All Episodes - Byline on WFPL
Byline is your weekly dose of news and analysis. Host Rick Howlett talks to reporters, editors and anyone else making news in Louisville.
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KY Retirement's Risky Investments; A Talk With Rand Paul; Longest-Serving Inmate: Byline 7/25/14
Here are the topics covered in this edition of Byline: At the top - For quite some time now, it’s been reported that the Kentucky Retirement System, the pension plan for state, city and county workers—doesn’t have the money to pay its obligations. We’ve followed the public debate about the state’s inability to solve that problem. But in the meantime, Jim McNair of the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting has been looking at another side of the issue. He reports that it’s impossible for pension holders to know where much of their money is being invested: in potentially very risky hedge funds. He speaks with WFPL’s Gabe Bullard about the story. 4:45 - U.S. Senator Rand Paul has been courting African-American voters as he continues to mull a run for the White House in 2016. The first-term Republican from Kentucky has been meeting regularly with constituents in west Louisville and with African-American groups in other parts of the country. Paul is also co-sponsoring legislation that, among other things, would restore the voting rights of certain non-violent felons. The senator’s efforts to reach out to minorities has been praised by some local leaders, and criticized by others. WFPL political editor Phillip M. Bailey spoke to the Senator this week about his record on civil rights and other matters. 15:40 - Kentucky’s longest serving prison inmate is Willie Gaines Smith, who’s been behind bars for 54 years, mostly at the Kentucky State Reformatory in La Grange. He’s serving a life sentence for murder, but some say he should have been paroled decades ago. Now there’s a possibility that Smith could gain his freedom another way: under a test program approved by the general assembly. WDRB’s Jason Riley has been reporting on Smith’s case and his incarceration, and he joins us with the story. 24:30 - Years ago a rumor began circulating that some of Louisville’s popular, local coffee shops were run by fervent Christians, with some of the businesses doubling as wings of a church, and where employees might try to convert customers. WFPL’s Gabe Bullard has an in-depth story on our website that looks into these rumors. He found that while they aren’t true, there is a connection between religion and coffee in Louisville. He speaks with WFPL’s Rick Howlett about the story. 29:00 - It’s been three years since Kentucky banned texting while driving, and the number of citations issued has gone up every year since. As WFPL summer intern Michael Homan reports, while most drivers are aware of the risks of impaired and drunk driving, they’re willing to walk the line when it comes to driving distracted. 33:40 - Two years ago, Las Vegas real estate investor Jared Weiss purchased the boyhood home of Louisville boxing legend Muhammad Ali for $70,000. Weiss, an avid fan of Ali, bought the home with plans to transform it into a museum. But as WFPL summer intern Gail Faustyn reports, little has been done to the Parkland house during the last two years. As the paint continues to chip away and the roof begins to cave in, neighbors are hoping some changes will come soon. 37:05 - We check in with WFPL's arts and humanities reporter Erin Keane about some choice activities in the local arts scene this coming week. Then Erin welcomes her guest, Christen Boone, the new president and CEO of the Fund for the Arts.
Congressman Ed Whitfield; Cutting the Kentucky Budget; Possible GE Appliance Sale: Byline 7/18/14
Here are the stories we discussed today on Byline: At the top - Experts on congressional ethics say a past business relationship between a Kentucky congressman and a nationally known lobbyist raises some serious questions about the comingling of legislative and personal agendas. The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting’s R.G. Dunlop has been looking into the 2003 purchase of some high value real estate made by 1st District Republican Congressman Ed Whitfield, his wife, Connie Harriman-Whitfield, and lobbyist Juanita Duggan. Some of Duggan’s clients have lobbied Whitfield and contributed to his political campaigns. We speak with R.G. Dunlop about his investigation. 9:20 - Governor Steve Beshear has signed an order to plug a $91 million hole in Kentucky's $9.5 billion state budget. Officials announced the shortfall last week. We check in with Kentucky Public Radio’s Jonathan Meador for details. 16:35 - The Louisville Metro Council Democratic Caucus has reprimanded Councilman Dan Johnson’s aide for making disparaging comments about another council member, David James. That’s according to documents obtained by WFPL’s Phillip M. Bailey, who reported the story this week and joins us to share what is known at this point. We also discuss the possibility of a McConnell/Grimes debate at Centre College in Danville. 23:55 - General Electric is once again looking sell its Louisville-based appliance business. Citing “people familiar with the matter,” Bloomberg reports that GE is in talks with potential acquirers about selling the appliance division. GE officials are not commenting publicly on the Bloomberg report, which was co-written by David Welch. We reached out to Welch in New York to hear what he knows and his insights on the potential deal as an acquisitions and mergers reporter. 30:00 - People with driver's licenses from Kentucky and nine other states may soon have to show a passport or some other form of federal identification to comply with a federal law tightening security across the country. Under the REAL ID Act of 2005, some of the tougher identification standards are expected to go into effect next week at some federal facilities. WFPL’s Jake Ryan joins us to talk about it. We also discuss a demonstration this week at a Metro Housing Authority Meeting. Residents of public housing are speaking out against a rent reform study being considered in Louisville that many call a social experiment on poor African American women. 36:25 - WFPL's arts and humanities reporter Erin Keane talks about a couple of notable arts events this weekend in Louisville, then she welcomes WFPK's Sean Cannon to talk about some of the highlights of the Forecastle music festival occurring this weekend on the waterfront.
Rand Paul & Civil Rights; Gubanatorial Fundraising; Local Gas Prices: Byline 7/11/14
Here are the topics covered in this edition of Byline: At the top - U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky is defending his record on civil rights after coming under criticism from former state Sen. Georgia Powers and others. We talk about that war of words that broke out this week and Sen. Paul’s claims that he’s doing more for minorities than anyone in Congress with WFPL Political Editor Phillip M. Bailey. We also talk about fundraising in the Kentucky gubanatorial race, and the Indiana governor's office saying the state won't recognize same-sex marriages performed before a court halted a decision that lifted the state's ban. 9:40 - Three administrators at Louisville Male High School, including the principal, could have their teaching certificates revoked or face other disciplinary measures following allegations that they helped students cheat on an ACT test. A report released by the Kentucky Education Department Monday said Male High Principal David Mike, counselor Rhonda Branch and teacher Debbie Greenberg “failed to ensure the integrity” during administration of the ACT Compass test. We check in with WFPL's Jacob Ryan. 13:25 - Gas prices in the Louisville area have been at or above the four dollar mark per gallon for much of the summer, with many motorists complaining that prices are considerably cheaper in surrounding communities and similar sized cities in the region. Soaring gas prices six years ago prompted attorney general Jack Conway to launch an investigation, but little has changed since then. WDRB’s Chris Otts has been looking into it and joins us to tell us what he found. 20:25 - Earlier this year, the Indiana approach to the Big Four pedestrian and bicycle bridge opened to great fanfare. People can now cross the Ohio River into Jeffersonville and Louisville’s Watefront Park. Now city and Waterfront officials have their eyes on another railroad bridge to the west, the K&I, which has been closed to public access for decades. Officials say opening the K&I to pedestrian traffic would be ideal for completing an recreational trail being developed, but the bridge’s owner is resisting allowing public access. Grace Schneider has been reporting on this for the Courier-Journal and joins us to explain. 26:30 - This past Wednesday marked the 164th anniversary of the death of Zachary Taylor. The 12th president grew up in the Louisville area and is entombed here in the cemetery that bears his name. The 65 year old Taylor, also known as Old Rough and Ready, was just 16 months into his presidency when he suddenly fell ill. Rumors abounded for years that he may have been poisoned. The Courier-Journal’s James Carroll recounted Taylor’s final days in a piece this week and he joined us from the CJ’s Washington Bureau. 36:40 - This week marked a milestone in Kentucky political journalism: Ryan Alessi signed off for the final time on Pure Politics, the CN2 program he’s hosted for several years and where he has been senior managing editor. Alessi is leaving broadcast journalism, at least full-time, to enter the world of academia, as a student at Murray State University, where we caught up with him by phone. 41:10 - Earlier in the show today we heard about a six-year inquiry into gas pricing in the Louisville area. BackStory producer Nina Earnest steps further back in time to tell the story of the oil shocks of 1973 and how they continue to shape the world we live in today, with help from writer Andrew Scott Cooper.