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Sunday January 25, 2026
Local Connection
After a group of 2000 teenagers fighting caused Mall St. Matthews to shut down and wait for police, owners of Mall St. Matthews and Oxmoor Center have announced temporary policy changes.
Beginning January 2, 2016, on Fridays and Saturdays after 4:00 P.M., anyone under the age of 17 must be accompanied by an adult who is at least 21. This new rule will include all common areas of the mall, fire exits, sidewalks, public transit boarding locations, loading zones, and the parking lot. This policy will not apply to the movie theater or to the individual stores. If a minor is in a store, shopping, after 4:00 P.M., they can remain in the store but will be required to leave once leaving the store. During these restricted hours, security officers will be at all the mall entrances and they will check the IDs of anyone appearing to be 17 or younger.
For adults accompanying minors, one adult may supervise up to four youths (defined as 10 -17 years old) as long as they remain with the teenagers at all times. Children under the age of 10 are included in this number.
The managers of the mall have stated that these measures are temporary, but have not indicated when they will be lifted.
A Louisville man, Lawaun Colvin, 25, has been arrested by Louisville Metro Police for robbing four local businesses on Christmas Day.
According to reports, around 2:00 A.M., Colvin, while wearing a mask and armed with a handgun, walked in Americas Best Value Hotel on Kemmons Dr. He demanded cash, but the employee fled into a locked room. Approximately 30 minutes later, Colvin, while wearing a mask and armed with a handgun, walked into another business and demanded cash. The employee at this unnamed business complied with the demand.
About 3 hours later, Colvin, while wearing a mask and armed with a handgun, walked into Day’s Inn on Fern Valley Road, where he again demanded and received cash. Approximately 30 minutes, he repeated the process again at the Waffle House on Bishop Lane.
Colvin is also a suspect in three gas station robberies that happened on December 28th. In these cases, Colvin is suspected of being the getaway driver, while accomplices Cameron Mason, 18, and Joseph Colvin, 20, went into the stores demanding cash.
Lawaun Colvin faces six counts of first degree robbery. He has entered a not-guilty plea.
Photo: Metro Corrections
As of now, 111 of 120 Kentucky counties will participate in the Republican Presidential Caucus. The Caucus will be held on March 5, 2016. The Caucus will take place before the state’s primary elections, which will allow Senator Rand Paul to run for President as well as re-election for this Senate seat.
The last time Kentucky held a caucus was in 1984 and for many voters, this will be a new way to vote. On election day, voters will arrive at a location (to be announced in January) within their county between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. Voters will see a table for each candidate with information, maybe a representative, about the candidate. When a voter is ready to cast their secret ballot, they will move to a voting area that will resemble a traditional voting booth.
Only registered Republicans will be able to participate in the Caucus. However, if you are currently 17 years old, but you will be 18 by November 8, 2016, you are eligible to vote in the caucus as long as your are registered as Republican, by December 31, 2015. If you live in one of the 9 counties that will not be participating, you will still have the opportunity to vote. You will be assigned a location in a nearby county, or you may vote by absentee ballot. Starting January 7, 2016, voters will be able to apply for an absentee ballot. Instructions will be available on the website for the Republican Party of Kentucky. Applications must be received by February 19, 2016 and completed ballots must be received by March 4, 2016. If you request an absentee ballot, you will not be eligible to vote in person.
After the ballots are counted, the delegates of Kentucky will be allocated proportionally to each candidate that receives at least 5% of the total votes. Candidates have until January 7, 2016 to file the necessary paperwork to appear on the ballot. As of now, the following candidates have already filed:
- Jeb Bush
- Ben Carson
- Chris Christie
- Ted Cruz
- Carly Fiorina
- John Kasich
- Rand Paul
- Marco Rubio
- Donald Trump
Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Olu Stevens has been ordered by Kentucky’s Chief Justice to appear before the state’s Judicial Conduct Commission.
The order came after Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr received a request to have Stevens removed from all criminal cases. The request was denied, but Stevens was found to have violated an agreement with Attorney Tom Wine.
In November of 2014, Stevens dismissed a jury that was all-white in a trial of a black defendant. He agreed with the defense attorney that this would not be a fair trial. Prosecuting attorney, Tom Wine, asked the Kentucky Supreme Court for a legal opinion on a judge’s power to dismiss a jury based on race. Stevens took to social media to voice his disapproval of the move.
In December 2014, Stevens and Wine met in mediation and agreed not to discuss the issue on social media. Stevens failed to comply with the mediation agreement by again taking to social media with comments indirectly aimed at Wine and the pending case.
Jefferson County Public Schools announced that they are planning to increase the maximum number of students per class. They state that this change would allow approximately 280 teachers to be moved around the county to other schools or programs that are in need of support.
Superintendent Donna Hargens states that the proposal isn’t for saving money, but a proposal that allows the money already there to be used towards initiatives that have been identified as priorities, such as putting more teachers in low-performing school.
The budget in which this proposal is located will be available for approval on January 24.
As of 10:16 PM today, 100% of the counties have reported their results. In Jefferson County, 193,875 ballots were cast for about a 35% turn out. This figure is slightly higher than the state average, although some counties had a turnout in excess of 40%. Throughout the Commonwealth, there are approximately 3.2 million registered voters. With just under 1 million ballots cast today, the 2015 elections saw a voter participation rate of 30.7% – slightly higher than the previous gubernatorial election of 2011. Fair autumn weather is thought to have played some part in this year’s increased turnout.
The state received 52 complaints of fraud throughout the day, with the highest concentration coming from Jefferson County, which tallied 13. Statewide, complaints included reports of polling place disruption, vote buying and selling, and electioneering.
2015 election results follow; winners are in blue: Continue reading
The 88th National FFA (Future Farmers of America) Convention and Expo opens tomorrow and runs through October 31. Registration is available on site for $75 if you did not pre-register. The schedule, a map and other information (housing, tourist attractions, parking, etc) can be found on the FFA webpage.
The convention was held in Louisville from 1999-2005 and has since been alternating with Indianapolis as the host. Following a pattern of three cycles, the convention will be moving to Indianapolis for 2016-2018 as planned. However, the bid for the 2019-2021 cycle will also go to Indianapolis.
It is estimated that the convention brings approximately 60,000 visitors to the Louisville area every year, making it one of the largest conventions to meet here. These visitors also bring roughly $40 million to the local economy. Losing the convention will be a hard hit for the city.
According to the FFA, an evaluation of the city determined that there are not enough affordable hotels and meeting spaces to meet their needs anymore. Specifically, a lack of double-occupancy rooms near the Expo Center.
