Oct 30 Commentary Runyon: A Stroll Through Halloweens Past Most days I find myself driving down Hillcrest Avenue in Crescent Hill. It’s a handsome street, with many early 20th century homes. At some point, residents there decided they would also become “Holiday Lane.” They celebrate by decorating their houses and yards. Halloween is the big one, and they begin preparing for it about the […] By Keith Runyon Oct 30 Commentary Runyon: A Stroll Through Halloweens Past Keith Runyon
Oct 9 Commentary Runyon: Much to Celebrate in Career of Urban League’s Ben Richmond When Ben Richmond was growing up, he thought he’d become a musician. Maybe an opera singer. Anyone familiar with the Louisville civic leader’s golden voice would not be surprised. As a Methodist preacher’s son, he had plenty of chances to sing in his father’s churches. But on the way to the Met, Richmond found his passion […] By Keith Runyon Oct 9 Commentary Runyon: Much to Celebrate in Career of Urban League’s Ben Richmond Keith Runyon
Oct 2 Commentary Runyon: Louisville Orchestra’s New Listeners Part of Its Storied History It’s a joyful thing to behold – our city’s renewed love affair with the Louisville Orchestra. Since its founding in 1937, the orchestra has had a rollercoaster history. It rose to peaks of fame in the 1950s and 1960s with its extraordinary new music commissions and recordings. And it sank to near-death status when labor strife and financial collapse […] By Keith Runyon Oct 2 Commentary Runyon: Louisville Orchestra’s New Listeners Part of Its Storied History Keith Runyon
Sep 19 Commentary Strange Fruit: Reading, Writing and Race? Raising Confident Kids of Color [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/224505155″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] The suspension and arrest of Ahmed Mohamed had just hit the headlines when we recorded this week’s show. The gifted ninth-grader from Irving, Texas, built a digital clock at home and brought it to school to show his teachers. His English teacher saw the wires (and presumably Ahmed’s […] By Laura Ellis Sep 19 Commentary Strange Fruit: Reading, Writing and Race? Raising Confident Kids of Color Laura Ellis
Sep 18 Commentary Runyon: What The Gubernatorial Debate Didn’t Tell Us September 26, 1960, was a pivotal day in our nation’s political history. That was the Friday when Vice President Richard M. Nixon participated in the first-ever televised debate against Sen. John F. Kennedy. It was broadcast on a Friday night, and our family was going to my grandparents’. We listened to the debate on the […] By Keith Runyon Sep 18 Commentary Runyon: What The Gubernatorial Debate Didn’t Tell Us Keith Runyon
Sep 11 Commentary Runyon: Kim Davis Saga And The Role Of Judges in Social Progress Why is it that Kentucky rarely accepts reform unless it is prodded by a court to do so? I’ve asked that question frequently over the years, and was reminded yet again when the circus erupted in Rowan County over issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. In June, the Supreme Court ruled that prohibitions on such […] By Keith Runyon Sep 11 Commentary Runyon: Kim Davis Saga And The Role Of Judges in Social Progress Keith Runyon
Aug 31 Commentary Is Gun Violence Due To Dangerous People Or Dangerous Guns? The killings of two journalists in Virginia last week has reignited a national conversation on mass shootings and gun control. Tania Lombrozo looks at some research and what it might mean for policy. By NPR Aug 31 Commentary Is Gun Violence Due To Dangerous People Or Dangerous Guns? NPR
Jul 7 Commentary Listen: The History and Significance of Whiskey Row for Louisville A damage assessment is underway at the historic stretch of buildings known as Whiskey Row, where a fire Monday ravaged three buildings. WFPL’s James Bickers sat down with former Courier-Journal editorial page editor Keith Runyon to discuss Whiskey Row, the fire, and what comes next for the property. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/213651434″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] […] By Staff Jul 7 Commentary Listen: The History and Significance of Whiskey Row for Louisville Staff
Jun 18 Commentary A Compassionate City Respects Its Built Environment Tomorrow, Louisville will host a conference that has significance for the future of public discourse, and urban design, in our city. Sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Green Lab, it will focus on the Omni Hotel project. I’ve commented on several occasions about this important development which promises to affect, for better or […] By Keith Runyon Jun 18 Commentary A Compassionate City Respects Its Built Environment Keith Runyon
Jun 7 Commentary ‘American Pharoah, Welcome To Greatness’ On Saturday, race horse American Pharoah won the first Triple Crown in 37 years. Laura Hillenbrand, acclaimed author of Seabiscuit and other bestselling novels, wrote this reflection on the win. By NPR Jun 7 Commentary ‘American Pharoah, Welcome To Greatness’ NPR
May 1 Commentary Listen: Remembering Judge John Heyburn U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II, who struck down Kentucky’s ban on same-sex marriage and ruled on other groundbreaking cases for Louisville, died earlier this week. His death came just after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding this case. Commentator Keith Runyon was a close friend of Judge Heyburn. He spoke with WFPL’s […] By Jonathan Bastian May 1 Commentary Listen: Remembering Judge John Heyburn Jonathan Bastian
Apr 16 Commentary The Resurgence of Fourth and Muhammad Ali, Downtown Louisville’s ‘100 Percent Corner’ On several occasions over the months since I began these commentaries for WFPL, I have addressed the state of downtown Louisville, and the bright spots in reversing what has now been a nearly 50 year decline in the fortunes of the central business district. Three strikingly good events have occurred in recent days, and it […] By Keith Runyon Apr 16 Commentary The Resurgence of Fourth and Muhammad Ali, Downtown Louisville’s ‘100 Percent Corner’ Keith Runyon
Apr 10 Commentary The Familiar Crack of a Louisville Slugger Bat When I was growing up, we kids who lived here in the Falls City took particular pride, especially during baseball season, when big league players stepped up to the plate wielding Louisville Sluggers. In those days, baseball was indeed the national pastime, far more than it is today. As with symphony orchestras and mainline churches, […] By Keith Runyon Apr 10 Commentary The Familiar Crack of a Louisville Slugger Bat Keith Runyon
Mar 5 Commentary Louisville Libraries Don’t Leave Residents Out In the Snow Louisville schools, churches and government buildings were shuttered on Thursday–about a foot (or more) of snow covered the streets and sidewalks around them. Some people were stranded on roads. Some sled the day away at city parks. Others, though, were getting work done. As the clock reached noon Thursday, Aquira Thomas walked out of the Shawnee […] By Jacob Ryan Mar 5 Commentary Louisville Libraries Don’t Leave Residents Out In the Snow Jacob Ryan