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Saturday January 24, 2026
Local Connection
Central High School today unveiled The Colony maker space, the school’s new home for its proposed Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM) Innovation magnet program and the centerpiece of its partnership with the University of Louisville J. B. Speed School of Engineering.
In addition to helping create a college-bound culture for underrepresented students, the partnership and maker space aim to encourage more female and minority students to pursue engineering and science studies.
“Think of this as a 21st century shop class, where students can design, and create, and bring their ideas to fruition,” said Central Principal Raymond Green.
Green added that students in the STEM program will study a wide range of foundations – coding, robotics, engineering, even hacking – to give them the skills they need to succeed in an increasingly technology-driven world. The goal, he said, will be for them to graduate from Central with a patent or trademark in their name.
“I’m particularly proud of how student-focused this space is, from the technology and equipment that will be the new norm for students as they continue to study and hone their skills, all the way down to the name they selected for their area,” said Dr. Donna Hargens, superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools. “ ‘The Colony’ is not only a play on Central’s mascot, but a fitting term to describe the teamwork, innovation, and hard work that will go one here.”
The center also creates a foundation for the school’s strong partnership with Speed School. In addition to providing Central with up to five scholarships per year, the engineering school will allow qualifying high school seniors to take freshman-level college classes; will sponsor robotics tournaments and hack-a-thons at the center; and will help write the STEM Innovation curriculum.
“Our goal with these maker space facilities is to increase interest in the STEM fields and to help students grow their self-confidence,” said UofL Acting President Neville Pinto. “Expect to see our Speed School students here working alongside Central students on engineering projects.”
The space is being furnished with $30,000 of prototype furniture gifted from student-focused furniture maker Artcobell and $20,000 of innovative equipment, including 3D printers, laser cutters and robot fields, funded by a Verizon Innovation grant.
The unveiling was held in conjunction with a national conference highlighting dual-credit courses and college partnerships. Central was selected for one of the breakout sessions of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment (NACEP), to showcase how dual credit opportunities can effectively create a college-going culture for minority students. Two dozen attendees visited Central to learn about its deep partnerships with UofL.
“We know that high quality dual credit can have a powerful impact on students’ postsecondary success, yet fewer opportunities are available to students in the nation’s large urban school districts. Even when those opportunities are present, they tend to be available only to select students in relatively well-off schools,” said NACEP Executive Director Adam Lowe. “We hope that the partnership between the University of Louisville and Central High School will inspire others to commit to developing dual credit opportunities for students who will benefit the most from these programs.”
In late August, residents and stakeholders of the neighborhoods surrounding the Urban Government Center attended a series of workshops hosted by Develop Louisville’s Office of Advanced Planning designed to gather community input on the proposed redevelopment of the Urban Government Center. Attendees offered suggestions on possible reuses of the 12-acre campus, which includes several buildings located at and around 810 Barret Avenue and a parking lot at 814 Vine Street.
Louisville Metro Government has been relocating the occupants of the Urban Government Center, and the remaining occupants will vacate the space by the end of the year. The buildings are in need of substantial repair and are larger than required for Louisville Metro Government’s needs. In the coming months, Louisville Metro Government will solicit proposals for the redevelopment of the Urban Government Center campus, which is a prominent part of the Paristown Pointe neighborhood.
Develop Louisville will conduct three follow up meetings to present the information gathered during the August workshops. Students from the University of Kentucky School of Architecture will present visual representations of community priorities expressed during the workshops, and additional community feedback will be collected to inform the redevelopment process.
Citizens are encouraged to attend one or more of the three upcoming meetings, which will take place on:
- Tuesday, October 18, 6 pm – 8 pm
- Saturday, October 22, 10 am – 12 pm
- Monday, October 24, 6 pm – 8 pm
All meetings will be held at 810 Barret Avenue in the first floor conference room.
For more information, please visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/advanced-planning/urban-government-c…
This Tuesday, October 18th at 6:30 PM, there will be a town hall forum that will have candidates Harold Bratcher and Michael Payne available to take questions from community members.
Bratcher is running for the US House of Representatives for Kentucky’s 3rd district. The House of Representatives is one of half of the legislative branch at the federal level. Each state has a different number of representatives that correlate to the population of that state. Each term in the House is 2 years. Bratcher is running for Kentucky’s third district, which represents all of Jefferson County. Bratcher is opposing incumbent John Yarmuth, who has held the office since 2007 and is currently seeking re-election for his sixth term. More information about Harold Bratcher can be found on his website.
Michael Payne is running for State Representative, District 28. As seen with Congress at the federal level, each state has their own two-part legislature. District 28 represents a portion of the southwestern portion of the county, from parts of Pleasure Ridge Park south along Dixie Highway to West Point, including Valley Station, Valley Village, and Prairie Village. Each term for the State representatives is 2 years. Payne is opposing incumbent Charles Miller, who has held the office since 1999 and is currently seeking re-election for his tenth term. More information about Michael Payne can be found on his website.
The forum is a town hall style, meaning community members who attend will be able to ask questions directly to the candidates. The meeting is at La Carretta at 10105 Dixie Highway (due to construction, people traveling south on Dixie Highway will find it easier to access the shopping center parking lot by turning left at Valley Station Road, and turning left into the shopping center). The meeting starts at 6:30 PM.
Attorney General Andy Beshear and House lawmakers today announced plans to strengthen a Kentucky insurance law and better protect Kentucky families across the Commonwealth.
The pre-filed 
legislation, filed today by sponsors Rep. Chris Harris, of Forrest Hills, and Rep. Darryl Owens, of Louisville, defends the Kentucky Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits Act by enforcing an effective date and outlining action steps for insurers.
The consumer protection act was signed into law in 2012 intending to protect life insurance beneficiaries. The law requires insurance companies to check public death records for their Kentucky policyholders and make a “good-faith effort” to notify and compensate policy beneficiaries after their family member or loved one passes away.
The pre-filed bill, which will be presented to lawmakers when they convene in January, seeks to strengthen the retroactive application of the current law. It requires the Department of Insurance to set guidelines for insurance companies on what constitutes a “good-faith effort” regarding contacting beneficiaries for life insurance benefits.
“As the state’s chief consumer advocate, it’s my duty to protect Kentucky families,” Beshear said. “This legislation fights for the people. It’s critical that we have strong laws in Kentucky that require insurance companies to work with consumers and pay out policies. My office will continue to work with lawmakers to strengthen our consumer protection laws.”
Beshear joined Reps. Harris and Owens for the announcement of the pre-filed legislation today at Belfry High School. Many local senior citizens attended the event.
“We owe every resident of Kentucky the security to know when they buy an insurance policy that the policy will go where it belongs, to the beneficiaries,” Rep. Harris said. “Not years later, but within a reasonable time following the death of a policyholders. My bill will protect current Kentucky insurance policy holders and beneficiaries from some insurance companies that do what they can to keep from honoring the commitments that were made when the policy was sold.”
“Most of the small policies we are talking about were sold in lower socioeconomic regions of the state,” Rep. Owens said. “Many Eastern Kentuckians and folks living in urban neighborhoods in Lexington and Louisville bought these policies to help their children with burial expenses after they died. Kentuckians deserve strong government regulations and policies to protect them from harmful, unfair practices that pad the profits of big insurance companies at their expense.”
Reps. Harris, Owens and more than 15 House members supported identical legislation, House Bill 408, during the 2016 regular session. The measure passed the House of Representatives 84-0, but received no action in the Senate.
After the act was passed in 2012, it was challenged in court by several insurance companies who argued the law should not apply retroactively. The case was scheduled to be argued before the Supreme Court of Kentucky in February. The Kentucky Department of Insurance was set to argue in support of the law for policyholders; however, the agency dropped the case two days before it was to be argued.
With no one to advocate for the law, Beshear attempted to intervene on behalf of the state and consumers, but the cased had been dismissed.
Labor Cabinet Deputy Secretary Mike Nemes visited Multi Packaging Solutions in Louisville today to present a Governor’s Safety and Health Award for working 2,795,296 consecutive hours without a lost time injury or illness.
“This is Multi Packaging Solution’s second Governor’s Safety and Health Award in as many years,” Sec. Derrick Ramsey stated. “On behalf of Governor Bevin, it is my honor to congratulate you on this award in recognition of all of the hard work and dedication that has made this achievement possible. A workplace safety strategy is essential for building a safety-conscious culture, and working this many hours without a significant injury or illness indicates the value that Multi Packaging Solutions places on keeping its employees healthy.”
Headquartered in New York, New York, Multi Packaging Solutions is a global provider of value-added print and packaging solutions to a diverse customer base across the healthcare, branded consumer, and multi-media end markets. This includes an array of print-based specialty packaging, including premium folding cartons, labels, inserts/leaflets, rigid packaging, tubes, and specialty packaging across a variety of substrates and finishes. It was founded in 2005 and employs approximately 9,000 people in North America, Asia and Europe. Approximately 57 employees work in Louisville.
“This is a great honor for this plant and a testament to the hard work and dedication of the men and women working here,” said Patrick Peak, Manager Environmental and Safety Affairs for North America. “Our teammates do a great job and they do it safely. Surpassing over 2.7 million hours without a lost time injury speaks for itself. A great safety record across several years is something that everyone at our Almond Avenue plant can be proud of.”
The Kentucky Labor Cabinet presents the Governor’s Safety and Health Award to highlight outstanding safety and health performance in Kentucky’s workplaces. A business may qualify for the award if its employees achieve a required number of hours worked without experiencing a lost time injury or illness. The required number of hours is dependent upon the number of employees.
For more information on the Governor’s Safety and Health Award, click here.
CycLOUvia, the popular event showcasing alternative transportation, is returning to Bardstown Road for the fifth time on Sunday, October 16, Mayor Greg Fischer announced. Additionally, to honor Councilman Tom Owen, a lifelong advocate for bicycles and pedestrians in our community, the CycLOUvia event on Bardstown Road will now be known as The Tom Owen CycLOUvia in the Highlands.
Bardstown Road from Douglass Boulevard to Broadway will be closed to vehicular traffic from 2-6 p.m. Police will facilitate a motor crossing at Grinstead Drive and Eastern Parkway. Many businesses along the corridor will be open and engaging the street with specials events.
“CycLOUvia is a fantastic, community gathering event that breaks the norm of cars on the street,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “While you are at CycLOUvia enjoying the road on your bicycles, be sure to stop and support our local businesses.”
This event will include the first CycLOUvia kids parade. Kids of all ages can ride with their bikes, scooters and skateboards for a parade at 2:30 pm from Douglass Boulevard to the Louisville Fire Station at Bardstown Road and Maryland Avenue. Tom Owen will serve as grand marshal of the parade. Following the parade, LMPD will be at the fire station offering kids IDs and The Diaper Fairy Cottage (1811 Bardstown Road) will have a bubble bash and sidewalk chalk for the kids. Park Community Credit Union will be stationed at Douglass Boulevard handing out water.
CycLOUvia is designed to encourage more communities to close streets to cars and open them to people. The return to the Highlands marks the tenth CycLOUvia event and fifth on Bardstown Road. Previous events have been held on Frankfort Avenue, West Broadway and in Three Points (Germantown, Schnitzelburg and Shelby Park).
Commercial establishments with frontage along the Bardstown Road corridor are encouraged to open their businesses during event hours and to engage participants, creating an atmosphere that is uniquely Louisville.
Streets account for a substantial amount of public land in all cities. CycLOUvia repurposes these public spaces by temporarily replacing traditional vehicular traffic with pedestrian traffic.
Since 2012, CycLOUvia events have attracted tens of thousands of people to various neighborhoods across the city. In addition to being part of the Mayor’s Healthy Hometown Movement, CycLOUvia promotes healthy lifestyles, alternative transportation, bike/pedestrian safety and economic development.
For more information, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/advanced-planning/cyclouvia
5K Race, Outdoor Adventure, Guided Hikes, Food Trucks & Music Highlight Event
Families can enjoy fall color at Jefferson Memorial Forest during the Wilderness Louisville Forest Adventure on Saturday, October 15 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Participants can get a pumpkin, take a hay ride, and hike trails of various lengths through the Forest at the height of fall color. The event is free to the public.
Activities include a children’s nature exploration area, Alpine Tower climbs, pumpkin decorating, hayrides, archery, and fishing. The Forest’s volunteer trail team and staff will lead hikes at various skill levels and introduce visitors to the native plant gardens, bird blind and animal exhibits.
The event will also feature a 5K trail run through the forested knobs starting at 9 a.m.
“The annual Forest Adventure is the perfect opportunity for families to discover the natural beauty and recreational opportunities at Jefferson Memorial Forest, which is thirty minutes away, or less, no matter where you live in Louisville,” Park Administrator Bennett Knox said.
With 6,600 acres, Jefferson Memorial Forest offers many opportunities for individuals and families to enjoy and explore the outdoors. The Forest features more than 35 miles of marked hiking trails, fishing, and primitive camping. It is also home to one of Louisville’s most exciting new attractions, the Go Ape treetop adventure course.
Theresa Zawacki, Chair of Wilderness Louisville, the non-profit supporting Jefferson Memorial Forest, stressed the importance of Louisville’s community forest and the general role natural areas contribute to the city’s quality of life.
“All of us, young and old, benefit from being outdoors,”Zawacki said. “Being active in nature benefits us in so many ways from helping us manage stress, to creating opportunities for families to bond, and of course, just plain fun.”
The hiking Saturday will be through the Horine Reservation of the Forest, located at 12304 Holsclaw Hill Road. Nine different trail routes in four sections of the Forest will be featured, providing a range of options for hikers of all abilities. The trails range in length from one-fifth of a mile up to five miles, and have terrain varying from relatively flat to rugged.
The Wilderness Louisville Forest Adventure is presented by Quest Outdoors.
