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Saturday December 6, 2025
Local Connection
The latest schedule for mosquito fogging has been released following the recent death of a Louisville resident from the West Nile disease.
Areas to be fogged as part of the Public Health and Wellness program include those surrounded Bluegrass Ave., Inverness Ave., S. 4th Street, and Lonsdale Ave in the Southern Parkway area and Alta Ave., Saratoga Dr., Rutherford Ave., and Newburg Rd. in the Highlands.
Mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile were collected in ZIP codes 40205, 40208, 40211, 40212, 40214, 40215, 40216 and 40272. Earlier this week, the Kentucky Department for Public Health confirmed a death from the West Nile virus in a Louisville resident and has confirmed one other non-fatal Louisville case.
“West Nile infected mosquitoes are present throughout the community, and people should take the appropriate precautions,” said Dr. Joann Schulte, director of the Louisville Department of Public Health and Wellness.
Current fogging areas, as well as a list of previously fogged areas may be found here.
$1.4 million project features new stone seat wall; landscaping updates
After years of planning and months of work, the revamped and freshly-completed North Overlook project in South Louisville’s Iroquois Park was unveiled to the public today by a group that included Mayor Greg Fischer, Councilwoman Marianne Butler and officials from Metro Parks and Recreation and the Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy.
“The view from the top at the North Overlook is as spectacular as ever, and once the surrounding native grasses and other plantings have a chance to grow in, the whole experience at the summit will really be enhanced,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “The work cements Iroquois Park’s position as one of the premier tourist destinations in the South Points Scenic Area.”
“The opening of this serene and scenic overlook is a testament to the dedication of the employees at Metro Parks and Recreation and the Olmsted Parks Conservancy. Living in the shadow of the park for over two decades, I understand the draw and the majesty of the park,” said Councilwoman Marianne Butler (D-15). “The park users, my neighbors and future generations will benefit and appreciate this view for years to come.”
Feedback gathered from the public during two public meetings in summer 2014 resulted in many of the improvements. A meandering, wheelchair-accessible path now takes the park user to a spectacular area with improved vistas of downtown Louisville and the Indiana Knobs, where the panorama is widely acknowledged as the best in the area.
Visitors will enjoy sitting on a rustic stone bench or in the grassy picnic areas. Native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants populate the walkway and several stormwater retention basins, which help control erosion. The vegetation likely won’t begin realizing its true potential until next spring, according to officials. Continue reading
State Confirms One Other Non-Fatal Louisville Case
The Kentucky Department for Public Health has confirmed a death from the West Nile virus in a Louisville resident and has confirmed one other non-fatal Louisville case.
In 2015, there were three human cases in Louisville with no deaths. In 2014 there were no cases and in 2013 there was one non-fatal human case.
In most instances, people infected with West Nile virus either show no symptoms or relatively mild symptoms. However, less than 1 percent of infected people develop a serious neurologic illness such as encephalitis or meningitis. Serious illness can occur in people of any age. However, people over 60 years of age are at the greatest risk for severe disease. People with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, and people who have received organ transplants, are also at greater risk for serious illness.
Mosquitoes at locations throughout Louisville have tested positive for West Nile virus. Mosquito samples were collected in traps as part of surveillance by the Department of Public Health and Wellness and tested by its laboratory. Mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile were collected in ZIP codes 40205, 40208, 40211, 40212, 40214, 40215, 40216 and 40272
“West Nile infected mosquitoes are present throughout the community, and people should take the appropriate precautions,” said Dr. Joann Schulte, director of the Louisville Department of Public Health and Wellness. Continue reading
Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles led a meeting of advocates for the hungry and local leaders to learn what is being done at the local level to combat food insecurity in the Louisville area Tuesday at the Dare to Care Food Bank on Fern Valley Road.
“These regional meetings will give the Kentucky Hunger Task Force a clearer picture of the need as well as actions being taken locally to meet the need,” Commissioner Quarles said. “With this information, the task force can develop measurable, attainable goals for reducing hunger in Kentucky and a plan of action to achieve those goals.”
Dare to Care reported that 156,570 food-insecure individuals live in the eight Kentucky counties that it serves. Dare to Care distributed 14.2 million meals to Kentucky clients in its most recent fiscal year, including 70,000 backpacks of food to 1,760 students in 29 Kentucky schools and 260,000 hot Kids Café meals. Map the Meal Gap, an annual study by Feeding America, found that 17 percent of the population of Kentucky – or 1 out of every 6 Kentuckians – is food insecure.
The Hunger Task Force is part of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Hunger Initiative, a first-of-its-kind effort to alleviate food insecurity in Kentucky. The objectives of the Hunger Task Force are to study the sources of hunger, identify the unique issues that affect different regions of the Commonwealth, and take an inventory of resources that can be brought to bear against the hunger problem in Kentucky.
The task force is holding a series of regional meetings throughout the state to hear from volunteers fighting hunger at the local level. Meetings are scheduled for Sept. 19 in Elizabethtown and Sept. 28 in Pikeville.
For more information about the Hunger Initiative and the Hunger Task Force, visit kyagr.com/hunger.
CMS acknowledges completed submission of Medicaid waiver; opens thirty day federal comment period
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services acknowledged the completed submission of the Section 1115 demonstration waiver known as Kentucky HEALTH (Helping to Engage and Achieve Long Term Health).
This innovative and common sense approach waiver will put Kentuckians on a path to better health outcomes, ensure long term sustainability of the Medicaid program and familiarize members with commercial insurance and prepare them for self-sufficiency.
“We are pleased that our Kentucky HEALTH plan has achieved this important milestone and we look forward to the public input that will be received over the next thirty days,” said Gov. Matt Bevin. “Kentucky HEALTH will allow us to provide Medicaid coverage that ensures better health outcomes for Kentuckians in a fiscally responsible manner. Without it, there will be no expanded Medicaid in Kentucky, so we look forward to working with CMS to ensure this coverage continues.”
There will now be a 30-day federal comment period similar to the public comment period Kentucky recently conducted. After that time, the Medicaid statute provides full authority for the Secretary of HHS to approve the waiver at any time.
Beginning next year, Kentucky taxpayers must begin paying a portion of Medicaid expansion costs for the first time. The prior administration unilaterally implemented Medicaid expansion without a plan to pay the additional $1.2 billion in new state spending for fiscal years 2017 through 2021 necessary for the program. Kentucky HEALTH will help improve health outcomes while ensuring the long term viability of the Medicaid program.
University of Louisville officials today announced construction of a Welcome Center on the east side of campus, near Eastern Parkway and I-65. The $2 million facility, which is being funded through private donations, is expected to open in fall 2017.
The center will be named the Herman and Heddy Kurz Welcome Center to honor the Louisville couple who have been supporters of the university for more than 60 years. Heddy Kurz is a member of the UofL Board of Overseers. She and Herman, who died in 1999, are adopted alumni of the university. The university previously honored the couple by naming a residence hall in their honor in 2004. That facility, Kurz Hall, now houses about 400 honors students.
“This will be a first-class welcome center that will serve thousands of visitors each year,” said Interim Executive Vice President and University Provost Dale Billingsley. “Herman and Heddy Kurz have gifted the university not only through their philanthropy, but also as supporters of our students and our work in areas ranging from medicine to music. They have served as goodwill ambassadors, and it is fitting that the staff of this center will continue their efforts.”
To be located at the corner of Eastern Parkway and Hahn Street, the one-story structure is expected to serve as a resource not only for the university, but also the Belknap Research and Innovation Park currently under development, the neighborhoods around Belknap Campus and the Louisville community. The center also will serve visitors to the Cardinal Park athletics complex.
While many details remain to be developed, plans include informational kiosks, daily hours, student staffing and possible retail opportunities. The property also includes a billboard, which the university will use for promotional purposes.
Gov. Matt Bevin and Labor Sec. Derrick Ramsey today announced the launch of the “Kentucky Trained. Kentucky Built.” apprenticeship campaign at Voestalpine Roll Forming Corporation (RFC) in Shelbyville. They were joined by Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton; Ray Leathers, Roll Forming Corporation President and CEO; and Micah Craig, Roll Forming Corporation Process Engineer.
This initiative sets forth a goal of helping new program sponsors tap into the potential that apprenticeships have for their workforce needs.
“In our efforts to make Kentucky the manufacturing hub of excellence in America, we recognize the value of apprenticeships and their ability to help us achieve this goal,” said Gov. Bevin. “While a significant number of employers in Kentucky already realize the potential in apprenticeships, this initiative will seek to devote more resources and identify new industries where apprenticeships can play a pivotal role. This will be essential in addressing the workforce needs of employers in the Commonwealth.
“Apprenticeships provide career pathways for those just entering the workforce as well as increased opportunities for those looking to expand their career track. This is why the apprenticeship model’s ‘Grow Your Own’ approach will be a crucial tool for employees and employers alike. The future of workforce development looks bright in the Commonwealth. By re-committing ourselves to fully embracing the power of apprenticeships, we are placing ourselves in the best position to move Kentucky forward,” Gov. Bevin concluded. Continue reading
