Monday February 2, 2026
Local Connection
Weather
Traffic
@LouisvilleDispatch
@LouisvilleDisp
SubscribeWWE’s SmackDown Live is coming to Louisville. The event will be held at the KFC Yum! Center on Tuesday, April 18 and marks the return of live, televised professional wrestling events in the Commonwealth.
SmackDown will be the first major televised combat sporting event in Kentucky since Governor Bevin streamlined the state’s boxing and wrestling regulations last November as part of the Red Tape Reduction Initiative. Prior to these changes, WWE had not scheduled a televised event in Kentucky since 2010 because of the state’s antiquated regulations.
Under the Governor’s leadership, unnecessary regulations such as the “cut rule” were eliminated. The rule required an athlete to leave a match if he or she bled, which deterred promoters from hosting live events in the state. Other regulations were amended to remove duplicative licensing processes for athletes and promoters, signaling to the industry that Kentucky is open for business.
“The Governor’s Red Tape Reduction Initiative continues to provide new economic opportunities for the Commonwealth,” said Public Protection Cabinet Secretary David Dickerson. “The Governor has proven that he is committed to making our state business-friendly, and the boxing and wrestling industry has responded.”
“We are excited to have WWE do a live taping in Louisville, and we hope that this is the first of many major events that Kentucky will host,” said Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Commission Chairman Chad Miller. “Our state is home to many enthusiastic professional wrestling fans, and this event provides an exciting new opportunity for Kentuckians.”
The Red Tape Reduction Initiative targets excessive and complex regulatory burdens that stifle economic development in the Commonwealth. To date, approximately 117 regulations have been repealed, and over 400 regulations have been amended or targeted for amendment. To learn more about the Red Tape Reduction Initiative, visit: redtapereduction.com.
Kentucky needs more funding to combat the spread of invasive Asian carp in the state’s waterways.
To help fund this need, members of the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission’s Administration, Education and Policy Committee have recommended that the full commission consider increasing Kentucky boat registration fees at its March 17 meeting. The recommendation does not include fees on paddlecraft such as canoes or kayaks.
Committee members say the increase is necessary to blunt Kentucky’s population explosion of Asian carp. These invasive carp, which threaten native sport fish species and present a safety hazard to recreational boaters, endanger the $1.2 billion fishing and recreational boating industry in western Kentucky.
Kentucky is now home to three types of Asian carp: silver carp, big head carp and now black carp. Silver and big head carp numbers have exploded along most of the Ohio River and its tributaries. They are prevalent in Kentucky and Barkley lakes.
A typical silver carp weighs from five to 30 pounds. Big heads can weigh more than 100 pounds, but 50-80 pounds is more common.
Asian carp school by the thousands and can fill the air with jumping fish when a boat motor startles them. “The surface of the water around and in front of a moving boat can suddenly erupt with thousands of jumping fish,” said Fisheries Division Director Ron Brooks, a nationally recognized authority on this invasive species. “The damage to boats and injuries to boaters caused by high speed collisions with these fish are increasing each year.”
Safety problems caused by Asian carp are growing. The department already receives reports of water skiers and tubers being struck by jumping fish while skimming behind a boat going 30 mph. On some Kentucky waterways, it is becoming a likely and dangerous occurrence.
Controlling Asian carp is a challenge for states drained by the Mississippi River and its various tributaries.
“Asian carp are extremely prolific breeders and have been competing with our native fisheries for quite some time,” said Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Gregory Johnson. “Each female fish can produce up to a million eggs and spawn multiple times each year. Their numbers have reached the point now where they even threaten the safety of our boaters.”
Recreational boaters threatened by the presence of Asian carp may be asked to help fund the effort to take on this menace.
Kentucky annually registers more than 170,000 motorized vessels. Boater registration fees pay for new boat ramps, maintenance of 165 aging ramps and provides for boating safety and enforcement.
Kentucky has not raised its boat registration fees in 15 years. In evaluating the state’s pricing structure, committee members noted that registering a boat in Kentucky costs far less on average than the surrounding states. Proposed new rates would continue to keep Kentucky’s registration fees lower than neighboring states.
Controlling the fishes’ numbers and territorial expansions are forcing the department to seek additional resources. Department officials identified a shortfall of about $1.8 million needed for Asian carp control, engineering programs that build and maintain boat launch ramps for boater access, boater safety and enforcement.
The recommendations include increasing registration pricing for boats under 16 feet in length from $19 to $24 (neighboring state average is $22.50); boats 16-26 feet from $23 to $38 (Neighbor average is $40); boats 26-40 feet from $29 to $50 (neighbor average is $72); and boats longer than 40 feet from $33 to $60 (neighbor average is $96). Inboards would increase from $34 to $47 and boats powered only by trolling motors from $9 to $14.
Louisville Metro Government’s Office of Redevelopment Strategies is launching a citywide effort to address the issue of redlining in Louisville – past and present.
As part of this effort, the office today unveiled an interactive tool that uses maps and data to illustrate how redlining impacted Louisville in the past, and still does today. The map will be used to enhance community conversations about redlining, which takes many forms but is most commonly the practice of denying loans in certain neighborhoods because of race or socioeconomic characteristics.
Redlining dates back to 1933, when the U.S. government created the Home Owner’s Loan Corporation (HOLC) to bolster the housing market and homeownership opportunities across the nation. The HOLC created residential securities maps, better known as redlining maps, to guide investment in U.S. cities. These maps assigned grades to neighborhoods to indicate their desirability for investment. Black, immigrant and low-income neighborhoods were often given low grades, eliminating their access to mortgage insurance or credit for decades. Although the HOLC was discontinued in 1951, the impact of disinvestment resulting from redlining is still evident in Louisville and most other U.S. cities today.
“Our city defines compassion as providing citizens the tools and support necessary to reach their full human potential,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “Through past and present forms of redlining, unnecessary hurdles are placed in front of some residents, keeping them from that potential. This map and data is meant to spark a community conversation that results in removing those hurdles.”
Local urban planner Joshua Poe has developed the interactive story map entitled “Redlining Louisville: The History of Race, Class and Real Estate.” This tool illustrates the ways that redlining has affected housing development, disinvestment and lending patterns in Louisville since the 1930s. By layering data sets such as vacant properties, building permits and property values, the map shows how the intentional redlining that was devised in the 1930s has had consequences that are evident still today.
Examples of conventional redlining that still exists today include refusal to provide delivery in certain areas, business loan denials regardless of credit-worthiness and refusal to write property insurance policies or dropping property owners from insurance coverage altogether.
Other forms of redlining, referred to as reverse redlining, also exist. Examples of reverse redlining include offering services low-income residents at higher prices, higher interest rates and excessive service fees or inferior products. This example may come in forms such as payday loans, cash advances, and expedited tax returns.
With the launch of the interactive map, the city is convening a yearlong community dialogue to gain understanding, to collect ideas and to formulate recommendations that support citizens’ wealth-creation, homeownership and development opportunities in west Louisville and other areas experiencing disinvestment. By beginning this dialogue, the city is acknowledging the past and working to better our future by removing hurdles that prevent some residents from reaching their full human potential.
“Today is an opportunity to begin talking openly about many of the systematic and institutional challenges faced by everyday people trying to get ahead,” Office of Redevelopment Strategies Director Jeana Dunlap said. “Some of our neighborhoods need basic services or amenities that may be taken for granted in other areas of town. We hope to bring light to these challenges and find innovative ways to stimulate investment, stabilize housing conditions and improve overall quality of place for impacted areas.”
There are three scheduled public events that will be held to discuss the various impacts of redlining in our city. Details of those events are as follows:
- February 23 at 5:30 p.m. at the Louisville Urban League, hosted by the Louisville Urban League and Greater Louisville Project,
- March 28 at 5:30 p.m. at New Directions Housing Corporation, hosted by New Directions Housing Corporation, Human Relations Commission, and Metropolitan Housing Coalition,
- April 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the YouthBuild Louisville, hosted by The Center For Health Equity and YouthBuild Louisville.
Additionally, volunteer ambassadors will be educated on map information and trained to lead discussions throughout the community. These ambassadors will be encouraged to make presentations in their neighborhoods and record the thoughts and ideas provided by community members.
If you would like to be an ambassador or if you are an elected official or local organization that would like to provide support to this effort, please contact one of the partners below or visit the Office of Redevelopment Strategies website. Residents can also provide their thoughts by visiting the website and on social media using the hashtag #EraseTheLines.
The Office of Redevelopment Strategies coordinates cross-functional targeted neighborhood revitalization with a high level of accountability for tangible, data-driven actions that produce visible improvements in the built environment while supporting households, entrepreneurs, institutions, and other stakeholders.
To visit the interactive story map, please visit: https://lojic.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=e4d2990795…
For more information on Metro’s efforts to combat redlining and the upcoming community conversation, please visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/redevelopment-strategies
Governor Matt Bevin joined with Senate Judiciary Chairman Whitney Westerfield and a bipartisan group of officials this week to introduce Senate Bill 120, legislation aimed at ensuring people who leave prison can successfully rejoin society and turn away from crime.
These changes – ranging from improved reentry substance abuse supervision to removing government licensing restrictions that will expand job opportunities for those with records – will address Kentucky’s abysmal recidivism rate, which currently hovers above 40 percent. The legislation is the result of policy discussions from the bipartisan Criminal Justice Policy Assessment Council. The 23-member council was created by the Governor to find ways to make Kentucky’s justice system fairer, more effective and more efficient with Kentucky’s taxpayer dollars, while protecting public safety.
“America is a country founded on the principles of redemption and second chances,” said Gov. Bevin. “It is imperative that we see incarcerated people as individuals deserving of dignity and opportunity. We need to pursue policies that get bureaucracy out of the way, and allow those who have committed minor offenses to turn their lives around, find jobs and support their families. I am extremely grateful for the work the Criminal Justice Policy Assessment Council put into this legislation, and am proud of Chairman Whitney Westerfield. His passion for public safety and a justice system that is fair to everyone is admirable, and speaks to the best of what Kentucky has to offer.”
The bill would also establish a mechanism for private industry to operate inside prisons, giving inmates an opportunity to learn real-life job skills while also paying restitution, child support and for their own incarceration costs. Additionally, the legislation allows certain lower-level inmates serving felony sentences in county jails the chance at work release, which enables them to become employable post-sentence and able to pay restitution. Finally, the bill establishes opportunities for jails to operate reentry centers or day reporting centers to ease inmate transition back into society.
“We have reached a critical point in Kentucky,” said Sen. Westerfield. “While we must hold people accountable for their crimes, we also need to find better ways to prepare those coming out of prison to return to productive society. “This bill takes major steps toward better reentry opportunities, reducing recidivism and improving public safety across Kentucky.”
The bill includes provisions that:
- Modifies discretionary detention so it gives Probation and Parole more flexibility to use sanctions for supervision violations.
- Adjusts parole and probation credits for those who are compliant and need less supervision, which should ease a growing caseload with no negative impact on public safety. These compliance credits mirror a successful model from Missouri.
- Removes automatic bans for felons seeking professional/occupational licenses, giving discretion and providing a process for boards to determine whether a crime should prohibit licensure.
- Creates a way for the Department of Corrections to implement a reentry drug supervision pilot program (similar to drug court) for certain inmates and parolees with substance abuse disorders.
- Establishes a way for law enforcement agencies to offer “Angel Initiative” programs. These programs allow addicts to come to police departments seeking help finding treatment without fear of drug possession charges.
- Establishes a mechanism for private industry, which doesn’t compete with other Kentucky businesses, to operate inside prisons, giving inmates an opportunity to learn real-life job skills while also paying restitution, child support and for their own incarceration costs.
- Establishes authority to allow certain lower-level inmates serving felony sentences in county jails the chance at work release, thereby helping them become employable post-sentence and able to pay restitution.
- Establishes opportunities for jails to operate reentry centers or day reporting centers to ease inmate transition back into society.
Yesterday’s announcement builds on the momentum for justice reform in Kentucky, and comes on the heels of Gov. Bevin’s executive order last week to remove questions about criminal history from the initial application for state jobs. Last year, the governor signed legislation to allow for the expungement of certain low-level felonies after a person has completed the terms of their criminal sentence.
Britax B-Agile and BOB Motion Strollers with Click & Go receivers have been recalled. The receiver mount may be damaged which can cause the car seat to disengage from the stroller and fall unexpectedly. There has been at least 33 reports of the defect, resulting in 26 injuries.
It is estimated that approximately 676,000 units were sold in the United States. The list of model numbers (model number can be found on the stroller’s frame near the right rear wheel for single strollers and for double strollers, in the front underside of the frame) can be found on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website.
People with these strollers are being told to stop using the stroller immediately (the car seat by itself is safe to use) and to contact Britax online or call toll-free 844-227-0300.
Mayor Greg Fischer announced expanded resources coming to the Nia Center, a one-stop workforce and entrepreneurial development center located at 2900 W. Broadway. Enhancements include department function additions and training opportunities, a new loan program and the addition of a café.
“Our city has great economic momentum right now. We have to make sure that opportunity and prosperity reach every neighborhood in our city,” said Fischer. “The Nia Center is a great partner for us in those efforts because if you want to start a business, want to grow an existing small business, or need help finding a job, this is the place to get the resources you need.”
In late 2016, Louisville Metro Community Services’ FEeD division (Financial Empowerment and economic Development division, which includes the microbusiness program) relocated to the Nia Center. The program joined the existing Small Business Development office, called the Business Clinic, run by Louisville Forward’s Department of Economic Development.
The move allows the departments to work side-by-side with other providers in the community, including the Kentucky Small Business Development Center, SCORE, Kiva and the SBA to bring more opportunities for collaboration that benefit Louisville’s small businesses and entrepreneurs.
“Our Community Services team members are honored to bring our Financial Empowerment and economic Development services into an existing focal point in west Louisville,” said Eric Friedlander, director of Louisville Metro Community Services. “We look forward to being a part of the interactive environment at the Nia Center that builds on the strengths of our community’s residents.”
Partnering with Louisville Forward, Louisville Metro Community Services and KentuckianaWorks, the Nia Center offers a full range of job and career services.
Programs offered at the Nia Center include:
Financing assistance
- The Metropolitan Business Development Corporation, commonly known as METCO, administers small business loans, which include facade, accessibility and gap financing loans. Since merger, more than 150 west Louisville businesses have received loans through this program, leveraging more than $27 million in private investment.
- The Louisville Metro Microbusiness Loan Program supports businesses that employ five or fewer people, including the owner, and offers loans ranging from $500 to $15,000.
- The Business Accelerator Loan, a NEW loan with special criteria is now available to entrepreneurs and small business owners who locate a business in one of the nine neighborhoods of west Louisville.
Business development assistance
- Etsy Craft Entrepreneurship Program empowers makers to find pathways to entrepreneurship through an online marketplace by teaching students about entrepreneurship 101, budgeting, pricing and marketing. Applications are now being accepted for the March session.
- Exploring Entrepreneurship is a free 1-hour introductory workshop for self-employment information and small business resources held the second Tuesday of each month.
- Power-Up Business Course is a free 7-week course designed to provide practical business planning information to participants, and enable them to develop their business idea.
- A 3-part “Government Contracting 101” lunch & learn series coordinated with the U.S. Small Business Association, starts in late March.
Workforce development programs
- The Kentucky Career Center inside Nia offers a full range of job and career services including job-coaching, resume-building, training and job placement. The facility, which placed nearly 50 people in jobs during the last six months of 2016, received extensive renovations and improvements in 2016.
- Kentuckiana Builds training is a 7-week class to prepare people for jobs being created by Louisville’s current building boom with projects like the Kentucky International Convention Center expansion and the new Omni Louisville Hotel.
- The Manufacturing Training and Employment Connection (M-TEC) and the Certified Production Technician (CPT) are 2- and 4-week trainings that give graduates skills and certifications valued by local companies that are hiring, including GE Appliances, Dakkota Integrated Systems, Algood Food Company and many others.
The expanded array of programs will include a new café to be added to the lobby area of the Center. Local small business owner Pam Haines will operate the café, a smaller version of her restaurant, Sweet Peaches, located at 1800 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd. The café will offer coffee, tea, sandwiches, salads and a variety of freshly baked pastries, and is expected to open in early summer 2017.
To learn more about the Nia Center, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/louisville-forward/nia-center
Credit: Louisville Metro Police
It is no secret that last year Louisville saw a record number of homicides. It seemed as though a new shooting or a new homicide was being reported every day, sometimes multiple times in one day. According to LMPD, Louisville, saw an increase of just under 50% to 117 homicides (123 for the entire county) during 2016, the highest since 1976 (104 total homicides). The majority of victims were black, accounting for a little more than 60% of the total. The majority of the victims were also male, approximately 79%, and more than half of the victims were between the ages of 18 and 34. LMPD was able to make 58 arrests in the homicide cases and the average suspect is the same as the average victim: a black male between the ages of 18 and 34.
Louisville also saw an increase in the number of shooting incidents, 504 compared to 353 last year. 504 shooting incidents is also the highest that has been recorded in the past five years. Of those 504 shootings, 102 were fatal.
Since gun control has been a hot topic the past year due to the election and a small group of Kentucky Mayors asking for the State Legislature to change state law regarding gun control, many of the other violent crime categories seemed to have been ignored by the local news. Here are some of the crime statistics and how they compare to last year:
- Robbery – 1,873, roughly the same as last year;
- Aggravated Assault – 2,921, up from 2,558;
- Rape – 149, down from 163;
- Property Crime – 29,890, up slightly from 28,055;
- Burglary – 5,884, down slightly from 6,229;
- Larceny – 19,808, up slightly from 18,751;
- Motor Vehicle Theft – 4,198, up from 3,075
According to Mayor Fischer, violent crime is “tragically acute in a few specific neighborhoods.” Looking at the maps by LMPD division, all eight divisions have been affected by homicide and shooting incidents. However, it appears that the majority of the homicides, shooting, and aggravated assaults occurred in the 1st (mainly north of Broadway and between I-264 on the east and west) and 2nd divisions (mainly west end). Taken in total, Louisville saw an overall increase by 9% in all violent crimes and a 46% increase in homicides. This appears to be outpacing the national average. Nationwide data is still pending, but as of June 2016, the country saw an overall increase in violent crime by 5% in general, and a 5% increase in the number of homicides when compared to the first six months of 2015. If the data is limited to only cities that are comparable in size to Louisville, there was a 5% increase in all violent crimes and only a 2% increase in homicides.
After averaging about ten homicides per month last year, Louisville has registered 15 homicides as of February 15, which is about the same as last year. While we are not seeing decrease in number of homicides as of now, hopefully, we will not see another record-breaking year.