Saturday December 6, 2025
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Third District Congressman John Yarmuth, Metro Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton and others were on hand Saturday as Louisville Parks and Recreation unveiled a new bicycle pump track in Shawnee Park as part of the West Louisville Appreciation Day festival.
“This pump track is another exciting way for young people in West Louisville and throughout our city to experience the outdoors and have fun in one of the many award-winning parks right here in our community. It was an honor to join Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton and so many West Louisville residents as we cut the ribbon on this great new addition to Shawnee Park,” Congressman Yarmuth said.
The new pump track was funded with assistance from the Aetna Foundation and built by 12 youths working over the summer who participated in Mayor Greg Fischer’s Summerworks Program and the Louisville ECHO (Louisville is Engaging Children Outdoors) program.
The project has benefitted by support from the National Park Service who provided planning assistance and U.S. Forest Service who has providing funding support for Louisville ECHO.
It’s a feature of the West Louisville Outdoor Recreation Initiative (WLORI), which began nearly a decade ago, and, under which, plans for a new Outdoor Learning Center in Shawnee Park were released last week. Those plans can be viewed on Louisville Parks and Recreation’s website, bestparksever.com.
A pump track is a type of off-road terrain for cycle sport consisting of a circuit of banked turns and features designed to be ridden completely by riders “pumping” – creating momentum by up and down body movements.
The plans were also displayed at an information booth set up by staff from Jefferson Memorial Forest and Louisville Parks and Recreation’s Natural Areas Division on Saturday.
Other components of WLORI include a new boat ramp in Shawnee Park (construction will take place in 2019) and the proposed restoration of the pond in nearby Chickasaw Park for better fishing access.
“Where a person lives has a profound impact on how they live – particularly when it comes to their health,” said Jonathan Copley CEO of Aetna Better Health of Kentucky. “The West Louisville Outdoor Recreation Initiative is an outstanding example of how important progress can be made when communities work together to look at the biggest issues facing their neighborhoods and develop healthy, home-grown solutions. We are pleased to be a contributor to today’s unveiling.”
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Councilwoman Vicki Aubrey Welch (D-13) is inviting everyone to come out and share their thoughts and ideas on the proposed Fairdale Village Center Planning Project at a special community workshop on Tuesday, July 31.
“The Fairdale Village Center is a unique, vibrant, and attractive neighborhood center proposal that is both a gateway to the Jefferson Memorial Forest and a destination unto itself,” says Welch. “This workshop is a way to learn more about the project and at the same time gives the community the chance to offer their thoughts on what Fairdale should like in the future.”
The community workshop will be held at the Fairdale Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library at 10620 W. Manslick Rd. from 3:00pm to 7:00pm. This will be an open house forum with presentations on the Fairdale Village Center at 4:00pm and 6:00pm.
With the construction of the Fairdale Roundabout, Welch says this project will seek to build on the area’s momentum. It will further develop Fairdale’s unique sense of place, enhance the village center’s green space and green infrastructure, explore opportunities for economic development, and plan for upgrades to the area’s streets and sidewalks.
“The future development of Fairdale is one of my top priorities because this is home to generations of families. This project will build upon the recommendations of the 2006 Fairdale Neighborhood Plan,” says Welch. “I want the community to get involved and express their thoughts on what makes Fairdale special and how we can continue to improve the quality of life for everyone.”
This process is being managed by Louisville Metro’s Office of Advanced Planning and a team of local consultants from Taylor, Siefker, Williams Design Group. The focus area is primarily composed of the Fairdale Village Center Form District with further attention being given to the major roads leading up to the new roundabout. The project is anticipated to take about six months.
For more information about the Community Workshop, contact Councilwoman Welch’s office at 574-1113.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
In the days before YouTube, Netflix and Pay per View, there was one special place in Louisville’s South End to take the family out for a movie and you didn’t have to get out of the car.
On Tuesday, July 31st Councilwoman Vicki Aubrey Welch (D-13), the Kentucky Historical Society and representatives of the Iroquois Neighborhood Association will dedicate the Commonwealth’s newest Historical Marker at the Kenwood Drive In.
“Sixty nine years ago, the Kenwood Drive In held its Grand Opening and for those of us who grew up in South Louisville and the surrounding area, the Kenwood was the place to go for a fun time with friends and family,” says Welch. “So many people have great memories of the movies shown here and the fun it was to just get in the car, place a speaker on your window, grab some popcorn and watch movies under the stars. From my own family, four generations have enjoyed movies at the Kenwood Drive In.”
The official dedication ceremony will begin at 12:00 noon.
When the Kenwood opened on July 31st, 1949, “El Paso” starring John Payne, Sterling Hayden and Gail Russell was the featured movie of the night.
The Kenwood Drive In Ceremony will be held at 7001 Southside Drive at the entry to the old location which is now Kenwood Business Park.
A special guest will be in attendance at this Wednesday’s evening service at First Gethsemane Baptist Church. Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear will be joined by Metro Council President David James (D-6) and Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith (D-4).
The Attorney General will be on hand to announce the Church is joining Kentucky’s Opioid Disposal Program.
“We hope the people in the community will come out and learn more about how we can make an impact to keep opioids out of the hands of the unsuspecting,” says James. “General Beshear is taking this program out to the people so they can learn how to protect others from these dangerous drugs.”
Beshear launched the program in August of 2017, and so far it has eliminated more than 2.2 million opioids across Kentucky.
“As we honor and celebrate our seasoned saints this week at First Gethsemane we are delighted to partner with our Attorney General to address the growing problem of drugs, prescription and illegal, getting into the hands of our most vulnerable in our community,” says Dr. T. Vaughn Walker, Senior Pastor. “We as part of the faith community see the absolute necessity of dedicated partnerships from government, the medical community, business and faith families working collaboratively to stop what has become the epidemic cross of racial, cultural, and economic communities.”
With First Gethsemane becoming a partner, the church will distribute 100 safe drug deactivation pouches for use in the community.
“We have seen intense efforts by local, state and federal law enforcement to take drugs off our streets. Now it become our responsibility to make sure the medicine chest in our homes are safe. This program is an effective way to accomplish that goal,” says Sexton Smith.
The Attorney General will be at First Gethsemane tonight, Wednesday July 25th at 6:00pm. The Church is located at 1159 Algonquin Parkway.
Angela Leet Releases Statement on Crime Numbers
Mayoral candidate and current District 7 Councilwoman Angela Leet called the Fischer Administration’s claim that crime is down, “dishonest.”
“This claim is absolutely disingenuous. During Fischer’s first year in office, there were 49 homicides in the county. Last year, there were 108 homicides in the county. This year, we are currently on track to double the number of homicides in Fischer’s first year. So seeing a tiny downtick in a few week’s time is not a victory when all Fischer has managed to do is set a new normal of more than a 100 homicides a year,” said Leet.
In a 2005 survey, Morgan Quitno Press ranked Louisville as the seventh safest large city in the United States with that rank dropping to number eight in the 2006 edition of the survey. Lousiville, however, failed to make independent security review site SafeWise’s 2017 list of 50 Safest Metro Cities in America at all and came in at 106 in WalletHub’s 2017’s Safest Cities in America rankings.
Leet claimed that the legacy of the Fischer Administration would be that “homicides have doubled, shootings have doubled, and drug overdose deaths have tripled” under the oversight of the current mayor.
The LMPD historical homicide data does show a dramatic uptick in murders over the past several years. The highest number of murders since 1960, the earliest year in which data is available, was 2016’s record setting year with 122 homicides in Jefferson County, followed closely by 2017’s number of 116 total homicides.
Fischer’s first year in office, 2011, saw the lowest number of homicides since 2003. The several years following his tenure as Mayor showed measurably higher numbers before beginning their remarkable increase to the numbers seen in recent years.
Leet continued, “For the 10 years prior to Fischer taking office, U of L Hospital admitted an average of 166 gunshot victims per year. During the Fischer Administration, U of L Hospital has seen an average of over 200 shooting victims, and that average is over 300 for the last 2 years. 1700 people have been admitted to University of Louisville Hospital for gunshot wounds since Fischer took office. That does not even include victims who were not admitted.”
Putting a rosy spin on crime numbers is nothing new, however. Last August we published the city’s release claiming that crime overall in Lousiville was down 4%, driven by large decreases in violent crimes such as rape and robbery, and smaller decreases in property crimes like larceny. The article, however, noted then that homicides were up by 20% over the previous year’s data.
However, Leet said of Fischer’s attempt “to spin a tale of ‘crime is down'” in a year in which he is up for reelection, “I am disappointed that Fischer is manipulating numbers and denying the reality of drug and gang issues in our neighborhoods.“
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith will be on hand for the official ribbon cutting for “The Oasis” on Thursday, July 12th as the new store begins selling food at 2235 West Market Street.
The Oasis will officially open its doors to provide foods including a variety of frozen meats, fruit and vegetables and healthy snack options for neighborhood families at great prices!
“Access to affordable, healthful food is a basic human right and we are creating new options in Metro District 4 to do just that. Several large grocery stores closed in our area which forced us to look for innovative solutions,” says Sexton Smith. “The Oasis is just one example of how we are bringing food to the neighborhoods one block at a time. Stay tuned as more options become available.”
The ribbon cutting is set for 10:00am on Thursday.
The event also includes taking the lemon challenge which is an attempt to raise awareness by promoting healthy eating and living.
The Oasis is a partnership among Louisville Metro Government, Dare to Care Food Bank, Catholic Charities of Louisville and CashSaver Cost Plus Food Store.
The entire family is invited to enjoy a day of fun on the banks of the Ohio River as Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing hosts an “Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social,” Sunday, July 8 from 1-5 p.m. The historic property is located at 7410 Moorman Road in southwest Louisville.
The event features live music by Storefront Congregation, and several activities for kids, including games, miniature train rides, pony rides, a farm animal petting zoo and the Southwest Library Book Sale. Visitors will also be able to participate in an archaeological dig underway on the Riverside grounds, take tours of the circa 1837 Farnsley-Moremen House.
A highlight of the event is the Ice Cream Eating contest: ten children and six adults will be selected to compete. Contestants will vie for the “first to finish” award.
Admission to the event is free–and so are the children’s activities. Tours of the historic home are half-price for this event. Food will be provided by Ehrler’s Ice Cream, Lexie Lu’s and the Celtic Pig. The event is sponsored by Louisville Metro Councilmembers Cindi Fowler (D-14); Rick Blackwell (D-12); Vicki Welch (D-13) and David Yates (D-25). For more information, please call 502/935-6809.
For more information: www.riverside-landing.org
