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When you hear or watch news stories about Louisville's West End, many times it's not positive news. West Louisville neighborhoods like Russell used to be full of thriving businesses, and were destinations for arts and culture. Now, high poverty, low employment and crime are what many people associate with the neighborhood.

Russell residents would be the first to tell you that there's much more to their neighborhood than what you hear on the news. That good things happen there. And maybe most importantly, good people live there, too.

As part of The Next Louisville, a partnership with The Community Foundation of Louisville, reporter Kyeland Jackson went into Russell to talk with residents about their neighborhood and what makes it special. Today on Recut, Kyeland tells us what he learned, and we'll hear from some of the Russell residents he met.

Growing up in Louisville, in a not-particularly-politically-engaged family, I had never heard of Fancy Farm until I started working in a newsroom. 

When I did, I almost thought the reporters were kidding me. It's a church picnic, in Western Kentucky, where some of the most important people in Kentucky politics go every year and make funny, trash-talking speeches about each other? Sure.

I've still never been (I have to fix that one of these years), but now I'm a believer: Fancy Farm might be one of the Kentuckiest things in Kentucky. 

This year, the big stories were that Governor Bevin didn't show up, and that Allison Lundergran Grimes apparently has jokes for days:

"Mitch had to leave because he is very busy rushing a Supreme Court vote. It is so sad. Like many men, he suffers from premature confirmation. And like a man, he claims it never happens to him." 

Capital reporter Ryland Barton has been covering Fancy Farm for the past four years. He joins us on today's show to give us the highlights of this year's picnic, and wax philosophical about the event as a whole.

If you’re poor or living paycheck to paycheck, you might not be able to set aside money for retirement. In fact, retiring might not even be a real option for you.

If you’re fortunate enough to have some savings or a retirement account, you’ll have to think about how long you can make that money last.

One of the fastest-growing populations in Kentucky is people 65 and older. And for a third of that group, Social Security is their only source of income, according to 2016 Census data. Those people are faced with living off just a fraction of what their income was when they were employed, with the same bills to pay. Some people have to keep working to make ends meet.

As part of The Next Louisville, a partnership with the Community Foundation of Louisville, WFPL’s Lisa Gillespie spoke with three people dealing with this issue. She joins us today with their stories.

When you're looking for a new job, there are lots of things to consider. Does it pay enough? Would you enjoy the work itself? What kind of benefits and time off do you get? And, of course: the commute. If all the other answers are great, you might be willing to overlook some extra time in the car every day.

But if you ride the bus, you might not have that option.

As part of The Next Louisville, our partnership with the Community Foundation of Louisville, WFPL's Amina Elahi talked with people who use public transportation in Louisville. She learned that bus routes are the deciding factor in where some Louisvillians live and work (and if you've heard our show before, or if you know anything at all about Louisville, you won't be surprised to hear that some parts of town are more widely-affected than others).

Amina joins us this week, along with data reporter Alexandra Kanik, who created a visual representation of bus routes & how long they take compared to driving your own car.

I love bourbon. You probably love bourbon and I bet your friends love bourbon, too. Bourbon is as Kentucky as horses, college basketball and Naomi and Wynonna.

But believe it or not, some bourbon makers are afraid you and I might one day fall out of love with that delicious, sweet elixir (I personally can't see it, but it's happened before). And now with other countries imposing retaliatory tariffs on American-made products — like bourbon — the bourbon industry can't necessarily rely on global thirst to support it in the event of a stateside bourbon bust.

It's on the minds of Kentucky bourbon makers, especially those at the smaller shops. WFPL's Ashlie Stevens visited a small craft distiller in Bourbon County to find out how he's preparing for the future. Ashlie joins us today on Recut.

Mining experts say that black lung disease is 100 percent preventable. But a new study by federal health officials found a recent surge in cases of black lung disease — a surge that is especially concentrated among coal miners in central Appalachia. In the U.S., one in 10 coal miners have black lung disease; in Central Appalachia, it's more like one in five.

NPR and The Ohio Valley ReSource have worked together for about 18 months to cover the black lung epidemic in the region. Reporters visited black lung clinics and spoke to miners with the disease. Today on Recut, we hear from NPR's Howard Berkes and Jeff Young from The Ohio Valley ReSource about the state of black lung and about their reporting. Plus, we'll from the miners themselves.

In Jefferson County, an average of 7,500 households are evicted every year, more than double the national average according to data from Princeton University’s Eviction Lab. It should come at no surprise that most evictions occur in the poorest neighborhoods — in west and south Louisville.

Jake Ryan from the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting teamed up with Anne Marshall, who wrote about evictions for Louisville Magazine. They went to eviction court, spoke with people facing eviction, and with the sheriff's deputies who serve eviction notices. Jake and Anne join us today on Recut.

Chances are you've heard of a "do not resuscitate" order, or what is often simply called a "DNR." It's a written directive that lets hospital staff know that in the event a patient's heart or pulse stops, the patient does not want advanced CPR — which in a hospital usually means inserting a breathing tube, administering medication to help restart the heart, and doing chest compressions. There could be many reasons someone would choose to have a DNR order; many times, elderly and terminally ill patients have them.

It seems pretty clear-cut but studies show that some hospitals are misinterpreting DNR orders and applying the directive before patients actually die. WFPL health reporter Lisa Gillespie spoke to a Kentucky woman who experienced this and Lisa joins us today on Recut.

Ninth Street. The Ninth Street divide. West of Ninth.

Mention any of these phrases to just about any Louisvillian and they'll know what you're talking about. In fact, there are people who are new to the city that would already know what you're talking about.

The Ninth Street corridor is multiple lanes of traffic with a wide median. It's a physical — and psychological — barrier between black and white. Rich and poor. It separates the predominantly black neighborhoods of West Louisville from the mostly white neighborhoods of the east. Many folks who live in West Louisville have to cross Ninth Street to work, shop and eat, while those who live elsewhere have few reasons to go "west of Ninth."

Now, the city is considering proposals to "re-imagine" Ninth Street. They want to add parks, art and make room for food trucks. The proposals would slow down traffic and make it more pedestrian-friendly. Written in the concept plans for the city's project, there's this:

"As energy builds to re-imagine Ninth Street, it is crucial to understand how the corridor is used today and where it wants to go tomorrow."

But what about yesterday? Can Louisville improve Ninth Street without acknowledging the divide and how it became divided in first place? Reporter Amina Elahi is covering this story for WFPL and she joins us today on Recut.

At 6-foot-11 and 220 pounds, 17-year-old Charles Bassey is a wonder. According to ESPN, Bassey averaged 19.4 points and 12.8 rebounds last season at Louisville’s Aspire Academy and he got 13 points and 16 rebounds against the United States in the Nike Hoop Summit this past April. He’s already forecast as a top NBA draft pick in 2019.

To put it mildly, Bassey’s backstory is interesting. Three years ago, when he was just 14 years old, he left his home and his family in Nigeria to pursue a high school basketball career in the United States. Under the guidance of a man who would become his legal guardian, in just a few years, Bassey became a top-five prospect.

He was on track to graduate from DeSales High School 2019. Then, a few weeks ago, news broke that Bassey would “reclassify” and commit to Western Kentucky University. Since then, many questions have emerged about his graduation, among other things. Eleanor Klibanoff with the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting has been following Bassey’s story. She joins us today on Recut.