Saturday November 15, 2025
Local Connection
Weather
Traffic
@LouisvilleDispatch
@LouisvilleDisp
Subscribe
Now that spring is here, and Easter is approaching, Louisville health officials are cautioning people against giving baby chicks, ducklings or other live poultry to children as gifts.
“Baby chicks and ducklings can be so soft and cute, but they can also pose a health risk to young children,” said Dr. Joann Schulte, director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness. “Children younger than age 5, whose immune systems are still developing, are especially susceptible to infection from germs commonly associated with live baby poultry, such as salmonella, campylobacter, and E. coli,” said Schulte. “Children this age are also more likely to put their fingers in their mouths after handling animals and get infected.”
Salmonella is estimated to cause one million illnesses in the United States each year, with 19,000 hospitalizations and 380 deaths. In 2016, Louisville had 72 Salmonella cases. Most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. However, for some, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. And when severe infection occurs, salmonella may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children younger than 5 years of age, older adults, or people with weak immune systems should not handle or touch chicks, ducklings, or other live poultry. The CDC further advises:
- Don’t give baby poultry as gifts to young children.
- Don’t eat or drink in the area where the birds live or roam.
- Don’t snuggle or kiss the birds, touch your mouth, or eat or drink around live baby poultry.
- Don’t let live baby poultry inside the house, in bathrooms, or especially in areas where food or drink is prepared, served, or stored, such as kitchens or outdoor patios.
“As an alternative to giving children live baby chicks or ducklings, adults might consider cuddly stuffed animals, or better yet, why not celebrate the spring and Easter season with outdoor activity-related basket stuffers that encourage children to be active, such as jump ropes, Frisbees or yard games?” said Dr. Schulte.
Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing will celebrate the return of spring with its annual Plant and Herb Sale on April 14-15, and an Easter egg hunt will be also be held on the grounds on Saturday, April 15 for more family-friendly fun.
“We decided to add the Easter egg hunt this year to bring a dimension to the sale that would attract more families to the beautiful grounds at Riverside,” said Seve Ghose, Director of Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation. “Throughout 2017, it’s part of our plan to increase our recreation footprint with a slew of special events at Riverside, that will include movie nights, concerts, a kite festival and more. Stay tuned!”
The Riverside Garden Club will offer a variety of herbs, perennials, annuals, vegetables, Kentucky native species, heirloom tomatoes, gardening items and good gardening advice.
The sale will take place on Friday, April 14 from 2-7 p.m. and from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 15. All proceeds of the sale support the historic gardening program at Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing and its mission to interpret historic farm life on the Ohio River.
Riverside’s Garden Club maintains a kitchen garden near the Farnsley-Moremen House where volunteers grow heirloom vegetables, herbs and flowers.
Interpretive programs and events about historic gardening are part of Riverside’s offerings at various times throughout the year.
In conjunction with the sale on Saturday, Metro Parks and Recreation will hold Easter egg hunts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hunts for children ages 1-5 (11-11:30 a.m.); 6-8 (11:30-noon); 9-11 (noon-12:30 p.m.) and 12-14 (12:30-1 p.m.).
Admission to the hunts is $2 per child. If there is rain, the hunts will take place on Sunday, April 16 from 1-5 p.m. Food vendors, music, arts and crafts will also be available for the kids.
For more information: 502/935-6809 or email info@riverside-landing.org
Regular Hours of Operation:
Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing is open for guided tours Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Riverside is closed every Monday.) Admission for tours of the historic Farnsley-Moremen House: $6/Adults; $5/Seniors; $3/Children (ages 6-12); Children 5 and under are free.
Directions to Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing from Downtown Louisville:
Take I-65 to the Gene Snyder Freeway West. Go approximately 9 miles on the Gene Snyder. After crossing over Dixie Highway, take a left at the stop light onto Lower River Road. The entrance to Riverside will be on your right after about 1/8 mile.
One of the largest school archery tournaments in the country will kick off March 31 at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville.
More than 6,200 archers from schools around Kentucky will compete for state championships at the 2017 National Archery in the Schools (NASP) tournament March 31-April 1. Tournament participants include archers in the fourth through 12th grade.
NASP, which originated in Kentucky, had its first tournament in 2002. Kentucky now hosts the largest state NASP tournament in the United States, only exceeded in size by the organization’s national tournament. The organization’s national tournament is set for May 11-13 in Louisville.
The Kentucky state tournament, held in the North Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center, includes hourly flights of teams beginning at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern) each morning. Daily admission is $5 per person for spectators, with $8 charged for parking. The center is located at 937 Phillips Lane.
Spectators and archers also can take advantage of their down time to meet their range day requirements for Kentucky’s hunter education certification. The certification can be met by using an air rifle. Employees of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resource will set up an air rifle range in the Expo Center to help people meet these requirements.
Range day participants must complete the online course at www.fw.ky.gov (search under the keywords “hunter education”) and bring a copy of their course completion voucher to the Expo Center. Participants must preregister for range day at www.register-ed.com/programs/kentucky/121.
Range work will take 30-45 minutes. Range hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 31, and 9 a.m. until noon April 1.
The Associated Press has been ranking the best teams in college basketball for more 68 years with over 1,100 polls. Through all that, a total of 200 schools have been ranked with 59 of them earning the number one spot. The AP recently came up with a formula to rank the Best College Basketball Team of All Time using data from those polls with the University of Kentucky squeaking out a win in the top spot.
The Wildcats’ all-time-best victory by a margin of just 1.17% over runner-up UNC might be some small measure of consolation for #2 seed UK fans after last week’s 73-75 loss to the #1 seed Tarheels in the 2017 NCAA tournament quarter-finals.
To rank the all-time Top 100 teams, the AP formula counted poll appearances at one point each to reward consistent winners and awarded two points each when teams appeared in the number one spot to acknowledge elite programs. National championship wins are not factored into these rankings since the Associated Press does not release a poll after the tournament.
University of Kentucky’s Wildcats appeared in more than 75% of all AP polls with 124 No. 1 rankings, earning them a total of 1,111 total points, just ahead of UNC’s 1,098. The Tarheels had more overall appearances in polling but only 110 appearances in the top spot.
After a sharp drop-off in overall points, Louisville fans were not left out; the Cardinals finished the ranking at No. 7 behind Duke, UCLS, Kansas, and the Indiana Hoosiers. The Cards earned 627 overall points with appearances in more than 54% of AP’s polls and two No. 1 appearances.
Arizona, Syracuse, and the Cincinnati Bearcats rounded out the top 10 positions with Jacksonville and Mississippi only just making the cut tied for #100. Maryland toped the list of “never Number Ones” at #17 all-time, one of only two top-25 teams to have never earned the top spot in any AP poll.
The 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament continues with semi-finals games Saturday between South Carolina and Gonzaga at 6:09 PM and UNC facing Oregon at 8:49 PM. The winners of those games will face each other April 3rd to determine the 2017 champion.
2017’s first CycLOUvia, the popular event showcasing alternative transportation, is returning to Three Points—Germantown, Schnitzelburg, and Shelby Park—on Saturday, May 13, Mayor Fischer announced last week.
The upcoming installment of CycLOUvia will move in a circular route through the Germantown, Schnitzelburg and Shelby Park neighborhoods, also known as Three Points, via Goss Avenue, Logan Street and Shelby Street.
“I am very happy to start another year of CycLOUvia,” Fischer said. “This unique event closes the streets to cars but opens them for fellowship and fun. I encourage young and old to ride and walk down our neighborhood streets and enjoy the small businesses that line them.”
Goss Avenue as well as Mary, Logan and Shelby Streets will be closed to vehicular traffic from 2-6 p.m. Many businesses along the corridor will be open and engaging participants, creating an atmosphere that is uniquely Louisville. More details on business involvement will follow closer to the event date.
This edition of CycLOUvia will take place during Better Blocks, a temporary intervention at Oak and Logan Streets that will create walkable destinations and stronger street design. Pop-up shops, vendors, public space, art, and programming are utilized to reinvigorate the neighborhood corridor.
“Center For Neighborhoods is excited to be partnering with Louisville Forward as Cyclouvia returns to Three Points,” Tom Stephens, Executive Director of Center for Neighborhoods, said. “Designed with Shelby Park residents, Better Block Shelby Park will activate Logan and Oak Streets with temporary streetscape improvements, public spaces, community entertainment, and activities – including CycLOUvia – to highlight the current and future possibilities for the residents and businesses in Shelby Park.”
CycLOUvia is designed to encourage more communities to close streets to cars and open them to people. This new route marks the tenth CycLOUvia event, with previous events held on Bardstown Road, West Broadway and Frankfort Avenue.
CycLOUvia is Louisville’s opportunity to experience transportation in a unique atmosphere, by walking, cycling, skateboarding, or dancing in the street. Streets account for a massive amount of public land in all cities. CycLOUvia repurposes these public spaces by temporarily replacing traditional vehicular traffic with pedestrian traffic.
During CycLOUvia, streets become paved parks where people of all ages, abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds can come to improve their mental, physical, and emotional health.
Since 2012, CycLOUvia events have attracted tens of thousands of people to neighborhoods across the city. CycLOUvia is a part of the Mayor’s Healthy Hometown Movement and promotes healthy lifestyles, alternative transportation, safety and economic development.
For more information, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/advanced-planning/cyclouvia
A Louisville Metro Police Department officer injured in a crash Tuesday night has died.
Officer Nick Rodman, a 2005 graduate of Holy Cross High School, was injured in a crash at 26th and Duncan around 8 PM last night during a vehicle pursuit.
Rodman, a three year veteran of the department, was rushed to University Hospital following the the crash, where he succumbed to his injuries Wednesday afternoon, leaving behind a wive and two young children.
LMPD Chief Steve Conrad said the incident began Tuesday night with reports of shots fired and an assault. As Rodman joined the pursuit and traveled through an intersection, his cruiser was hit by another vehicle, causing his injuries. Details are unavailable regarding others who may have been involved in the crash.
Metro Council President David Yates called today “an incredibly sad day for all of us in Metro Louisville,” noting that Officer Rodman “was a good and honorable police officer whom served with pride and distinction,” who followed in his father’s footsteps, who also served as an LMPD officer.
A memorial is being held for Officer Rodman Thursday morning at the Jefferson Square Police Memorial.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens and McDonald’s® Restaurants of Kentuckiana announced a new partnership that will recognize and reward students and teachers at the district’s eight transformation schools.
This new program at transformation schools rewards students and teachers for being in class and prepared for learning. Each month (March, April and May), a student and teacher from each of the eight schools with perfect attendance will be randomly selected to win a gift package, valued at $20, courtesy of McDonald’s Restaurants of Kentuckiana. The 16 teachers and students chosen each month will also be recognized on JCPS social media as the McDonald’s Student and Teacher of the Month.
“I would like to thank the local McDonald’s owner/operators for stepping up to support JCPS as we work to finish out the school year strong,” Dr. Hargens said. “These attendance incentives will help reward staff and students who are focused on being present during the last three months of school to maximize student achievement.”
“At McDonald’s, we recognize the importance that education plays in strengthening our community,” said George Saliba, local McDonald’s owner/operator and president of the Kentuckiana Co-op. “We’d like to show our appreciation for local teachers and students who are making a difference through learning.”
Schools participating in the program include:
- Wheatley Elementary
- McFerran Preparatory Academy
- Camp Taylor Elementary
- Wilkerson Elementary
- Blue Lick Elementary
- Coleridge-Taylor Montessori Elementary
- Trunnell Elementary
- Blake Elementary
Be sure to follow JCPS on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @JCPSKY. To learn more about how local McDonald’s owner/operators are making a difference in the Kentuckiana community, follow on Twitter and Instagram @McDKentuckiana or any of the 100 McDonald’s Restaurants of Kentuckiana Facebook pages.
