Jefferson County Public Schools’ three new board members-elect will begin orientation soon prior to taking their seat on the school board next January.

“There are several topics that jump out,” said JCPS board chair Diane Porter.

A tentative transition plan was sent last week to David Jones Jr. in District 2, Chuck Haddaway in District 4 and Chris Brady in District 7.

The three are expected to participate in meetings about the budget and board protocols prior to Jan. 14 when they take their seats.

The Courier-Journal reports that five Valley High School students were taken to Kosair Children's Hospital after being rear ended by a vehicle around 7:10 am Monday morning.

There were no serious injuries according to JCPS officials although the five students did complain of head pain, the C-J reported.

A total of 11 students were on the bus with no further injuries.

The father of three girls killed last Christmas Eve in a Connecticut house fire is encouraging local schools to apply for grants though his new fund.

After last year’s accident Matthew Badger founded the Lily-Sarah-Grace Fund to support low-income schools with arts grant funding.

Badger is on a national road tour, driving a Winnebago, and speaking at schools that lack funding and could benefit from grants ranging from $100 to $5,000.

The Speed Art Museum has closed its doors for a$50 million renovation and expansion project, but that doesn’t mean the institution will go to sleep for the next three years. One community outreach initiative launches this month. The "Art & Dialogues" series will bring influential curators, collectors and critics from the modern and contemporary art world to Louisville for public lectures and university visits.

Russ Smith scored 23 points and Peyton Siva added ten as the second-ranked Louisville Cardinals defeated visiting Manhattan 79-51 today in their regular-season college basketball opener.

The Cards jumped out to an early 12-3 lead en route to victory over the Jaspers, coached by former U of L assistant and Rick Pitino protege Steve Masiello.

U of L takes on Samford Wednesday in early round play of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament.

Cities that are great places to live, work, and play don't usually happen by accident. To help ensure the best future for Louisville, back in August Mayor Greg Fischer announced a new program, Vision Louisville, a year-long project that seeks to define the future of the city.

Actors Theatre of Louisville has announced the lineup for the 37th annual Humana Festival of New American Plays. The festival opens February 27 and runs through April 7. With the exception of the commissioned apprentice anthology, the full-length world premieres are all written by playwrights making their Humana Festival debuts. 

For a live interview with Actors Theatre literary manager Sarah Lunnie on this year's Humana Festival selections, tune in to 89.3 FM Monday at 1:30 p.m.

From the headline ("Progress vs. preservation turns into an ugly ordeal") down, the WAVE3 piece pit preservationists against the advancement of the city.

The story, by WAVE3 reporter John Boel, was enough to spur the head of the Neighborhood Planning and Preservation Inc. to send an e-mail on Friday urging recipients to share their concerns with Boel.

Ultimately, the WAVE3 piece sums up three popular arguments against preservation:

The clean-up from the Oct. 29 train derailment continues. Since then, residents near the site in southwestern Jefferson County have endured evacuations, road closures. There have been shelter-in-place orders as authorities dealt with dangerous chemicals, some spilled after the wreckage. And then there was the fire that injured workers.

But, as the dangers and disruptions recede, the question of how the Paducah & Louisville Railway train derailed endures. 

Each week, members of the WFPL news team will spotlight interesting stories we've read over the past week for your weekend reading pleasure: