On Track

Usually, the word anniversary brings to mind celebrations. Commemorating happy occasions. The marking of a precious moment in time.

But remembering 9/11 is different. Yes, it’s the anniversary of the date on a calendar. But it was also a complicated historical event — an attack on American soil that still resonates two decades later.

This week on “In Conversation,” we talked about what it means to Louisvillians who lived in New York City when the Twin Towers were attacked, and the world as we knew it was changed forever.

We also talked about the backlash and bigotry that followed 9/11 for our Muslim American communities. We unpacked pain and healing and continued bias as it connects to that day, and ongoing international events.

If you work for a living, figuring out how to live and work during COVID-19 has been no small job.

Some are still wrestling with working remotely and staying productive when the commute to work involves passing the television set. Others are working from home while also learning how to homeschool their kids. Many are front-line workers juggling a deadly pandemic, personal politics and PPE mandates. For a few of us, workplace struggles might be as simple as figuring out how to ask about a co-worker’s vaccination status without sounding like a lawyer cross-examining a hostile witness.

On this week’s “In Conversation,” we talked work. With Sarah Jaffe, author of "Work Won't Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone", and Jason Bailey of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, we discuss what’s up with so many people deciding to up and leave their jobs, which some have dubbed “the great resignation.” Women in particular are leaving the workforce in droves, and equity consultant Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown joins us to discuss what particular challenges have one-in-four women peacing out of corporate America. And Betsy Johnson, president of the Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities/Kentucky Center for Assisted Living, unpacks how the changing tide of COVID-19 concerns impacts the employees of nursing homes and other assisted living facilities.

It’s been a long time since we’ve had a regular back-to-school season for our children. And unfortunately, this year’s return still has personal protective masks on the school supplies list.

When COVID-19 first started, many of the most severe cases were in older people. With the delta variant, data shows an increasing number of kids not just testing positive, but more having to go to the hospital. Complicating the issue is that vaccines are not yet available to those 12 and under.

So, while research is still underway on whether the variant itself is more harmful to children, some say the numbers are going up because the variant is just far more transmissible and adults just aren’t being as careful because of vaccines and summer weather.

On this week’s “In Conversation,” host Rick Howlett talked to WFPL Education Reporter Jess Clark and Health/Southern Indiana Reporter John Boyle about how school openings have looked in both Kentucky and Indiana as the delta variant sweeps through school districts.

And we checked in with Dr. Marty Pollio, superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools, about how the school year kicked off, how the surge of COVID-19 cases has shifted preparation for the school year, and what other issues are shaping the 2021-2022 school year.

For a moment in time, it seemed as if we were getting COVID-19 under control. But then the delta variant moved in with a swiftness, and now many of us have more questions than reliable answers.

On this week’s “In Conversation,” host Rick Howlett talked with Dr. Jon Klein from UofL's School of Medicine about what Louisville and the Ohio Valley Region need to know about the delta variant. How does a variant even compare to the original? Where and when to mask? What’s a breakthrough case? How are those vaccinated against the coronavirus protected or left unprotected? What are the concerns of the unvaccinated? How is testing going?

Right now the state of Kentucky is experiencing the highest number of new cases and highest positivity rate since February. Dr. Klein discussed what that means.

And on a lighter note, we talked about the return of the Kentucky State Fair. Where else can you go to see goats and other animals, peruse award-winning eggs and pies, see goats, ride a carousel, and did I mention goats?

This year’s fair will feature a photo exhibit called “The Ripple Effects: Exploring Water in Louisville.” We’ll meet the exhibit’s organizer and learn more.

The Kentucky State Fair runs from August 19 to Aug. 29, 2021.

It’s about to get fancy up in here. Fancy Farm Picnic, that is.

The Fancy Farm Picnic is considered the Super Bowl of Kentucky politics. Or as former WFPL Morning Edition host Jonathan Bastian described it in 2013, “enflamed politicians shaking their fists in the air; partisan crowds engulfing each other with heckles and howls; the smell of dead pigs thicker than the humidity; and perhaps the most instructive and inimitable lesson in Kentucky politics an outsider could receive in three hours.”

The picnic has a long history as a fundraiser that goes back to 1881. It is organized by St. Jerome Catholic Church in the western Kentucky town of Fancy Farm, which is in Graves County.

Politicians and those who aspire to hold political office subject themselves to heat and heated verbal barbs the first Saturday in August. People go to Fancy Farm to see political swagger, but they also go to partake in the several thousand pounds of pork and mutton cooked and sold at the picnic.

This year, the Louisville Democratic Party has launched a new event the same day as the Fancy Farm Picnic. It was originally called FancyVille but has now been dubbed FancyVaxx to focus on promoting vaccinations in light of the Delta variant of COVID-19.

Whether you’re interested in hearing more about the Fancy Farm Picnic or the FancyVaxx event, “In Conversation” host Rick Howlett talked with organizers of both events and with Kentucky Public Radio’s Capitol Bureau Chief Ryland Barton.

As the Kentucky horse racing industry gallops toward the future, scandals plague the field, and changes might be just around the next turn.

This week on “In Conversation,” we discussed the state of the thoroughbred horse racing industry. We talked to insiders about what might be next for the sport, and what they think could be improved.

It’s summertime and the livin’ is easy. At least if you have good books to read, gardening to do, and social media fights to get into.

This week, we listened to a few “In Conversation” discussions from earlier this year. Two Louisville librarians recommended summer reads for both adults and children. A panel of gardeners give advice on potting and planting. And First Amendment experts talk about the interplay between free speech rights and social media.

This week we talked to Congressman John Yarmuth (D-Louisville) about what is happening in Washington, D.C. as it impacts Kentucky.

Host Rick Howlett discussed various issues with Yarmuth, who represents the state’s 3rd Congressional District in the House of Representatives and who serves as the chair of the House Budget Committee.

Issues unpacked included working with the Biden administration, the infrastructure plan, the budget process, state election laws and legislation, redistricting in Kentucky, ending the Afghanistan war, and getting things done in Congress amid current political divisions.

The most recognizable “face” of a college or university can often be a popular athlete. Yet, until recently, the athletes haven’t been able to earn money from being unofficial ambassadors.

But college athletes now get to profit from endorsements, sponsorships, appearances, marketing opportunities or just being able to tutor for extra cash.

Last month, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) violated antitrust laws by not allowing student-athletes to leverage their ability to get paid.

The NCAA has since changed its bylaws to allow them to be compensated for use of their name, image and likeness.

We talked to experts who will explain what this decision means, the practical implications of the change and what other ways this is a game changer.

Food, food, food — that’s what Friday’s show was all about. And it’s just in time for a three-day

We started off with grilling tips from local BBQ master Chan Nelson who followed his dream of turning his food truck into a restaurant. Host Rick Howlett got some tips on how to make your own pork, beef and chicken stack up at weekend barbecues.

Then we talked to local food writers Robin Garr, Lindsay McClave, and Susan Riegler about places in Louisville to go to get your grub on, even if the grub is fine dining. We also dished about how the local restaurant scene is changing, and how people are cooking up their own food cravings when they don’t go out to eat.