Friday Roundup

- There was an impressive crowd gathered today for the unveiling of the "Welcome to Southwest Louisville" banner this afternoon. I was not able to attend, but my friend Trevor Hemingway of The Local Weekly was there and has a full report. See it HERE.

- The storm debris drop-off sites will be open again this weekend from 8am to 5pm.
Here are the locations:
• Hubbards Lane Public Works Facility, 595 Hubbards Lane
• Meriwether Public Works Facility, 600 Meriwether Ave.
• Behind the Southwest Government Center, 7219 Dixie Highway

- The NCAA tournament is in full swing this weekend, and the weather is supposed to be nice. Have some fun and be careful. Motorcycles are everywhere.

SW Banner Unveiling Friday

I have received the following information from Robert Price of the Southwest Dream Team. Please make arrangements to attend this event if possible. Let's make this a special day for the Southwest.

Reminder: The banner unveiling will be held tomorrow (Friday) at 12 noon at Jim Vincent’s Body Shop, 4411 Dixie Hwy. Transportation from area parking lots is being provided by Miller Transportation. Shively Police officers will direct the flow of traffic. Come early to help relieve traffic congestion. It may be a little chilly, but if you would like to wear your Southwest Pride T-shirt, please do so.

Please remind your friends and co-workers about this wonderful event. It’s going to be a great day in Southwest Louisville! See you tomorrow!

Are You Tired Of Storm Debris Yet?

- A week after Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson declared storm debris collection "on schedule", it has been revealed the city will have to hire outside contractors to get the job completed. The cost of hiring the contractors will mostly be covered by FEMA and the state. This situation with the debris disposal has been badly managed from the start, and has been a shameful embarrassment for the citizens of Louisville. The saga of incompetence continues. The CJ has a complete report HERE.

- WHAS11 reports that more guns are turning up in Jefferson County Schools this year. What do we do?

- Check out this promotional video touting this year's Southwest Festival:


- If you haven't done so already, please read Phillip Bailey's article in Leo Weekly about city government's reluctance to institute an anonymous "ethics" tip line. Pure excellence.

Valley of the Guns

Last December there was an incident at Valley High School involving a 15 year old student and a gun. At that time, I spoke with Valley's Vice-Principal Dennis Williams. He stressed the "uncommon" nature of the matter, and I agreed with him.

Yesterday, there were two separate incidents involving two guns at Valley High School. That makes three guns that school officials have found in just over 100 days. A JCPS spokesperson repeated the assertion that events such as these are not "frequent" at the school. Today, I disagree with the notion that these incidents are infrequent or uncommon.

What is going on at Valley that students think they have to arm themselves to report to class?

I don't know the answer.

WHAS11 has a report on the issue HERE.

A Valley Report Public Safety Announcement

In recent days there have been several accidents in Southwest Louisville involving motorcycles. Please, please watch out for them. Motorcycles are everywhere, especially with the weather turning more favorable. Keep that in mind as you drive and keep your eyes open for your fellow motorists wherever you drive.

St. Patrick's Day Madness

- The metro zoning board slapped a "closed" sign on Javanon Soccer Club yesterday. As you recall, Javanon's building had been illegally erected by a city engineering supervisor and was given a free pass by IPL. HERE is the story.

- Another reason to be glad you are not living in Indiana: Republicans in Indiana's State Senate have written a bill that would "revamp" the state's unemployment system. When I say "revamp" it means "make worthless". Apparently, those in the Hoosier GOP think living on unemployment insurance is some type of vacation and that people aren't applying for open jobs. Attention Hoosier GOP: There are no jobs. The Courier has this story, too.

- My friends over at Broken Sidewalk have begun what I hope can be an annual tradition by staging the first-ever Neighborhood Derby 2009. An excerpt from the site:

Vote for your favorite neighborhoods in an all-out battle for the BS Trophy.

So, no one actually wins anything here, but a whole lot of neighborhood pride is on the line. Spread the word and get your neighborhood to vote early on each contest. We’re expecting some of the competition to be fierce and even hope for a few upsets. You can vote for any neighborhood you prefer and can vote in every battle between two neighborhoods/neighborhood groups.

Beechmont & the South End goes up against New Albany first. This match-up should be a blowout. Get over to Broken Sidewalk and vote early & often. HERE's the link to the post, and Happy St. Patrick's Day.

SW Dream Team Meets Tuesday

Reminder: The Southwest Dream Team will meet again Tuesday at the Sun Valley Community Center, 6505 Bethany Ln from Noon-1:30pm. Lunch is being provided by The Southwest Festival. The special guest speakers will be Barry Barker and Carrie Butler of the Transit Authority of River City (TARC). There also will be a report on this Friday's "Welcome to Southwest Louisville" banner unveiling, plus the latest news from other SWDT committees.

Please try to make this meeting if possible. You will feel great about your neighborhood!

Mayor's Converstaion Tonight

The Mayor's Community Conversation for March is being held this evening at Iroquois High School on Taylor Blvd., 6:30pm.

At Mayor's Community Conversations, Abramson, along with department directors from most Metro Government agencies, Metro Council members and other government representatives are available to meet one-on-one with citizens and answer questions about any issues and concerns. MetroCall's customer-service representatives also attend to log citizen requests into city government's tracking system to ensure timely follow up and response.

The Ides of March: Sun Valley Update #4

As you know, I have kept a close watch on our beloved Sun Valley Park and the damage it has endured since city officials saw fit to use it as a dump for storm debris. I, among others, was assured last November the park would be free of debris by Christmas 2008. We are now into March, and the situation there has not yet been corrected. As you can see by looking HERE, HERE, HERE and below, the work seems to have ground to a halt with no end in sight. If you were to ask the mayor why this project cannot be completed, he will tell you that the city has much more going on that Sun Valley. That much is true. But why, in a "first-class" city like Louisville, can't we do more than one thing at once?



To be fair, I can tell you that ice storm debris still sits on the roadside at the corner of Cannons Lane and Lexington Road. The ice storm stuff is still everywhere. But this debris in the park is from September 2008. That is far too long ago to have the situation still be a problem.