May 31 Environment Judge Orders EPA to Set Particle Pollution Standards A federal judge has given the Environmental Protection Agency one week to set standards for fine particle pollution across the United States. These are the fine particles that come out of factories, power plants and automobiles.Paul Cort is an attorney for nonprofit Earthjustice. He argued the case. By Erica Peterson May 31 Environment Judge Orders EPA to Set Particle Pollution Standards Erica Peterson
May 31 Local News Moody’s Downgrades Arena Bonds Moody's credit rating agency has downgraded the bonds used to finance the KFC Yum Center, citing high operating costs and poor performance of businesses around the arena.Part of the plan to pay off the bonds relies on tax increment financing. A TIF district was created in downtown Louisville so any development spurred by the facility would help pay the debt. The arena was supposed to give downtown development a boost, but Moody's says the TIF district may not be enough to support the arena. By Gabe Bullard May 31 Local News Moody’s Downgrades Arena Bonds Gabe Bullard
May 31 Local News Kentucky Will Change Lethal Injection Procedures A judge has ordered the state of Kentucky to rethink the way it executes prisoners. By Gabe Bullard May 31 Local News Kentucky Will Change Lethal Injection Procedures Gabe Bullard
May 31 Politics Ed Hart: Fischer, Beshear Dropped Ball on Kentucky Kingdom Louisville businessman Ed Hart is dismayed at the delays in reopening Kentucky Kingdom, and he puts much of the blame on Mayor Greg Fischer and Governor Steve Beshear.For the past few months, an investment group called Bluegrass Boardwalk Inc. has been trying to salvage the former amusement park. But officials confirmed this week that its planned reopening for next year is no longer an option because of serious disrepair. The group's investors now say the earliest the park can open is 2014.Two years ago, Six Flags abandoned the site due to bankruptcy and the state fair board spent almost 18 months negotiating with Hart to reopen the park. But those talks failed for reasons that have not been released.Hart says the mayor and governor need to take a greater role in getting one of the city’s chief tourist attractions running again instead of offering excuses."I can't read their minds. The mayor, the governor, his people, legislators—everybody says: ‘absolutely we want Kentucky Kingdom reopened.’ Yet they do nothing about it. It’s the typical, political and bureaucratic words and no deeds,” he says. "The fair board keeps saying that opening Kentucky Kingdom is a number one priority. They said it in 2010, 2011 and again in 2012. Can you imagine how long it would take to open up if it wasn't their number one priority? It's ludicrous." By Phillip M. Bailey May 31 Politics Ed Hart: Fischer, Beshear Dropped Ball on Kentucky Kingdom Phillip M. Bailey
May 31 Local News Courier-Journal Changes Website, Preps Smartphone App The Courier-Journal's paywall is now up. By Gabe Bullard May 31 Local News Courier-Journal Changes Website, Preps Smartphone App Gabe Bullard
May 31 Arts and Culture Theatre [502]’s ‘Futura’ Is Now When director Amy Attaway started working on Jordan Harrison’s typographical dystopian play “Futura,” she had just bought her first iPad. One of the first news stories she read on her tablet was about Encyclopedia Britannica discontinuing its print edition. The sinister future Harrison devised, where handwriting, printing, paper and books are outlawed and all written materials are part of “The Big Collection” in the cloud, suddenly felt very close. By Erin Keane May 31 Arts and Culture Theatre [502]’s ‘Futura’ Is Now Erin Keane
May 31 Environment State Grants AEP Request to Withdraw Big Sandy Application The Kentucky Public Service Commission has granted a request by American Electric Power to withdraw a pending application to retrofit the company's Big Sandy Power Plant in Lawrence County. By Erica Peterson May 31 Environment State Grants AEP Request to Withdraw Big Sandy Application Erica Peterson
May 31 Politics Company’s Withdrawal Restarts Battle Between Nursing Homes and Legal System A prominent nursing home company is ending its operations in Kentucky, and the decision has reignited a battle between the nursing home industry and legal professionals.Earlier this week, Extendicare announced plans to lease its Kentucky nursing homes. The company said too many unnecessary lawsuits were being filed for operations to continue in the state.Kentucky has grown into a senior living hub, and many big companies like Altria and Kindred have corporate headquarters in the state. By Kenny Colston May 31 Politics Company’s Withdrawal Restarts Battle Between Nursing Homes and Legal System Kenny Colston
May 31 Politics Donnelly Flaunts GOP Support Indiana Democratic Senate candidate Joe Donnelly has unveiled a group of Republicans who are supporting him over Tea Party candidate Richard Mourdock in the fall campaign.The group is made up of former supporters of Republican Senator Dick Lugar, who was defeated in the GOP primary by state Treasurer Richard Mourdock. Its initial six members have pledged to cross party lines and support Donnelly over Mourdock in November.Donnelly campaign spokeswoman Elizabeth Shappell says GOP voters will back the congressman due to his bipartisan approach."Moderate voices and folks who are wiling to compromise are too few and far in between these days. And that’s Joe," she says. "And in order to move this country forward, he truly believes—and as do I think many folks here in Indiana—that we need to work together and find common ground." By Phillip M. Bailey May 31 Politics Donnelly Flaunts GOP Support Phillip M. Bailey
May 31 Local News Defining Fairness Series Recap Our Defining Fairness series will wrap up next week; we'll speak with Amanda Stahl on Tuesday, June 5th, and Lucian Grey on Thursday, June 7th. In case By Laura Ellis May 31 Local News Defining Fairness Series Recap Laura Ellis
May 31 Local News Talks Continue Between WDRB and Time Warner Yesterday, the talks between WDRB -TV and Time Warner Cable went public in a big way. By Gabe Bullard May 31 Local News Talks Continue Between WDRB and Time Warner Gabe Bullard
May 30 Environment Lawsuit Alleges Damages From “Whiskey Fungus” A lawsuit filed today in federal court alleges a black substance coating the homes of residents in some areas of Louisville is caused by whiskey distilling. Attorney Bill McMurray says for years, residents have seen a black substance growing on metal surfaces, and it’s nearly impossible to remove. “And it’s only recently been understood within […] By Erica Peterson May 30 Environment Lawsuit Alleges Damages From “Whiskey Fungus” Erica Peterson
May 30 Environment Lawsuit Alleges Damages From “Whiskey Fungus” A lawsuit filed today in federal court alleges a black substance coating the homes of residents in some areas of Louisville is caused by whiskey distilling.Attorney Bill McMurray says for years, residents have seen a black substance growing on metal surfaces, and it’s nearly impossible to remove.“And it’s only recently been understood within the last couple of years what the actual cause for that blackening is, and it’s this particular fungus,” he said. By Erica Peterson May 30 Environment Lawsuit Alleges Damages From “Whiskey Fungus” Erica Peterson
May 30 Local News Talks Get Tough Between WDRB and Time Warner The contract between Time Warner Cable and WDRB-TV in Louisville is on the verge of expiring. By Gabe Bullard May 30 Local News Talks Get Tough Between WDRB and Time Warner Gabe Bullard