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Sunday January 25, 2026
Local Connection
Senate Bill 299 was passed unanimously in the State Senate yesterday. The bill will give the General Assembly the authority to restore voting rights to some felons.
Some say that the bill does not go far enough, stating that while the General Assembly can restore voting rights, the bill does not specify which felons will regain their voting rights.
State Senator Robert Stivers, the Bill’s sponsor, believes that the authority first needs to be given to the General Assembly, then there can be a process to determine who would get their voting rights restored.
Earlier this year, Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Olu Stevens dismissed the jury in Charles Evans’ trial. Evans’ Attorney, Sheila Sanders, argued that Evans’ would not receive a fair trial since the jury only had one black man. Judge Stevens agreed and dismissed the jury. This was not the first time that Judge Stevens dismissed a jury panel based on its racial make-up.
The case was put on hold again while the Kentucky Court of Appeals made the decision if dismissing a jury was within the rights of the Judge. The ruling comes almost a month later. The Court of Appeals ruled that the law requires the potential juror pool to represent a fair cross-section of the community; it does not require that the jury panel itself to be an accurate representation of the community.
In February, it was announced the Mia Moja was pregnant and expected to give birth in May. Earlier this week, the baby was delivered three weeks early through an emergency cesarean section. Mia Moja was showing signs of unusual bleeding and the condition was believed to life-threatening. She died the following the morning.
A necropsy is scheduled to determine cause of death. The baby gorilla, Mia Moja’s third baby, is in critical condition, but considered stable.
The Girls Basketball team at Butler High School won the state championship over the weekend. This is the fifth state championship for the school, which ties them for most championships in the state.
Butler beat Franklin County 62 – 36. Junion Jaelynn Penn was named the MVP. She had 21 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists.
Louisville Metro Council approved a spending measure that will allow for $8 million to repair roads and sidewalks in the city.
The city council is expecting to see a $10 million budget surplus. Under this approved spending plan, the Louisville zoo will receive $500,000, the Healing Place will receive $500,000 and the Summer work program will receive $400,000.
The plan is now waiting for Mayor Fischer to sign it.
A Louisville man recently tested positive for the Zika virus. The patient recently returned from a trip to Central America. Currently, all positive results in the region have been in people who traveled to countries where the virus is spreading.
Zika virus was first discovered in 1947 in the Zika forest in Uganda. The first known human case was seen in 1952, but remained relatively unknown until 2007. It is likely that infection has occurred during the 55 year span, but since the symptoms are very similar to other diseases, the virus went unrecognized.
It is not known how long it takes to develop symptoms after being infected, but most people never know they are sick. Symptoms include fever, rash, joint and muscle pain, headache and conjunctivitis (pink eye). Symptoms can last for up to a week. Symptoms are similar to other mosquito-transmitted viruses found in tropical areas. There is no vaccine to prevent infection and there is no specific medicine to treat the virus. Doctors treat the symptoms: increase fluids to stay hydrated, acetaminophen to reduce fever, and rest. It is believed that once infected, a person is protected from future infections.
The virus is spread to humans through infected mosquitos. While this is the most common route of infection, pregnant women are able to pass the virus to the fetus. There have also been documented cases of men spreading the virus during sexual contact since the virus can be found in semen, even if it is not detected in the blood. The virus can also be transmitted through blood transfusions, however, no report of this has been confirmed in the United States.
If you have recently traveled to a country in the area where the virus is spreading, you should contact your health care provider if you start to display any symptoms.
Earlier today, the 2016 Pegasus pins for the Derby Festival went on sale. Pins can be purchased from a variety of stores throughout the city, including banks and some parking garages in downtown Louisville.
Pins cost $5 each. The pin is admission to many of the Derby Festival events, including Thunder Over Louisville. Each pin comes with a registration code that can be entered on the website to be entered into win one of the eight weekly prizes (Prize List). If you’re lucky enough to find one of the 12,000 gold Pegasus pins, you are also eligible to win a 2016 Honda CRV. Winners will be announced on Fridays at 7:00 PM on WAVE 3 TV.