Sunday November 16, 2025
Local Connection
Weather
Traffic
@LouisvilleDispatch
@LouisvilleDisp
SubscribeLisa Harrison Rogers, a 1989 Southern High School graduate who led the Lady Trojans to a state basketball championship in 1988 and later played basketball in the WNBA, earned another distinction last week when her banner was unfurled at the school: Hometown Hero.
Harrison, a former Kentucky Miss Basketball, Naismith Prep Player of the Year and High School Player of the Year, joined former and current Southern faculty and students to unveil “Lisa’s Louisville” on the high school’s front-facing exterior wall.
“My four years at Southern were some of the most dear to my heart,” Harrison said. “Playing at the University of Tennessee, being a professional athlete and playing in the WNBA, it all started because of the opportunities I had here at Southern. I should be honoring them – they’re the ones who made me who I am today.”
“This banner will serve as an inspiration to all our students that they, too, can be at the top of their game if they are willing to work very hard and develop their own gifts and talents,” said Linda Duncan, Jefferson County School Board member for District 5, which includes Southern.
After Southern, Harrison played under the late Pat Summit at the University of Tennessee, where she was a member of the 1991 NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Championship team. She had a nine-year professional basketball career, playing six of those for the Phoenix Mercury in the WBNA. Harrison has also been inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Coaches Hall of Fame.
“
Lisa’s accomplishments on the basketball court are only part of her story,” said Southern Principal Bryce Hibbard. “She never forgot that she got her start here in Louisville, and particularly here at Southern. She is a natural honoree for this recognition, and we are proud to call her our own.”
The school’s alumni association raised funds for the banner.
Harrison’s image hangs alongside another Southern alumnus: Phil Simms, a former NFL quarterback and two-time Super Bowl champion. Simms graduated from the high school in 1974.
Doss High School faculty and students joined local manufacturers and community leaders last Friday to announce the creation of the school’s new Manufacturing Engineering Technology program. The program aims to expand the manufacturing workforce pipeline with students who understand emerging technologies, and exposes young people to the significant career opportunities available in advanced manufacturing.
Anchored by the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council’s (MSSC) Certified Production Technician Training Program (CPT), students completing the program will earn certifications already identified by nearly 100 local industries as the skills and knowledge needed by front-line production technicians.
“Very few high school programs exist that are dedicated to preparing students with the variety of skills needed to directly enter manufacturing upon graduation, and even fewer high schools partner with local businesses to match learning with workforce needs,” said Doss Principal Marty Pollio. “This project offers training and advancement opportunities for student who want to work, learn and earn in a manufacturing field.”
Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow, a member institute of Manufacturing USA, along with local manufacturing companies GE Appliances, Republic Conduit and Louisville Ford Assembly Plant, as well as local United Auto Workers with Ford, have committed both financial and in-kind support to develop and implement the program.
“Doss High School and JCPS are showing great leadership by implementing this program which directly ties education and training with workforce needs,” said Chip Blankenship, GE Appliances president & CEO. “Programs like this are essential to providing manufacturing companies in Greater Louisville with the talent we need to run and grow our operations while providing good career opportunities for our citizens.”
The partnership with these organizations, as well as with KentuckianaWorks, will enable Doss to offer students who choose this program of study:
- a four-course program of study in Manufacturing Engineering Technology Technician;
- development of a hands-on laboratory equipped with trainers that align to the skills required for MSSC-Certified Production Technician certification;
- experience and training that develop employability skills for personal success and safety, as well as manufacturing organizational skills;
- opportunities to complete a work-based learning experience with a local manufacturer before completing the program of study; and
- opportunities to earn industry-recognized certifications, including MSSC-Certified Production Technician Certification and the National Career Readiness Certificate.
Manufacturers in the United States are facing a steep skills gap. According to a recent Deloitte study, as many as 2 million manufacturing jobs may go unfilled by 2025, a trend being experienced in the Greater Louisville area.
Louisville Metro residents not mulching autumn leaves into their lawns or using curbside collection will have the option to dispose of them at one of three drop-off sites beginning November 8.
Metro Public Works is offering a free leaf drop-off service November 8 through December 3. Drop-off will not be available on November 24 and 25 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Only loose leaves will be accepted. Containers used to bring leaves to the drop-off sites must be disposed of off-site by residents.
Leaf drop off sites:
Public Works Yard
10500 Lower River Road (enter from Bethany Lane)
Tuesday – Saturday
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Public Works East District Operations Center
595 Hubbards Lane
Tuesday – Saturday
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Public Works Waste Reduction Center
636 Meriwether Avenue
Tuesday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tuesday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
The North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE), the largest all-breed, purebred livestock expo in the world, returns to the Kentucky Exposition Center November 1-17. The event draws nearly 30,000 entries across 10 livestock divisions, all under one roof. Representing the 48 contiguous states, NAILE exhibitors show cattle, mules and donkeys, goats, swine, llamas and alpacas, sheep and horses, as they compete for nearly $750,000 in premiums and awards. The expo also attracts livestock breeders and agriculture professionals from around the world, contributing an estimated $8 million to the area’s economy.
NAILE strives to prepare the next generation for tomorrow’s breeding challenges, hosting the National Collegiate and 4-H/FFA Livestock Judging Contests. The exposition’s premier event, the Sale of Champions, benefits young exhibitors who often go on to pursue careers in agriculture. In 2015, the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion auction of steers, hogs and lambs brought in a record-breaking $110,000. Through the years, more than $1.75 million has been raised to promote youth involvement in agribusiness and fund charitable endeavors.
The expo kicks off with the North American Quarter Horse Show in Broadbent Arena November 1-9. Consistently ranked as a top five show by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), this competition features events such as halter, reining, cutting and team penning. The North American Championship Rodeo is also held in conjunction with NAILE, November 10-12 in Freedom Hall. Top cowboys and cowgirls compete for $80,000 in prize money and the title of Regional Champion in events ranging from bull riding to steer wrestling and women’s barrel racing to team roping. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. each night and tickets range from $25-$32 for adults and $5-$10 for children, depending on the evening.
The Giant Country Store draws shoppers interested in browsing the latest in western wear, livestock gear, musical instruments, handcrafted furniture, art, jewelry and more. The Farm City Luncheon is also a NAILE tradition. Produced by Louisville’s Agribusiness Industry Network, the program includes the presentation of the “Agribusiness of the Year” award and “Wing Tip Rodeo.” Ticket order forms are available at www.agribusinesslouisville.com/farm-city-luncheon.html.
Prices for NAILE admission and parking are:
- Children (ages 2-12) $3
- Adults $6 Seniors (age 55 and older) $3
- Parking (per day) $8 Admission passes and parking passes valid throughout the expo can be purchased for $25 each.
For more information about NAILE, the North American Quarter Horse Show and the North American Championship Rodeo, visit www.livestockexpo.org.
By: Jill Scoggins, UofL Academic Communications
A University of Louisville faculty member has been tapped for leadership roles with the world’s largest organization of professionals who provide psychosocial services to people with cancer and their families and caregivers.
Tara Schapmire, Ph.D., has been elected president-elect of the Association of Oncology Social Work. Her three-year term begins in January 2017 with one year as president-elect, followed by one year as president and the final year as past president.
Also elected as Director-at-Large are Jane Dabney, a certified oncology social worker in the Blood & Marrow Transplant program at The Cleveland Clinic; and as Education Director, Chelsea Kroll, an outpatient social worker with the East Alabama Medical Center.
“AOSW is honored to welcome such well respected and experienced oncology social workers to its Board of Directors,” AOSW President Alison Mayer Sachs said. “We are grateful for the participation of our members in the election process, which reinforces AOSW as a recognized leader in support of oncology social work professionals.”
About Tara Schapmire, Ph.D.:
Schapmire is an assistant professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Palliative Care and Medical Education of the Department of Medicine. She also is on the faculty of the Kent School of Social Work.
As a long-time oncology and palliative care social worker, Schapmire’s research interests include psychosocial care of cancer survivors and their families, gerontology, health disparities, communication and cancer, caregiver issues, palliative care, survivorship, end of life care and interprofessional education.
She is co-investigator on a Health Resources and Services Administration grant aimed at development of an interdisciplinary gerontology curriculum for learners in medicine, nursing, social work, dentistry and pharmacy. As a co-investigator on the $7.5 million Kentucky LEADS Collaborative, she and her team are dedicated to reducing the burden of lung cancer in Kentucky and beyond through development, evaluation, and dissemination of novel, community-based interventions to promote provider education, survivorship care prevention and early detection regarding lung cancer. Her past research includes a National Institutes of Health grant focused on development of an interdisciplinary oncology palliative care curriculum for schools of medicine, social work and nursing and chaplaincy residency programs and an American Cancer Society-funded study of emotional distress in older adults with cancer.
Schapmire has been involved in the interprofessional education, research and service efforts of the School of Medicine. She also has taught classes in the Kent School since 2008, most notably in the master’s degree program and the psychosocial oncology specialization, in addition to other master’s level practice and research classes.
Schapmire is a past national board member of the Association of Oncology Social Work and vice president of the American Clinical Social Work Association. She is a Distinguished Scholar and Fellow in the Social Work Academy of the National Academies of Practice and has received the AOSW/American Cancer Society Leadership in Oncology Social Work Award. She also is a past recipient of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine’s Research Scholar Award and the American Cancer Society’s C.A.R.E. Award for service to people with cancer and their families.
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory is branching out in a special way to celebrate its 20th anniversary. In partnership with Brightside, the popular local attraction will sponsor the planting of twenty trees in a vacant lot in the Smoketown neighborhood. After the trees are planted this fall, the project will blossom into an entirely new park with walkways, benches, and more next spring.
On Wednesday, November 2, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., volunteers with the museum and Brightside will plant the trees at 813 S. Jackson Street. The lot is owned by the Louisville Metro Housing Authority and is across the street from the main entrance of Meyzeek Middle School.
“Because of our wood bat business, we have a great history with and appreciation for trees. We also know how much Louisville needs to revitalize its canopy. As we thought about ways to thank the community for its support over our twenty years, planting twenty trees and creating a new urban park seemed like the perfect way to combine a passion of ours with a local need,” said Anne Jewell, Vice President and Executive Director of Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. “We’re thrilled that Brightside found a location in the Smoketown neighborhood that will benefit students and families. Brightside did a great job getting creative with our funding and recycling materials to build-out an entire park around these trees.”
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory has welcomed more than 4.5 million visitors since it opened in 1996. The attraction is owned by Hillerich & Bradsby Co., which operated a production plant in Smoketown at Jacob and Finzer Streets from 1901 to 1974. The two-acre property that housed the production plant was donated to the Community Foundation of Louisville in 2015 for development to enhance the 150-year-old neighborhood.
“Brightside is so thankful to work with Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory on this project,” Brightside Director Gina O’Brien said. “Their act of community service will result in new trees for a deserving neighborhood and a new park for students of Meyzeek and children of the neighborhood to use.”
For more information on Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, please visit https://www.sluggermuseum.com/
For more information on Brightside and their mission to make Louisville clean and green, please visit www.brightsideinc.org
Attorney General Andy Beshear and his Cyber Crimes Unit today announced a Jefferson County man has pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful transaction with a minor, a Class D felony.
Gregory Keith Brown, 59, of Louisville, agreed to a two-year sentence as part of his plea agreement entered this week in Jefferson Circuit Court.
Brown was arrested in 2015 by AG cyber investigators along with assistance from the Kentucky State Police.
According to cyber investigators, Brown sent electronic messages to an undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old girl for the purposes of engaging in illegal sexual acts. A search warrant executed at a residence in Louisville revealed Brown was actively seeking a sexual partner, preferably a minor.
Brown was charged with prohibited use of an electronic communication system to procure a minor in a sex offense.
The work of the Cyber Crimes Unit, a division of the Department of Criminal Investigations in the Office of the Attorney General, is part of Beshear’s core mission to keep sexual predators away from Kentucky’s families and children. Since Jan. 4, Beshear’s office has arrested or convicted 44 sexual predators.
“The Attorney General is the chief advocate and protector for our Kentucky families, and it’s our job to partner with law enforcement at every level to take those who would exploit children off the streets to ensure our communities are safe,” Beshear said. “I want to thank Mike O’Connell and his office along with the Kentucky State Police for working Attorney General Andy Beshear and his Cyber Crimes Unit today announced a Jefferson County man has pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful transaction with a minor, a Class D felony.
Gregory Keith Brown, 59, of Louisville, agreed to a two-year sentence as part of his plea agreement entered this week in Jefferson Circuit Court.
Brown was arrested in 2015 by AG cyber investigators along with assistance from the Kentucky State Police.
According to cyber investigators, Brown sent electronic messages to an undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old girl for the purposes of engaging in illegal sexual acts. A search warrant executed at a residence in Louisville revealed Brown was actively seeking a sexual partner, preferably a minor.
Brown was charged with prohibited use of an electronic communication system to procure a minor in a sex offense.
The work of the Cyber Crimes Unit, a division of the Department of Criminal Investigations in the Office of the Attorney General, is part of Beshear’s core mission to keep sexual predators away from Kentucky’s families and children. Since Jan. 4, Beshear’s office has arrested or convicted 44 sexual predators.
“The Attorney General is the chief advocate and protector for our Kentucky families, and it’s our job to partner with law enforcement at every level to take those who would exploit children off the streets to ensure our communities are safe,” Beshear said. “I want to thank Mike O’Connell and his office along with the Kentucky State Police for working with our investigators on this case.”
Brown will be ineligible for probation and will be under supervision five years after being released from prison. He is required to complete a sex offender treatment program and must register as a sex offender.
with our investigators on this case.”
Brown will be ineligible for probation and will be under supervision five years after being released from prison. He is required to complete a sex offender treatment program and must register as a sex offender.
