On Track

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On Track episodes

May 29, 2020 Coronavirus In Kentucky's Long Term Care Facilities
More than half of Kentucky's deaths from coronavirus have been people who lived or worked in long term care facilities. As of this week, 240 residents and two staff members have lost their lives to the virus.

This week we talk about how our long-term care facilities are faring right now, what circumstances that make these facilities so vulnerable to the virus spreading, and what Kentucky is doing to plan for and prevent outbreaks.

Three guests joined us to talk about it: Secretary Eric Friedlander, who heads the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. He’s overseeing Kentucky’s response to coronavirus in long term care facilities. Bob Kramer is the founder of Nexus Insights, a consulting firm focused on the senior care industry. And Jared Bennett has written about some outbreaks for the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting.

At the top of the show, we checked in with Jake Ryan from the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting about protests that happened Thursday night in Louisville. Seven people were shot during a demonstration against the shooting death of Breonna Taylor by LMPD.
50 min
May 22, 2020 Reopening Kentucky's Restaurants
Restaurants are reopening this week at 33% capacity — but as a business owner recently wrote to us, “We aren’t getting a 66% discount on our bills.”

This week on “In Conversation,” we talk about restaurants reopening and the challenges they still have ahead of them.

Chef Edward Lee joins us to talk about what the Lee Initiative has done to help restaurants during the shutdown, what they’ve been hearing from restaurant owners, and what they’ll do next. Stacy Roof, President & CEO of the Kentucky Restaurant Association tells what her group has been advocating for, and why.

And Amy McNatt from Doe Anderson shares her research on how the coronavirus pandemic is expected to change consumer behavior going forward.

Will the new ability to have dine-in customers be too little too late for Kentucky restaurants? Or is the reopening too soon? Will you be going out to eat this holiday weekend?
52 min
May 19, 2020 Coronavirus Day 47: A Snapshot Of Life In Louisville
On Wednesday, April 22nd WFPL's reporters went out into the community to capture a moment in time amid the coronavirus outbreak. They interviewed some people and gave recorders to others so they could document their day.

And then we compiled these snapshots from coronavirus, day 47. On this episode, we'll hear the results, and talk to some of the reporters who participated in the project.
51 min
May 08, 2020Reopening The Economy In Kentucky & Indiana
Kentucky has begun executing Governor Andy Beshear’s plan for a gradual lifting of coronavirus restrictions. Certain medical practices and procedures were allowed to resume this week, and starting May 11, some business will be able to reopen if they meet state COVID-19 safety requirements.

This week on WFPL’s In Conversation, we talked about the reopening process in Kentucky and how it differs from those in Kentucky’s border states, and the legal responsibilities businesses have to insure the safety of their employees and patrons.

Guests:

Ashli Watts, President and CEO, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Kevin Brinegar, President and CEO, Indiana Chamber of Commerce
Attorney Jay Ingle, JacksonKelly PLLC

Donate to support this and future seasons of In Conversation.
52 min
May 01, 2020 At Home With Your Pets During The Pandemic
For many people left largely homebound by the coronavirus, pets have been a source of comfort and companionship. More people are adopting or fostering pets as they shelter at home.
How are pets adapting to having more time with their human caretakers? How will they react when their guardians return to the workplace? Is this a good time to add a dog, cat or other pet to your household?
Friday on WFPL’s In Conversation, our guests addressed those and other pet-related topics, including the risk of coronavirus in animals and precautions that should be taken.
Plus, we previewed Saturday’s virtual Kentucky Derby. The coronavirus pandemic forced the postponement of the 146th Kentucky Derby until September 5. The virtual Derby will be a computer-simulated race featuring the 13 Triple Crown winners. Fans can choose their favorite horse online and, along with Churchill Downs, make a donation to COVID-19 emergency relief.
53 min
April 28, 2020 Mayor Greg Fischer Talks COVID-19 Response And Recovery
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer has unveiled a three-phase recovery plan for the city as the COVID-19 outbreak begins to show early signs of subsiding.
The plan is called “Build Back Better, Together.” Fischer says reopening the economy and lifting restrictions on services will be dependent on meeting various benchmarks. They include a decline in the number and rate of new coronavirus cases, expanded testing and protecting at-risk populations.
Louisville Metro Government is also seeking public input about the recovery effort.
Mayor Fischer joined us, along with Louisville CFO Daniel Frockt and Dr. Sarah Moyer, director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, for a special edition of In Conversation. We talked about the recovery plan, the ongoing battle against COVID-19 and Louisville’s financial health.
52 min
April 24, 2020 This Week In Conversation: Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman Talks COVID-19 Response
Governor Andy Beshear has announced that there will be no in-person classes in Kentucky schools for the rest of the academic year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Students will continue their online classes through their districts’ non-traditional instruction programs.
Beshear says Kentucky needs to show a steady decline in new COVID-19 cases and meet other benchmarks before he will ease business closures and other restrictions.
Those closures have led to soaring jobless claims, which have overwhelmed Kentucky’s unemployment processing system.
This week on WFPL’s In Conversation, we spoke with Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman about the state’s response to the pandemic. Coleman is also secretary of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.
WFPL's Amina Elahi joined us to give us an update on the budget address Mayor Greg Fischer gave to the Metro Council on Thursday evening, and to tell us how the council has responded so far.
And we heard from Jennie Cole, Director of Collection Access at the Filson Historical Society. The Filson is collecting stories and artifacts to help document the current coronavirus pandemic, through the experiences of the citizens of Louisville.
53 min
April 17, 2020 This Week In Conversation: Voting In The Time Of Coronavirus
There’s no playbook for how to conduct elections during a global pandemic. A few weeks ago, Wisconsin held their primary like normal. In Kentucky, we’ve already delayed ours until June, and we’re still trying to figure out whether in-person voting will be safe by then.
Some states already have absentee voting available on request, while some (like Kentucky) require the voter to have a valid reason why they can't go to the polls on Election Day. And some lawmakers worry that allowing mail-in voting for all could lead to fraud.
On today's show, we talked about election plans in Kentucky and surrounding states, and the challenges facing those who are in charge of making the decisions.
Sydney Boles with the Ohio Valley Resource joined us at the top of the hour; she's been looking into election plans in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky.
Later in the hour, we checked in with Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, who said it's unlikely Kentucky will be able to hold a traditional election in June. Adams said it takes 16,000 poll workers to make an election happen, and most of them are over age 65, so particularly vulnerable to complications from coronavirus. He told us he and Governor Beshear are negotiating an agreement for what Kentucky's primary election will look like.
To wrap up the show, we talked to Kentucky Public Radio's statehouse reporter Ryland Barton about the General Assembly session that came to a close on Wednesday.In Conversation

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50 min
April 10, 2020 How Has The Coronavirus Outbreak Changed Your Life?
For most, if not all of us, life has been completely upended lately. Some of us are stuck in the house with our whole families — maybe for the first time ever. Others are working on the front lines against the coronavirus outbreak, afraid to go home to our loved ones at all.
On this episode, we talk about what it’s been like for you. How is your life different now, and how are you coping with the changes? Have you come up with strategies that you want to share, that might help someone else?
50 min
April 08, 2020 How COVID-19 Could Affect Kentucky's Government, Services
More and more Kentuckians are losing their jobs and have less money to spend every day during the coronavirus pandemic. That means there will eventually be a drop in income and sales tax revenue for the state, though Kentucky is slated to receive $1.6 billion in federal aid to help prop up essential services this year. State legislators have attempted to adjust by only passing a one-year budget, with plans to pass a new spending plan next year once the outlook is a little clearer. But many are worried that state services and the people who rely on them will be affected. For this special episode of In Conversation, host and Kentucky Public Radio Capitol Bureau Chief Ryland Barton discusses how the coronavirus pandemic will affect Kentucky's citizens, economy and government. Our guests were Democratic Sen. Morgan McGarvey of Louisville, Republican Rep. Kim Moser of Taylor Mill, Kentucky River District Health Department Public Health Director Scott Lockard and Kentucky Center for Economic Policy Executive Director Jason Bailey.

Donate to support this and future episodes of In Conversation.
48 min

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On Track brings you news and conversations about what matters most to you. We meet people who enrich our community, and take a closer look at the issues that challenge us, in Louisville, Southern…