January 2009

Schools Face Problems Beyond Outages

by Gabe Bullard on January 31, 2009

Governor Steve Beshear has ordered the total activation of the Kentucky National Guard. The move will add three thousand troops to the recovery effort across the state, making it the largest call-up of National Guard troops in Kentucky history.

In the Louisville area, roughly 122 thousand residents were without power as of Saturday afternoon. Mayor’s spokesperson Chris Poynter says warm temperatures this weekend are causing additional problems for power crews.

“They go and get a neighborhood on, the ice starts melting off the tree, the tree starts flipping back up and takes down more wire,” he says. “So they are starting to see that.”

Jefferson County Public Schools officials have not yet made a decision to cancel classes Monday, but Poynter says 13 schools are without power, and restoring electricty to the facilities is only the first step.

“Once you bring the school up there might be other issues,” he says. “There may be broken pipes, there may be issues of getting the boiler started. One of the issues also is, a lot of families are not living in their house so they can’t be picked up at their normal bus stop.”

E-On U.S. has over 25 hundred workers in the area and full power restoration isn’t expected until sometime next week.

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Economic Woes Could Mean USPS Service Cuts

by kespeland January 31, 2009

The U.S. Postal Service may have to cut back more services in the face of mounting economic pressure.

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E-On VP Says Buried Lines Are Unlikely

by Gabe Bullard January 30, 2009

After repairing damage from the two worst power outages in Kentucky history, E-On U.S. says it’s unlikely it will bury power lines to prevent future damage from falling trees.

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Three Dead From CO Exposure, City Stresses Generator Safety

by Gabe Bullard January 30, 2009

A West Louisville family of three is dead following suspected carbon monoxide exposure. The family did not have power and was running a generator in their garage.

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Homeless Shelters Busy; Some without Power

by ekramer January 30, 2009

Homeless shelters and other service agencies have been struggling with storm’s effects. WFPL’s Elizabeth Kramer has more. Officials at Louisville’s Coalition for the Homeless report shelters throughout the city are near or at capacity with people needing lodging during this week’s weather. And some agencies have also been doing their work without power. That includes [...]

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Postal Service Slowly Returning to Normal

by kespeland January 30, 2009

This week’s ice storm has hampered mail delivery in several parts of the state.

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Metro Government Not Yet Assessing Storm Costs

by Gabe Bullard January 30, 2009

With public employees working overtime and relief efforts in full swing, the ice storm could cost Louisville Metro government millions of dollars.

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More Than 2,300 Crews Working On Power Restoration

by Gabe Bullard January 30, 2009

Louisville Gas and Electric has not changed its timeline for restoring power to the area. Friday is day two of what company officials say will be a seven to ten day operation.

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Kentucky's Proposed Cigarette Tax

by Laura Ellis January 30, 2009

Earlier this month Governor Steve Beshear proposed a seventy cent increase in the tax on cigarettes. His reasoning? Kentucky needs the money, and we have one of the lowest cigarette tax rates in the nation (47th out of 50 as of January 2008). Needless to say, there are groups on both sides of the issue. Some say we need the money and it’s a good way to get it, others say it will cost retailers money and jobs by cutting into sales; another group claims it’s the best thing for our health, and the farmers, still reeling from the changes brought by the tobacco settlement are poised to see demand drop even farther. Listen to the Show

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Speed Museum Chooses wHY Architecture

by ekramer January 30, 2009

Click here for Elizabeth Kramer’s interview with The Speed Art Museum’s Charles Venable and wHY Architecture’s principal architect, Kulapat Yantrasast. The Speed Art Museum has chosen an architectural firm to design the expansion of its building on the University of Louisville campus. WFPL’s Elizabeth Kramer reports. A Los Angeles-based firm — wHY Architecture — will [...]

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