Recut

Earlier this year, we set out to take a deep look at why Louisville's West End is changing -- and how. In this last episode of Here Today, we address the uncertainty that lies ahead, and how that could affect the people who live west of Ninth Street. Here Today is a listener-supported project. You make it possible for us to hold the people in power accountable for the promises they make. Click here to chip in: wfpl.org/supportheretoday

Just as we started working on Here Today, our colleagues on In Conversation, WFPL's weekly talk show, did an episode about the investments coming to west Louisville. After the show aired, the station got this email from a listener: Please stop calling the West End "West Louisville!" There is another town, way down river from here, called West Louisville. Here in the Metro, we have the South End and the East End and the West End.  Calling the latter by another town's name further acts to make it "other" and not belonging to all of us in the South End, where I grew up, and the East End, where I now reside. After some lively conversation, we decided that on Here Today, we would use both terms, "west Louisville" and "the West End," interchangeably, but the conversation didn't end there. We started asking folks we interviewed for the show which term they use, and why. On this episode, you'll hear some of those answers. And we'll speak to a linguist who's from Louisville, about how the language we use shapes the way we think and feel. We couldn't do this work without your support. Click here to contribute: wfpl.org/supportheretoday

After learning about all the ways revitalization could go wrong, we wanted to learn about the city's plan for avoiding the pitfalls that have happened elsewhere. Here's a section of Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer's third inaugural speech, given in January of this year: "[L]ook at what’s happening in west Louisville. Nearly a billion dollars of investment funding catalytic projects: The expansion of Waterfront Park, the Louisville Urban League Sports and Learning Complex at 30th and Ali, the YMCA and the new Passport Headquarters at 18th and Broadway, and the Beecher Terrace and Russell revitalization. For that work, we’re collaborating with the people of Russell, along with businesses, faith groups and other community partners to make sure we restore the great legacy of this neighborhood – once celebrated as the Harlem of the South – without displacing anyone who wants to remain there." That last bit of emphasis is ours. This week on the show, we sit down with the mayor to ask what plans are in place to prevent displacement in the West End, and we hear from some experts about whether the city is on the right track. Here Today is a listener-supported project. YOU make it possible for us to hold the people in power accountable for the promises they make. Click here to chip in: wfpl.org/supportheretoday +

Homeownership has been touted as “the American dream” for decades -- and some advocates say it’s also the way to prevent gentrification in west Louisville. On this episode of Here Today, we take a look at homeownership in the West End, and whether owning your own home really leads to inter-generational wealth. Support this work, by clicking here: wfpl.org/supportheretoday

When you rent a place to live, you’re subject to the whims of your landlord. Whether you’ve lived in your place for a year or 10 years, if your landlord decides to sell, you could be forced out.  The changes happening in west Louisville are affecting the people who live there, and most of them are renters. As property values rise in the West End and property owners consider selling, what does that mean for the renters there? Did you learn something new from this episode? Click here to make a donation that helps us keep learning stuff together: wfpl.org/supportheretoday

The site where Beecher Terrace was built has a story that's much older than the housing complex itself. Louisville's first black doctor had a home there with his family. The city's first cemetery occupied what's now Baxter Square Park. Before we move on from Beecher Terrace, we spend some time this week learning more of that story. Click here to support Here Today: wfpl.org/supportheretoday

Construction of the new Beecher Terrace continues, and fewer than a hundred families are living in what’s left of the old complex. Several hundred others are settling into their new homes throughout the city. While some displaced residents await the new and improved Beecher, others are content to leave it behind and start anew. Those who do come back will find themselves living with lots of new neighbors -- not all of whom are low income folks, like before. Will it still feel like home? Last week we talked about the “big four” West End investments. Today on Here Today, we focus in on the biggest: the over $200 million dollar redevelopment of Beecher Terrace. *Click here today support the work we do on Here Today! *wfpl.org/supportheretoday Today's additional music: "Catching Feelings," Audiobinger "Manele," Blue Dot Sessions "Never Can Stop It," Lobo Loco

When someone makes a promise to you and then doesn’t follow through, would you believe them the next time? And if you trust them a second time and they don’t come through, what about a third time? In recent years, plans for new developments in the West End -- like the FoodPort and a Super Walmart -- have come and gone. Now, west Louisville residents are again being asked to put their faith in planned developments aimed at revitalizing the neighborhoods, particularly Russell. Will things be different this time? For some projects, the answer seems to be yes -- things are going along as planned. For others, the future seems less certain. _ Here Today is listener supported, and every little bit helps. Click here to support the work we do: wfpl.org/supportheretoday

What comes to mind when you hear “west Louisville?” Do you picture the families who live there? People coming together for barbecues and neighborhood block parties. Kids playing in the park. Neighborhood churches. Or when you think of the West End, are you reminded of the last thing you heard about it on the news? A recent shooting. People living in poverty. Neighborhoods filled with abandoned houses. The story of west Louisville is not a simple one. It’s not one that can be easily encapsulated in a sound bite. And it's a story that could be drastically changing soon. But to understand the future, we have to look to the past. On episode one of Here Today, we explore the people and policies that created today's West End. Here Today is produced and reported by Amina Elahi, Laura Ellis, Jonese Franklin, and Kyeland Jackson. Website and data reporting are by Alexandra Kanik. You can support Here Today by making a donation here. 

This is a pivotal moment for west Louisville. There's a track & field complex planned, a new YMCA in the works, and the renovation of Beecher Terrace. But as property values rise, so do property taxes, and that can be a hardship for the people already living there. Is this revitalization? Or gentrification? If you're seeing this trailer because you were subscribed to our news podcast, Recut, you know these are issues we've been keeping an eye on all along. Now we're going to take a closer look. Here Today will track the changes in Louisville's West End, and tell the stories of the people who call it home. Coming this summer, from Louisville Public Media.

Over the past six months or so on Recut, we've talked about a little bit of everything, from bedbugs to Bird scooters. The newsroom was our oyster, and we were always on the lookout for those times it seemed like there might be more to the story than what made it into the newscast. We started seeing the same theme pop up again and again: Where you live in Louisville can dramatically affect what your life is like. Depending on which side of 9th Street you call home, you might be more or less likely to own a car, have internet access, or live next to an abandoned house. You might even be in more or less danger in the event of catastrophic flooding. In September, we did an episode that spelled it all out: The Thin Line Between Revitalization and Gentrification. West Louisville, long facing all the challenges we'd been learning about, was suddenly flush with investment dollars and new projects. A track & field complex. A YMCA. A headquarters for Passport Health. A brand new version of Beecher Terrace. Property values would go up, and prosperity would come to the neighborhood. But with higher property values comes higher property taxes. House flippers were hanging signs and knocking on doors, trying to scoop up property before the promised boom. We started to wonder what these changes would mean for the folks who already call West Louisville home. So we've decided to make that our new focus. We want to follow the changes in West Louisville in real time--not look back in five years and wonder what happened to the neighborhoods that used to be there. Starting this Spring, we'll bring you a brand new weekly podcast that will tell the story as it unfolds. Lots of people with money and power are making big promises in West Louisville. On this week's episode of Recut, we talk a little about what we hope to accomplish, and share some of the work we've done so far.

Last night, Louisville Metro Council approved a zoning change that will pave the way for Unity Place--an affordable housing complex in the Okolona neighborhood that would also include some housing for refugees. Since the project was introduced, nearby property owners have been very vocal about their concerns. The zoning change process is itself complicated for council members, who have to balance following the rules with what their constituents are asking for. WFPL's Amina Elahi joins us today on Recut to explain how the process works.

When you flip the switch, the light comes on. It's something we all take for granted, and it's possible because of coal energy. But burning coal for electricity leaves something behind: coal ash, containing things like barium. And arsenic. We burn a lot of coal in this country, producing huge amounts of coal ash that we have to figure out what to do with. At the D.B. Wilson power plant in Western Kentucky, that coal ash goes into unlined landfills. It’s been seen in ditches and ponds that flow into the Green River, and it's also been seeping into the groundwater--possibly for as long as 18 years. Coal ash is supposed to be regulated, and the regulations are supposed to keep people safe from it. So what went wrong at D.B. Wilson? WFPL's environment reporter Ryan Van Velzer joins us on this episode of Recut, to explain.

If you've ever seen "The Nutcracker," you know a good part of the second act takes place in the beautiful Land of Sweets. Clara and the Prince travel there and meet dancing delicacies from around the world--candy canes from Russia, chocolate from Spain, and the famous Sugar Plum Fairy. But one of the sequences, as historically performed, hits a more sour note: The Chinese tea dance. The segment often features stereotyped caricatures of Chinese people. Dancers wear rice paddy hats and deep black eyeliner overextended out to their temples. They perform movements that reflect white people's stereotypes of Asian dance, rather than any connection to real Chinese culture. These dancers (and most of their audiences) are usually white. But a man named Phil Chan is leading a movement to change this part of 'The Nutcracker." His campaign is called Final Bow for Yellowface. And lots of the country's biggest ballet companies are now rethinking the way they stage the Chinese Tea Dance--including Louisville's. WFPL's Ashlie Stevens wrote about the scene and the campaign to change it. She joins us today on Recut.

When you open a bottle of bourbon, do you ever stop to think about where it came from? We like to picture an old man, maybe two, filling my bottle by hand after having tasted the recipe over and over to make sure it was just right. Just for us. It may come as no surprise to you that that's pretty far off the mark. (It's also possible that we're confusing the bourbon-making process with how illegal moonshine is made.) Bourbon is an $8.5 billion industry in Kentucky. And if you're watching bourbon being made, you're likely to see more people in white coats than old dudes in overalls. Reporter Ashlie Stevens has been looking into the chemistry and technology behind the bourbon industry. She joins us on today's show.

The Kentucky Legislature has no official policy against sexual harassment. Yep, you read that right. Despite some pretty big scandals over the years, including news last year that four Republican lawmakers — including former House Speaker Jeff Hoover — secretly paid a former staffer after she alleged the men sexually harassed her, state lawmakers still haven't passed any anti-harassment bills. For state employees, however, there are specific rules against sexual harassment. But, as we learned in a previous episode, even with rules in place, Kentucky employees have filed about 250 formal sexual harassment complaints over the last five years, and experts say that number probably represents only a portion of total incidents. And then last week, our newsroom broke two stories: Capitol Bureau Chief Ryland Barton reported that former House Speaker Hoover is fighting to seal a deposition of a former staffer who reportedly accused him of sexual harassment —  and assault. And Eleanor Klibanoff with the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting wrote about a court ruling that forced the state Labor Cabinet  to release the names of its employees accused of harassment — even if the claims aren’t substantiated. After the ruling, Eleanor found out that the man whose name they’d been withholding has a long list of criminal charges, including domestic violence. Ryland and Eleanor join us today on Recut.

You've probably heard of the Great Flood of 1937 — maybe you even have relatives who lived through it. It was late January, and parts of Louisville, including The Point and the West End, were under water. Residents and business owners in the Highlands and parts of the Central Business District were far luckier. So, what if it were to happen again? We've certainly learned valuable lessons from the 1937 flood, and we even have something now that we didn't have then: a flood protection system. And that would save us today from catastrophic flood, right? The honest answer: maybe. Louisville’s flood protection system is one of the largest in the country, in terms of the number of people it protects. But parts of it are very, very old and in dire need of repairs. WFPL Energy and Environment reporter Ryan Van Velzer joins us today to tell us the good and bad news about the city's flood protection plan, and we talk about how worried we should really be.

A few months ago, we told you about a bedbug infestation in a public housing complex called Dosker Manor — a 700-unit high rise for older people and people with disabilities. Jake Ryan from the Kentucky Center of Investigative Reporting found city records showing that residents in nearly half of the units at Dosker have complained to the city about bedbugs since 2016. Despite those repeated complaints, the complex remained infested. Since then, the property has had another inspection by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It failed, for the third year in a row. Inspectors found exposed wires, leaky pipes, clogged drains, broken locks, missing sprinklers and more in the city's largest public housing facility. They did score higher this year than last year, though. They've also made some personnel changes in the maintenance department, pledged to spend the money to fix the building, and hired an expert consultant on pest control. Residents say they see crews working more often and things seem to be getting better. But they still have bedbugs. Jake Ryan  joins us today with an update.

One of the things we love most about working in radio is meeting new people and hearing their stories. There aren't too many other jobs where you can meet a stranger in one moment and in the next they're telling you some of the most intimate parts of their life. It's pretty weird when you think about it but the fact that people trust us with things so personal is pretty special. WFPL has partnered with IDEAS xLab to bring you Tough and Universal: Stories of Grit, first-person accounts from people in the community who’ve overcome significant challenges and thrived despite the odds. WFPL News Director Erica Peterson and Theo Edmonds from IDEAS xLab join us today to talk about the partnership, and we'll hear excerpts from each of the stories.

A couple years ago, WFPL launched Curious Louisville, a regular series where listeners ask us questions about the city and we investigate to find the answers. And let me tell you, you have not disappointed. We've gotten some really interesting questions, including what happens to zoo animals when they die, why we pronounce Louisville the way we do, whether the high-five was invented here, and many others. But in the past couple years, we've received nearly a dozen questions about one particular topic: Recycling. Y'all are really, really curious about recycling. And, after two years of asking, you're gonna get your answers. WFPL Energy and Environment reporter Ryan Van Velzer joins us today to tell us what you wanted to know and what he found out.

Louisville’s Land Bank Authority acquires abandoned properties and then sells them to new owners very cheap, sometimes for as little as a dollar. The new owners have six months to rehab the outside of the house, and 18 months to fix the inside. Last December, a record year for landbank sales, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer called the program a “win for neighbors and for public safety.” But reporter Jake Ryan with the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting found that of the 316 properties the landbank has sold, almost a third are vacant and in violation of the city’s property maintenance codes. The landbank has the authority to take houses back if the buyer doesn’t hold up their end of the bargain, but they've only actually done that one time since 2010. Jake joins us today on Recut to tell us what he found out about why those properties remain vacant, and what people living nearby have to say about it.

For many of us, having the internet at home is as important as having electricity, or maybe even water. We use it to watch our favorite TV shows, to do homework, to pay bills. But inside 40 percent of Louisville's poorest households, there is no internet access. Those families don't hop on the computer to help kids with homework, they don't look up tutorials for home repairs, and they don't play games online or look at social media. These are things we — and maybe you, too — take for granted. But for many Louisvillians, having the internet at home is just not an option. Internet access is essential for most people anymore, and the city of Louisville has a digital inclusion plan that aims to help low-income residents get connected at home. City reporter Amina Elahi joins us today to talk about how the plan is working and how it could be improved, and we meet a woman whose life is being changed just by being able to get online at home.

In early August, Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher announced that the John Breckinridge Castleman statue would be removed from Cherokee Triangle. Debate about the Castleman monument and other controversial works of art was sparked last August when the Castleman statue was vandalized with paint. This happened a day after violence erupted at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Following the deadly rally, cities around the country —  including Lexington — moved swiftly to relocate their Confederate monuments. Louisville did not act so quickly; we had nearly a year of committee meetings and public comments. Now, the statue will be moved. And the conversation is moving ahead, too, to the next question: What should replace it? We asked WFPL listeners what you thought should go in the statue's place, and we'll hear some of those answers on today's show, with arts reporter Ashlie Stevens. (Oh! And since you asked, yes, this is pledge drive week! Everything we do at WFPL is only possible because of listener support and that includes Recut. Donate at wfpl.org. And thanks!)

We've seen it before: A neighborhood dealing with high poverty and crime, and offering few economic prospects, is given a boost. State and federal investments for new projects are approved. Maybe a new, trendy restaurant or bar or coffee shop comes in — thanks to the low property costs — and soon, other businesses follow. Developers begin to buy homes in the area for cheap and flip them for big profits. Property values and property taxes rise, and before you know it, the neighborhood barely resembles its former self. And the people who've lived there for years, some of them for decades, can no longer afford to live in the place they call home. There's no denying that West Louisville needs a boost. At one time, jobs were plentiful and businesses thrived. The Russell neighborhood was even nicknamed “Louisville’s Harlem.” But that was a long time ago. Many residents in the west now live in poverty, and rates of crime in the West End are among the highest in the city. But with major investment for new projects ahead — including a new track and field sports complex, a renovated Beecher Terrace, and a neighborhood YMCA — West Louisville is likely headed for big changes. Today on Recut, WFPL's Kyeland Jackson talks about revitalization efforts in the West End, and the line between neighborhood renewal and gentrification.

Sitting in our recording studio, we're within about five miles of 15 different drug addiction recovery facilities. From our station, it’s a 17-minute walk to someplace you can get a Hepatitis A vaccine, even if you don’t have health insurance. We're in downtown Louisville. But the opioid and Hep A epidemics look very different outside of big cities. In small towns, where everyone knows everyone else, the stigma attached to seeking treatment for substance use disorders can be intense. Plenty of evidence says needle exchange programs help prevent the spread of disease, but they’re politically unpopular. Mary Meehan and Aaron Payne cover health issues for the Ohio Valley ReSource. “To talk to people in active addiction is difficult because they don’t want to be associated with the opioid epidemic,” Aaron said. “Even people in recovery sometimes are hesitant to talk about their experience. They’re still afraid of the stigma, so it can be difficult to find people to talk to that have lived through this disease.” They join us on today’s show to talk about their experiences covering the opioid epidemic and related issues in rural communities.

“We should have a scroll at the top of all JCPS coverage, like what happens at the beginning of “Star Wars” movies.” —words of wisdom from producer Laura Ellis. It’s not the worst idea. I don’t know about you but I find it really hard to keep up — even if you work in a newsroom every day. Let’s (try to) break it down: It feels like a "long time ago," but it was actually back in April. Gov. Matt Bevin appointed seven new members to the Kentucky Board of Education, giving his appointees full control. During a meeting the next day, the new board pressured Kentucky Education Commissioner Stephen Pruitt to resign, which he did. The board then named University of Kentucky professor and charter schools proponent Wayne Lewis interim commissioner. Two weeks later, Lewis released a scathing audit of the district and recommended a state takeover. You keeping up? At the end of May, the JCPS board voted to appeal the state takeover. Hearings to settle the matter were scheduled to begin in September. But, in July, Lewis offered the district a settlement instead of going through with the takeover. After many meetings, the JCPS board this week voted to take the deal. We know some terms of the agreement, but the two sides still have to come up with a corrective action plan. If they don’t, Lewis gets the final say. WFPL's Roxanne Scott has been spending way too many evenings waiting for them to come out of closed-session meetings. She joins us to share what's in the agreement, and what could happen next.

The Parklands of Floyds Fork is 4,000 acres of undeveloped land in southeast Louisville. It’s one of the last undeveloped regions of Louisville, and it’s home to mammals, aquatic animals, and plants — some of which aren’t found anywhere else in the world. It centers around a 62-mile long waterway called Floyds Fork. A new subdivision is in the works for the area, and conservationists are worried that the additional runoff and wastewater from homes and apartments would cause the collapse of the stream’s ecosystem. WFPL’s environment reporter Ryan Van Velzer joins us on today’s Recut to explain how the development could affect the stream. The developers and the conservationists each have their own positions; Ryan tells us what the data shows. And the whole issue brings up a kind of cognitive dissonance: a place is beautiful, so we love it and want to live there, but in order to live there, we have to take away some of what makes it beautiful (or possibly even destroy it altogether). Near the end of today’s show, things get a little far afield (pun intended) as Ryan takes us inside the mind of an environment reporter. “I knew car exhaust was bad for me,” he said. “But now I know the mechanism in which it’s bad for me.” And after today’s show, we do, too (thanks a lot, Ryan).

Recut host Jonese Franklin says she's seen a handful of Star Trek episodes over the years, but isn't much of a fan. "I’ve also seen a few of the movies and I can see how Trekkies are born," she said. "But when I found out reporter Ashlie Stevens was attending a Klingon convention (and that a Klingon convention is actually a thing) I’ll admit that you probably could have heard my eyes roll." To think that someone could be so devoted to Star Trek — not even the show itself but a species featured on the show — that they would attend a convention about a made up language seemed pretty nerdy. Then, Ashlie joined us to talk about the convention and the people she met there. And something happened. We realized that we’re all nerdy about something. What seems super weird to one person might be very important to another. On this episode of Recut, Ashlie talks about her experience at the Klingon convention, and we — along with other WFPL reporters — confess our own nerdy obsessions.

They showed up one day, unexpectedly, like a gift from Santa. One hundred small, black, electric scooters, scattered throughout downtown Louisville. And then, 30 hours later... they were gone. It turns out that other cities have experienced the same phenomenon, thanks to a California-based company called Bird. The city says it had been working with Bird on how to regulate the scooters but that the company launched prematurely. So Louisville asked Bird to pull the scooters and the company complied. Now, the Bird is back. An agreement between the company and the city allows the scooters to be rented and driven inside the Watterson Expressway. But that agreement expires on September 8. WFPL's Amina Elahi has been covering the scooter saga and she joins us today on Recut to talk about how scooters could fit into the local transit ecosystem.

Louisville is home to one of the most famous sporting events in the world: The Kentucky Derby. During the first weekend in May, Hollywood celebrities, famous athletes and many other well-to-do put on their best hats and head to Louisville for the first leg of the Triple Crown. I'm not a native Louisvillian but even I can tell you that Derby is about much more than "The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports." There are concerts and boat races and charity events. Restaurants and bars create special menus. It feels kind of like a holiday. There are also a lot of fancy parties. And one of the fanciest is Mayor Greg Fischer's. This year, Fischer's Derby weekend guests stayed at the brand-new Omni Hotel, drank bonded bourbon, dined on braised lamb, were chauffeured to the racetrack, and for two days, watched races from the posh sixth floor Skye Terrace at Churchill Downs. So, who did Fischer entertain? LeBron? Elon Musk? Bill and Melinda Gates? Oprah? Can't say, because while Fisher's invite-only Derby weekend cost taxpayers about $109,000 this year, the guest list remains a secret, all in the name of economic development. Mary Ellen Wiederwohl, the city's chief economic development officer, said that publicly identifying attendees would have a “chilling effect” on their future participation. As Metro Council is considering an ordinance that would force Fischer to disclose his Derby guest list, city reporter Amina Elahi looked into how other cities operate. Amina joins us today to tell us what she found.

When you hear or watch news stories about Louisville's West End, many times it's not positive news. West Louisville neighborhoods like Russell used to be full of thriving businesses, and were destinations for arts and culture. Now, high poverty, low employment and crime are what many people associate with the neighborhood. Russell residents would be the first to tell you that there's much more to their neighborhood than what you hear on the news. That good things happen there. And maybe most importantly, good people live there, too. As part of The Next Louisville, a partnership with The Community Foundation of Louisville, reporter Kyeland Jackson went into Russell to talk with residents about their neighborhood and what makes it special. Today on Recut, Kyeland tells us what he learned, and we'll hear from some of the Russell residents he met.

Growing up in Louisville, in a not-particularly-politically-engaged family, I had never heard of Fancy Farm until I started working in a newsroom.  When I did, I almost thought the reporters were kidding me. It's a church picnic, in Western Kentucky, where some of the most important people in Kentucky politics go every year and make funny, trash-talking speeches about each other? Sure. I've still never been (I have to fix that one of these years), but now I'm a believer: Fancy Farm might be one of the Kentuckiest things in Kentucky.  This year, the big stories were that Governor Bevin didn't show up, and that Allison Lundergran Grimes apparently has jokes for days: "Mitch had to leave because he is very busy rushing a Supreme Court vote. It is so sad. Like many men, he suffers from premature confirmation. And like a man, he claims it never happens to him."  Capital reporter Ryland Barton has been covering Fancy Farm for the past four years. He joins us on today's show to give us the highlights of this year's picnic, and wax philosophical about the event as a whole.

If you’re poor or living paycheck to paycheck, you might not be able to set aside money for retirement. In fact, retiring might not even be a real option for you. If you’re fortunate enough to have some savings or a retirement account, you’ll have to think about how long you can make that money last. One of the fastest-growing populations in Kentucky is people 65 and older. And for a third of that group, Social Security is their only source of income, according to 2016 Census data. Those people are faced with living off just a fraction of what their income was when they were employed, with the same bills to pay. Some people have to keep working to make ends meet. As part of The Next Louisville, a partnership with the Community Foundation of Louisville, WFPL’s Lisa Gillespie spoke with three people dealing with this issue. She joins us today with their stories.

When you're looking for a new job, there are lots of things to consider. Does it pay enough? Would you enjoy the work itself? What kind of benefits and time off do you get? And, of course: the commute. If all the other answers are great, you might be willing to overlook some extra time in the car every day. But if you ride the bus, you might not have that option. As part of The Next Louisville, our partnership with the Community Foundation of Louisville, WFPL's Amina Elahi talked with people who use public transportation in Louisville. She learned that bus routes are the deciding factor in where some Louisvillians live and work (and if you've heard our show before, or if you know anything at all about Louisville, you won't be surprised to hear that some parts of town are more widely-affected than others). Amina joins us this week, along with data reporter Alexandra Kanik, who created a visual representation of bus routes & how long they take compared to driving your own car.

I love bourbon. You probably love bourbon and I bet your friends love bourbon, too. Bourbon is as Kentucky as horses, college basketball and Naomi and Wynonna. But believe it or not, some bourbon makers are afraid you and I might one day fall out of love with that delicious, sweet elixir (I personally can't see it, but it's happened before). And now with other countries imposing retaliatory tariffs on American-made products — like bourbon — the bourbon industry can't necessarily rely on global thirst to support it in the event of a stateside bourbon bust. It's on the minds of Kentucky bourbon makers, especially those at the smaller shops. WFPL's Ashlie Stevens visited a small craft distiller in Bourbon County to find out how he's preparing for the future. Ashlie joins us today on Recut.

Mining experts say that black lung disease is 100 percent preventable. But a new study by federal health officials found a recent surge in cases of black lung disease — a surge that is especially concentrated among coal miners in central Appalachia. In the U.S., one in 10 coal miners have black lung disease; in Central Appalachia, it's more like one in five. NPR and The Ohio Valley ReSource have worked together for about 18 months to cover the black lung epidemic in the region. Reporters visited black lung clinics and spoke to miners with the disease. Today on Recut, we hear from NPR's Howard Berkes and Jeff Young from The Ohio Valley ReSource about the state of black lung and about their reporting. Plus, we'll from the miners themselves.

In Jefferson County, an average of 7,500 households are evicted every year, more than double the national average according to data from Princeton University’s Eviction Lab. It should come at no surprise that most evictions occur in the poorest neighborhoods — in west and south Louisville. Jake Ryan from the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting teamed up with Anne Marshall, who wrote about evictions for Louisville Magazine. They went to eviction court, spoke with people facing eviction, and with the sheriff's deputies who serve eviction notices. Jake and Anne join us today on Recut.

Chances are you've heard of a "do not resuscitate" order, or what is often simply called a "DNR." It's a written directive that lets hospital staff know that in the event a patient's heart or pulse stops, the patient does not want advanced CPR — which in a hospital usually means inserting a breathing tube, administering medication to help restart the heart, and doing chest compressions. There could be many reasons someone would choose to have a DNR order; many times, elderly and terminally ill patients have them. It seems pretty clear-cut but studies show that some hospitals are misinterpreting DNR orders and applying the directive before patients actually die. WFPL health reporter Lisa Gillespie spoke to a Kentucky woman who experienced this and Lisa joins us today on Recut.

Ninth Street. The Ninth Street divide. West of Ninth. Mention any of these phrases to just about any Louisvillian and they'll know what you're talking about. In fact, there are people who are new to the city that would already know what you're talking about. The Ninth Street corridor is multiple lanes of traffic with a wide median. It's a physical — and psychological — barrier between black and white. Rich and poor. It separates the predominantly black neighborhoods of West Louisville from the mostly white neighborhoods of the east. Many folks who live in West Louisville have to cross Ninth Street to work, shop and eat, while those who live elsewhere have few reasons to go "west of Ninth." Now, the city is considering proposals to "re-imagine" Ninth Street. They want to add parks, art and make room for food trucks. The proposals would slow down traffic and make it more pedestrian-friendly. Written in the concept plans for the city's project, there's this: "As energy builds to re-imagine Ninth Street, it is crucial to understand how the corridor is used today and where it wants to go tomorrow." But what about yesterday? Can Louisville improve Ninth Street without acknowledging the divide and how it became divided in first place? Reporter Amina Elahi is covering this story for WFPL and she joins us today on Recut.

At 6-foot-11 and 220 pounds, 17-year-old Charles Bassey is a wonder. According to ESPN, Bassey averaged 19.4 points and 12.8 rebounds last season at Louisville’s Aspire Academy and he got 13 points and 16 rebounds against the United States in the Nike Hoop Summit this past April. He’s already forecast as a top NBA draft pick in 2019. To put it mildly, Bassey’s backstory is interesting. Three years ago, when he was just 14 years old, he left his home and his family in Nigeria to pursue a high school basketball career in the United States. Under the guidance of a man who would become his legal guardian, in just a few years, Bassey became a top-five prospect. He was on track to graduate from DeSales High School 2019. Then, a few weeks ago, news broke that Bassey would “reclassify” and commit to Western Kentucky University. Since then, many questions have emerged about his graduation, among other things. Eleanor Klibanoff with the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting has been following Bassey’s story. She joins us today on Recut.

Since taking office in late 2015, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has been on a mission to roll back the state's Medicaid expansion. And honestly, that shouldn't surprise many people. Bevin campaigned on the issue. He said making changes to the system — including charging some Medicaid recipients monthly premiums and requiring them to work or volunteer to maintain coverage — would give them “dignity and respect.” The Trump administration agreed with the Republican governor and in January approved his proposed changes, making Kentucky the first state to get the go-ahead to institute a work requirement for Medicaid recipients. But not long after Bevin won approval, a group of 16 Kentuckians filed a lawsuit arguing the Medicaid changes were illegal. On June 29, a federal judge ruled in favor of the group and overturned Bevin's Medicaid changes. In turn, Bevin took away dental and vision coverage from all Medicaid expansion recipients, about 460,000 people. That brings us to present time. So, where do we go from here? Kentucky Public Radio Capitol Reporter Ryland Barton breaks it down today on Recut.

They city of Louisville owns about 400 pieces of public art. One of the most well-known — and most controversial — is the John Breckinridge Castleman statue in the Cherokee Triangle. Castleman was integral in developing Louisville’s park system — and he also served in the Confederacy. Following a violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, last August over the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee in a public park, cities around the country began removing and relocating their own Confederate statues, including in nearby Lexington. Just five days after Charlottesville, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council voted unanimously to move two Confederate statues from prominent places in the downtown area. But in Louisville, the process to address monuments linked to the Confederacy has been much slower. Mayor Greg Fischer formed a committee to create principles and criteria for evaluating all of Louisville’s public art, including the Castleman statue. Since then, the Castleman statue has been vandalized three times. After almost a year, the committee released its official recommendations on principles and criteria for evaluating Louisville’s public art. Reporter Ashlie Stevens has been covering this story for WFPL. Today on Recut, we’ll talk about the long debate over Castleman and why Louisville hasn’t been as decisive as other cities when it comes to this issue.

Dosker Manor is a three-building public housing complex for older people and people with disabilities on the eastern edge of downtown Louisville. When it was inspected by the federal government last year, the complex scored 39 out of a possible 100. Of 6,924 public housing complexes in the United States, only about 100 scored worse than Dosker. And the residents of Dosker Manor could probably give you some ideas why. City records show that residents in nearly half of the almost 700 units at Dosker Manor have complained to the city about bedbugs in recent years, and many have complained multiple times. Despite their calls for help, the complex is infested with bedbugs. Earlier this month, Jake Ryan with The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting wrote a story about the conditions at Dosker Manor and he spoke with residents about what it’s like to live there and deal with bedbugs every day. Jake joins us today on Recut.

Black youth make up less than 27 percent of Louisville's population, but more than 75 percent of youth jailed in Louisville last year were black. To put it another way: 3 out of 4 kids in Louisville's detention center are black, but only 1 out of 4 kids in Louisville are black. Over the last year, Kate Howard with the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting looked at the state's juvenile justice system and she found that black kids are not only locked up more often than white kids, but they are also given harsher punishments. Kate joins us today on Recut to talk about her reporting and she tells us about some families and teenagers she met in the process.

When you're hired by the state of Kentucky, you may have to take anti-harassment training — or you may not, it depends on which agency you work for. Another variable? Whether you're sent to training after you've been accused of harassment on the job....and whether you're forced to repeat the exact same training if you're accused again. According to state records, Kentucky employees have filed about 250 formal sexual harassment complaints over the last five years, though some experts agree that number probably represents only a portion of total incidents. A report from the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting earlier this year found inconsistencies from state agency to state agency regarding the depth of sexual harassment investigations, how offenders are punished, and even what the state calls the behavior. There are also major differences in how each cabinet trains its employees about harassment. That got WFPL reporter Ashlie Stevens wondering...does the state's anti-harassment training actually work? Ashlie looked into it, and she joins us today on Recut to talk about it.

Coal ash is a byproduct of burning coal for electricity. We burn a lot of coal in this country, leaving behind a lot of coal ash, which contains mercury, arsenic, lead, and other dangerous substances. And it all has to go somewhere. For the last several decades, that somewhere has mostly been in huge ponds, where it’s doused with water to keep it from blowing away. When you drive by or fly over a power plant, you’ll see big, black lakes — that’s coal ash. Sometimes it’s pretty close to residential neighborhoods. Many of the ponds are unlined, so the water seeps into the ground underneath. Until 2015, there were no federal regulations about coal ash at all. WFPL Environment Reporter Ryan Van Velzer did a story looking at new coal ash regulations, and how Kentucky companies are following them. It’s part of a three-part series from WFPL and the Ohio Valley ReSource called “Coal Ash Uncovered.” Ryan joins us on today’s Recut, along with WFPL News Director Erica Peterson.

On Election Day, Kentucky voters will choose representatives for Congress and the statehouse. And they'll also be asked if they want to change the state constitution to include Marsy’s Law, a constitutional amendment that would give protections to victims of alleged crimes. On today’s episode of Recut, host Jonese Franklin talks with Kentucky Public Radio Reporter Ryland Barton. Ryland this week wrote a story about a planned challenge from defense attorneys to keep Marsy’s Law off the ballot in November. Jonese and Ryland talk about the arguments for and against the law, and check in with an attorney on the language of the ballot measure.

Welcome to the debut episode of Recut! After months of planning, we're very excited to finally share this podcast with you. On this episode, host Jonese Franklin speaks with WFPL Education Reporter Roxanne Scott about Jefferson County Public Schools' plan to address teacher diversity. We also talk about why having a teacher that looks like you is important, and about our own experiences with teachers of color.