Valley High School Renovation Update

Photo by Mark Lynch for The Valley Report

Progress is being made as the planned renovation and improvements at Valley High School continue. Demolition of current buildings is complete and the project has entered the construction phase.

The plan calls for $26 million in improvements to accommodate the Health and Medical Career Magnet program. There will be a new 3,200 seat arena with a walking track constructed on the site.  The arena will be made available to students of Valley High School and other area schools as well as community use. It will be quite an asset to the school and the entire southwest area.

The plan also includes several high-profile and much needed improvements to the science labs.

There will also be other improvements concerning the general appearance and maintenance of the school.

Valley High School has a long standing tradition in Southwest Louisville and is something the community is proud of and pleased to support. Check back for updates as the renovation progresses.

Any questions? Feel free to call Metro Councilman Bob Henderson (D-14) at 502-574-1114.

Good times, bad times: Valley High getting $26 mil. makeover

First, the good/great news: JCPS is going ahead with plans for a $26 million "upgrade" at Valley High School. You can read about the details HERE. Still undecided is the question of renovation versus new construction.

Tax dollars spent on projects like these not only benefit the students and the neighborhood, but also benefit local workers and local businesses that cater to them as the project moves along.

In Kentucky, there are prevailing wage laws and rules that allow for Project Labor Agreements (PLA's) which require contractors to use a certain percentage of local workers. That's important, as many of our skilled trades workers are laid off or "on the bench", as they say.

Which leads us to the bad news.

There is a movement underway to undermine any Project Labor Agreements that may come before the the Jefferson County Board of Education. In this case, intimidation is the chosen tactic. You can read all the sorry and sordid details of that mess by clicking HERE.

Here we are in 2011, still trying to convince people that employing local workers on local projects is a good business and economic policy. Unbelievably, there are those that still swear by the practice of using out-of-town workers while our own are drawing unemployment benefits. The main driver for that behavior is greed, and if greed wins, greed will ruin us all.

If you have a moment today, it wouldn't hurt to contact your school board representative and let them know you want the Valley High School project to move forward with a strong PLA that guarantees employment for Louisville workers.

End of week news - Keeping Dr. Berman, Ford in the money and the pledge is un-American

- The Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression has joined the Louisville NAACP, Brent McKim and school board member Linda Duncan to support keeping JCPS Superintendent Sheldon Berman. That makes two groups and two people versus everyone else. No one expects the decision to remove Berman to be reversed. And I mean NO ONE. [CJ]

- The Pledge of Alleigance is/was a socialist plot developed by a Christian Socialist named Francis Bellamy. More on this later. [Camden County Tea Party Patriots]

- Ford Motor Co. will show an $8 billion profit for 2010. Eight Billion Dollars. Profit. And all without having hired one new, single, solitary worker at half the wages. That means they can afford the current wages and benefits of the employees and still make a ton of money. All they have to do is design good cars. Earth to UAW President Bob King: Wake up....you've been had!!  [Insider Louisville]

-What effect, if any, do you think the new Cracker Barrel will have on the locally owned restaurants like Jessie's in Southwest Louisville? After seeing the demise of Mr. Lou's, Wick's and The Pie Pantry, will this help or hurt? Or will people be too busy hogging at the trough to even notice?

Special Report: Doss High School principal becomes "fall guy"

A close look into what is going on inside South Louisville's Doss High School exposes the flaws in school policy and federal mandates that will cause Jefferson County's 2008 "Outstanding High School Principal" to lose his job.

Terry Boyd of Insider Louisville talks with Glenn Baete, a Bishop David graduate, about his situation and his future. Please take time to read Baete's candid talk: Designed to fail: Doss principal says his ouster will be ‘symbolic,’ but won’t solve Louisville’s school crisis

Pre-Thanksgiving Updates

- In a bid to define his legacy amid budget problems, massive internal corruption and damning investigations from state auditor Crit Luallen, outgoing mayor Jerry Abramson was honored at a breakfast this morning sponsored by the YMCA. Over 1000 people attended the paid event, held on the floor of the downtown arena. [CJ]

- A stalemate has been reached in the quest to ease traffic congestion leading into Dixie Elementary school. [CJ] UPDATE: The meeting scheduled by Bob Henderson (D-14) for November 30th on this issue has been canceled pending a decision by the Planning Commission. More info to follow.

- If you haven't stocked up on Four Loco for the holidays, it looks like you are out of luck. [Fox41]

- Here is yet another reason to celebrate the exit of Sheldon Berman as JCPS Superintendent. [Insider Louisville]

If you are traveling this weekend, please be careful and return safely. In any event, have a great Thanksgiving.  I am thankful for you having made The Valley Report part of your day.

Friday Updates

- TRAFFIC ALERT: The Ironman Triathlon STREET CLOSING SCHEDULE - Southern Parkway will be CLOSED SUNDAY AUGUST 29TH from 12:30p.m. – 1:00a.m.

- The Beechmont Open Air Market will be open Saturday, August 28, 2010 8a.m.- 12noon at Southern Parkway & Wellington

- With summer winding down and school back in session, Councilman Rick Blackwell is offering residents of District 12 the chance to come out, have a cup of coffee and talk issues on Saturday, September 4th. This month’s event is being held at Starbucks, 6731 Dixie Highway just for September. The event begins at 10:00am. For more information, call 574-1112.

- State Senators Dan Seum and David Williams want to put Frankfort lawmakers in charge of Jefferson County's public schools. The same bunch that couldn't pass a budget now wants make rules for our schools. Just say no. Local control is where it's at. [CJ]

JCPS Madness!

- JCPS Confidential is live and on the prowl for whistleblowers. Check it out.

- The monthly school board meeting is 7pm tonight at the VanHoose Education Center. Visitors wanting to speak must "register" by calling 502-485-3342 before 4:30pm.  Be prepared to tell them what you would like to discuss.  Speakers get three (3) minutes.

- Also, JCPS is considering a tax rate increase. [CJ]  UPDATE: Yeah, they passed the tax increase. [WFPL]

Back To School Weirdness Edition

- Is there any way outgoing mayor Jerry Abramson can take JCPS Superintendent Sheldon Berman with him? Scores of complaints follow students' first day of school this year. [CJ] Berman, however, says everything "going well". [WFPL]

- Two different wheelchair-bound individuals have been shot this week, and it is only Wednesday. [FOX41]

- In other JCPS idiocy, a new policy that prohibits engine idling has gone into effect at all public schools in Louisville. The policy has been described by some school officials as "unenforceable". [FOX41]

- Sustainable South Louisville, a Beechmont-based group focusing on ways to use fewer resources, will meet from 6:30pm until 7:30pm Aug. 25 at the Iroquois library, 601 W. Woodlawn Ave. [CJ]

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

News and Nonsense: Happy St. Patrick's Day

- According to this news release from the mayor's office, Kentuckiana Curb will receive $1,125,000 in state incentives to create 50 jobs. Kentuckiana Curb is a metal fabrication shop and manufacturer of metal roofing components located in Jeffersontown.

- An insolent child was suspended from her middle school for failure to follow directions. The next thing you know, there's a "prayer circle" outside the school and the newspaper is reporting on the situation. Sounds like someone should be praying for forgiveness for using a child to further their political objectives. [CJ]

- The Vogt Achievement Scholarship Award winners have been announced by JCPS. 8 of the 20 winners are from schools in Southwest Louisville. Congratulations to all the students.

New Year, New Look.

Welcome to the new and improved design of The Valley Report @ southwestlouisville.com. If you have any comments or suggestions on the new layout, feel free to let me know. Now...on to the news.

- E.On, the foreign, for-profit owner of LG&E and Kentucky Utilities, is offering to replace faulty thermostats that were given away to customers through their "Demand Conservation" program. The thermostats may overheat and cause a fire. Chip Keeling, spokesperson, is vague and sounds a little misleading to me in this Courier-Journal article on the situation.

- The Local Weekly is reporting Valley High School is to receive $26 million in federal stimulus funds to transition Valley to a “Medical Magnet School”. This will provide a three-career pathway for students interested in jobs in the medical and health fields, as well as environmental careers. More info soon.

- Our community has a new neighbor - the Iron Order Motorcycle Club, committed to Brotherhood, friendship and community service, along with a healthy dose of patriotism and national pride. The chapter is involved heavily in the community - hosting fund-raising drives for various charities throughout the Metro - the most significant being the Toys for Tots, Indian Summer Cancer Camp for Kids in conjunction with the Support Families in need in the community. Other notable charities sponsored by the Iron Motocycle Club includes: Independence Animal Shelter, Hope House, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, and St. Jude's Hospital. Already, they helped two local Fairdale families at Christmas with over $600.00 in food, gifts and clothes for their families. The Clubhouse at 10008 Mitchell Hill Road is open to motorcyclists and the community every Friday from 7pm till 11pm. They can be reached at info@ironordermc.net They look forward to meeting the community and taking an active role in local charities. Thanks to Councilwoman Vicki Aubrey Welch for this info.

Tuesday Blues

- The Courier Journal is reporting JCPS will hold a news conference tomorrow morning at 10AM to release its long-awaited, drawn out, overdue and secret report on the death of student Max Gilpin. Click HERE for more.

- The 9 year old Prairie Village All Star Team will begin playing districts soon. You can help support them by eating dinner at Beef O'Brady's on Valley Station Road Monday July 6 from 4PM to 8PM. Rick Totten, the restaurant owner, says that he wants to help the players who will be representing our community. The restaurant will donate a percentage of all sales from 4PM to 8PM to the 9 year old All-Star Team. All proceeds will help offset the costs associated with the All-Star Games.

- I have received word that Don Mitchell has passed away. Anyone that worked for Ford Motor Company at the Louisville Assembly Plant would have known him. Donnie was the UAW Building Chairman when I was hired and had a distinguished career as a union official. He will be greatly missed. Arrangements are as follows:

Funeral: 12:00pm Friday at Fairdale-McDaniel Funeral Home.
Visitation: 1:00pm – 8:00pm Thursday and 10:00am – 12:00pm Friday

Fairdale-McDaniel Funeral Home
411 Fairdale Road
Fairdale, KY 40118
(502) 361-1688

Friday News & Nuttiness

- The repulsive ogre that is State Senate President David Williams has "predicted" the slots bill will fail. I don't know what Williams has against the Commonwealth's signature industry but he obviously has a problem with seeing it prosper along side slot machines. The Courier-Journal has more HERE.

- Speaking of horses, there's some big-time night racing happening tonight. Go be a part of history. And be sure to buy a few $6 cups of warm beer. HERE's more.

- A judge has ordered JCPS to turn over a portion of the files related to the school system's "investigation" of the Max Gilpin matter to the commonwealth attorney's office. This is good news. HERE is the article.

- This is an interesting story: A Louisville woman was arrested on meth charges after she allegedly attempted to buy, among other items, 3000 boxes of matches at a local Kroger store. WHAS11 has a short report HERE.

Betting, Beautification and Banners...It's All Good

- This sounds like a good idea: Churchill Downs is asking the Kentucky Racing Commission to approve three (3) night-time dates of racing during the spring meet. The track will utilize temporary lighting to showcase the first night races in Churchill history. Check the C-J for more HERE.

- Stonestreet Elementary School is receiving stimulus funds to construct an outdoor classroom and a walking path for community use. Click HERE.

- The Southwest Dream Team has posted an excellent video of the banner dedication ceremony in case you were unable to attend. Click HERE to watch it.

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.

Medical Experts, Housing Projects and A Retarded Senator

- Two medical "experts" disagree on a central fact of the Max Gilpin case, with one saying the prescription drug Adderall caused Max's heat stroke and another calling the link to the drug "tenuous". HERE is the link to the Courier-Journal article. The experts do agree on medical documentation that states Gilpin was not dehydrated upon his arrival to the hospital. Still no word on JCPS's "investigation". The drama continues...

- In a piece of good news, Fox41 is reporting some stimulus money will go toward finishing the demolishion job at Iroquois Homes. The housing project is one of the last remaining, and is a disgraceful mess. This area will prosper when the project is completed. The sooner, the better.

- WAVE3 has a story on Alabama Senator Richard Shelby's comments about the United States-based auto manufacturers. The Senator claims the UAW "will run those companies and run them into the ground." Yet another reason to be embarrassed to hail from Alabama. The outrageously ignorant statement came on a day when local UAW members working at Ford's two plants in Louisville voted on more contract concessions and wage giveaways to benefit the company. That's hardly "running them into the ground" if you ask me. Alabama is home to several non-union, foreign-owned auto plants.

From Lexington to Louisville - Tragedy and Failure

- There are new developments in the Stinson case, which has become the story that will not go away. JCPS Superintendent Sheldon Berman stated yesterday that PRP High School is looking to replace Stinson as head football coach. The Courier-Journal has more HERE. There is a sentence in the CJ story that troubles me:

Berman said yesterday that he remains "very concerned" about the situation, but does not believe that Stinson's admission that he denied players water warrants immediate disciplinary action.

The denial of water is a violation of district policy and should require "immediate disciplinary action". It is now clear that Berman is not the man for the job at JCPS. His short time with the school district has been a disaster, marked by tragedy and tainted by inaction and incompetence. It is time to clean house and send Berman back to the Bush League.

- And as long as we are on the subject of tragedy and failure, we may as well move on to the once-proud University of Kentucky basketball program. A Georgia team that owned last place in the SEC walked in to Rupp Arena and beat the Cats like a gong on Senior Night. It was terrible. Fans are wild with the desire for vengeance. It is now clear that Coach Billy Clyde is not the man for the job at UK. His short time with the school has been a disaster, marked by tragedy and tainted by inaction and incompetence. It is time to clean house and send Gillispie back to the Bush League.

It is an interesting contrast, really. It looks like the UK coach will get fired for non-performance before the JCPS Superintendent, and mostly because of citizens raising their voices in displeasure. Maybe it is time we realigned our priorities.

More on Stinson Evidence

UPDATE: You can now read the court documents HERE, courtesy of the C-J.

The Courier-Journal has filed another story on the prosecution's evidence in the Max Gilpin case, and it is pretty damning stuff. The paper reports witnesses hearing Coach Stinson calling players "cowards" when asking for water. The evidence made available seems to confirm the suspicion that the coach was utterly negligent. Judging by what I have read, Commonwealth Attorney Dave Stengel presided over a thorough investigation that, I believe, shall ultimately convict Jason Stinson. No mention was made of JCPS's pathetic attempt at an investigation.

In related news, the Kentucky House passed HB383 yesterday, the so-called "athlete safety bill", after eliminating the requirement that pools of ice be on site during games or practices during hot weather. The bill only requires the Kentucky Board of Education review and look at revising it's "hot weather" policies.

Tuesday Morning Blues

- David Grider, the teacher accused of threatening the principal at Wilt Elementary, has left the school and will serve as a substitute at various schools around the county for the rest of the school year. Grider will be permanently assigned next fall. [Courier-Journal]

- WHAS11 has the first bits of evidence filed by the prosecution in the Max Gilpin case. Interesting read. [WHAS11]

- There was a pretty large fire at an apartment complex in South Louisville yesterday and a few firefighters were injured. But the real question is, why does FOX41 label the area as Fairdale? I've received several emails of folks complaining about the distinction. [FOX41]