Metro Council interviews
In this week’s show, Studio 619 brings you the latest three interviews in our series of conversations with Louisville’s Metro Council members. This week, we talked with District Four Councilman David Tandy, District Five Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton and District Six Councilman George Unseld.
Larry Kane
June will mark the 40-year anniversary of the release of the Beatles’ landmark album, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. When the Fab Four came to the U.S. in 1964, they met a young reporter named Larry Kane. Kane befriended John Lennon and sustained that friendship over decades, until Lennon’s death in 1980.
That friendship is detailed in Kane’s book, “Lennon Revealed”, which is now available in paperback. Kane spoke with WFPL’s Rick Howlett.
Steve Davidowitz
As we grow ever closer to the Run for the Roses, some of our thoughts turn to that lingering hope for the next great racing champion to emerge on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs. The Kentucky Derby is certainly an outlet where thoroughbred racing enthusiasts and casual observers alike came come together to share an appreciation for the sport.
WFPL’s Stephanie Sanders spoke with author Steve Davidowitz about the Kentucky Derby, its contribution to horse racing and that special connection between America and horses like Barbaro and Smarty Jones.
Michael Norton
Throughout the world, people will celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd by doing everything from cleaning up neighborhoods to planting a tree. This week, WFPL’s Julie Goodwin talks with author Michael Norton about his new book, “365 Ways to Change the World: How to Make a Difference One Day at a Time”, about some unique ways to make a difference.
Metro Council Interviews
WFPL continues its series this week on Louisville’s Metro Council. WFPL’s Stephanie Sanders has interviewed each of the 26 council members, in an effort to get a clear picture of how the council has grown over the last four years.
Last week, Sanders spoke with Representatives from Districts One, Two and Three – Judy Green, Barbara Shanklin and Mary Woolridge respectively.
David Smedley Calvert
December 21, 2012. That’s not a date that will strike fear into many people, but it is the date Mayans believe the world will end. To talk more about Mayan calendars, culture and health care, WPFL’s Susan Sweeney Crum caught up with David Smedley Calvert. Calvert spent several years living with the Mayans and has written a number of books of the subject.
Alternative Medicine
Alternative medicine is all the buzz lately, but what should we really know before we take that supplement or sign up for those acupuncture treatments? Should we stop our prescription medications or forego the surgery? Join WFPL’s Robin Fisher as she talks with author Christine Larson about the facts and science behind alternative medicine and her new book “Alternative Medicine: The Savvy Consumer’s Guide to Healthcare”.
Metro Council
Louisville’s Metro Council was formed with the old city of Louisville merged with Jefferson County’s government. Suddenly, what was once a fiscal court consisting of representatives for nearly 250,000 residents each became a council of 26 members, each with around 26,000 constituents.
But what progress has been made since that first election in 2002? Is the council functioning as its creators intended?
As Louisville residents continue to learn about and adjust to their new representative body, WFPL’s Stephanie Sanders spoke with each council member about the effectiveness of the council, their role in the legislative process and how the public can become more involved.
Timothy Tyson
On May 12, 1970, Henry “Dickie” Marrow, a black man, was gunned down by a white shopkeeper in Oxford, North Carolina. At the time author Timothy Tyson was a boy in Oxford and friends with the shopkeeper’s son. The resulting race riots and social upheaval would have a profound impact on Tyson and eventually become the book “Blood Done Sign My Name”. Join WFPL’s Robin Fisher as she talks to this year’s Grawemeyer Award in Religion winner Timothy Tyson. This interview contains language some listeners may find offensive.
Josh Golder
A Boston-based documentary filmmaker is looking for Louisvillians who are willing to share their hopes and dreams with the world. Josh Golder has chosen twelve cities in America, including Louisville, to find interview subject for his new documentary “Dream”. It will includes the stories of people’s dreams and how the plan to make them happen. WFPL’s Rick Howlett spoke with Golder about the project.
The Hilltoppers
If you know of Western Kentucky University, you probably know of the school’s mascot, the Hilltopper. But did you know that name was also used for a group of WKU Students who climbed to international stardom at the Billboard’s Top 40 more than 50 years ago?
“The Hilltoppers” are now in the midst of a revival, with anew CD of their hits, and a new book about their time in the spotlight called “PS, I Love You: The Story of the Singing Hilltoppers”.
WFPL’s Susan Sweeney Crum spoke with lead singer Jimmy Sacca, Jr. about the experience.
Polar Bears
They’re considered a potentially threatened species, but polar bears aren’t listed as endangered yet, and conservationists would like to keep it that way. The arctic animals, whose population is around 25,000, can grow up to ten feet tall and weigh as much as 1,700 pounds. Topping the food chain in their natural habitat, polar bears only have one natural enemy: humans. Their numbers are dwindling because of the warming climate.
This week, WFPL’s Laura Ellis learns more about polar bears, with John Walzack, director of the Louisville Zoo, and Robert Buchanan, the president of Polar Bears International.
Elizabeth Kessler
Can science and art work together? Does interdisciplinary study enhance our perspective of events? Art historian Elizabeth Kessler has been asking these very questions ever since she looked at photos sent back from the Hubble Space Telescope and saw similarities to the Romantic landscapes of the 19th century American West.
Join WFPL’s Robin Fisher as she talks with Kessler about the Hubble photographs, how the astronomers choose the colors and why their color choices can influence our perceptions of space.
Chris Epting
Spring is here! Warmer temperatures, spring thunderstorms and blooming trees can only mean one thing to sports enthusiasts – baseball season is on the way. To help ease you into that baseball spirit, WFPL’s Rick Howlett spoke with author Chris Epting, who’s written a book about baseball landmarks throughout the country. It’s called “Roadside Baseball: Uncovering Hidden Treasures From Our National Pastime”.
“King” Kelly Coleman
“King” Kelly Coleman is considered by some to be the best basketball player to ever emerge from Kentucky. He earned the nickname “King” in the late 1950’s – while he was in high school. Coleman quickly was touted as the best high school basketball player in the country – ahead of Jerry West.
But growing up as one of eleven children to a low-income family in Wayland, Kentucky, Coleman wasn’t emotionally prepared to become one of the first sports superstars in the nation. He spoke with WFPL’s Stan Cook about the experience.
Eleanor Lerman
After a twenty-five year absence, Eleanor Lerman returned to poetry after spending time writing crimes novels and short fiction. She says when she was approached about writing poetry again she had to make the decision to change her life completely once the poet was reawakened. Join WFPL’s Robin Fisher as she talks with Lerman about coming back to poetry and her two latest collections “The Mystery of Meteors” and “Our Post-Soviet History Unfolds”.
