Noise & Notes

Noise and Notes: Kentucky Jobs With Justice Leader Bonifacio Aleman

Phillip M. Bailey — Sun, 19 May 2013 02:30:00 +0000

The U.S. job market is slowly picking up and stock prices are rising for Wall Street, but poor people and the middle-class haven't fully recovered from the economic gut punch of the recession.

For social justice advocates like Kentucky Jobs With Justice Executive Director Bonafacio 'Flaco' Aleman, raising wages and other protections for American workers is just as important as job creation.

"I think that historically poor people have always gotten the short end of the stick," he says.

Though the national unemployment rate is down to 7.6 percent and has dropped in most states, those once middle-class occupations are being replaced with low-wage jobs.

Noise and Notes: The 'Herculean' JCPS Audit, Teacher's Union Blasted and Charter Schools

Phillip M. Bailey — Sun, 12 May 2013 02:30:00 +0000

Jefferson County Public Schools is set to be the subject of a what observers are calling a "Herculean" state audit to review Kentucky's largest school district.

It's unclear what the JCPS audit will turn up, but most agree a review of the city's $1 billion budget with over 100,000 students is long overdue. Some school board members object to the examination by saying JCPS has been probed enough, but critics argue paying $125,000 to learn more about the district's finances and administration is important.

The review will focus on contracts, travel expenses and ethics policies, and especially the financial and administrative operations of the central office.

"This is the result of properly focused policy makers organically having conversations about how important public education is," Audit Adam Edelen has said.

Noise and Notes: The Decadent and Depraved Politics of Derby Weekend

Phillip M. Bailey — Sun, 05 May 2013 02:31:00 +0000

By now we know who won the 139^th Kentucky Derby, but there are still questions about other political horse races.

At this point Republican Mitch McConnell does have one official opponent—Owensboro Democrat Ed Marksberry—who is a little known contender in the 2014 U.S. Senate race.

Noise and Notes: Is Kentucky Compatible With Gay Marriage?

Phillip M. Bailey — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 02:30:00 +0000

When it comes to gay marriage, America is moving in a direction of growing acceptance while Kentucky remains steadfastly opposed.

National figures show a majority in the country back the idea, which has changed at a rapid pace in the past decade.

Rhode Island took a historic step and is set to become the 10th state to legalize same-sex marriage. A new lobbying group founded by prominent conservative donor Paul Singer is pushing for gay marriage legislation as more Republicans join the cause to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act.

Even two prominent Kentucky Democrats—Auditor Adam Edelen and Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson—came out in favor or marriage equality.

But new poll numbers indicate Kentuckians are still overwhelmingly against same-sex couples getting hitched with 65 percent opposed. The opposition isn't based on political party either because the PPP survey shows 54 percent of Democratic voters are against the idea.

Noise and Notes: Anthony Smith's Vision for Safer Louisville Neighborhoods

Phillip M. Bailey — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 02:30:00 +0000

What makes a Louisville neighborhood safe?

Community activist Anthony Smith hopes to answer that in his new Metro government role aimed at crime prevention.

The city's director of Safe Neighborhoods was created as a result of the violence prevention task force, which submitted a report containing over six dozen recommendations in response to a brazen triple homicide last year.

Since that shooting spree onlookers have awaited to see if the work group's plan will be more than just another study.

Smith is a Louisville native who acknowledges residents are impatient when it comes to previous promises to help improve dangerous areas.

"There's always going to be this idea around are we doing enough as a city and are we moving fast enough," he says. "And I think we've got to understand this is a long-term situation—we didn't get here overnight so it's not something you can just put some programs in place and it's all gone."

Noise and Notes: With Ashley Judd Out, Where Do Kentucky Democrats Go From Here?

Phillip M. Bailey — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 21:02:46 +0000

Now that Ashley Judd is out, Kentucky Democrats are scrambling for a legitimate contender to take on Republican Senator Mitch McConnell next year.

The speculation is on Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, whose every word is being examined.

But what if Grimes also forgoes a 2014 Senate bid?

Noise and Notes: Stop Ignoring West Louisville

Phillip M. Bailey — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 02:50:32 +0000

Stop ignoring the West End!

At least that’s the message from a recent Louisville Magazine cover story about the nine neighborhoods encompassing west Louisville.

The 38-page exposé tells the community's history, and also outlined the current disparities in income, property values and education levels. Many know anecdotally about the so-called Ninth Street Divide, but the stark realities when compared to the East End is eye-opening.

Statistics show residents in east Louisville make three times more and seven times as many have a bachelor's degree or higher than their West End counterparts.

It's a bleak picture of the predominately African-American part of the city, which is increasingly isolated.

Noise and Notes: Recaps and Leftovers from the 2013 Kentucky General Assembly

Phillip M. Bailey — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 02:30:00 +0000

The 2013 Kentucky General Assembly is nearing its end, but there are plenty of important issues still haven't been addressed.

At the beginning of the legislative session much was said about the improved personal relationships between Gov. Steve Beshear and state lawmakers—particularly the GOP-controlled Senate. But if Frankfort is more collegial it hasn't improved productivity.

With two days left for veto days, thorny matters such as pension reform and redistricting haven’t been resolved. No deals are in sight, and there is talk of a special session to sort those priorities out.

Noise and Notes: Gerald Blaine on 'The Kennedy Detail'

Phillip M. Bailey — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 17:10:36 +0000

Former U.S. Secret Service Agent Gerald Blaine has spent his life thinking about security.

In his book "The Kennedy Detail" co-authored with journalist Lisa McCubbin, Blaine chronicles his time protecting former President John F. Kennedy up until the assassination in Dallas.

It also looks at how the shooting was traumatic for Blaine's fellow agents and how each dealt with the president's death differently.

The book has been the subject of 2011 documentary and is set to be a feature film to be filmed in New Orleans.

Producers talked about why the project is in many ways—like the book—a rebuttal to Oliver Stone's infamous 'JFK'.

Watch:

Noise and Notes: Not-So-Super PAC Progress Kentucky, Yum Center Woes, 'Cannabis Majority'

Phillip M. Bailey — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 03:42:47 +0000

The Louisville-based super PAC Progress Kentucky made national news this week when WFPL broke the story of them attacking Senator Mitch McConnell’s wife based on her Asian heritage.

Leaders with the group have apologized—twice, but just about every Democrat has denounced them or kept their distance, and McConnell has pounced on the comments since returning home.

Even the senator's harshest critics have cried foul.

From The Courier-Journal:

This is no way to defeat McConnell. If anything, it does what McConnell cannot do for himself. It remarkably casts him in a sympathetic light.

But some observers have pointed out Progress received sparse coverage from the local media to being with while getting plenty from national outlets.