Local News

No Triple Crown This Year: Oxbow Wins Preakness Stakes

Associated Press and Rick Howlett — Sat, 18 May 2013 22:45:14 +0000

Oxbow has won the Preakness, ruining Orb's bid to capture the Triple Crown.

Oxbow quickly grabbed the lead out of the starting gate. It was the sixth Preakness victory for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and 15th Triple Crown victory, most in horse racing history.

It was the third Preakness win for 50 year old jockey Gary Stevens, who returned to riding this year after seven years in retirement.

Kentucky's Tourism Secretary Is Retiring

Kenny Colston — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Marcheta Sparrow will retire at the end of this month as the Secretary of Tourism, Arts and Heritage. Sparrow was named secretary in 2007 and was one of the original members of Gov. Steve Beshear's cabinet.

In a statement, Beshear praised Sparrow for the recent growth in tourism, which was up 4.4 percent last year.

The secretary oversees many departments in addition to tourism, including parks, fish and wildlife and others related to the humanities.

Orb is the Solid Favorite in Nine-Horse Preakness Field

Rick Howlett — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:34:43 +0000

Despite a less-than-ideal post position draw, Kentucky Derby winner Orb remains the solid favorite for tomorrow’s Preakness Stakes, the second leg of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown.

Orb is coming off a two-and-a-half length Derby victory and trainer Shug McGaughey says he “couldn’t be more pleased” with the colt’s workouts over the past two weeks.

Byline | IRS Fallout; Religion at JCPS; Preakness Preview

Brad Yost — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:05:00 +0000

Here are the topics covered in this edition of Byline (full audio available below):

At the top - Hearings have begun on Capitol Hill into the IRS targeting of tea party and other conservative groups that were applying for tax exempt status. We discuss who has been affected by the scandal here in Kentucky with WFPL Political Editor Phillip M. Bailey and Kentucky Public Radio’s Kenny Colston.

Byline Today: The Latest on the IRS-Tea Party Affair, the Preakness and More

Joseph Lord — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:01:01 +0000

The latest on the IRS' targeting of Tea Party groups for extra reviews, the Louisville Metro Animal Services director leaves after less than two years on the job, Kentucky Derby winner Orb vies for a Preakness Stakes win and much, much more—today on Byline.

WFPL's Phillip M. Bailey and Kentucky Public Radio's Kenny Colston will give the IRS/Tea Party situation.

One Killed, Several Injured in Exercise at Fort Knox

The Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:53:35 +0000

A U.S. Army spokesman says one member of the U.S. Navy was killed and several others injured during a training exercise at the Fort Knox Army post.

Fort Knox spokesman Ryan Brus said Friday the accident happened at 9:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday and involved members of a Naval branch at the post in central Kentucky.

Brus had no other details and referred calls to U.S. Navy Lt. David Lloyd. Lloyd did not immediately return a call to The Associated Press.

Media Critic | Are The Courier-Journal's Opinion Pages So Liberal?

James Miller — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Conservative critics of The Courier-Journal, I have confirmed all of your suspicions: its editorial pages are quite liberal.

Charging Commitee Ready to Move On Councilwoman Barbara Shanklin's Removal Hearing

Devin Katayama — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:24:37 +0000

The charging committee that petitioned to remove embattled Louisville Metro Councilwoman Barbara Shanklin announced it's ready to move forward with a hearing following its executive session meeting Thursday.

Shanklin was found guilty of violating several provisions of the city’s ethics code this year by Louisville’s Ethics Commission, which recommended she be removed from the council.

Area Code Overlay Recommended for Southern Indiana

Associated Press and Rick Howlett — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:14:48 +0000

Indiana's utility consumer advocate is recommending that regulators establish a new telephone area code that would overlap the existing 812 code that covers roughly the southern third of the state.

The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor said Thursday that similar overlay area codes are either used or being implemented in 24 states.

UofL's Brandeis School of Law Impresses Years After Adversity

Keith Runyon — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:58:21 +0000

Thirty-one years had passed since the last time I slipped into a graduation gown. Last Saturday afternoon, when I participated in the commencement exercises for the Brandeis School of Law’s Class of 2013, I marveled at how much things had changed since my own law class of 1982 graduated. My role was to introduce the commencement speaker, my longtime friend and colleague from The Courier-Journal, Howard Fineman. Howard is one of the nation’s leading journalists, having excelled in 30 years as a top political correspondent for Newsweek, as well as a political commentator on MSNBC. Now he is a pioneer in another field of journalism—online—as editorial director of the Huffington Post Media Group. I think he and I share an admiration for the law school where we were trained over three decades ago, and we’re not embarrassed to tell others about the advances it has made.