Business

Government agencies that often offer economic incentives to attract new businesses now are giving traction to something new: giving incentives to existing businesses.

 “This is the best thing to happen to businesses around here in a long time,” Bobby Hudson told the Shelbyville City Council at Thursday’s meeting. “It’s fantastic for industries and cities because it targets the present businesses as well as new industries.”

When next you see a movie at the cinema on Breighton Circle in Shelbyville, you no longer will be making a great escape from reality.

That’s because Regal Entertainment Group of Knoxville, Tenn., one of the nation’s largest theater chains, has acquired Great Escape Theatres, including the facility in Shelbyville, in a deal announced late last year.

It’s still a little early to tell how this month’s very damp weather will affect Shelby County’s agriculture.

That’s the view of Corinne Kephart, the University of Kentucky Corporate Extension Office’s agriculture agent for Shelby County.

Kephart notes that although predictions for this winter were for a heavy snowfall, this December has been a little warm for that to happen.

However, she also notes that November and December are usually fairly mild and that the coldest months are typically January and February.

Tumbling fuel prices may not last a week

You may have noticed that gas prices in Shelby County dipped this week below the $3 barrier for the first time in many months, hitting $2.95 at some outlets as of Wednesday, but that could be a short-term decline.

That’s significantly below the national average, which has fallen by 20 cents in the past month to $3.22 as of Wednesday, according to GasBuddy.com, a national petroleum prices clearinghouse.