Wildfire smoke from Canada caused dangerously unhealthy air quality in New York City and across much of the U.S. in 2023. While air quality has improved greatly in the U.S. in recent decades, wildfire smoke and other climate-influenced problems are endangering that progress.(Ed Jones / AFP via Getty Images) Over one-third of Americans, or about 130 million people, routinely breathe in unhealthy air, according to the newest State of the Air report from the American Lung Association (ALA). That number is larger in 2023 than in years past, despite significant long-term and ongoing efforts to clea ..read more

Susan Hall looks through binders of FEMA paperwork she’s filed and received over the past year and a half to get financial assistance to repair their home in Hindman, Kentucky, on Feb. 28, 2024.(Justin Hicks) Lance Damer and Susan Hall’s home was just one of many hit by the 2022 floods that killed 45 people in eastern Kentucky. They followed the instructions government officials repeated: Apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency aid to help fix your home so that it’s safe, sanitary and functional. If you don’t think the outcome is right? Appeal, appeal, appeal. In the meantime, Damer and ..read more

(Mary Meehan) Before the legislative session ended last week, Gov. Andy Beshear signed a bill that prohibits healthcare providers from being prosecuted when honest mistakes are made on the job. Kentucky has become the first state to enact a law preventing healthcare workers from being criminally charged for medical errors. During the legislative session that ended last week, Gov. Andy Beshear signed HB 159, which prohibits healthcare providers from being criminally charged when honest mistakes are made on the job. The bill follows a 2022 Tennessee case in which a nurse was convicted of crimina ..read more

Utica Township Volunteer Firefighters Association station on Utica Pike in Clark County New Chapel CEO Matt Owen said the fire and EMS service has hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets tied up in the criminal investigation of former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel, who previously led the organization. That includes vehicles used for operations, as well as high-dollar “investment” vehicles Noel financed. Once the vehicles are returned, Owen hopes to sell them to bring in revenue. The vehicles were seized as part of the now 10-month investigation of Noel and his time leading the nonprofit a ..read more

The Speed Art Museum's revamped Native American galleries opened in early April, 2024.(Amanda Haas / Speed Art Museum) The Speed Art Museum opened the reinstalled Native American galleries April 5, and closed them April 10. The exhibit was closed to the public due to “unforeseen mechanical malfunctions near the Native American galleries,” according to an email response from Jackie Osman, the museum’s associate marketing and communications director. “The malfunction was related to an HVAC issue,” Osman said, in part. She said the problem has since been resolved. Planned programming around the ..read more

Republican Sen. Rand Paul speaks with constituents during a visit to Murray State University Monday. (Hannah Saad / WKMS) Republican Sen. Rand Paul spoke about inflation, veteran support, mental health and homelessness during a visit to western Kentucky on Monday that included stops in Hopkinsville, Grand Rivers, Madisonville and Murray. Speaking to a group at Murray State University, Paul advocated for making it illegal for people to sleep on the streets. The conservative senator said a lot of federal dollars have been spent trying to address the nation’s growing mental health problem, espec ..read more

Catch basins like this are the source of many odor issues across the city's west end. (Lilly Burris / LPM ) The breeze that makes the wind chimes ring on Ashia Powell’s front porch in Park Duvalle will also, on a hot day, send a sickening stench across the neighborhood. Some days the smell is like rotten eggs or feces, Powell said. A stink that seeps from the sewer grate on the street in front of her home on 32nd Street. Other times, the distinctive scent of chemicals drifts from the Rubbertown industrial corridor just a few blocks west. “We don't know what that smell is, we don't know how muc ..read more

The Paristown Preservation Trust wants to take over the site of long-vacant government buildings and is asking for a tax incentive to make its plans possible.(Jacob Munoz / LPM ) Since 2017, Louisville Metro Government has worked with developers to try revitalizing the vacant Urban Government Center property in the Paristown Pointe neighborhood. But its first two agreements, made separately with the Marian Group and Underhill Associates, fell through. The city is now looking to secure progress on its third deal with Paristown Preservation Trust. In an estimated $249 million project, the develo ..read more

A "for rent" sign at a Highlands-Douglass apartment building. Anyone who owns a rental property in Louisville, whether it’s a single-family home or an apartment complex, will need to register with Louisville Metro Government by June 1. Under new rules approved by Metro Council in late 2022, landlords have to provide the city with up-to-date contact information, as well as information on any property management companies they use. Department of Codes and Regulations director Richard Price said at a press conference Monday the new registration requirements will help the city ensure residents hav ..read more

A homeless encampment near Downtown Louisville, set to be cleared the next day.(Divya Karthikeyan) On a recent rainy Thursday morning, outreach worker Angel Sivado got into her packed SUV. She was ready with snack bags and harm reduction tools like Narcan and fentanyl test strips for people struggling with substance use issues. Sivado works for the Louisville service organization St. John Center, and was doing her daily rounds to check on clients across the city. Tagging along in the backseat was Clayton, who didn’t want us to use his full name. Sivado said the plan was to take him to the hot ..read more