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Photo: The Kentucky Center
The Illusionists has become the best-selling magic show in Broadway history – with smash tours in the US and abroad. Adam Trent, one of the original Broadway stars, has teamed up with The Illusionistsproducers to offer a new show with mass appeal not seen since the touring days of David Copperfield.
Standard tickets go on sale to the public Friday, September 22, at 10 a.m. through The Kentucky Center Ticket Service online, 502.584.7777, and at the box office (501 W. Main Street). Group discounts are available in select areas of the theater. Call 566-5152 for details.
Photo: The Kentucky Center
While he may be best known for his decades-long tenure behind The Tonight Show desk, Jay Leno cut his teeth as one of the most incisive comedy voices of the ‘70s and 80s . His new stand-up comedy tour reminds his fans why he became a household name in the first place!
Get tickets starting Friday, September 22, at 10 a.m., through The Kentucky Center Ticket Service online, by phone (584-7777), and at the box office (501 W. Main Street).
As an acclaimed TV late night show host, admired stand-up comedian, best-selling children’s book author, speaker, philanthropist and the host of the Emmy winning series “Jay Leno’s Garage” on CNBC, it’s no wonder that Jay Leno has always been widely characterized as “the hardest working man in show business.”
This Television Hall of Fame inductee exudes his everyman style and personality which has earned him millions of fans worldwide. He has been touted as one of the nicest people in show business and says “Anyone can have a life – careers are hard to come by!”
Free music returns to Old Louisville when two very popular bands bring entertainment to Central Park this Friday, September 22nd and Saturday, September 23rd. The Louisville Crashers and Quiet Hollers with Fredrick the Younger highlight this weekend’s Old Louisville LIVE.
“Old Louisville is once again the place to be this coming weekend with two local musical groups that have brought attention to the music scene right here in Louisville,” says Councilman David James (D-6). “It is also another great way to get out and enjoy one of the best places in our city: Old Louisville.”
Old Louisville LIVE kicks off this Friday at 7:00pm with the Louisville Crashers and then on Saturday from 8:00 to 11:00pm with Quiet Hollers. Admission to both concerts is FREE.
“Central Park is a great place to enjoy a wide range of entertainment and events and we strive throughout the year to showcase what a great place Old Louisville is for everyone in the community,” says Howard Rosenberg, President of the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council.
All Old Louisville LIVE shows will take place at the C. Douglas Ramey Amphitheater in Central Park, are free, and open to public. Food and drink will be available for purchase.
Joining Councilman James and the OLNC as sponsors are Louisville Metro Government, The 1300 Association, South Third Street Association, South Fourth Street Association, Garvin Gate Neighborhood Association, Belgravia Association, St. James Court Association, Treyton Oak Towers, Genscape, Paradise Tomato Kitchens, Ollie Green and Company, CPA’s szand BC Plumbing.
For the latest updates about Old Louisville LIVE, visit Old Louisville Neighborhood Council’s website http://oldlouisville.org/ and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/oldlouisvilleneighborhood.
The Metro Council’s Public Safety Committee will learn more about Jefferson County’s “C.A.M.P” (Continuous Alcohol Monitoring Program) at its regular meeting on Wednesday, September 20th
“These kinds of programs are now a part of law enforcement and public safety in the 21st Century and I believe it is important that the Committee get a full understanding of how it operates and what the specific goals are to keep the community safe,” says Councilman David James (D-6).
Judge Stephanie Pearce Burke, Jefferson District Court, Jefferson County Drug/Specialty Courts, will be on hand to answer questions about the program as well as Matthew Mitchell, Director of Evidence Based Practices, SCRAM Systems, and Jen Rankin, Program Development Manager, SCRAM Systems.
Similar criteria-based programs across the country have resulted in the significant reduction of drunk driving and alcohol-related crashes. Research shows that the use of a continuous alcohol monitoring bracelet for a period of 90 days significantly reduces the probability of recidivism among high risk DUI offenders. Recidivism rates for repeat DUI offenders who wear the bracelet for at least 90 days are 50% less than those who do not utilize the technology.
“With the implementation of C.A.M.P., the Jefferson County courts are now utilizing technology in efforts to reduce recidivism in DUI offenders, with the goal of increasing public safety,” says Judge Burke.
Most repeat DUI offenders do not have the internal motivation to stay sober. C.A.M.P. will aid defendants by reinforcing sobriety. The certainty of detection is a powerful deterrent and motivator to stay sober when one does not have the internal motivation or tools to do so on their own. As a direct result, public safety is greatly improved and the offender is more likely to be successful in their recovery efforts.
The Public Safety Committee will meet at 3:30pm in the Council Chambers, Historic City Hall, 601 West Jefferson Street.
All Metro Council Committee meetings are carried live on Metro TV, Spectrum Cable Channel 184 and on UVERSE Channel 99.
You can watch the meetings online by going to the Metro Council home page at http://louisvilleky.gov/government/metro-council/metro-council-clerk and click the “Watch Meetings Online” button.
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes on Thursday, Hunger Action Day, announced the launch of the Commonwealth of Kentucky Bowl, a statewide competition that challenges Kentucky’s local and county government offices to donate food and funds to aid Kentucky families suffering from hunger.
The Office of the Secretary of State, Kentucky Association of Food Banks (KAFB), the Kentucky Council of Area Development Districts (KDADD), and the Kentucky Association of Food Banks partnered to create the competition.
“One in four Kentucky children don’t always know where their next meal will come from,” said Grimes. “We have to do better, we must do better. That’s why we are partnering with the Commonwealth’s Area Development Districts and the Kentucky Association of Food Banks to help us feed Kentucky’s kids and their families as we approach the winter and this holiday season.”
The inaugural campaign will run from October 16 through October 27.
“Our goal is to raise $50,000 in honor of the 50th anniversary of the state legislation that created the Area Development Districts,” said Mayfield Mayor Teresa Rochetti-Cantrell, who is co-chair of the KCADD. “The campaign, with the support of local and county government offices across our Commonwealth, will help provide families with the food they need to thrive.”
Every $1 donated through the completion will return $8 or more in food to the community.
Grimes will make visits to each of the area development districts over the next few weeks to discuss the vital need for hunger relief in Kentucky. She has been a champion for solving Kentucky’s hunger issues since she took office in 2012 and before she was elected to public office. She is a longtime volunteer at the Salvation Army, serving the Thanksgiving meal at her local service center every year. She also has served on the board of God’s Pantry Food Bank in Lexington.
Proceeds and goods generated from the competition will directly aid the members of the KAFB – an organization that distributes over 58 million meals to 1 in 7 Kentuckians annually in partnership with a network of 800 local charitable feeding organizations. Its members serve all 120 counties in Kentucky.
Tamara Sandberg, executive director of KAFB, said, “We all have a role to play in ending hunger in Kentucky and we’re grateful that our elected officials are rising to the challenge.”
The Area Development District that raises the most food and funds will win the Commonwealth of Kentucky Cup.
More information on the Commonwealth of Kentucky Bowl is at kafb.org/commonwealthbowl/. #HelpFeedKY
Attorney General Andy Beshear and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey are calling on health insurance companies to assist in finding workable solutions to the nation’s opioid epidemic.
Beshear and Morrisey, who will officially make the announcement at 1:30 p.m. today in West Virginia, are joining with 36 other state attorneys general to press health insurance companies to adopt a financial incentive structure for the use of non-opioid pain management techniques when viable for chronic, non-cancer pain.
The AGs are reaching out to insurance companies to promote non-opioid pain management alternatives that may not be currently covered at the same level as prescription opioids.
“Nearly 80 percent of heroin users first become addicted through prescription pills,” Beshear said. “If we can reduce opioid prescriptions and use other forms of pain management treatment, we will slow or even reverse the rate of addiction.”
Beshear said the issue is not a Republican or Democratic issue, and thanks AG Morrisey for continuing his nonstop efforts to work with the Kentucky Office of Attorney General to find workable solutions to the opioid epidemic.
Kentucky, like West Virginia, is facing the challenge of “our lifetime” with its drug epidemic, Beshear said, who joined Morrisey and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine last year for an addiction summit in West Virginia.
“We have to ensure that financial incentives, or a lack thereof, for the provision of certain items and services do not contribute unintentionally to this deadly problem,” Morrisey said.
Insurance companies can play an important role in reducing opioid prescriptions and making it easier for patients to access other forms of pain management treatment, the AGs said.
“Simply asking providers to consider providing alternative treatments is impractical in the absence of a supporting incentive structure,” the AGs said. “All else being equal, providers will often favor those treatment options that are most likely to be compensated either by the government, an insurance provider or a patient paying out-of-pocket.”
The AGs want to create a dialogue with the entire insurance industry concerning its incentive structure along with state insurance commissioners in an effort to identify best practices.
Beshear is co-chair on the National Association of Attorneys General Substance Abuse Committee.
Beshear’s participation in this initiative is the latest effort in his ongoing work to address the opioid crisis in Kentucky.
In August, he launched the Kentucky Opioid Disposal Program, the state’s first initiative to allow Kentuckians to safely dispose of opioid medications at home. The program has the potential to dispose of more than 2.2 million unused opioids.
In June, Beshear announced that his office intends to file multiple lawsuits against drug manufacturers, distributors and retailers where there is evidence that they contributed to the opioid epidemic by illegally marketing and selling opioids to Kentuckians.
To support this litigation, Beshear issued a request for proposal (RFP) for legal services to assist the Commonwealth in multiple lawsuits and to ensure that Kentucky tax dollars are not used for the costs of the litigations.
The AG’s office previously settled a $24 million lawsuit with Purdue Pharma regarding OxyContin. Beshear’s office has provided $8 million from that settlement directly to 15 substance treatment centers across Kentucky.
From a different drug company settlement, the office dedicated $2 million to expand and enhance Rocket Docket programs that expedite drug cases, generate significant cost savings and allow select defendants rapid access to substance abuse treatment.
Beshear is currently working with local law enforcement and community leaders to host substance abuse awareness forums across the state. The office has also been instrumental in numerous drug related arrests, including working with federal authorities on arresting a fentanyl dealer whose drugs had killed several Kentuckians.
Bordering state AGs participating in this effort include Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Virginia and West Virginia.
On the eve of an important ACC football showdown between the University of Louisville and Clemson University, Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville and Mayor J.C. Cook III of Clemson are putting a friendly wager on the line: Bourbon.
Mayor Fischer is putting up a collection of small bottles from Louisville distilleries — Angel’s Envy, Old Forester, Evan Williams, Mitchter’s, Kentucky Peerless, Bulleit Bourbon, Rabbit Hole and Jim Beam — while Clemson’s wager is a bottle of Six & Twenty, from a South Carolina artisan distillery owned by two Clemson grads.
Its five-grain bourbon is made with all South Carolina grown grains, Mayor Cook said. “As mayor of Clemson, I am proud to say both our football team and our South Carolina bourbon will bring their A-game to the table,” he said.
Though Clemson has won all three games played since U of L joined the ACC, Mayor Fischer is extremely confident about his team’s chances.
“I look forward to trying a sip of my Six & Twenty winning after the Cards win, although I still have my doubts about any bourbon that’s not made in Kentucky,” he said. “I may just save it to celebrate when our quarterback, Lamar Jackson, wins his second Heisman.”
Mayor Cook said he’s looking forward to the game, which has drawn ESPN’s “College GameDay” back to Louisville for the second consecutive season.
Louisville vs. Clemson “has become one of the most exciting rivalries in football, and it’s so great to see how the Louisville fans welcome us with such hospitality,” he said. “We may have to start naming this the Friendly Bowl.”