Tuesday January 27, 2026
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Thunder Over Louisville fans making plans for a place to park their cars or pitch a tent have an option that’s close to the action. Louisville Parks and Recreation is selling passes for Thunder weekend at Eva Bandman Park, 1701 River Road.
Eva Bandman Park is located along the Ohio River near Frankfort Avenue, less than a 10-minute stroll from the eastern edge of Waterfront Park.
- Recreational Vehicles – $200 for Friday and Saturday nights; all parking on the pavement and trailers with up to 40-foot awnings are allowed.
- Tents – Campers bringing tents may stay in Eva Bandman Park on Friday and Saturday nights for $50. This includes space for one car, not necessarily next to your tent. Additional cars are $15 each for both RV’s & Tents.
- Parking – On Saturday, April 21, parking spots at Eva Bandman Park will be available as long as space permits, at a cost of $20 per vehicle. Cash only, paid at time of arrival.
Overnight visitors in tents and RVs can stay through Sunday morning. Metro Parks’ staff will be available around the clock. A reservation form can be found here. After staging their site on Friday, those not wishing to camp overnight may exit the park using their extra vehicle and return on Saturday. Previous parking spaces are not guaranteed. Spaces may become limited as Saturday progresses; no other re-entry is authorized.
Advanced registration is highly recommended as the Louisville Police Department will be organizing street closures in the area.
For more information call 502/574-7275 (PARK).
Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton (D-5) will host a special ceremony for the unveiling of an honorary street sign in memory of Officer Nick Rodman who died in the line of duty in 2017.
“We will honor his service and dedication to the people of Metro Louisville with signs at the very place where he served; the LMPD First Division Police Station,” says Hamilton. “We continue to mourn his passing. He left us too soon in life and he was an example for all of us for his dedication to public safety.”
The Councilwoman will be joined by President David James (D-6), Councilman Vitalis Lanshima (D-21), Mayor Greg Fischer and LMPD Police Chief Steve Conrad at the ceremony.
“Our city mourns the loss of Officer Rodman, who gave his life to protect ours, and for that we are all eternally grateful. I ask the citizens of Louisville to take a moment and pause to say a prayer for our police officers as they serve and protect a great city every day,” says President James.
“Every day police officers step out, they understand the dangers and responsibilities of their calling. Officer Nick Rodman understood this, yet he did not hesitate when he heard the call over the radio. He responded with courage in service of this community. He made the ultimate sacrifice – a sacrifice that many of us will never contemplate,” says Councilman Lanshima.
Officer Rodman left behind his wife Ashley, his children Mason and Ellie, his parents George and Linda, his siblings Andy and Carly as many friends and colleagues. He followed in his father and brother’s footsteps by becoming a LMPD officer in 2013.
The ceremony is being on the same date when he lost his life one year ago. He was murdered when the suspect intentionally crashed his vehicle into Officer Rodman’s patrol vehicle as Officer Rodman was trying to pursue him. He was 30 years old at the time of his death.
He was a native of Louisville and an outstanding student and athlete at Holy Cross High School where he graduated with a 4.0 GPA and held the honor of being an All District, All-Region football player and All-Star soccer player. He continued his education and successes at Georgetown College where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology and served as the vice president of his fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha.
Three honorary street signs will be placed in the following locations; the corner of North 29th Street and Griffiths Avenue, the corner of
North 29th Street and Garfield Avenue, and directly in front of the LMPD 1st Division Police Station on 416 North 29th Street.
The signs will be designated as “Officer Nick Rodman Way.”
The unveiling ceremony will take place in front of the LMPD First Division Station on Thursday, March 29th beginning at 4:00pm.
Mayor Greg Fischer today proclaimed that Friday will be Wear Red Day in Louisville to support the Louisville Cardinals women’s basketball team in the Final Four.
The Mayor is asking citizens across the community to wear Cardinal red on Friday, when the team takes on Mississippi State for a spot in the women’s NCAA Tournament championship game. If UofL wins, the Mayor asks that citizens again wear Cardinal red on Sunday to support the team as they play for the national championship.
“What the Cardinals have achieved this season is absolutely extraordinary — an ACC Championship, No. 1 seed in the Big Dance, a first team All-American in Asia Durr, and now a spot in the Final Four,” Mayor Fischer said. “Let’s show UofL women’s basketball that we stand with them and are ready to cheer like crazy this weekend.”
The Cardinals play Mississippi State at 7 p.m. Friday. The winner faces Notre Dame or Connecticut for the National Championship on Sunday.
Photo: Secretary of State website
Individuals seeking to run as independent, political organization or political group candidates for offices on the ballot in the November General Election must file their Statement of Candidacy forms no later than April 2 at 4 p.m. local time.
There is no fee to file a Statement of Candidacy. Candidates for federal offices, nonpartisan offices, and partisan city offices in cities of the home rule class are exempt from this requirement.
Potential candidates should contact the Secretary of State’s office or their local county clerks to obtain the necessary paperwork. The following offices that file with the Secretary of State and are scheduled for a regular election in 2018 require the filing of a Statement of Candidacy for independent candidates:
- State Senators in even-numbered districts
- State Representatives
Independent, political organization and political group candidates for these offices must file petitions of nomination no later than August 14. If a potential candidate was required to file a Statement of Candidacy but failed to do so, the Secretary of State and county clerks’ offices cannot accept a petition from the candidate.
For more information, please visit the Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.ky.gov.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Councilwoman Jessica Green (D-1) Chair of the Louisville Metro Council’s Public Safety Committee, is calling on Senators of the Kentucky General Assembly to put an end to House Bill 169, the so call Gang Violence Prevention Act.
“This legislation is a duplication of existing statutes. We already have criminal syndication, complicity, and conspiracy statutes on the book. These statutes frequently aid law enforcement and prosecutors who work everyday to keep our communities safe.
HB 169 seeks to gain political points, with little concern to the cost of taxpayers, already existing law, or how this legislation has the ability to hyper-criminalize certain neighborhoods. This legislation would take away the discretion of prosecutors and judges in sentencing, which is such an important part of the system.
Justice and Public Safety Secretary John Tilley says that Kentucky’s prisons and jails will be out of room by May of 2019, if not before then, if things do not change.” says Green. “I encourage the Senate to vote no and if it should make to Governor Bevin’s desk, he should have his veto pen handy and use it.”
Credit: KY State Parks
Kenlake State Resort Park has launched a new food service model at the Aurora Landing Restaurant.
Overnight guests at Kenlake’s lodge and cottages receive an inclusive breakfast weekdays from 6-10 a.m. and from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (Saturday and Sunday brunch starts at 11 a.m.)
The other new offering is a daily reception in the lounge from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Guests ages 21 and over receive two drink vouchers and a variety of snacks will be served. All reservations made beginning March 5, 2018, will include the breakfast and drink vouchers. Reservations made prior to that date will not include the breakfast and drink vouchers.
The restaurant will not serve lunch or dinner. However, catering for meetings and other gatherings is still available. The park marina also has a restaurant.
With this new model, Kenlake will also not be hosting the Easter buffet.
Two nearby state parks, Lake Barkley and Kentucky Dam Village state resort parks, also have restaurants that are open for all three meals daily. Both will be hosting the annual Easter buffet on April 1.
For more information about Kenlake State Resort Park, call 270-474-2211 or visit: http://parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/kenlake/
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
She is no stranger to standing up for what’s right and staring down those who would deny civil rights. Ms. Mattie Jones has worked tirelessly throughout her life as a freedom fighter and has battled injustice, brutality, inequality, and discrimination in Louisville and anywhere the fight took her for over six decades.
On Wednesday, March 28th, Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton (D-5) will join Ms. Jones and members of her family and friends to unveil an honorary sign on the block where she lives as a tribute to her accomplishments and efforts for advancing civil rights in Metro Louisville.
“Mattie Jones is an icon locally in the fight for civil rights. She has spoken out and then encouraged others to join the cause to make significant change where needed for everyone,” says Councilwoman Hamilton. “As we see younger generations today rise up to speak out on violence and ask for unity, they are following an example Mattie Jones has practiced since she became an active voice for those with no voice in Metro Louisville.”
Mattie Florence Johnson was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1933 and then moved to Louisville with her family in 1940. She is a graduate of Central High School and attended Indiana University, Morgan State University, and Spalding University.
She married Turner Harris Jones and between 1957 and 1998 they raised eight biological children, one adopted child, over 100 foster children, 23 grandchildren, and 31 great grandchildren.
Her path as a leader in civil rights began in 1975 she became active with the Kentucky Alliance against Racist and Political Repression where she served as Executive Director from 1980 to 1989.
In 1990, Ms. Mattie Jones became the Racial and Economic Justice Coordinator for the Fellowship of Reconciliation located in Nyack, New York, where during her time there she organized the Women of Color in the Workplace conference addressing the issues of sex discrimination, equitable employment.
Her unwavering commitment to equality and justice led her to the Justice Resource Center in Louisville in 2000 where she continued to fight alongside Reverend Louis Coleman.
On February 8th, The Louisville Metro Council approved a Resolution calling for the placement of two honorary street signs at the corner of Louis Coleman Jr Drive and River Park Drive and one at the corner of 35th Street and River Park Drive to be designated as “Mattie F. Jones Way.”
The unveiling ceremony for the signs will take place beginning at 5:00pm at the corner of Louis Coleman Jr. Drive at River Park Drive.
The public is invited to attend.
