Byline

Today on Byline, WFPL's arts and humanities reporter Erin Keane spent some time with new artistic director of Actors Theatre of Louisville, Les Waters.

Keane talks with Waters about his background and experience, what he hopes to achieve in Louisville, the first production of the new season, and his curatorial decisions behind the productions for the 2012-13 season.

Here's what we covered in this edition of Byline:

At the top - Review and recap of the Republican National Convention with WFPL's Phillip Bailey, Kentucky Public Radio's Kenny Colston, and the Courier-Journal's Jim Carroll, who was present in Tampa this week.  They discuss the speeches, including Kentuckians Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, the Clint Eastwood appearance, and of course Mitt Romney's address.

Here's the rundown of this edition of Byline:

At the top - A Tea Party rally featuring Kentucky Senators Mitch McConnell and Senator Rand Paul was held earlier this week in Frankfort to protest President Obama’s health care law.  WFPL's Phillip Bailey and Kentucky Public Radio's Kenny Colston review the rally, discuss the Kentucky tea party, and the GOP’s hopes of reclaiming the presidency and a Senate majority.  

A health insurance exchange is required under the healthcare law, and will allow Kentuckians to compare and purchase insurance plans. But confusion about the exchange remains; lawmakers say information on the exchange is lacking, and want to know what the price tag will be. Kenny Colston has covered the story for WFPL and Kentucky Public Radio. He joined us on Friday's Byline to fill us in on just what we still don't know about how the exchange will work.

A crowded field of candidates will be on the November ballot for the three open seats on the JCPS Board of Education. WFPL's Devin Katayama covers education news, and he joined us Friday on Byline to talk about the candidates and their chances of election.

If you're heading to the Kentucky State Fair this weekend, you'll notice the gates of Kentucky Kingdom remain closed. Developer Ed Hart joined us Friday on Byline to talk about his newest proposal to re-open Kentucky Kingdom; it's a $40 million proposal with a team of supporters that reads like a who's who of the Louisville business scene.

Hart says re-opening Kentucky Kingdom would add $3 billion to Kentucky's economy.

Two-hundred twenty-five students from 43 counties across Kentucky make up the Governor’s School for the Arts class of 2012. Students spend three weeks on Transylvania University's campus immersed in the study of one of nine disciplines, from architecture to musical theater. They start with performances at morning assembly and go until curfew, creating ensemble pieces, solo work and interdisciplinary projects. 

Here's what we tackled today on Byline:

At the top - Kentucky Kingdom has now been closed for three consecutive seasons, shut down since its previous operator, Six Flags, declared bankruptcy.  There have been two attempts to re-open the property:  developer Ed Hart, who had previously operated the park, negotiated for more than a year with the Kentucky State Fair board to get the facility up and running, but those talks fell through. 

Jefferson County’s suburban fire districts—responsible for protecting nearly 187,000 homes and businesses—are tumbling toward a financial crisis that could force sweeping changes in the way the county fights fires.

The landing of the Curiosity Rover on Mars this week had many of our thoughts on space exploration. But only one journalist was asking questions about the legal ramifications of humans in outer space. Fast Company's Neal Ungerleider brought us our favorite headline of the week with his piece, Space Lawyers: They Exist.