want to focus all around, so that includes your diet, controlling your sugar, monitoring your blood pressure. Also, most importantly, as we get older, checking our hearing. Hearing loss is a significant risk factor to the development of dementia. And we have to work to trim that waistline down. For waistlines, the CDC recommends that men keep their waistline under 40 inches and women under 35, non-pregnant women. So that's the goal. For what it's worth, Sherry Preston, ABC News. It's 4 a.m., Monday, and you're literally sucking baby snot through a tube because she's congested. Man, that's love. And if you love her that much, love her enough to make sure she's buckled in the right car seat. To make sure your child's in the right seat for their age and size, visit nhtsa.gov/therightseat. Show them you love them. Keep them safe. Visit nhtsa.gov/therightseat. Brought to you by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Ad Council. Welcome back to Kentucky Focus. I'm Scott Fitzgerald. The Commonwealth of Kentucky has returned over $13 million to Kentucky taxpayers. How did they do this? Well, this week, we had the pleasure sitting down with the verse and responsible for returning this money. That is Kentucky State Treasurer Mark Metcalf. Treasurer Metcalf, thank you for joining us. How does the Commonwealth go about returning some $13 million to its residents? Scott, thanks for hosting us. To answer your question, the Unclaimed Property Division of the Treasury handles property that has been abandoned essentially or lost. Give you an example. Let's say that you moved away from your apartment. You didn't get your deposit. You have a bank account that went dormant. You have a safe deposit box upon which the rent may not have been paid or was forgotten while the estate was being settled. Where you have an insurance policy that has cash value. All of these things potentially could be what we call Unclaimed Property. When that property is deemed to sat for too long and banks would be three years, that property has sent us. It's our job to get that money back to the rightful owners of the property. Give you an example. We have today more than $840 million here in Kentucky that belongs to Kentuckians. And in Jefferson County alone, there is $127,512,000 that needs to be returned to Jefferson County. We're trying to do that. We believe that letting people know will help us get this property back to the rightful owners. Kentucky State Treasurer Mark Metcalf joins us as the Commonwealth of Kentucky has a large amount of money and unclaimed property. They'd like to get back to its rightful owners. I know this for a fact because I checked and found out I was owed money. Treasurer Metcalf, is there a statute of limitations on this money? No, there is no statute of limitations. You can claim for your grandfather and your grandfather may have passed, let's say. But if you can prove that you're his heir, word that is owed to his estate, we can send that to you or to the attorney representing the estate or to the circuit clerk's office so that money can be returned to the rightful heirs. Kentucky State Treasurer Mark Metcalf joining us now is there is property available. In some cases cash, as it was in my case, that's available to you and to the secretary's point, it's a very simple process. If you log on, you fill out just a very simple form and you send it back and if you're owed property, you'll certainly get your property in hand. Secretary Metcalf, I can understand the demand is probably big for this. What's kind of the average turnaround time on something like this? For smaller amounts, we can have a check to the rightful owner within days. For larger amounts that have to go through estates, it may take several months, but we have returned as much as $101,000 this year to a business. We recently, through an estate returned $99,000. These are what we would say are serious sums of money. I'll give you an example about other unclean property. We have military awards and decorations, bronze stars, purple hearts, and these are priceless. And there is a family member who is kin to the owner or the recipient of those awards who would love to hang that over a desk or a fireplace next to the picture of the loved one. We want to get those properties back. Another one I'll give you an example of is we now have in our vault more than 20 pounds of silver ingots more bouillon and we don't know who owns it. We'd like to find out so we could get this back to the rightful owner. Kentucky State Treasurer Mark Metcalf taking a few minutes to join us this morning about how you can claim some unclaimed property. No matter where you are in the great Commonwealth of ours, they want to get it available to you and get it in your hands. Secretary Metcalf, while we have you in addition to unclaimed property, you're also involved in other things that go on here in the Commonwealth. For example, the Kentucky Stable Initiative that encourages savings and investments for Kentuckians with disabilities. Can you talk a little bit about that? Thank you for asking about that. It's one of the critical functions that we perform and that's helping those who are disabled for any reason, helping them establish savings accounts so that they have money to draw upon during difficult times. It also orients them to what we call financial empowerment, having money on reserve, learning how to manage or say manage, but also be able to create the savings account, a checking account, a debit card. All of these are the functions of the Treasurer's Office in terms of making Kentuckians more financially literate wherever we can. And if folks want to get involved, Treasurer Metcalf, how do they do that? If they know somebody that may have disabilities, that this would benefit them. How can they get involved? We manage the Stable operation through our Division Chief, his name is Dylan Diorio. All they have to do is go online, but I just know what they're interested in doing and volunteering, or being a beneficiary of that program, and we'll get with them immediately. That's outstanding, spending a few minutes with Kentucky State Treasurer Mark Metcalf talking about how you can gain yourself some unclaimed property. And again, also helping those that have disabilities get a solid financial footing. One more time, Treasurer Metcalf, if folks want to go and claim this property, where can they go to? What's the website? Treasury.kli.gov. Go to that site. And as I said, there are prompts that will direct you on how to apply for unclaimed property. You'll even be able to look as you did on the site and see if there's any money that's due to a person with your name. We think that Kentuckians, more they know about this, the more they'll tell their friends and their family, and the more money will be able to return to. Thank you so much, Kentucky State Treasurer Mark Metcalf. I know you're a busy, busy person. I appreciate you spending some time with us all the best, and if we can do anything for you moving forward, please let us know. We'll do thank you so much. Coming up, the Paris Olympics are getting underway soon, and the Commonwealth will boast plenty of local talent. We'll take a look next. I'm Scott Fitzgerald, and you're listening to Kentucky Folders. Hi, I'm Ryan Blaney, a third-generation race car driver, and we dedicate a lot of our time to going as fast as possible. My Grandpa Lou is the reason why my dad and I started racing, and I'm really proud to follow on his tracks. But when my Grandpa was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, it was a very unexpected bump in the road for us. I've learned a lot on this journey with my Grandpa Lou, and the memories of my Grandpa will always be with me. It's important to notice if older family members are acting differently, experiencing problems with their memory, or having trouble with routine tasks. Talking about Alzheimer's can be really tough, but if you notice something, have a conversation with your loved one. Encourage them to see a doctor or offer to go with them. Early detection of Alzheimer's can give your family time to explore support services, make a plan for the future, and access available treatments. The Alzheimer's Association provides care, support, and research to help you take control of the situation with your family and manage the disease together. If you or your family are noticing changes, it could be Alzheimer's. Talk about seeing a doctor together. Visit alz.org/time-to-talk, a message from the Alzheimer's Association, and the Ad Council. What is dedication? The thing that drives me every day is that that is very random. We call him a day-to-day for short. Every day he's hungry for something, whether it's attention, affection, knowledge, and there's this huge responsibility in making sure that when he's no longer under my wing, that he's a good person. I think the advice I would give is you don't need to know all the answers. The craziest thing was believing that your dad knew everything. So as a dad, you felt like you had to know everything. You had to get everything right. It's okay to make mistakes. As long as it's coming from love, then, you know, it kind of starts to work itself out. I want him to be able to sit back one day and go, "If we work together, we did a good job." That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. The 2024 Paris Games begin on July 24th with soccer and rugby, with the opening ceremonies taking place two days later, as the Commonwealth will have plenty of representation starting with the University of Kentucky who are sending seven present and former Wildcats to the Games, at least in track and field. Good for second most in the nation. The group is led by former Wildcats Sydney McLaughlin Lever Roney, who set the world record for the women's 4-meter hurdles at the Olympic Trials in Oregon last month. It's okay. She broke the collegiate record in her signature event. She's joined by 2023 alum, Maisie Russell, who broke the collegiate record in the 60 and 100-meter hurdles at U.K. SEC indoor pentathlon champion Charity Huffnagle will also be done in the Stars and Stripes. And not to be outdone is Alexis Holmes, who's off to her first Games after her personal best time of 2390 in the 400 meters. And former Wildcat Andrew Evans, who is also a two-time discus champion and all-American is back for his second Olympics. Joining him is former SEC champion and former multi-all-American Daniel Roberts, who is participating in his second Olympics in the 110-meter hurdles. Representing their countries other than the United States are track and field volunteer coach Devin Charlton. He will run the 100-meter hurdles for the Bahamas. The former University of Kentucky standout Jasmine Camacho Quinn ranked number one in the world in the 100-meter hurdles, will carry the flag for Puerto Rico. And Kentucky Freshman Sensation, Alexander Chukwa-Kalo will run the 100-meter hurdles for Nigeria. The University of Louisville is sending their first-ever track and field athlete to the Games, with Junior Jaden Ulrich, who will compete in the women's discus throw. And when it comes to the round ball, former Kentucky Wildcats, Devin Booker and Anthony Davis will go for the men. Well, Shay Gill just Alexander and Jamal Murray will play for Team Canada. And former Kentucky Wildcat women's star, Ryan Howard is scheduled to make her debut with the three-on-three team she was selected for the team, but her nagging ankle injury is keeping her status at least the time of press in doubt. Good luck to all our local athletes at the Games. We're back to post things out after this. You're listening to Kentucky Focus, I'm Scott Fitzgerald. ♪♪♪ My mother was very familiar with her neighborhood, but one day she stopped at the stop sign, and she wasn't even really sure what she was at. When something feels different, it could be Alzheimer's, now is the time to talk, a message from the Alzheimer's Association and the Ad Council. That's a wrap on this week's edition of Kentucky Focus. Thank you again to Liz Brown with LG&E and Kentucky Utilities. If you're a customer and haven't had your meter swapped out and you'd like to know maybe when it's going to be, or you just want to know more, go on and visit lgne-ku.com meter- upgrade for more. That's lgne-ku.com/meter- upgrade for more information. Also, thank you to Kentucky Treasury Secretary Mark Metcalf for letting us know the common one. It may have an unclaimed property for you to include cash. Just log on to kyclaims.unclaimedproperty.com. Again, that website is kyclaims.unclaimedproperty.com. Also, a quick reminder that homeowners and runners in Boyd, Carter, Fayette, Grunup, Henry, Jefferson, Jessaman, Mason, Oldham, Union, and Whitley counties who have had loss and damage caused by the April 2nd severe storms and those straight line winds and tornadoes, etc. When you have just less than two weeks to apply for federal disaster assistance, the deadline to apply is July 22nd. For more information, visit FEMA.gov again, FEMA.gov. For all of us here at Kentucky Focus and the Kentucky News Network, I'm Scott Fitzgerald saying make it a safe and happy week. We'll talk to you next time on Kentucky Focus. Kentucky Focus on the Kentucky News Network, the show that looks at issues affecting the Commonwealth and its citizens. We cover state politics and history, human interest stories, sports, and even entertainment. It's Kentucky Focus on KNN. You let him try violin because you love him, and if you love him that much, love him enough to make sure he's buckled up and in the back seat. Find out more at nhtsa.gov/therightseat, brought to you by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Ad Council. Hello, it is Ryan, and I was on a flight the other day playing one of my favorite social spin slot games on Chumbakasino.com. I looked over the person sitting next to me and you know what they were doing. They were also playing Chumbakasino. Everybody's loving, having fun with it. 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