Breya Jones

Louisville

Arts and Culture Reporter at WFPL-FM (Louisville, KY)

Arts & Culture Reporter | Ida B. Wells Fellow ‘23 | She/They | [email protected] | occupying Adena, Hopewell, Shawandasse Tula, Tsalaguwetiyi, & Wazhazhe land

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Articles

Listen: The legacy of Louisville’s Shirley Mae lives on

2 days ago | lpm.org | Breya Jones

Longtime Smoketown business-owner Shirley Mae Beard earned a reputation for slow-cooked, home-cooked meals that kept customers coming back for years. But she did more than cook — she elevated the history of Black jockeys in the Kentucky Derby, she shared secrets and fostered community. She died in January. Today, her children keep her legacy running one plate of food at a time.
Louisville choir makes space for all voices in barbershop style singing

1 week ago | lpm.org | Breya Jones

Hannah Nitzken remembers feeling jealous when she was younger, watching her grandfather perform in the Thoroughbreds, a long-standing barbershop choir. She wanted to be a part of something similar — but for decades, barbershop-style singing was dominated by men. Groups with women and non-men weren’t permitted to join the Barbershop Harmony Society, the largest barbershop organization in the country until 2018.
Rain at Kentucky Derby dampens tracks, not spirits

1 week ago | lpm.org | Breya Jones

On a sloppy track at the end of a soggy day at Churchill Downs, Sovereignty went up against heavy favorite Journalism and left him in the mud. Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado took home the honors in the 151st Kentucky Derby. Their race was the main event, but thousands of spectators spent the day dressed for the occasion — and the weather. 1 of 12 — Churchill Downs_grandstand_Hicks_050325.jpg Gray clouds hovered all day over Churchill Downs on May 3, 2025.
Proposed $65 million tennis and pickleball complex at Louisville park draws mixed reactions

1 week ago | lpm.org | Breya Jones

A proposal for 25 acres of space at Joe Creason Park has neighbors, pickleball enthusiasts and some local leaders at odds. The proposal, which is projected to cost $65 million, comes from the recently formed nonprofit Kentucky Tennis & Pickleball Center, Inc. If successful, it would transform the area with a new multi-court tennis and pickleball complex.
Wedding bells are ringing in a new exhibition in Louisville

2 weeks ago | lpm.org | Breya Jones

From bright whites to cream to vibrant reds to black, the wedding dresses on display at the Frazier History Museum showcase the various ways people in Kentucky have celebrated their unions. The Davis Jewelers Love and Marriage exhibit centers on items that tell stories of love between couples, how wedding traditions and trends have changed over time and how those changes have been reflected in society.
‘We can’t stay silent’: McGarvey tells Ky nonprofits to push Congress

2 weeks ago | lpm.org | Breya Jones

Speaking to a room of dozens of people representing Kentucky nonprofits, Democratic Rep. Morgan McGarvey of Louisville expressed his concerns about how decisions in Washington D. C. are impacting local groups. “I look around this room and it is both so inspiring and really sad right now,” McGarvey said.
Louisville's Lexi Love looks back on RuPaul's Drag Race run ahead of season finale

3 weeks ago | wkms.org | Breya Jones

From the moment Lexi Love stepped into the workroom of "RuPaul's Drag Race" adorned in angel wings, she began making her way to the hearts of show fans. She continued to make her mark with standout runways, roller skating moves, a bit of drama, a performance so bad it circled back to good in the eyes of the judges and a lot of love. The Louisville drag queen advanced to the competition's finale, which airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
Louisville’s Lexi Love looks back on RuPaul’s Drag Race run ahead of season finale

3 weeks ago | lpm.org | Breya Jones

From the moment Lexi Love stepped into the workroom of "RuPaul’s Drag Race" adorned in angel wings, she began making her way to the hearts of show fans. She continued to make her mark with standout runways, roller skating moves, a bit of drama, a performance so bad it circled back to good in the eyes of the judges and a lot of love. The Louisville drag queen advanced to the competition's finale, which airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
Kentuckians can get cooling cost assistance through LIHEAP program

3 weeks ago | wvxu.org | Breya Jones

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is kicking off the spring subsidy program starting April 15. Kentucky households from all 120 counties making income up to 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines—around $48,225 for a family of four— can apply to have the cost of their cooling partially covered. LIHEAP will pay the one-time subsidy directly to the service provider.
Quilts show Black Kentucky Derby jockeys in full color and scale

4 weeks ago | lpm.org | Breya Jones

Black jockeys who rode in the Kentucky Derby are depicted standing and sitting astride saddles. Intricate stitching, brightly colored fabric and full scale bring a strong presence to the quilts. “I've been an oil painter for about 10 or 15 years, and I wanted to do something that was quite different,” Eugene Poole Jr., the man behind the quilts, said. Poole considered mediums like sculpture, but he liked the idea of being able to take the colors of oil paints and find fabric equivalents.