Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is eight oh four here Kentucky in this morning
news on news radio eight forty whas Nick, Coffee with you,
and we are now joined by Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.
Good to see you, may grat How are we doing?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Great to see you, Nick, Congratulations on this new role.
I'm so excited that you are in this position and
it's going to be a great run.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
If I didn't know you a little and first of all,
thank you. If I didn't know you at least a
little bit before this, I will admit I would be
very nervous. I'm about to have a conversation on news
radio eight forty WHS with the mayor of Louisville. Is
this real? Don't wake me up? So glad to have
you here and really looking forward to hopefully having you
on every now and then to talk about some big things.
And I think abolutely the biggest conversation this week, at
(00:39):
least consistently throughout the week for me, has been the
last couple of weekends in the Highlands. What has taken
place overnight early morning. Obviously, you guys are going to
hold people accountable who do things they're not supposed to.
That have contributed to this issue. But as far as
things that are in place now moving forward to prevent
this for happening at third straight week, third straight weekend,
(00:59):
what's the plan here?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
There's a lot. And first let me say that we
are not afraid to take action. Already, we have closed
down three bars in the Highlands over the past year
long Barstown Road bars that were not playing by the rules.
So unlike what's happened in the past, we are taking
action and we are not afraid to take action when
we need to, and we'll keep doing that. Earlier this week,
we revoked a license of a hookah lounge that didn't well.
(01:23):
They didn't have a license, so we shut them down
until they got their license. Met yesterday with several business
owners and residents along the Barstown Road corridor yesterday, the chief, myself,
the director of the Alcohol Beverage Control for our city,
Deputy mayor, my chief of staff, all talking about what
our plans are for the weekend, for the summer, and
then what are the long term solutions as well. We
(01:45):
will have a significant LMPD presence all weekend long, this weekend,
next weekend, throughout the summer. We will prevent this from
happening as we move forward, but we also need longer
term solutions. We don't want Barstown Road to be a
street that just has late night nightclubs. That's not what
it's about. It's about the balance between, yes, having great bars,
(02:07):
having great restaurants, having great retail, and having great residents
that can all coexist peacefully. That's our goal, and so
we talked about a lot of long term solutions. Whether
we need to use the zoning code locally and at
the state level. What are things we can do beyond
just the force of a LMPD and alcohol beverage control
to crack down. We want to prevent it from happening
in the first place and make it a great place
(02:28):
to live and enjoy yourself.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
What is the most consistent thing you're hearing from residents
in the area that clearly want this addressed, And it's
probably not been in the last couple of weeknds. Certainly
they what they thought when they purchased a home there,
or what it's been for the majority of their time there,
what's been I.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Guess the consistence themes that we hear are people love
where they live. They made a choice to live near
Bargstown Road, near a thriving commercial corridor where they could
walk to restaurants and stores and bars. That's why they
live there. But they've had enough. This has gone too far.
Whether it's the noise violation, whether it's these extreme crowds,
or violence that's taking place outside of these bars, they've
(03:06):
had enough with the violence. They they want the action.
They don't want violence, and we're going to prevent that.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
In your conversation yesterday that you had with residents and
business owners, does it feel as if they're they're aware
that you guys have not only made it clear that
you understand this, people will be held accountable. As we discussed,
it's not going to happen, but we're going to prevent it.
Does it seem as if as we head into this
weekend that there's been an appreciation to how much attention
you guys have put on this.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
I think there's some of that. I mean, certainly, they're
very frustrated and they want to see action, and I
get that. I get that on this issue or any issue.
And you know, I've been working with South Louisville residents
this week too on some concerns they have about issues
that are facing their part of the city. Every part
of the city deserves to enjoy whatever they are doing safely.
Public safety is the foundation for everything else. Whether it's
(03:53):
going to the UFL basketball game this afternoon, going to
Barstown Road tonight for a drink, or going to the
South End and enjoying yourself at the new Tom Wallace
Recreational Area at Jefferson Memorial Park. Everyone deserves the right
to do all of that safely. And that's our goal.
That's what I'm working with Chief Humphrey on and that's
what will continue to do.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Louisville Mayor Krigerenberg joins us here on News Radio eight
forty whas you recently appointed Bill Bell as the inaugural
director of the first Louisville Department of Transportation. Talk a
little bit about that as well as sort of I
guess what stood out about Bill.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Well speaking of public safety, I mean, when we travel
a lot, we need to make sure that people are
getting to where they go safely. Whether you're in a
car or whether you're walking, whether you're on a bike.
We want to make sure that our roads are safe.
And so the Department of Transportation really has a couple folds.
First is to ensure that all the infrastructure we're building
around the city is safe and improves the neighborhoods. Look
at what we're doing in New lou right now, where
(04:46):
we're really shrinking the street. We're going to make it
safer for cars. We're going to make it better for
pedestrians and the businesses that are there. It's going to
be a better neighborhood as a result. So make sure
we get our infrastructure done on time and on budget,
and that we actually implement this stuff. And then it's
also got to be done safely. And so Bill comes
from the Kentucky Highway Transportation Cabinet. I we're really excited
(05:06):
about his experience. He's going to help us get these
projects done and ensure safety for everybody.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Now I know this, and I'm sure a lot of
people know this that Craig is a big Louisville Cardinal fan.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
And how about this run Dan McDonald and the baseball team.
They have had a lot. I mean, Dan's done a
great job since he's been here. We got really spoiled
for a while because it was Super Regionals. Seemingly every
year we're hosting them and then many trips to Omaha,
and this year was a good bounce back season, but
the momentum had really faded towards the end of the season.
And now here they are. They are two wins away
(05:38):
from Omaha hosting once again a super Regional. I think,
from my perspective, whenever you've had something so consistent and
then it's gone for a while. This is the first
time they've hosted or super regional I believe since twenty nineteen.
The excitement's back and you learn to appreciate it a
little bit more. Kind of like when Pat Kelsey brought
Louisville basketball back to life. Things that used to just
be the norm, the expectation. Man, they felt a lot
(05:59):
better because gone a while without it. I can sense
the baseball fans, I mean all the texting, Hey, anybody
got tickets? Are you going? Are we pregaming somewhere? There's
excitement once again and again it's a big event to
host here in the city Louisville.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Oh, it's so wonderful. Rachel and I are so excited
to go out and cheer on the cards at Jim
Patterson Stadium this afternoon. It's gonna be wonderful. I mean,
I know that the city is buzzing again. We love
sports here, we love I know that a lot of
UK fans as well. That's wonderful. We love our sports
and so be able to bring our city together around
events like this, to see this program shining. Coach McDonald
(06:34):
is such a wonderful human being. He's of course a
great coach, he's also a great person. He's done so
much for his teams, for our cities, for every player
that's been through the program, and I'm excited that the
city is going to and hopefully this leads to even
more support for the baseball team. It's a challenging sport
right now to be in the ACC here, competing with
some of the bigger programs in the SEC that have
(06:56):
a lot more funding for their baseball programs. I'm hopeful
that this continues to build the support for u of
L baseball.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Whenever there are NCAA postseason events where the winner gets
a chance to host, what kind of an impact. I
guess it depends on the sport, but obviously the good
thing whenever you can have and there's going to be
ESPN coverage and they're going to be showing that beautiful ballpark,
showing this city.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
That's great for the city. Oh, it's great visibility for
the city. It's just like, I mean, how about our
women's volleyball team at u of L too. They had
a great run this year having the final four, the
women's volleyball final four. That was huge for the city.
Of course, it's dollars people coming here to eat and
to spend the night and to buy things. But it's
also great exposure to keep Louisville on the map as
this amazing college sports city that we are. It's going
(07:39):
to build it for professional sports and for so many
other economic development things that we're doing. It's really really helpful.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
When I hear that the city of Louisville has better
vibes and things are just booming in a much better
way when the Cards are having success. That's a no brainer.
Because I've lived here my whole life. I'm a big
Louisville fan myself, but recently it's really stood out again
with the basketball coming back to life. You mentioned volleyball
that's become now a new sport that the die hard
fans just always you know, they get into more so,
(08:06):
so yeah, I know, things are better for them.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Well, we're looking at we had there's a new volleyball
professional buyball league that has tormed for women as well,
and we're looking can we get one of a professional
volleyball teams here in Louisville. It'd be a great fit.
That's only possible because of the success of our collegiate teams,
because of the great high school programs that we have,
the club programs we have in that sport, baseball can
be the same thing.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
It's a It's a big part of our culture. Sports.
It's something that I'll always be passionate about, but now
I get to talk about some other things, which you knows.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
A lot of fun I love about sports is you know,
there's so many parts of our lives these days in
the world that are working to divide us. Sports bring
us together. Yes, there are rivalries, but that's also bringing
us together to have great fun with these rivalries, and
so that's one of the great things about sports. It's
going to be great to watch the Cards win today
at three.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
That's right, you hear that, taking on Miami, two wins
away from another trip to Omaha. Lastly, Craig, go and
ask you you're gonna You're gonna be making an appearance
tomorrow at the Miracle League Baseball the Miracle League Baseball league,
which is out in Fern Creek, and I've talked about
it quite a bit. My daughter Maya, she's a part
of this league and she's a specially each child. She
has an intellectual disability. She's also also autistic. And we've
(09:14):
been in this league for three years. You're gonna be
in for a treat. It is such an awesome atmosphere
to see all the kids play and having fun. They
put so much into it. For me as a parent,
it's just great to be around other families. It's just
been so such a great thing for me and my family.
But they go all out. They've got a big video
board where they put the picture of the players up there.
They announce them as they walk up to the plate.
(09:37):
It's a lot of excitement. I know you're making an appearance.
Are you thrown out of first pitch?
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Not I'm thrown out a first pist. Rachel and Ka
will both be there and we're gonna be paired with athletes.
We're going to be each be paired with the kid. Yes,
you're gonna be one of the buddies. We're going to
be one of the buddies for the entire game. And
so we were out opening the pick off. Of course
had seen you know on social dare I heard you
talking about your experiences there. I knew of it. And
then recently when I was out at Fern Creek Park
opening one of our new thirty four pick aball courts
(10:02):
that we've opened this year throughout the city, I was
talking to the individual who organizes the Miracle League, and
so I knew there would be something that Rachel and
I really wanted to do. We've been meaning to do it,
and so we're excited tomorrow to be buddies with two
great young people for the Miracle League baseball game. And
we're really looking forward to that at Fern Creek Park
tomorrow morning.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
It is going to be a lot of fun. I
hate that I'm going to miss it. It's actually the
one game this year we won't be able to be
at because we're traveling. But I know you'll have fun,
and I know Rachel will have fun as well. So
have a great weekend. Go cards. Let's hope they can
go cards.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
And I do want to say one last thing, which
is today's National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Here in Louisville,
we are making tremendous progress. We are down thirty percent
year over year in shootings and homicides, but we still
have a lot of work to do. I want to
invite everyone to join us as we advocate for change,
as we work to support victims and their families, as
we work to hold perpetrators accountable. We can and must
(10:56):
do more. We're making great progress, but you will see
me main committed every day to making Louisville safer, and
I just wanted to say that on today, National Gun
Violence Awareness Day. Nick, Congratulations again. Excited to continue these
conversations for many years to come.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Thank you so much, Thank you so much. It still
doesn't seem real, but I'm enjoying it. This is great.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
I'm doing a great job.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Thank you so much. Greg. We'll take a quick break.
We've got news in traffic, weather coming your way right
here on News Radio eight forty whas