Roberto Roldan

Louisville

Louisville Politics and Government Reporter at WFPL-FM (Louisville, KY)

Louisville Politics & Government @WFPLNews. Florida man 🇵🇷. Formerly: @MyVPM @WUSF & more. Tips: [email protected]

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Articles

Nonprofit led by former JCPS teachers helping students find reading success

1 week ago | lpm.org | Roberto Roldan

At the end of the day at Gutermuth Elementary School in the South End, students file out of the building to the bus circle on one side or the car line on the other. Within minutes, the hallways nearly empty out, save for about a dozen students gathered in the cafeteria. These students are in different grades, but they have something in common: They need a little extra help with reading. Brittanie Abell, a teacher at Gutermuth Elementary, is the site director for I Would Rather Be Reading.
Louisville officials defend proposal to take Churchill Downs money from JCPS

3 weeks ago | lpm.org | Roberto Roldan

A proposed resolution before Louisville Metro Council would extend an agreement that keeps Churchill Downs from paying some taxes for another 30 years. Unlike other businesses, Churchill Downs has not paid local property taxes in Louisville since 2002, when the deed for the storied race track was transferred to the city. The deal made the property tax-exempt, but the company agreed to continue paying Jefferson County Public Schools the portion of revenue the district would have otherwise received.
Federal funding cuts threaten Kentucky’s future flood readiness

4 weeks ago | lpm.org | Roberto Roldan

Cities and counties in Kentucky received an official notice last week that the federal government was cancelling millions of dollars in infrastructure grants. The email hit the inboxes of local officials as they were still picking up the pieces from a once-in-a-decade flood that devastated the central and western parts of the state. The grants cancelled by President Donald Trump’s administration would have funded flood mitigation projects in Louisville.
Louisville unveils plan to reduce violent crime by 15% annually

1 month ago | lpm.org | Roberto Roldan

City leaders in Louisville are hoping a comprehensive crime plan, focused on prevention, intervention and enforcement, will help the city reduce violent crime by 15% each year. The five-year strategy, dubbed the Safe Louisville Plan, includes a lot of things the city is already focused on, like expanding employment opportunities for young people, addressing neighborhood blight and raising police officer pay.
Parks, EV chargers: Federal funding chaos has broad impact in Louisville

1 month ago | lpm.org | Roberto Roldan

Federal funding chaos has impacted efforts to expand electric vehicle charging stations in Louisville, as well as programming in public parks. Some agencies have had grants frozen or cancelled. Others have received confusing, and sometimes contradictory, guidance about whether the money they use to fund valuable programs is still there.
Planning for flood cleanup in Louisville begins as river nears its peak

1 month ago | lpm.org | Roberto Roldan |Roberto Roldan

Sometime in the next week, city workers in Louisville will start working overtime to clear flood debris from roadways and other public spaces. Areas along the Ohio River have been inundated with flood waters bringing trash, sticks and logs and other debris. On Tuesday, local businesses along River Road, like River Road BBQ and Haymarket, were under feet of standing water. Near the docks where the Belle of Louisville is parked, water reached the fixtures atop the antique-style light poles.
In Louisville, rain stops but flood threat continues

1 month ago | lpm.org | Roberto Roldan

Neighborhoods near the Ohio River will continue to see flooding this week, after a historic round of storms that ended Sunday. Monday brought blue skies over drying roads and sidewalks for many neighborhoods in Louisville, but those next to large bodies of water aren’t out of the woods yet. Near the Ohio River, which has risen more than 20 feet since last week, homes and businesses are inundated by flood waters.
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell announces retirement plans

1 month ago | lpm.org | Roberto Roldan

Louisville’s longest-serving county attorney is planning to retire at the end of next year. Mike O’Connell, a Democrat, announced his intention not to run for reelection on Thursday, and endorsed a successor. O’Connell, 75, said in an interview with LPM News that he wants to leave office while he can still manage the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office efficiently. He said he feels the office is set up for success.
More severe storms on the way after EF-1 tornado touches down in Louisville

1 month ago | lpm.org | Roberto Roldan

As residents of Louisville’s Fairdale neighborhood survey the damage caused by an EF-1 tornado Sunday night, more severe storms are making their way toward the River City. The first storm system will move through Jefferson County and Southern Indiana Wednesday night, likely bringing the threat of damaging winds and hail. Multiple rounds of storms will follow into the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. The area could see as much as 10 inches of rain by Sunday morning.
Louisville creates cigar bars exemption to indoor smoking ban

1 month ago | lpm.org | Roberto Roldan

Louisvillians looking to smoke cigars at a bar will no longer have to travel across the river to Southern Indiana. Metro Council voted Thursday night to carve out a new exemption to the 2008 indoor smoking ban. Bars with at least 15% of their gross revenues coming from the sale of cigars and pipe tobacco will be allowed to have their patrons smoke those products in the building. The change passed the council by a wide margin, 20-6, after a similar proposal failed two years ago.