The Courier-Journal (Louisville)

‘If we don’t fight for it, nobody’s going to fight for it’

It took three decades, millions of dollars and a change in state law to bring an abandoned chemical complex in Algonquin to the verge of redevelopment – but a looming legal fight still threatens to set back a long-awaited project. The notorious Rhodia...

Flock camera vandalism is surging in Louisville

Cut down. Spraypainted. Stolen. Since last October, Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras in Louisville have been vandalized or gone missing on at least two dozen occasions according to documents obtained by The Courier Journal under...

After 11 years on dialysis, this Bardstown woman finally got a new kidney

LaQuayia “LQ” Goldring, 37, hoped dialysis would keep her alive long enough to see all her siblings graduate from high school. The Bardstown woman was a cancer survivor, a college student and a big sister to 11 when the donated kidney she’d received...

The Lexington plane crash, 20 years later

This week’s Sunday cover story focuses on the 20th anniversary of Comair Flight 5191. h The commercial flight from Lexington’s Blue Grass Airport bound for Atlanta accidentally took off from the wrong runway, which was too short. The plane crashed just...

Texas Roadhouse growing its footprint — in grocery stores

For decades, warm yeast rolls and deliciously spreadable cinnamon butter have been a staple in Texas Roadhouse restaurants across the country. The fast-casual steakhouse chain headquartered in Louisville has managed to turn steaks, loaded baked...

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SPORTS, 1B

Head Start providers worry changes may harm program

A new proposal from the Trump administration seeks to roll back many requirements for Head Start, leaving some Kentucky providers with concerns over the future of the federally funded preschool and child care program for low-income families. The...

KY cattle advocates balk at beef imports

President Donald Trump’s plan to allow hundreds of thousands of tons of beef to be imported into the U.S. over the next 90 days has drawn significant pushback from industry advocates in Kentucky – including a congressman who’s been a thorn in Trump’s...

The movement to ‘8664’ is aiming for a comeback

A movement to “8664” is aiming for a return to Louisville’s consciousness, two decades after discussions about Interstate 64’s place in the city were often heard. Members of the original 8664 group are “looking to get the band back together,” said Ken...

Trump’s proposal could allow roads, logging in undeveloped tract

The Trump administration is moving to repeal a federal conservation rule that has long protected undeveloped swaths of national forests from roads and logging — including more than 2,800 acres at the heart of Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. The Roadless...

Tough fight to mitigate measles outbreak risk

With measles cases in the U.S. at a 30-year high, many health experts and parents, including in the Louisville metro area, are taking a closer look at protection measures for children. More than 2,465 measles cases have been confirmed nationwide as of...

Roblox says deceased girl waived suit rights at age 8

Can an 8-year-old waive their rights to sue a company by clicking a box? That’s the stance of Roblox, an online gaming platform that bills itself as a digital playground. The argument comes as the $41 billion company is embroiled in a lawsuit with...

Famous Lewis and Clark Expedition comes full circle in Louisville

The expedition of Lewis and Clark may sometimes be told without references to the Louisville metro, but the area itself plays a key role in both the beginning and end of their famous exploration of the western U.S. While there is a lot to say about...

Letters about updated maps spark confusion

Susan and Bobby Melhart moved into their Oldham County home from Louisville’s Germantown neighborhood in 1997. The home, which sits near the border of Oldham and Jefferson counties in the Willow Creek subdivision, was an ideal fit, foremost because it...

‘More time on the clock’

Three pills a day could give Christina Baumer dozens more weekly movie nights with her 5-year-old twins. Those pills, a ground-breaking new drug for late-stage pancreatic cancer, could possibly create time for hundreds more family dinners. It could...

Cubans discuss Castro heir

Sometimes going days without power at their home in La Habana, Cuba, Louisville resident Yensy González’s parents struggle to stay in touch with her. In their city, trash accumulates on their street while they stockpile food rations in their...

A place for history lovers, gearheads, pop culture fans

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Inside the Skydome of the National Corvette Museum, a cathedral for horsepower, sunlight shines through the glass ceiling onto a display of Corvettes, making visitors like Steve and Rachael Stepro stop in their tracks. The couple...

Reporter tells the story of iconic Chevrolet Corvette

The Chevrolet Corvette, an iconic American made sports car, has been produced in Bowling Green, Kentucky, for 45 years. h The car’s history and legacy in pop culture extends beyond its time in the commonwealth, dating back to the first Corvette to make...

‘World-class attraction’

A completely overhauled design for downtown Louisville’s Belvedere unveiled Aug. 11 includes a soaring performance space, winding walking path and children’s play area, among a slew of other features. Having pivoted from an initial design deemed too...

Is it worth it?

This year, John Mays hoped to renovate his 2,600-square-foot historic home in the Chickasaw neighborhood, but it hasn’t been as easy as calling up a contractor and paying a bill. His 100-year-old home lies within an area the Louisville Metro Council...

Jeffersonville mayor pushes back against bridge project

The mayor of Jeffersonville, Indiana, is calling for city and state leaders in Kentucky to come to the table to discuss a project centered around the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge that has created tension across state lines. Indiana leaders have...

Get a slice of NYC at these Louisville spots

FOOD, 1C

Persistent problem

The health care industry continues to prove itself essential amid ongoing disease outbreaks from cyclospora and salmonella across the U.S. However, a recent report from the Kentucky Hospital Association that looked at workforce data from 2025 found...

‘We’re still fighting’

On May 14, 1963, the Louisville Board of Aldermen passed an ordinance banning racial discrimination at public businesses — a move that earned the city national praise. A New York Times piece republished in The Courier Journal on June 5, 1963, declared,...

Choose-your-own-adventure exit

This week’s Sunday cover story focuses on Louisville’s most dangerous intersections. Louisville drivers have consistently ranked among the “worst” in recent national studies, based on collision and fatality data. Courier Journal reporter Stephanie...

At a crossroads

Cornbread Hemp’s cofounders spoke for more than 15 minutes about the future of their industry in early August, but their comments could be summed up in two words lit up next to them: “SAVE HEMP,” the jumbo LED sign displayed. Speaking to a receptive...

THE FIRST DAY

The streets of Louisville were once again crowded with vehicles marked by car rider tag numbers and buses stuffed with new backpacks as more than 90,000 students returned to Jefferson County Public Schools classrooms Aug. 6. h The start of the new...

KY’s fix for Medicaid cuts only temporary

Kentucky’s Medicaid providers may have avoided drastic cuts previously set for Aug. 1, but the financial crisis is far from over, with experts warning a temporary solution could leave the state facing a greater shortfall in the future. In June, the...

War of words, images

As leaflet bombs packed with propaganda exploded over North Korea and China in the 1950s, one Louisville man tucked a copy of each message away for safekeeping. h For decades, those papers rested in a large straw basket Lt. Allen Schwartz brought home...

EARTH-FRIENDLY CONSUMERISM

Inside owner Leslie Delgado’s eco-friendly, fair trade gift store are imported trinkets and tubs of everything from plant-based granite and tile cleaner to lemongrass-scented laundry detergent, all used to promote waste reduction. h Delgado opened...

Law takes on security at businesses

Louisville Metro Council approved an ordinance July 30 requiring late-night businesses deemed a nuisance to have security personnel on site. The ordinance, sponsored by Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins and cosponsored by Councilwomen Betsy Ruhe and Barbara...

From Ohio

Ohio State revokes fraternity for 10 years after student hospitalized in March

Equine headstones

When Barbaro raced down the stretch at Churchill Downs to win the 2006 Kentucky Derby by 6 / lengths, he did more than win the most legendary race. He became a national sensation. Then he shattered his right hind leg at the start of the Preakness,...

JCPS officer has Yearwood ties

A new chief academic officer with strong ties to Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Brian Yearwood has been named, marking the third person to fill the position in less than one year. Nathan Balasubramanian, who has worked with Yearwood in...

‘AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES’

Jainaba Jobe had a busy day. First, she pitched herself at a packed job fair, then she aced a job interview with Kit Federal Credit Union. Finally, she attended an awards’ ceremony, all while sporting a neatly tailored blue pantsuit she snagged with...

Kentucky copper plant pivots to power data center boom

Turning up its smelters, Kentucky’s Hussey Copper plant could be poised to help bring copper manufacturing back to the United States. Hussey Copper, which was founded in 1848 in Pennsylvania and opened a plant in Henry County in 1966, was acquired by...

A preventable tragedy?

Something was wrong at the AAK vegetable oil factory in Shively, and it was Adam Goins’ job to fix it. It was a cloudy Sunday in September. Goins, an AAK maintenance worker, was at home monitoring operations remotely after an alarm went off at the...

A community’s pillar

In a world where grocery, electric and housing prices seemingly climb higher every year, one cost hasn’t risen for Danielle Ruffin’s family. h The Patch is just as free as it was when she was a child. h Nearly four decades have passed since the single...

Why KY’s new colon cancer law is important

There are so many things that are uncomfortable about colon cancer. The disease itself can be devastating. Colonoscopies have a reputation of being inconvenient, and the day-long prep involved with it is often extremely unpleasant. Not to mention,...

Steel mill site eyed for huge data center

A developer is eyeing the property of a shuttered steel mill in Eastern Kentucky for what would be the largest data center project in the state so far, according to plans shared with local officials. The developer, Rubix Data Centers, plans to build a...

Policing the party

According to an LMPD statement, the Summer Task Force will become a new unit focused on “enhancing safety and improving experiences in entertainment districts while conducting proactive crime-prevention details within the city’s five Sustained Focus...

WANTED: A JOB

Every Monday, 18-year-old Holden Beckett drives from Louisville to Frankfort to help film Gov. Andy Beshear’s podcast. By the weekend, he’s back in Louisville, serving up breadsticks and pasta bowls at a local Olive Garden. • After graduating from...

More housing?

Improving housing supply and affordability in Louisville are among the key aims of newly proposed changes to rules guiding development in the county. Recently introduced, long-awaited updates to Louisville Metro’s Land Development Code would make it...

Rep. Guthrie at center of data center battle

Across Kentucky, conversations around data centers are quickly dividing communities and their elected officials, with local and federal lawmakers increasingly coming under fire from their constituents. Data centers have been around for decades....

Announcer has ‘got it down to a science’

As Shawnee Park Road curved left, a man’s voice carried clearly through the trees. It was at once complimentary and critical, praising smooth jump shots and criticizing three-pointers that fell short. The voice belonged to Cornell Bradley, known...

JCPS officials say they’ve been left out of major decisions that affect students. Is the district repeating past mistakes?

Uncertain impact

Following a year muddled with global trade debacle as President Donald Trump’s administration implemented — and then removed — a slew of tariffs on most other countries, a key trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico will soon begin a...

‘WE’RE THE FIRST IN THE COUNTRY’

In La Grange, tucked away from busy suburban streets in an unsuspecting building sits Baptist Health’s most technologically advanced facility. • Inside the massive warehouse-like Baptist Health Central Pharmacy Services Center, is a highly-automated...

‘I think there’s some hope’

CYNTHIANA, KY — Pam Abnee voted for Donald Trump in 2024. Susan Bramel, her friend of 50 years, did not. As the nation commemorated its 250th birthday this month amid a hyperpartisan election season, these politically opposed women sat next to each...

WACKY INTERSECTIONS

In January, we published a story about some of Louisville’s most confusing intersections — concrete carriageways that just make us wonder about lane merging, traffic flow and streets of days past. • The feedback to “Whose lane is it anyway? A look at...

‘I’m getting a little animal therapy’

Four Louisville Metro Police officers marched west along the paths of Waterfront Park toward downtown, hooves clacking with each measured, confident step. Four more officers rode astride their partners, heads on a swivel, smiles on their faces along...

A reporter’s visit to the ‘Birthplace of KFC’

En route to Louisville to film the 19th season of the hit Food Network show, “The Great Food Truck Race,” celebrity chef Tyler Florence spontaneously stopped at the Sanders Café and Museum in Corbin, Kentucky. The visit blew the TV personality away,...

Can Louisville save its stored public art?

Louisville officials are mulling over whether $52 million worth of public art in the city’s collection should receive repairs and maintenance work following an extensive study. A May 2026 report from Pacific Coast Conservation determined a team of...

Locust Grove names first Black board chair

Andrea Meriwether, incoming chair of the Historic Locust Grove Board of Directors, said she slept on the historic property’s manicured grass to develop a personal connection with the land. On a normal day on the grounds, it has not been unusual for...

The de Paul School’s pillars raise readers

On warm June Wednesday at The de Paul School, a small group of fourth and fifth graders chanted with their teacher. “A word family is a group of letters beginning with a vowel used to build words,” the class echoed rhythmically. Teacher Julie Lewis...

FIGHTING TO STAY OPEN

Video reviewed by The Courier Journal shows the June 21 shooting that led city officials to shut down Atomic occurred across Bardstown Road from the nightclub. The footage, provided by Atomic owner Dustin Hensley, sheds more light on what led to the...

Campaign raises $300K to support retired racehorses

Each summer midafternoon, Nikki Bernstein, farm manager at Chestnut Hall, clangs a metal scooper against the wooden fence of the farm to signify it’s lunch time. Slowly, a string of Thoroughbreds grazing on the other side of a rolling hill will gallop...

America puts aside divisions for July 4

Fireworks burst above marbled monuments honoring America’s forefathers for roughly 40 minutes as sun-drenched and rain-soaked Americans watched. The past-midnight display sparkled above the National Mall and on screens across the United States, marking...

OF THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE

As America turns 250, the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln points to what comes next

MOUNTING SKEPTICISM

FINCHVILLE – Inside the expansive Finchville Ruritan Club, audience members leaned forward on their squeaky folding chairs to hear Texas Gas Transmission representatives through a tinny microphone. They were speaking about a new pipeline the company...

Operation White Flag

As the Louisville metro area experiences high temperatures, Kentuckiana organizations are helping unhoused individuals stay safe through the weather. Kentucky and Indiana are under an extreme heat warning, which will end in Jefferson County at 9 p.m....

Kentucky still burns a lot of coal ...

Kentucky power plants burn heaps of coal — more than 20 million tons each year, enough to fill a freight train stretching from Louisville to Los Angeles. But it has been a decade since the majority of that coal was mined from Kentucky ground, by...

As rain moves out, heat wave moves in

Louisville residents are urged to stay inside when possible as extreme temperatures close to 100 degrees are expected through July 4, according to the latest forecast by the National Weather Service in Louisville. The extreme temperatures come after...

‘Incomplete knowledge’

The night sky glowed red as a team of hazmat technicians hiked the banks of Louisville’s Northern Ditch, tracing an oily sheen from the wreckage of UPS Flight 2976, still ablaze on the horizon. Between the plane’s load of jet fuel and a petroleum...

ON THE BOOKS

With more than 100 new laws soon taking effect, Kentucky legislators are already looking ahead to issues left unresolved in Frankfort this year. Under the Kentucky constitution, laws passed during the state’s legislative session automatically go into...

PIONEERING COUPLE

As thousands of community members celebrate LGBTQ-centered events in Louisville as part of Pride Month, many remain unaware how two Louisville women shaped queer history when they applied for a marriage license in 1970, leading to what many experts...

$3.8M tax incentive pitched for conversion

A long-vacant office building in downtown Louisville could be converted into a Hilton flag hotel with the assist of an up to nearly $3.8 million tax incentive. A 150-room Canopy by Hilton is being eyed for the Landmark Building at 300 and 310 W....

Cause for concern

The social media videos have been hard to miss. h For much of the summer, late-night and early-morning crowds have filled a stretch of Bardstown Road in The Highlands. Louisville Metro officials say the gatherings, a mix of adults and teenagers, have...

‘CENSORSHIP AND SANITIZATION’

Last year, under executive order from President Donald Trump, the National Park Service placed small but controversial signs in its hundreds of parks, monuments and other properties. The signs asked visitors to identify “any signs or information that...

‘Judge, jury and executioner’

A federal court ruled for a third time that the enforcement power of the agency tasked to oversee the safety of thoroughbred racehorses and horsemen is unconstitutional. The case involves the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protection Association...

Metro Council talks bigger data centers

The Courier Journal recently asked each Louisville Metro Council member the same question: “Do you support the development of hyperscale data centers in Jefferson County? Why or why not?” The question comes as Metro Council members are tasked with...

HEATED

Eric Maher dreads the stretch of summer months when the heat drains all the energy from his body, sometimes even stealing his ability to play with his kids. Maher is a UPS delivery driver. His rural route takes him through 65 stops and about 170 miles...

Louisville son recreates father’s WWII photo

Most tourists don’t stumble upon Nanakuli Beach Park, but the sandy beach with a distinctly curved mountain in the backdrop in Hawaii held a piece of Doug Draper’s family past. So, Doug traveled more than 4,000 miles to find it. Eighty years before,...

Flooding and power outages after storms

Thousands of customers were left without power and multiple tornadoes were reported after overnight storms hit Indiana, parts of Ohio, and Kentucky June 17-18. A slow-moving cold front brought strong to severe storms to the area that caused high winds...