An analysis of how pending tariffs and federal budget cuts and layoffs could affect the Louisville area economy in terms of jobs, payroll, business revenues, and local taxes.

On this week's program, we share a community conversation about Senate Bill 89 before the Kentucky Legislature. The Kentucky Waterways Alliance (KWA) organized this SB 89 Town Hall because Senate Bill 89 will remove historical protections of Kentucky’s waterways by redefining what counts as "waters of the Commonwealth" to include only navigable waters. This would remove all protections for groundwater, ephemeral streams and wetlands, and headwaters in Kentucky. Listen in to learn about the impacts of this legislation. Speakers include: Michael Washburn (KWA), Nick Hart (KWA), Audrey Ernstberger (Kentucky Resources Council), Julia Finch (Sierra Club Kentucky Chapter), Lane Boldman (Kentucky Conservation Committee), Chuck Davis (Beaver Creek Hydrology, Lexington), Davie Ransdell (retired coal mining regulator), and Dr. Michael Flinn (Murray State University). Learn more at https://www.kwalliance.org/news/sb-89-impacts-on-the-waters-of-the-commonwealth

Last week SB 89 saw some forward movement: the bill was assigned to the House Committee on Natural Resources & Energy. A date for the committee vote has been announced for Thursday, March 6, 2025.

To voice your opinion, you can call the Legislative Message Line at 1-800-372-7181 (open 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Monday–Friday) and ask to leave a message for ALL HOUSE MEMBERS in Kentucky; or you can send an email to legislators at https://actionnetwork.org/letters/sb89-the-assault-on-kentuckys-waterways-moves-to-the-house?source=direct_link&fbclid=IwY2xjawIziUNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHdGlR1j89ylt-Bgk8WNLW4pjsJe6NDj0zk7WYwDO2slSf6W2gCRB9IAr7Q_aem_K4cRrgoOOYjenG30gNPMJA

Truth to Power airs every Friday at 9pm, Saturday at 11am, and Sunday at 7pm on Louisville's grassroots, community radio station, Forward Radio 106.5fm WFMP and live streams at https://forwardradio.org

Paul Hoppe welcomes Drs Gene Shively and Mike Flynn with special guests Amber, a Medicaid patient, and Dr Barbara Casper. The discussion is on Medicaid and the problems facing it, ranging from the cumbersome process of getting signed up, to finding providers in your area, and adequate funding. Dr Casper will share insights into how physicians deal with these issues in trying to provide the best care possible for their patients.

Dr. Sheila Shuster, licensed psychologist and mental health advocate in Kentucky, moderated this panel of experts on Kentucky's state of the economy, taxes, health and housing, as well as KY General Assembly bills related to these issues. This webinar was part of the Louisville League of Women Voters Democracy in Action monthly meetings and took place February 17, 2025. Panelists were Dustin Pugel, Policy Director at KY Center for Economic Policy, Emily Beauregard, Director of KY Voices for Health and Adrienne Bush, Executive Director of the Homeless and Housing Coalition of KY.

On this week’s Sustainability Now!, your host, Justin Mog, talks cooperatives with Charley Miller, originator and steward of Maybe It’s Fate, a member-owned community center in Butchertown, located at 1425 Story Avenue. The 1st floor is a curated art gallery open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays 1-5pm, while the 2nd and 3rd floors are for members, with an open space, meeting room, co-working spaces, library, classes, etc. All the members own the property together, and membership rates have been set to foster inclusion - the standard rate is just $19/month, but there is also a pay-what-you-can membership option that makes the space available to all who are willing to abide by the co-op’s principles and rules.

Listen in to learn more about what is MaybeItsFate and how got started; why community and connection are so important right now; what makes the MaybeItsFate model so unique; and what the future of MaybeItsFate could look like. There are about 160 members of the cooperative right now and if you’d like to learn more and get involved, go to https://maybeitsfate.com

As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW!

Sustainability Now! is hosted by Dr. Justin Mog and airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at http://forwardradio.org

The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at http://appalatin.com

At the Louisville League of Women Voters monthly Democracy in Action Forum held February 17, 2025 (via webinar), a panel of experts reported on the availability of jobs and levels of unemployment in Kentucky; availability of and access to healthcare across the state; and why affordable housing is in such short supply. Bills being introduced in the 2025 General Assembly session were also discussed. Presenters were Dustin Pugel, Policy Director at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, Emily Beauregard, Director of Kentucky Voices for Health, and Adrienne Bush, Executive Director of the Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky. Dr. Sheila Schuster, Psychologist and mental health advocate, moderated.

Host K.A. Owens shares a message for American allies overseas, discusses a future for fired Federal employees, discusses Europe and the Ukraine and congratulates retiring Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Marty Polio. Recorded Friday February 28, 2025, 3PM.

On this week's show, we bring you Lessons from the Foothills: Berea College and Its Unique Role in America, an address by author Gretchen Dykstra given to the Filson Historical Society in Old Louisville on January 28, 2025. In 1859, a mob of sixty-five prominent armed men rode into Berea, Kentucky, and forced the closure of its integrated one-room schoolhouse. Founded by Kentucky-born abolitionist John Gregg Fee, the school was open to anyone, regardless of their race or gender—a notion that horrified white supremacists. The mob evicted thirty-six community members, including Fee's family, but Fee and the others returned to Berea in 1864 and reestablished the institution, still committed to educating Appalachia's most vulnerable populations.

In Lessons from the Foothills, Gretchen Dykstra profiles modern Berea College with its rich and beloved history. This book is the first to focus on contemporary Berea and its eight Great Commitments—the principles and practices that provide clear aspirations for the college and its community. Each chapter functions as a deep dive into the history, practice, and significance of one Great Commitment, from providing opportunity for the most marginalized, to the college's high academic standards and its commitment to environmental sustainability. The college has pledged to "provide an educational opportunity for students of all races, primarily from Appalachia, who have great promise and limited economic resources." To achieve this goal, the college eliminated tuition in 1892 and it also provides jobs for students to assist with living expenses.

Drawn from interviews with a range of members of the Berea community, including alumni, students, faculty, and staff, Lessons from the Foothills is an engaging portrait of a unique and historic institution and its enduring commitment to nurture and support academic excellence and service.

Gretchen Dykstra, author of Echoes from Wuhan: The Past as Prologue and Civic Pioneers: Local Stories from a Changing America, 1895–1915, and coauthor of Pinery Boys: Songs and Songcatching in the Lumberjack Era, has written articles for several publications, including the New York Times and California History. She lives in Haverford, Pennsylvania. This program was sponsored in honor of the Association for Teaching Black History in Kentucky, the Thomas D. Clark Foundation, in addition to UPK and Berea College.

Watch the full recording at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEUdVH-bVd0

Truth to Power airs every Friday at 9pm, Saturday at 11am, and Sunday at 7pm on Louisville's grassroots, community radio station, Forward Radio 106.5fm WFMP and live streams at https://forwardradio.org

To end Black Futures Month on a high note, we're sharing with you today a presentation by Dr. Thomas Wayne Edison from the University of Louisville's Spanish Department about his research as a Fulbright Scholar into the rich history and culture of black Uruguayans. Titled "BLatinX: Uruguay" this Fast Class took a deep dive into Uruguay, a South American nation with a rich cultural heritage that is largely unknown outside the region. During this innovative and experiential presentation Dr. Thomas Wayne Edison, a 2024 Fulbright Scholar, discussed the Black community of Uruguay and how it is represented in the nation's history, poetry, and country's national symbol: Candombe music. This program was presented by the Louisville Free Public Library's MyLibraryU and was free and open to the public.

The Access Hour airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Wednesday at 2pm and repeats Thursdays at 11am and Fridays at 1pm. Find us at http://forwardradio.org

If you’ve got something you’d like to share on community radio through the Access Hour, whether it’s a recording you made or a show you’d like to do on a particular topic, community, artistic creation, or program that is under-represented in Louisville’s media landscape, just go to https://forwardradio.org, click on Participate and pitch us your idea. The Access Hour is your opportunity to take over the air waves to share your passion.

On this week’s Sustainability Now!, your host, Justin Mog, is delighted to be in conversation with retired (recovering) engineer and environmental advocate, Barry Zalph. It may come as a surprise that we are in the midst of the United Nations Decade of Ecological Restoration. Barry wonders what might happen if we took that global mandate seriously and began to envision pathways for restoring degraded lands while taking care of the many degraded people in our society, as well?! It all started one day when Barry encountered a tree stump covered with blue oyster mushrooms in his neighborhood. He’ll share that story and the vision it engendered for tackling the interlinked social and ecological crises facing our society. Does nature provide a model for addressing these crises?

Learn more about:

The United Nations Decade on Ecological Restoration: https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/

John Todd, ecologist and developer of Living Machines: https://www.toddecological.com/

Robin Wall Kimmerer and her book, Braiding Sweetgrass, which is a wonderful introduction to Native perspectives on the relationship between humans and the wider community of life: https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/

Ecosystem Restoration Communities: https://www.ecosystemrestorationcommunities.org/

Get in touch with Barry Zalph at [email protected].

As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW!

Sustainability Now! is hosted by Dr. Justin Mog and airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at http://forwardradio.org

The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at http://appalatin.com