12.7.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the reading of the Courier Journal for Sunday,
December seventh, twenty twenty five, which is brought to our
Louisville listeners the 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

(00:22):
read printed material. Your reader for today is Kathy Cleary.
We'll begin with the weather forecast, brought to you by
WHAS Today a rain or snow shower with a high
of forty six degrees Tonight, clouds and cold with mist,

(00:43):
low twenty seven. On Monday, partly sunny and colder, with
a high of just thirty four degrees and a low
of twenty seven. On Tuesday, sunshine and not as cold,
high forty seven and low forty one degrees. On Wednesday,

(01:04):
partly sunny and windy, with a high of fifty one
degrees and a low of thirty one. On Thursday, cloudy
and chilly, with a high of forty one and a
low of thirty one. On Friday, cloudy and cold, with
the high of thirty five degrees and a low of seventeen.

(01:27):
Turning to the weather Almanac in Louisville on Friday. The
high was thirty five normal high fifty. The low was
thirty normal low thirty four. Record high was seventy three
in two thousand one, and the record low was twelve

(01:48):
degrees back in eighteen ninety five. Precipitation on Friday was
zero month to date point six six inches year to
date fifty two point eight zero inches normal year to
date forty four point eight seven inches. Air quality Saturday

(02:11):
and today in the good range. Sun and moon cycles
on Sunday sunrise seven forty six am, sunset five twenty
three pm, moonrise eight twenty two pm, and moonset ten
forty five am. On Monday, sunrise seven forty seven am,

(02:39):
sunset five twenty three pm, moonrise nine thirty six pm,
and moonset eleven twenty six am. Last quarter moon December eleventh,
new moon December nineteenth, first quarter December twenty and a

(03:01):
full moon on January third. Turning now to front page
news traffic jam. Five years ago, Kentucky shifted driver's license
offices from counties to regions after public backlash for the
long lines. Some lawmakers want to pump the brakes and

(03:25):
the words traffic jam Each letter looks like it's cut
from a license plate, and you see black figures lined
up each direction with frustration present. First we turn to

(03:48):
the transparency page with a Q and A with Lucas Albach.
How we put together our driver licensing coverage? It seems
like everybody in Kentucky has a story of their trip
to a regional driver licensing office. Long drives, long lines,

(04:09):
and long wait times at the offices dominated headlines several
months ago, and several lawmakers have spoken up about their
plan to take action during the twenty twenty six General Assembly.
Needless to say, it was a natural topic for us
to check out as we head toward the end of
the year. I spent some time during the fall looking

(04:30):
into the issue and looking ahead to the upcoming legislative
session to see what could be coming. Here's how we
put the piece together. How did this story start? Sometimes
you get story ideas from confidential sources who reach out
off the record with tips. Other times the idea comes

(04:51):
from a breaking news event or an off hand comment
from an elected official behind the podium. The idea for
this story, meanwhile, came from standing in line. I wasn't
like the rest of you slackers. I got my first
real ID several years ago, but after I was turned
away at the gas station while I was buying an

(05:11):
eighteen pack of Miller lights back in April, I learned
the hard way it had expired, with the deadline for
federal enforcement looming in a few weeks and a flight
to catch out to Colorado in early June. Note to readers,
if you can afford it, I recommend spending the extra
few bucks to keep the ID active for eight years

(05:32):
instead of four. What followed is a process many of
us got familiar with this spring, searching for appointment openings
at local regional driver licensing offices, only to find every
time slot booked for weeks on end. In the meantime,
it felt like every headline that crossed my social media

(05:53):
feed was centered around long lines and endless weights for
walk in appointments. I was lucky enough to have my girlfriend,
let's say politely, encouraging me to keep checking for openings
in Louisville in the surrounding region, and eventually I got lucky.
I opened the drive dot ky dot gov portal one

(06:15):
morning and found a cancelation had opened up an appointment time.
The following day at the Dixie Highway office. It was
a Thursday afternoon time slot, smack dab in the middle
of a work day at an office twenty plus minutes
from the Career Journal's headquarters, but my editor told me
to take it. She'd seen the same headlines I'd been reading.

(06:37):
I was in and out of the office in about
forty five minutes. Others weren't as lucky. I could see
the pent up frustration in the faces of those around
me in the waiting room. The woman who took my
paperworked thanked me on my way out for being polite
and easy to work with. Clearly I thought that wasn't
the case with every applicant she had seen. I'm past.

(07:01):
My trip to Colorado was a blast you'll be happy
to hear. And in August, while I was at the
Kentucky State Fairs annual Kentucky Farm Bureau hand breakfast, I
joined some other political reporters for a gaggle with State
Senator Aaron Reid, who told his own story of issues
he'd had getting an ID for his kids and legislation

(07:21):
he was working on for twenty twenty six. I mentioned
it to my editor, which led to the two of
us exchanging our own stories about our trips to get
our real IDs, and before you know it, I walked
out of the meeting with a story idea. Describe your
reporting process well. Scrambling to find an appointment was a

(07:42):
key piece. Like I said, you never know where a
story idea will come from. But it didn't stop there.
First I read other coverage. I'd love to give myself
all the credit, but I'm not the first reporter in
Kentucky to write about issues at these offices. Then I
cobbled together notes. I already had Senator Reid's interview and comments.

(08:04):
I remembered Governor Andy Basheer making and an August press
conference where a good place to start. I reached out
to the president of the Kentucky Association of Circuit Court
Clerks for her thoughts, and then checked in with legislators.
I remembered Representative Savannah Maddox had filed a similar bill
during the twenty twenty five session, and she was kind

(08:27):
enough to call me from Frankfort one afternoon. For about
fifteen minutes, Senator Reid was unavailable. I was told by
Senate GOP officials, but Dustin Isaacs the chambers Republican Deputy
Communications director set me up one afternoon with Senator Jimmy Higden,
the Senate Transportation Committee chair. To say that was a

(08:49):
helpful interview would be an understatement. Scottie Ellis with Basher's
office sent me an updated statement with some numbers, and
the Transportation Cabinet sent me their thoughts as well. It
took me a couple days to cobble the story together,
but eventually we were ready to roll. What do you
hope readers take away from this story? Stay tuned, would

(09:12):
be my advice. The perfect storm that Higden talked about
has passed and wait times have shortened, but the push
for change is coming after lawmakers gabble back in next year.
On January sixth, we haven't seen Reid's bill. He was
still thinking it over in August. I'd imagine Maddox's will

(09:33):
look similar to House Bill five eighteen, which she filed
during the last session. Between thirty eight senators and one
hundred representatives. There's a chance we will see other legislation
as well. Basher and Higden both cautioned against making major
changes to the system at this point. Will lawmakers follow

(09:54):
their advice? We'll find out next year. You can reach
Lucas all By at el Albach at courieriphen Journal dot
com and that last name is spelled au l Bach.
There's one photo on this transparency page and it shows

(10:17):
Kentucky Driver Licensing regional offices being swamped in recent weeks
as people try to get their real IDs ahead of
the May seventh federal enforcement date. And you see some
people lined up in front of one of these regional
offices and looks like some construction barriers placed out front

(10:41):
to keep the lines in order. Long drives, longer waits,
driver's license headaches have lawmakers rethinking regional offices. There's a
photo showing people sitting in front of one of these
regional offices on benches. There's a sign saying Kentucky State

(11:08):
Police Driver Testing and a couple of employees with paperwork.
The caption reads Kentucky Driver Licensing Regional offices were swamped
with people trying to get their real ID before the
May seventh federal enforcement date. Again, this is by Lucas Albach.

(11:29):
In his first year in office, State Senator Aaron Reid
heard plenty from constituents about issues at Kentucky Driver licensing
regional offices. The freshman Republican lawmaker from Shelbyville understood where
they were coming from. After all, the father of six
had his own story to tell. Two of my kids

(11:50):
I had to take from Morehead to Shelbyville to get
their driver's licenses, Reid told reporters in August at the
State Fairs annual Kentucky Farm Bureau hand breakfast, a staple
of Bluegrass state politics. Something has to give. The Kentucky
Transportation Cabinet operates thirty five driver licensing regional offices statewide,

(12:15):
including five in Louisville and two in Lexington. That drive
is more than one hundred miles in both directions. If
you're lucky and don't hit traffic on Interstate sixty four,
it'll still take you more than an hour and a
half each way. And while the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has
said conditions have improved, those seeking licenses earlier this year

(12:39):
were frequently met with long lines and lengthy weight times
at the offices as they dealt with a flood of
applicants from every corner of the Commonwealth. The deadline to
fly without a real id hit this summer right around
when the legislature lowered the eligibility age for a driver's
permit to fifteen years old. Is a perfect storm, according

(13:01):
to state Senator Jimmy Higden, who chairs the legislature's Senate
Transportation Committee, things have settled after the initial rush over
the summer, he added, but lawmakers have some issues to
address in the upcoming legislative session. We basically have two
problems that we need to try to solve, he said.

(13:23):
Problem number one is in the urban areas, there's not
enough regional offices, so that's something we'll be looking at
potentially adding regional offices. The other problem we have is
in rural Kentucky, people just simply have to drive too far.
Kids have to miss school to get their driving tests
and their permit testing done. The first issue is probably

(13:46):
the easiest to solve, Higden said that solving issues in
Kentucky's rural counties may be trickier. Either way, the issue
has found the crosshairs of the state legislature. One of
goals in his second year as a member of the
Kentucky General Assembly is to put an end to the
current system. It's a top priority, he said. In August.

(14:10):
Senate Bill one should be bringing the driver's licenses back
to the counties in some form or fashion. He isn't alone.
State Representative Savannah Maddox told The Career Journal she also
plans to continue her push to change the current model
put in place through legislation passed in twenty twenty that

(14:30):
was backed by circuit clerks and once again give officials
in Kentucky's one hundred twenty counties the ability to issue
driver's licenses to residents. The Republican from Dry Ridge has
filed similar bills in the past, and she plans to
do so again on the first day lawmakers gabble back
in next year. But don't expect the push to come

(14:54):
without pushback. Governor Andy Basher has urged lawmakers to pump
the brakes in public comments, and the Kentucky Association of
Circuit Court Clerks, who previously were in charge of issuing
licenses as express concerns as well. We will always do
what our legislators say, said Montgomery County Circuit Court Clerk

(15:14):
Tanya Terry, current president of the KACCC. But I think
the cost would be tremendous to our taxpayers today. The
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet operates thirty five driver licensing regional offices statewide.
Louisville is home to five, two are in Lexington, and

(15:36):
the other twenty eight are scattered across the commonwealth. It
wasn't always like this. Five years ago, every county in
the state issued driver's licenses to its residents. Trips from
Shelbyville demore Head weren't needed. Shelby County residents could get
their licenses from their local circuit clerk. It was a
system that worked, Maddox contended in an October interview with

(15:59):
the Curer Journal. Circuit clerks administered licenses successfully for nearly
one hundred years, she said, and were easier to access,
so what was behind the change. In twenty twenty, lawmakers
in Frankfort passed House Bill four fifty three, which removed
circuit clerks from the licensing process and made the Transportation

(16:23):
Cabinet the sole entity responsible for issuing licenses and personal
identification cards. That move came after long wait times and
technical issues. Followed a twenty seventeen bill than aimed to
ensure Kentucky was compliant with the two thousand and five
real ID federal law approved in a push to increase

(16:45):
security following the terrorist attacks of September eleventh, two thousand
and one. Amid those issues, the responsibility to issue real
IDs and driver's licenses was shifted from twenty nineteen from
the Kentucky Association of Circuit Court Clerks to the Kentucky
Transportation Cabinet after the two sides came to an agreement

(17:09):
following a vote by KACCC members in favor of the change.
In a statement, Terry, who was not president at that time,
set her counterparts dutifully complied with the legislatively mandated change
to consolidate all aspects of driver's licenses processing to one entity.

(17:30):
Association leaders are willing to work with legislators on another solution,
she added. Vasher, who took office following the twenty nineteen
gubernatorial election, has cautioned against making major changes without giving
the current system, which took two years to fully implement,
time to work. There have been issues, he acknowledged in

(17:51):
an August news conference, from staffing new regional centers and
building something out of nothing, to handling an influx of
news new drivers after the twenty twenty five law allowing
fifteen year olds to apply for permits went into effect immediately.
Vision screenings that are required as of January twenty twenty
five increased wait times as well, he said, along with

(18:16):
the deadline that cut off the ability to board a
flight without a real ID May seventh that hit this year,
my commitment is to make it work, Basher said. If
we send it back to the clerks, we have to
rebuild from scratch there and it might be another five
years of challenges. I don't criticize any lawmaker looking towards that.

(18:37):
I get that they're looking for a solution. I get
that everyone wants one of these in their communities. And
I hate to wait in line for anything, and I
know the lines are really big here. The situation has
improved lately, Basher spokesperson Scottie Ellis said, in response to
a November request for comment, average wait times for walk

(18:58):
in applicants has decoy priest from forty nine minutes this
summer to fourteen minutes. Recently, an appointment wait times have
dropped from twenty five minutes to eleven minutes on average.
To date, she added, more than twenty one thousand permits
have been issued to fifteen year old drivers, and just
less than eight hundred fifty thousand vision screenings have taken place,

(19:22):
with a total of one million, one hundred fifty thousand,
eight hundred eighty seven credentials issued between January and October.
But the drive to keep the momentum isn't over this session.
Maybe we ought to provide more funding to this area,
Basher added in his August news conference, looking forward looking

(19:43):
toward biennial budget discussions that will take place in the
twenty twenty six General Assembly, but let's look for solutions
to where our people can have a better experience when
they're in here. The search for solutions can lead you
in several directions. For Maddox, who opted to get a
passport instead of a real ID, a process she said

(20:06):
took less time. It's getting back to where we started
and putting circuit clerks back in charge of licensing. She
filed a similar bill during the twenty twenty five session
alongside ten co sponsors, though it didn't advance after being
assigned to committee. Our regional model has failed. It's not working,
she said. Kentuckians used to be able to go to

(20:29):
their circuit clerk's office and get in and out relatively quickly,
and simply. Now we've got folks who have had to
wait months just to get an appointment, take off work,
drive hours from home, and then wait all day when
they get there, only to receive their license in the mails,
sometimes four to six weeks later. Maddocks voted in favor

(20:50):
of the twenty twenty bill and committee, and on the
House floor, sponsors pitched it as an imperfect solution with
dire consequence as if it did not pass. But hindsight
is decidedly twenty twenty. There's no reason that our circuit
clerks in all one hundred twenty counties couldn't do the
same process, but much more efficiently and providing much greater

(21:14):
access to citizens within their own community. Reid, who was
not made available for an interview in the lead up
to publication but spoke on the issue in August, said
he was still mulling options at that time. It's a
complicated issue, he said, but change is necessary. I don't
know if it's going to be county clerks. Circuit clerks

(21:36):
don't want it. Not many county clerks really do, he
said at the time, but the problem is there. It's
definitely the most complained about issue and rightfully, so it's
not as easy as flipping a switch. He noted any
change would knock over more dominoes that it need to
be addressed for the clerks who would be in charge,

(21:57):
such as additional fees paid to their offices so they
can afford to issue licenses. Maddox's twenty twenty five bill
that did not advance propose letting circuit clerk's offices retain
twenty five percent of fees collected for each document they issue.
It's not decided yet, Reid said in August. The bill

(22:19):
is in the process of being drawn up. We want
to do it right, and we want to get it passed. Higden,
who's retiring at the end of twenty twenty six, has
heard plenty about the issues in the committee he leads
in Frankfort, and he's preparing to hear more once lawmakers
gabble back in for another session in January. I don't

(22:40):
know what exactly the bill will say. It's a process,
he said, noting he doesn't expect to know all the
details until it's filed in January, but we do know
that something needs to be done. Still, not everyone is
ready to put the pedal to the metal and move
too fast, Higden is among them. The push to move

(23:00):
licensing responsibilities came while Governor Matt Bevin was in office,
and Basher's administration took it up after the Democrat took
office in twenty nineteen. Lawmakers will work on making it
better this session, Higden assured, but he also said reversing
courses a lot of change that may be better to

(23:22):
take on after Basher leaves office at the end of
twenty twenty seven. I think it would be better if
you're going to do that, to do it when a
new administration takes over and can build something that they want.
He said. This system we have now it needs work,
but completely overhauling it, I think we're asking for problems.

(23:43):
That's not to say no action should be taken. Higden
added he expects legislation that could allow local offices to
help with renewals, along with an expansion of permit testing
outside of regional offices. The Transportation Cabinet said it will
review any potential bills regarding licensing operations as they move

(24:04):
through the legislative process. In a statement provided to the
Career Journal, if you're scheduling an appointment the office recommends
checking online ahead of time at drive dot ky dot
gov slash drivers to see if you can take advantage

(24:25):
of its skip the line feature. Improvements also have been made,
the cabinets said in a statement. New line management and
text check in systems have been introduced, and one twenty
five new staff members have been hired since the summer.
Weight and process times at regional offices have decreased significantly

(24:46):
in recent months, that statement said, KACCC President Terry repeated
that her office is ready to do whatever the legislators
ask us to do, but any shift back to counties
could come with its own problems. Allowing them to do
driver's license renewals only, for instance, could lead to confusion

(25:07):
among people who believe they're getting a federal real ID
and end up with the wrong document. It would be
a lengthy process due to the equipment and the money
and the staffing. She said. It's not that we are opposed.
I just think it would be more of a burden
on our taxpayers. In the meantime, Higdon is keeping his
eyes on the road ahead here. Before long, the Senate

(25:30):
Transportation Committee chair said, we're going to have the next
crisis when all these fifteen year olds start turning sixteen
and need their driver's test. Another photo accompanying this article
shows a picture of Aaron Reid at his family farm
before the twenty twenty four election. As a state senator.
He has heard complaints from his constituents about problems at

(25:54):
Kentucky driver licensing regional offices and pledges to do something
about it. Something has to give, he said in August.
And you see Aaron Reid facing the camera with a
cowboy hat on and some sheep in the background, turning
now to the metro section. Ironman seventy point three to

(26:17):
pause for twenty twenty six. The iron Man seventy point
three Triathlon will take pause in twenty twenty six due
to multiple planned construction projects impacting the course. Officials from
the Louisville Sports Commission announced in a November nineteenth social
media post. Louisville's Ironman course includes a one point two

(26:39):
mile swim in the Ohio River, a fifty six mile
bike course from River Road to Oldham County, and a
thirteen point one mile running course through the city. According
to the post, extensive road and highway improvement projects by
the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Louisville Metro Department of
Transportation will directly impact the bike course. We are proud

(27:03):
of our partnership with Ironman and fully support this decision
as Louisville undergoes major infrastructure improvements. LSC President and CEO
Greg Fonte said in the post. We look forward to
the event's return and once again showcasing our city to
athletes from around the world. Our hope is to return

(27:24):
in the future when conditions allow, commission officials said in
the post. There's one photo accompanying this article. It shows
Gabriel Shalute celebrating as he crosses the finish line during
the Louisville Ironman on August eighteenth, twenty twenty five. And
you see Gabriel running along, slapping the hands of onlookers.

(27:51):
And next the best thing I ate this week EATEI
serves Italian food made brunchy restaurant brunch options in Louisville
heating up. This piece is by Amanda Hancock of The
Courier Journal. A few days after the hen House is opening,
the House of Marigold, a brunch favorite in Middletown, announced

(28:14):
it will open a second location in Nulu at six
twenty four East Market Street in early twenty twenty six.
Now to continue reading from the Courier Journal for Sunday,
December seventh, twenty twenty five. Your reader is Kathy Cleary.
We will start with the obituaries. We read only the name, age,

(28:36):
and location if given. If you would like further information
on any of the obituaries, please call us during the
weekdays at eight, five, nine, four, two, two sixty three ninety.
We will be glad to read the entire obituary for you.
I'll repeat that number at the end of the listings.

(28:58):
Today's death notices Harriet Porter Baker ninety nine, Louisville. The
next two are also from Louisville. Judith Thornberry Bartley known
as Judy seventy five and Donna D. Borden seventy nine.

(29:18):
Lucy Easley ninety eight, Shelbyville. The next group are all
from Louisville. Brenda helm Fink eighty two, Delores J. Gonyat
ninety four, James Edta Jeffries eighty two, and Sandra caw

(29:40):
Cooola eighty three, all of Louisville. Roy C. Creuer aged
ninety Greenville, Indiana. The next group are all from Louisville.
Harry Clayton Cutts Junior eighty six, Charles E. Lynn Junior,

(30:01):
No age given, Sister Rose Marie Mayock ls P. Ninety two,
Shirley Anne Monaghan eighty all of Louisville, Barbara Mason Parish
eighty nine, Bardstown. The next two are from Louisville. Patrick

(30:25):
Corrigan Peterson thirty one and Mary lou Pettigrew ninety five.
Keith Colbertson Spears Junior ninety two, New Orleans, Louisiana. The
next three are from Louisville, Virginia Starnes ninety seven, Maria
Margaret Michelle Steyer seventy seven, Gail Kathleen Taylor eighty three,

(30:52):
all of Louisville, Carlos Christopher Trouer seventy seven, Atlanta, Georgia,
Gerald Lee West sixty two, Louisville. If you would like
further information about any of the listings today, call us
on weekdays at eight, five, nine, four, two, two sixty

(31:13):
three ninety and we will be glad to read the
entire item to you. And now to continue the article.
Best Thing I ate this week ETI serves Italian food
made BRUNCHI by Amanda Hancock. Choo restaurante twelve oh one

(31:33):
Pain Street has slowly been rolling out a brunch menu
for the past few months, with the goal of offering
Italian food made brunchi, according to its website. Owner Emil David,
also of Perso Segretto and the Filipino restaurant Manila that's
set to open in twenty twenty six, took over Chao

(31:56):
in late twenty twenty four, soon after he and his
wife Liz, began dreaming up a brunch menu. Liz came
up with the idea of making an Italian brunch but fun.
David told The Career Journal, we had a great time
writing this menu, thinking how can we make this as
fun as possible. Among the first joyful ideas Tamisu pancakes.

(32:21):
The stack comes with four pillowy cakes, which are each
so soft that they almost wiggle on the plate, made
with moscarpone, the soft Italian cream, cheese, dulce de lache,
caramelized milk, lots of cocoa powder, and shaved chocolate. The
pancakes also come with a side pour of espresso syrup,

(32:43):
which brings to mind an after dinner slice of taramisu
and coffee. It's like a breakfast loaded with fun and
calories on a plate. David said it will always catch
someone's attention because of the size. Other shareables include a
carbonare a pizza with ponchetta, egg and parmigiano reggiano roasted potatoes,

(33:05):
and a panzanella salad with marinated tomatoes, arugula, bread rusks
and parmegiano reggiano. Among the seven main dishes offered, a
standout is the caccio egg pepe, a take on the
classic pasta dish. David's wife also came up with that idea.

(33:26):
The name is so catchy, he said. When she said that,
I was like, I think I'm married the smartest woman.
Presented in a cast iron skillet, the pile of scrambled
eggs are served with black pepper, freshly shaved pecorino cheese,
and crostini slices for dipping. Other entrees include Denver steak

(33:48):
and eggs, eggs benedict a ten ounce meatball sandwich, a
giant vegetable for tata sandwich, and a dish called uovo
and porgatorio with spice, tomato, sauce, eggs, mozzarella, crostini slices,
and the option to add ponchetta or sausage. For fun

(34:09):
drink options, Chow offers a Bellini flight with honey, lime,
prickly pear, and blood orange flavors. If you're a fan
of beer garritas, then you might enjoy the interactive nature
of the Peroni Negroni, in which the customer is in
charge of pouring a peroni, a type of Italian lagger,
into the cocktail. David says he hopes to expand Chow's

(34:32):
brunch menu in the coming weeks, including with some American
inspired dishes. Every week, the brunch is picking up, he said.
We're seeing an increase every week and we'd love for
it to be that viby, fun Italian brunch. Chow offers
brunch from ten am to two pm Saturdays and Sundays.

(34:53):
We featured Chow in the latest installment of our series
The Best Thing I Ate This Week. You can follow
a long by visiting Instagram dot com slash Courier Journal.
You can reach food and dining reporter Amanda Hancock at
a Hancock at Courier hyphen Journal dot com. There are

(35:13):
two photos accompanying this article. One shows the teremi sou
pancakes and the other the kachio egg pepe dish. Now
we turn to the inspiration page Why this restaurant gives
away meals owner feeds community through the holidays. This piece

(35:35):
is by Hannah Pinsky of The Courier Journal. Williams's goal
is to keep the pantry stocked at all times with fruits,
canned goods, and some baby supplies and pet foods through
donations from the community and the restaurant. Williams added he
isn't surprised by the food pantry and meal program's popularity,

(35:58):
especially because food is secure purity has become a more
prevalent issue with the rising costs of grocery and other items.
The second part of the campaign is offering free family
style meals on Tuesdays, which Williams said the restaurant has
also previously done during the COVID nineteen pandemic. He added,

(36:19):
the restaurant tries to serve meals that are nutritious and filling,
such as a pasta with red sauce, Italian sausage and vegetables.
We're not questioning anybody who comes in to get anything
Williams said if somebody comes and says they need food
or going to give it out. As of mid November,
Williams said the campaign has raised more than twelve hundred dollars,

(36:41):
with the restaurant giving out around four hundred fifty meals
and serving between one hundred and one hundred fifty people
through the pantry. Williams said it feels great and he's
incredibly blessed to offer these options to Louisvillians, and he
isn't surprised by the city's generosity. Louisville cares about its

(37:02):
people and its community, and it's a great thing to
be able to witness. Williams said he's received positive feedback
from people who have utilized the restaurant's campaign. He's also
heard some tell their stories, which Williams said is heart wrenching.
Williams is originally from Louisville and has owned four Pegs

(37:22):
for six years. He said being part of the community
is part of his identity and it's the biggest honor
of his life to have been able to return to
the city. Without the community, we wouldn't even be here
at all, Williams said, we're giving back to the people
that allow us to have a restaurant. There are a
couple photos accompanying this article. One shows four Pegs Chef

(37:46):
Chris Williams handing out a free rice casserole to those
needing a hot meal behind the Goss Avenue restaurant and
bar November eighteenth, twenty twenty five. It's part of the
pay It four word fo u R campaign to help
those in need. The second photo shows one of the

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meals Four Pegs Chef Chris Williams and volunteers help serve
for the eateries pay at Forward campaign to help those
in need. And there's an additional photo at the bottom
showing Williams carrying a tray of food for a woman
as she walks toward her car. This piece was by

(38:31):
Hannah Pinske at h Pinske at Career hyphen Journal dot com.
In other news, Indiana College faces free speech dispute. Head
of Jewish studies department accused of violating students' rights. This

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piece is by Kate Charon of the Indianapolis Star and
USA Today Network Indianapolis. The punishment of a graduate student
for her pro Palestinian advocacy has propelled Indiana University's Jewish
Studies Department into a tense dispute of a free speech

(39:13):
when interim director Gunther Jakelli took charge of an unusual
change of leadership. Earlier this year, students and faculty were
concerned his strongly held views on anti Semitism would seep
into the department's functioning. Now those fears have compounded into
claims that he is disregarding First Amendment and academic freedom rights.

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In September, Jokelly removed a student with a pro Palestinian
profile picture from a hybrid workshop because he claimed her
zoom photo included a terrorist and disrupted the event. In
the months following, he rejected her travel funding, established a
more restrictive online meeting policy, and used his class to

(39:57):
debate her advocacy. Interactions with him have been marked by discrimination, harassment,
and abuse of power. A graduate student, Sabina Ali, told
The Indianapolis Star in an email, he has repeatedly singled
me out for my political views and scholarly commitments related

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to Palestinian liberation, despite those being protected forms of expression
and central to my academic work. The string of incidents
has caught the attention of the Foundation for Individual Rights
and Expression, which has been zeroing in on Indiana University
since it ranked it as the country's worst public college

(40:38):
for fostering free speech last year. The organization sent a
public letter to Jakelli on November seven, labeling his decisions unconstitutional.
The university has repeatedly faced criticism for its handling of
speech related to the Israel Hama's war, that includes the
heavy police presence and arrests at a twenty twenty four

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Palestinian solidarity encampment, the cancelation of a Palestinian artists exhibit,
and a professor's suspension related to hosting a speaker Regarding
free speech concerns in the Jewish Studies department, a high
ranking dean reiterated the university's policies in an email and

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indirectly described Jekelly's behavior as in violation. It is not
the responsibility of an individual faculty member to determine in
the moment whether a civil rights violation has occurred. Rick
Van Couten, executive dean of Indiana University's College of Arts
and Sciences, said in an e mail to the department,

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the mere perception of a hostile environment is not sufficient
grounds to restrict someone's First Amendment rights. University spokesperson Mark
Body referred the Star to Van Kuten's e mail. Jokelly
did not respond to a request for comment. Jakelly still
leads the department that Ali said the university is investigating

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him from his conduct. Body said Indiana University does not
comment on personnel issues. Jakelly removed Ali from a September
nineteenth hybrid workshop after she declined to remove her profile
picture or turn her camera on, prompting most attendees to
leave and convene in another room without Jakelly. In an

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email since soon after, Jakelly told the department that Ali's
profile picture depicted a Palestinian terrorist. He said his responsibility
was to insure everyone feels safe and not under attack
by messages. Ja Kelly told the department in an email
that political slogans or provocative images of any kind have

(42:52):
no place in our academic settings. That statement clashes with
the First Amendment, where decades of case law have maintained
that students do not shed their free expression rights when
on campus. At a similar event in twenty twenty four,
Ali said he had interrupted to complain about her photo,
but department leadership defended her constitutional right to display the image.

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Her profile photo includes a drawing of a woman wearing
a cafea a headscarf that commonly symbolizes solidarity and resistance
in the Palestinian territories, the flag, and the words Free Palestine.
About two weeks later, Jakelli emailed that he was denying
Ali's requests for funding to attend and present at a

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religious conference that convenes scholars from across the country. The
email did not provide a reason, although Ali believes it
to be related to the Zoom incident. This overturned a
departmental committee's unanimous decision to fund her trip to Boston,
she said, where she would present her paper paper titled

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Weaponizing Indigeneity Ziona's Public Discourses on Possessing Palestine. Within a week,
a new department ruled debuted that for bad Zoom participants
from having profile or background images, slogans, or symbols, since
it could distract from scholarly discussion or make others feel unwelcome.

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According to an email, the policy didn't last long. Ja
Kelly announced in a November nineteenth email that he would
not implement the new policy following guidance from Indiana University Lawyers.
Later in his class focused on the social media perception
of Israel. JA Kelly gave students an assignment where they

(44:44):
were asked to reflect on Alli's profile picture within the
context of it being used as an image in an
online meeting. Imagine this image displayed constantly on zoom during
hybrid workshops with students and professors. How would its persistent
present since affect your focus, comfort, and sense of belonging
in that educational space. The handout did not include Ali's

(45:08):
name or state this event had actually happened. According to
an obtained copy, the university is investigating j. Kelly for
faculty misconduct after Ali submitted a complaint. She said her
initial complaint, filed with Indiana University's Office of Civil Rights Compliance,
found no evidence to indicate that the conduct complained of

(45:31):
would constitute discrimination or harassment on the basis of an identity.
Ali describes the interim director's behavior as contributing to an
atmosphere of hostility and exclusion, and said his actions raised
titles six concerns and were grossly unethical. The USA Today

(45:53):
Network Indiana's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through
a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding partners.
There's one photo accompanying this article, and the photo shows
a woman with a headscarf walking through a snowy passage

(46:17):
on campus. In other news from the archives, how city
skyline went from barely there to skyscrapers. What buildings do
you think of when Louisville skyline comes to mind? The
Humana Tower, four hundred West Market, the Golf House. Archived

(46:41):
Courier Journal photos show the gradual changes to Louisville's skyline
over the years, like how numerous skyscrapers reached heights taller
than the lofty clock towers and church steeples of the
nineteen twenties before the PNC and five hundred W two
towers were completed in the early seventies. An architect interviewed

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for a nineteen ninety three Courier Journal story on Louisville's
blossoming skyline said you could drive on through Interstate sixty
five and miss downtown. Over the next twenty years, office
buildings and hotels in the Central Business District reached new heights.
In fact, the ten tallest buildings making up Louisville's current

(47:30):
Skyline were built after the nineteen sixties. Not every tower
envisioned for Louisville's downtown came to fruition. However, the swirling
twenty three story Vancore Tower proposed in nineteen ninety seven
was shelved two years later when the healthcare company faced
financial problems. Then, in two thousand and five, developers introduced

(47:55):
Museum Plaza, a sixty two story skyscraper project Seventh and
Main Streets meant to be outfitted with offices, hotels at
a museum. A worsening U S economy contributed to the
struggle to build Museum Plaza. The project was abandoned in
twenty eleven, but city officials began a call for a

(48:16):
new developer to take over the site. In twenty twenty three,
the next addition to Louisville Skyline could be One forty West,
a proposed twenty seven story tower at one forty West
Market Street. Photos used in this column were made possible

(48:37):
by the Barry Bingham Junior Photograph Collection, which is maintained
by the University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections staff.
There are two photos accompanying this article. One shows Louisville
skyline in August of nineteen seventy four. It looks quite

(49:00):
a bit different than the skyline today. It does show
various interstates criss crossing and the existing buildings in the background.
Second photo shows a nineteen sixty two aerial view showing
the buildings of downtown Louisville. It's a very distant shot

(49:22):
and a little difficult to make out the specific buildings.
In other news, Indiana House passes mid decade redistricting. This
piece is by Kayla Dwyer of the Indianapolis Star and
USA Today Network. Indiana's mid decade redistricting bill has cleared

(49:46):
its first chamber, passing the State House December fifth by
a fifty seven to forty one vote. It's a significant
milestone for the congressional map proposal, which was drawn in
response to a request from President Donald Trump after months
of pressure. Indiana had weathered intense pressure in the form
of visits from Vice President j d Vance, voter outreach

(50:10):
campaigns from little known nonprofits, threats of primary pressure from
Trump himself, and lately, threats of violence against Indiana lawmakers.
A dozen Republicans, including several members of chamber leadership, joined
with Democrats in voting no. Still, the bill's passage in

(50:31):
the House was almost certain, despite Democrats' attempt to thwart
the proceedings by denying quorum and challenging the convening on
technical crowns. Among Republicans, only the bill's author, State Representative
Ben Smaltz and House Speaker Ted Houstons spoke about the
bill December fifth. Smaltz defended the process as adhering to

(50:55):
laws in the Constitution, noting that nothing prevents state legislatures
from redrawing maps when circumstances demand it. He also argued
that the process has been transparent. Draft maps were publicly
released and public testimony was held. Though in the span
of less than a week. No redistricting process is going

(51:18):
to satisfy everybody, Smaltz said, we do not choose the timing.
The circumstances choose it for us. Responsible leadership requires action.
Houston took the rare step of speaking on the bill
from the House floor to reiterate what he had said
previously that Republicans see the effort in Indiana as part

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of a national imperative to counterbalance other gerrymandering efforts by
democratic states. He also called it a very difficult issue.
The proposal now goes to the Indiana Senate, where its
fate is far less certain. The upper chamber is split
on the concept of redistricting mid decade, with the explicit

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goal of creating more Republican favored districts ahead of twenty
twenty six mid term elections. Senate President pro tempt poor
Roderick Bray twice rebuffed the idea of convening to do so,
before ultimately agreeing to meet in the coming days. The
bill describes a significantly altered congressional map that breaks up

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Indiana's most heavily urban areas and combines them with rural
swaths to create nine Republican advantage seats. Under Indiana's current map,
Democrats hold two seats. The bill would drastically improve Republicans
electoral odds. Democrats currently have a seventy eight percent and

(52:48):
ninety nine percent chance of winning the first and seventh
congressional districts, respectively, according to planned score. Under the proposal,
their winning odds would plummet to nine percent and less
than one percent. House Bill ten thirty two also takes
the unusual step of prohibiting courts from temporarily blocking the

(53:09):
map should lawsuits surface as anticipated, does not block courts
from issuing a permanent injection. The bill attracted more than
five hours of committee discussion in public testimony December second,
overwhelmingly from opponents of redistricting. Democrats tried fifteen times unsuccessfully

(53:32):
to amend the bill on December fourth. There's one small
photo accompanying this article. It shows Indiana Representative Sheila Klinker,
a Democrat from Lafayette, looking over a draft map of
U S House districts on December first, as the State
House of Representatives convened to discuss redistricting. In other news,

(53:56):
Wisconsin's Supreme Court here's bid to halt iced details in
state's county jails. This piece is by Molly Beck of
the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and USA Today Network Dateline, Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin's highest court has agreed to take up a lawsuit

(54:16):
seeking to block county jails from holding immigrant detainees for
an extended period at federal authority's request. The American Civil
Liberties Union of Wisconsin filed the lawsuit on behalf of
immigrant advocacy group Vosses de la Frontera against the Sheriffs
of five Wisconsin counties who have partnered with US Immigration

(54:40):
and Customs Enforcement to house the immigrants, an action known
as a detainer. The decision to accept the case was
made by the four liberal leaning justices who control the court.
According to Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagadorn, who is part
of the court's conservative majority, President Donald Trump and his

(55:02):
administration are continuing to step up efforts to deport people
who live in the United States legally. When a sheriff
honors a detainer from ICE, they agree to hold a
person for forty eight hours after they should have been
released under Wisconsin state law to give ICE time to
take custody of the person. Keeping a person in custody

(55:24):
for that extra time constitutes a new arrest, the ACLU argues.
The group says that's illegal because Wisconsin law doesn't allow
officers to make civil arrests except in certain circumstances, none
of which is relevant to civil immigration enforcement, the group argues.
The group also says that moving people into federal immigration

(55:47):
custody while their local criminal cases are ongoing disrupts the
Wisconsin criminal justice process, potentially depriving victims of justice and
defendants of the opportunity to defend against the chart. The
ACLU is asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to declare that
civil immigration violations are outside the authority of a law

(56:10):
enforcement officer in Wisconsin and to prohibit the sheriffs from
honing people on ice detainers. The sheriffs pushed back against
the court taking up the lawsuit, arguing the matter does
not warrant skipping a typical litigation process. The petition makes
no attempt even to address the constitutional, statutory, and common

(56:32):
law duties and powers of Wisconsin sheriffs, despite challenging the
authority of Wisconsin sheriffs to engage in a practice that
has occurred for decades. They argued in this case implicates
a highly complicated area of the law, federal immigration law
and the relationship between federal and state and local law enforcement,

(56:55):
and presents complex disputes that would be best resolved and
refined through the ordinary litigation process. This article was edited
due to time constraints. This concludes excerpts from the Career
Journal for Sunday, December seventh, twenty twenty five. Your reader
has been Kathy Cleary. Please stay tuned for continued programming

(57:18):
on Radio I