The Courier-Journal (Louisville)

VOTERS HEAD TO THE POLLS

It was a big day in the Bluegrass State. On May 19, voters across Kentucky weighed in on several major primaries, deciding who will move on to compete for U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s open seat and who earned the closely watched Republican nomination...

Clerk: Tech issues won’t happen again

In November 2024, Election Day in Jefferson County didn’t exactly go smoothly. Tech issues with the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office’s electronic pollbooks caused delays. At some polling places, lines grew long and some voters left before casting a...

‘Generations to come’

Mill Creek, the beleaguered but beloved waterway running through southwest Jefferson County, has hope for a comeback. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved a watershed plan for Mill Creek, local and state officials announced May 13 —...

How effective are city’s new ordinances?

Apoisonous relic of Louisville’s past continues to threaten the brains of thousands of children. The city’s new approach to the problem was influenced, in part, by the real estate industry. h Lead is a neurotoxic metal, abundant in the paint used in...

Forging ahead

Anthro Energy, a battery material manufacturer, will break ground on a new production plant in Louisville in June, company leaders said — bringing a first-of-its-kind, $42 million energy investment to Kentucky even as the state’s broader battery...

Merger turned down

Two Louisville spirits giants will not be merging after weeks of speculation, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal reported that Brown-Forman, the maker of Jack Daniel’s, Old Forester and Woodford Reserve,...

Magnetic vision

The time might be right for redevelopment of a vacant nearly 60-acre property in southern Clarksville. Perhaps best known for its iconic oversized clock, the former Colgate-Palmolive Co. plant could be transformed through a $300 million-plus project...

Greenberg cash-flush in changed mayor race

Louisville voters will soon narrow a crowded field of mayoral candidates in the merged citycounty’s first nonpartisan primary, a race that tests a new election system even as familiar advantages – money, incumbency and name recognition – position Mayor...

Prospect plans new downtown with housing, retail along Highway 42

A sweeping vision for about 30 acres near River Road would bring housing, retail and more to create a new downtown Prospect. A master plan for the property, between U.S. Highway 42 and River Road and between Harrods Creek and Timber Ridge Drive, was...

INDEPENDENTS ALLOWED

After years of being shut out of local primary elections, thousands of independents in Louisville can now vote in the Metro Council and mayoral primaries to decide who advances to the general election in November. Following a change in state law...

COLD CASH

Monroe Trombly he Nicaraguan woman opened her eyes. Slowly. There was nowhere she needed to be. She was in jail, and she would be for the foreseeable future. As the Trump administration last year launched a campaign to deport millions of immigrants,...

NEW SUITS OVER FATAL CRASH FILED AGAINST UPS, PILOT’S ESTATE

A flurry of new lawsuits claiming UPS and other companies are liable for the November plane crash that claimed 15 lives have been filed on behalf of victims’ families, impacted businesses and injured community members. Kentucky law firms Whiteford Law...

Interim financial leader for JCPS explains line of credit

Additional cuts to reduce Jefferson County Public Schools’ deficit will not be needed after the next budget is approved, district financial leaders said as they unveiled the next step in the 202627 budget process. The district’s tentative budget,...

U.S.-Iran negotiations at a standstill

Nations to discuss fossil fuel exit

‘A GREAT SUCCESS’

The 2026 Opening Day at Churchill Downs Racetrack was as much about the daily celebration as it was about the beginning of Kentucky Derby Week. In breaking with recent tradition, Churchill Downs earlier this year announced it would shift its Spring...

DERBY GOES GLOBAL

Churchill Downs is growing its international reach to attract new visitors, sponsors and racehorses to the Kentucky Derby.

Belvedere

A sculpture garden. A nature-inspired play space. Paved areas for food trucks, farmers markets and events. While the final design for a reimagined Belvedere is still a few months away from public release, these areas are likely to be part of the...

‘It’s a year-round economic engine’

If it’s Monday or Tuesday, Eric Foster is probably out at his barns with his team before sunrise taking care of the dozens of horses with which he works. If it’s any other day of the week, Foster, an Owensboro breeder and thoroughbred horse trainer,...

The stories behind 2 slowest winners

In 1891, The Courier Journal accused Kingman of “outwalking” three other horses to victory in “the worst Derby on record.” Seventeen years later, the paper praises Stone Street for shooting out of the crowd “unknown, and unconsidered” to become the...

Jacqueline Coleman to run for governor in 2027

FRANKFORT – The race to follow Gov. Andy Beshear into the governor’s mansion next year is off and running. Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, who has served as the two-term Democratic governor’s second-in-command throughout his time in office, started the...

Thousands brave cold for aerial spectacle

Tens of thousands of people packed into Waterfront Park and the riverfront in Southern Indiana for Thunder Over Louisville on Saturday amid consistently rainy and cloudy weather. Despite the gloomy forecast, which included temperatures in the 50s,...

What Brown has done for you

BARDSTOWN, KY – By 9 a.m., Terry Holcomb is dressed in his matching brown pants and brown polo shirt and climbing into the big brown UPS package car to start his driving route on a rainy gray day in March. • Holcomb, 61, who lives in Louisville, has...

‘Better living spaces’

A downtown building dating back to 1886 will be turned from vacant office space into apartments with the aid of $1.5 million in public dollars. The Hubbuch Building, 324 W. Main St., is the second project to receive funding through the Downtown...

What Louisville’s median home price of $285K gets you around town

The spring home buying and selling season is here as home inventory, and prices, continue to rise. ● The median sales price of a single-family home in Jefferson County last year was $285,000, according to data from the Greater Louisville Association of...

‘A BIG MESS’

On any other year, opening a high-profile restaurant in one of Louisville’s hottest neighborhoods just ahead of the Kentucky Derby would be cause for celebration. But, the chefs behind Murray’s Creole Pub and Cipollini aren’t sure how many people will...

LIFE AFTER LOSING

F horty years ago, the crowd at Churchill Downs rose to its feet, cheering for a big-barreled chestnut colt who burst from the gate with blistering speed. Leading the pack through the first turn and down the backstretch, the colt refused to relent in...

A NEW VISION

A new plan for Jefferson Memorial Forest involves a sweeping, multimillion-dollar vision for recreation improvements and conservation, Mayor Craig Greenberg and city leaders announced April 10, with aims to turn the city’s largest nature preserve into...

Kentucky park flagged

MAMMOTH CAVE – Jerry Bransford knelt to the earth in a cemetery bearing his name, surrounded by the graves of his ancestors. The colors of spring were easing back to the quiet clearing, situated along Flint Ridge in Mammoth Cave National Park....

How Barbaro’s Kentucky Derby win, and Preakness injury, broke the horse-racing world’s heart and forged a lasting legacy.

How Barbaro’s Kentucky Derby win, and Preakness injury, broke the horse-racing world’s heart and forged a lasting legacy. 8A

‘SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT’

The Kentucky General Assembly approved investing more than $1 billion in Louisville in the 2026 legislative session, Mayor Craig Greenberg said at a news conference April 2, one day after the session broke for the veto period. The allocations span the...

‘SHE BELONGS TO BARDSTOWN’

BARDSTOWN – Hundreds of Kentuckians stood silently along the streets of Bardstown as a woman who dedicated her life to service returned to her hometown April 9, with all flags at halfstaff. U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, died in the...

‘ECONOMIC ENGINE’

It has attracted billions of dollars of new investments. It’s home to thousands of residents and is a magnet for thousands more workers. It’s a hub for arts, culture and tourism. Louisville’s downtown is said to be the city’s “economic engine,” but...

PROTECTING A NATIONAL SYMBOL

Americans embraced the bald eagle as a national symbol, nearly drove it to extinction and narrowly pulled it back from the brink in what has become one of the most remarkable success stories in conservation. ● Yet Kentucky’s rebounding eagle...

‘I WANT TO HELP TURN IT AROUND’

Growing up in the St. Denis area, Adam Carter Sr. remembers grocery stores, a pharmacy and banks operating nearby. “One of those particular banks — Citizens Fidelity — I opened up my first banking account there,” Carter said, recalling how his mother...

Some Kentucky Derby fans face canceled hotel stays

After years of schedules not aligning, retired dentist Richard Sherman and his wife were ready to make memories at the 2026 Kentucky Derby and cross Churchill Downs off their bucket list. The Florida resident booked a fournight stay at a Louisville...

GOP SHOWDOWN

UofL’s Benninger left legacy in statistics

The Xerox boxes stacked in the closet contain thousands and thousands of sheets of paper. Lift the lid and pull out a piece. A college basketball fan can instantly see a University of Louisville game in 1972 ... Or the 1993 Final Four when Kentucky...

KY coal mine cleanup audit finds waste, lack of oversight

Kentucky did not always comply with federal requirements in its use of grant funding for cleanup of former coal mining sites, and in some cases “failed to appropriately report or track grant funds,” according to a federal audit released in...

Trump’s ‘reciprocal’ tariffs meant to help U.S. have hit Kentucky hard

President Donald Trump declared April 2, 2025, as “Liberation Day,” a day in which the president unveiled his “reciprocal tariffs” plan on major trading partners. The goal of the sweeping tariffs, according to the president, was to revive the domestic...

‘More jobs, more people, more places for people to go’

New salon chairs and mirrors. Cabinets and tables. Hair dryers and hair color processors. The list of equipment needed to fill Kentraya Johnson’s new salon in NuLu was long, but a loan program intended to help new businesses was able to lighten the...

Airport officials offer peek at progress of $1B upgrade

Passengers moving through Louisville’s main airport will notice temporary construction walls and machinery noises throughout the year as the airport works on a handful of capital improvement projects. Upgrades to the gate seating areas — yes, there...

State’s controversial 50/50 custody law faces criticism

A 2018 state law, intended to give equal custody rights to all parents, could be harming Kentucky’s children, advocates warn. The law was heralded when it passed, making Kentucky the first state to create equally shared, or 50/50, parenting time as...

CUT OFF

In March, as Louisville climbed out of a frigid winter, Areia Hill took out her phone, pulled up her LG&E bill, and read the total amount due: $692.82. ● The threebedroom, 55-year-old brick house she rents in the St. Dennis neighborhood is hard to keep...

Budget provision could hobble Dolly Parton reading program

In Dolly, Kentucky’s Republican-led legislature apparently does not trust. At least her literacy program. The Queen of Country Music gifts books to kids in tribute to her late father, who couldn’t read. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program allows...

Critics: KY waste program may allow for much abuse

BROOKS, Ky. – In a winding Bullitt County valley below the trails of Jefferson Memorial Forest, a light fog hung in the thin winter canopy, and construction debris spilled down into a wooded ravine. For years, a steady procession of trucks has hauled...

Months after audit, city residents say mail delays continue

Ben Jones, owner of Better Days Records, stands inside his shop at 921 Barrett Ave., in Louisville’s Highlands neighborhood on Feb. 2. Jones is one of several Louisville business owners who has experienced mail delays.

Churchill Downs bets on Kentucky Oaks race

Churchill Downs is betting that a later Kentucky Oaks race, in primetime, will be a growth driver for the Louisvillebased gaming and racing company. The primetime move for this year’s Kentucky Oaks race on May 1 was a multi-faceted business decision...

Toyota plant in Kentucky gets $800M investment

Toyota Motor has once again furthered its commitment to Kentucky, and U.S. manufacturing with a combined $1 billion investment into its plants in the commonwealth and neighboring Indiana. Toyota, the Japanese-based automaker of vehicles like the Camry,...

‘Servant-hearted and in sacrifice to others’

Friends, family, dignitaries and the Hardin County community on March 21 celebrated the life of Staff Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 26, who died from injuries sustained while supporting Operation Epic Fury. A crowd streamed into the gym at at Central...

MAJORITY RULES

‘Not empty time’

A March 10 meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Education stalled over 13 contract days — time school psychologists insist is crucial for their work assessing students with disabilities but which is at risk of being eliminated for budget...

Surveillance cam locations could be made public info

A Louisville Metro Council member has proposed legislation that would require the city to publish the locations of automated license plate readers, like Flock Safety cameras — a move that, if successful, would buck the will of top police...

Kentucky airman had ‘exemplary character’

BARDSTOWN, Ky. — Ashley Young first learned to take flight in Room 140. While her feet were firmly planted on the white linoleum floor at Nelson County High School, suspended from the ceiling tiles above the Air Force Junior ROTC cadet’s head were...

‘Questionable air’

The Louisville Metro Police Department has skilled firearm instructors who deliver effective training. However, the frequency and diversity of that training is constrained by inadequate and outdated facilities. That’s the main conclusion of a new...

UPS pilots begin transition away from retired MD-11s

Four months after the deadly plane crash of UPS Flight 2976 in Louisville, some UPS pilots have still not resumed flying. Following the Nov. 4, 2025 crash, which left 15 people dead, including the three-person UPS pilot crew, UPS decided to retire its...

Lawmakers propose ‘bright-line’ law

In 2018, Kentucky was a vanguard in the fight to end child marriages, becoming one of the first states to enact legislation limiting marriages for those under 18. But in the eight years since the law was passed, more than a dozen Kentucky children...

David James is Jefferson County’s first new sheriff in decades. But he’s not around for long

The way he tells it, David James never saw himself as sheriff. Metro Councilman? Yes. Metro Council President? Yes. Mayor? Sure. But not sheriff. That is, not until last year when Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg spoke to James, then a top lieutenant...

IT’S A GO

Jefferson County’s first hyperscale data center will be coming to southwest Louisville after the Metro Government Planning Commission approved a revised development plan during a March 5 meeting. The 6-1 vote allows a partnership between the...

Trail

Work is underway to expand the Louisville Loop, a 100-mile trail encircling the city, into the country’s largest municipally-owned urban forest. New sections of the Loop could be built in the Jefferson Memorial Forest beginning in 2026, marking a...