Kentucky governor points to economic projects in COVID era

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s governor says his office has announced more than 270 economic development projects during his first year in office. That’s despite the turmoil caused by the coronavirus. Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday those projects totaled more than $2.5 billion in investments by private-sector companies and will create more than 8,700 full-time jobs. In 2020, the average incentivized wage through November on jobs created averaged $21.66 per hour. Beshear says that’s one of the state’s highest levels in years. Once the pandemic is defeated, Beshear says his goal is to build an economy based increasingly on “more resilient and higher-paying jobs.”