News

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

At the top -  Hearings have begun into Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year, and concerns are being raised about cuts proposed for some agencies, or about previous cuts that have not been restored.  WFPL's Phillip Bailey fills in the details.

The University of Louisville has stopped accepting applications for first year students after seeing an 11-percent increase in submissions from the previous year.

This is the earliest U of L has maxed out the number of applicants its accepted—which is around 10,000— and officials say the success of the Cards men’s and women’s basketball teams are only part of the reason.

The University of Louisville baseball team is two victories away from a trip to the College World Series, but the Cards will have to get past one of the country's best teams. 

U of L visits Vanderbilt this weekend for a best-of-three series in the NCAA super regional round.

Vandy is the number two national seed and defeated the Cards 10-2 in their last meeting in April.

But U of L has gone 19-2 since then.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes are being scrutinized by each others national political parties in a pair of stinging messages this week.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee put out dueling press releases on Friday, going after Grimes and McConnell respectively.

Grimes is being chastised by the GOP for comments made at the state Democratic Party's annual Wendell Ford Dinner. During her speech, Grimes alluded to need Democrat's support in the "coming months" and said voters are tired of McConnell's obstruction and misleading politics.

The NRSC said the dinner was a "liberal love fest" that shows Grimes backs President Obama's agenda.

"Alison Lundergan Grimes sounded like a Massachusetts liberal as she advocated for higher taxes on Kentuckians, more federal spending, and policies that will hurt middle class families and workers," NRSC spokeswoman Brook Hougesen said.  "The true inner Grimes was on full display last night - her views mirrored those of Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama and she showed no tolerance for those who disagree with her out of touch perspective. With such liberal views, it's no wonder Lundergan Grimes remains the most reluctant candidate in the country."

The Speed Art Museum broke ground last month for its expansion and renovation project, which will close the museum campus for three years, but its interim offices at 822 East Market Street, a satellite space dubbed Local Speed, are open.

Tonight, the museum celebrates the opening of "Welcome Neighbors: Art from Nulu" during the downtown trolley hop. Curated by The Green Building's Daniel Pfalzgraf, the multi-discipline exhibit features established and emerging visual artists who show and work in the neighborhood. The reception begins at 5 p.m. and features Mad Pixel designer Ron Jasin screenprinting limited edition posters on-site.

A Kentucky man led a hacktivist group central in the case against two Steubenville, Ohio, football players eventually found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl at a party, according to various media reports.

And he's been visited by the FBI, unpleasantly.

The ACLU says that African-Americans are significantly more likely to face marijuana charges, the Louisville Metro budget process is well underway (and already has critics) and the man behind the recording of a Mitch McConnell strategy session speaks—these stories and more today on Byline.

Louisville Gas and Electric has been fined once again by the Air Pollution Control District for coal ash violations at the Cane Run Power Plant in Southwest Louisville, and the district cites scientific testing that shows coal ash is leaving the company's property.