Thursday November 13, 2025
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Photo: Louisville Metro Government
Nancy Lieberman Charities and WorldVentures Foundation teamed with the Louisville Metro Police Department and Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation on August 15 to dedicate a Dream Court to foster the relationship between officers and the communities they serve. The Dream CourtsTM program builds top-quality, multipurpose play spaces in underserved communities so children have a safe area to shoot hoops, socialize and learn about teamwork and good sportsmanship.
Located at Russell Lee Park, 3701 Southern Avenue, the Louisville Dream Court is the 39th in the nation and the first in Louisville. Fairway Independent Mortgage donated to the court. Mayor Greg Fischer, Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman were on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“We are so proud to be able to give the children of Louisville a Dream Court,” said Nancy Lieberman, Nancy Lieberman Charities founder and a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer. “Having Muhammad Ali as my hero and my friend taught me how to truly be powerful when you’re helping others.”
Lieberman, a two-time Olympian, made history in 2015 when she was hired by the Sacramento Kings, becoming only the second female assistant coach in NBA history.
Other dignitaries attending included Fairway Independent Mortgage branch manager Jason McPherson and District 1 City Council Member Jessica Green. Steve Ghose, director of Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation, served as emcee.
County Attorney Mike O’Connell is supporting a high-tech approach to curbing habitual drunk drivers with the rollout of Jefferson County’s new Continuous Alcohol Monitoring Program (CAMP).
Under the new initiative, prosecutors in O’Connell’s office will request that all repeat offenders for driving under the influence (DUI) wear alcohol-sensing anklets for varying periods of time to ensure that they aren’t drinking. The anklets, produced by SCRAM Systems, automatically test a subject’s perspiration every 30 minutes for alcohol consumption.
The 24-hour monitoring is designed to help individuals address their alcohol issues and reduce the chances that they will reoffend. The Jefferson County Attorney’s office will also recommend CAMP for certain alcohol-involved domestic violence cases and for first-time DUI offenders with a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 or greater that also have an additional serious aggravating factor. Aggravators would include multi-vehicle crashes or those that involve bodily injury or death, a driver under the age of 21, or having a minor-age child in the car at the time of arrest.
In addition to keeping roads safer from impaired drivers, O’Connell stressed the focus on rehabilitation with CAMP.
“The use of this alcohol-sensing technology can absolutely save lives,” O’Connell said. “This is an effort to use the accountability of the courts as a path toward sobriety. The longer a person is able to stay sober, the greater the chance that they will not commit a DUI or other alcohol-involved crime.”
Depending on the case, CAMP might be recommended while a defendant is awaiting trial, entered as a condition of a plea agreement, or both. The program could also conceivably cut city costs by allowing certain offenders to avoid jail days if they agree to continuous monitoring and demonstrate that they take their offense—and their alcohol misuse—seriously and are addressing the issue.
Offenders will pay for the monitoring with planning in place to help people who are indigent and cannot afford the costs. Monitoring costs nationwide average $10-12 a day. SCRAM Systems claims that former clients have self-reported spending on average about $14 per day on alcohol prior to wearing the bracelet. The office of the Jefferson County Attorney receives no money from the program.
Jurisdictions across the country have had success using SCRAM technology and continuous alcohol monitoring. York County, Pennsylvania reduced pretrial recidivism for drunk drivers by more than 90 percent. The district attorney in San Diego County, California–using monitoring guidelines similar to what is planned in Louisville–has saved taxpayer dollars by reduced jail overcrowding and seen earlier intervention for alcohol misuse.
Monitoring technology and services will be provided locally by Bluegrass Monitoring, which has monitored more than 9,200 individuals through similar efforts in the region as Ohio Alcohol Monitoring Systems.
Seminars are set for August 14-16 at the Louisville Bar Foundation to educate members of the local legal community, including judges and members of the defense bar, about the program.
CAMP is the latest tactic that O’Connell has promoted that uses the leverage of the court system to have a positive impact on addiction. His office has been instrumental in forming and supporting the Jefferson County’s Drug Treatment and Veterans’ Treatment Courts, and he has supported the use of Casey’s Law in Kentucky, which allows parents, spouses and others to seek the court’s assistance to order their loved one into treatment for drugs or alcohol.
BY THE NUMBERS
- According to Kentucky’s Administrative Office of the Courts, Jefferson County has averaged 4,260 charges of DUI each year since 2011. In 2016, there were 2,383 total DUI charges in Jefferson District Court and more than 22 percent (528) were repeat offenses.
- In 2016, 835 people in Kentucky died as a result of car crashes. The Commonwealth saw more than 4,200 collisions involving alcohol last year, resulting in more than 1,900 injuries and 119 alcohol-involved fatalities.
- On average, a DUI can cost a person $10,000 in attorney fees, fines and court costs, lost time at work, higher insurance rates, car towing and repairs etc. Based on 2010 data from NHTSA, impaired driving crashes cost the United States more $44 billion each year.
- SCRAM Systems has monitored nearly 600,000 people with the technology that will be used in Jefferson County, and on any given day, 99.3 percent of individuals are sober and fully compliant with their monitoring.
From Mayor Greg Fischer:
On Sunday, Aug. 13, our city hosted three separate rallies in support of the people of Charlottesville, Va., and in opposition of the acts of domestic terrorism that occurred there over the weekend.
I’m extremely proud that all of those events were peaceful. I’m proud of the marchers and grateful that the hundreds who participated were kept safe. And I appreciate the work of Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad and his officers to help ensure that safety.
I recognize, however, that some people were upset by steps that officers took to route people off the street and onto sidewalks during a Black Lives Matter march down Broadway after one of the rallies. When I first saw the photos and videos, I too, had concerns, which I shared with Chief Conrad on Sunday night.
It is important to keep in mind that the officers’ responsibility was to keep people safe from traffic, to provide a safe space for them to march and to provide security in the event that counter-protesters emerged. And they were successful in those efforts.
Officers are trained to use a baton in the event that a horizontal police barricade is required in situations like this. I appreciate, though, that the batons prompted feelings of fear and mistrust among many of the marchers, their families and friends, as well as some who saw the images later.
That’s a reality we cannot ignore. And that’s why I asked the Chief to review how we should best handle incidents like this should they happen in the future.
This review has started, and we will share its results with the community.
I take great pride in the willingness of Louisvillians to come together to talk out our differences and our challenges, no matter how difficult.
LMPD strives to be the most effective community partners they can be, and I reiterate my appreciation for their service and their desire to always improve.
I also ask our marchers to maximize effective communication and cooperation with LMPD, with peace, safety and constitutional rights for all being the guiding values.
I believe that trust in our community comes from transparency, and I commit that we will continue with transparency as one of my administration’s values.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is once again opening its hotline to help answer any transportation-related questions families may have before the start of school.
Beginning Monday morning, parents will be able to dial 485-RIDE to speak with a member of the JCPS team who can provide important information about their child’s bus number and help locate bus stops closest to home. Families may also use the online JCPS Bus Finder tool located on the back-to-school section of the JCPS homepage.
485-RIDE will be open at the following times:
- Aug. 14, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Aug. 15, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Aug. 16, 6 a.m. until bus drivers complete their afternoon routes.
Also available to families year-round is the district’s customer service helpline, 313-HELP. Launched in 2016, the helpline streamlines service for JCPS families looking for answers to district- and school-related questions. During the school year, 313-HELP is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Mayor Greg Fischer announced today that he’s directing the Louisville Commission on Public Art to review its catalogue of public art to develop a list of pieces that can be interpreted to be honoring bigotry, racism and/or slavery. This is in preparation for a community conversation about their display.
“I recognize that some people say all these monuments should be left alone, because they are part of our history,” Fischer said. “But we need to discuss and interpret our history from multiple perspectives and from different viewpoints. That’s why a community conversation is crucial.”
“Both our human values and the future of our city depend on our ability to directly address the challenges that stop each and every citizen from realizing their potential. We, as a compassionate community, must again come together and face up to the stain of slavery and racism, as we move toward a future that embraces diversity as a strength,” the Mayor said.
The Mayor’s remarks come one day after violence surrounding a white nationalists’ rally in Charlottesville, VA that left three people dead and 35 injured — and nearly a year after the city removed the Confederate Monument at the University of Louisville. The Virginia rally was convened by white nationalists who oppose a plan to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a city park.
Early this morning, a statue of Confederate officer and President of the Board of Park Commissioners John Breckinridge Castleman in the Cherokee Triangle neighborhood was vandalized with orange paint. The statue, constructed in 1913, has long been a neighborhood landmark honoring Castleman’s contributions to creating the neighborhood around it, and the Cherokee Neighborhood Association paid thousands to have it restored in 2013.
“For many, this statue is a beloved neighborhood landmark, but for others, it’s a symbol of a painful, tragic and divisive time in our history — which gets at the complexity of this conversation,” the Mayor said. “I believe this is community conversation worth having.”
An effort to remove the paint from the Castleman statue today was halted until the conservator who led its restoration in 2013 could be consulted. The city also is reaching out to the Kentucky Historical Society to discuss how to address vandalism to a nearby sign that the city maintains.
The Confederate Monument on U of L’s campus was moved last fall to become part of an historic Civil War site in neighboring Brandenburg, KY
As a way to start a new school year off right, Councilwoman Barbara Shanklin (D-2) and 1st Neighborhood Place will host Back to School Fest 2017 on Saturday, August 12th.
“It is important that children be ready to learn and have the tools they need in order to get off on the right foot this year,” says Shanklin. “This event will not only help with school supplies but it will be a chance for parents to get information about the new school year and have some fun.”
The Back to School Fest 2017 will be held at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, 1501 Rangeland Road from 10:00am to 1:00pm.
Joining the Councilwoman and 1st Neighborhood Place is the Family Resource and Youth Service Centers of the Jefferson County Public Schools.
Some 1200 backpacks containing school supplies will be distributed on a first come first serve basis. A parent or adult must be with the child to receive a backpack. Councilwoman Shanklin and several Metro Council members provided funding for the backpacks and supplies.
Louisville Metro Police and the Okolona Fire Department will be on hand with local churches to provide fun activities. There will be a clothing giveaway and free hot dogs for everyone who attends.
For more information about the Back to School Fest 2017, contact the Thomas Jefferson Youth Services Center at 502-313-4541.
Visitors to the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville this month can get information and expert guidance on health, wellness and family assistance programs at the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) exhibit.
The fair is Aug. 17-27 at the Kentucky Exposition Center, and the CHFS exhibit in the Health Horizons area of South Wing B will feature information to help support the strategies of Gov. Matt Bevin’s Kentucky HEALTH (Helping to Engage and Achieve Long Term Health) initiative, his Medicaid transformation proposal, which empowers individuals to improve their health and well-being through healthy lifestyle habits.
CHFS Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson said the CHFS exhibit will encourage fair visitors to follow healthy patterns like choosing nutritious foods, getting regular physical activity and regularly seeing a doctor.
“In the spirit of Kentucky HEALTH, our CHFS staff at the state fair will encourage individuals to take meaningful steps toward improving their health with the help of our programs,” Glisson said. “There is so much we can do on our own, too, like choosing to stop smoking, buying ingredients for meals at the local farmers market and fitting in walking or other exercise every day.”
Glisson said that for many guests at the fair, meeting with an expert and talking about health concerns in such a relaxed environment can be a first step toward meeting wellness goals.
“Lifestyle modifications can contribute to chronic disease prevention, savings in health costs, and ultimately, a longer life,” she said. “Every day, our exhibit will offer new information about how to ensure a healthier lifestyle by making good decisions about nutrition, daily activity and behavioral health. It’s not easy, and many of our programs offer families help toward better well-being.”
The interactive display will feature learning activities for children and adults, free health screenings and on-site health educators who can speak one-to-one about wellness and prevention.
The exhibit includes a 45-foot dental screening van, sponsored by CHFS, the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville. Medical staff will offer free dental screenings to children entering public school kindergarten or first grade who have signed consent from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
Duffle Bag and Backpack Drive
Also to help children in foster care, CHFS is collecting new duffel bags and backpacks at its display. Children in foster care will receive the bags to carry their belongings. Everyone is encouraged to bring a bag or backpack with them to the fair and place it in our donation bin.
CHFS Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson said that the need for bags surprises a lot of people.
“Often times, when children are removed from their home and placed into state care, all their belongings are literally stuffed into a black garbage bag,” Secretary Glisson said. “Can you image how that makes them feel? No child deserves to be given a trash bag for their belongings. This effort changes that.”
Focus Days
Visitors and media are invited to ask top experts about several Cabinet programs on special “focus days.” From 10 a.m. to noon, the Cabinet leadership will be on site to speak with guests and reporters about some of the agency’s highest priorities.
Glisson said the “focus day” topics include dental health (Aug. 17), foster care and adoption (Aug. 23), Zika education (Aug. 24) and substance use disorder (Aug. 25).
“Substance abuse is our state’s No. 1 public health issue,” Secretary Glisson said. “We will have experts on hand to talk about harm reduction education, behavioral health referral services, prescription drug abuse prevention and family preservation efforts that are making a difference in the fight against this terrible epidemic.”
Media and guests can also talk to dental health experts including Dental Director Dr. Julie McKee about improvements to oral health and the state’s updated Strategic Oral Health Plan.
When Zika education and mosquito prevention is in the spotlight, guests can learn about how to protect against harmful mosquitoes and even pose for pictures with life-size Marty Mosquito, who travels the state educating families how to “Fight the Bite.”
Glisson said the cabinet’s new Adoption Czar, Daniel Dumas, and several adoptive families plan to join her on the foster care and adoption “focus day” the morning of Aug. 23.
“Every child deserves a safe and loving home,” Glisson said. “For children in foster care, safe reunification is always the goal. But when that cannot happen, we look for other families to open their hearts and their homes. Families considering that journey can learn more at our fair exhibit just by having a conversation with a veteran recruiter or adoptive parent.”
More CHFS Staff Providing Services at the Fair
In the South Wing, the cabinet’s Nutrition Services Branch staff will assist visitors with the Rock and Relax room, sponsored by Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness and Baptist East Hospital. Parents can stop by to privately and comfortably nurse, feed or change their infants and learn about breastfeeding and baby safety.
And throughout the fair, inspectors from the Food Safety Program of the Department for Public Health will be monitoring food services.
Fair Admission and Hours
Exhibit buildings at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center are open daily at 9 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Advance tickets are $7 for adults, seniors and children; free for children 5 years and under. Parking in advance is $5 per vehicle (car and bus). Advance discount prices are available through 10 p.m., Aug. 16, at Kroger and online at http://www.kystatefair.org and on the Kentucky State Fair app.
Admission at the gate is $10 for adults, seniors and children; free for children 5 years and under.
Parking after Aug. 16 and at the gate is $10 per car.
