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Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Dare to Care is working with Metro Louisville to relocate its production kitchen operations to the site of the former Parkland Grocery, 1200 South 28th Street. At its current location, Dare to Care produces about 1,200 suppers each workday that are delivered to 34 afterschool sites in the community. The relocation would allow an expansion of this meal production and open the potential for other meal services, including additional Kids Café meals and congregate meal services for senior adults.
The site, owned by Metro Government, has now been vacant for several years but at one time was the location of the Parkland neighborhood’s closest grocery store.
“I want to make sure that everyone in the Parkland area has an opportunity to learn more about this plan,” says Councilwoman Jessica Green (D-1). “This is an opportunity to take an abandoned building and turn it into an asset to the neighborhood.”
In addition to its meal production services, Dare to Care would like to move its administrative and fundraising offices from its main distribution facility on Fern Valley Road to the Parkland Grocery. Other plans for the building include operating a Culinary Skills Job Training program in collaboration with Catholic Charities of Louisville, creating office space for the Metro Police Public Integrity Unit so that it can move from the former Parkland Library into the Parkland Grocery freeing the library for possible future reopening as a Louisville Free Public Library. Shell space for a future retail food market is also in the plan.
To discuss Dare to Care’s plans and get residents’ input, Councilwoman Green is hosting a neighborhood meeting on Thursday, October 18, at 6 pm, at the Baptist Fellowship Center, 1351 Catalpa Street. Brian Riendeau, Dare to Care Executive Director, will be at the meeting to detail the plan, listen to comments, and answer questions. Supper will be provided by Dare to Care.
“I encourage everyone to come out and ask questions about this plan and if you have some additional ideas let us know,” says Green.
Dare to Care Food Bank is a local nonprofit agency with a mission to lead the community to feed the hungry and conquer the cycle of need. In the past twelve months, Dare to Care distributed food for over 20 million meals to eight Kentucky and five Indiana counties. Dare to Care, through its Community Kitchen, serves 34 Kids Cafes in neighborhood afterschool locations and operates Backpack Buddy weekend nutrition programs in 38 Kentuckiana elementary schools. Learn more at www.daretocare.org.
Louisville Metro is looking for someone to donate the large Christmas tree that will stand in Jefferson Square Park through the holidays.
“Just like most families preparing for the holidays, we’re looking for the perfect Christmas tree,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “This is the main attraction at Light Up Louisville and it will stay up throughout the holiday season.”
The tree should be a spruce or fir, about 40 feet tall and well-shaped. The city will cut and transport the tree to its prominent spot across from Metro Hall at Sixth and Jefferson streets. Anyone interested in donating a tree should call Metro 311. The tree donor will attend the Light Up Louisville sponsor reception as a featured guest of Mayor Fischer for the Light Up celebration.
Light Up Louisville is held annually on the day after Thanksgiving. This year, the event, in its 38th year, will be held on Friday, Nov. 23.
The tree will be moved with the support of LG&E, Bob Ray Company and Louisville Parks and Recreation.
For the very first time, two people were selected to receive the annual Joan Riehm Memorial Environmental Leadership Award—and both recipients are connected to Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and Fern Creek High School.
Fern Creek teacher Lauren Neimann and Fern Creek Class of 2018 graduate Jack Leppert were presented with the award on October 11 during a ceremony at the school. The annual award honors public service employees, volunteers or students who have gone to great lengths to make Louisville a clean, green and healthier place to live, work and play.
Leppert earned the award for a project he designed to renovate the school’s senior courtyard. The renovation included green infrastructure and storm water mitigation as well as a space where students could spend time and relax. He received a $5,000 grant from the Partnership for a Green City and worked throughout the summer to see his project come to life.
“Jack Leppert is a perfect recipient of the Joan Riehm Award because he took the passion he gained from his teacher and literally became the change he wanted to see at Fern Creek High School,” said Dr. Glenn Baete, JCPS assistant superintendent of high schools.
Neimann, his teacher, also earned the award for guiding the project through the necessary steps like building modifications, budgets, and consultations with landscape designers. JCPS leaders say Neimann’s courses prepare students to leave Fern Creek well-equipped to enter sustainability degree programs in college.
“She is that incomparable teacher we remember from our own school days and the teacher we hope our children experience,” Dr. Baete said. “Her love of teaching, motivational methods, and passion for students are inspirational to those who come in contact with her as well as her community at Fern Creek High.”
The Joan Riehm Memorial Environmental Leadership Award was created after Riehm’s death from pancreatic cancer in 2008. Riehm became the first female deputy mayor for the city of Louisville in 1985. She left government 10 years later to serve as a consultant specializing in public issues management and communication, but returned to city government in 2002 to co-chair the merger transition team.
Riehm later initiated Metro government’s inclusion in the Partnership for a Green City, a collaborative effort to improve sustainability internally and in the community by four of Louisville’s largest public entities: Louisville Metro Government, University of Louisville (UofL), JCPS, and Jefferson Community & Technical College.
Helping transit employees identify and report human trafficking when they encounter it on the streets of the Greater Louisville area is the goal of a new training effort announced Thursday by Attorney General Andy Beshear.
At Union Station, Beshear and J. Barry Barker, the Transit Authority of River City (TARC) executive director, rolled out human trafficking awareness training and reporting protocols that focus on the specific needs of nearly 400 TARC managers, dispatchers and bus drivers.
Beshear said trafficking occurs in countless locations in every community in this state, including at bus terminals where traffickers try to recruit victims and on busses where victims are transported.
“TARC employees are among those who serve as the eyes and ears of our community, and this training will help ensure they are in a better position to spot potential human trafficking situations and safely assist victims,” Beshear said. “Our partnership with TARC presents a momentous opportunity to confront human trafficking throughout Greater Louisville.”
Beshear said TARC will be a strong partner to help fight one of the nation’s fasting growing crimes because it has more than 15 million customers on 41 routes in five counties in Kentucky and southern Indiana.
“TARC is proud to partner with the Attorney General to bring awareness to and support their efforts in leading the fight against human trafficking,” Barker said. “As an agency that interacts with the public every day, the training provided by the Attorney General’s office positions us to be of great service in recognizing and reporting signs of trafficking in our region.”
Beshear’s Office of Child Abuse and Human Trafficking Prevention and Prosecution is prepared to train TARC employees beginning Oct. 29.
The training includes guidance on the signs of human trafficking, questions to ask suspected victims and reporting protocols. Awareness signage, including window clings for over 200 buses, a wallet card for each driver and brochures will be distributed at the training thanks to Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) Busing on the Lookout program.
Beshear said he is thankful for the support of Truckers Against Trafficking, an organization that his office worked with to train Kentucky commercial drivers and truck-stop employees on how to recognize and report human trafficking.
Beshear also recognized Maryhurst on Thursday, a nonprofit agency that helps survivors of abuse and young women who are vulnerable to human trafficking, for hosting human trafficking training for their staff and leadership.
“Even though trafficking can be difficult to see, there are clear warning signs that anyone can spot with the right training,” said Judy Lambeth, president and chief executive officer of Maryhurst. “The girls who come to us have terribly upsetting stories full of pain and trauma, most often inflicted in secret. We’re supportive of the TARC program because it will empower our system to better expose – and ultimately remedy – situations where trafficking is common.”
Other public and private agencies including all Kentucky Transportation Cabinet highway incident safety professionals, the Kentucky Baptist Convention, hotel and hospitality industry employees, firefighters, EMTs and paramedics have joined Beshear’s fight against trafficking, allowing the office to train more than 5,000 individuals statewide.
Thursday’s announcement is the latest in a string of moves Beshear has taken to turn his office into the leading state agency fighting human trafficking – a crime that often targets children for sex or labor services.
Upon taking office in 2016, Beshear teamed up with Catholic Charities of Louisville to secure a three-year, $1.5 million federal grant to help train law enforcement, increase victim services and hire the state’s first full-time human trafficking investigator.
Beshear’s office currently has 15 open human trafficking cases, and over the course of 2018 the office has been involved in 31 arrests or citations involving the crime. In February, the office secured a 20-year sentence against former Campbell County District Judge Timothy Nolan on numerous felony charges, including human trafficking of adults and minors.
Last month, Beshear joined Rep. Dennis Keene, of Wilder, to announce legislation that would grant the Office of the Attorney General the ability to investigate crimes, like human trafficking that can occur across multiple jurisdictions.
If a human trafficking victim is in immediate danger dial 911 and report suspected human trafficking of a child to 877-KYSAFE1. Victims of human trafficking may call or text the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
With great fall weather underway, another great Old Louisville tradition takes place this weekend highlighting some of the best blues music to hear in Metro Louisville. And no one can argue with the price for admission: it’s FREE.
President David James (D-6) and Four Roses Bourbon invite the community to the 2018 Garvin Gate Blues Festival to be held on Friday and Saturday, October 12th and 13th at The Gate on Garvin Place at Oak Street in historic Old Louisville.
“The Garvin Gate Blues Festival is yet another reason why Old Louisville is the place to be during the fall season. It began as a simple idea to bring a little music to a neighborhood and then grew into a wonderful community event,” says James. “I can think of no better place where you can sit back and enjoy some great music from some of the best in our area and across the country.”
Among the headliners for this year are the Andy T Band, Danielle Nicole, The Keeshea Pratt Band, L. C. Williams and The Driver, Jamiah “BluesSuperMan” Rogers Band, and Laurie Jane & the 45s and Friends.
The Festival grew from what began in the parking lot of the Rudyard Kipling in 1988; a simple jam session that became popular to the people of the area. Over the years, the Garvin Place Association experienced growth with new expanded boundaries and before long became the Garvin Place Neighborhood Association.
The Association extended an invitation to those in the jam session to be an accommodating host and create a new neighborhood event. Since then, legendary blues musicians that have performed at the festival through the years.
“The Garvin Gate Neighborhood invites you join us for this free annual two-day arts and music event featuring local and national performers, a celebration of the blues and the arts, this festival attracts a multiracial, intergenerational audience,” says Howard Rosenberg, Director of The Garvin Gate Blues Festival. “In addition to continuous live entertainment from two stages the festival has an array of food and drink vendors and over 50 crafts booths. The event now in its 23rd year is one of the most prestigious blues events between Chicago and Mississippi.”
Garvin Gate Blues Festival Schedule
Friday, October 12
Four Roses Stage
- 6:30-7:15 Jamiah “BluesSuperMan” Rogers Band
- 8:15-9:00 L. C. Williams and The Driver
- 10:00-11:15 Andy T Band featuring Alabama Mike and Anson Funderburgh
Info+ Kentucky Blues Stage
- 7:20-8:00 One Shot Johnny
- 9:10-9:55 Ladies Sing the Blues featuring LaToye Montgomery, Lainey Brown, and Jennifer Lauletta
Saturday, October 13
Four Roses Stage
- 2:00-2:45 The Pearls
- 3:15-4:00 King Bee & The Stingers
- 4:30-5:15 Django Knight
- 5:45-6:30 Mississippi Adam Riggle Band
- 7:15-8:15 Laurie Jane & the 45s and Friends
- 8:45-9:45 Danielle Nicole
- 10:00-11:15 Keeshea Pratt Band
Info+ Kentucky Blues Stage
- 4:05-4:25, 5:20-5:40 da Mudcats
- 6:40-7:10, 8:20-8:40 The Dirty Church Revival
In continuous live entertainment from two stages, the festival has an array of food and drink vendors and over 50 craft booths.
This free blues music festival is presented by Four Roses Bourbon and Garvin Gate Neighborhood, Metro Council President David James, Genscape, FMS Commercial Cleaning, and Down In The Alley Records
“This Festival is also one way we can help preserve the historic nature of the Garvin Gate Neighborhood in Old Louisville,” says James. “I want to thank Four Roses Bourbon for partnering with us as we keep Old Louisville unique. Help yourself to some great blues this weekend,”
Proceeds benefit the Garvin Gate and Old Louisville neighborhoods.
For more details, contact Councilman James’ Office at 574-1106 or Howard Rosenberg at 502-445-4193 or visit the website at www.garvingatebluesfestival.com.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
A review of theft from automobiles, stolen vehicles and burglaries in the Highlands for the third quarter of 2018 shows that 38.5% of the crimes committed (47 of 122) were easy targets because the doors were left unlocked, keys were left inside or otherwise made available to thieves, according to Councilman Brandon Coan (D-8). This is a slight increase from the second quarter of 2018, where 34.1% of crimes committed (44 of 129) were the result of unlocked homes, businesses or vehicles.
Councilman Coan strongly urges citizens to lock their vehicles and buildings and take their valuables out of their cars as part of a new campaign called #KeepLouisvilleLocked.
“The failure to lock your doors and take your valuables out of your car not only inflates the crime rate, it gives your neighborhood a reputation as an easy target which, in turn, attracts more crime,” Coan said. “Please do your part and park smart.”
Coan is partnering with the Louisville Metro Police Fifth Division, Louisville Parks and Recreation and others to reduce crime of opportunity in District 8. He tracks “unlocked” crimes in his bi-weekly newsletter and intends to report out the statistics to local media outlets and community stakeholders on a quarterly basis.
To receive District 8 eNews, go to: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/metro-council-district-8/subscribe-s…
For more information about #KeepLouisvilleLocked, contact Councilman Coan’s office at 574-1108.
Thousands of students and teachers at five middle schools in the Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) District began receiving their very own, brand new iPads complete with a monthly data plan on October 9 as part of the Verizon Innovative Learning rollout. The initiative represents a multi-million dollar investment by Verizon in JCPS to bolster technology-infused curricula for underserved students.
As part of the initiative, every student in the five schools—Olmsted Academy North, W.E.B. DuBois Academy, the Academy @ Shawnee, Lassiter and Newburg middle schools—as well as every teacher at those schools will receive a new iPad equipped with a data plan for two years. Additionally, the schools received funding to help support a full-time instructional coach and professional development for all teachers and staff, as well as ongoing project planning and implementation support. More than 3,400 iPads will be distributed as part of the initiative in JCPS.
“Strengthening access to technology for students is critical—and our partnership with Verizon Innovative Learning is helping do that in a big way,” JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio said. “This partnership helps ensure classrooms are integrated with the latest technology, teachers have relevant and professional coaching and assistance, and most importantly, our students are equipped with the latest devices to learn on and reach their full potential.”
At Newburg Middle School, where students and their parents filed in and out of the school’s gym throughout the day on Tuesday, each student received and learned how to safely and responsibly use their iPad. The device will be the personal property of the student to use throughout the school year.
The initiative in JCPS runs through the 2019-20 school year.
