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Meet Letterman — a new 3-year-old male southern white rhinoceros comes to the Louisville Zoo from The Wilds in southeast Ohio. The rhino was named by Jack Hanna after the late night television host and comedian David Letterman. Letterman was born on November 12, 2014 at The Wilds.
Letterman has completed his standard 30-day quarantine and will soon join 34-year-old female Sindi in the exhibit. As with any new animal introductions, the rhinos will be monitored. Introductions of unfamiliar rhinos can often result in sparring from both males and females, which is normal behavior. These normal interactions and dynamics in a rhino group can occasionally result in a superficial injury. The rhinos are regularly evaluated by the Zoo’s veterinary staff and any observed injuries are treated under their expert care. Once the rhinos are familiar with each other and their roles are established, they will usually engage in calmer interactions.
White rhinoceros are the largest land mammal after the elephant and the largest species of rhinoceros. Their range is southern Africa. The typical weight of a white rhinoceros is between 4,000 and 6,000 pounds. Adult white rhinos have no natural predators, other than humans, due to their size. White rhinoceros are listed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to the continued poaching threat and increasing illegal demand for horns.
Council Members David Yates (D-25) and Rick Blackwell (D-12) invite the community to the first-ever Family Movie Night at the Southwest YMCA this coming Friday, May 11th. It’s a free event for the entire family.
“The Southwest YMCA is a wonderful amenity for our community. Councilman Blackwell and I sponsor these great events to ensure every family in our community can have some fun in a safe and comfortable atmosphere,” said Yates. “Family Movie Night is a new event this year. I am sure we will have a great turnout just like our Back to School Bash and Fall Family Festival!”
“Families can enjoy a free night together in a fun and safe environment with this event,” says Blackwell. “The Southwest YMCA does a tremendous job of offering family-friendly events for our community and we are excited to offer something different this year.”
Family Movie Night at the Southwest YMCA will be held from 6:00pm to 9:30pm. Families can enjoy activities from 6 – 8 pm including:
- Hot dogs, ice cream and popcorn
- Inflatables, family games and face painting
- Membership and Healthy Living Information
Bring your blankets and chairs to enjoy the feature film “Zootopia” beginning at 8 pm. This Disney animated film released in 2016 tells the story of a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox working together to uncover a conspiracy. The Southwest YMCA is located at 2800 Fordhaven Road.
For more information, contact Councilman Yates office at 574-1125 or Councilman Blackwell’s Office at 574-1112.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Councilwoman Marianne Butler is once again encouraging pet owners to take advantage of the next S.P.O.T. Clinic for residents of District 15 set for Saturday, May 12th.
“S.P.O.T. Clinics are an effective way to provide needed veterinarian services at a low cost for pet owners,” says Butler. “If you have not had time during the week to take care of your pet, this clinic is one way to renew a license and update vaccinations.”
Here is a list of services offered at the District 15 Spring S.P.O.T. Clinic:
- 1 year rabies vaccination: $10.00
- 3 year rabies vaccination: $15.00
- DAPP: FREE!
- 1 year altered license: $10.00
- 1 year altered senior license: $5.00
- 1 year unaltered license: $60.00
- 3 year altered license: $27.00
- 3 year senior license: $13.50
- Microchip: $25.00
The S.P.O.T Clinic (which stands for Stop Pet Overpopulation Today) will be located in the front parking lot at the Salvation Army building, 1010 Beecher Street. The hours of operation are from 9:00am until 12:00pm.
For more information about the S.P.O.T. Clinic, contact Councilwoman Butler’s office at 574-1115.
Representatives from State and Local offices joined together to celebrate the completion of the Urton Lane Bridge in southeastern Jefferson County. Phase I of the Urton Lane Project was first funded in July 2011 through an appropriation by Councilman Stuart Benson, seeks to develop more than 400 acres of land located in the southeastern portion of the Bluegrass Commercial Park. When all phases of the project are completed, the Urton Lane Extension will grant a new access route to Taylorsville Road and the Gene Snyder for persons seeking to transport goods or commute to work.
“The completion of the Urton Lane Corridor will take time, but when completed will lead to approximately 10,000 new jobs for the area and nearly two million square feet of office and industrial space.The jobs created as part of this project are expected to pay higher than average wages and demand well trained workers while releasing few if any emissions. The Urton Lane Corridor project is a great example of cooperative efforts by public and private partners that will be an economic boon for our community.” – Councilman Stuart Benson
The total cost for the completed portion of the Urton Lane Extension is $1.5 million. Additionally, the bridge was constructed with multi modal pedestrian traffic needs in mind. The north and south approach ramps will be constructed as the many acres of adjacent land are developed.
“The bridge project gets us closer to completion of the Urton Lane Corridor, which has been talked about for years. And it’s time to make it a reality. Connecting this bridge to Urton Lane and completing the Urton Lane Corridor will help us add up to 10,000 new jobs.” – Mayor Greg Fischer
In addition to funds pooled by the nine Republican members of the Louisville Metro Council, additional funding for the project was included in the FY17 Mayor’s Budget Proposal through use of System Development Charges. This funding source seeks to improve transit in some of the fastest growing parts of Louisville Metro and comes from fees paid each time a new home, apartment or townhome is constructed in southeastern Jefferson County.
“Transportation projects like the Urton Lane Bridge provide vital connections to keep Kentucky’s economy moving, I applaud the efforts of Councilman Benson, who worked tirelessly to make this project a reality. By placing economic development ahead of partisanship, we are confident that there will be further opportunities for new development and jobs in Jefferson County and throughout the Commonwealth.” – Governor Matt Bevin
About the Urton Lane Bridge Project:
- Project funding starting in July 2011 with the final funding for the project added as part of the
FY18 Budget. - Construction started in May 2017 and was completed in early April 2018.
- Total Project Cost: 1.5 million.
- When complete, the Urton Lane Extension is expected to help develop over 400 acres of land adjacent to the Bluegrass Commerce Park and help create more than 10,000 jobs with an expected average salary greater than the average for Louisville Metro.\
- Constructing a bridge over an existing railroad corridor brought additional obstacles and levels of approval than most public projects.
- Project was managed by Louisville Metro Public Works, Mindel Scott & Associates and included work with outside stakeholders from Hollenbach-Oakley, Norfolk Southern, American Contracting, LLC, Qk4 and Louisville Metro Council District 20.
For more information on this event or the Urton Lane Bridge Project, please contact Stephen Haag, Jr at 574-1204 or steve.haag@louisvilleky.gov .
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Councilwoman Marianne Butler (D-15) is sponsoring Breast Cancer Screenings and Mammograms for Women 40 years an older on Saturday, May 12th.
“Early detection of breast cancer is one of the best ways to fight this disease. It is my hope that women over 40 will take advantage of this event. Many of us know of someone who has lost a love one because of breast cancer,” says Butler.
The Breast Cancer / Mammography Screenings are for the Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 3509 Taylor Blvd.
Councilwoman Butler is partnering with Horses and Hope, The University of Louisville Hospital, the James Graham Brown Cancer Center and the Kentucky Cancer Program.
The Mammograms are for women age 40 and older. There is no cost to program eligible women without insurance. Insurance will be filed for women with coverage. Appointments are required for the screening.
Call 368-8211 to make an appointment.
Bridges of Hope Neighborhood Place joins with several community partners to host a day-long forum focused on the rippling effects of addiction on Saturday, May 12. Entitled “Addiction 101: The Ripple Effect of Heroin and Other Drugs”, the event will be held at Dismas Charities at St. Ann’s Center, 1515 Algonquin Pkwy., from 12 – 4 p.m.
The purpose of the forum is to bring together individuals and families that are dealing with addiction as well as service providers, community leaders, advocates, nonprofits and other agencies to learn more about what the opioid epidemic looks like in our community, and explore some of the causes and steps that may be taken to combat this epidemic. The event is free and open to the public and will feature presentations from a number of experts and several tables with representatives from agencies ranging from treatment and other supportive services.
Louisville, like so many cities across the country, is facing an opioid epidemic that has resulted in thousands of overdoses and hundreds of deaths. According to the recently released Coming Together for Hope Healing and Recovery – a report and plan to address substance use and misuse by Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness – the age-adjusted drug overdose death rate in Louisville in 2016 was more than double what it was in 2011. Furthermore, substance use disorder and overdose impacts every neighborhood.
The featured presenters and agenda are as follows:
- 12:00 – 12:15 p.m. Welcome by Gena Redmon Harris, Director of Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services, a partner agency in Neighborhood Place
- 12:15 – 12:45 p.m. Understanding Addiction by Dr. Patrick McKiernan, Lecturer, U of L, Kent School of Social Work and Director, Sober Solutions House
- 12:45– 1:15 p.m. Impact of addiction – Individual, by Kim Moore, Case Manager with Reimage, a program which provides a second chance to youth and young adults who are involved with the court system
- 1:15 – 1:45 p.m. Impact of addiction – Family, by William Doyle, LMFT MA Med, Family Therapist, Centerstone, whose office uses a client-centered, trauma-informed approach
- 1:45 – 2:00 p.m. Break
- 2:00 – 2:30 p.m. Impact of addiction – Community, by Major Brittney Garrett, Administrative Commander with Jeffersontown Police Department who runs the Angel Program
- 2:30 – 3:00 p.m Impact of addiction – Hope, Healing and Recovery, presented by staff with Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness
- 3:00 – 3:30 p.m. Impact of addiction – Country, by Andy Beshear, Kentucky’s Attorney General,
Hosted several substance abuse awareness forums across the state - 3:30 – 4:00 p.m. Questions and Closing
Vendors will be on hand throughout the event to provide resources and information in the following areas: treatment, counseling, prevention, harm reduction, social services, and family support, as well as the needle exchange mobile unit, a drug deactivation pouches giveaway that safely destroy prescription drugs at home, and Hep A vaccines. Participating agencies include Louisville Metro Departments of Public Health and Wellness as well as Resilience and Community Services, Neighborhood Place, the Office of Safe and Health Neighborhoods, Centerstone, Dismas and St. Ann’s.
“Like a pebble tossed in a pond, we all feel the ripple effects of addiction,” said Nannette Dix, administrator for the city’s Resilience and Community Services agency at the Bridges of Hope Neighborhood Place and who is also part of the city’s One Love Louisville Campaign, Substance Abuse Prevention Work Group. “Our goal for this event is to offer education, training and collaboration to help us all be better equipped to face the epidemic that touches our families, friends and community members.”
For more information about the event, contact Nannette Dix at Nannette.Dix@louisvilleky.gov or 634-6057.
Historic Locust Grove will hold the 23rd Annual Gardeners’ Fair Friday, May 11, Saturday, May 12, and Sunday, May 13, 2018 from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm daily. This hallmark event will feature over 40 vendors and demonstrators showcasing annuals, perennials, herbs, native plants, garden art, and garden tools.
The Gardeners’ Fair connects Locust Grove’s history as a farm with 21st century gardens, providing an opportunity for guests to learn more about caring for their own green spaces. Gardeners’ Fair celebrates sustainable gardening, green living, heirloom plants, organic gardening, and the good earth that creates beautiful outdoor environments. Vendors will be available to offer gardening tips and tricks for experienced green thumbs or those who are just starting their own gardens. Plants will be available for all garden and budget sizes. In addition to plants and flowers, demonstrators including a basket maker, fiber artist, and blacksmith will demonstrate historic trades that would have been part of daily life on an early 19th century farm like Locust Grove. The ever-popular alpacas will be returning, and they will be joined by a flock of sheep for a shearing and spinning demonstration. Area food trucks including Red’s Comfort Foods, Sweet ‘N Savory, Bellissimo and Chef on Wheels will rotate daily, and Monnik Beer Company will serve beer on Friday and Saturday. The Louisville Dulcimer Society and The Big Four will provide music throughout the fair. In an effort to be more sustainable, guests are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles to fill at water stations provided by the Louisville Water Company. Inside the visitors’ center, guests will have the opportunity to bid on items in the Silent Auction. All proceeds benefit the educational programs at Locust Grove.
The 23rd Annual Gardeners’ Fair and Silent Auction will be held Friday, May 11 through Sunday, May 13, 2018 from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm daily. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for children ages 6-12, free for children under 6. For more information on the Gardeners’ Fair and a complete list of vendors, visit www.locustgrove.org/gardeners-fair.
Locust Grove is located at 561 Blankenbaker Lane (between Brownsboro Road and River Road), Louisville, KY 40207. For more information call (502) 897-9845 or visit www.locustgrove.org.
For more information about these events, please contact Hannah Zimmerman, Marketing and Communications Director at marketing@locustgrove.org or call (502) 897-9845 ext. 108.
