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Photo: Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation
A portion of the Beargrass Creek Greenway trail will be closed beginning Aug. 7 for approximately 2.5 years as the Metropolitan Sewer District constructs the I-64 and Grinstead CSO Basin in the vicinity.
A map of the closure can be found here. The closure stretch is approximately 0.2 miles.
Cyclists and hikers will not be able to travel west on the Greenway trail from the access point at Lexington Road and Grinstead Drive.
To access the open portion of the trail, users will have to use the western access point near Payne Street. From that point, approximately 0.6 miles of the trail will be open, but users will be forced to turn around near the construction area near Lexington Road and Grinstead Drive for the duration of the project.
Louisville has experienced a 4 percent drop in crime overall for the first half of 2017, with declines in all eight LMPD divisions and in every category except homicides, Mayor Greg Fischer and Chief Steve Conrad announced today.
(See Louisville crime data for 2017.)
LMPD data from the first six months of 2017 compared to the same six months of 2016 show:
Violent crime overall is down 5 percent.
- Homicides are up 20 percent
- Rape is down 15 percent
- Robbery is down 14 percent
- Aggravated Assaults are down 0.5 percent
Property Crime is down 3.7 percent
- Burglary is down 1.9 percent
- Larceny is down 4.8 percent
- Motor vehicle theft is down 1.4 percent
“This data is clear – with the exception of homicides, we are headed in the right direction for every category of crime,” Fischer said.
The Mayor said the data shows there were 658 fewer crimes in Louisville for the first half of the year, an overall 4 percent reduction. “That is 658 fewer citizens who were victims in Louisville,” he said.
And the declines are being seen across all eight LMPD patrol divisions:
- First Division (Downtown area, Portland, Russell and Phoenix Hill neighborhoods): Down 10.3 percent.
- Second Division (Shawnee, Chickasaw and Park DuValle neighborhoods): Down 5.5 percent.
- Third Division (Iroquois Park, Pleasure Ridge Park, Valley Station and Fairdale): Down 2.7 percent.
- Fourth Division ( Smoketown, Churchill Downs, the Fairgrounds, South Louisville and Old Louisville): Down 4.2 percent.
- Fifth Division (Highlands, Clifton and Cherokee and Seneca Park areas): Down 7 percent.
- Sixth Division (Audubon Park, Newburg, Norfolk, the airport and GE): Down 2.3 percent.
- Seventh Division (Okolona, Fern Creek, Ford plant and the Jefferson Mall): Down 0.13 percent.
- Eighth Division (Middletown, Lyndon, Oxmoor and the Ford Truck Plant): Down 0.07 percent.
Chief Conrad credited the entire LMPD team, from the command staff to the patrol officers, for work that is making a difference in the city.
“The entire force at LMPD is here to protect and serve the citizens, and I’m proud that we are having an impact,” Conrad said. “We will continue to work our plan, with a key focus on reducing homicides and getting the crime-fighting resources to the neighborhoods that need them most.”
Fischer and Conrad both cautioned that, although the six months of data shows positive signs, there is still tremendous work ahead to make Louisville one of America’s safest large cities. “But we are committed to making that happen,” Fischer said.
Photo: Actors Theatre of Louisville
Artistic Director Les Waters and Managing Director Kevin E. Moore are excited to announce the cast and creative team for Tony Kushner’s epic, two-part masterpiece, Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches and Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika, both directed by Associate Artistic Director Meredith McDonough (Airness, Circle Mirror Transformation, Peter and the Starcatcher). Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches will preview on August 29 and 30, open on August 31, and run through October 10. Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika will preview on September 19 and 20, open on September 21, and run through October 14. Both productions will be presented in repertory in the Pamela Brown Auditorium as part of the Brown-Forman Series. Tickets are available at 502.584.1205, online at ActorsTheatre.org, or in person by visiting the Actors Theatre Box Office at 316 West Main Street, Louisville, KY, 40202.
One of the most celebrated plays of the 20th century, Tony Kushner’s two-part masterpiece carries the audience through an astonishing theatrical landscape, both intimate and epic. In the chaos of the mid-1980s, a web of friends, lovers, and strangers struggle to make sense of the world. The AIDS crisis is escalating. The ozone layer is disappearing. And then a celestial messenger comes crashing through the ceiling—literally. Told with thrilling wit and unflinching honesty, this searing examination of American politics, religion, power, sexuality, and justice is as powerful as ever.
Actors Theatre welcomes a powerhouse cast for this production of Angels in America. Lou Liberatore (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Awards nominee as part of the 1987 original Broadway cast of Burn This) will be making his Actors Theatre debut as Roy Cohn/Prior 2. Barbara Walsh (Tony, Drama Desk and Drama League Awards nominee and L.A. Ovation Award winner for her role as Trina in the 1992 original Broadway cast for Falsettos; Drama Desk and Drama League Awards nominee for the 2006 revival of Company; Helen Hayes award winner for the 2014 revival of Carrie: The Musical at Studio 2ndstage) will return to Actors Theatre, after last performing in a 1988 production of Tomfoolery, as Rabbi Chemelwitz/Henry/Hannah Pitt/Ethel Rosenberg. Actors Theatre also welcomes back Therese Barbato (Peter and the Starcatcher) as Harper Pitt/Martin Heller and Richard Prioleau (Peter and the Starcatcher, Love’s Labour’s Lost) as Mr. Lies/Belize. Richard Gallagher (Louis Ironson), Mark Junek (Prior Walter/Man in the Park), Rami Margron (Emily/Ella Chapter/The Woman in the South Bronx/The Angel) and Brian Slaten (Joe Pitt) will all be making their Actors Theatre debuts.
Actors Theatre’s production of Angels in America, Parts One & Two will be directed by Actors Theatre’s Associate Artistic Director Meredith McDonough, where she has directed Airness, Circle Mirror Transformation, Peter and the Starcatcher, This Random World, Dot, The Last Five Years, Noises Off, The Whipping Man, brownsville song (b-side for tray) and The Delling Shore. Previously, McDonough was the director of new works at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, California, where she directed the world premiere musical Triangle, as well as Upright Grand, Auctioning the Ainsleys, Silent Sky, Now Circa Then, [title of show] and Opus (Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards: Best Director and Best Production). Other San Francisco credits include the premiere of Miss Bennett–Christmas at Pemberley and A Steady Rain at Marin Theatre Company, and The Lily’s Revenge and Another Way Home at the Magic Theatre. Regionally, favorites include the U.S. premiere of NSFW, Fair Use (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Eurydice (Williamstown Theatre Festival), The Book Club Play (Dallas Theater Center) and the Washington, D.C. premiere of the musical Summer of ’42. In New York City, McDonough has developed work with Roundabout Theatre Company, Atlantic Theater Company, Keen Company and Ars Nova. She was the associate artistic director of The Orchard Project, was the new works director for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, and currently serves on the board of Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. McDonough received her B.S. from Northwestern University and her M.F.A. from University of California, San Diego.
The creative team for Angels in America, Parts One & Two include scenic design by William Boles, costume design by Alison Siple, co-lighting design by Isabella Byrd and Paul Toben, sound design by Christian Frederickson and media design by Philip Allgeier.
Learn more about the cast and creative team by visiting ActorsTheatre.org.
Part One: Millennium Approaches will preview August 29 and 30 with an official opening on August 31. Part Two: Perestroika will preview September 19 and 20 with an official opening on September 21. Actors Theatre is committed to providing an accessible theatergoing experience and offers an open captioned performance on September 9 for Part One: Millennium Approaches and September 30 for Part Two: Perestroika. Audio described performances are on September 10 for Part One: Millennium Approaches and October 8 for Part Two: Perestroika. For more information about our facilities and all services offered, visit ActorsTheatre.org. Tickets are on sale to the public priced from $25. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Actors Theatre Box Office at 502.584.1205 or online at ActorsTheatre.org. Special rates for groups of 10 or more are available by calling 502.585.1210.
Both full-length plays will be presented in repertory, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience this extraordinary epic in its entirety on two-show days falling on October 1 and 7, 2017.
Two portions of the AIDS Memorial Quilt will hang in the Sara Shallenberger Brown lobby during the entire run of Angels in America, Parts One & Two: Millennium Approaches and Perestroika from August 29, 2017 to October 14, 2017. The Quilt will be viewable on Tuesdays – Fridays from 5 – 10 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 – 10 p.m.
Angels in America, Parts One & Two are made possible in part by production sponsor Brown-Forman, the Kentucky Arts Council and Fund for the Arts.
To reserve tickets to review, to request images or for any other press inquiries, please contact Melissa Hines, Marketing Manager, at 502.584.1265 ext. 3140 or mhines@actorstheatre.org.
Louisville Metro Animal Services expected its Pay It Forward free adopton promotion to last about a month, but Louisvillians proved LMAS wrong! Six months later, the free adoption promotion is still going strong, thanks to Jefferson County’s compassionate animal lovers who continue to pay it forward.
The free adoption promotion got underway in January when LMAS offered $1,000 worth of free adoptions. LMAS asked adopters to pay it forward with donations to help cover adoption fees of other shelter pets. LMAS promised to continue offering free adoptions until the money ran out. Today, the Pay It Forward free adoption promotion is still going strong, thanks to those who continue to donate!
As a result, more than 400 additional animals have been adopted, compared to year-to-date 2016, in which 150 animals were adopted! LMAS hopes to continue this life-saving promotion indefinitely. Continued support from compassionate community members gives LMAS hope that this goal will become a reality.
Help save a shelter pet today and pay it forward! Click here to make a donation to LMAS’ non-profit fundraising entity, Friends of Metro Animal Services. FOMAS is dedicated to saving animals’ lives. Help them help the shelter pets of LMAS!
Pay It Forward FREE adoptions include vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery and microchip. All cats (6 mos. or older) and dogs (40 lbs. or more) are free. Puppies and kittens are not included in the Pay It Forward FREE adoption promotion. The promotion is meant to encourage the adoption of animals who are often overlooked in the shelter.
Photo: Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation
Nature-based adventure will be the focus of Metro Parks and Recreation programming during the West Louisville Appreciation Days in Shawnee Park, when the department’s Jefferson Memorial Forest and Natural Areas Division and its partners will offer a variety of outdoor fun for youth and adults alike.
Kids will have the opportunity to canoe, fish ride bikes, navigate a climbing wall and engage in archery free of charge on Saturday, July 29, from 1-5 p.m.
The programming is part of the Louisville Outdoor Recreation Initiative, which would create new recreational amenities in West Louisville, including the proposed Shawnee Outdoor Learning Center, which would be operated by the Metro Parks and Recreation’s Natural Areas Division.
From 2-4 p.m., the Outdoor Learning Center’s consultant team will be on hand to educate residents about the two sites within Shawnee Park that are being considered. Feedback gathered at the event will be used to determine site selection.
“Please come out and lend your voice to this initiative,” said Bennett Knox, Administrator for the Natural Areas Division. “This will create new and exciting opportunities for youth and families from across west Louisville to experience the outdoors close to home.”
For more information on the West Louisville Outdoor Recreation Initiative, please click here.
Photo: Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation
four Metro Parks and Recreation outdoor pools will remain open one week later this summer to help local families beat the heat. The pools – Camp Taylor (Norton), Algonquin, Sun Valley and Nelson Hornbeck (Fairdale) – were scheduled to close for the season at the end of the day on Saturday, July 28.
Metro Parks officials decided to extend the season one week due to forecasted high temperatures and favorable staffing levels. The last day for the outdoor pools will be Saturday, August 5.
Admission to the pools has also been reduced by $1. Adults can now swim at the pools for $2, and those ages 17 and younger can swim for $1.
Algonquin Park
1614 Cypress Street, 40210
502/772-7907
Open Daily: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. • Closed Tuesdays
Fairdale (Nelson Hornbeck Park)
709 Fairdale Road, 40118
502/361-8270
Open Daily: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. • Closed Mondays
Norton (Camp Taylor Memorial Park)
4201 Lee Avenue, 40213
502/451-0678
Open Daily: 11 a m.- 4 p m • Closed Thursdays
Sun Valley Park
6506 Bethany Lane, 40272
502/935-0302
Open Daily: 1p m – 6 p.m. • Closed Wednesday
Neighborhood Place and numerous community partners will offer seven back to school events in July and early August. These events will provide free school supplies while supplies last as well as a wide range of services and resources to help local youth and families be better prepared for the start of school year.
The bulk of the supplies and funding for these events comes from area businesses, churches, schools and individual donors. To learn more about specific activities, eligibility and other requirements, please refer to list below:
July 27, Back to School Festival at Valley High School, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Located at 10200 Dixie Highway. For more information call 363-1483. This annual event is open to families with children in kindergarten through high school. School supplies and backpacks will be provided while supplies last to families that participate in three, ten-minute ‘mini-trainings’. Over twenty presenters and more than forty vendors will be at the event plus mascots and lots of hands on fun to help everyone “Unlock Your Superhero Powers”. Sponsored by South Jefferson Neighborhood Place, Cane Run Neighborhood Place, Louisville Metro Department of Resilience and Community Services, South Jefferson Community Partnership, Drug-Free Communities Grant, area JCPS schools, Kidz Club, Kosair Charities, Fairdale Christian Church, Fairdale First Baptist Church and Valley View Church.
Aug. 3, Back To School Festival at the Academy at Shawnee, 1 – 4 p.m.
Located at 4018 West Market St. For more information call 485-7230. This annual event is open to families with children in kindergarten through high school. School supplies and backpacks will be provided while supplies last. JCPS Family Youth Resource Center Coordinators will complete CAP referrals for families needing clothing and uniform assistance. This event is sponsored in collaboration with the ESL Newcomer Academy, The Kidz Club, Service for Peace, Jefferson County Public Schools Family Youth Service Centers, KentuckyOne Health, Northwest Neighborhood Place and Louisville Metro Department of Resilience and Community Services.
August 4, Back to School Festival at Cochran Elementary School, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Located at 500 West Gaulbert Ave. For more information call 634-6050. This annual event is open to families with children in kindergarten through high school. School supplies and backpacks will be provided while supplies last to families that visit at least 10 vendor booths. The Smile Academy of Kentucky will provide cleanings, fluoride treatments, and sealants for children 2-18 years of age. Walgreens will be administering flu shots for children 9 years and older and limited immunizations for children 14 and over. Also Quality Care for Kids will provide on-site vision and hearing exams. Sponsored by Bridges of Hope, Neighborhood Place, Louisville Metro Department of Resilience and Community Services, JCPS, and Bridges of Hope Community Council.
Aug 5, Back to School Event at Meyzeek Middle School, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Located at 828 S. Jackson St. Call 574-6638 for more information. Open to students kindergarten through high school. Free backpacks with essential school supplies for the coming year will be distributed while supplies last. Your child must be present to receive school supplies. Smile Academy will provide free dental screenings. Many other local community venders and agencies will be in the gym to provide information for families. Families may complete a CAP referral during the event as well for clothing and uniform assistance. Sponsored by Charmoli Center Neighborhood Place, Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services and area JCPS schools.
August 5, Back to School Distribution at Southwick Community Center, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Located at 3621 Southern Ave. Call 485-6710 for more information. The annual event is open to families with children in kindergarten through high school. JCPS Family Youth Resource Center Coordinators will complete CAP referrals for families needing clothing and uniform assistance. School supplies will be distributed (while supplies last) and other helpful resources will be available. Sponsored in part by Ujima Neighborhood Place and Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services, JCPS’ Family Youth Service Centers and several community collaborative partners.
Aug. 10, Back to School Festival at Olmsted Academy North, 1 – 7 p.m.
Located at 4530 Bellevue Ave. Call 313-4089 for more information. Open to all students in grades Kindergarten through high school. Free backpacks, school supplies and health and hygiene products will be provided while supplies last. Educational and community resources will be available to help offer a strong start to the new school year. The festival will also include vision and hearing screenings, blood pressure and diabetes checks, clothing assistance referrals and more. Lunch will be provided for children and adults. Sponsored by South Central Neighborhood Place, Diamond Cluster MC, Olmsted Academy North and South YSC, Kenwood Elementary FRC, Hazelwood Elementary FRC, Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services, and Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital.
Aug 12, Back to School Festival at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Located at 1501 Rangeland Rd. Call 313-4498 or 313-4700 for more information. This annual event is open to families with children in kindergarten through high school. Free backpacks and grade-appropriate school supplies (while supplies last) will be provided. Free lunches will be served to kids by JCPS Nutrition Services. Your child must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. A Community Resource Fair will include diabetes and blood pressure checks, YMCA program, voter registration, library services and lots of fun and music. Event sponsored in part by First Neighborhood Place, area JCPS schools, and Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services.