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SubscribeCoroner seeking next of kin for Lester Shoftshall, white male, age 64, of Louisville. Please contact the coroner’s office at 574-6262.
By Laura Mullaney
Actors Theatre of Louisville proudly announces the lineup for the 43rd Humana Festival of New American Plays. A cultural highlight for theatre lovers, artists and producers across the country, the Humana Festival runs March 1 through April 7, 2019 in Louisville.
This year’s Festival program will feature five world premieres, listed in order of first performance:
- We’ve Come to Believe by Kara Lee Corthron, Emily Feldman and Matthew Paul Olmos
- The Corpse Washer adapted by Ismail Khalidi and Naomi Wallace, from the novel of the same name by Sinan Antoon
- The Thin Place by Lucas Hnath
- How to Defend Yourself by Lily Padilla, co-world premiere with Victory Gardens Theater
- Everybody Black by Dave Harris
By investing in the future of playwriting, Actors Theatre makes a significant impact not only on the national theatre canon, but also on the economic prosperity and cultural vibrancy of Louisville. The 2018 Festival was attended by more than 38,000 people, with visitors from 41 states and 52 colleges and universities represented in the audience.
For over four decades, Actors Theatre of Louisville has been a driving force in new play development, introducing more than 450 plays into the American theatre repertoire and representing the work of more than 400 playwrights and ensembles. The internationally acclaimed Humana Festival is recognized as a crucial incubator for new work and a launchpad for myriad subsequent productions around the country and the world. Plays that have recently premiered at Actors Theatre—including Molly Smith Metzler’s Cry it Out, Leah Nanako Winkler’s God Said This, Jen Silverman’s The Roommate and Colman Domingo’s Dot—have continued to be produced on stages far and wide.
This year’s lineup of plays will be performed in rotating repertory in three theatres located in Actors Theatre’s downtown Louisville complex: the 633-seat Pamela Brown Auditorium, 318-seat Bingham Theatre and 159-seat Victor Jory Theatre. The 2019 Humana Festival schedule also offers a weekend of enrichment events for college students, and features special weekend packages for theatre lovers and practitioners alike. These weekends are packed with discussions, networking opportunities and parties, making Louisville an exciting destination for the American theatre this spring.
Weekend packages for the 2019 Humana Festival of New American Plays are now on sale and are available for the following weekends, enabling you to see a variety of Humana Festival plays and access special events: March 15-17, March 22-24, March 29-31 and April 5-7, 2019. Packages are available for theatre lovers and practitioners on all Festival weekends, and for college students and professors the weekend of March 22-24.. Single tickets prices start at $25, and go on sale January 3, 2019. For more information, please visit ActorsTheatre.org or call our Box Office at 502.584.1205.
Actors Theatre celebrates the 43rd Humana Festival with underwriter the Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Humana, Inc. Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.
Photo: Kentucky Department Fish And Wildlife
The first snippets of snow fell this week, making most people frown, but put a smile on the faces of Kentucky waterfowl hunters. The cold weather the week before the waterfowl season opener on Thanksgiving Day is a good sign.
“Waterfowl hunting in Kentucky is nearly 100 percent weather dependent,” said Wes Little, migratory bird biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “We will have more birds to hunt if we get cold weather to the north of Kentucky. If we continue with this cold weather, we should have a good opener.”
Little said fantastic habitat conditions for waterfowl await those birds. “The moist soil vegetation such as wild ryes, annual smartweeds, millets and sedges are looking great across the state. The habitat is here and population wise, we are living the glory days.”
A slight dip in duck numbers in 2018 resulting from adverse weather conditions during breeding season in the prairie-pothole region on the northern Great Plains and Canada in 2017 should not concern waterfowl hunters. “We are still well above the long term average for duck numbers,” Little said. “This trend is basically a blip and should not impact hunting at all.”
New public waterfowl hunting opportunities on Sloughs Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Henderson and Union counties offer a chance for excellent hunting each week of the season. Little explained hunters who have not put in for a quota hunt on the area may try for a minimum of 10 slots via a weekly draw each Monday night of the season.
“Nine of those slots are on the Jenny Hole Unit with one on the Sauerheber Unit,” Little explained. “More slots may be available if those drawn for quota hunts on the area don’t check in on the Sunday before their hunts.”
Waterfowl hunters on Ballard WMA in Ballard County, an anchor of Kentucky waterfowl hunting for decades, no longer have to hunt from blinds. “For the first time, a few boat-in hunting spots are available on Ballard WMA,” Little said. “There are many wade and shoot opportunities as well.”
Boatwright WMA, also in Ballard County, and Doug Travis WMA in Carlisle and Hickman counties, offer daily walk-in waterfowl hunting. For more information on these opportunities, refer to the 2018-2019 Kentucky Waterfowl Hunting Guide available in a printable PDF format at the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife webpage at www.fw.ky.gov. There is no longer a paper version of this guide.
Little said Cedar Creek Lake in Lincoln County, Barren River Lake in Allen and Barren counties and Green River Lake in Adair and Taylor counties offer some of the best waterfowl hunting in the central Kentucky region. He also recommended Cave Run Lake for duck hunting in east Kentucky, especially later in the season. Goose hunting is not permitted on most of Cave Run Lake. The Ohio River also offers good later season duck and goose hunting.
Hunters without a boat and other gear needed to hunt large bodies of water should try farm ponds. “Farm ponds always provide opportunity,” Little said. “You must get permission from the landowner. Do not be afraid to ask, many landowners with resident goose issues are open to waterfowl hunters. Do not forget to close the gate behind you; that is the number one way to lose hunting permission on a farm.”
Steel shotshells in No. 2 through No. 4 work well for ducks while those in BB through No. 2 make good goose loads. “The modern non-toxic loads with tungsten or bismuth allow hunters to use smaller shot sizes,” Little said.
“I mostly use 3-inch, steel shotshells with 1 1-4 ounces of shot for waterfowl hunting,” Little said. Waterfowl hunters may not use or possess lead shot while hunting.
Duck, coot and merganser season opens Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22 and closes Nov. 25. This season opens again Dec. 3 and closes Jan. 27, 2019. Goose season also opens Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22 and closes Feb. 15, 2019.
As a reminder, waterfowl hunters must complete a short survey and get their Harvest Information Program (H.I.P.) confirmation number before hunting. Visit the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife homepage at www.fw.ky.gov and click on the “My Profile” tab to begin. The process takes less than 5 minutes.
In addition to the H.I.P. confirmation number, waterfowl hunters need a valid Kentucky hunting license as well as a Kentucky Migratory Bird – Waterfowl Hunting Permit along with a signed Federal Duck Stamp to be legal waterfowl hunters.
Waterfowl hunting provides a fun reason to get outside in winter while providing excellent tasting, nutritious table fare. A meal featuring properly cooked duck is as good as any expensive restaurant
Louisville Parks and Recreation is accepting team registrations for its adult men’s winter basketball leagues. Games will be played Sunday afternoons at the Cyril Allgeier Community Center, 4101 Cadillac Court, beginning January 6, with game times of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 p.m.
The fee is $500 per team, and participants must be 18 or older. Deadline to register is December 15, or until leagues are filled.
For more information on how to register, please click here. Payments can be made by credit card over the phone at 502/574-4515. You may also pay by cash or check at the Parks and Recreation athletics office located at the Cyril Allgeier Center, 4101 Cadillac Ct., 40213.
Payment must be made in full at the time of registration in order to reserve your place for the season. Registrations received after deadline will be subject to $35 processing late fee.
All information concerning league offerings, rules, and team roster sheets can be found here. For more information, e-mail athletics at athletics@louisvilleky.gov or call 502/574-4515.
Gov. Matt Bevin today recognized the sacrifice of a Kentucky soldier who died in the Korean War, but whose remains have just been positively identified and are in the process of being returned to his family in Irvington.
Army Pvt. Robert J. Sipes, Jr., 19, died on Nov. 30, 1950, was accounted for on Oct. 23, 2018, and will be buried in his hometown on December 5, 2018.
In November 1950, Sipes was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was killed in action on Nov. 30, 1950, during heavy fighting between the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) and the 7th Cavalry Regiment near the village of Unsan, North Korea. His remains were processed through a 7th Cavalry Regiment Collection Station on Dec. 1, 1950, and interred at the United Nations Military Cemetery (UNMC) Pyongyang on Dec. 2, 1950.
On Aug. 17, 1954, the United Nations Command (UNC) and North Korea, along with the CPVF, reached an agreement regarding the recovery and return of war dead. The agreement, known as Operation Glory, resulted in the turnover of 4,200 sets of remains to the UNC, including more than 400 sets reportedly disinterred from Pyongyang. One set of remains, designated N-16678 could not be identified, and was subsequently interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu (known as the Punchbowl), as an Unknown.
In June 2017, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) disinterred Unknown X-16678 for identification.
To identify Sipes’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental, anthropological, and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Service arrangements for Pvt. Sipes are not yet complete.
The Southern Automotive Women’s Forum (SAWF) welcomed more than 150 middle school girls from Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and Clark County, Indiana, on November 13 to its All Girls Auto Know program at the Kentucky Science Center. All Girls Auto Know is a one-day event where SAWF invites middle school girls, along with educator chaperones, to explore the many opportunities that are available to each of them through STEM education and in the automotive industry.
During the event, girls from Knight Middle School and Thomas Jefferson Middle School worked on a hands-on STEM activity and had the opportunity to speak to representatives from automotive manufacturers, automotive suppliers and college training programs. Nearly 2,000 girls from South Carolina and Alabama have participated in this program since its inception in 2011. This is the first time the program has been brought to Kentucky.
“We are excited to bring this program to Kentucky,” said Tami Hatfield, Labor Relations Supervisor for Ford Motor Company at the Louisville Assembly Plant. “There are many opportunities for careers in automotive and it is important that we introduce girls to them.”
Ford Motor Company is the principal sponsor of the All Girls Auto Know event in Kentucky with additional support by the Kentucky Girls STEM Collaborative, Ivy Tech Community College Southern Indiana and Frost Brown Todd LLC.
The Southern Automotive Women’s Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the personal and professional advancement of women in the auto industry.
Mayor Greg Fischer announced today that the city’s largest and most beloved holiday event, Light Up Louisville, returns for the 38th year on Nov. 23, outside of Metro Hall in Jefferson Square.
Light Up Louisville is the official starting point for the holiday season in Louisville. This event has become a holiday tradition for scores of residents and their visiting friends and family. It is a day full of excitement, entertainment and community.
“Light Up Louisville is the perfect way for our city to usher in the holidays,” said Mayor Fischer. “After a big Thanksgiving meal the day before, grab your kids and relatives and join us outside for some fresh air, fun and fireworks!”
Light Up Louisville, always held the Friday after Thanksgiving, begins at 4 p.m., with children and families invited to take part in Santa’s Workshop, located this year in decorated chalets on Fifth and Jefferson streets. There, children can decorate cookies, write letters to Santa and send holiday cards to our troops, courtesy of Ford/UAW 862.
There will be a vendor village at Sixth and Jefferson streets, with holiday crafts, treats and gifts for sale. And the Louisville Visitor Center on Fourth and Jefferson will be open during Light Up Louisville, offering giveaways, treats and activities.
There will not be an outdoor ice rink this year, but Light Up has added a 15-passenger train that children can ride around the block from Fifth and Jefferson to Market at no cost.
The main Light Up Louisville stage on the west lawn of Metro Hall will feature live entertainment beginning at 4 p.m. until the start of the Lots of Lights parade at 6:30 p.m. Performances include some of Louisville’s most talented groups, including Six Steps to Heaven, Envy Dance Team, Classic Melodies “Top Note” and Motown Christmas. Stephen Gould will headline the stage before the start of the parade.
The Lots of Lights Parade starts at Fourth and Liberty streets and turns onto Jefferson Street and disperses at Seventh and Jefferson streets. Jesse and MJ from 106.9 Play!, Louisville’s official Christmas radio station, will emcee the parade announcements. Various units, including floats, bands, carolers, car clubs, children’s groups and civic organizations, will march through downtown and disperse at Seventh and Jefferson streets. The parade will end with the arrival of a special guest from the North Pole, Santa Claus.
Around 8 p.m., Mayor Fischer and Santa will gather on stage to illuminate the city Christmas tree located in Jefferson Square. The tree was donated by Christ Church United Methodist. The official Light Up moment will feature Zambelli fireworks, lasers and thousands of Christmas lights throughout downtown.
Following the Light Up moment, from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., entertainment on the main stage will resume with a performance from Eight Inch Elvis. Children and families are invited to get a free picture with Santa Claus inside Santa’s House on Fifth and Jefferson streets.
For over 14 years, Light Up Louisville has been made possible through the support of Louisville’s largest utility company, LG&E.
“Light Up Louisville is a wonderful holiday tradition. We are proud and excited to help bring this free family event to our community,” said Paul W. Thompson, chairman, CEO and president of LG&E and KU Energy. “Light Up Louisville is a memory-maker for everyone, and it is another terrific opportunity to showcase all Louisville has to offer.”
“Louisville is known across the world for its unique festivals and events. As the city continues to grow its offerings as a regional destination for the holidays, Light Up Louisville is a great kickoff to the season,” says Karen Williams, President & CEO of Louisville Tourism, silver sponsor of this year’s Light Up Louisville. “This one-of-a-kind, free, family-friendly celebration serves as a great anchor for families to plan a visit around the arts, museums and other local attractions featuring holiday events.”
The holidays are a perfect time to spread a little more compassion. Mayor Fischer asks residents to get involved in this year’s community-wide Toys for Tots drive a week after Light Up, on Friday, November 30. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day, a special drive-thru lane will be set up in front of Metro Hall for an easy drop-off. Marines will be on site to assist.
Light Up Louisville sponsors include: LG&E, Louisville Tourism, Amazon, AT&T, Ford/UAW 862, Hyatt Regency, MetroPCS, Papa Murphy’s, 106.9 Play!, Louisville Magazine, Outfront Media, and WLKY.
Special thanks to ABCO Bramer Crane Services, Bob Ray Tree Company, Costco, Electrical Maintenance, Heine Brothers Metro Parks and Recreation and Sunbelt Rentals.
Mayor Fischer urges people to share their photos from Light Up Louisville on social media using the hashtag #AroundLou.
For more information, go to: www.lightuplouisville.org.