The Louisville Free Public Library nearly lost two branch locations and $2.26 million from its overall library funding under Mayor Greg Fischer's proposed budget cuts. Lawmakers ultimately approved less drastic reductions, but the library system will still have to close its branch location in Fern Creek and curtail services. We talk with officials about the system's services, and why they are calling for public support ahead of their expected challenges. Our guests were:

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We look back on previous episodes of In Conversation. These include discussions about the increasing number of youth in Kentucky using electronic cigarettes, the obstacles and successes of Louisville's park systems, and work to promote awareness about vaccinations.

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Kentucky's public pension system is putting a crunch on the budgets of regional universities and "quasi" state agencies. Those entities will be required to have a massive increase in their pension costs starting July 1. Some agencies say the changes will affect their services and hurt residents in Kentucky. WFPL's Ryland Barton talked with legislators and others about the pension issue. Our guests were:

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Kentucky's hemp industry is booming, reporting a $41 million growth in sales last year when compared to 2017. The passage of the federal 2018 Farm Bill effectively legalized the crop and opened it for research and farming. WFPL's Rick Howlett talked with industry experts about the crop and how it might affect Kentucky's agricultural landscape. Our guests were:

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The Congress for New Urbanism's 27th Annual Convention landed in Louisville this week, and more than a thousand designers, planners and architects showed up to learn about the present and future of urbanism. WFPL's Rick Howlett asked convention speakers how urbanism helps develop Louisville's neighborhoods and the rest of the city.

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Kentucky was one of a few states where the jail population increased last year, and officials have taken notice. The nonprofit Kentucky Center for Economic Policy won a $10,000 grant to research the issue, and national organizations like the Bail Project have landed in Louisville to institute bail reform. WFPL's Rick Howlett talked with jail officials and advocates about Kentucky's incarceration rates, and what they think should be done to address it. The guests were:

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The Louisville Metro Council announced it would close public pools and cut the city budget to address an impending budget shortfall. Those cuts could affect public safety, health, and recreational opportunities offered through Louisville's park system.

Kentucky and the rest of the nation are wrestling with the huge popularity of electronic cigarettes among youth. A survey by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky found the number of youth who use e-cigarettes, an activity referred to as vaping, doubled from 2016 through 2018 for sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th graders. Research has found many non-smoking youth who use e-cigarettes are more likely to later turn to traditional cigarettes when compared to teens who didn't vape.

In April, WFPL published a five-part series about toxic air pollution in Louisville. Energy and Environment Reporter Ryan Van Velzer examined who is responsible for the pollution and who is affected by it. This week on In Conversation, WFPL’s Rick Howlett talked to experts featured in that series about the state of air pollution in Louisville and what the community can do about it. Our guests were:

In an update two weeks ago, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the recent measles outbreak has led to the most cases of the disease since 2000. Before 1963, in the decade before the measles vaccination was created, an estimated three to four million people were infected, and about 400 to 500 people died of the disease each year. But there's still some push-back against not only the measles vaccine, but vaccines in general. Opponents sometimes cite religious reasons or debunked studies linking vaccinations to autism as reasons not to be vaccinated. We discussed the outbreaks and the science on WFPL's In Conversation. Our guests included: