Vote now: Brent Spence bridge repairs up for people’s choice award
Posted Friday, September 24, 2021 6:24 pm
FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – The emergency project to quickly repair and reopen the Brent Spence Bridge following a truck crash and fire last fall, has been selected as one of the nation’s top 12 transportation projects competing for a national transportation grand prize and people’s choice award.
Kentuckians, Ohioans and regional travelers are encouraged to vote daily to honor the people behind the project who restored the nationally significant Ohio River crossing in record time.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, or AASHTO, revealed the finalists on Friday. This means the Brent Spence Bridge project now is in the running for further national honors as part of America’s Transportation Awards program, jointly sponsored by AASHTO, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The Brent Spence Bridge project and 11 other state projects from across the United States now are competing for a national grand prize, with the winner selected by a panel of judges, and a people’s choice award, which is decided by the general public in online voting.
“The online voting gives every Kentuckian an opportunity to express pride in a project of critical importance that was completed under budget and ahead of schedule under exceptionally difficult circumstances,” said Gov. Andy Beshear.
The Brent Spence Bridge, which carries Interstates 71 and 75 across the Ohio River between Covington and Cincinnati was abruptly closed early on Nov. 11, 2020, after two tractor-trailers collided and burned on the lower of the bridge’s two decks. Forty-one days later, on Dec. 22, just in time for Christmas travel, the bridge was reopened.
“It’s an honor to have the Brent Spence Bridge repair project recognized for excellence in a prestigious, national competition,” stated Kentucky Transportation Secretary Jim Gray. “It’s a great credit to our very innovative engineers and a host of partners, all of whom worked day and night to restore one of the most important river crossings in the eastern United States. We encourage all our fellow Kentuckians to go to the website and cast a vote every day.”
The 12 finalist projects emerged from four regional contests. Voting, which is now underway, continues until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Oct. 25, 2021. Participants can vote on any number of projects, once per day, at https://americastransportationawards.org/. Winners will be announced at the AASHTO annual meeting, Oct. 26-29, in San Diego.
Lena Dunham Marries Luis Felber
The couple tied the knot over the weekend, a source confirms to PEOPLE
Lena Dunham is married!
The Girls creator, 35, tied the knot with boyfriend Luis Felber, also 35, this weekend, a source confirms to PEOPLE.
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Felber seemingly hinted at the special occasion early Sunday morning by posting the song “This Will Be Our Year” by The Zombies on his Instagram Story with heart and alien emojis.
Reps for Dunham did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The actress first confirmed she was dating the English-Peruvian musician — known professionally as Attawalpa — during an interview with The New York Times, published in April.
“It’s been a few months. I feel really lucky,” she said at the time, before calling her beau “the greatest person I’ve ever met.”
Lena Dunham Credit: Lena Dunham/Instagram
In June, she shared a series of photos of the couple on Instagram in honor of his birthday.
“Feliz Cumpleanos Luis,” she wrote in her caption. “When I was 3 weeks old in downtown Manhattan, I had no idea a baby was being born in England (Winchester, no less!) who would rocket into my life — wearing a lime green polar fleece snood — and challenge so many of my beliefs about myself and the world with magical abandon.”
Dunham continued, “Everyone who comes into contact with you — creatively, emotionally, accidentally — is lucky. But I am the luckiest, because that snood is now in our shared chest of drawers.”
She concluded her tribute with lyrics from “This Will Be Our Year” by The Zombies: “‘The warmth of your love is like the warmth of the sun and this will be our year, took a long time to come.’ Happy Birthday, Lulu.”
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Dunham also gave her man a sweet shoutout on Twitter a few days prior to the birthday post.
“When I feel sick, my boyfriend makes delicious pasta & rewatches as much BoJack [Horseman] as I want, walks the dog & makes up songs about her face,” she wrote. “In January, all I Tweeted about was how men are basically refried beans in human form. What I’m saying is, don’t quit before the miracle, kids.”
The couple made their red carpet debut in August, attending a screening of Zola at the Sundance Film Festival in London. Felber wrapped his arm around Dunham as they posed for photos at the event and, at one point, planted a kiss on her forehead as she smiled.
RELATED VIDEO: Lena Dunham Opens Up About Her Failed IVF in Emotional Essay: ‘None of My Eggs Were Viable’
Gabby Petito’s Father Asks Supporters to Be ‘Inspired’ at Funeral Held for N.Y. Woman
A funeral was held Sunday for Gabby Petito, the Long Island, N.Y., woman whose remains were recovered last week near Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.
Services for the 22-year-old woman took place in Holbrook, N.Y. after Gabby was found dead last Sunday. Officials have since determined her death was a homicide.
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Gabby’s father, Joe Petito, thanked everyone for their support in wake of his daughter’s disappearance in August. He then asked them not to be sad, but rather “inspired” by Gabby and all she embodied.
“So when you leave here today, be inspired by what she brought to the table,” he said, “because the entire planet knows this woman’s name now. And she’s inspired a lot of women and a lot of men to do what’s best for them first. Put yourself first and do it now while you have the time. I couldn’t be more proud as a father.”
Gabby’s stepfather, Jim Schmidt, spoke of a special tattoo Gabby had on her arm that said “Let It Be” — the title of one of her favorite songs by The Beatles.
One particular verse, Schmidt said, “speaks” to him: “When the broken-hearted people living in the world agree there will be an answer, let it be.”
“It’s okay to mourn for Gabby, and it’s okay to feel sorrow and pain. But we want to celebrate her and how she lived her life,” Schmidt said after reading the lyric. “We need to hold on to all of those wonderful memories we shared with her, because that will be the answer. Let it be.”
The night before the funeral, Gabby’s mother Nichole Schmidt shared a message of gratitude to the family’s supporters on Facebook.
“As I scroll through all the posts, my heart is full of love. I wish I could reach out and hug each and every one of you!!!” she wrote alongside a memorial video of her daughter. “Your support has been so overwhelming and we are so filled with gratitude.”
“Please know what you are all doing for us does not go unnoticed,” she added, “and with all of you by our side, we will get #justiceforgabby 🦋💙🌈.”
For exclusive interviews and details on the Gabby Petito case, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday.
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Meanwhile, the search has resumed for Gabby’s fiancé Brian Laundrie, who hasn’t been seen in more than a week. He allegedly told his parents he was going on a hike before he vanished.
For nearly two months, Petito and Laundrie had been traveling across America in a white, repurposed Ford Transit van. Police say Laundrie returned to his parents' Florida home in the van on Sept. 1, and that he was alone.
Petito was reported missing on Sept. 11 — more than two weeks after her mother last spoke to her by phone. Laundrie and his parents refused to meet with detectives handling the case.
Gabby Petito Gabby Petito | Credit: Gabby Petito Instagram
On Sept. 15, Laundrie was named a person of interest in the case. Two days later, he was reported missing.
Laundrie is now wanted by the FBI on an active arrest warrant issued late Thursday on allegations of unauthorized use of a debit card, and has been the subject of a massive, weeklong manhunt across a Florida reserve.
RELATED: ‘They Always Had Some Drama’: Friends Reflect on Romance Between Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie
At this point, investigators have yet to say how Petito was killed, but believe she died sometime between Aug. 27 and Aug. 30.
Police believe the relationship between Petito and Laundrie became more strained during their tragic road trip, according to a newly unsealed search warrant connected to the case.