Have Coffee With Your District 12 Councilman

Once again this weekend, Louisville Metro Councilman Rick Blackwell of District 12 will hold the popular "Coffee With Your Councilman" event, 10 a.m. Saturday at Sister Bean's Coffee House, 4956 Manslick Road. Blackwell will meet with area residents to discuss local issues. Plus, he buys the coffee. Go see him.

Beechmont Festival This Saturday

The Beechmont Festival of Flowers runs from 9am to 3pm this Saturday, May 9th and is held at the gazebo area on historic Southern Parkway at the Woodlawn intersection. There will be flowers, plants, and herbs for sale. There will also be live music and live demonstrations.

HERE is a link to the blog that includes all the information.

PRP Fire Captain To Face Disciplinary Action

According to a report by WHAS11 News, the Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Department has finally decided that it will pursue disciplinary action against Captain Danny Heil. Heil is the moron who dressed as a Klansman and constantly used the "N-Word" in reference to a black firefighter, Chris Glass. Glass has since filed a criminal complaint against Heil.

PRP's Fire Chief has stated the department will conduct a hearing on the matter and determine what punishment Heil should receive. WHAS11's story says Heil is "..charged with misconduct, violation of the professional standards and other ethical standards".

Heil should also be charged with "creating a hostile work environment", because if I were a black firefighter on the receiving end of such nonsense, there would definitely have been some hostile behavior in the fire house that day. The department must take swift action against Captain Heil, not only to restore the citizen's confidence in the integrity of their fire department, but also to assure the rest of the city that Southwest Louisville is not the kind of community that puts up with racism of any type.

Councilman Blasts Mayor Over Cleanup

Councilman Dan Johnson hopped up on a soapbox today and scalded Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson for his administration's terrible handling of the storm debris clean up process. Johnson, a Democrat representing the 21st District that includes Beechmont, said today that the effort has been mismanaged from the start and that South Louisville had once again been "forgotten" by the mayor's office.

This Saturday, the Beechmont Neighborhood Association is holding a neighborhood festival, and residents fear the debris will still be present during the event. The CJ has the story HERE.

HERE is a link to WAVE3's coverage of Johnson's press conference.

HERE is a link to FOX41's coverage.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

- Ever wonder what Cinco de Mayo really is? Click HERE for a complete history lesson.

- The EPA has told power companies that regulation of coal-ash is near. Coal-ash is the waste product produced when coal is burned. The CJ has more HERE.

- The Local Weekly is reporting vendors at the Peddler's Mall at 5138 Dixie Highway are being officially notified the location will close on June 15. The new location will open July 1st at the Shively Center. This is what I reported to you previously, and what most of us had feared. It seems as though the guarantees from civic leaders have been set aside in the name of the almighty dollar. SW Louisville has suffered another serious blow to it's image. Thank you, Seay Properties, for destroying the hopes and dreams of thousands of Southwest residents by leasing this grand building to a flea market. We hope the rent you are getting is worth it the wrath of the community. We do not forget.

One wonders how many more let-downs of this magnitude SW Louisville can handle.

Petition for Better Retail in SW Louisville

Help support the Southwest Dream Team's drive to attract a better retail shopping experience for SW Louisville. Sign the petition found at the link below.

I live/work/shop in Southwest Louisville and I would patronize a national brand retail store in the Shively Center or Southwest Louisville area. I am one of more than 153,000* Southwest Louisville residents who would like to loyally shop at a Southwest Louisville store, but have been forced to take my dollars elsewhere because of limited opportunities in our local area.

I support the Southwest Dream Team's vision for Southwest Louisville to be the best place to live, work and do business. I also know that a national brand retail store in a high-traffic area, in the center of our community, is critical to that vision.

According to Greater Louisville Inc., the Southwest Louisville area realized $1.4 billion in retail sales in 2007. However, study results released the following year showed that our area offers an additional $1.1 billion** in potential unrealized retail sales because of our preference to spend cash.

I encourage retail stores to consider a Southwest Louisville location, knowing they have my support.

http://www.swdreamteam.org/