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1.15.26 · Kentucky Business News

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Speaker 1: Hello to Day, I'll be reading from business sources in
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Lexington and Louisville, including The Lane Report and others from
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around the Commonwealth. The reader to day is Julia Shane.
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As a reminder, RADIOI is a reading service intended for
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people who are blind or who have other disabilities that
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make it difficult to read printed material. Our first article
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comes from the January thirteenth, twenty twenty six edition of
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The Lane Report and is titled Protecting Crop Insurance Among
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Kentucky Farm Bureaus State and National Priority for twenty twenty six.
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Kentucky Farm Bureau k f B has announced its twenty
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twenty six national and state policy priorities following the conclusion
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of its one hundred sixth annual meeting. These priorities, developed
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by k f B members and approved by the k
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f B Board of Directors, will guide the organization's advocacy
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efforts at both the federal and state levels throughout the
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twenty twenty six legislative sessions. At the national level, Kentucky
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Farm Bureaus twenty twenty six priorities focus on protecting crop insurance,
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expanding water resources for irrigation and livestock, and ensuring fair
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and open trade. KFB will advocate for improvements to transportation infrastructure,
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including rural highways and waterways, regulatory reform grounded in sound
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science and meaningful immigration and farm labor reforms to strengthen
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the H two A program. Additional priorities include increased domestic
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fuel and fertilizer production, incentives for sustainable aviation fuel using
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domestic agricultural feedstocks, federal tax policies that protect family farms,
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healthcare reforms, and stronger wildlife depredation protections for producers. At
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the state level, kfb's twenty twenty six priorities emphasized continued
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investment in agriculture programs and services, including funding for the
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Agricultural Development Board, soil and water conservation, and a well
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supported Kentucky Department of Agriculture. KFB will also advocate for
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policies that protect farm land and existing tax exemptions for
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production agriculture, sustain rural road funding, require decommissioning bonds for
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commercial solo projects, Expand broadband and rural economic development strength
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and wildlife management. Increase transparency for eminent domain proceedings, and
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support forestry initiatives that benefit woodland owners and rural communities.
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The next article from the Lane Report is titled Nearly
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eleven million free meals served to Kentucky kids During the
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summer of twenty twenty five, summer meal for kids were
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available in all one hundred twenty Kentucky counties for the
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first time ever. No kid hungary Kentucky. The Kentucky Department
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of Education KDE and Feeding Kentucky have unveiled new data
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showing that for the first time in history, free summer
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meals for kids were available in all one hundred twenty
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counties of the state. Between May and August of twenty
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twenty five, almost eleven million free summer meals were served
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to Kentucky's children at meal sites throughout the commonwealth, up
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from eight point one million in the summer of twenty
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twenty four and five point three million in the summer
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of twenty twenty three. A major contributor to the expanding
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reach of summer meal programs across the Commonwealth is the
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widespread availability of sun Meals to Go, a grab and
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go option which allows rural families the flexibility to pick
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up multiple days worth of meals to eat off site
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or at home. Local school districts and community organizations serving
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as program sponsors in one hundred thirteen of Kentucky's one
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hundred twenty counties served over nine point one million sun
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Meals to go during the summer of twenty twenty five,
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representing eighty three percent of all summer meals served in
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the state. Children who depend on school lunch and breakfast
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can now access healthy summer meals in every Kentucky county,
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said Kathy Gallagher, Summer Food Service Program Manager, Kentucky Department
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of Education. My staff and I are honored to help
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many school districts and other organizations close the hunger gap
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so that children are supported. This helps ensure that kids
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return to school healthy and ready to learn at the
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end of the summer. Long Standing gaps in local access
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to US Department of Agriculture summer meal programs in Caldwell
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and Green Counties were closed in twenty twenty five when
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Caldwell County Schools and Feeding America, Kentucky's Heartland Food Bank
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became summer meal sponsors. No Kid Hungary, KADE and the
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Kentucky Kids Eat program of Feeding Kentucky invided support to
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these partners in their expansion and delivery of much needed
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sun meals to go service and rural communities. Public libraries
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played pivotal roles in summer meal availability and as many
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as a third of Kentucky counties. The Lawrence County Public
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Library returned as a sponsor, and many other libraries also
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served as meal sites. Public libraries in Green and Casey Counties,
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in particular, where no summer meals were available in twenty
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twenty four, played key roles in closing gaps for summer
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meal service in twenty twenty five. Without access to school meals,
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summer can be the hungriest time of year for kids
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across the commonwealth. Closing the gap in local access to
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summer meals among Kentucky's counties is a perfect example of
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how local school districts, community organizations such as food banks
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and public libraries are Kentucky Department of Education and anti
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hunger organizations like Feeding Kentucky and No Kid Hungry can
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work together to reduce food and security when school is
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out of session, said John Kin, Kentucky Kid's e Program director,
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Feeding Kentucky and co manager No Kid Hungry Kentucky. The
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next article from the Lame report is titled Bluegrass Community
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and Technical College Awarded one point one four million dollar
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federal grant to expand workforce credential pathways. Bluegrass Community and
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Technical College BCTC has been awarded one point one four
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million dollars through the US Department of Educations Fund for
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the Improvement of post Secondary Education as part of a
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nationwide one hundred sixty nine million dollar investment announced this
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week to strengthen innovation and workforce alignment in higher education.
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The grant is a part of a new round of
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awards aligned with program priorities established by the U S
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Department of Education in November, including initiatives that expand high quality,
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short term credential programs, enhance teaching and learning through emerging technologies,
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and build institutional capacity to meet workforce needs. Eighteen of
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the selected recipients are community colleges or two year systems,
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underscoring the critical role of these institutions play in workforce development.
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BCTC is the sole recipient in Kentucky. Through this award,
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the college will partner with local health care providers, local
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emergency Services, and the Kentucky Workforce Agency to launch and
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expand credential pathways in emergency medical services, EMT, commercial drivers licenses,
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CDL and allied health fields. The initiative is designed to
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serve at least one hundred and fifty students annually by
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its fourth year, directly addressing regional workforce shortages and high
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demand sectors. This award is a tremendous honour for Bluegrass
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Community and Technical College and for the Commonwealth of Kentucky,
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said doctor Greg Feeney, President and CEO of BCTC. We
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are proud to be recognized for our commitment to building
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strong and responsive workforce pathways. This investment affirms the vital
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role community colleges play in preparing students for in demand
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careers while supporting the economic vitality of our state. The
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funding will support the development of accelerated industry aligned credential programs,
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expanded partnerships with employers and public agencies, and enhanced student
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support to ensure access, completion, and job placement. This grant
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allows us to deepen our collaboration with healthcare and public
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safety partners while creating clear, efficient pathways into essential careers,
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said doctor Patriccio Meness, Dean of Nursing and Allied Health
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at BCTCAS. We plan to use these funds to expand
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program capacity, strengthen hands on training, and ensure students earn
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credentials that lead directly to employment and allied health, emergency services,
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and related fields. Ultimately, this investment will help meet critical
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workforce needs while improving access to quality education for our students.
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The award further advances bctc's mission to provide accessible, high
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quality education that connects learning to meaningful careers and supports
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Kentucky's long term workforce and economic development goals. The next
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article from the Lane Report is titled Hodgson files Legislation
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to establish the Kentucky Emergency Volunteer Core. State Representative John
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Hodgson of Fisherville recently filed HB sixty one legislation that
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would establish the Kentucky Emergency Volunteer k EV Corp, a
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user all volunteer, unarmed adjunct to the Kentucky National Guard
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that reports to the local emergency management coordinators in emergency
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situations such as floods, tornadoes, storms, and earthquakes. The rash
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of severe weather disasters in recent years has strained disaster
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response resources and budgets in Kentucky. Hutchens said k EV
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Corps could supply volunteer and help train to FEMA standards
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and ready to deploy on short notice in emergencies. The
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keV Corps will be able to assist and provide additional
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help in the event of local emergency situations. This program
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will serve as a volunteer opportunity for thousands, including retired military,
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Bluegrass Challenge graduates and Scout Program graduates. The k EV
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Corps members will be trained in unit discipline, FEMA standards,
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and other basic emergency qualifications. Each local government will decide
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if they want to participate, and units and volunteers will
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only be deployed outside the county with consent. The k
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EV Corps will be funded via donations and grants, as
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well as state appropriations and federal funds. Many Kentuckians are
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interested in helping their communities in a crisis, and k
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e V Corps provides a standardized way to organize, train,
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and deploy volunteers. Hotchin said. Young volunteers also benefit from
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the unit camaraderie and discipline, plus technical and physical training
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that may help get them ready for a higher commitment
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role in the Guard or US military in the future.
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The next article comes from the January seventh, twenty twenty
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sixth edition of Business Lexington and is titled Built to Last,
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written by Dan Dixon. When Leninger Cabinet and Woodworking l
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c W opened its doors in nineteen fifty one, it
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began as a modest Kentucky woodworking shop located in a
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home and later in a garage. Now nearly seventy five
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years later, the company remains a cornerstone custom made cabinetry
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and architectural mill work built to last for customers across
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Kentucky and the country. The original shop, located in the
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Forbes Road area of Lexington, was operated by Bob Linninger,
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a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technologies School for
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American Craftsmen in Upstate New York in nineteen fifty one.
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Cabinetry was often mass produced or built by small time
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carpenters with limited scope, but Bob envisioned something more and different,
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finally made custom cabinetry and mill work that blended artistry
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and function. His early customers were mostly Lexington area homeowners,
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but as his reputation grew, so did the demand for
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his work. In the scale of his project, people will
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still brag that they have Lenninger cabinets in their homes,
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and that is a big pat on the back for us,
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said John Lenninger, Bob's son and the current president of
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the company. Obviously, I'm proud of it all. Not many
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second generation businesses make it to seventy five years. I
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am fortunate because we have had incredible people over the years.
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The secret is finding the right people in keeping them.
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In the early years, LCW created many mid century modern
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furniture designs, including kitchen cabinetry, built in shelving bars, stereo
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cabinets and more. Bob worked at home for several years,
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but soon outgrew the space and purchased nearby lots and
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buildings to grow and continue his attention to detail, quality
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of finish, and reliability. John, a University of Kentucky graduate,
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decided to follow his father's path. He traveled to the
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Berkshire Mountains of western massachuse Us to study with famed
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English cabinet maker Ian Kirby. He returned to Lexington and
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in nineteen eighty began to assume management of his father's business.
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John and his brother Jim concentrated on modernizing the business.
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The brothers focused on getting us computerized. Recalls Nancy Lacy,
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Lenninger's vice president and a Jill of all trades for
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the company for the past thirty seven years. The main
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thing they did was developed stronger accounting, estimating practices and
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cost systems. They expanded into a larger production shop and
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began doing more commercial work with plastic laminate finishes. The
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company also invested in modern fabrication and finishing technologies, which
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helped with precision and consistency. Today, Lenninger still uses a
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variety of wood, veneers and hardwood in its projects, as
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well as plastic laminates. About ninety five percent of today's
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business is commercial. ELCW collaborates with architects, designers, business owners, homeowners,
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and medical, educational and athletic facilities. The company is able
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to produce cabinetry and mill work tailored to a wide
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variety of commercial needs. ELCW has overseen many installations in
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the medical community. For example, it has completed extensive work
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for Saint Joseph Hospital and Baptist Health Hospital. We do
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quite a bit of plastic laminate casework, exam rooms, nurses stations,
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blood draw rooms, break rooms and more anywhere they may
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need cabinets. Lacey said. The really fine woodworking would go
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into a hospital's meeting rooms or an auditorium, or into
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a CEO's office. Lininger installed cabinetry as part of a
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major renovation at Bahalla Golf Club in Louisville. Teams worked
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with various contractors to prep it for the twenty twenty
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four PGA Championship. That job had miles of wood working
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in it, including a big, extensive bar, Lacey said. Speaking
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of bars, Leninger has left its mark on many in
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the region, such as a signature look for downtown Lexington
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bar and restaurant ital X. Leninger has also worked for Keenland,
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a property rich in history, and several distilleries, which often
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outfit their tasting rooms in rich wood finishes. Occasionally, Leninger
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travels out of state for a job, such as to Indiana, Ohio,
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South Carolina, or West Virginia, where it performed work for
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the Greenbrier. Modern collegiate and professional sports locker rooms are
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quite elaborate, and Leninger seeks out those new build and
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renovation assignments. There is an absolute need out there for
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custom sports locker rooms, said Lacy. We are always willing
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to take on that kind of work. University of Kentucky
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Athletics has used Lenninger numerous times. Other sports related work
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included a new locker room for the Buffalo Sabres, a
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National Hockey League team. Lenninger belongs to the Architectural Woodwork
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Institute AWY, the national leader in setting benchmarks for woodworking excellence.
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Lacey notes that Lenninger's membership requires adherence to rigorous quality standards.
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Bob and John Lenninger were highly active members of AWY
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and developed a vast network of outstanding woodworkers to draw
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upon for help with certain projects. She said, there are
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several Leninger family members left, but for now, no one
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wishes to take over the business. We would love to
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continue the Lenninger name, but no matter what, we are
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excited to keep this business going forward, said Lacey. Although
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he has retained the title of president, John Lenninger has
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stepped away from most day to day company activities, relying
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on Lacey's expertise. We have a good customer base and
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things are running well. Leninger I feel lucky. I would
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do it all again. The next article comes from the
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January eleventh, twenty twenty sixth edition of Here Lexington and
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is titled why millions are ditching Netflix and Disney Plus
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for this seventy dollars TV loophole device written by Michael Grant.
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For years, streaming felt like freedom. We cut the cable,
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we ripped out the cable bill. We thought we were
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done with bundles, hidden fees and boxy channel packaging. Then
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streaming happened Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, HBO, Max, Hulu, Peacock, ESPN,
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Apple TV Plus and so on. Suddenly the freedom we
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praised turned into dozens of monthly charges. Cancel one service
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and half of your shows vanish keep them all, and
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you've quietly restored the old one hundred twenty dollars to
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two hundred dollars monthly bill now spread across apps. Used
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to pay once for cable, now you pay hundreds for
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several subscriptions. And after all that money, content is still scattered, GEO,
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blocked and controlled by corporations that decide what you get
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to watch and wear. That's why more and more people
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aren't just cutting back, they're escaping the system entirely. A
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tiny stick called Moxie Player is quietly spreading across the US,
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letting users access thousands of channels, movies live sports and shows,
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including titles found on paid platforms without subscribing to a
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single monthly service. People report the ability to pull up
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things from Netflix, rediscover shows that live behind Disney Plus walls,
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and browse movie catalogs from Prime or HBO. All you
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have to do is plug Moxie player in, and your
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TV becomes a fully unlocked entertainment hub. Meet Jonas, the
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engineer who cracked the TV system. Jonas isn't a Silicon
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vacklly founder or billionaire. He's an engineer, a frequent traveler,
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and someone who loves movies, and like most of us,
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he got tired of paying for streaming subscriptions that delivered
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less and costs more. His breaking point came while traveling
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for work. Despite paying for multiple streaming services, every hotel
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or rental blocked access to the content he had already
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paid for. Abs didn't work, shows were restricted by region,
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and even downloaded files refused to play. I paid for Netflix,
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Disney Plus, Prime, So why am I still not allowed
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to watch what I've already paid for? That frustration sparked
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an idea. If entertainment companies could lock customers out, maybe
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he could build a device that unlocked content freedom. So
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over the next two years, Jonas used nights and weekends
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to develop a portable TV stick that restored full access
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to content on your terms. At first, he didn't even
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plan to sell it. He built it for hims and
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quietly used it on trips in hotels, airbnbs, and friends homes,
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and every time it worked flawlessly. But then friends noticed
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and wanted one. Soon strangers online were messaging him to
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get their hands on it. Then influencers discovered it, travel
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communities started sharing it. What began as a private solution
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spread by word of mouth. Today, moxie Player is in
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use in over twenty countries and demand continues to surge
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because once you experience TV without restrictions or costly monthly bills,
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there's no going back. This is the TV loophole they
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don't want you to know about. Streaming platforms sell convenience.
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What they deliver are invisible walls, locked apps, paywalls, region blockers,
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and menus built to push you toward other monthly renewals.
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The moxie Player TV stick breaks that model. Unlike streaming
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boxes that lock you into a store or service, Moxiplayer
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operates independently. It hands control back to the viewer, giving
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you direct access to entertainment without corporate filters, limitations, or
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monthly payments. With Moxiplayer, you decide what plays on your TV.
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And here's what that actually means in real life. It
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instantly turns ANYTV into a fully featured smart TV. Access
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to hundreds of TV channels and networks, free streaming apps,
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and open content platforms. Watch movies and shows normally found
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on paid services without paying, live global TV channels including sports,
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Mirror your phone and cast anything on your device. Watch
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downloaded media and offline content. Browse the Internet, YouTube, email,
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and more, built in games and apps for extra entertainment.
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In seconds, a subscription locked TV becomes open and unlimited,
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no permissions, no no monthly traps, no blocked content, the
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way TV should be. Any TV with an HDMI port
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supports it, and users everywhere are confirming the same thing.
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They're watching content they used to watch on Netflix, Disney Plus,
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Prime Video and HBO without paying a single dollar. Here's
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how to use it. Setting up the Moxiplayer TV stick
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is extremely simple. In fact, anyone can do it in
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under a minute, even without tech experience. There are no
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complicated menus, installers, or extra devices. That's all. It takes.
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No accounts, no logins, no subscriptions, no set of headaches.
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As long as your TV has an HDMI port, which
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ANYTV made after two thousand and three does, Moxiplayer immediately
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upgrades it to fully unlocked entertainment hub. And because it's
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pocket sized, you can unplug it and take it anywhere hotels, rentals,
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friends' houses, even while traveling. The entire entertainment setup fits
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in your pocket. People call moxie Player a subscription killer
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loophole because it breaks the cycle and returns control back
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to viewers. What makes this TV stick different? People assume
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smart TVs and streaming boxes give them access to everything.
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The truth is they often act as gatekeepers, deciding which
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apps you can use, which content is available in enforcing
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regional limits. Worst of all, most interfaces are designed to
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steer you into paid subscriptions. Moxie Player does the exact opposite.
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Instead of locking down your TV and telling you to
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subscribe to streaming services, it unlocks it completely and gives
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you full control over what you watch and how you
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watch it. Full app freedom. You can install and access
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any app or streaming source. You want. No company decides
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what's allowed and what's not. No subscription needed. Watch movies, shows,
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live teare and sports without recurring fees. Users say it
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can access content from Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime, HBO and
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more subscription services without any additional or monthly costs. Fast,
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clean interface. Instead of being stuffed with preloaded apps, ads, banners,
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and bloated menus that slow everything down, Moxiplayer runs on
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a clean, optimized interface designed only for content access. Pocket
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sized and portable. The whole entertainment set up easily fits
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in your pocket, letting you take it anywhere you go vacations, hotels, airbnbs, RVs,
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and friends' houses. Works on any HDMI TV, OLDTV, new
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TV doesn't matter. Moxiplayer upgrades any TV instantly with no
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need to buy a new screen. Full control over content sources.
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You can access any content you want, including glows, gble channels,
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streaming apps, mirrored content, and community platforms. There are no
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GEO blocks, removed apps, or the dreaded not available in
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your region restriction. Moxiplayer gives you your TV back, and
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once you experience that kind of freedom, normal streaming feels
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impossible to return to. How much does it cost? You
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don't need another paid app to unlock all of your
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favorite content. That's the entire point of the Moxie Player.
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Instead of spending more money every month on subscriptions, you
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pay once. Right now, Moxie Player is available for just
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sixty nine ninety nine thanks to a limited time fifty
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percent off launch offer. You only pay that and that's it.
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To see why people are switching, Do the math. Even
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a small streaming bundle, just three apps at about nine
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to ninety nine each already cost over three hundred and
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fifty dollars per year. Most homes pay for five or
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more services, is reaching sixty to one hundred and twenty
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dollars a month, or seven hundred to fourteen hundred dollars
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every year. Moxiplayer replaces that entire cycle with a single,
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one time purchase. For many users, it pays for itself
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within the first week, once they cancel those restrictive Netflix,
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HBO and who lose subscriptions, and then entertainment is basically
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free from that point on. How do I get Moxie Player.
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Moxiplayer is not sold in stores. The only place to
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order is the official website Moxie player comes with a
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thirty day money back guarantee, meaning you can try it
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completely risk free. If you don't love it, just send
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it back for a full refund. I have to warn
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you that stock moves fast. When I ordered mine, it
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went out of stock shortly after. A colleague had to
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wait nearly a week to reorder. Mine arrived in three
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to four days. If you want one soon, it's best
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to check availability now. This concludes the reas being of
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the most recent business news in Lexington, Louible and around
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the state. Your reader to day has been Julia Ashamed.
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If you have any questions or comments about this program,
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please give our Lexington Studios a call at eight five
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nine four two two six three nine zero. Thanks for listening,
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and now please stay tuned for readings from the Kentucky
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series here on Radio LI