Weekend Events in South Louisville

Beechmont Open Air Market

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Wellington and Southern Parkway

8a.m.-12noon

A Taste Of South Louisville

A Showcase of South End Restaurants & Businesses

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Epiphany United Methodist Church

7032 Southside Drive

6p.m.-9p.m.

Tickets: $12 per person $20 per couple

Iroquois Amphitheater Movie Nights

Saturday, August 14th - Shrek 3 (PG-13)

9p.m. FREE

Monday, August 16th – North by Northwest (PG)

8p.m. FREE

End of Week News & Blues

"Show me a man with a tattoo and I'll show you a man with an interesting past." - Jack London

- Tattoo Charlie's legendary Berry Boulevard location will close for good on Sunday, August 29.  [Business First]

- Louisville's Metro Council has approved a $330 million bond sale for MSD by a vote of 24-2. Doug Hawkins and Deonte Hollowell voted no.  Question: Where does the money come from if you do not allow the bond sale?  [CJ]

- Good weekend project idea: RAIN BARRELS ARE AVAILABLE AT LOUISVILLE NATURE CENTER. Rain barrels collect, store, and divert rooftop runoff during a rain event. They are good for the environment and help save money on your water bill. The Louisville Nature Center has rain barrels available for $70 each, or $65 each for two or more. The barrels come already assembled with a spigot and overflow tube. The assembly work is done for you by Youth Build, a non-profit community youth group. Best of all, you can pick up your barrel at LNC on Illinois Ave. Call 458-1328 for more information.

Have a nice weekend, and THANK YOU for reading The Valley Report.

Join Dan Johnson (D-21) For Coffee This Friday

Councilman Johnson says “Come out and have a cup of coffee with me.”

Talk to the Councilman this Friday at Sunergos Coffee.

Councilman Dan Johnson is inviting residents of District 21 to come out on Friday, August 13 and have a cup of coffee with him beginning at 9:30am.

“I want to make myself available to anyone who would like to talk about a concern or just talk issues in our area,” says Johnson. “We will be having coffee in one of our district’s newest businesses.”

“Coffee with Dan” is being held at Sunergos Coffee, 308 Woodlawn Avenue. It will last from 9:30am to 10:30am.

“This is a very informal meeting, just come by and talk if you feel you need to or if you just want to sample some good coffee that’s okay too,” says Johnson.

For more information about “Coffee with Dan”, contact Councilman Johnson’s office at 574-1121.

Special Dream Team Meeting With JCPS Boss

I received the following reminder from the Southwest Dream Team today regarding the Sheldon Berman meeting. Please try to attend if you can. Also, news on the upcoming Southwest Louisville mayoral debate is included in this message. - BT

Good Afternoon. I wanted to send out a friendly reminder about the meeting tomorrow with Dr. Sheldon Berman of JCPS. This is not our regular meeting, but anyone interested in listening to Dr. Berman should try to attend. I urge anyone in our group that wants to see if we can bring our success to the efforts of the Public School System to attend. It will be held Thursday August 12th at 5:30 at Mill Creek Elementary 3816 Dixie Hwy. We need to have a good turnout and I hope you can find the time to stop by and talk with Dr. Berman.

Our August general meeting is on Monday August 16th at 5 p.m. and features Congressman John Yarmuth. It will be held at the Holiday Inn Southwest on Dixie Hwy in Shively. Please try to attend this meeting and bring someone with you. We wish to show Congressman Yarmuth that we have plenty of momentum in reaching the goals we have set for this year and next. We need his help as well as the help of all our elected officials, to bring the sort of attention to our area that we so richly deserve.

More good news.......Save the date of October 6th for a Mayoral Debate between Greg Fischer, Hal Heiner and Jackie Green. We are still working on time and place, but are excited about having a discussion about our area and how the winner of the election can fulfill the promises of merger for the South End and Southwest Jefferson County.

More great news to come.

It is a great day in Southwest Louisville!

Vince Jarboe, President
Southwest Dream Team - swdreamteam.org

When You're Hot, You're Hot

- Better Late Than Never: Mayoral Candidate Greg Fischer, in what has been described to me by observers as a "late, seemingly desperate move", is opening a Southwest Louisville Headquarters. SW HQ will be located at 9301 Dixie Highway, just south of Stonestreet Road.  Fischer will also open a West Louisville HQ to be located at 24th and Broadway. [Press Release]

- The renovation of the Valley Station Wal-Mart store is now underway.  The store is not expanding, but will be remodeled to include a small grocery section. [CJ]

- "David Yates for Metro Council" is holding a house party in support of his candidacy tomorrow, August 12, at 6pm in the Parkridge neighborhood off of Manslick Rd. See more HERE. For those of you keeping score, this event IS in District 25.

- Hal Heiner, Republican candidate for Mayor, has released his "Five Ideas for Louisville's Future" and those familiar with the plan seem genuinely excited.  Heiner has done an excellent job courting on-the-fence voters and a progressive community suffering from incurable "Abramson fatigue".  This race will be won or lost in Southwest Louisville, so please get familiar with the candidates and lets make our own future.

- Hot enough for ya? How are you dealing with the record-breaking heat this summer? Today's forecast calls for 97 with heat index to reach up to 110.  It will be worse by Friday, with temperatures reaching 99 degrees. Which brings us full circle: Can we get an ice machine around here?

Say NO To Bridge TOLLS!

What: Say NO to Bridge TOLLS submitting comments at Federal Review Meeting
When: August 10, 2010 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Where: South Louisville Community Center 2911 Taylor Blvd., Louisville, KY

Contact:
Curtis Morrison
Communications Director, Say NO to Bridge TOLLS
curt@curtmorrison.com

Every four years the federal government reviews the planning process for Louisville-area transportation projects. At Tuesday's meeting, the group Say NO to Bridge TOLLS, will be speaking to the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration about several concerns with their our local planning process. The Louisville Southern Indiana Bridges Authority (LASIBA), has requested the Federal Highway Administration for a waiver to toll all existing bridges so as to fully control any escape from paying a toll. No other American metro region has been split in two by such misguided planning. Tolling existing bridges threatens to culturally divide our region with unprecedented precision. The Say NO to Bridge TOLLS group is a grassroots movement that started only with a facebook group, which now boasts over 1250 members.

"The goal of Say No to Bridge Tolls is to reduce the design and scope of the Ohio River Bridges Project into phases, for a scale that can be financed without tolls and connects our communities in a reasonable and affordable way," says Shawn Reilly, a co-founder of Say NO to Bridge TOLLS who will be attending the meeting.

Link to KIPDA info on meeting: http://www.kipda.org/news/news08101001.aspx
Link to Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=292754091961&ref=search
Link to Recent Article in USA Today citing Say NO to Bridge Tolls: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-08-02-RWtolls03_ST_N.htm

“Coffee with your Councilwoman” , Saturday, August 14th

Welch announces “Coffee with your Councilwoman” set for Saturday, August 14th

Metro Public Works and IPL will be on hand to answer questions

As the Louisville Metro Council focuses its attention on abandoned property and property owners, Councilwoman Vicki Aubrey Welch (D-13) will give the public a chance to learn more about the effort when “Coffee with your Councilwoman” returns on Saturday, August 14th.

“Many people are unaware of the efforts of IPL and Metro Public Works in trying to keep up with this problem,” says Welch. “I want residents to know what we are trying to accomplish as well.”

Angela Blanford of IPL and Greg Hicks of Metro Public Works will be on hand for the event which will take place at First String Family Grill, located at 5921 New Cut Road beginning at 9:00am.

“Coffee with your Councilwoman” is an informal gathering open to the public and offers an opportunity to discuss community issues with Councilwoman Welch in a relaxed setting.

“This is a chance to ask questions of these two agencies or express a concern you may have about metro government,” says Welch. “Sometimes it is best to get away from a formal meeting and talk one on one.”

For more information about the August “Coffee with your Councilwoman”, contact Councilwoman Welch’s office at 574-1113.

Back To Business

"Life's a voyage that's homeward bound."  - Herman Melville

The Valley Report is back after a much-needed vacation. I will soon be filing a report on my trip, which unexpectedly turned into a fact-finding mission on transportation in big and small cities located throughout the Old South. Of particular interest: Three bridges with tolls in an area with high unemployment, still-climbing home foreclosures and virtually no public transport options. Oh, and the local government is broke, too.

But lets get to the local news:

- Councilwoman Vicki Aubrey Welch was among 16 people honored by the National Association of School Resource Officers last week for her work with two District 13 schools and Louisville Metro Police. [Metro Press Release]

- As is the usual custom, Councilman Rick Blackwell will host the monthly "Coffee With Your Councilman" on Saturday August 14th. Come on out to Sister Beans, 4956 Manslick Road beginning at 10:00am. There is no formal program, just stop by and talk with the Councilman. There is also no agenda, just a chance for you to interact with your representative and support a home-grown, local business in Southwest Louisville.

- While I was out: Councilman Doug Hawkins held a fundraiser for his re-election campaign in the Bashford Manor area. For those of you keeping score, that is not in District 25.

- Via The Local Weekly: A career fair will be held at the Sun Valley Community Center at 6505 Bethany Lane on Monday, August 23, from 10 am to 3 pm. The fair is being hosted by The Lifesong and is being supported by the Louisville Urban League, JOB News and OET (Office of Employment and Training). If you are interested in finding a new job you should bring your resume. You will also have the chance to meet and greet representatives from over 35 companies, colleges and universities. This will be your chance to discuss your strengths and skills which could lead to a new job or career.

Among the companies and schools scheduled to participate are: AFLAC, AutoZone, Avon, Bellarmine University, Crowne Plaza, Jefferson Community & Technical College, Physicians Mutual, and UPS. For a complete list as well as information on the free TARC Job Hunter Bus, go to thelifesong.org and click on Career Fair.