THE WEEK — It was a challenging return from my New Orleans experience, especially fighting a summer virus, but all’s well as the weekend comes into view. And of course there’s a lot to talk about here at THE WEEK, including some news you probably haven’t seen elsewhere.
Journalism – The Gift That Keeps on Giving Good People to PR: It’s election time, and arguably the two best TV political reporters in town are. . . leaving their jobs. WHAS-TV’s Joe Arnold is going to be the new VP of Strategic Communications at the Kentucky Association of Electrical Cooperatives, without doubt a better-paying position with better hours. But the good news is that Joe’s new employer is going to allow Arnold to continue, for now, his Saturday morning show on politics and contribute to election coverage. Listen to Joe on Rusty Satellite here.
When Milwaukee Calls: Meanwhile, WAVE-TV’s Theo Keith is wrapping it up here Aug. 14, leaving that station with a big void to fill in covering Frankfort. Keith is moving on up to a Milwaukee station, having done some solid political reporting at WAVE for two years, the highlight being last year’s Senate Race. Both WAVE and WHAS are reportedly on the hunt for someone with political reporting experience.
What the Truck? I went to New Orleans because my son Nick, the original Rusty Satellite who appeared on the show in January, was living there. He’s moving on to an exciting new thing — studying theatre in Italy. He invited Paula and I to a screening of his 48-Hour Film Project at the WWII Museum. His project was, of course, the best, and Nike was voted Best Supporting Actor for his role here as Guy Tovornjak.
Go For Doe: If you like Mad Men, you might like the Doe-Anderson exhibit down at the Frazier. There’s a 1970s living room and portraits of the founders smoking cigarettes, not to mention a wall of Makers bottles that stretches across a room. I talked with Doe’s John Birnsteel about it on Rusty Satellite.
Honest Engine: Meet the lovely Sandra Perry, proprietor of Honest Home in NuLu, on this week’s Rusty show. At Friday’s Trolley Hop, she will be showing off pieces from the new Rework Collective line of furniture that you can marvel at. Or, just get a banana bag, like I did.
Jon Stewart: We will miss you, Jon, but the brand of humor applied to news events, and criticism of politicians and Fox News, must go on. I actually stayed up to watch his final week of shows this week, and now I’m looking forward to see what Trevor Noah can do. And the finale, featuring everyone from John Oliver to Stephen Colbert to Bruce Springsteen, was worth staying up for.
Omni Present: I never thought we’d see new bridges going up, and was a skeptic about the Omni project. And while some are still disgruntled about the Mayor’s decision on the old Water Company building, it’s time to get on with it. While several groups are unhappy that the plan is to put the Water Company building in storage, it’s the best solution available that also allows construction to get started.
Somebody to Hire: This week Snelling Staffing highlights a candidate with 25 years experience in accounting, with a degree in Business Administration. YOU could hire this person. Call 502-814-9800.
Pay the Man: During Insider Louisville’s ascent to becoming a must-read for local newsies from 2010-12, Steve Coomes was pounding out 489 posts about the local dining scene and not getting paid. In a lawsuit he filed this week, Coomes claims he was promised eventual payment for those pieces by founder Terry Boyd, who later sold the operation. Coomes says Boyd still owes him, and refuses to pay up. Coomes still writes for Insider’s new ownership. He was on Rusty back in Nov. 2013.
FAIL #1-Boy Scouts: I’m so tired of this story. The national Boy Scout organization finally announces that it won’t discriminate against gays if they want to be troop leaders. And now the Louisville man who helped in the fight for equality learns his own local Catholic Church won’t let him rejoin his parish troop. Shame on them.
FAIL #2-Statue of Limitations: While politicians throughout the South were running from association with the Confederacy, and both of Kentucky’s gubernatorial candidates said it should be removed, a Kentucky commission of presumed rednecks voted 7-2 to keep a statue of Confederate president Jefferson Davis in the Capitol Rotunda. For many, it’s a symbol of oppression and hate and a reminder that the Civil War was about the South’s devotion to slavery. And yes, all the members of the Kentucky Historic Properties Advisory Commission are white.
It Wasn’t Big, It Was LARGE: Yes, I got to see Lyle Lovett and his Large Band from the front row at the Kentucky Center Sunday, which was awesome.
