Louisville Parks and Recreation has been selected for a Great Urban Parks Campaign grant by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). Louisville Parks and Recreation is one of 10 organizations awarded the grant, which supports the development of green stormwater infrastructure.
Green stormwater infrastructure in parks offer an effective way to positively impact environmental and social change, especially within underserved communities. Projects can mitigate the effects of climate-related weather events, improve community health, increase access to green space and nature, and provide opportunities for education, employment and social inclusion. By empowering local residents through meaningful community engagement, projects can address community needs while meeting local stormwater management goals. The grant award issued to Louisville Parks and Recreation will be used to restore the pond in Chickasaw Park.
“There are practical reasons why this work needs to take place in Chickasaw Park, but most importantly, this turns the pond into a recreation amenity for families to enjoy,” Parks and Recreation Director Seve Ghose said. “We are thankful to NRPA for selecting Louisville Parks and Recreation, and are eager to get started on the project.”
“We are excited to see the positive impacts these green infrastructure projects will have in their communities,” said Lori Robertson, NRPA’s Director of Conservation. “Utilizing parks to mitigate flooding and other climate-related weather impacts is a critical strategy in protecting neighborhoods. We know from our past work that these projects also offer a multitude of benefits beyond environmental ones including improved community health, park access, and social cohesion. We’re looking forward to seeing those impacts multiply with these upcoming projects.”
The Great Urban Parks Campaign aims to demonstrate the social and environmental benefits of green stormwater infrastructure in underserved communities — including increased public access to recreational opportunities and access to nature via parks.
Attorney General Andy Beshear created a council of more than 25 survivors in his office in 2017 to advise and assist him on matters related to victims of crime and advocacy.
Now with the two-year terms of these members of the Attorney General’s Survivors Council expiring, Beshear is encouraging victims across the state to have a seat on the council for a 2019-2021 term.
Beshear said council members include victims and survivors of homicide, rape, child abuse, domestic violence, mass violence and other serious offenses, and that their advocacy and voice have been not only a powerful tool for him but for the entire Commonwealth.
“These survivors have persevered through the unimaginable, they have real courage and know firsthand what is needed to seek and ensure justice for victims,” Beshear said. “I want to thank each member for their willingness to devote their time and passion to helping to pave a better way for other survivors who we are hoping will represent the council for the next two years.”
Beshear’s Office of Victim Advocacy provides direct services to victims, free training and technical assistance on victims rights and related issues. The office works directly with the Survivors Council – a first of its kind in any Attorney General’s office nationwide.
Throughout their term, members have worked directly to advise and assist the Office of the Attorney General on matters related to victims of crime, including training, awareness and policy initiatives.
Council members held numerous meetings to develop resources for victims, create guidance for professionals working with survivors, plan awareness and training efforts and develop recommendations for an annual report.
The members were also active in their communities providing education to advocates and law enforcement, as well as participating in awareness events like Human Trafficking Awareness Day, Victim Assistance Conference and Victims Rights Day.
The next members of the council will be selected from an open nomination and application process conducted by the Attorney General’s Office of Victims Advocacy.
Beshear is encouraging victims to participate on the council by clicking on his website – www.ag.ky.gov/survivors-council.
The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board approved $1,898,727 in 13 agricultural diversification and rural development projects across the Commonwealth at its monthly board meeting.
State Investments:
County Investments:
The Supreme Court of Kentucky will convene Oct. 25-26 in Frankfort to hear oral arguments in cases that originated in Campbell, Daviess, Fayette, Franklin, Jefferson and Knox counties. Proceedings are open to the public and will take place in the Supreme Court Courtroom on the second floor of the state Capitol at 700 Capitol Ave. in Frankfort.
The public may also observe oral arguments via the Supreme Court livestream on the Kentucky Court of Justice website. Oral arguments are available online as they occur in real time and are not available as archives.
The Supreme Court is the state court of last resort and the final interpreter of Kentucky law. Seven justices sit on the Supreme Court and all seven justices rule on appeals that come before the court. The justices are elected from seven appellate districts and serve eight-year terms. A chief justice, chosen for a four-year term by fellow justices, is the administrative head of the state’s court system and is responsible for its operation. The Supreme Court may order a ruling or opinion to be published, which means that the ruling becomes the case law governing all similar cases in the future in Kentucky.
THURSDAY, OCT. 25, 2018
9 AM
2017-SC-000441-DG
COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY V. MICHAEL PADGETT
2017-SC-000661-DG
MICHAEL PADGETT V. COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY
“Criminal Law. Mistrial. Double Jeopardy. Issues involve a pretrial ruling and whether the trial court abused discretion in declaring a mistrial after defense counsel’s perceived violation of that ruling.”
Discretionary Review granted 12/7/2017 and 2/7/2018
Daviess Circuit Court, Judge Joseph W. Castlen, III
Attorney for Appellant/Cross-Appellee: Thomas Allen Van De Rostyne
Attorney for Appellee/Cross-Appellant: Emily Holt Rhorer and Shannon Dupree
10 AM
2017-SC-000596-DG
LEE COMLEY V. AUTO-OWNERS INSURANCE COMPANY
“Insurance Law. Homeowners Coverage. The issues, involving potential coverage for damage to a home resulting from a nearby water main break, concern the scope of the “water damage” exclusions as to “water below the surface of the ground . . . which . . . flows, seeps or leaks through any part of a building” and as to “regardless of the cause . . . flood.”
Discretionary Review granted 3/14/2018
Fayette Circuit Court, Judge Thomas L. Clark
Attorneys for Appellant: Stephen M. O’Brien, III, Bruce Clark Batten, II, and David Coomer
Attorneys for Appellee: Luke Alan Wingfield and John Carter
11 AM
2017-SC-000274-DG
LOUISVILLE AND JEFFERSON COUNTY METROPOLITAN SEWER DISTRICT V. T+C CONTRACTING, INC.
“Contract. Fairness in Construction Act. KRS 371.405. Issues include whether the dispute resolution provisions in the parties’ contract, which deem the contractor’s claim for additional compensation from MSD waived if certain procedural requirements are not met, violate the Fairness in Construction Act.”
Discretionary Review granted 3/14/2018
Jefferson Circuit Court, Judge James M. Shake
Attorneys for Appellant: Kenneth Allen Bohnert, Richard M. Sullivan and Jennifer Fust-Rutherford
Attorney for Appellee: Gerald Lee Stovall
FRIDAY, OCT. 26, 2018
9 AM
2017-SC-000203-DG
SHANNON JONES, ET AL. V. DAVID WAYNE BAILEY
2017-SC-000604-DG
DAVID WAYNE BAILEY V. SHANNON JONES, ET AL.
“Parole Board. Entitlement to Assistance of Counsel. The issues include whether the final post-incarceration sex offender supervision revocation hearing is a “critical stage” of the proceeding, triggering entitlement to assistance of counsel.”
Discretionary Review granted 10/25/2017 and 12/7/2017
Franklin Circuit Court, Judge Thomas D. Wingate
Attorney for Appellants/Cross-Appellees: Angela Turner Dunham
Attorney for Appellee/Cross-Appellant: Timothy G. Arnold
10 AM
2017-SC-000348-DG
BARBARA SMITH V. BONNIE SMITH
“Torts. Personal Injury. Slip and Fall. Issues include whether the status of a visitor as an invitee or licensee or trespasser continues to define the scope of the property owner’s duty to the visitor.”
Discretionary Review granted 3/14/2018
Knox Circuit Court, Judge Gregory Allen Lay
Attorneys for Appellant: Michael D. Risley, Darrell L. Saunders and Bethany A. Breetz
Attorneys for Appellee: Brien Glenn Freeman, Todd Kevin Childers and Aaron Howard
11 AM
2017-SC-000340-DG
RAYMOND HAYES, ET AL. V. D.C.I. PROPERTIES-D. KY, LLC, ET AL.
“Torts. Personal Injury. Trespasser. Attractive Nuisance. Issues include whether the 16-year-old plaintiff can recover for injuries sustained when he trespassed on the defendant’s construction site.”
Discretionary Review granted 4/18/2018
Campbell Circuit Court, Judge Fred A. Stine, V.
Attorney for Appellants: Anthony McIntosh
Attorney for D.C.I. Properties-D. KY, LLC: James Moberly West
Attorney for The Nelson Stark Company: Mark MacDonald

Photo: Louisville Metro Council
With the change of seasons and cooler temperatures it won’t be long before winter returns to Metro Louisville. Some children will need help staying warm this year and that is why Councilman David Yates (D-25) is once again asking the community to help “Coat a Kid” this coming Monday, October 15th.
“Last year, with the generous help of the people of our community, we were able to provide some 300 new coats to JCPS Students across our city,” says Yates. “The need is still great and this year we offer a fun way to help out.”
Working with the Shirley’s Way Queen of Hearts Drawing on Monday, October 15th, Councilman Yates is asking for new coats for JCPS students in need. The Queen of Hearts Drawing is set for Khalil’s, 10966 Dixie Highway.
The Queen of Hearts Drawing is a massively successful charitable event that supports Shirley’s Way, a great local Valley Station non-profit that benefits families struggling to pay bills or pay for groceries when a family member is suffering from cancer.
The Councilman has secured the donation of a new flat screen TV that will be raffled off to members of our community that donate the following to the “Coat a Kid” Drive:
The raffle will take place between 8:00pm and 8:30pm.
“I am proud of our community’s previous generosity and I look forward to another successful event to help children in our area. I hope everyone can attend and bring along a new coat,” says Yates.
For more information about this year’s “Coat a Kid” event, contact Councilman Yates office at 574-1125.

Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Dare to Care is working with Metro Louisville to relocate its production kitchen operations to the site of the former Parkland Grocery, 1200 South 28th Street. At its current location, Dare to Care produces about 1,200 suppers each workday that are delivered to 34 afterschool sites in the community. The relocation would allow an expansion of this meal production and open the potential for other meal services, including additional Kids Café meals and congregate meal services for senior adults.
The site, owned by Metro Government, has now been vacant for several years but at one time was the location of the Parkland neighborhood’s closest grocery store.
“I want to make sure that everyone in the Parkland area has an opportunity to learn more about this plan,” says Councilwoman Jessica Green (D-1). “This is an opportunity to take an abandoned building and turn it into an asset to the neighborhood.”
In addition to its meal production services, Dare to Care would like to move its administrative and fundraising offices from its main distribution facility on Fern Valley Road to the Parkland Grocery. Other plans for the building include operating a Culinary Skills Job Training program in collaboration with Catholic Charities of Louisville, creating office space for the Metro Police Public Integrity Unit so that it can move from the former Parkland Library into the Parkland Grocery freeing the library for possible future reopening as a Louisville Free Public Library. Shell space for a future retail food market is also in the plan.
To discuss Dare to Care’s plans and get residents’ input, Councilwoman Green is hosting a neighborhood meeting on Thursday, October 18, at 6 pm, at the Baptist Fellowship Center, 1351 Catalpa Street. Brian Riendeau, Dare to Care Executive Director, will be at the meeting to detail the plan, listen to comments, and answer questions. Supper will be provided by Dare to Care.
“I encourage everyone to come out and ask questions about this plan and if you have some additional ideas let us know,” says Green.
Dare to Care Food Bank is a local nonprofit agency with a mission to lead the community to feed the hungry and conquer the cycle of need. In the past twelve months, Dare to Care distributed food for over 20 million meals to eight Kentucky and five Indiana counties. Dare to Care, through its Community Kitchen, serves 34 Kids Cafes in neighborhood afterschool locations and operates Backpack Buddy weekend nutrition programs in 38 Kentuckiana elementary schools. Learn more at www.daretocare.org.
Step back in time as Big Bone Lick State Historic Site returns to days long past during the 36th annual Salt Festival the weekend of Oct. 19-21.
The festival features live demonstrations of pioneer lifeways and frontier skills. Enjoy folk and bluegrass music, listen to a storyteller, view prehistoric Ice Age artifacts, and observe a blacksmith working red-hot iron.
Guests can also see how salt was extracted from the waters of Big Bone, watch a flintknapper make a stone point, and discover how bison hair was spun into yarn. Browse the crafters corner to see the many local, handcrafted items for sale, and take advantage of the good eats at the food court.
This year’s festival entertainment will feature exclusive presentations by Kentucky Humanities performers including Daniel Boone: The First Kentuckian, and Dr. Ephraim McDowell: Frontier Surgeon. Also returning to the festival field is All Nations Drum; an Intertribal Native American group showcasing traditional song and dance.
While visiting the Boone County park, be sure to drop by the park’s museum and visitor’s center to see some of the “big bones.” A shuttle van will transport event-goers to and from the festival field, museum, and campground at regular intervals. Don’t miss seeing the bison herd, the park’s living link to Kentucky’s early history.
On Friday, Oct. 19, the park will host school groups. Schools interested in bringing classes to the festival should call the park at 859-384-3522 as advance registration is required to receive the discounted school admission rate. The deadline to register is Oct. 10. Regular festival admission is $5 per person; children 5 and under are free. Admission is cash only.
For information about the park, visit http://parks.ky.gov/parks/historicsites/big-bone-lick/. Big Bone Lick State Historic Site is recognized as the birthplace of American vertebrate paleontology for its significant role in the development of scientific thought regarding extinction and the relationship between geology and paleontology the world over. The park is located 22 miles southwest of Covington on KY 338, off US 42/127 and I-71 & I-75. From I-75 north or south, take exit 175 to KY 338. From I-71 north or south, take exit 62 to 127N/42E to KY 338.