Shell Oil Co. President John Hofmeister
The future of energy in the U.S. was the focus of discussion recently during a meeting in Louisville of the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana and the Kentucky World Trade Center. WFPL’s Julie Goodwin spoke with the president of Shell Oil Company, John Hofmeister, about future oil concerns.
Ohio River Bridges Project
Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson says its time to explore other financing options for the bridges project and reconfiguration of spaghetti junction. The Mayor called for a renewed commitment to the project during his State of the City address this month.
Critical Thinking
Last week, Kentucky Public Radio’s Charles Compton began a four-part series on critical thinking in Kentucky’s colleges and universities. This week, Compton explores the history of critical thinking.
Passport Changes
Flying to Canada and using your driver’s license for identification may have been okay a week ago… but new regulations now state you need a passport to re-enter the United States. The rule also applies to those coming from Mexico, South and Central America, Bermuda and the Caribeean. AAA Kentucky spokesperson Roger Boyd discussed the new regulations with WFPL’s Heidi Caravan.
Former Louisville Congresswoman Anne Northup
Former Louisville Congresswoman Anne Northup joined the race for the Republican nomination in the Kentucky Governor’s race last week. Northup held the third district seat in the House of Representatives for ten years. She was unseated in last year’s general election by Democrat John Yarmuth.
Kentucky Public Radio’s Tony McVeigh reports.
Critical Thinking
Kentucky Public Radio’s Charles Compton takes an in-depth look at critical thinking in the Commonwealth’s colleges and universities. He’s found some teachers are worried the instructional techniques of yesterday will no longer be successful in today’s age of technology.
Here is the first of the four-part series.
New Baby Hippo
The Louisville Zoo has welcomed a new residents to its fold….a baby pygmy hippopotamus was born a few weeks ago. WFPL’s Heidi Caravan spoke with Louisville Zoo General Curator Steve Wing about the new arrival.
College Goal Sunday
College-bound students in Kentucky – in need of financial assistance – will have an opportunity to meet with financial aid professionals from Kentucky colleges and universities during College Goal Sunday, January 28th. The statewide program provides free information and assistance to students applying for college financial aid. College Goal Sunday will take place in Louisville and 18 other Kentucky communities.
The Big Read
Louisville’s “The Big Read” promotes the value of reading within a community. The Louisville Free Public Library was chosen by the National Endowment for the Arts to take part in the project. It encourages everyone in the community to read the same book and take part in public discussions about the reading. We spoke with Louisville Free Public Library Director Craig Buthod about “The Big Read” and the publication selected, Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Successful Weight Loss
Losing weight and getting fit can sometime seem like an overwhelming task. The Louisville Metro Health Department is offering a series of workshops to help the public take on the challenge more effectively.
WFPL’s Julie Goodwin talks with Registered Dietician Margaret Heyn about the various seminars, and tips for a successful weight-loss strategy.
Roland Paris
Last week’s Presidential address has many Americans thinking about the war in Iraq. But American troops were involved in missions in Afghanistan well before the Iraq invasion, and US troops remain in dangerous firefights daily with Taliban insurgents.
WFPL’s Stephanie Sanders spoke with Roland Paris, the 2007 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award winner for Ideas Improving World Order, about his thoughts on the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. His book is called At War’s End: Building Peace After Civil Conflict.
Greater Louisville Project
Moving Louisville forward through education was the topic of this week’s Louisville Forum luncheon. One of the speakers was Carolyn Gatz, director of the Greater Louisville Project. She says the project, aimed at making Louisville more competitive with other cities, has set some challenging goals.
Speed Art Museum
The Speed Art Museum isn’t just a place to view paintings. Over the next few weeks, the museum will offer everything from lectures to a film screening. Members of the Louisville Ballet will use the facility for a performance. WFPL’s Julie Goodwin talks with Lonna Versluys of the Speed Art Museum about museum activities going on this winter.
Atlas Brown
A new arena, Ohio River bridges, upgrades to the Museum Plaza project, and the futures of the two Ford Motor Company plants in Louisville all will have major impacts on the city’s economy in the coming year. WFPL’s Stan Cook spoke with Shawn Ridley, the CEO of Atlas Brown, about economic changes during 2006 and what we can expect in 2007. Atlas Brown is a Louisville investment Advisory firm.
Teaching Peace
Of the more than fifty homicides that have occurred in Louisville this year, nearly 20 of them have involved a victim under the age of 21. Several Louisville-area organizations are putting some ideas to work in an effort to stop youth violence, especially among African-Americans. In the first of a two-part series, called “Teaching Peace,” WFPL’s Stephanie Sanders reports.
PawSense
They say curiosity killed the cat, but it’s the cat’s curiosity that can kill your computer. With a combination of shortcut keys and bad luck, a cat strolling across your computer keyboard can do major damage to your hard drive or erase important files. It was after his sister’s cat wreaked havoc on the PC that Chris Niswander invented PawSense, a software that can detect cat-like typing and block input from the keyboard before any harm is done. The can also play an annoying sound, to help encourage kitty to get down. This week the inventor talks to WFPL’s Laura Ellis about how the software works.
