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It all began nearly a year ago when local non-profit, Shirley’s Way, kicked off their Queen of Hearts charity raffle game at a Valley Station restaurant last April.
If you have not heard of Shirley’s Way, you have probably at least seen their logos – alternating variations of purple handprints or the slogan “Cancer Sucks!” – plastered on vehicles and advertisements around town. According to their website, the organization’s mission is to be “an extension of the household income and help local families as they battle the financial side of cancer.”
Playing the game was as simple as purchasing a $2 raffle ticket. Winning it, it turns out, was not as easy as it sounded. Each Monday night at Khalil’s Restaurant in southern Jefferson County, one ticket was chosen at random from among all of those sold that week.
The lucky participant whose ticket was draw had the opportunity to chose from an ever-decreasing deck of cards affixed to a game board trying to locate the Queen of Hearts. No winner meant that all tickets for the week were thrown out to repeat the process for the following Monday.
As weeks turned into months without a correct guess, the pot – which is split between the winner and the charitable organization – grew to more than three-quarters of a million dollars.
The final tally was $773,800, of which Leslie Duncan – whose ticket was drawn earlier this week and who had successfully located the Queen of Hearts from the remaining cards – will take home $309,520.
After a two week hiatus, the charity plans to repeat the process with another round of the game.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) recently awarded a contract for rehabilitation of the Bernheim Bridge in Cherokee Park in Louisville. This bridge, also known as Bridge No. 8, crosses the Middle Fork of Beargrass Creek.
This project includes waterproofing and repairing the concrete arch, resetting the railings, masonry repairs on the spandrel walls and railings and new asphalt pavement on the crossing.
KYTC is coordinating the bridge repairs with Louisville Parks and Recreation and Olmsted Parks Conservancy.
Construction is scheduled to begin this week. The bridge crossing via Beargrass Road from Park Boundary Road and Alta Vista Road will be inaccessible through the duration of the project. The Bernheim Bridge will reopen to traffic in late summer.
Several popular nearby park features, including Big Rock pavilion, parking and playground area, will be easily accessible during the construction period. A detour map can be viewed below.
Louisville Paving Company was awarded the $1.1 million construction contract. Marr Construction will be the subcontractor for the masonry rehabilitation of the historic bridge. Marr has worked on several other bridge restoration projects in Cherokee Park.
The Bernheim Bridge dates to 1928 and was named for Bernhard and Rosa Bernheim, who were members of the notable Bernheim family that includes Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, who founded the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest south of Louisville.
Another bridge in Cherokee Park on the Scenic Loop is scheduled for repairs later this year. These bridges are part of KYTC’s Bridging Kentucky program. Bridging Kentucky includes more than 1,000 state, county, and municipal structures that are rated in poor condition or have restricted weight limits. More than 70 of the bridges on the list are currently closed to traffic.
Each bridge will be addressed in the next six years, either replaced with a new structure designed to last at least 75 years or rehabilitated to extend its life by at least 30 years. Those with restricted weight limits will reopen to school buses, emergency vehicles, commercial trucks, as well as passenger vehicles.
The date and duration of this work may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen delays occur. Visit goky.ky.gov for the latest in traffic and travel information in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Traffic information for the District 5 counties is also available at facebook.com/KYTCDistrict5 and twitter.com/KYTCDistrict5.
Annual Event to be Accompanied by Truck and Tractor Pull Competition
The 2019 National Farm Machinery Show kicks off next at the Kentucky Expo Center, where the the tools of the agricultural trade will be showcased February 13 through 16.
The National Farm Machinery Show offers a vast selection of cutting-edge agricultural products, equipment and services available to those in the farming trade. Farming professionals from around the world have the opportunity to access knowledge and hands-on experience from nearly 900 exhibitors during the four day show – the largest of its kind in the nation.
In addition to seeing the newest products on the market, visitors can attend free seminars led by industry experts.
The NFMS hours run from 9AM to 6PM daily at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Admission to the show, which includes access to seminars, is free, although visitors parking on-site must pay KEC parking fees.
Held in conjunction with the NFMS, fans seeking the excitement of raw horsepower won’t want to miss out on the 2019 Championship Tractor Pull.
Featuring more than a half-dozen classes of pullers ranging from Modified 4×4 Trucks to the ear-splitting Super Stock Alcohol Tractors, the event runs all four days of the National Farm Machinery Show, with victors being crowned at the Saturday night Finals.
Tickets for the Championship Tractor Pull are available at the gate or online, starting at $7. A pay-per-view livestream of the event will also be available.
Prompted by concerns over temporary housing in residential areas, President David James (D-6) is calling for a review of the Land Development Code to see if additional standards need to be considered for approval.
“There have been several instances where temporary housing has created issues dealing with nuisances and many are questioning the compatibility of some forms of this type of usage in residential areas and neighborhoods,” said James.
The President announced the filing of the Resolution during a news conference on Monday where he was joined by the members of the Recovery Housing Task Force.
“The Recovery Housing Task Force is a group of concerned citizens who meet with the Department of Public Health and Wellness. We took our concerns to President James. Transitional housing recovery housing boarding housing etc. has been a problem that has plagued our community for years,” Kimberly Moore of the Task Force. “We are here today because we want to address the problem. There have been numerous complaints from concerned citizens regarding issues within their community and there is ongoing predatory behavior.”
The Resolution defines the many forms of temporary housing as: Transitional Housing, Boarding and Lodging Houses, Homeless Shelters, Rehabilitation Houses and Residential Care Facilities (collectively referred to as “Temporary Housing”).
Several forms of temporary housing are allowed as conditional uses or as permitted use with special standards within certain designated zoning districts.
The President said the Resolution asks Louisville Metro Planning and Design Services to review the Land Development Code regarding temporary housing in residential zoning districts to consider adoption of additional standards to improve the compatibility of these uses within residential areas. It asks for recommendations that will aid in the enforcement of the regulations to ensure compliance.
“I think this kind of review is long overdue considering the various types of temporary housing we have seen over the last several years,” says James. “I am seeking the support of my colleagues to move this forward.”
“We are not here today to put anyone out of business or displace individuals, but we are here to tell you that if you are not willing to treat people with respect, compassion and dignity we do NOT want you operating in Metro Louisville,” said Moore. “There will be actions taken if you are operating without proper permits. We are grateful that the County Attorney’s office have become willing to address this problem with us. We look forward to finding solutions to this problem.”
The Resolution will be assigned to the Metro Council’s Planning and Zoning Committee.
Here is a link to the proposed Resolution:
https://louisvilleky.gov/sites/default/files/metro_council/members/6/pdf…
Councilwoman Donna Purvis reminds residents that the new District 5 satellite office will officially open tomorrow, Tuesday February 5th.
“I am looking forward to hearing from the people of District 5 with any issues or concerns they may have with Metro Government,” says the Councilwoman.
The District 5 Satellite Office is located in the Kroger at 520 North 35th Street. Hours will be from 9:00am to 12:00pm on the 5th and 19th of each month. Councilwoman Purvis will be there personally to address concerns and meet constituents.
“This is a very informal setting and anyone who feels they need to talk with me on anything should stop by or just come by to say hello. It is important that I know what’s on your mind,” says Purvis.
For more information, Contact Councilwoman Purvis’ Office at 574-1105.
The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness is offering free radon test kits while the supply lasts. You can request a kit by visitng this link or by calling 574-6650.
Radon is a gas that you cannot smell, taste or see. It forms naturally when uranium, radium and thorium break down in rocks, soil and groundwater. People can be exposed to radon primarily from breathing radon in air that comes in through cracks and gaps in homes and other buildings. Radon can cause lung cancer through prolonged exposure. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, behind smoking, and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, causing between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths each year.
The entire state of Kentucky is at high risk for radon exposure with about 40 percent of homes estimated to have unsafe levels. The only way to know if radon exists at dangerous levels in your home is to test for it.
“People can’t see or smell radon so they may not know that it can exist at dangerous levels in their homes and be exposing them to deadly health effects,” said Dr. Sarah Moyer, director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness and the city’s chief health strategist. “We encourage people to take advantage of the free test kits to test their homes for radon.”
The lung cancer risk factors of tobacco smoke and radon are related. More radon-related lung cancers occur in individuals with a history of exposure to tobacco smoke. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high.
Lung cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States, with the highest mortality rate of any cancer. Kentucky has the highest incidence rate of lung cancer in the nation with a rate of 93.4 per 100,000 compared to the national average of 59.4. According to the recently released 2017 Health Equity Report, cancer is the leading cause of death in Louisville.
The death rate from lung cancer in Kentucky is 69.5 per 100,000 compared to the national average of 43.4. In Louisville our lung cancer incidence and mortality rates are also well above the national average. According to the Kentucky Cancer Registry the incidence rate of lung cancer in Louisville is 94.8 per 100,000 compared to 59.4 nationally. The death rate is 61.7 compared to 43.4 nationally.
Here are a few tips to help prevent radon in your home:
- Stop smoking and discourage smoking in your home.
- Smoking significantly increases the risk of lung cancer from radon.
- Second hand smoking in the home is also a leading cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
- Increase air flow in your house by opening windows and using fans and vents to circulate air.
- Seal cracks in floors and walls with plaster, caulk, or other materials designed for this purpose.
- Seek a qualified contractor to help remove the radon from your home.
Mitigation costs generally range from $1,200 to $2,500 depending on the size and foundation of the home. Consult the Kentucky Association of Radon Professionals or the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists National Radon Proficiency Program to locate approved contractors near you.
719 new cases of flu were reported last week (Jan. 27 – Feb 2). That’s a new high for this flu season. The predominant strain continues to be type A which is covered in this year’s flu vaccine. You can see more more detail on flu in Louisville by viewing our weekly influenza data briefs found HERE.
Learn more about the flu, the flu vaccine, what to do if you have the flu, and how to prevent the flue HERE.