Monday news: Public meeting tonight for Southwest Greenways

- TONIGHT - Southwest Greenways Public Meeting at Fairdale Playtorium 6 to 7:30 PM. Need public input for new trails to connect neighborhoods to the Louisville Loop!

- Vegas odds say UK is the 8-5 favorite to win it all. [WHAS11]

- The insatiable greed continues with the Kentucky Derby Festival people. The Kentucky Center for the Arts had to cancel its annual fireworks party because of a dispute over Belvedere access. [Business First]

- Read about Jeffersonville's plan to build a canal to carry treated water to the Ohio river. Cheaper than underground pipes, the canal idea isn't unusual and has some benefits. But to whom? [LEO Weekly]

Laissez le Bon Temps Rouler

- Lock your doors, run and hide, bring in the brass monkey: The National Weather Service in Louisville has issued a winter storm warning for tonight. We are expected to get 4-6 inches of snow. That means anywhere between NO MEASURABLE SNOW to 15 inches of filthy wet slush that will cripple all ground and air transportation for 4 days. Stock up on good booze, gas up your generators and add some cable channels to your lineup. Or maybe warm up the car and go for a drive. This could be the big one.

- In what turned out to be an unusually exciting game, my New Orleans Saints hog-tied and whipped the Hoosier-fied Colts 31-17 last night in the Super Bowl. Yeah, I said Super Bowl. Not the "Big Game" or "Bowl that is Super". The biggest complaint I heard about the game is that the commercials weren't that good.  The coup de grâce was the 4th quarter interception of a pass by the Colts' Payton Manning that was returned for a touchdown, resulting in the final score. Fans in Indianapolis went home and straight to bed after that play.

17-0

And Now...The Sports Report

- My Dallas Cowboys take on the savage, well-rested Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, January 17th at 1:00PM in the NFC Divisional NFL Playoff game. The Cowboys are coming off a big-time home win against a very bad Philadelphia Eagles gang who only beat one team with a winning record this season. Brett Favre and the Vikings needed the extra weeks rest after a couple of grueling games. The Vikings are favored by 2.5 points at home against the Cowboys Sunday.

PREDICTION: The 'Boys will turn Brett & Co. into quivering lumps of Jello and win handily, provided they can overcome the bitter cold and lack of hookers on the streets of Minneapolis this time of year. Good luck.

- The "2009-2010 NCAA Champion" University of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team take on the Florida Gators tonight at 9pm. Florida started 8-0, but have since lost 4 of their last 7 to teams that they should have beaten like a gong, like South Alabama. Fans in Gainesville will storm out of the building tonight, rip off their Gator shirts, and renounce any affiliation with the University.

PREDICTION: Cats cruise down South and whip those amateurs like they stole something, and fans in Lexington will realize they never really needed Billy Donovan in the first place.

Stinson Indicted On Second Charge, Pitino Goes Sideways, Flees

Okay, everyone. Two (2) big news items today.

- Yesterday former PRP Football Coach Jason Stinson was indicted by a grand jury for an additional charge of Wanton Endangerment related to the death of player Max Gilpin. The CJ has the story HERE. Stinson is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday.

- UofL Basketball Coach and part-time "Swordsman" Rick Pitino has laid a huge egg and, according to my personal team of advisers, will not coach another game for the university. Read more HERE. And place your bets.

SW Louisville's Bussey Drafted by NFL Patriots

Southwest Louisville's George Bussey, a 6-3, 306 pound lineman that played football at Western High School and walked-on at the University of Louisville before earning a scholarship, has been chosen by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the NFL draft.

Bussey earned All-Big East accolades for the last three seasons at Louisville, and started on the OL in every game between 2006 - 2008. A star at Western High, George was named a Jefferson County All-Star. He's a hard worker and a class act. Remember him. He is a winner.

Congratulations George Bussey. Southwest Louisville is proud of you!

Goodbye to the Heeb

There are two stories in today's news dealing with people leaving their positions in local organizations. The first, and most shocking, is Mark Hebert choosing to leave WHAS11 to take a communications job with the University of Louisville. The public will be poorer in Hebert's absence, as he is a fine investigative reporter with impeccable integrity. I have always admired him and I hate to see him go, but I wish him the best. The 'Ville Voice is covering the story HERE.

The second story is much less important, but still deserves to be discussed. Michael Porter, the guy who played point guard for the University of Kentucky men's basketball team this season, is leaving the team to concentrate on his studies and getting ready to be a father. The CJ has the story, along with a few distasteful yet hilarious comments. Click HERE.

Louisville Knocked Out Of Tournament

As a die-hard member of Big Blue Nation, it would be easy for me to sit back and enjoy the results of the Louisville vs. Michigan State basketball game this afternoon. But no. Not this time. I really thought the Cards had it in them this year, and I would have been fine with them winning the whole damn tournament. Besides, my hatred for Michigan State, those rubes from Oklahoma, the bums at Villanova and that bastard with the barn owl eyes from North Carolina far outweighed any contempt I had for the Louisville Cardinals.

Many dollars were lost by the hard-core gambling elite today, but thankfully I was not one of them. I don't even know what the point spread was. I am actually a bit disappointed in the loss. The Cards were beaten like rented mules in the second half, as I and countless others were left waiting for the team that blasted Arizona to show up.

It was a good run, as they say. I just wish it would have lasted a little longer.

Basketball is dead...Long live basketball.

Billy Clyde May Be Hitting The Bricks

Billy Gillispie might be out as the men's basketball coach at the University of Kentucky as soon as tomorrow. WHAS11 has what looks to be the exclusive.

More later....

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.

Saturday Night Blahhh

- Construction has begun on the addition to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, hot on the ass of a losing season and calls for the coach's head and first born child. When finished, the stadium will seat 55,000 unsatisfied fans that will be in the parking lot by halftime. That is, if they can afford the tickets. FOX41 has got the story.

- Today was the last scheduled day for operations at the historic Firehouse 7 in Old Louisville. The mayor saw fit to close the firehouse, leaving residents boiling hot. They have sued to keep it open. Stay tuned. See WHAS11 for more.

- Unemployment is reaching staggering levels, with the U.S. losing 2.6 million jobs in 365 days. If you are still working, congratulations. Some of my Republican friends just think the out of work bums should go back to college to get new skills. But you don't need a degree to stock shelves or sell pre-paid cell phones now, do you? The Courier-Journal has all the terrible news.

Have a nice Sunday, and keep the faith.