The Appropriations Committee met on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 3:02 PM in Council Chambers, chaired by Councilman Jonathan "JJ" Joseph (R-12). The committee considered 29 items—including capital infrastructure fund (CIF) appropriations, neighborhood development fund (NDF) appropriations, and ordinances—all of which were approved. Several items were amended to increase total funding by adding contributions from multiple council districts. The meeting adjourned at 3:41 PM.
JCPS has provided students with countless academic opportunities to establish themselves in fields outside of their respective schools. This concept stays true to this day with the Atherton speech and debates team's recent trip to China to compete in the Chengdu Sister Cities International Debate Tournament. So Best Speaker is a separate award, and throughout your competition, judges will keep track of how good they think the speakers were, how good the speeches were, how good they were able to speak in crossfire. So like when opponents are like asking each other questions and how well you're able to quickly respond to that. And so getting best speaker was a really big honor. And they also did this really fun thing where when they called out Best Speaker for both the American team and the Chinese teams, they had us do like an impromptu speech. So me and the girl from China both had to come up and give a little impromptu speech about you know how grateful we were like a little Oscars type deal. And it was really cool because the girl that won Best Speaker for China was also a girl that I had become like kind of friends with throughout the competition, so it was really great that we got to stand on stage and do that together. But China was really an incredible country. It was so beautiful, it was so green. Um everything there was really cheap and everyone was really really friendly. So we went to two school visits. We went to a private school and a public school. We went to the giant giant panda research base, which is really cool. Um we learned how to make mandu by hand and they got to eat them. Thanks to this opportunity, Atherton students were able to solidify their spots on the international academic scale. For our kids, I'm Atherton correspondent Catherine Armstrong. Correspondent Boston Sissel introduces us to the teaching pathway at Ballard High School. In the educational workforce, it's no secret that there's a shortage of teachers. At Ballard High School, there is a pathway that allows students to prepare to become teachers. All of the upperclassmen that are in the program take frequent visits to Wilder Elementary to teach their kindergarten buddies how to read and write. One of the things I think one of the themes that ties throughout all four years of the pathway is that there is a intense focus on leadership, which translates well beyond careers or internships and education. So they learn a lot about leadership, they learn a lot about organizational skills, they learn a lot about just human relations and how to relate to people, and those translate to lots of internships. But if they fail their second routine inspection in a row, then they would have to post a B placard. And that's um the facilities under review. We are working with that facility so they can pass routine inspections. The B is also given if that facility had to close, whether they had gotten A's with the previous inspections. If that facility has to close because of the imminent health hazards, when that follow-up is conducted, they automatically get the B placard. If you're curious about uh any restaurants' scores, there is a link on our website available to find that information. Two years ago, an unprecedented investment in the city of Louisville started this ball forward and set a stake in the ground. The leaders of Louisville delivered. The leaders of Louisville did exactly what they said they were going to do and exactly what they were asked to do. And so this year, it was easy to go back and say, let's do more. And one billion dollars of additional investment in this community, it's not accidental. It is intentional. So it takes everybody to get this done. Not just the givers of the money, not the people that just have the responsibility, but it takes those people who work in the trenches that deserve that support that are doing the work that deserves to be delivered to the people of the Commonwealth. And that's what the General Assembly is about. When we all work together, and when things are lined up, the cards are in the hands and they're played properly. Great things can happen. And I think this one billion dollars here is part of that particular piece. The nonprofit community really is what helps those most vulnerable, and it really makes a community click. And um, I just want to point out that this investment is so critical to so many organizations. These are those organizations that create that incredible fabric that you feel in Louisville, Kentucky. Looking to get away, want to go nonstop. Louisville Mohammed Ali International Airport can take you to Philadelphia, Phoenix, Hoogorda, Raleigh Durham, San Francisco, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Washington, D.C., and lots more. Visit Fly Louisville.com for all the details. My name is Curtis Jones Jr. and I am a maintenance plumber.