10.12.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the reading of the Courier Journal for Sunday,
October twelfth, twenty twenty five, which is brought to our
Louisville listeners via Louisville Public Media. As a reminder, Radio
I is a reading service intended for people who are
blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to

(00:21):
read printed material. Your reader for today is Kathy Cleary.
We'll begin with the w h A S Weather forecast. Today,
sunny and pleasant with the high of seventy four degrees.
Tonight mainly clear with the low of fifty three. On Monday,

(00:42):
sunshine and nice with the high of seventy six and
a low of fifty seven degrees. On Tuesdays sunny and warm,
the high of seventy eight and a low of fifty eight.
On Wednesday, clouds and sun with a high of seventy
two degrees and a low of fifty two. On Thursday,

(01:08):
nice with plenty of sun, high of seventy and a
low of fifty two degrees. Friday, sun through high, clouds
with the high of seventy two and a low of
sixty three. Turning to the weather Almanac in Louisville. On Friday,

(01:29):
the high temperature was seventy normal high seventy three. The
low was forty six normal low fifty two. The record
high was ninety one degrees in twenty ten, and the
record low twenty seven degrees back in nineteen sixty four.

(01:53):
Precipitation on Friday was zero months to date four point
eight eight inches normal month to day one point two
eight inches year to date forty eight point zero two
inches normal year, Today thirty eight point three five inches.

(02:13):
The Pallen count for grass, weeds and trees was in
the low range and for molds in the moderate range.
Air quality Saturday in the moderate range and today in
the good range. Sun and moon cycles Sunday sunrise seven

(02:36):
forty nine am, sunset seven oh nine pm, moonrise eleven
thirty four pm, and moonset two twenty six pm. On Monday,
sunrise seven fifty am, sunset seven oh eight pm, moonrise none,

(02:59):
and moon's sex at three seventeen pm. The last quarter
moon will be on October thirteenth, new moon October twenty first,
first quarter October twenty ninth, and a full moon on
November fifth. We turn now to front page news. Stuck

(03:23):
in the Middle, residents say a high concentration of halfway
houses in the West End is hurting those neighborhoods. Can
anything be done about it? And there's a large graphic
showing three houses in different colors and on the inside

(03:46):
page stuck in the middle. Louisville's halfway house regulations aren't working.
What can be done? By Keeley Dall. We don't want
our children being exost I don't feel safe. We are
very adamant about this not happening. For years, West Louisville

(04:08):
residents have complained about an influx of sober living and
half way houses filling up block after block in their neighborhoods,
saying the homes often don't provide the services they promise
and hurt their communities instead of benefiting them. The above
quotes were from letters sent by over a dozen residents

(04:28):
to Louisville officials in twenty twenty four opposing a transitional
home in the Russell neighborhood. Despite the outcry, a permit
for the home was issued, becoming one of twenty three
approved by Metro councils since twenty twenty one, the majority
of which are located in the West End and neighborhoods

(04:49):
just south of downtown. According to an analysis of public records,
residents have called Metro Council members and rallied again once
the programs, asking for moratoriums on permits, a crackdown on enforcement,
and the city's help in limiting the number of transitional
homes per neighborhood. The program owners and advocates for recovery

(05:14):
homes say the permit process is already intense and confusing,
and the increased stigma against people trying to seek recovery
and reintegrated to the community is also harmful. Despite a
new state law requiring programs to be certified in best
practices and changes to a city law that mandate transitional

(05:37):
homes must be licensed, community recovery and council members agree
there are still too many bad actors operating in Louisville,
especially within the West End. The city is now taking
strides to address the issue, consulting with cities like Elizabethtown,

(05:59):
which decreased its number of transitional homes after cracking down
on certification and licensing requirements. Then Louisville Deputy Mayor David James,
who has been an outspoken advocate for regulating transitional and
rehabilitation Homes is part of a task force focused on

(06:20):
shelter licenses in the city, hoping to find solutions that
work for both neighbors and those in need of recovery.
We have to protect those people and we have to
protect the community, right, said James before he was sworn
in as interim Jefferson County Sheriff. And so we have

(06:41):
to find that balance, whatever that is. Longtime West End
resident Ethel Graham struggled with alcoholism for years before reaching
sobriety through the Healing Place. Now, Graham, sixteen years sober,
feels called to help other women in similar situations, but

(07:02):
the path hasn't been easy. In March, Graham applied for
a conditional use permit that would let her house more
than four women at her Russell neighborhood property, but was denied.
Now she's trying to get her house up to code
to secure the permit. I want them to feel like

(07:24):
they're worthy of this because they already live out on
the streets, Graham said. They live in tents, they go
to jail, and when they get through the treatment facility,
I want them to feel like it's home. Since twenty
twenty one, Louisville has required all transitional homes, rehabilitation homes,
and homeless shelters to obtain licenses, but depending on the

(07:47):
program or purpose of the home, some may also need
conditional use permits to operate. As of late September twenty three,
transitional and rehabilitation homes had life licenses, with three more
in review or pending. According to records in the city's
Public Business Portal, Fifteen more had been approved for conditional

(08:11):
use permits but are not listed as having active shelter licenses.
Since twenty twenty four, the state has also required recovery
homes to be certified through the Kentucky Alliance of Recovery Residences.
As of September, forty nine programs within Jefferson County were

(08:31):
state certified. These are only the homes the city and
state know about, though ones that have gone through the licensing, permitting,
and certification processes. Residents and officials say they're likely more
unlicensed homes or bad actors, as James calls them, operating

(08:53):
throughout the city. The goal is to try to get
everybody in compliance so that they're treating people well and
they're not disrupting the neighborhoods right James said, you can't
have a block of recovery homes, just like you can't
have a block of airbnbs. It changes the fabric of
the neighborhood. Louisville's licensing process, though it involves three departments

(09:18):
within the Office of Planning, focuses more on the occupancy
and structure of the home than what occurs inside. The
license application requires a one hundred dollars fee, criminal records
checks for staff, and educational materials on tuberculosis, first aid
and CPR, but no mention of how exactly the homes

(09:40):
intend to help people reach sobriety or transition back into
the community. That falls under the state's certification process, a
whole different set of paperwork, standards and site visits. METRO
has little to do with. James said. In a perfect world,
these programs would fit seamles within the community, so neighbors

(10:03):
wouldn't know if a recovery or transitional home was operating
next door. You would just know that they're a great
group of people next door and everything is working well
and they go to work every day, James said, But
in many instances, that's not what we have, So we
have to find a way to operate within the boundaries
of the law in the Constitution and allow for these

(10:27):
locations to operate, but operate in a way that doesn't
damage the fabric of the community, but residents in the
West End and neighborhoods near downtown say the damage has
been done. Majority of conditional use permits filed for recovery
homes are in the West End, along with Limerick and

(10:49):
Old Louisville, and residents say there are blocks with multiple
homes that are both licensed and unlicensed. Vanessa Lackey, a
long time resident of the Chickasaw neighborhood and president of
the Westover Subdivision Association, said it's not fear to residence
and not fair to those living in the recovery homes.

(11:11):
They disrupt the neighborhood. Lackie said they have blankets on
the porch, trash in the front yard, broke down cars
in front of the house, in the driveway, on the sidewalk,
trash running over the garbage can. Although she understands the
homes must be licensed and certified, she doesn't believe there's

(11:33):
enough oversight on what's happening inside them. People open them up,
get the money, and they'll say, well, I'm certified. Lackey said, yeah,
you're certified, but then nobody's checking. You're not doing nothing
for those people. Derek Podolski, president of the Limerick Neighborhood Association,

(11:53):
said some long standing recovery or transitional homes within Limerick
have strong ties to the community, acting as great stewards
of the neighborhood and helping with events and local cleanups.
But since twenty twenty three, he's noticed an influx in
the number of conditional use permit applications for transitional and

(12:14):
recovery homes in the area, along with a rising number
of unlicensed homes. He agreed many people don't seem to
be getting the services or treatments they should. Podolski said
he wants to see more oversight from the city, including
more frequent inspections for Louisville Police officers to issue citations

(12:36):
during service during service calls so bad actors can easily
be identified. There's going to always be the sentiment of
not in my backyard, right, Podolski said, Old Louisville and
Limerick are very diverse, dense parts of the city. We
rely on our neighbors to make our community great and

(12:59):
that includes true transitional housing. For Lackey, it's hard to
feel like the city is listening to residence complaints. Lackey
said she wants people to receive the help they need,
but in order to do that, programs must have stricter
oversight and less of a high concentration in the West End.
At this point, the whole West End is screaming and

(13:20):
yelling enough is enough, Lackie said. Transitional homeowners and those
who've graduated from programs say bad actors within the community
hurt them just as much as their neighbors, adding to
the mountain of stigma people re entering society after prison
or substance abuse already received. Lucas Bennett is the president

(13:44):
and executive director of A Vision for You in Butchertown,
one of the few sober living programs outside the West
End in Old Louisville. Bennett said the city's licensing requirements
are extensive, and piling additional requirements on homes would be
tantamount of forcing them out. Bennett recognizes that some transitional

(14:06):
and recovery programs are in it for the money, not
the mission, but quote we get by by the skin
of our teeth, he said, of his program, and every
layer of regulation makes it worse. Unquote, Bennett said, the
number of complaints to the city has ticked up recently

(14:26):
from what he suspects our new additions to the neighborhood
who aren't used to the idea of having a sober
living facility nearby. At one time, it would have been
no problem to be in the Butchertown neighborhood, Bennett said,
but now Butchertown is up and coming. So that's the

(14:47):
other thing you run into. With the gentrification of neighborhoods,
flipping houses and all these remodelers, every area can potentially
turned it into an area we're no longer welcome. Aaron
Boring went through several treatment centers in Louisville and Indiana
before reaching sobriety at the Healing Place in Louisville. Now

(15:10):
he works as a peer mentor there, helping others reach
sobriety and start the long journey of reintegrating into the community.
He said, While neighbors might be wary, it's important to
remember these programs are full of people trying to change
their lives. Those are places where people have been through
recovery and they're just living somewhere and want to stay

(15:32):
within the solution, so they're staying in the house with
other sober people. Boring said. Transitional homes and treatment centers
are vital for communities, he said, and fighting against them
won't help lessen the issue. Instead, it will limit options
for those seeking help. Residential programs that serve people recovering

(15:55):
from substance abuse or transitioning from jail are also protected
by federal discrimination laws, but Bennett doesn't always feel they're
treated that way. If I call and complain about stoplights,
Metro Council is not going to say we're going to
take out the stoplights. He said. Some things have to

(16:16):
be they have to exist, and they're more valuable to
the greater good of the public. How much safer is
this neighborhood in this area because we've got guys in here,
not out there. Louisville is far from the first city
facing the monumental task of finding a balance between residential
programs and the communities they operate in. In the twenty

(16:40):
twenty three National Substance Use in Mental Health Services Survey,
Kentucky reported five hundred and twenty four substance use treatment
facilities with nearly seventy two thousand clients in treatment on
March thirty first, twenty twenty three. In twenty twenty three,
officials in a way Elizabethtown became aware of over one

(17:02):
hundred sixty recovery homes operating within the city of less
than thirty three thousand. City officials worked with state representatives
to push for a law change that went into effect
in twenty twenty four, requiring most recovery residences to be
certified through the Kentucky Alliance of Recovery Residencies and allowing

(17:25):
local governments to enforce certifications. The city created a new
Recovery Resident Compliance Officer position, and the number of recovery
homes dropped by forty percent. In early September, Elizabethtown officials
met with Louisville's Task Force to share their experiences with
certifying and tracking recovery homes. Although Elizabethtown has seen great

(17:50):
success with its program, it's unclear if it could be
replicated in a city nearly twenty times larger, But the
task Force, comprised of officials from the Mayor's Office, Office
of Planning, Attorney General's Office, and more, is moving forward,
hoping to find solutions to help recovery residences get certified

(18:11):
and alleviate community issues. James said he hopes to have
a plan in place by November or December on next
steps to address the number of transitional homes within the city.
In the meantime, residents like Lackie have requested Metro Council
place a moratorium on new licenses and conditional use permits

(18:35):
for transitional and rehabilitation homes until a permanent solution is found.
Metro Councilman Andrew Owen said legislation that would force recovery
homes to spread out in the city would be tough
to pass. We're going to have a hell of a
time getting transitional housing in every district in this city,

(18:57):
Owen said, I think everybody ought to share some of
the burden, so I do think there should be a
little bit in every district, But politically, I don't think
there's political will for that. When it comes to residential homes,
there's one thing everyone seems to agree on. They want
people to get the help they need and reintegrate into society.

(19:19):
I just think that people really need to think about
this more from a point of emotion and compassion Bennett said,
they need to try to empathize with the people who
are getting services, and I understand that from the outside
looking in, you can see this as a choice or
something people should just be doing better. You don't know

(19:40):
the type of people these people are going to turn into,
so be aware that you don't know who the bosses
of tomorrow are going to be. You can reach reporter
Keeley Dahl at k Dall at Courier Journal dot com.
There are a number of photos accompanying this article. The

(20:02):
first is a photo of Derrek Podolski, president of the
Limerick Neighborhood Association. He's looking for solutions in transitional housing
by holding them accountable and uplifting them at the same time.
The photo was taken September twenty seventh. It looks like
he's at a farmer's market and there's a big sign

(20:24):
saying Limerick in the background. The next photo shows Cecil
Avenue between fortieth and Garland. On September twenty third, at
least three shelters have applied for conditional use permits in Louisville,
and there's a house that has boarded up windows and

(20:46):
is in kind of bad shape on the exterior. The
next photo shows Louisville Deputy Mayor David James attending a
House Judiciary Committee meeting in Frankfurt on February fifteen, twenty
twenty three, and mister James is speaking at a microphone

(21:08):
wearing a suit. Next the photo of Ethel Graham, photographed
September nineteenth. She's looking to open a recovery house in
the West End called the Gateway to Hope Recovery House LLC.
And you see miss Graham just standing and gesturing. The

(21:35):
next photo shows the Gateway to Hope Recovery House LLC,
pictured on September nineteenth, and you see some desks and
some posters on the wall and a whiteboard with a
lot of notes on it. The last photo shows the

(21:58):
house that Ethel is trying to get up to code
to secure a permit and increase her occupancy. Is pictured
here on September nineteenth. Looks like a small house with
a lot of vegetation in the front and side and backyards.

(22:19):
Just a little white house with blue trim. Lastly, there's
a map of Louisville showing where the shelter licenses in
Jefferson County are all shelter licenses for transitional and rehabilitation
homes active and expired are shown in Jefferson County from

(22:43):
January twenty twenty one to September twenty twenty five, and
all but one are located in the West End, and
there are many and Next Photo of the Week Bowmanfest
lands in Louisville. Last weekend saw the return of Bowmanfest

(23:07):
to historic Bowman Field in Louisville. The two day event
brings in historic aircraft, static displays, military vehicles, and air shows.
Proceeds benefit the Bowman Field Foundation and the Coosair for
Kids Pediatric neuro Recovery Fund. Here are some of our
favorite images. The first one shows a line to see

(23:31):
the inside of one of the historic planes at Bowmanfest
and Aviation and Military Heritage Festivals celebrating aviation history featuring
air shows, static aircraft displays, military vehicles, family activities and
more at Louisville's Historic Bowman Field on October fourth, and

(23:53):
you see the people in line waiting to get into
a large aircraft that's as American Flagship. Next, spectators get
a closer look at the airplanes and there's a man

(24:13):
holding his daughter and she's wearing noise canceling headphones and
they're looking closely at a stationery airplane jet. Peterson age
eleven takes a closer look at the air show at
Bowman Fest and he's holding his sunglasses but looking through binoculars.

(24:41):
At the air show, Hale Harris, aged two, gets a
lift from his uncle Simon for a better view, and
he's looking in the window of one of the aircraft
and looks very excited. And airplanes flying in for me
in part of the air show, and there are six

(25:04):
planes in the usual formation. Another photo shows the inside
of the cockpit of a Steerman on display at the festival.
And lastly, Baron Muhlenbrock picnics under the wing of an
airplane with his children Charlotte eight, Anne Marie six and

(25:27):
Amadea's four at Bowman Fest and they're literally sitting under
the wing in the shade of the small aircraft. And
next around the region from Indiana, rotted tree falls damages

(25:50):
the Frank Lloyd Wright's Samara House in West Lafayette. It
now appears that nature, not tree trimmers, damage the Frank
Lloyd Wright Samara House last month in West Lafayette, A
co dominant trunk from a neighbour's aging pinoak failed due
to internal rot, Samara's site director Nathan Elayer said, noting

(26:14):
that Samara House has more than one hundred trees and
shrubs for which they actively care. Unfortunately, this failure came
from outside our property line. West Lafayette Police said it
appears that a section of the upper part of the
tree broke off during the nighttime hours. That upper section

(26:35):
hit the Samara House. Police said, from what I understand,
Duke Energy also contracted an emergency third party tree service
to handle the initial cleanup since their equipment couldn't fit
on our historic driveway. Elayer said that explains why neighbors
heard chainsaws and saw crews working in the area about

(26:56):
two thirty am September seventeenth, acording to what neighbors told police,
and that's from the Lafayette Journal and Courier. Next. Wayne
County Jail inmate's death under investigation by Indiana State Police.
Indiana State Police are investigating the death of a Centerville

(27:20):
woman who was being held in the Wayne County Jail.
Sheriff Randy Rudder confirmed on October first that Amanda L.
Hewitt forty, died on the morning of September twenty seventh,
apparently within a few hours after she had been arrested
in Centerville. Amanda Hewitt did die in our custody in

(27:40):
the jail. Rudder said she was unresponsive when found by
jail's staff about seven forty a m. September twenty seventh,
and was pronounced dead at the jail within the case.
With the case under investigation, Rhdder said he could not
speculate on a cause of death. However, the sheriff said
there were no overt signs this was a suicide, and

(28:03):
that from the Richmond Palladium item. This concludes readings for
the first sections of the Courier Journal for Sunday, October twelfth,
twenty twenty five. Stay tuned for more news to follow immediately.
Your reader has been Kathy Cleary. Now to continue reading

(28:26):
from the Courier Journal for Sunday, October twelfth, twenty twenty five.
Your reader is Kathy Cleary. We will start with the obituaries.
We read only the name, age, and location if given.
If you would like further information on any of the obituaries,
please call us during the week days at eight five

(28:48):
nine four two two sixty three ninety and will be
glad to read the entire obituary for you. I'll repeat
that number at the end of the listings. Today's death notices.
Daniel Lee Arnold sixty seven, Louisville. The next three are

(29:09):
also from Louisville. Augustus P. Bishop ninety four, Stanley Wayne
Birch seventy three, Sue Birdwell Christensen, no age given, all
of Louisville, Roger Lee Dennison eighty seven, Goshen James W.

(29:31):
French eighty two, no town given. The next two are
from Louisville. Billy Frank Hunt eighty seven and Nolan F.
Jewell one hundred years old, both from Louisville. Karl Damien
Krebs seventy one, North Liberty, Iowa. Gennardin Mahadio Coolcarney ninety two, Roswell, Georgia,

(30:01):
Betty Anne has Morse ninety two, no town given. Donald E.
Rush Senior known as Skip eighty eight, New Albany, Indiana.
The next two are from Louisville. John J. Sinai ninety four,
Joe William Sisson eighty five, Elden Robert Smith Junior ninety

(30:29):
eight Millersburg, Maryland. The next three are from Louisville. Barbara
Spencer scn age ninety and Glenn Earl Stuckel, also aged ninety,
David L. Thompson no age given, all of Louisville, Alvida,

(30:50):
Renee Warfield sixty four, New Albany, Indiana, and Ruth Jaeger
eighty nine of Louisville. If he would like further information
about any of the listings to day, call us on
week days at eight, five, nine, four, two, two sixty
three ninety and we will be glad to read the

(31:11):
entire item to you. We turn now to the Metro
section of the Courier Journal. New overlook opens at Cherokee
Park improvements funded Campbell Family gift. This piece is by
Kirby Adams. Park goers have a new outlook from which

(31:33):
to enjoy the city's most beautiful vistas in Cherokee Park.
Like Barringer Hill, a well known Cherokee Park landmark, the
new Campbell Overlook, with its expansive view, was created in
accordance with Frederick Law Olmsted's design beliefs in mind. Improvements
to the overlook were funded by a gift made in

(31:54):
memory of Christian L. Campbell by his family, Heather, Amelia
and Colleen. The Campbell family lived near the area of
Cherokee Park known as Chauffeur's Rest, where the new Campbell
Overlook improvements are located. Heather Campbell told The Courier Journal
her late husband loved the proximity to the park and

(32:16):
used it regularly for running and spending time in nature
with his family. We are very thankful to Louisville Parks
and Recreation and the Olmsted Parks Conservancy for allowing us
to leave a mark upon this earth in memory of
Chris that perpetuates his values, improves a beautiful Olmsted Design park,

(32:38):
and makes the world a better place, the family said
in a news release. Here's what to know about the
Campbell Overlook at Cherokee Park. Cherokee Park is located in
the middle of the Highlands neighborhood in Louisville, and you
can use seven forty five Cochrane Hill Road as the address.

(32:58):
The Campbell Overlook is located at seventeen hundred to twenty
four ninety eight Barrett Hill Road, Barrett Hill between Park
Boundary Road and Cherokee Road. When is the Campbell Overlook
open at Cherokee Park. Cherokee Park is open daily from

(33:19):
six am to eleven pm. Cherokee Park's main feature is
the two point three mile scenic Loop with separate lanes
for vehicle traffic one way and recreational users. According to
its city website, one of the original parks designed by Olmsted,
the park provides a pastoral setting amid rolling hills, open

(33:43):
meadows and woodlands of the Beargrass Creek Valley. You can
reach features reporter Kirby Adams at Kadams at Courier hyphen
Journal dot com. There are a couple photos accompanying this article.
Shows Heather Campbell, widow of Chris Campbell, standing September twenty fourth,

(34:06):
with Michelle King, executive director of Louisville Parks and Recreation,
at Campbell Outlook, named for Chris Campbell, and you see
the two women standing and looking out at the park.
The second photo says Campbell Overlook at Cherokee Park is

(34:30):
named in honor of Chris Campbell, and you see a
sidewalk there that says Campbell Overlook and you see the
park in the distance. The next photo shows one of
four benches at Campbell Overlook at Cherokee Park, and each

(34:54):
carries a literary quotation and next the best thing I
ate this week. Take Thai celebrates one year of love,
family and food pieces by Amanda Hancock. You can't spend
time at Take Thai without hearing about family. Take Thai

(35:18):
one two nine oh eight Factory Lane, Sweet one O
three celebrates its first year in business in late September.
After a decade long career in restaurant management experience, Anne
Cook fulfilled her dream last year of opening an eatery.
Inspired by her mother's cooking. She and her husband Chris

(35:40):
opened Take Thai one two nine oh eight Factory Lane
in September twenty twenty four. The heart and soul of
our food is a tribute to my parents who are
now with us in spirit. Anne Cook, who grew up
in Thailand, said, Take Thaie is my way of carrying
on her culinary legas. You'll also hear about the other

(36:03):
side of the family as Take Tie's first year in
business approach to Chris Cook's parents, Faye and Roger Stinnett,
hopped in their RV for a road trip from Ventura,
California to Kentucky. We knew what they'd been through to open.
Fay Stinant said, it's amazing their cross country trip and

(36:24):
Take Tie's first anniversary coincides with another big milestone, Faye
and Roger Stinnett's fiftieth wedding anniversary. Since arriving in Louisville,
the Stenants have enjoyed plenty of meals at Take Tie.
Before meeting Anne about eighteen years ago, they had never
tried Thaie food, and now they compliment her recipes and

(36:46):
flavors incessantly while taking bites of spring rolls, chicken satee,
or stir fried vegetables. They also follow the suggestion on
the front page of Take Tie's menu, which reads, come
for the pad Tie, I discover the rest pad. Thaie
is one of the most popular dishes, along with gang

(37:07):
kaowan or green curry, and tom ka or tom yam soups.
Appetizers such as gung hom fa also known as shrimp
in the blanket, fly off the menu. And there's a
small photo showing Take Taie at one two nine oh
eight Factory Lane Sweet one O three celebrating its first

(37:31):
year in business in late September, and you see Anne
Taie and her husband and her in laws standing for
a photo in front of the restaurant. Next we turn
to the inspiration page. Meet the musical talent on the
Bell of Louisville. Gibbs carries on a calliope tradition dating

(37:54):
to the nineteen hundreds. This piece is by Leo Bertucci.
The calliope whistles on the Belle of Louisville, photographed August
twenty eighth, are made from copper bells with brass basses
and are situated on the top deck of the vessel.
As Martha plays the keys. Below deck, a valve opens

(38:19):
to allow steam to flow through the whistles. On a
clear day, you can hear the music from up to
five miles away. The keyboard, with just two and a
half octaves a standard piano has seven can play not
only the music from the classic Steamboat Willie cartoon, but
also the theme from the beloved children's TV show Bluey

(38:40):
and Countless. Pop hits like Dolly Parton's nine to five.
Gibbs binders full of sheet music touch all sorts of subcultures.
The renditions appear on the Bell of Louisville's Instagram page,
which has brought aboard more than thirty thousand followers, but Gibbs,
this is the real star of the show. A Belle

(39:02):
of Louisville fixture since two thousand and five, during the
cruising season from April to October, she plays the calliope
three to four times a week for about an hour
before the bell's paddle wheel starts turning. Gibbs, who has
played the piano since she was eleven years old, said
the calliope gig was something she wanted for several years

(39:24):
and was determined to get if a role opened up.
Then one day, an opportunity came along when least expected.
In the middle of the night, when I was already asleep,
my youngest son called and said, Mom, get up quick,
go to your computer. The Belle of Louisville is hiring
a calliope player. So I got up immediately applied for

(39:46):
the job, and I got a call. They said come
down and play, and I played, and I got the job,
she said. When Gibbs first started, she said, she was
told to play all of the traditional ragtime hits associated
with the calliope, So I did that, but nobody knew
any of them. So I started adding stuff people knew,

(40:06):
and they were saying like, oh, I love this song.
The moment when a person riding the Belle of Louisville
here's one of their favorite songs for the first time
and is excited about it. That is the kind of
experience Gibbs look forward to the most. Those who work
with her can't help but notice the joy she has
while playing. She's definitely an icon working on an icon,

(40:31):
said Heather funk Gottlieb, outreach manager for Belle of Louisville Riverboats.
The Bell is the City of Louisville's boat, so we
want people to know that we get to enjoy this
river that makes up our city. Martha is an integral
part of that in so many ways. She finds some
inspiration for new calliope material on online catalogs, but nowadays

(40:56):
some of the requests Gibbs received comes from social media,
like Bluey theme song. Some songs are not too difficult
for her to play on this small keyboard, but there
are some tunes that take some time to learn. The
work Gibbs is doing to adapt newer songs into a
timeless instrument is resonating with younger audiences who have come

(41:17):
to appreciate her musical talent and bubbly personality. Data Wise,
the largest part of our demographics for watching calliope videos
is much younger, Funk Gottlieb said, the eighteen to twenty
four demographic is where we're hitting the hardest in our analytics,
powered by the steam produced in the ship's boiler room.

(41:40):
Calliopes were originally thought of as a marketing tool to
attract people to the river front to see what all
the commotion was about. According to the Belle of Louisville's website,
the calliope's whistling is said to be heard as much
as five miles away on clear days. The name Calliope,

(42:00):
which is pronounced like penelope, originates from Greek mythology Calliope,
one of the nine muses, is associated with music, song, dance,
and epic poetry. You can reach reporter Leo Bertucci at
el Bertucci at Gannett dot com. That last name is

(42:22):
spelled b R Tucci. There are two photos accompanying this article.
The first one shows Martha Gibbs pictured August twenty eighth,
and she has played the Belle of Louisville's Calliope for
twenty one years, one of only two female calliope players

(42:42):
in the US. She carries on a tradition dating to
the early nineteen hundreds. And it's a close up of
Miss Gibbs smiling, and you can see the Belle of
Louisville in one of the bridges in the background. The
second one shows the calliope whistles on the Bell of Louisville,

(43:03):
photographed August twenty eighth. They're made of copper bells with
brass bases and are situated on the top deck of
the vessel. As Martha plays the keys below, deck valves
open to allow steam to flow through the whistles. On
a clear day, you can hear the music from up
to five miles away. And in other news, four pushed

(43:27):
back against limiting hemp goods Representative Site Economic Damage of bill.
This piece is by Lewis Aubach. A federal push by
some lawmakers to close a legal loophole that allows sales
of intoxicating hemp products has left Kentucky's congressional delegation divided.

(43:50):
In a letter sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson on
September twenty sixth, four of Kentucky's six US House members,
Representatives Andy Barr, James co Homer, Thomas Massey, and Morgan
mc garvey were among twenty six representatives urging Chamber leaders
to reject language included in an appropriations bill that would

(44:11):
crack down on sales of hemp derived products such as
Delta eight, arguing it would deal a fatal blow to
American farmers supplying the regulated hemp industry and small businesses
and jeopardized tens of billions of dollars in economic activity
around the country. US representatives Brett Guthrie and Hal Rogers

(44:34):
did not sign the letter. A representative for Guthrie did
not respond to a request for comment, while rogers spokesperson
said he understands the issues addressed in the letter, but
shares law enforcement concerns about hemp products like Delta eight
THHC that have ended up in the hands of high

(44:55):
school students. Hemp is a big business in the Bluegrass state.
The US Department of Agriculture has reported Kentucky as one
of the nation's biggest producers of industrial hemp, with the
state reporting two thousand, five hundred sixty harvested acres in
twenty twenty four. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture report found

(45:17):
eighty seven percent of hemp harvested around the state in
twenty twenty four was used in cannabinoid products, which industry
advocates have said could be at risk if the new
legislation is approved. The Better Lawer, the letter law makers
sent to Johnson, said the hemp industry currently supports three

(45:39):
hundred twenty thousand jobs in the US while generating twenty
eight point four billion dollars in market activity and one
point five billion dollars in state revenue. Instead of banning
some hemp products, it calls on Congress to restrict sale
and possession of hemp products to anyone over a twenty one,

(46:01):
standardize labeling and packaging to ensure products don't appeal to kids,
and require independent lab testing for consumable products. By arbitrarily
changing the definition of legal hemp, rather than responsibly regulating
the market, Congress is effectively turning out the lights on

(46:22):
America's legal hemp farmers and undermining the work being done
by our colleagues and the authorizing committees and in states
that have created regulatory frameworks for hemp products, The letter said.
Kentucky's two US senators meanwhile, have publicly taken opposite stances

(46:43):
when it comes to regulating hemp, which can be used
to make a variety of products and contains trace amounts
of THHC, the intoxicating chemical in marijuana. While Senator Mitch
McConnell has been adamant that more restrictions are needed, Senator
Ran Paul has said the hemp industry overwhelmingly produces legal

(47:06):
and save products. In August, he blocked a Senate bill
and included language similar to what's been proposed in the
House from Advancing, drawing criticism from his Kentucky colleague in
the chamber. McConnell was a strong supporter of that bill,
saying the restrictions would allow the majority of hemp products

(47:26):
to remain legal. He's publicly argued he wants to continue
to see the industry grow, but companies looking to make
a quick buck have exploited current laws to create intoxicating
products that are appealing to children. In a speech on
the subject on the Senate floor in August, the Senator
was flanked by a placard with images of hemp products

(47:50):
in packages mimicking snacks such as Dorito's and oreos. McConnell
backed a twenty fourteen bill that let states create pilot
industrial h programs, and four years later he supported another
bill that removed HIMP from the Controlled Substances Act. A
loophole in that bill, though, allowed products such as Delta

(48:11):
AD to hit the market. Rooting out the bad actors
and reaffirming our original legislative intent is an important step
towards both greater child safety and greater economic certainty. McConnell
wrote in an August op ed calling on changes to
current law. You can reach Lewis Albach at el Albach

(48:34):
at Career hyphen Journal dot com, and that last name
is spelled au l bacch. There's one photo accompanying this
article that shows a hemp plant in a field outside Lexington,
grown by cornbread hemp. On September twenty seventh, twenty twenty three,

(48:59):
in News, Forecasters announce official arrival of Lanina by Doyle
Rice of USA Today, Laninia has officially arrived. Federal forecasters
from Climate Prediction Center announced October nine. Laninia conditions emerged
in September twenty twenty five, as indicated by the expansion

(49:22):
of below average sea surface temperatures across the Central and
eastern Equatorial Pacific Ocean, the Prediction Center said in a statement.
As for how long it will last, La Nina conditions
are favored to persist through February twenty twenty six. According
to the Center. Forecasters say this Laanina could affect the

(49:45):
tail end of the twenty twenty five hurricane season and
also have an effect on fall and winter weather in
the United States. Lanina is a part of a natural
climate cycle officially known as al Nino Southern oscillation, called
ENSO by scientists. The cycle swings between warmer and cooler

(50:08):
seawater in a region along the equator. In the tropical Pacific.
La Nina is marked by cooler than average ocean water
in the region. It is one of the main drivers
of weather in the United States, especially during the late fall, winter,
and early spring. It's the opposite of the more well

(50:28):
known al Nino, which occurs when Pacific ocean water is
at least zero point nine degrees warmer than average for
three months. The intermediate stage is known as ENSO neutral.
When neither La Nina nor al Nino is present. Akiweather
lead hurricane expert alex Da Silva said in an online

(50:53):
forecast that the emergence of La Nina favors an active
end to the hurricane season. So far this season, as
of October eighth, ten named storms have formed in the
Atlantic Ocean, of which four were hurricanes. An average season
sees fourteen storms and seven hurricanes. Specifically, November, tropical storms

(51:17):
could be affected by La Nina. According to Matthew Rosencrantz,
lead hurricane seasonal forecaster with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
La Nina conditions are associated with more activity but double
the amount in November when compared to and so neutral,

(51:39):
and especially when compared to Novembers with Al Nino conditions,
he said in an e mail to u S A
to day. When a La Nina phase occurs, less wind
shear occurs in the regions of the Atlantic basin where
tropical weather develops, increasing the potential for more storms. Aciweather

(52:01):
said hurricane season officially ends November thirtie. A typical La
Nina winter in the United States brings cold and snow
to the Northwest and unusually dry conditions to most of
the Southern States. According to the Climate Prediction Center, The
Southeast and mid Atlantic also tend to see higher than

(52:23):
average temperatures during a La Nina winter in the East,
the northern branch of the jet stream tends to carry
faster moving, less intense storms, which can mean snow fall
near or even below average, with temperatures closer to seasonal norms.
Aciweather said federal forecasters will release the government's official winter

(52:46):
outlook October sixteenth. Seasonal forecasts for Al Nino and La
Nina and their associated impacts on our weather are an
important climate intelligence tool. World Meteoral Logical Organization Secretary General
Celeste Sallow said in a recent statement and next from

(53:10):
the Archives nineteen ninety three, demolition of longtime warehouses attracts
TV audience. This piece is also by Lero Bertucci. A
portion of the once mighty Belknap Hardware complex crumbled in
a giant plume of smoke in October nineteen ninety three,

(53:32):
a spectacular event that drew several Hollywood actors and an
MTV film crew to Louisville. The demolition of two warehouses
between Witherspoon and Washington Streets took a dramatic seven seconds.
The Courier Journal reported footage of flames bursting out of
windows and explosions ripping through structural supports aired during an

(53:56):
hour long TV special promoting the film Demolition Man, which
debuted in theaters days after the spectacle in Louisville. The
stars of Demolition Man, Sylvester Stallone, Sandra Bullock, and Wesley
Snipes appeared on MTV's Demolition Man. Jan Louisville based Humana,

(54:17):
which renovated some of the former hardware facilities for new
office spaces in the nineteen nineties, originally planned to raise
the two warehouses quietly on a Sunday morning, but the
coincidental release of Demolition Man spurred film studio Warner Brothers
to negotiate a media event with the Health Insurance Company.

(54:38):
About fifty people were invited to MTV's party downtown, while
others found themselves watching the theatrics from boats on the
Ohio River, along River Road and across the river in
southern Indiana. Billowing smoke exited north from Louisville Skyline, causing
some boaters to scatter. And There are three photos accompanying

(55:02):
this article. The first one, photographed on October third, nineteen
ninety three, shows two Belknap hardware warehouses imploding in a
controlled demolition which was filmed live on MTV, and it's
from the Barry Bingham Junior Career Journal Photograph Collection at

(55:24):
the University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections, and you
see the two old buildings bursting into flames. Second photo,
which was published January thirtieth, nineteen seventy nine, shows the

(55:46):
clock and tower of Belknap Hardware, also from the Career
Journal Photograph Collection at the University of Louisville Archives and
Special Collections. The third photo from the same collection, published

(56:07):
June twenty sixth, nineteen eighty seven, shows the archway which
was part of the office at the old Belknap building,
and again that piece was by Leo Bertucci of the
Career Journal. This concludes excerpts from the Courier Journal for Sunday,

(56:28):
October twelfth, twenty twenty five. Your reader has been Kathy Cleary.
Please stay tuned for continued programming on RADIOI