This week's ice storm has caused the second largest power outage in both Louisville andKentucky history.Louisville Gas and Electric Company now says about 205,000 customers in the Louisville area are without electrical service. Sister company Kentucky Utilities says more than 176,000 customers across Kentucky lost power.Spokesperson Brian Phillips says crews continue to assess the damage and restore service."LG and E has 8,500 reported wiredowns and KU has 5,300 reported wiredowns," Phillips said this morning.State officials now say the ice storm has left about a 525,000 across the commonwealth without electricity.It could take up to two weeks to restore service to everyone in Kentucky.Phillips says the estimate is seven to ten days in the Louisville area.The largest power outage in city and state history occurred just last September, when the remnants of Hurricane Ike tore through the region, cutting service to more than 600,000 people statewide.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.