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Saturday December 6, 2025
Local Connection
CodeRED is Out, Smart911 is In
In the past, residents of the Greater Louisville Area and Kentuckiana have been able to sign up to receive emergency notifications by email, text, or phone calls through a service called CodeRED. During emergency situations, subscribers would receive notifications with details about the emergency along with instructions for what to do such as shelter in place or evacuate.
CodeRED’s coverage of the Louisville area will officially terminate tomorrow night, August 16, at midnight and currently subscribed citizens will no longer receive area alerts from that service. Area residents will still be able to receive alerts, although it requires action.
The new service that will provide emergency alerts involving the Louisville Metro Area is LENSAlert – with LENS short for Louisville Emergency Notification System. This service is provided through the Smart911 framework.
Those wishing to do so can sign up for LENSAlert by visiting the subscription page here.
Qualified Participants Paid for Involvement in Research
Non-smokers aged 18-40 are sought for a research trial at the University of Louisville examining how flavors added to tobacco may lead to harmful outcomes.
The “Flavor and Addiction to e-Cigarette and Tobacco Toxicity” trial — or FACTT — is carried out by the American Heart Association Tobacco Research and Addiction Center at UofL. Principal investigator for the trial is Sanjay Srivastava, Ph.D., who also currently has ongoing toxicological studies of tobacco and nicotine to identify which chemicals are harmful and can be regulated.
The center was established in 2013 with a $10.7 million grant from the NIH and FDA. Under the leadership of director Aruni Bhatnagar, Ph.D., the center conducts multidisciplinary research to help shape the manufacture, distribution and marketing of tobacco products as they are regulated by the FDA.
UofL is building a body of research in the potential hazards of electronic cigarettes. In 2014, Bhatnagar chaired the 10-member panel of national experts that developed the American Heart Association’s first-ever policy statement on e-cigarettes, citing the paucity of research that has been conducted on the effects of e-cigarettes on health.
Another researcher with the UofL center, Daniel Conklin, Ph.D., is currently researching links between e-cigarette ingredients and cardiovascular conditions; Earlier this year, Conklin was invited to present his first findings showing the link between e-cigarette ingredients and atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup in the arteries, by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for its Annual Meeting.
To be eligible for the FACTT trial, participants must not only be non-smokers, they also must be unmedicated and otherwise healthy. The trial requires a one-time visit for a blood draw at the center in the Delia Baxter Building at 580 S. Preston St. on the UofL Health Sciences Center campus.
Qualified participants will receive a $30 prepaid spending card. For more details and to sign up for the trial, contact the center at ATRAC@louisville.edu or 502-852-4236.
Expansion Will Add up to 90 New Jobs
Louisville Plate Glass, a century-old manufacturer of architectural window and building-panel glass, has opened a new $5 million production facility, a project expected add up to 90 jobs.
“Louisville Plate Glass is setting a great example for all manufacturers by recognizing and acting on an opportunity to expand. The result is the creation of 90 new jobs in Kentucky,” Gov. Bevin said. “In addition to providing state-of-the art manufacturing space, this new facility also increases LPG’s capacity and product range. We applaud this innovative vision and look forward to the company’s continued success.”
During a ceremony today, U.S., state, local and company officials cut a ribbon on LPG’s 60,000-square-foot building at 4301 Chefs Way in Louisville’s Newburg neighborhood. The facility adds manufacturing space and, for the first time, a glass-tempering line, a high-capacity automated cutting line, and water-jet fabrication, enabling production of heavy glass doors and fabricated shower enclosures. Previously, LPG purchased pre-tempered glass sheets to fabricate its high-strength products.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled than to open our new manufacturing plant today,” said LPG President Bill Stone. “This new facility and the hires we’re making to staff it will help us even better serve our market footprint in the central U.S. Most important, by our actions today we have secured an iconic Louisville company for decades into the future.” Continue reading
In celebration of National Farmers Market Week, leaders of Louisville’s local food movement today launched the Double Dollars program at four Louisville farmers’ markets.
The program matches SNAP customers’ spending, dollar for dollar, up to $20, and aims to make shopping at farmers’ market more affordable for residents receiving government assistance. For example, if a resident uses a SNAP card to make a $10 purchase, the program will match that $10, giving the resident a new total of $20 to spend at the farmers’ market.
“Local food is for everyone, regardless of who you are, where you live, or how much money you make,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “I’m proud to have Double Dollars in our community and look forward to extending the program to additional farmers’ markets in our area.”
The Double Dollars program is funded by the Community Farm Alliance and is currently available at these farmers’ markets: Bardstown Road, Gray Street, Phoenix Hill and the newly opened South Pointe farmers’ market.
Using the program is simple. First, visit one of the four participating markets. Next, swipe the SNAP card for any dollar amount and receive wooden tokens, which will be matched dollar for dollar for the amount spent. Lastly, purchase healthy, locally grown, ready-to-eat items. Households can use Double Dollars to buy food intended to be prepared and eaten at home, such as breads and cereals, fruits and vegetables, honeys and jams, and meat and poultry.
“Making fresh, local produce affordable for those who are on a very limited budget pays back with a healthier community and a better quality of life for residents,” said Councilwoman Marianne Butler, District 15.
In Louisville, there are more than two dozen farmers’ markets operating during various times and days of the week. Continue reading
Learn about the neurobiology behind pain at Beer with a Scientist, August 17
At this month’s Beer with a Scientist, Kristofer Rau, Ph.D., researcher at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, will discuss the neurobiology of why we feel pain. He’ll give an introduction to the neuroanatomy involved in pain processing and explain why the “funny bone” hurts so often, why we get ice cream headaches, why amputees feel pain in a lost limb and other painful topics.
Rau is a senior research scientist in the UofL Department of Anesthesiology and a member of the Louisville Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience. His work focuses on the neurobiology of pain and the electrophysiological and molecular changes that occur following tissue injury and spinal cord trauma.
The program begins at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17 at Against the Grain Brewery, 401 E. Main St. A 30-minute presentation will be followed by an informal Q&A session.
The Beer with a Scientist program began in 2014 and is the brainchild of UofL cancer researcher Levi Beverly, Ph.D. Once a month, the public is invited to enjoy exactly what the title promises: beer and science.
Admission is free. Purchase of beer, other beverages or menu items is not required but is encouraged.
Organizers add that they also encourage Beer with a Scientist patrons to drink responsibly.
For more information and to suggest future Beer with a Scientist topics, follow Louisville Underground Science on Facebook.
COMING UP: Andrea Behrman, Ph.D., UofL Department of Neurological Surgery,September 14.
Beer with a Scientist founder, Levi Beverly, Ph.D., will speak at the event during Research!Louisville, October 12.
Acting University of Louisville President Neville Pinto has selected veteran faculty member and current Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Enrollment Management Dale Billingsley to serve as acting executive vice president and university provost. Billingsley’s appointment is effective Aug. 15.
A 38-year member of the UofL faculty, Billingsley currently serves as professor of English in addition to his vice provost duties. He is a former Faculty Senate chair and a 21-year member of the provost’s senior staff.
“Dr. Billingsley is intimately familiar with the workings of the university and the provost’s office,” Pinto said. “He is respected and admired by the entire university community, having served in various roles in his department, his unit and university-wide.”
Pinto said Billingsley will oversee the continued implementation of the 21st Century University Initiative, a plan to position UofL for excellence for decades to come.
He noted that Billingsley previously had announced his intention to step down from his role as vice provost and return to the classroom in 2017. “When the new appointment ends, he plans to return to the classroom to teach until his retirement,” Pinto said.
Billingsley received his B.A. magna cum laude in English and history from Texas Christian University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He was a Rotary International Fellow at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and returned to the United States for graduate study in Renaissance literature at Yale University, where he earned master of arts, master of philosophy and doctorate degrees.
Billingsley received the 1998 Trustees’ Award for his contributions to the student experience at the university. In 2007 he received Distinguished Service Awards from the College of Arts and Sciences and the university. In 2009 he received the Harold Adams Award from the university’s Office of Student Affairs “for his unwavering support for both students and the university.”
Hazmat crews are on scene in the 600 block of Main St where a chemical leak is spilling ammonia.
A shelter-in-place has been ordered for the NuLu area within the borders of I-65 and Witherspoon, Clay, and Market Streets.
Louisville MetroSafe/EMA issued the following:
THERE HAS BEEN A RELEASE OF A HAZARDOUS MATERIAL AT 609 EAST MAIN STREET. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS ASKING THAT PERSONS EAST OF I 65 NORTH OF MAIN STREET AND EAST TO CLAY STREET TO SHELTER IN PLACE AT THIS TIME.