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Take this as a cautionary note, C-suite financial executives: We are now living through version 2.0 of COVID-19 stimulus related investigations. Federal authorities appear to be operating under a strong mandate to ferret out perceived fraud and abuse in the oft-confusing world of COVID-19 stimulus programs, and they are no longer going after only the low-hanging fruit.

As such, the time is now for CFOs and other financial executives who are involved in these programs to ensure their proverbial houses are in order under the watchful eye of a white collar criminal and regulatory defense attorney. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and that also holds true in this area of the law. 

Early intervention can often spot problems so they can be addressed before it is too late. For example, unintentionally over-funded Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans should be addressed before a forgiveness application is filed. Likewise, an Employee Retention Credit (ERC) election often requires tax filings to be amended. Careful navigation of the labyrinth of ERC eligibility criteria as part of that process is a must.

Where We Have Been 

It’s important to take a moment to remember how we have come to find ourselves in this unusual situation. Back in March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to derail the U.S. economy, Congress acted with rare speed and decisiveness to fashion a series of stimulus programs aimed at protecting Main Street from an economic calamity. Only weeks into the most significant public health emergency in 100 years, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was providing forgivable federal loans to small and mid-sized businesses to help keep their operations afloat amid a wave of mandatory shutdowns and other measures aimed at stopping the spread of the virus. It was quickly followed by additional programs designed to address specific aspects of the broad and devastating scope of COVID-19 financial toll.

Criminal enforcement activity began within weeks after the proceeds of the first forgivable PPP loans were disbursed, with the first PPP fraud cases progressing at a pace uncharacteristic of the government’s typically slow and steady white collar criminal investigations.

At the beginning, most PPP borrowers who found themselves in the government’s crosshairs were charged with blatant fraud: fake companies with ginned up payroll records; loan proceeds used for personal luxuries; individuals and entities precluded from participating in such federal programs attempting to access loans; and opportunistic schemers making empty promises to naïve borrowers that they could maximize their loan proceeds for a fee. Those cases have resulted in an astonishing number of convictions for the federal government, and significant jail time for those responsible for making the loan applications.

Where We Are Now

In September 2020, a Congressional Select Committee began publicly exposing an enormous amount of fraud and abuse in the pandemic stimulus programs. By March 2022, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said publicly that its investigators alone had uncovered more than $1.8 billion in fraudulent activity related to COVID-19 stimulus funds.

In his first State of the Union address, delivered on March 1, 2022, President Biden promised that “the watchdogs are back,” announcing the appointment of a COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force Chief Prosecutor at the Department of Justice (DOJ). Coinciding with the announcement, DOJ requested a sizeable budget increase to hire additional prosecutors around the country to help bolster the Chief Prosecutor’s team. There is precedent for this type of focused prosecutorial mandate, and it means borrowers, lending institutions and anyone else that touched COVID-19 stimulus money had better gear-up too.

Qualitatively, the types of COVID-19 cases we have been seeing have been evolving for some time now. The DOJ started by bringing cases where alleged fraud was somewhat easy to spot for the government, but now the cases have become more nuanced. For example, the already target-rich enforcement environment of PPP has been expanded to a half dozen or so later COVID-19 stimulus programs such as the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), ERC, and a handful of other initiatives tailored to specific sectors of the economy particularly hard hit by the pandemic.

EIDL was once considered a relatively safe space because, unlike PPP, the vast majority of the loans received under the program must be repaid, albeit at below-market interest rates. However, scrutiny of surrounding borrowers’ use of these funds, which was initially quite narrow and later expanded by amendments to the lending program, has increased significantly. Similarly, the refundable ERC is wreaking havoc on taxpayers grappling with revenue recognition issues. Put succinctly, the introduction of programs other than PPP has given the government more potential opportunities to pounce, and it means investigators are not just going after relatively easy alleged fraudulent misrepresentation cases any longer – they are getting into the granular details.

While there are more programs for the government to examine these days, prosecutors’ toolkit is evolving too. Headline-grabbing criminal fraud prosecutions make a splash. The government quite obviously sought out easy cases to bring quickly during the initial days of the PPP because of the perceived deterrent value that accompanied that early, aggressive enforcement. Nothing sends a better warning to those thinking about misusing federal dollars than a “perp walk.” However, there are only so many easy cases to go around. Eventually, the government has to put in some work if it wants to keep making cases, and that is what investigators are doing. 

The number of PPP forgiveness applications flagged for review and audit that I have encountered in my practice over the past several months is astonishing. Preliminary PPP forgiveness denials and requests for information by the Small Business Administration (SBA) in connection with a borrower’s PPP forgiveness application, channeled through the banks tasked with administering PPP, should not be treated any differently than a tax audit. The government is using sophisticated technology such as artificial intelligence to examine discrepancies across loan and forgiveness applications, along with other government-mandated filings, to look for indications of fraud. What may appear on its face as an innocuous enough follow up to your forgiveness application is actually just another way the government is building cases against program participants. Such requests should not be taken lightly.

Moreover, now more than two years into this ordeal, we are about to see an overwhelming number of Qui Tam, or whistleblower cases, surrounding COVID-19 stimulus programs result in civil and criminal sanctions against program participants. By their very nature, Qui Tam cases are brought under seal by a private whistleblower. Whistleblowers are incentivized by the possibility of recovering statutory damages and the whistleblower’s attorneys’ fees. The cases are filed without disclosure to anyone other than the government so they can be thoroughly investigated for criminal wrongdoing. Using powerful statutory tools, both the private litigant and the government can obtain a civil recovery, and if the government uncovers evidence of a crime while the secretly filed pleading is being examined by authorities, it can also bring criminal charges. Because of the unique way that these cases arise, they take time to develop. There should be no doubt that secret dockets are stacked with Qui Tam cases, and as more time passes, they will start to be unsealed. That process has picked up dramatically in the first few months of 2022. 

Financial institutions, called upon to administer PPP, were once thought to be immune from the government’s COVID-19 stimulus fraud dragnet. That thinking, stemming from some limited bank-friendly language included in the PPP’s initial enabling legislation, has turned out to be completely wrong. Criminal investigations targeting lenders are on the rise, and as the primary repository for stimulus-related records, that means the collateral fallout to the banks’ customers should not be ignored.

While we cannot predict precisely what shoe will drop next with pandemic stimulus enforcement, there is no question that the government is now more active in this space than ever before.      

The city of Phoenix and two utility companies showed off some ways they’re preparing for summer weather. They are addressing the monsoon and excessive heat.

Today’s MI Environment story was originally published by Kathleen Lavey of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and focused on wildfires in Michigan. Wildfires affect overall air quality, and smoke and ash from these fires can cause or worsen health issues, especially in those with breathing problems, like asthma.  The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) measures a variety of air pollutants in over 40 locations statewide. Staff in EGLE’s Air Quality Division monitor levels of pollutants and will issue advisories if air quality is likely to be harmful to health. You can sign up to get air quality alerts at Enviroflash.info/signup.cfm.

Look out the window. Depending on where you are in Michigan, you might see tentative green grass or monumental spring mud.

In any case, make no mistake: Michigan’s wildland fire season is on.

“Some local fire departments have already started running wildland fires,” said Paul Rogers, fire prevention specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Rogers and other fire-qualified staff in DNR’s Forest Resources Division met recently to discuss the outlook for this season and develop plans to keep Michigan’s people and forests safe from the threat of wildfire. The season generally begins in early spring, ending with winter snowfall.

DNR firefighters and equipment are stationed strategically across the state to protect Michigan’s 20 million acres of forest land, which includes nearly 4 million acres of state forest.

The season generally begins in early spring, with the highest danger in spring and early summer. Risk lessens somewhat as trees “green up,” or bring sap up from their roots, in summer.

Because of Michigan’s wetter climate, the state rarely sees fires as vast or long-lasting as the fires they assist with in western states.

During 2021, Michigan’s largest fire was the Brittle Fire, about 5,600 acres in the northeastern Lower Peninsula on federal land. Prior to that, the most recent large fire was the Duck Lake Fire that started with a lightning strike in May 2012 north of Newberry in the Upper Peninsula. It burned 21,135 acres in three weeks’ time.

Those large fires are rare and the exception to the DNR’s goal – put out wildland fires as quickly as possible, while they’re still under 10 acres in size.

During 2021, DNR firefighters battled fires on 2,379 acres and conducted prescribed burns on about 5,100 acres. Prescribed burns are carefully planned fires that mimic the effect of natural fire on the landscape. They are used to improve habitat for wildlife and remove invasive species.

Despite mud, prescribed burns started in March. In addition, the spring danger of wildland fire from natural or human causes is very real.

“Last year was probably one of the busier springs we’ve had in a long time,” said Jeff Vasher, fire specialist in Roscommon. “It was really dry, and we started really early. Our unit started running fires on March 13 and went into June.”

This year may pose similar challenges.

“We didn’t get a lot of snow this year, and the vegetation from last year is still standing up,” he said. “That makes it rough for us, because when it stands up like that it dries out quicker and it burns a lot faster.”

Even though the ground may be saturated with water, grasses that have been dormant through the winter are dried out and burn quickly.

This means that people need to be very careful and check to see if the DNR is issuing burn permits prior to burning yard waste or other allowed materials.

“Always check on the status of burn permits with your local fire department or with the DNR before you start burning,” Rogers said. “Always check the weather. If it’s windy, dry and warm, do not burn. A fire can escape very quickly under those conditions.”

Before burning yard waste, go to the burn permit website to make sure weather conditions allow.

Some additional important fire safety tips include:

Throughout spring, summer and fall, DNR fire managers have a phone call every Thursday to discuss the weather forecast and the risk of fire in each area of the state. If needed, they’ll move staff around geographically to meet expected needs.

“We’re ready for the season,” Vasher said. “The tactics meetings get us started. It’s to get your mind set that fire season is coming, that your equipment is ready, that you have everything you need for the year.”

Caption: Fire in Atlanta, Mich.

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Above image credit: “Kansas City Week in Review” host Nick Haines. (John McGrath | Flatland)

Missouri lawmakers have completed their business for the year. But Kansas lawmakers return to Topeka today for a short final wrap-up session.

They’ll be attempting to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s vetoes on several hot-button issues, including a ban on future mask mandates.

Picking a New Police Chief

What do Kansas City residents want in their next police chief? 

This week, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and a coalition of civic and faith-based groups will release their findings after conducting a series of public listening sessions.

That report will be presented Tuesday morning before members of the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners.

The Kansas City Police Department has been without a permanent leader since Rick Smith stepped down as police chief last month.

Interim Police Chief Joe Mabin says he has no interest in staying in the job. 

The president of the police board says an executive search firm hasn’t been hired yet and it could take commissioners up to a year to find a new chief. 

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Catching Up

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Women’s Soccer Stadium Funding

It was huge news last fall when the ownership group behind Kansas City’s new women’s soccer team announced plans to build one of the first purpose-built stadiums for women’s sports.

It was even more impressive that it would be built on the Kansas City riverfront and be entirely privately financed. 

Now the KC Current ownership group is walking that back.

This week, they will head to City Hall to ask for $6 million in tax incentives to help pay for the stadium.

The team’s ownership group, which includes Brittany Mahomes, says they’re vision has changed and they want to build a bigger facility with more seats. They also contend that construction costs have ballooned since they announced the project last fall. 

The price tag has ballooned from $70 million to $117 million.

The team will make their case before the City Council’s Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee this Wednesday. 

So far, they’re getting a favorable response from members of the council, who say local tax dollars aren’t at stake. They say the team isn’t asking for local tax incentives but state tax credits that require pre-approval from City Hall.

School’s Out for Summer

School is out for summer. At least for many Kansas-side school districts. 

The final school bell rings for most Missouri districts this Friday.

With the Memorial Day holiday this weekend, cities across the metro are scrambling to open their public pools. Some will remain closed or operate with reduced hours due to a chronic lifeguard shortage.

If you’re looking for things to do with your kids or grandkids, Oceans of Fun opens this week. The metro’s largest water park begins its summer season on Saturday.

This week, you can also experience America’s greatest “Monsters, Superheroes and Villains.” It’s the latest exhibit that’s just opened at the National Museum of Toys, the newly rebranded name for the Kansas City Toy and Miniature Museum. 

You can get up close to Wolfman, Wonder Woman, Dracula and Luke Skywalker in this exhibit featuring more than 350 vintage toys, posters, TV commercials and movie trailers.

You can learn about real “superheroes” at the National World War I Museum and Memorial. If you and your family have never made it over there before, this is a good week to do it. 

Admission is half-price this Memorial Day weekend. That deal includes all visits this Friday through Monday. The museum is totally free during that time for veterans and active-duty military personnel.

Celebration at the Station

You can also start your summer with the largest free Memorial Day holiday event in the Midwest. 

For the first time in three years, Celebration at the Station is back.

Pack up a picnic and join the Kansas City Symphony on the expansive lawn south of Union Station for what until COVID-19 had been a big annual tradition.

You can catch the music, live cannons and a huge fireworks display this Sunday evening.

If fighting the crowds and sitting on a blanket or lawn chair isn’t your thing, you can watch live on Kansas City PBS. We’ll be bringing you the whole show live, starting at 8 p.m. 

Nick Haines, tracks the week’s most impactful local news stories on “Kansas City Week in Review,” Friday at 7:30 p.m. on Kansas City PBS.

Your bags are packed, tickets are in hand and you’re ready to go. But will disruption-plagued airlines in South Florida be able to avoid the spate of delays and cancellations that have dogged customers all year?

Analysts and critics aren’t so sure.

“I don’t think they are able to handle the crowds,” said Clint Henderson, managing editor of The Points Guy, a consumer advice guide for airline travelers. “What we’re seeing is a drumbeat of delays and cancellations. It’s already busy out there and it’s expected to get busier in the summer. The airlines, airports, hotels and car rental companies are not staffed for that demand. I do think you’re going to see more meltdowns.”

Labor unions representing airline workers assert the nation’s carriers are still falling short of seamlessly serving a public eager to return to the skies after being cooped up by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Florida, the problem has been particularly acute during major holiday weekends, as airlines have canceled or delayed thousands of flights due to tumultuous weather.

Last Wednesday, the head of the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents 64,000 cockpit crew members in the U.S. and Canada, ripped the airlines for accepting billions in federal government aid to keep their networks aloft, only to fall short when consumer demand rebounded from the pandemic.

“Over the last three years, the U.S. government, American taxpayers, airline labor, and company managements have risen to the challenge of the pandemic,” Joe Depete, ALPA president, told a meeting of the union’s executive board in Washington. “But … after securing federal aid on a scale no other industry received, some airlines’ failure to plan for recovery threatens to cost our industry the comeback.”

Industry observers say the problems in Florida go beyond staffing and heavy consumer demand. Air traffic control shortages and more frequent storms in the region have exacerbated the issue. The Federal Aviation Administration also pointed to a new source of disruptions: an increase in commercial space launches from Cape Canaveral on Florida’s East Coast.

In advance of the Memorial Day weekend, the South Florida Sun Sentinel asked several major carriers serving the tri-county area — American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines and Southwest Airlines — to project how prepared they are to help passengers cope with potential disruptions.

Generally speaking, airlines such as Southwest and Spirit have dialed back on the number of flights they intend to offer as they continue the process of replenishing their rosters of pilots, flight attendants and other workers who were furloughed or ushered into early retirements during the pandemic.

American has said it is hiring more than 600 home-based employees in the South Florida area to handle reservations. The airline has 200 in training, with a goal to hire more than 400 in the next couple of months, pushing the total to nearly 800. More than 1,500 were hired at Miami last year.

As for the forthcoming weekend traffic, an American spokeswoman from Miami said the airline expects to average more than 5,700 departures system-wide between May 26 and 30.

“For comparison, we operated 5,179 flights on Memorial Day (Monday of the holiday weekend) last year, and 6,381 in 2019,” said the spokeswoman, Laura Masivdal.

In an email, Southwest said that in a bid to buttress reliability during the spring and summer, the airline increased its system headcount by approximately 3,300 in first quarter of this year after factoring in previous employee departures. The airline said it plans to hire approximately 10,000 employees in 2022.

“Southwest also previously adjusted its published flight schedules for June through August 2022 to provide additional buffer to the operation this summer,” said the airline, which is one of the predominant carriers at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

The other three carriers did not respond before the close of business Friday.

Earlier this month, representatives of several carriers, including South Florida-based Spirit, met for two days with the Federal Aviation Administration to discuss the cancellation and disruption problems in Florida.

After it concluded, the FAA said it would “immediately” increase staff at its pivotal Jacksonville air traffic control center to cope with growing numbers of flights to and from Florida.

“The agency will … work with stakeholders to develop a playbook to keep aircraft moving safely when weather, space launches or other events constrain capacity,” the FAA said in a statement. “The FAA will increase the ability for airlines to keep aircraft moving during these events by using alternate routes and altitudes when possible.”

The agency stopped short of capping flights in and out of Florida, and more meetings are planned with the airlines as the summer unfolds, the FAA said.

The FAA did not respond when asked this week if they’d made those staffing changes.

Government figures show that most of Florida’s major airports have rebounded from steep service reductions caused by COVID-19, with flights increasing by more than 100% at Miami, West Palm Beach and Tampa. Fort Lauderdale is reportedly at 90%.

Southwest said it “appreciates the FAA’s focus on the air traffic challenges affecting Florida airspace and the ongoing support of airlines working to serve air travelers in the region.”

But that may be of little solace for stranded airline passengers who are again prevented from reaching their destinations on time.

Henderson of The Points Guy believes the airlines’ performance this coming Memorial Day will be a good indicator of what’s to come for the summer.

“We’ll get a good sense as to how the airlines are handling the crowds,” he said. “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be an interesting summer.”

If passengers are faced with a long delay or cancellation, Henderson and his colleagues at The Points Guy recommend that passengers respond quickly, research their your options and make a decision for alternate travel.

Some ideas:

• In advance, learn what flights are available aboard other airlines along the route you intend to travel. “You should know before you go what carriers are operating on that route,” Henderson said. You can track and check the status of flights through the online FlightAware or Flight Radar 24 tracking sites, which would give you a leg up on other passengers.
• On your phone, download the airlines’ apps for a quick reference tool. If a flight gets canceled, you may be able to rebook yourself on the app.
• Check with your airline’s gate agent for revised flight times. Don’t rely solely on electronic boards in the terminal, as they’re not always up to date.
• If your flight gets canceled you can go to the re-ticketing line. While doing that, go on the app to see if they have a rebooking option and message the airline about your situation on Twitter.
• Airport lounges: If you’re a member of an airline club with access to a lounge operated by your airline, pay it a visit. There will likely be an airline agent there to help with re-bookings and updated alternate flight information.
• Canceled with no flight options? Check for airport hotels if you’re not looking to return home right away. Better to wake up rested and refreshed to take on the next day. Whether an airline pays for the overnight depends on a variety of situations. If the airline is a major carrier and the delay or cancellation is their fault, such a crew shortage, the carrier will foot the bill. But Henderson says if the delay is caused by an act of God, such as the weather, “it’s hard to say in black and white that yes, you will get a refund or that insurance will cover you,” Henderson said. If you’re on a discount carrier or regional airline, or if you book the lowest fare class ticket in economy, the airline won’t pay.
• Reimbursements: Certain credit cards offered by Chase and American Express (which charge significant annual fees) do have trip delay coverage. That means the travel insurance will pay for the cost of hotel lodging, ground transportation and meals. You’ll likely have to pay for additional expenses upfront, but can get a reimbursement later.
• Refunds: Don’t settle for a voucher from an airline for future travel. Under federal rules, you are entitled to cash.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – This Saturday will be two weeks since Epicenter, a horse born and bred in Vette city ran in the Kentucky Derby and got runner-up.

Fast forward to now and Epicenter is prepping to run in the Preakness Stakes.

The Harris family who bred Epicenter spoke on experiencing the Derby.

“He ran a very good race, we were proud of him, very proud of him. But it was, it was fun, you know, the town kind of adopted him and everybody was pulling for him. And, you know, everybody we met, you know, everybody was talking about Epicenter, and that was that made it even more exciting. We’re proud of the horse, proud of the horse,” says Mike Harris, co-owner of Westwind Farm.

The current owner of Epicenter, Ron Winchell of Winchell Thoroughbreds reflected on his experience at the Derby, a prize his family has yet to win.

“So we’re really confident that yeah, he showed up, he was running and of course, you know, at the end there it was, it was heartbreaking to like, get run down at the wire. Usually in the Derby, you don’t see that, you know, the last 16 Horses don’t change position. But this was an entirely different run Derby this year, so it’s heartbreaking, is where I’m going with that,” says Winchell.

And although he describes his derby loss with heartbreak, he is optimistic about Saturday.

“You can’t fill that void, the derby void, but the Preakness is certainly you know, another race is highly coveted. You know, between myself and my family they’ve never run one a triple crown race. You love and hate to be the favorite, it’s good, because everybody is validating where you feel like your ability is and then the second part is you pretty much have a target on your back,” adds Winchell.

“The confidence level is, you know, great. But with any big race, you just hope you show up and run,” he adds.

Also saying he is grateful for the support he’s received.

“I’m always excited when we create new racing fans, I feel like, you know, the legacy of this horse coming from Bowling Green originally really helps kind of enforce that and maybe, and maybe hopefully brings some people into racing,” Winchell says.

If you’d like to watch the Preakness Stakes and bet on it, you can do so on Saturday at the Mint Gaming Hall in Bowling Green.

Copyright 2022 WBKO. All rights reserved.

Two-time Academy Award-nominated producer Alexander Rodnyansky (“Leviathan,” “Loveless”) is developing a new series that charts the rise of Vladimir Putin in what the producer describes as “the actual, horrifying story of how the man who changed the world got the power to do so.”

Produced by Rodnyansky’s L.A.-based production shingle AR Content, “All the Kremlin’s Men” is based on the bestseller by acclaimed reporter Mikhail Zygar, the former editor-in-chief of Russian independent station TV Rain, which was banned and disbanded in the first week of the war in Ukraine. The book is based on an extraordinary series of interviews with Putin’s inner circle.

The series will tell the story of how an unassuming ex-KGB officer became one of the most feared politicians in the world, drawing back the curtain on what goes on behind the Kremlin’s walls and revealing how Putin and his inner circle operate. It offers a timely look at the events that shaped the Russian president on his ascent to power, foreshadowing Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

“In a situation when the fate of Europe and the New World Order is decided in real time on the battlefield of Ukraine, the war that shook the foundations of modern society was launched by one man: Putin,” said Rodnyansky.

Describing the series as a Russian “House of Cards,” he added: “The show will chart not just the machinations of the various players. At its core, the story will trace the evolution of Putin’s mind.”

Even as he clamped down on domestic media, the former KGB operative in East Germany did initially try to woo the West, said the producer. But after the Iraq War, and particularly the so-called color revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine, Putin felt betrayed. “The war that he wages in Ukraine is the direct result of this feeling,” said Rodnyansky. “‘All the Kremlin’s Men’ will show to the international audience how step by step, Putin’s mind dissolved into conspiracy theories, and how people around him exploited his deep fears and mistrust of Western values, which he always saw as cynical lies.”

Last year AR Content signed a first-look deal with Apple to develop and produce high-end multicultural and multi-lingual television series for Apple TV Plus. Also on the company’s slate is the Soviet-era period drama “Red Rainbow,” which won the Series Mania Forum Best Project Award last August and is written by Matt Jones and directed by Emmy-winning director Andrij Parekh. Other series in development include “Debriefing the President,” an adaptation of former CIA analyst John Nixon’s firsthand account of the interrogation of Saddam Hussein, directed by Ziad Doueiri, and “Khan,” an epic action series about Genghis Khan and the Mongolian Empire, led by showrunner Chris Collins (“Sons of Anarchy”). Fox Entertainment acquired the series’ North American rights.

Feature films on the company’s slate include “What Happens,” the first English-language film from Andrey Zvyagintsev, who partnered with Rodnyansky on the Oscar-nominated dramas “Leviathan” and “Loveless”; and “Monica,” the third feature from Kantemir Balagov, whose Rodnyansky-produced “Beanpole” won the best director prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard in 2019.

By JOYANNA LOVE | Managing Editor

As summer draws closer in Alabama, air conditioning is a major thought as everyone tries to stay cool.

LeCroy Career Technical Center is training the next generation of professionals to service these essential systems through its HVACR program.

“Most of them, if they want a job, can find one now because everyone is hunting for employees,” instructor Jimmy Chastain said.

He said he knew of five regional companies that were currently hiring in the industry.

Many times, any additional training needed can be done on-the-job.

Students do have the opportunity to complete an internship with a local company while in the LCTC program.

High school students start the two-year program in their junior year.

The first six weeks of the program focuses on safety.

“Everything is flammable around you,” Chastain said. “You have to know where your torch is at all times.”

The copper being worked on also heats up to scorching temperatures. The refrigerant used in air conditioners can also be dangerous.

This is demonstrated for students by using liquid nitrogen to freeze watermelons or grapes to show how it would damage one’s skin.

Students are also taught how to avoid getting electrocuted.

“When you take the panel off, you got to think about what you are doing before you do it,” Chastain, who has taught the course for 13 years, said.

Wearing the right protective gear is also emphasized.

“You have to take your time when you’re doing it, too,” Elijah, a junior in the program, said. “Otherwise, you will screw up.”

After safety comes learning how to braze, which is how the copper components are welded together.

“The first thing we start with is teaching them how to braze because that is what they are all interested in,” Chastain said.

While students are learning about how the copper is connected, they are also introduced to how the unit should perform and how an air conditioner works through their textbook study.

Some students become interested in the industry because of family members working in the profession.

“My uncle does HVAC, and I really liked what he did, so I just decided to give it a shot,” Elijah said.

James, a junior in the program, said he became interested in HVAC while helping his aunt’s grandfather while he worked.

“How to braze properly” is the biggest thing he has learned so far.

“Brazing is one of the first things we learn, and it is fun to do,” James said.

Electronics practice starts on a training device that the program built.

Installing the wiring for a unit was a part of the juniors’ final project for the year. Elijah said wiring was one of his favorite parts of the course thus far.

Chastain said the more students do the different components, the more they will understand how it is all connected.

The moment when the material clicks for a student in the practical application is the best part for him.

“When … they make the link between what I have been telling them and what they are doing, and they figure out this is why he has been telling me this, and they are able to apply it without me standing over the top of them, and … they say, ‘I understand this,’ is what I like to see,” Chastain said.

Skills learned have also been used to build or fix other machinery, including a soda machine and a rolled ice cream machine.

Students also gain leadership experience as the seniors in the class help teach the juniors.

“I try to get my seniors to teach because if you can teach it, you understand it,” Chastain said.

Students complete the qualifications for the OSHA 10 and certification and the EPA 608 refrigeration certification federally required to be able to work with refrigerate. Most students will take the certification test their senior year, although some do take the tests as juniors, Chastain said.

“The two-year HVACR program is aligned with the most current NCCER (National Center for Construction Education & Research) modules relevant for this geographic area and industry needs (and) trends,” LCTC assistant principal Alfredia Shavers said.

These include NCCER certifications related to electricity, oil heat, gas heat, air conditioning and commercial air conditioning.

James plans to have a career in HVAC, potentially owning his own business one day. Chastain said several of his students go into industrial maintenance jobs. Chastain said three former students went to work at the Mercedes plant because their ability to be able to work on air conditioning helped them stand out to the employer.