Monday December 15, 2025
News Sections

Photo: Actors Theatre of Louisville

Artistic Director Les Waters and Managing Director Kevin E. Moore are thrilled to share that Andrew Hinderaker’s The Magic Play will round out Actors Theatre of Louisville’s 2017 – 2018 Season. Critically acclaimed magician and actor Brett Schneider stars in this one-of-a-kind theatrical experience that combines love, loss and world-class magic into an evening of pure heart-warming spectacle.  Chicago Sun-Times states, “True to its title, “The Magic Play,” Andrew Hinderaker’s highly original, altogether remarkable new work, is full of sleight-of-hand astonishments.” Directed by Halena Kays, The Magic Play will run from January 23 – February 11, 2018 in the Pamela Brown Auditorium as part of the Brown-Forman Series.

The Magic Play is theatrical wonder at its very best,” says Artistic Director Les Waters. “Not only is it world-class magic that everyone will enjoy, but also a moving human drama of loss and love. I am excited to share this play with our community and think Andrew Hinderaker’s brilliance will be a perfect complement to the other wildly entertaining stories in our 2017 – 2018 Season.”

Presenting the finalized 2017 – 2018 Season at Actors Theatre of Louisville:

Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches
Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika
By Tony Kushner
Directed by Meredith McDonough
August 29 – October 14, 2017
 
Fifth Third Bank’s Dracula
Originally dramatized by John L. Balderston and Hamilton Deane
From Bram Stoker’s world-famous novel, Dracula
As adapted and directed by William McNulty
September 6 – October 31, 2017
 
Skeleton Crew
By Dominique Morisseau
Directed by Steve H. Broadnax III
November 14 – December 10, 2017

Fifth Third Bank’s A Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens
Adapted by Barbara Field
Directed by Drew Fracher
November 21 – December 23, 2017

The Santaland Diaries

By David Sedaris
Adapted by Joe Mantello
Directed by Meredith McDonough
December 1 – 23, 2017

Little Bunny Foo Foo
By Anne Washburn
Directed by Les Waters
January 9 – February 4, 2018

The Magic Play
By Andrew Hinderaker
Directed by Halena Kays
Featuring magician Brett Schneider
January 23 – February 11, 2018

42nd Humana Festival of New American Plays
February 28 – April 8, 2018
The 2017-2018 Season is generously supported by Brown-Forman, the official season sponsor, with additional support from Fund for the Arts, the Kentucky Arts Council and Yum! Brands, which supports the student matinee series.

For more information on the 2017-2018 Season, including play descriptions and ticketing availability, please visit ActorsTheatre.org.

Kentucky’s legal community has raised more than 350,000 pounds or 175 tons of food through donations for families and children across the state, Attorney General Andy Beshear said today.

The effort is part of the inaugural Kentucky Legal Food Frenzy that takes donations of food, money and volunteer time during the competition announced in February by Beshear and partners.

Lawyers and staff competed outside the courtroom for two weeks – March 27 to April 7 – to raise food and funds for Kentucky’s food bank network.

A total of 125 law firms and legal organizations representing more than 2,500 attorneys and staff competed for the grand prize – the Attorney General’s Cup – Beshear said.

GE Appliances’ legal department won the grand prize by raising the equivalent of 33,379 pounds of food. Paducah’s Bryant Law Center, who won the Small Firm Award, missed winning the grand prize by 156 pounds of food; they donated 33,223 pounds total.

The Office of the Attorney General, the Prosecutors Advisory Council (PAC) and several local prosecutors joined the competition to raise food and funds for local food banks. The Office of the Attorney General donated the equivalent of 6,792 pounds of food, and PAC and the offices of county and commonwealths attorneys combined donated the equivalent of more than 51,000 pounds of food.

Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney Lou Anna Red Corn and her staff won the Government and Public Service Award by donating 16,109 pounds.

Kentucky’s three law schools held their own competition. Northern Kentucky University’s Chase College of Law won the division title this year by raising the equivalent of 1,610 pounds.

“Congratulations to the Attorney General’s Cup winner GE Appliances’ legal department, NKU Chase College of Law and all of the 2017 Kentucky Legal Food Frenzy winners,” Beshear said. “I could not be more proud of Kentucky’s legal community for its generosity toward those in need in our state. The true winners of this competition are the children who will receive healthy, balanced meals this summer.”

Tamara Sandberg, Kentucky Association of Food Banks executive director, said Beshear issued the challenge to the state’s legal community to take action against hunger, and “the Kentucky Bar Association Young Lawyers Division answered that challenge with zeal.”

“On behalf of Kentucky’s food bank network, I want to express our gratitude to the Young Lawyers Division, Attorney General Beshear and all the firms, legal organizations and law schools that worked hard to help stock the shelves of food banks,” Sandberg said.

The Kentucky Legal Food Frenzy, a partnership between the Office of the Attorney General, Kentucky Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and the Kentucky Association of Food Banks, is timed to help food banks prepare for increased demand during the summer months when children do not have access to school meals.

Nearly all (94 percent) of Kentucky’s food bank client households with school-aged children receive free or reduced-price school lunch through the National School Lunch Program.

Only one in 13 school-aged children who receive free and reduced-priced lunch during the school year, however, have access to such meals during the summer months when school is out.

Kentucky’s seven regional food banks serve 53,000 Kentuckians each week. All of the food and funds collected during the Legal Food Frenzy benefit the regional food bank that serves each competitor’s community.

Beshear said a large part of the campaign’s success was the leadership behind the competition.

“I would like to thank the Kentucky Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Chair Rebecca Schafer and campaign co-chairs Lee Metzger and Miranda Click of the Young Lawyers Division as well as Susan Rieber in my office,” Beshear said. “Their hard work and dedication made the inaugural Legal Food Frenzy a success. I appreciate the generosity of all Kentucky lawyers and legal staff who contributed to this important effort.”

Winners of the 2017 Kentucky Legal Food Frenzy

  • Corporate Legal Department/Grand Prize Winner: GE Appliances: 33,379 pounds. (Louisville)
  • Small Firm: Bryant Law Center: 5,537 pounds per attorney (33,223 pounds total) (Paducah)
  • Large Firm: Wyatt Tarrant & Combs: 165 pounds per attorney (19,645 pounds total) (Lexington and Louisville)
  • Government and Public Service: Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office: 16,109 pounds (Lexington)
  • Medium Firm: Graydon: 386 pounds per attorney (9,640 pounds total) (Fort Mitchell)
  • Solo Firm: The Risk Firm: 2,063 pounds per attorney (4,125 pounds total) (Covington)
  • Law School: NKU Chase College of Law: 1,610 pounds (Highland Heights)

“My first priority is to protect Kentucky families and children, and each day far too many are struggling to obtain enough food for a healthy, active life,” Beshear said. “The Legal Food Frenzy will continue to be an opportunity for the state’s legal community to challenge each other outside the courtroom for the noble cause of reducing hunger.”

Hollywood has a new character – he’s bold and daring with a rustic, yet smooth approach. America’s first bottled bourbon, Old Forester, is known for being full of character. But this time, Old Forester is introducing a new type of character – a straight bourbon whiskey – named  Old Forester Statesman that will debut in acclaimed filmmaker Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming 20th Century Fox film “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” and available for film fans and bourbon aficionados to enjoy August 2017.

In “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”, our heroes face a new challenge when their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage. Their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US called Statesman, dating back to the day they were both founded. The Statesman, based in Louisville, Kentucky, act as Master Distillers to hide their true identity. In a new adventure that tests their agents’ strength and wits to the limit, these two elite secret organizations band together to defeat a ruthless common enemy, in order to save the world, something that’s becoming a bit of a habit for Eggsy. The sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle is directed by Matthew Vaughn and stars original cast members Colin Firth, Taron Egerton and Mark Strong, and introduces new cast members Jeff Bridges, Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal, Halle Berry and Julianne Moore.

“Bourbon is an American tradition that Old Forester has celebrated for five generations, and we’re proud to reinforce the authenticity of the characters, The Statesman, as bourbon distillers,” said Campbell Brown, President of Brown-Forman.

When choosing partners for the Kingsman brand i look for excellence, integrity and taste. Old Forester is my first partner who takes the taste requirement to the next level,” said Matthew Vaughn.

Old Forester chose a unique taste profile when selecting the Statesman bourbon specifically for the film. Taking inspiration from the dynamic characters, Old Forester Statesman offers bold flavor blended to a smooth 95 proof, resulting in an exceptional balance of heat and spice.

Celebrating the film’s inclusion of Louisville, Kentucky as home of the Statesman, Louisville’s Mayor, Greg Fischer, declared the premiere date of September 22 as Statesman Day in the city.

An exclusive sneak peek of the film which highlights Old Forester’s Statesman bourbon and Kentucky will debut to fans at the Kentucky Derby this Saturday. Jeff Bridges, lead Statesman as “Champ” in the film will be in attendance at this year’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and attendees at the track will be the first people in the world able to sample this new product.

“Kingsman: The Golden Circle” will be in theaters on September 22, and Statesman will be available for purchase in the U.S. in August. For more information, please visit www.oldforester.com

“It’s Money, Baby”

Kentuckians can tap into free resources from the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA).

“It’s Money, Baby,” a booklet about financial literacy, is available free from KHEAA.

The 32-page booklet includes sections about such topics as:

  • Cash basics.
  • Banking.
  • Credit.
  • Insurance.
  • Fraud and identity theft.

To order a free copy, email publications@kheaa.com. Please include your mailing address. Only Kentucky schools and residents will be sent more than one copy.

An online version of the booklet is available on www.kheaa.com, while financial literacy videos can be found at http://itsmoney.kheaa.com.

In addition, KHEAA’s regional outreach counselors can provide “It’s Money, Baby” presentations for schools and other agencies. Call 800-928-8926, ext. 7577, to schedule a presentation.

KHEAA is the state agency that administers the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES), need-based grants and other programs to help students pay their higher education expenses.

For more information about Kentucky scholarships and grants, visit www.kheaa.com; write KHEAA, P.O. Box 798, Frankfort, KY 40602; or call 800-928-8926, ext. 6-7214.

The city has announced it has purchased the former Parkland grocery store located at Virginia Avenue and South 28th Street with plans to explore redevelopment options.

“The acquisition of this property is an important first component of the Parkland Neighborhood Plan,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “Our vision for Parkland in the future is of a vibrant, connected, and greener neighborhood with a commercial area along South 28th Street between Virginia and Dumesnil avenues.”

The city hopes to use the building as a catalyst for community economic development in the neighborhood. This property has been used as a grocery store and meat store over the years and holds a place of importance in the Parkland center.

“We are extremely excited about the acquisition of this property. Everybody agrees that this is in an important step to ensure that Parkland will continue to rise,” said Councilwoman Jessica Green (D-1). “I will be holding a series of neighborhood meetings about the future development of the site and I encourage all residents to come out and get involved in the process. This is a win for the Parkland community and for all of District 1.”

Other key activities happening in Parkland include the opening of Irma Dee’s restaurant, the Parkland Neighborhood Plan, and the continued growth of a community garden.

The public input phase of developing the Parkland Neighborhood Plan was completed earlier this year and the city expects to begin the formal adoption process in May.

Key recommendations of the plan include:

  • Promoting the revitalization of the former Parkland Commercial Corridor as a place of health and wellness.
  • Establishing cooperation and control of key real estate parcels identified in the Corridor Improvement Study Master Plan.
  • Redeveloping and reconfiguring the vacant corner grocery and the associated parking lot.
  • Creating destinations within walking distance of housing and workplaces. Preserving historic structures and encouraging first floor retail uses by restoring original commercial facades and transparency.

To learn more about the Parkland Neighborhood Plan, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/advanced-planning/parkland-neighborhood-plan

Photo: Kentucky Department Fish and Wildlife

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is extending the deadline to apply for a 2017 Kentucky elk hunt due to unexpected technical problems with the state-run computer network that processes applications. The deadline to apply for Kentucky’s elk hunts will now close at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern time) Wednesday, May 3.

Kentucky’s online application system shut down at 9:05 p.m. Sunday, April 30. It remained shut down past the midnight deadline for the elk drawing. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife officials extended the deadline for those who were unable to apply in the waning hours of the application period.

Those who applied prior to the network shutdown were not affected.

The application period normally ends at midnight, April 30. However, state regulation allows for this period to be extended if technical difficulties prevent applications from being accepted.

Hunters may apply only online at the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website – fw.ky.gov. Those who previously applied for an elk hunt may confirm their application by checking the “My Profile” page on the website.

The elk lottery drawing for an elk permit is open to residents and non-residents.

The Kentucky Historical Society will crisscross the Commonwealth to dedicate five historical markers in May.

Here is the schedule:

May 4, Walton CCC Camp Bean Ridge, 1 p.m., 30 School Road, Walton

Civilian Conservation Corps company 3541 opened in 1935 in Walton. The 200 men stationed there specialized in soil conservation. They trained local farmers in contour farming, crop rotation and strip cropping; planted trees; built fences; and developed farm management plans. They also provided relief during the 1937 Ohio River flood.

May 8, Webster County Courthouse, 10:30 a.m., CDT, Webster County Courthouse, Dixon

The courthouse dates to 1941 and was a Works Progress Administration project during the Great Depression. Architect H. Lawrence Casner, from Webster County, designed the building, as well as the Caldwell County courthouse and the main vault at Fort Knox. His wife, Arminta Bowmer Casner, made the sculptured faces on the building’s exterior walls.

May 10, First Louisville Slugger Bat, 10 a.m., 118 S. First St., Louisville

This address is the site of the original J.F. Hillerich carpentry shop. The Louisville Slugger baseball bat has its roots with Louisville Eclipse player Pete Browning’s broken baseball bat. J.F. Hillerich’s son was at the game in 1884 when it broke and offered to make a new bat for Browning. Browning got three hits with the new bat, creating a demand from his teammates for their own bats. The company trademarked “Louisville Slugger” in 1884.

May 20, Ted Poston “Dean of Black Journalists,” 3:30 p.m. CDT, 9th and Main Streets, Hopkinsville

Hopkinsville native Theodore Roosevelt Poston began his journalism career in 1936 as a freelancer for the New York Post. He went on to spend most of his career there, covering major civil rights stories of his era. Among his many awards was a Pulitzer Prize (1949).

May 28, Bon Jellico, 2 p.m., Highway 92W and Bon Hollow Road, Whitley County

The Bon Jellico coal mine operated from 1912 to 1937 and employed 350 workers. It annually produced nearly 100,000 tons of Blue Gem coal. The town included 75 houses, a three-room school/church and a company store. Around 1,500 people lived in Bon Jellico over the 25-year period the mine operated. It closed primarily because the coal supply was depleted.

More than 2,400 historical markers statewide tell Kentucky’s history. More information about the marker application process and a database of markers and their text is available at history.ky.gov/markers. Also available on the site is the Explore Kentucky History app, a source of supplemental information about marker topics and virtual tours of markers by theme. KHS administers the Kentucky Historical Marker Program in cooperation with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

Archives