May 20, 2024

Today’s Forecast

87º | 7% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 6:23 a.m. | Sunset 8:46 p.m.

A unique friendship forged in food

Two students cutting cucumbers on colorful cutting boards with bowls of peppers, carrots, and herbs in front of them.

Students get hands-on experience creating dishes from start to finish. | Photo provided by Audrey Grevious Center

As the school year comes to a close, we wanted to share an inspiring partnership forged in local food — the Audrey Grevious Center (AGC) + FoodChain.

For those that may not know, AGC is a collaborative effort between Fayette County Public Schools + Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government that offers educational and therapeutic services for adjudicated youths ages 13-18. Most students have been involved in the court system or struggled with truancy.

The special program provides students with a safe space — the staff utilize trauma-informed practices — to get back on track so they can complete high school.

Classrooms typically have 6-10 students with a program aid present along with each teacher. There’s also social workers on staff to offer support for de-escalation + mental wellbeing.

A hand holding a flaky pastry filled with red jam and topped with frosting. — One of the menu items the students got to make was a raspberry hand pie. | Photo provided by AGC

As part of the program, AGC aims to expose the students to a variety of experiences. One way is through a partnership with local nonprofit FoodChain.

“AGC has been a great partner through the years,” said Kristin Hughes, Director of Education and Outreach at Food Chain. “Since beginning these classes four years ago, we have seen students open up more about their own food cultures, show excitement to try something new, and increased their own food literacy.”

Once a week, FoodChain comes to the school to lead educational food classes with the students. During this time, students follow step-by-step instructions to create dishes made from locally grown fruits + veggies.

“It’s nice to see them have a learning experience that isn’t necessarily a traditional academic experience,” said Giselle Boulanger, a teacher at AGC. “To see them learning about things that are hands-on, and exposing them to different foods that they wouldn’t normally have access to — it’s really great.”

See what the students said

Events

Monday, May 20

Candle Pour Bar + Cocktail Lounge | Monday, May 20 | 12-7 p.m. | Poppy & Pomelo, 526 E. High St., Lexington | $38-$50 | Start your week off on a fun note by pouring your own clean-burning scented candle — cocktails are available for purchase.

Tuesday, May 21

Paint and Sip - Tuscan Flowers | Tuesday, May 21 | 6:30-8:45 p.m. | Pinot’s Palette Fayette Mall, 3851 Mall Rd., Ste. 110, Lexington | $35 | Practice your painting skills in a social setting while you sip and paint a “Tuscan Wildflowers” scene.

Wednesday, May 22

Lexington vs. High Point | Wedneday, May 22 | 10:15 a.m. | Legends Field, 207 Legends Ln., Lexington | $10-$25 | Get that summertime feeling with a morning at the ballpark + bring the kiddos out to see the Legends host the Rockers.

Thursday, May 23

Kevin Farley | Thursday, May 23-Saturday, May 25 | Times vary | Comedy Off Broadway, 161 Lexington Green Cir., Unit C4, Lexington | $11-$20 | Get ready to giggle with the brother of late comedian Chris Farley, who has had guest roles on shows such as “Drunk History” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Friday, May 24

Golden Hour: $5 Friday | Friday, May 24 | 5-8 p.m. | Harkness Edwards Vineyards, 5199 Combs Ferry Rd., Winchester | Free, price of purchase | Kick back and soak in that vineyard sunset while sipping specially priced wine, sangria, and cocktails.

Events calendar here

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Civic

Fayette Alliance releases the results of its 2024 Primary Candidate Questionnaire

FayetteAlliance_PrimaryCandidateQuestionnaire_LEX_MAY2024

Prepare to head to the polls later this month, Lexington. | Photo provided by Fayette Alliance; Jeff Rogers

The 2024 Primary Election is right around the corner (read: tomorrow, May 21). Three districts within Lexington-Fayette County will hold primary elections from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., including:

District 1
District 4
District 7

Pro tip: Not sure which district you live in? Find out here.

If you’d like to learn more about the Urban County Council candidates, like the five looking to fill District 7’s seat, Fayette Alliance has released the responses to its 2024 LFUCG Primary Candidate Questionnaire.

This resource provides insight into the position of each new candidate and incumbent on policies and growth decisions. Topics include:

Land Use Planning
Economic Development
Infrastructure Investment
Environmental Conservation
Affordable Housing
Transportation
And more

Once voting is complete, two candidates will be selected ahead of the general election, held on November 5.

Want more information? The Fayette Alliance newsletter provides monthly updates on growth, development, and land use. Follow along on social media for weekly updates.

Explore questionnaire results

News Notes

Transit

LexPark citations will increase by $10 starting Sunday, Sept. 1. Last week, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council voted to approve the price hike, as well as a $5 increase for monthly parking passes at the Helix and the Transit Center garages. (Lexington Herald-Leader)

Number

$60 million. That’s the price tag for the new Martin-Gatton Agricultural Sciences Building that just broke ground last week. The 66,000-sqft building will serve as the primary teaching facility + student center and is expected to be completed by early 2026. (Kentucky Kernel)

Sports

For the first time since 2006 — and second time in program history — UK baseball is the SEC regular season champion after a 17-7 run-rule victory over Vanderbilt. The Wildcats begin SEC tournament play on Wednesday, May 22 in Hoover, Ala. (Lexington Herald-Leader)

Closed

The Shamrock Bar & Grille in Hartland will close its doors tonight. But hold your horses — the restaurant will re-open on Lancer Avenue in Brannon Crossing after Memorial Day. The Shamrock on Patchen will remain open. (Lexington Herald-Leader)

Eat

Tuk Tuk Snack Shop announced its new hours + new menu items. It will now be open Tuesdays + Wednesdays, 5-9 p.m., and Thursday-Saturday, 5-10 p.m. Stop in for dinner service to try new dishes like crab curry pasta, veggies ‘n dip, and the steak salad.

Awards

VisitLex recently honored 47 locals at its Lexington Hospitality Awards ceremony. The event serves as a way to acknowledge the exceptional service of our front-line staff, as well as “Hometown Heroes” who bring events + conventions to town.

Finance

Believe it or not, we’re halfway through the year (aka time to assess your progress on your annual savings goals). Need some guidance? Dive into Field & Main Bank’s best savings tips to see how to get back on track or build your progress.*†

Plan Ahead

Your Memorial Day weekend plans just got sweeter. The inaugural GAZEBO Festival (co-headlined and hosted by Derby City rapper Jack Harlow) is headed to Louisville on Saturday, May 25 + Sunday, May 26. Here’s everything you need to know — from the full lineup to ticket options. Snag a pass.*

Home

You deserve beautiful, energy-efficient windows and doors. Renewal by Andersen^® is offering buy one, get one 40% off + $200 off your order for a limited time.*

†Member FDIC

Transportation

The wheel on the bus go...

A Lextran bus waiting to pick up passengers from the station with the Abe Lincoln mural in the background.

Lextran expects to make 3.75 million trips via its 25 fixed routes by the end of FY 2024. | Photo by LEXtoday

Lextran, our city’s public transportation system, presented its 2025 budget at a City Council Work Session last week.The $35 million balanced budget will still need to be voted on by the full council, but let’s take a look at some of the key numbers that were highlighted.

$24,023,978 | That’s how much the organization expects in revenue (~68% of the projected budget) from property taxes.
$5,617,465 | That’s how much federal funding Lextran expects to receive, making it the second highest source of revenue for the FY 2025 budget
$19,770,224 | The largest line item for expenses is wages + fringe benefits.
$75,000 | That’s how much Lextran set aside to study microtransit feasibility in LEX. Microtransit is defined as smaller, on-demand vehicles taking riders door-to-door or curb-to curb.

You can see the full presentation on page 50 of this council work session packet. We’ll share more on the microtransit study soon.

Asked

How often do you use Lextran’s services?

A. Everyday
B. Once a week
C. Once a month
D. Never

All aboard

The Buy

An excellent summer hydration bottle: Hydro Flask’s 32-oz. stainless bottle with a flex straw lid. Color “Sugar Crush” is only available for a limited time, and it’s so cute and summery, we’ve got all the heart eyes for it.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Molly

From the editor

Shoo. What an action packed weekend it was here in LEX. I went to Stepping Stone Farm this weekend to pick strawberries and have around seven pounds. Help me use them by sending me your favorite summer strawberry recipe.

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