10.2.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the reading of the Courier Journal for Thursday,
October second, twenty twenty five, which is brought to our
Louisville listeners via Louisville Public Media. As a reminder, RADIOI
is a reading service intended for people who are blind
or have other disabilities that make it difficult to read
printed material. Your reader for to day is Cindy Fraser.

(00:21):
Let's start with a five day forecast brought to you
by w h A s to day high eighty four,
mostly sunny and warm. Tonight, low sixty three, clear to
partly cloudy. Friday high eighty four, low sixty, sunny and
very warm. Saturday high eighty three, low sixty, sunny and

(00:48):
very warm. Sunday high eighty three, low sixty mostly sunny
and warm. Monday high eighty three, low sixty, partly sunny
and warm. The local forecast sunny skies continue with just
a few clouds around for Thursday. Highs remain in the

(01:10):
lower eighties for the next several days, with mornings still
in the upper fifties to lower sixties. The almanac for
Louisville on Tuesday, temperature high eighty seven, low sixty three, normal,
high seventy seven normal low fifty six. The record high

(01:33):
was ninety eight in twenty nineteen. The record low thirty
three in nineteen forty nine. Precipitation Tuesday zero month to
date four point one seven inches normal months to date
three point six six inches year to date forty three

(01:53):
point one four inches normal year to date thirty seven
point zero seven inches. The pollen count from allergyac dot
com grass, high weeds, high trees, low and molds. Moderate.
Air quality was moderate Wednesday and will be moderate to day.

(02:17):
Sun and moon Thursday sunrise seven forty a m, sunset
seven twenty four p m. Moonrise five o nine p m.
Moonset two sixteen a M. Friday sunrise seven forty one
a m. Sunset seven twenty three p m. Moonrise five

(02:42):
thirty eight p m moonset three twenty five a m.
The full moon will be October sixth, the last quarter
October thirteenth, The new moon will be October twenty first,
and the first quarter will be October twenty ninth. Weather history.
On October second, nineteen forty seven, a thirty two degree

(03:06):
low in Raleigh, North Carolina, became the earliest recorded freezing
temperature there. Sixteen days later, temperatures soared to record highs
in the mid eighties. Now, let's read the front page
headlines from today's edition. Our first headline, governments shut down

(03:28):
Trump Democrats play blame game seven hundred fifty thousand federal
workers could be furloughed. Next, but sheer defense not removing
convicted Kentucky sheriffs. Governor says action only successful once. And
the final headline from to day's front page, Trump has

(03:50):
history with shut downs. Now let's turn to our first
item entitled government shut down, Trump Democrats play blame game.
Seven hundred fifty thousand federal workers could be furloughed by
Joey Garrison, bar Jansen, Zach Anderson, and Aaron Mansfield of
USA Today from Washington, President Donald Trump and Congressional Democrats

(04:16):
traded blame after the federal government shut down. At twelve
o one a m. Eastern time on October first, The
White House website featured a clock counting the amount of
time quote Democrats have shut down the government end quote,
while the Democratic National Committee wrote on social media, quote
Republicans own the shut down end quote. It marked the

(04:39):
fifteenth government shut down since nineteen eighty one. There was
no immediate end in sight to the bitter standoff over
funding the government. Congressional Democrats demanded health care policy changes,
including the reversal of Medicaid cuts, that Trump and Republicans
refused to entertain. Senate Democrats on the night of September

(05:03):
thirty again blocked a Republican proposal to keep the government
at existing funding levels through November twenty first. The bill
received fifty five yeays, short of the sixty vote threshold
to defeat a Democratic filibuster. Senators John Fetterman, Democrat from Pennsylvania,
Catherine Cortez Masto, Democrat from Nevada, and Angus King, a

(05:26):
main independent who caucuses with the Democrats, joined Republicans in
backing the GOP bill. Congressional Democratic leaders Senator Chuck Schumer
of New York and Representative j Hakim Jeffreys of New
York issued a joint statement at twelve o one a m.
On October first, saying Trump and Republicans shut down the

(05:46):
government quote because they do not want to protect the
health care of the American people. The Senate was scheduled
to reconvene October first, and was expected to vote on
the funding legislation again. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican
from Louisiana, plan to keep House lawmakers in recess to

(06:07):
pressure Democrats. About seven hundred fifty thousand federal employees, ranging
from workers at national parks to financial regulators, could be
furloughed each day, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office,
withholding about four hundred million dollars in daily compensation. Employees

(06:27):
in government services that are considered essential, such as the
military and law enforcement, will continue to work, but won't
be paid until the deal is reached. The thretle mass
layoffs loomed. A pair of unions representing federal workers file
the lawsuits September thirty over the threat. We can do

(06:47):
things during the shut down that are irreversible, that are
bad for them, and irreversible by them cutting vast numbers
of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs
that they like, tru said in the Oval Office hours
before the shutdown, referring to Democrat priorities. The President later said,

(07:08):
a lot of good can come from shutdowns. We can
get rid of a lot of things that we didn't want.
They'd be Democrat things. The shutdown is a first since
twenty nineteen, which came during Trump's first term following Democratic
objections to funding Trump's border wall. That was the longest
shutdown in US history at thirty five days, costing the

(07:29):
US economy about three billion dollars. According to the Congressional
Budget Office, it was unclear who most Americans will blame
for the current crisis. The New York Times Siena University
poll ahead of the deadline found sixty five percent of
Americans believed Democrats should not shut down the government if
their demands were not met, compared to twenty seven percent

(07:51):
who said they should. Industry authorities rushed to provide information
to Americans wondering which entities would be open. For the
most part, air travel should not be impacted. The workers
who screen at airport security checkpoints, give flight clearance, and
verify a border control are deemed essential, so they are

(08:11):
still required to work. However, a group representing major U
S air lines warned ahead of the deadline that a
partial federal government shut down could strain American aviation and
slow flights, as air traffic controllers and security officers would
be forced to work without pay and other functions would
be halted. Airlines for America, which represents United Delta American Southwest,

(08:38):
and others, warned that if funding lapses, the system may
need to slow down, reducing efficiency and impacting travelers. The
Smithsonian Institute's museums and research centers, as well as a
national zoo, will remain open despite the government shut down.
Americans who are hoping to close on a mortgage soon,

(09:00):
whether for a purchase or a refinance, may experience some
delays as government functions are curtailed. Most mortgages that will
be assumed by Fanny May and Freddie mac should be unaffected,
Industry participants said, However, if a buyer or Social Security
number needs to be verified, they may encounter delays. Buyers

(09:22):
should expect delays for mortgages that come from a rural
housing program, like those from the US Department of Agriculture,
Ditto on delays to mortgages from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Some via staff and support functions may be reduced, which
may slow down approvals, appraisals, and certificate of eligibility requests.

(09:42):
N AR said. Housing councilors affiliated with the Department of
Housing and Urban Development may need to scale back or
halt their activities. N Ar said buyers in flood prone
areas like Florida and Louisiana might encounter delays because of
National Flood Insurance program will not be funded. Some lenders

(10:02):
may allow the purchase to proceed anyway, but that could
create problems if a storm happens before insurance can be written,
said Jeff Lichtenstein, president and broker of Echo Fine Properties
in South Florida. Nothing good ever comes out of these things,
g Liechtenstein told USA Today in an e mail contributing

(10:23):
Zach Schmeerley, Aaron Mansfield and your Reckreer, and Kathleen Wong
of USA to Day Next from to Day's front page.
Basher defends not removing convicted Kentucky sheriffs. Governor says action
only successful once by Josh Wood. Kentucky Governor Andy Basheer

(10:44):
defended his decision to not initiate removal proceedings against sheriffs
criminally convicted of crimes while in office, saying during a
September twenty fifth press conference that a governor initiated removal
of a sheriff has only been successfully executed once since
Kentucky's founding. The governor's comments came in response to a

(11:05):
question from the Courier Journal about what his message would
be to individuals in Trigg and Robertson Counties who have
reached out to his office asking him to act on
their sheriffs. Though sheriffs Aaron Akrey in Trigg County and
Terry Gray in Robertson County were featured in a recent
Courier Journal investigation that found one in six Kentucky counties

(11:28):
has had a sheriff criminally charged or convicted since twenty ten.
The boss of sheriffs are the people that elect them
and can ultimately refuse to vote for them the next time.
Bashier said, now, there are just a couple of procedures
that are out there for removal of constitutional officers. Impeachment
by the legislature is one, and there is a provision

(11:50):
about sheriffs related to the governor. But this provision has
only been used once successfully since the founding of our
commonwealth in seventeen ninety two. Bashier said. The one time
the provision was successfully used, the nineteen fifty seven removal
of Perry County Sheriff William M. Cornett, was a quote
very political situation with just one successful removal in Kentucky history,

(12:15):
Baschier added, what you look for is how the criminal
justice system has treated those cases, including, he said, whether
the offenses were misdemeanors versus felonies. In twenty twenty three,
Acre pleaded guilty to four misdemeanors related to an incident
where he allegedly roughed up and threatened to kill a

(12:36):
shackled woman, and to a separate incident where he used
his position to secure a free hotel room where he
carried out a sexual affair. During an investigation of the affair,
Acre lied to the FBI. Robertson, meanwhile, was charged with
two DUIs in a nine month span between twenty twenty
three and twenty twenty four. In one incident, Robertson was

(13:00):
uniform and operating a department vehicle. Following Akre's twenty twenty
three guilty plea, Basher called the sheriff's actions wrong and inappropriate,
and said he would examine the removal process as well
as details of the case. Last year, after former Lecher
County Sheriff Mickey Steins was charged with murder in the

(13:21):
shooting of District Court Judge Kevin Mullins. Bashier threatened to
initiate their rarely used removal proceedings against Stein's if he
did not resign. Steins complied. Residents of both Robertson and
Trade Counties have written impassioned messages to Bisher asking him
to take action to remove their sheriffs from office, according

(13:42):
to documents obtained by The Courier Journal under the state's
public records law. At the September twenty fifth press conference,
Basher told residents of those counties to continue reaching out
to him. What I'd say to individuals who don't feel
safe in those communities is we've received a little bit
of information. If there's more that you think we need,

(14:03):
send it, he said. And the final linem from today's
front page is entitled Trump has history with shutdowns by
Sarah D Weyer of USA Today. A shuttered government is
familiar territory to President Donald Trump, whose first term saw
three shutdowns, including a thirty five day closure spanning the

(14:25):
end of twenty eighteen into early twenty nineteen. It remains
the longest in US history. Congress failed to pass new
spending authority by the start of October first prompting a
shutdown of the federal government, the fourth during a Trump presidency.
A lot of good can come from shutdowns, Trump told
reporters in the White House a few hours before the deadline.

(14:48):
We can get rid of a lot of things that
we didn't want. The leaders of the two parties are
standing their ground, and it is unclear how long the
shutdown might last. I hope it's very short, because real
Americans are going to suffer. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican
from Louisiana, said on CNN on September thirtieth. Republicans have

(15:10):
demanded a stop gap solution that would extend current funding
levels until November twenty first. Democrats want to undo large
scale Medicaid cuts Republicans made this summer. They also want
to permanently extend tax subsidies millions of Americans used to
purchase insurance on the federal and state health insurance marketplaces.

(15:31):
Those subsidies are due to expire December thirty first, and
Republicans say there is time to negotiate about them later.
After weeks of not speaking to one another as a
deadline year, Trump and the four top congressional leaders left
a private White House meeting on September twenty ninth without
an agreement to keep the federal government open. A timeline

(15:54):
of shutdowns. Trump had been in office exactly one year
January twentieth, twenty eighteen, when the government shut down for
the first time under his leadership. The three day shutdown
began when spending talks fell apart between Trump and then
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat from New York, partly

(16:15):
over protections for young immigrants known as Dreamers, who had
been brought to the USA legally as children. Trump's predecessor,
President Barack Obama, had put in place protections for these
young adults under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Trump ended the program, but gave lawmakers six months to
come up with a replacement. During budget negotiations, however, he

(16:39):
demanded immigration concessions from Democrats. The government reopened after Congress
passed a short term compromise that did not include the
immigration provisions Democrats had wanted. Three weeks later, on February eighth,
twenty eighteen, the government shut down for a second time,
but just briefly. Senator brand Paul Republican from Kentucky, triggered

(17:03):
that government closure when he blocked a Senate vote on
a funding bill because it would have added more than
three hundred billion dollars to the federal by the deficit.
The shutdown ended after a few hours when the Senate
and the House both approved the spending measure. The third
shutdown of Trump's first term and the longest in US history,

(17:24):
started December twenty second, twenty eighteen, and lasted until January
twenty fifth, twenty nineteen. After Trump demanded five point seven
billion dollars to build a wall along the United States
Mexico border. Democrats flatly refused to negotiate on border will
funding until the government reopened. That standoff stretched for thirty

(17:46):
five days, leading to the furlough of more than three
hundred fifty thousand federal workers and forcing four hundred thousand
others to work without pay. Some food safety inspections were
temporarily stopped, brash piled up in national parks, federal landmarks
and museums closed, and some airports shutter checkpoints because fewer

(18:07):
Transportation Security Administration officers were on the job to screen passengers.
The shutdown ended only after Trump backed a bipartisan bill
that contained none of the border wall funding he had demanded.
Trump waited into shutdown battles between terms as well. After
winning re election in twenty twenty four, but before taking office,

(18:30):
Trump attempted to torpedo a short term funding bill that
would have kept the government running beyond his inauguration and
through March. The Republican led Congress passed a bipartisan spending
bill with Democratic support to avoid shutting the government days
before Christmas and Hanukkah. Not a record number of shutdowns,

(18:52):
Trump might have the longest shutdown on record, but he
doesn't hold the record for the most shutdowns. The government
shutdown eight times during former President Ronald Reagan's eight years
in office. All, however, were brief. The longest lasted just
three days. Former President Jimmy Carter presided over five government
shutdowns during his single term in office, the longest of

(19:15):
which lasted eighteen days. There had been twenty government shutdowns
lasting at least one full day since nineteen seventy five,
with most taking place before nineteen ninety five and half
being very brief. Prior to the nineteen eighties, agencies didn't
really shut down even if Congress hadn't yet approved a
new spending plan. Instead, agencies would often continue to operate

(19:40):
with the expectation that funding would be provided in the future.
According to the Congressional Research Service, then, in nineteen eighty
and nineteen eighty one, US Attorney General Benjamin Savaletti wrote
a series of legal opinions that established the basis for
government shutdowns. Contributing Michael Collins Today, Next US turned to

(20:03):
the Interior Today's paper, where next item is entitled. Todd
County sheriff pleads guilty over confrontation at man's home by
Josh Wood. Todd County Sheriff Tracy White pleaded guilty on
September thirtieth to a misdemeanor harassment charge stemming from an
incident last year where he confronted and threatened a Logan

(20:25):
County resident of the man's home, court record show. As
part of a plea agreement, prosecution was deferred on an
additional charge for menacing so long as White commits no
new violations over the next two years and satisfies a
number of conditions, including issuing a public apology to the victim.
Adam Weatherford, Todd County's top lawman, also pledged not to

(20:50):
pursue any charges against Weatherford related to allegations the sheriff
has previously made against him, and to stay away from Weatherford,
not comment on the case on sad social media, and
complete eight hours of community service. Additionally, White will pay
a two hundred fifty dollars fine. Tracy regrets his conduct

(21:10):
that night. He has extended his apology to mister Weatherford
and his family and is working now to put this
very unfortunate incident behind him. White's attorney, Matt John said
in a phone call with a Courier Journal. White was
among the sheriffs examined in a recent Career Journal investigation
looking at Kentucky sheriffs who remained in office despite criminal

(21:31):
charges or convictions. That investigation found that since twenty ten,
one in six of Kentucky's one hundred twenty counties has
had a sheriff criminally charged or convicted. A grand jury
indicted White on menacing and harassment charges last December, following
a May twenty twenty four incident where he showed up

(21:52):
at Weatherford's home one night while wearing gloves and launched
into a series of profanity laced accusations and threats against WEATHERFDD.
I'm going to get your a another way, buddy, Why,
can be heard saying in cell phone video footage of
the incident recorded by Weatherford. The sheriff made the remarks
after Weatherford said he would have already been in jail

(22:14):
if allegations White was making against him were true. Why
was that Weatherford's house? Over alleged run ins between Weatherford
and a group of children who ride four wheelers and
dirt bikes in the area, whom Weatherford accused of harassing
him when he'd hang out with his dog down at
a nearby creek. During the confrontation, White accused Weatherford, a

(22:36):
forty year old forklet operator, of threatening my kids and
ramming a child's off road vehicle. Later, he told a
Kentucky State Police investigator his children were not present during
a run in, but that he had received a phone
call from someone he knew, claiming Weatherford was harassing children
riding four wheelers. Why tolkasp he was wearing gloves at

(22:59):
night in case things went south. According to video of
an interview obtained by The Courier Journal under Kentucky's open
records law. With his plea deal, why joins Craig County
Sheriff Aaron Ackrie and Robertson County Sheriff Terry Gray as
a third current Kentucky sheriff who remains in office despite
a conviction on their record. Another sheriff, Nelson County, cheff

(23:22):
Ramond Pinero, had charges against him related to the alleged
improper seizure and sale of vehicles by his office dismissed
earlier in September. While Governor Andy Basher has faced calls
to initiate removal proceedings against Acre and Gray, so far,
he has not responding to a question from the Courier Journal.
During a September twenty fifth press conference, Bashir defended his inaction,

(23:47):
stressing that a governor initiated removal of a sheriff has
only successfully occurred once in Kentucky's history. The boss of
sheriffs are the people that elect them and can ultimately
refuse to vote for them the next time, he said.
White was first elected sheriff of his rural western Kentucky
county in twenty fourteen. He is due to stand for

(24:07):
re election for a fourth term next year, but the
Courier Journal has not seen an announcement, indicating that he
is running again. Next l m p D man arrested
in connection with assault in Crescent Hill by Caroline Neil.
A man was arrested in connection to an alleged September
eighteenth assault in the Crescent Hill neighborhood. According to a

(24:30):
Facebook post from Louisville Metro Police, Jacob Burnett, twenty seven,
was arrested in charged with first degree sexual abuse. Officials
said he is currently being held at the Louisville Metro
Department of Corrections. We want to thank the individual who
came forward with a tip that led to his arrest,
Officials said, your courage and commitment to protecting our community

(24:51):
made a difference. Investigators believed the girl was assaulted near
mc cready and Richard Avenues around three p m. September eighteenth,
while she was waiting to be picked up from a
nearby private school. A man allegedly approached and inappropriately touched
her before running away. Official said the girl was able
to take a video of the man, which was shared

(25:13):
in a Facebook post asking for the public's help. It
is currently unclear when Burnett will appear in court. Next
is the Metro page and an item entitled j c
P s postpones hiring a firm company would help I
D one hundred thirty two million dollars in future cuts
by CHRISTA Johnson. Hours after indicating his hope to hire

(25:36):
an accounting firm to assist the district in making necessary
budget cuts, Jefferson County Public School Superintendent Brian Yearwood withdrew
his recommendation for the approval of that hire. During a
special called meeting September thirtieth, Jefferson County Board of Education
members were set to approve hiring Dean Dorton. During the meeting,

(25:56):
a proposed contract attached to the agenda showed JA j
CPS would pay the firm up to fifty thousand dollars
for its services, with the firms had to begin work
the following day. Yearwood had discussed hiring the firm during
a press conference earlier on September thirtieth, and said the
firm was selected through a non competitive bid process. During

(26:17):
the meeting, however, he withdrew the recommendation to approve the
contract and told board members the district would instead issue
a request for proposals to find an auditor. J CPS
has hired Dean Dorton multiple times before for various audits,
including a twenty sixteen look into the district's use of
seclusions and restraints, a twenty seventeen look into salaries, and

(26:41):
a twenty eighteen look into booster club revenues. It is
unclear what changed in the few hours between his initial
announcement and the board meeting, but the district still needs
to figure out how to make significant cuts to its
budget by January Yearwood had said Dean Dorton would help
identify a needed one hundred thirty two million dollars in

(27:01):
cuts from the budget for the twenty twenty six through
twenty seven school year. That number has fluctuated in recent months,
with district leaders quoting several different figures. Former Superintendent Marty
Polio said in May that j CPS would need to
cut fifty million dollars from the twenty twenty six through
twenty seven budget Yearwood in August said one hundred million

(27:24):
dollars needed to be cut, and Chief financial Officer Eddie
Munds recently said one hundred eighty eight million dollars should
be cut, though that figure was over the course of
two years. There's a lack of certainty about how big
the deficit is and how much the budget needs to
be cut by Board chair Corey Schule said at the

(27:45):
September thirty press conference about the need to hire an
auditor to move forward with creating a balanced budget. Aside
from an immediate audit, the board is also set to
pay for a more thorough audit of j CPS's finances
after Schule recured quested one following Yearwood's hiring this summer.
The reason for requesting that audit, Shul said, was to

(28:06):
give j CPS new leader and unfiltered perspective related to
the financial reality of the organization. His request occurred before
the public was made aware that JCPS will need to
sell assets in order to make payroll next year. Board
members are expected to vote on which company to hire
for that audit in October. This is not a situation

(28:28):
we should be in. Yearwood said at the press conference.
It's important that we bring our collective wisdom together to
solve this problem. State Auditor Allison Ball's office is also
currently conducting an audit of j CPS. State lawmakers allocated
one point five million dollars over the course of two
years to Ball's office to conduct the audit, which is

(28:50):
expected to focus on more than the district's finances. The
results of that audit are expected to be released in
summer twenty twenty six. Now it is time to read
the obituaries. We read only the name, age, and location.
If you would like further information on any of the obituaries,
please call us during the week days at eight five nine, four,

(29:13):
two two, six three nine zero and we will be
glad to read the entire obituary for you. I will
repeat that number at the end of the listings. Janice
Donan seventy five of Bardstown, Mary Kathleen Kate Meager Hancock
eighty four of New Albany, Indiana. Patricia Hutt seventy nine

(29:37):
of Jeffersonville, Indiana. Joseph Lee jel Molambrey forty of Jeffersonville, Indiana.
John Franklin Malish seventy nine of Louisville. Claude M. Monty
Reeves sixty four of Louisville, Robert Leo Schoenhoff ninety two

(30:00):
of Louisville. John D. Weekend Senior eighty seven of Louisville.
Juanito Wilson ninety three of Louisville. If you would like
further information about any of the listings today, call us
on weekdays at A five nine four, two two six

(30:20):
three nine zero and we will be glad to read
the entire item to you. Now, let's return to the
metro page where next item is entitled nine ways for
You to Celebrate Taylor Swift's new album in Louisville by
Amanda Hancock. While Taylor Swift hasn't performed on a Louisville
stage since twenty eighteen, local Swifties don't have to feel

(30:43):
down bad. Based on events and social media posts from
recent months, bad blood hasn't been flowing from our side
of the street. From April to June, for example, a
Swift inspired public art exhibit was on display at the
Plaza on Fourth in downtown Louisville. The four interactive pieces,
including a guitar, pink cowboy boot, tube of lipstick, and sunglasses,

(31:08):
arrived here following their ariostour stop in Vancouver, Canada. After
Swiss's engagement to NFL player Travis Kelcey went public in August,
Local establishments such as Pursuit Spirits and ten twenty Craft
Brewery congratulated the famous couple with cheeky Instagram posts, and
when Swift announced the upcoming release of her twelfth album,

(31:30):
The Life of a show Girl, the Big Four Bridge
glowed in orange lights in support of the pop star's
newest era. If you really look around, you'll see Louisville's
home to plenty of places to get in this Swifty spirit.
If you're a fan of her fallen Fused twenty twelve
album Red, for example, just head to Red Hog Butcher

(31:51):
Shop twenty six twenty two Frankfurt Avenue or Red Top
hot Dog's food Truck. You could honor one of the
singer's many nicknames, Tea Swizzle, by swinging through Swizzle, the
twenty fifth floor restaurant at the Gaulf House Hotel, one
forty North Fourth Street. You know how Swift likes to
rhyme Bar with Carr in at least seven different songs.

(32:15):
Garage Bar, a bar in Nulo at seven hundred East
Market Street that displays an old car out front, might
be a good place to think about those lyrical themes.
Louisville based artist Bribe Hours created an artsy Taylor Swift
themed deck of cards and is already working on prints
inspired by the Life of a show Girl according to

(32:35):
her Instagram plus The Whimsical Cookie, a bakery in New Albany,
Indiana at thirty seven Bank Street, is selling decorative cookies
inspired by the new album and as the Life of
a Showgirl debut's Friday, an array of events are scheduled
in town, including themed cocktails, drag shows, and Swifty brunches.

(32:58):
Read on for ways to celebrate Tale Swift around Louisville.
Album release party drag shows at Big Bar twelve o
two Bartstown Road, Facebook, dot com slash Big Bar Louisville.
Maybe It's your fate to be on the dance floor
while hearing the Fate of Ophelia and other sure to

(33:18):
be hits for the first time. Big Bar twelve o
two Bartstown Road is hosting a The Life of a
Showgirl release party from nine p m To midnight on Thursday.
Swift Songs of the Past will play all night with
drag shows featuring performers Umy Naughty and Sidney Prescott Hampton
scheduled for nine thirty pm to ten thirty pm. The

(33:40):
new album will stream at midnight Brunch Like a Showgirl
at Wild Eggs one fifty three English Station Road Wildeggs
dot Com, slash Middletown Dash, Louisville Dash, Ky count up
all of Taylor Swift's recent Easter Eggs over a meal
at Wild Eggs. The chain's Middletown location one fifty three

(34:04):
English Station Road has a the Life of a Showgirl
listening party on Friday's menu, dubbed The Brunch of a Showgirl.
Festivities include swifty themed cocktails like a Midnight's Margarita and
mocktails like a Lavender hays Lemonade, Friendship, bracelets, games, and

(34:24):
a chance to win Wild Eggs merchandise. The themed brunch
is set for eleven a m. To t thirty p m.
Friday at Wild Eggs in Middletown. This is the only
Wild Eggs location in Louisville participating, according to the restaurant's
Facebook page. To reserve your spot, visit wild Eggs dot Com,
Slash Middletown Dash, Louisville Ky Brews and Taylor Swift tunes

(34:48):
at Gravely Brewing five fourteen Baxter Avenue, Gravelybrewing dot com.
In late September, Gravely Brewing Company five fourteen Baxter Avenue
dropped its seasonal Pumpkin Ale called Smashing Pumpkin, But there's
another reason to visit Gravely Soon, the Music theme Brewery
will host an album release party for the Life of

(35:10):
a Showgirl at seven to nine pm Friday. Come Shine
like an opal lighte and Dring something Actually Romantic to
feel like a Showgirl. Gravely posted on its Facebook referencing
soon to be released songs Taylor Swift Takeover at how
the Moon four thirty four South fourth Street, Howl Atthmoon

(35:32):
dot Com Slash the Dash Show celebrate the Life of
a Showgirl Release Day with a listening party from seven
thirty to eight pm Friday at Howl at the Moon
four thirty four South fourth Street. After hearing the album,
you'll be able to sing along to Taylor and Taylor
coded songs from eight to ten pm. Plus, Hall at

(35:55):
the Moon will offer swifty SIPs such as the Lucky One,
Miss Peaches Seltzer, through the Orange Door, Yellow Shots, a
TS twelve Shot, and That's Showbiz cocktails and drink buckets.
Watch the official release party of a Showgirl at a
drive in multiple locations. Taylor Swift's twelfth album isn't just

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an auditory experience. It's also taking on movie form. The
official release party of A Showgirl will play Friday through
Sunday at Louisville locations of Cinemak and the AMC at
twenty seven forty five South Hurstbourne Parkway. To make the
viewing more Fall themed and we know Swift Love's fall.

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Sourbuck Family Drive In in Oldham County will also show
the movie, which has a running time of eighty nine minutes.
Showtimes include seven forty five pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday
at the drive In thirty two ten d W. Griffith
Lane Lagrange. According to Cinemark's description, the feature film includes

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the exclusive of world premiere of the music video for
the Fate of Ophelia, along with behind the scenes footage
from the music video shoot, brand new lyric videos, and
Swift's never before seen personal reflections on songs from her
twelfth studio album Try the Showgirl Cocktail at Provaspirits nine

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seventeen East Liberty Street, Provaspirits dot Com. Prova Spirits, an
Italian inspired nanodistillery, gets points for opening at August surely
as a nod to Swift's twenty twenty album Folklore. Plus
the new distillery's neon signed inside. Its new lou Digs
has an orange glow as a nod to the color

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scheme of the Life of a Showgirl Provas Spirits nine seventeen.
Liberty Street is hosting an album party in Style on
Friday with glitter and themed cocktails. Sip and sing your
way through Taylor's greatest hits while living your showgirl fantasy,
read a post on Roova's Facebook page. Cocktails include the

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Showgirl made with tequila strawberry, lemon urnecello and lemon sugar
rim The menu includes other odes to top songs, like
a pumpkin spice flavored All Too Well and a drink
made with vodka, champagne and lemon cello called Champagne Problems.
Taylor Swift Drag Brunch at Lemoux twenty three hundred Lexington Road,

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Lemoux Restaurant dot com. As part of Queer Bourbonweek, Lemou
twenty three hundred Lexington Road is hosting Taylor Swift Drag
Brunches on Saturday and Sunday celebrate her new album with
a brunch unlike any other Lemoux posted on his Facebook
page because we're firmly in our brunch era. Two shows

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are available. Each day, including at ten forty five am
and one thirty pm. To reserve yours body, visit Lemoux
Restaurant dot com. Silent Disco at Tech twenty Craft Brewery,
ten twenty East Washington Street, Louisville, Silentdisco dot com, slash
Events dash Calendar. The show gost celebration continues with a

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Taylor Swift themed silent disco on Friday, October seventeenth at
ten twenty Craft Brewery in Butchertown, ten twenty East Washington
Street from eight p m until midnight. Come ready to
belt your heart out to countless hits from albums old
and new. The website states tickets are ten dollars. Find

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more details and get tickets at Louisville Silentdisco, dot com,
slash Events, dash Calendar. Taylor Fest at Headliners thirteen eighty
six Lexington Road, Headliners, Louisville dot com. By mid October,
you might wonder is it over now concerning all the
Taylor Swift events in Louisville. Nope. Taylor Fest a touring

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quote party four Swifties by Swifties. He is coming to
Headliner's Music Hall, thirteen eighty six Lexington Road on October
twenty fourth. By then, attendees well plenty of time to
memorize the life of a showgirl tunes and next up
it'll be time to dress up in Taylor Swift fashion
for Halloween. Tickets for Taylor Fest, which cost twenty six

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dollars twenty nine cents, are available at headliners Louisville dot com.
And the final item from today's metro page is entitled
Buffalo Trace Distillery fills nine millionth barrel of Bourbon by
Amanda Hancock. Buffalo Trace Distillery has nine million reasons to celebrate.

(40:40):
The iconic distillery in Frankfurt recently filled its nine millionth
barrel of bourbon since Prohibition, and Buffalo Trace reached that
milestone in record time, thanks in part to the completion
of a decade long one point two billion dollar expansion
project earlier this year. The project has allowed the distillery

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to achieve this landmark moment on greatly accelerated timeline versus
prior millionth barrel milestones. A news release stated the eighth
millionth barrel was filled less than three years ago in
December twenty twenty two. Four years before that, the seven
millionth barrel was filled in twenty eighteen. Hartland Wheatley, Buffalo

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Trace Distillery Master Distiller, said in the release that the
nine millionth barrel represents a historic chapter in the distillery story.
This milestone is exciting not just because we are producing
more whiskey than ever before, but because every barrel filled
ensures that generations to come will be able to enjoy

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the same quality and craftsmanship that has defined the distillery
since the eighteen fifties. Wheatley said the nine millionth barrel
got his own party on September twenty ninth, with attendees
including Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman, Franklin County's Judge Executive Michael Mueller,
Frankfurt Mayor Lane Wilkerson, and Buffalo Trace Distillery officials, including

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third generation team member Freddie Johnson, whose family has been
involved in every millionth barrel since nineteen forty two. The
newest barrel was signed by team members and placed inside
Buffalo Trace Distilleries Warehouse five, the world's only single barrel warehouse.
That's where the barrel will age until the filling of
the ten millionth barrel. We are proud to be the

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birthplace of bourbon and celebrations like this one remind us
that our signature industry is as strong as ever, Coleman
said in the release. Buffalo Trace Distillery not only preserves
centuries of craftsmanship, but also drives jobs, tourism, and opportunity
for families here in Franklin County and across the Commonwealth.

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Bourbon distilling at the site now known as Buffalo Trace Distillery,
dates back to the seventeen seventies, with formal operations beginning
in the eighteen fifty During Prohibition, the distillery was one
of a few allowed to continue producing whiskey for medicinal purposes.
Official Barrel County began in nineteen thirty three. The distillery

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marked its first million barrel milestone in nineteen forty two.
Others followed in nineteen fifty three, nineteen sixty one, nineteen
seventy one, nineteen eighty one, two thousand eight, twenty eighteen,
twenty twenty two, and now twenty twenty five. Since Official
Barrel County began in nineteen thirty three, each millionth barrel

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milestone has marked more than just a number. Wheatley said
they stand as symbols of heritage, resilience, and the timeless
pursuit of excellence in Bourbon. The nine millionth barrel comes
on the heels of the completed one point two billion
dollar expansion project, which Buffalo TRACE's parent company, Sazaak, kicked

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off in twenty fifteen. The project include a new distribution center,
bottling operation, upgraded cistern room, and new boiler, dry mill
and stillhouses, to twenty new fermentation tanks, three steam boilers,
and nineteen new aging warehouses. Thoroughly stated after wrapping up
in January, the project has increased Buffalo TRACE's production capacity

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by one hundred fifty percent. The ninth millionth barrel is
available for view and photos during regular business hours nine
am to five pm Monday through Saturday, and eleven a
m to five p m Sunday. Our next item for
today's edition is entitled what Happened in Kentucky? The Last

(44:43):
time the Government closed? By Lucas Albach. Five weeks is
a long time. The thirty five day federal government shutdown
that occurred in late twenty eighteen into early twenty nineteen.
The last time the government closed was the longest in
US history. More than six years later, we're in another shutdown,

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and as Democrats and Republicans remained divided on a stop
gap spending bill to reopen the government. It's a situation
we could be in for a while. Senator Mitch McConnell
was a GOP Senate leader during the last shutdown and
faced significant heat in his home states. The Union for
Corrections works at the state's five federal prisons, who were

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tired of mandatory shifts and no pay, put up billboards
across Kentucky calling on the senator, who sent step down
from party leadership and is retiring at the end of
next year, to quote d the shutdown now. McConnell at
that time had more influence to end the closure, and
during that shutdown, which began December twenty second, twenty eighteen

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and ended January twenty fifth, twenty nineteen, Representative John Yarmouth,
Louisville's congressional representative, was taking over as Budget Committee chair.
He was sh arply critical of McConnell, criticizing the Senator
for his push to wait for the Senate to take
up a bill until he was sure President Donald Trump,

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then in his first term, would sign it. The closure
eventually ended after Trump signed a bill passed with by
partisan support. Before that happened, protesters took to the streets
in Louisville, with federal employees rallying outside McConnell's office on
January tenth, and Federal Aviation Administration workers hosting their own

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January fifteenth demonstration at the city's airport. Many National Park
Service employees were also sent home, leading tours of the
sprawling Mammoth Cave National Park to end during the closure.
Earlier this week. In the days before the current shut down,
the park touted a recent report that had nearly seven

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hundred fifty thousand visitors spent more than seventy three million
dollars in communities near the cave in twenty twenty four alone.
A lot has changed since that twenty eighteen through nineteen shutdown,
estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to have cost eleven
billion dollars in economic activity. McConnell is no longer Senate

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Majority leader, ceding that title to South Dakota Senator John Thune.
Yarmouth left office at the end of twenty twenty two
and has been replaced by Representative Morgan mc garvey, a
Democrat now in his second term. By presenting the district
Speaking to reporters September twenty fifth, following a form in Louisville,

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McConnell said Republicans and Democrats need to be talking, and
they need to be talking soon. Both parties should try
to engage in debate in respectful ways in order to
prevent shut down, he added. Louisville's current mayor, Craig Greenberg,
wasn't in office at the time of the last shutdown.
At a press conference September thirtieth, he told reporters that

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the city was preparing to react to a federal shutdown,
but can't fill all the gaps with an extended closure,
potentially effecting food assistants, housing programs, small business support, and
transportation projects, along with health care coverage. A shutdown doesn't
just disrupt things in Washington, d C. A shutdown also

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hurts Louisville and Louisville families. Greenberg said this is a
manufactured crisis that puts working families, children and seniors in
harms way. Still, some things never change, like Representative Thomas
Massey voting no. For instance, he voted during the twenty
eighteenth through nineteenth closure against a bill insuring federal employees

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who worked without pay during the shutdown would be given
back pay upon reopening. At the time, he told The
Courier Journal he would have voted in favor of a
bill solely aimed at repaying employees for their work, but
the proposal he voted against also guaranteed payment for employees
during future closures, which would only make it easier for

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politicians to cause future shutdowns. More than six years later,
Massey is still known as mister No. In a September
thirtieth social media post, he said he's against the most
recent proposal to keep the government funded. Just over twenty
three thousand federal civilian employees are believed to live in Kentucky.

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Federal workers do not get paid during a shutdown. Employees
classified as essential continue to work, but are not paid
at the time and are instead reimbursed after closure ends.
Courier Joeneral reporter Marina Johnson and USA Today contributed next.
What some Kentucky lawmakers are saying about the government shutdown

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by Caroline Neil. Kentucky lawmakers are reacting after the federal
government shut down October first, with Senate Democrats voting down
a Republican proposal to keep the government at existing funding
levels through November twenty first. As a result of the shutdown,
around seven hundred fifty thousand federal employees, including workers at

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national parks and financial regulators, could be furloughed, according to
the Congressional Budget Office. Data from the Congressional Research Service
indicates there are around twenty three thousand, four hundred forty
nine federal civilian employees in Kentucky, which does not include
military personnel or federal contractors. The bill Hr five three

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seven one was rejected in the Senate, with U S
Senator Mitch McConnell voting in favor of it and US
Senator Ran Paul voting against it. Congressional democrats called for
the reversal of Medicaid cuts that Republicans passed earlier in
twenty twenty five, and for the extension of health care
subsidies to be included in a funding measure. According to

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USA Today, October first, video posted to Acts, Louisville Mayor
Craig Greenberg said police officers, firefighters, and paramedics are responding
to calls. Garbage will be collected as usual, and city
parks and libraries will remain open during this federal government's shutdown.
We here at the local level will be working with you,

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Greenberg said, we will be there to support you every
step of the way. Kentucky Democratic Party chair Coleman Elridge
said in a statement that Republicans chose to shut down
the government because they do not care whether families can
afford to see a doctor. After passing Trump's hospital closing
federal budget with cuts to healthcare that will kick two

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hundred thousand Kentuckians off Medicaid, they spent weeks refusing to
work with Democrats to prevent a triple digit spike in
health insurance premiums, he said. Representative Hal Rogers, who represents
eastern Kentucky, said on acts that the House of Representatives
did its part to keep the government open. Rogers said

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he voted in favor of the extension on behalf of
military service members who will not be paid until the
shutdown ends. Political games have no place when it comes
to taking care of our American heroes. Rogers said. Washington
Democrats voted for the same short term extension thirteen times
during the Biden administration, but now they want to trade

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it for free health care for illegal aliens and nearly
one point five trillion dollars in reckless spending. Their vote
to shut down the government is absurd. The American people
deserve better. Before the shutdown, US Representative Morgan mc garvey,
a Democrat from Louisville, said in a video posted September thirtieth,
that he wants to prevent the disruptions to people's lives

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and keep health care costs suffordable. Republicans made tax breaks
for billionaires permanent, but they're letting our health care tax
credits expire. He said. When health care costs are already
crazy expensive, they're going to get more expensive unless we act.
Republican US Representative Thomas Massey said both parties are ridiculous.

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In a post before the shutdown began, Republicans passed a
line by line continuation of Biden's last budget, including Department
of Government Efficiency identified waste, but Democrats refused to vote
for Biden's last budget, thereby shutting down the government. He said,
I voted nay when it was for Biden, and I'm
nay now. Next is an item entitled Mount Rushmore Marks

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one hundred years landmark a symbol of countries complex past
by Mark Grimirez of USA Today. Mount Rushmore is an
American icon. Its majestic, sixty foot tall presidential heads carved
into South Dakota's Black Hills have been immortalized in cinema
and remain a bucket list destination for US travelers. On

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October first, the state's most recognized landmark, marked the one
hundredth anniversary of its dedication as a national memorial. While illustrious,
it's a site with a checkered history, but love to some,
anathema to others, and an enduring symbol of America's complicated past.
To some people, it's a point of great pride, but

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to others, it's an evil symbol of the horrible things
done to Native people, said Tom Lawrence, a fourth generation
South dakotin and local writer. I love Rushmore, but I
understand the complex history behind it. More recently, some have
floated the idea of adding President Donald Trump's head to
the line up, despite admonitions that such a feat would

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be structurally impractical. In the nineteen twenties, American automobile ownership
was growing, and with it the concept of the road trip.
In an age of unbridled opportunity and Will Rogers's wisdom.
In nineteen twenty three. South Dakota State historian Don Robins
took in the Granite Bluffs twenty three miles south of

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Rapid City and imagined a sculpted monument that could transform
the mountain side into a boon for tourism. The Black
Hills are an absolutely spectacular area, and South Dakota was
looking to draw tourism, said Lawrence, who co publishes The
South Dakota Standard, a local news commentary site. Sculptor goods

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On Borgum was chosen to carry out the project. The
site was dedicated as a National memorial on October first,
nineteen twenty five, but carving didn't begin until two years later.
By then, Borglum had reframed the monument's focus to spotlight
four US presidents representing elements of American history, George Washington

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for the nation's founding, Thomas Jefferson for its growth, Abraham
Lincoln for its preservation, and Theodore Roosevelt Fort's development. Funding
was hard to come by, as the National Park Service notes,
even though Orglum had procured Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon's willingness
to fully fund the project, he only asked for half,

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confident he could match the rest through private donations. The
task was harder than he thought, and despite his status,
Lawrence said, Borglum was bereft of money. He was carving
the monument, but was always near broke. He said people
would say he would go to gas stations in the
Black Hills, fill up his car with gas, and just

(56:27):
drive away. Borglum died in nineteen forty one, the year
the project was completed. His son, Lincoln, oversaw a final drilling.
Until recently, the site drew close to two point five
million visitors annually before dipping to one point eight five
million in twenty twenty four, according to National Park Service figures.

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For the Native American people of the Gray Plains, who
had long inhabited the Black Hills, the four faces peering
over the former homelands represent something entirely different. The year
European descended leaders who oversaw the western expansion of white
men and the desecration of a sacred burial site The
Lakota sou knew as Six Grandfathers. An eighteen sixty eight

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treaty had granted the lands to the Lakota, but the
pact was cast aside with the discovery of gold. By
eighteen seventy seven seven million acres in the Black Hills
had been confiscated. This concludes readings for the first sections
of the Courier Journal for Thursday, October two, twenty twenty five.
Stay tuned for more news to follow immediately. Your reader

(57:36):
has been Cindy Fraser, the