Good news for homeowners.
The state reduced its property tax this year for the fourth year in a row.
This year, it dropped from 11.4 cents per $100 of assessed value last year to 10.9 cents this year.
It doesn’t seem like much.
But every half cent adds up.
• Big Lots fans are a little anxious this week.
The discount store announced this week that it plans to close between 35 and 40 stores in 2024.
And he hinted that the company might not survive.
The chain, which has more than 1,300 stores across the country, said it used cash in operational activities in 2022, 2023 and the first quarter of 2024 to stay afloat.
• And MOD Pizza, which has a store in Owensboro, said it was on the brink of bankruptcy before Elite Restaurant Group acquired it this week.
• AARP said this week that “elderly poverty is at levels not seen in more than a decade. More than 39 million seniors live in or on the edge of poverty.”
He added that more than 11 million elderly people are at risk of going hungry and almost 21.8 million struggle to pay for housing.
• Kentucky announced this week that it is offering a new free online learning program to help people prepare for good jobs in high-demand industries.
“Each Ready for Industry course is 15 to 20 hours of instruction designed to help job seekers understand what it’s like to work in a variety of high-demand industries, such as manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, transportation, distribution and logistics, and architecture and construction,” the ad said.
• Inteligente.com says that one in three companies surveyed this year no longer requires a bachelor’s degree for some positions.
It stated that 59% dropped the requirement for entry-level positions, 54% for mid-level positions and 18% for senior-level positions.
• Business Facilities magazine ranked Kentucky among the top 10 states for Food Processing, Automotive and Electric Vehicle Investment.
And Site Selection magazine’s ranking of America’s Best Counties placed Ohio County in the Top 10.
NEO Industries Inc.’s expansion into Ohio County led to this classification.
It will create 20 jobs with an investment of US$12.4 million.
• The state said this week that General Fund revenues for the fiscal year that ended June 30 totaled $15.6 billion — an increase of $423.6 million from last year
That was $1.4 billion more than the original estimate used when the budget was set.
And it marked the fourth consecutive year with a surplus of more than a billion dollars.
Highway Fund revenues totaled $1.9 billion – an increase of $874.6 million from last year.
Keith Lawrence, klawrence@messenger-inquirer.com
