On Track

Earlier this month, a Courier Journal story about a traffic stop involving Tae-Ahn Lea sparked public outrage. Lea, a black teenager, was pulled over for making a wide turn and ended up handcuffed and searched. Is this what's supposed to happen? Are LMPD traffic stops effective, or used as a way to harass and intimidate black drivers? WFPL's Rick Howlett talked with panelists to ask how traffic stops work and what the police and community can do to better their relationship. Our guests were:

Much of Louisville’s infrastructure needs repairs, but the city has a long way to go before it can upgrade its aging systems. Meanwhile, residents in some Louisville neighborhoods are experiencing frequent flooding.

This Week on In Conversation, we talk infrastructure: where we are, what needs to be done and where we're going. Our guests were:

As Louisville's art scene grows, so too has diversity and representation in the industry. One sign of that is new Actors Theatre of Louisville Artistic Director Robert Barry Fleming, the first non-white artistic director in the company's history.

Legislators passed several bills during this year's legislative session affecting the state pension system, abortion, felony expungement, school safety and more. The session also brought a new round of protests in Frankfort from public school teachers, with rallies leading Jefferson County Public Schools to close for six days.

Guest host Ryland Barton talks with a panel of state lawmakers to review this year's legislative session.

Our guests were:

Debate on whether the state should manage the school system is ongoing, and JCPS teachers organized several "sickouts" to protest education-related bills in Frankfort this legislative session. This meant six days of school closures as teachers flooded the Capitol, and created obstacles for families juggling childcare. We'll talk with JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio about the state of education and JCPS, recent legislation, his thoughts on the sickouts and more.

The 2019 Kentucky Derby Festival expects to attract hundreds of thousands of people to the Louisville area for events like the Thunder Over Louisville fireworks display and the Pegasus Parade. This year's festival will be the last at the helm for its longtime leader: Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO Mike Berry is retiring this year. We talk with Berry about his tenure, and we talk with KDF's Chief of Staff and Vice President of Communications about this year's events and how they stage the two-week festival.

Kentucky Congressman John Yarmuth is in a powerful position in his new role as chair of the House Budget Committee where he's now instrumental in determining spending levels for federal dollars. In this episode of In Conversation, we talked about Yarmuth's new position, his thoughts on the Green New Deal, the federal budget's effect on the commonwealth and more.

The neighborhoods of Louisville's west end are undergoing a flurry of investment and development, and it could mean big changes for the area's residents. The city recently finished road improvements at 18th and Broadway. OneWest, a nonprofit created to promote commercial real estate development, bought properties near the site to spur growth. There's also a planned $35 million track and field complex and a $28 million YMCA branch under construction in the area. Friday's guests talked about those developments and possible effects for residents--both good and bad. Our guests were:

Citing soaring state pension obligations over the next four years, budget restrictions and few choices, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer says Metro government faces a serious fiscal shortfall and services and city employees could be casualties. Fischer is asking the Metro Council to increase the insurance premium tax or find a better solution. We talked about whether that proposal will benefit Louisville. Our guests were:

Kentucky lawmakers have discussed medical marijuana bills in recent years, but measures have never gained enough momentum to pass the early stages of the state legislature. But two bills introduced this session, Senate Bill 170 and House BIll 136, would legalize the drug for medicinal use, creating exemptions for dispensaries and rules for how physicians could prescribe it. Both measures have bipartisan support, and Republican Gov. Matt Bevin has said he would support such a law depending on “how it’s written.” Host Rick Howlett and guests talked about medical marijuana and whether it has a chance to pass this legislative session.