If you’ve been complaining about litter, here’s a chance to do something about it.

Please plan to join me this Saturday, April 14, for the D9 Spring Community Cleanup. In partnership with Brightside, we will be cleaning in the Clifton Heights neighborhood. Volunteers should plan to meet at 8:30 a.m. on Lindsay Avenue near Brownsboro Road for breakfast sandwiches, provided by the Clifton McDonald’s, and hot coffee, provided by Heine Brothers’ Coffee. The cleanup will officially start at 9:00 a.m. and fan out in the neighborhood. The District 9 office will provide bags, gloves, tools and t-shirts on a first-come, first-served basis. Questions, please contact the office at 574-1109.

Please join us!

Please plan to attend free Shakespeare in Thurman Hutchins Park, 3734 River Road, on Saturday, April 14 at 1:00 p.m. Enjoy a six-actor, eighty-minute production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Audience members are invited to bring their own chairs, blankets, and picnics for this free, family-friendly community event.

For more information about Kentucky Shakespeare visit www.kyshakespeare.com.

The deadline for registering to vote in Kentucky before the May Primary Election is rapidly approaching and it’s easier than ever to do so.

April 23 is the last day to register to vote in the May 22 election. Kentuckians can now register to vote, and check and update their registrations online, at this website.  

Voters who will be outside Jefferson County on Election Day are among those who can vote absentee.  More information about voting absentee, both by mail and in-house, is here.

If you qualify to vote by absentee ballot, you can do that now at the Jefferson County Clerk’s Election Center, which has moved to 701 West Ormsby Avenue, Suite 301. In-house absentee voting is available for qualified individuals on Monday through Friday from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm, and on Saturday, May 12 and Saturday, May 19 from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. 

Exercise your right to register and vote in 2018!

On Sunday, April 15, 2018, the League of Women Voters of Louisville is sponsoring a Family Court Judge Candidate Forum for Candidates from the 30th Judicial District, Divisions 4 and 10. The public is invited. The program is from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. at the Lang House, 115 S. Ewing Ave.

Invited Candidates include: Bryan Gatewood, Lori Goodwin, Lauren Adams Ogden, Shelley Santry, Emily Maria Digenis, and Derwin L. Webb.

Moderator: Retired Judge Patty Walker Fitzgerald.

For further information contact the League at 502-895-5218 or email lwvlouisville@gmail.com. 

The League of Women Voters invites you to attend the Dinner and Democracy meeting on Monday, April 16 for a voter town hall meeting to discuss What Do We Do Now? Discuss ideas on critical issues including the future of JCPS, human trafficking, ME too, fair and affordable housing, voter registration, GOTV, gun control, the environment, money in politics, healthcare and redistricting/voter suppression. Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. (no reservations are required and donations are accepted) and the program begins at 6:00 p.m. at the Lang House, 115 S. Ewing Avenue. Questions, please call 895-5218 or email info@lwvlouisville.org.

We need your help to fill our City’s potholes. Report them to MetroCall in one of three easy ways. Those using the social network Twitter can use the hashtag #502pothole. Include the hashtag along with the address or nearest intersection of the pothole location in any tweet and MetroCall will get the message.

There’s also a pothole reporting form at the top of the city website, www.louisvilleky.gov.  Click on the “Report a pothole” link, put in the location information and press send. Of course, citizens may also call MetroCall at 311 or 574-5000. The #502pothole hashtag and the online form offer the advantage of avoiding the potential for having to wait on hold on the telephone.

Public Works patches potholes on Metro Government maintained roads. Potholes on interstate highways should be reported to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet at 1-800-Patchit.

LMPD’s 5th Division sends out weekly Crime Reports for the 5th Division, which includes D9. Last week there were sixteen thefts from automobiles, which was an increase from the previous week. Seven of those vehicles were left unlocked. Please lock your vehicles and take your valuables out of your car, or hide them from view!

To sign up for these weekly crime reports, please click here and enter your email address.

Important LMPD Contact Information:

• LMPD 5th Division Email - 5thdivlmpd@louisvilleky.gov.  This is an email address that is monitored by the 5th Division Command Staff and District Resource Officers.  If you would like to contact LMPD about issues in your neighborhood, this is a great way.
• LMPD needs your help to catch people committing crimes.  Many of these crimes occur in a short time.  Your call can put LMPD in the right place at the right time.  Please make sure you report any suspicious activity you observe. 
• How to Call. In an emergency always call 911.  If you don't feel it is an emergency but you would like to report it to the police you can always the non-emergency line.  574-7111. You will hear a recorded message, you can press 5 and it will go straight to a call taker. It will be entered in as a run to be dispatched and the next available officer will be sent to the area. 

Louisville will celebrate Earth Week in a variety of ways, including tree plantings and tree give-aways.

Louisvillians can also show support for a sustainable future at Earth Walk on Saturday, April 21, from 9:00 a.m. to Noon at Iroquois Park.  The event benefits many of the dozens of civic groups which are working hard to protect the health and environment of Louisville citizens in many different ways.  

Save the date, mark your calendars and put together a walking team for the event. 

More information is here: https://louisvilleearthwalk.org/. 

The Louisville Energy Alliance (LEA) envisions a community committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency and conservation efforts. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, it offers educational events and programs to commercial building owners and managers, helping them access resources to improve energy  efficiency, benchmark energy consumption, and obtain ENERGY STAR Certification.  More information about LEA is here: http://www.louisvilleenergyalliance.org/.

This week, I had the pleasure of attending LEA’s “Kilowatt Crackdown” luncheon, where the organization recognized buildings which had made significant energy efficiency efforts.  The “Kilowatt Cup” award went to Norton Audubon Hospital for a variety of energy efficiency efforts.

A  new “Innovation Award” was given to Oxmoor Center, where a new solar array consisting of 2,400 panels supplies more than 40 percent of the electricity that Oxmoor Center needs to operate. Mall owners invested roughly $1.5 million in the solar panel project at Oxmoor. It’s the largest solar installation in Louisville and the largest retail installation in Kentucky.

Solar continues to grow in Louisville, with an increasing number of installations and associated jobs. 

We’d like to feature your sustainability story - a resident or business doing good things for the environment.  Riding the bus, bicycling, walking, gardening and more - our eNews will feature practices which can benefit all of us.  Send your story to Bill Hollander or Kyle Ethridge. 

New Directions Repair Affair is a volunteer driven program that assists low-income elderly and disabled homeowners with home repairs. Every year, they leverage the time and skill of over 1200 volunteers combined with donations and grants from local businesses, congregations, individuals and other stakeholders to make homes safer, more accessible and more energy efficient. Through Repair Affair, elderly homeowners who can’t pay for repairs are able to maintain the homes they’ve worked their entire lives to afford.

All repairs are made at no cost to the homeowner. To qualify for Repair Affair assistance, the individual must reside in their home, and be age 60 or over with income that is 60% of the Area Median Income, although most of the clients live on substantially less, usually less than $13,000 annually. To request an application for assistance, please contact Teresa Devine at 719-7153 or email TeresaD@ndhc.org.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Max at 719-7125 or email Maxm@ndhc.org. The 25th year celebration repair day is scheduled for Saturday, June 2, but groups can host an event any day of the week.

Adopt a DUCK, Win a TRUCK! Get ready for one of the most exciting events in Louisville! The 15th Annual KEN-DUCKY DERBY - an official Kentucky Derby Festival Event!

The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 28th, 2018 from 4pm-8pm at the Waterfront Fest-A-Ville. They will drop at least 35,000 rubber ducks into the Ohio River.

Cheer your duck to victory as they race to the finish line! ONE lucky duck will win a 2018 DODGE RAM TRUCK provided by Swope Family of Dealerships. 2nd and 3rd place ducks will walk away with cash prizes. And every duck in the race has the chance to win ONE MILLION DOLLARS.

Your duck adoption benefits individuals with disabilities at Harbor House of Louisville. Harbor House's mission is to "empower individuals with disabilities and their families to lead fulfilled and productive lives." Come visit Harbor House to see how your duck adoption is changing lives, everyday.

For more information, please visit https://www.duckrace.com/louisville.