Access Louisville

We put aside the usual newsy routine on Access Louisville this week to reflect on Thanksgiving plans in light of Covid-19 and talk about what we're thankful for.  Happy Thanksgiving. 

This week on the Access Louisville podcast we chat about both good news and bad news on the Covid-19 front. The bad news, of course, was a fresh round of restrictions in Kentucky put out by Gov. Andy Beshear aimed at slowing the spread of the virus. We talk about what those restrictions are, including a ban on indoor restaurant dining. The new restrictions were passed down on Wednesday and reporte...

We try to make sense of the tumultuous 2020 election on this week's Access Louisville podcast.    Normally we stick to local topics on the show but an election like this only comes around once in a lifetime (hopefully) so we might as well talk about it. During the show we speak about our expectations versus reality, including the margin between the candidates and how the president would react...

Covid-19 is in the midst of what seems to be its largest surge ever both in Kentucky and elsewhere. On this week's Access Louisville podcast we talk the surge and getting back to good Covid-19 pandemic habits. The length of the pandemic and the fact that it's become such a part of life now has meant that everyone is a little fatigued by it. With that, many people are pushing their bounda...

This week on the Access Louisville podcast we talk about recent criticism against Papa John's International Inc. made by its ousted founder, Louisville's own John Schnatter. Schnatter wrote a column this week on SeekingAlpha.com explaining why he's worried about the company, including it's upcoming new headquarters in Atlanta . We also talk about a Q&A video series with Sch...

What are the most popular businesses in St. Matthews? We recently conducted a survey to find that out. You can find the results of that here . We talk about the poll on this week's Access Louisville podcast. We also chat about which Louisville neighborhoods have the best mix of businesses. St. Matthews is certainly up there. The Highlands and Norton Commons were also contenders. As always we...

We get all misty-eyed and reminiscent this week as we talk about our favorite long-gone bars on this week's episode of the Access Louisville podcast. It was recently announced that the former O'Malley's corner complex at the corner of 2nd & Liberty Streets was getting a new tenant in the form of two new restaurants . And with that, we started thinking about what's become of...

Is Louisville having a housing boom in the middle of the pandemic? It sure seems that way sometimes. In the last week or so Reporter Marty Finley has written about a couple of new residential developments — a new subdivision in the East End , a new townhouse development south of Jeffersontown and a new apartment complex that just finished work in Highview. We talk about all of the above on the Acc...

There's a lot of positive spin being put on the news that Papa John's International Inc. is opening a new global headquarters in Atlanta , instead of Louisville. And hey look, we realize the chamber of commerce and the mayor's office can't publicly scorn the company for this decision. They have to be diplomatic and congratulate Papa John's on their success and potential gr...

TARC, Louisville's public transportation agency, released a 124-page report this week that details alleged sexual harassment by its former director Ferdinand Risco Jr. The report also goes over an alleged sexual relationship that Risco had with a contractor at the agency. We go over the report and what it means for the agency on this week's Access Louisville podcast. We also discuss how...

Louisville's NuLu neighborhood is getting a shipping container housing development . This type of housing, relatively new to the Louisville market, is discussed on the Access Louisville podcast this week. Reporter Marty Finley tells us where the development is going and how the containers will look once complete. And of course we weigh in on whether this type of housing would suit us now (or...

We talk restaurant comings and goings on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Louisville Business First Reporter Haley Cawthon tells us about a few places shutting down, including Crescent Hill Craft House, Spring Street Bar & Grill and Spinelli's Downtown . She also goes over a few of the new spots that are opening up including Swizzle, located at the Galt House , and others. As a...

We've been focused on philanthropy all week at Louisville Business First. It's the topic of our Access Louisville podcast this week as we recently wrapped our Partners in Philanthropy program, which went live this week. Content from that program can be found here . Data Editor Allison Stines joins the program this week to talk about how it all works: How data is collected, what we'r...

We focus on the Kentucky Derby — and what it means for hotels and downtown — on this week's Access Louisville podcast. The decision to run the Kentucky Derby with fans was made earlier this week. Reporter Marty Finley walks us through some of the rules and expectations. We also talk about this in the context of the hotel sector and the Downtown Louisville area — both of which are facing chall...

It's odd to say it in August but it's almost Kentucky Derby time. The big race, which was rescheduled from May to September because of the coronavirus outbreak, is now just about a month away . We were told a while back that it would be run with fans in attendance but we're starting to wonder about that now that coronavirus cases have spiked. We discuss the prospects this week on th...

This week on Access Louisville we open the show with some new about restaurant innovations and talk about what we'd like to see next.   We also bring you the story behind the Buff City Soaps deal. Reporter Haley Cawthon talks about the company's growth plan as well as why the company owner has stuck around in Louisville even though the soap company is headquartered elsewhere.  On our fin...

What are Louisville's wealthiest neighborhoods? We discuss on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Louisville Business First Data Editor Allison Stines recently finished researching our annual list of the area's wealthiest ZIP codes . She tells us about the top five and gives a bit of information about each: population, income and so on. As usual, we don't just cover one topi...

We cover several different topics on the Access Louisville podcast this week. First off, we note that Hopcat, a large bar and restaurant in the Highlands has closed. We discuss ideas for this now open space. And note some restaurants we've lost over the years that we're now sorely missing. After that reporter Marty Finley gives us an update on a redevelopment project involving a 13-story...

There's been lots of action taking place in Louisville's restaurant scene during the last few weeks. We chat about new spots to check out as well as reopenings on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Haley Cawthon, restaurant reporter for Louisville Business First, gives us the scoop on a new Cuban spot in NuLu , La Bodeguita de Mima. She tells about the group behind the eatery an...

Churchill Downs announced this week that the Kentucky Derby is coming back with fans in September . That's a surprising development considering sports have been slow to comeback even without fans and cases of Covid-19 are surging across the U.S. We've not been told how many fans would be allowed to attend the Derby, which was delayed from its usual May date because of the Covid-19 pandem...

This week we’re talking about Oldham County and its future development plans. Oldham County is known as the educated and wealthy Kentucky county that empties out during the day. But a pair of blockbuster developments could change that narrative in the future. Reporter Marty Finley breaks down the proposed project at the Close Family Farm and discusses other recent projects in the county. We also d...

Surely this race discussion many of us have been taking part in during the last two weeks in America can lead to change. That's what we talk about on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Uncomfortable as it can be, talking about race relations is a key part of fixing the problems that have festered in America and Louisville for far too long. From a coverage standpoint, we realize that...

A special guest joins the Access Louisville podcast this week. Kyle Henderson, of Angel's Envy Distillery, is on the show to talk about how his company has continued production during the Covid-19 outbreak. During the discussion he tells us how the company was able to keep all of its staff even while big parts of the business (namely the tourism part) was shut down. And we talk about what the...

The silver lining during the Covid-19 outbreak has been that a lot of us have become pretty good at working remotely (that, and margarita deliveries.) When things get back to normal, should we just keep on doing it? We discuss on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Could it be possible that office workers split time between home and the office. Design and Multimedia Editor Brooke Timmons m...

The losses are starting to mount for Louisville's restaurant scene as the coronavirus shutdown lingers. We talk about that on this week's episode of the Access Louisville podcast. During the last few weeks we've reported that Scarlett's Bakery and Verbena Cafe have closed as a result the social distancing measures put in place to stem the spread of the virus. There's also...