Thursday October 16, 2025
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As of Monday, regulators say that the tire pile that caught on fire in southwest Jefferson County last November is still smoldering. The fire is currently covered by layers of soil, which according to the regulators, is the only thing preventing the fire from re-igniting. At this time, it is unclear how the fire could continue to smolder.
The fire was at Liberty Tire Recycling, in the 14000 block of Bohannon Dr in southwest Jefferson County. Area residents have reported minor property damage from soot as the thick black smoke from the burning fires settled to the ground and some have expressed concerns for their children and pets as a result.
The Kentucky Energy and Enivornment Cabinet and the parent company of Liberty Tire reached an agreement on $40,000 in fines and several conditions that need to be met. State officials stated that tire company is complying with all conditions.
The Louisville International Airport has plans for safety upgrades to an older runway, adding flights, and allowing ride-sharing companies (e.g. Uber and Lyft) to pick up passengers in 2015.
Some of the upgrades that will happen include: $22 million in safety improvements to a runway to bring it up to standards, the third phase in the Crittenden Drive relocation project is expected to begin, which will replace the Woodlawn Overpass.
Currently, the airport has a contract with Yellow Cab and Ready Cab as the only two pick-up options travelers arriving in Louisville have if they want a taxi. There is at least one Uber driver that has been fined. The executive director for the airport, Skip Miller, hopes to have rules and regulations in place by March that would allow ride-sharing companies to pick-up passengers that order a ride.
During the course of the past year, there has been a decline in the number of flights to and from Standiford Field. Travelers should expect to see some flight changes as well during the year, including additional flights to cities currently serviced and loss of some flights to some cities. Miller stated that it is not certain at this point in time what the changes will be, just that changes will happen.
A new city ban goes into effect today. The ban prohibits the use the plastic bags for yard waste, which includes grass and leaves. The reason for the ban is because the plastic bags do not decompose, thus taking up more space in the landfill.
Residents who put out a plastic yard waste bag will receive a notice of the available options and may face a $50 fine. If the plastic bags are not moved, the city will also add a clean-up fee to the fine.
People can still put their yard waste out on the curb. Instead of a plastic bag, you may use paper bags, compostable bags, or reusable containers. There is also the option to start your own compost bin at your house.
Jefferson County District Court Judge, Sandra McLaughlin, has been publicly reprimanded by the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission for comments that she has made while sitting on the bench. Her comments, according the Commission’s report, are described as “unnessary, undignified, and inconsistent with the presumption of innocence”
The Courier-Journal reported earlier in the year that McLaughlin has repeatedly addressed defendants at arraignments as though they had already been found guilty. The inappropriate behavior brings into question her ability to be impartial, which is a requirement of judge. The Courier-Journal brought this behavior to attention in September. Even with these accusations, McLaughlin was able to win re-election in November with 56% of the vote.
Early yesterday morning, John R. Cecil, Jr. was arrested on Frankfort Ave. after hitting a pedestrian in a crosswalk. The woman who has hit was knocked out of her boots and jacket, then landed on top of Cecil’s car. Cecil did not stop until other pedestrians in the area blocked the road, forcing him to stop.
The impact of the accident was enough to dent the front the grill of Cecil’s BMW, as well as damaging the windshield and roof. The victim suffered a fractured shoulder as well as injuries to her knees. Witnesses claim that Cecil never offered help to the victim.
Police say that Cecil smelled strongly of alcohol and had slurred speech. A breathalyzer test showed that Cecil had a BAC of 0.351. He has been arrested and is charged with driving under the influence with a suspended license, leaving the scene of an accident and wanton endangerment.
The 1033 Program was created by the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 1997 as part of the US Government’s Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services (DLA) to transfer excess military equipment to law enforcement agencies. To date, the program has put $5.1 billion worth of military hardware into the lockers, offices, motor-pools, and equipment rooms of law enforcement agencies around the US.
For years the program has been widely criticized, including in audits by the DOD Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office, which noted in one report that “DOD does not have management controls in place to assure that excess
inventory is reutilized to the maximum extent possible.” The GAO report found that much of the property disposed of by the DOD was in new, unused or excellent condition and that the remainder of the program was rife with inefficiencies, waste, fraud and abuse.
Following police response to widespread protests, some of which turned violent – resulting in the destruction of buildings and vehicles and looting of stores, over the recent Michael Brown grand jury decision, there were many complaints about the growing “militarization of police” in the United States. These complaints turned to calls for increased transparency in the program by the public as well as politicians, including Kentucky’s own Rand Paul, who said “Washington has incentivized the militarization of local police precincts by using federal dollars to help municipal governments build what are essentially small armies—where police departments compete to acquire military gear that goes far beyond what most of Americans think of as law enforcement.”
The Marshall Project has compiled a list of which agencies received which assets as a part of the 1033 Program. Kentucky has received at least$46,047,672 though the program since its inception. Locally, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has received $442,883.76 in government assetts, Jeffersontown PD received $494,233.15, LMPD received $384,252.61, Metro Corrections received $19,365.00, and St. Matthew’s PD received $21,495.69. UofL Police Department was near the bottom of the list, receiving only $1,132 in relatively innocuous assets while the University of Kentucky Police Department received $89,612 worth of 5.56mm rifles (10) and trucks (2). Some of the larger equipment received locally include:
- A $200,000 120mm Mortar Carrier for JCSO
- A $177,447 MK3MOD0 bomb robot for LMPD
- 139 5.56mm rifles for JCSO $69,361.00
- Six 5.56mm rifles for LMPD (fewer than UKPD received)$2,994.00
- 15 7.62mm rifles for JCSO
- Ten 7.62mm rifles for LMPD$1,380.00
- Various vehicles, night vision equipment, clothing and other law enforcement gear
View the full list compiled by The Marshall Project below: Continue reading
Area students received the following notification today following a supposed twitter prank in which the user threatened to “shoot up UofL”:
UofL Police Department has received a tweet from an unknown subject saying he is on his way to “shoot up UofL.” Report suspicious activity to 852-6111
Social media networks exploded with activity as word of the threat spread by email, text message, and phone while concerned family members rushed to warn others or check on their friends and family.
The twitter handle, which apparently belongs to a University of Louisville class of 2018 student named Cameron, deleted the post after remaining up for several minutes. Following the deletion of the tweet, someone calling themselves “Jillian” posted another series of messages claiming that they were just joking, saying that they “didn’t think it was that big of a deal” and apologized if they “offended anyone.”
ULPD and LMPD reacted quickly, seeking out the person who sent the threat and warning those who may have been in danger. The all clear message indicates that the police are interviewing a person of interest. Under Kentucky law, Terroristic Threatening is a class A misdemeanor:
508.080 Terroristic threatening in the third degree.
(1) Except as provided in KRS 508.075 or 508.078, a person is guilty of terroristic threatening in the third degree when:
(a) He threatens to commit any crime likely to result in death or serious physical injury to another person or likely to result in substantial property damage to another person; or
(b) He intentionally makes false statements for the purpose of causing evacuation of a building, place of assembly, or facility of public transportation.
(2) Terroristic threatening in the third degree is a Class A misdemeanor.
