District 7 E-Newsletter

Councilwoman Paula McCraney 601 W. Jefferson Street (502) 574-1107
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Councilwoman 

Paula McCraney
601 W. Jefferson Street

Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 574-1107

 

Click Here to Email Councilwoman McCraney:

Email 

 

Visit the District 7 Website


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To schedule a meeting with Councilwoman McCraney, call:

Logan Fogle

Legislative Assistant

(502) 574-3454


Paula McCraney

Paula McCraney

Paula McCraney

Paula McCraney


Paula McCraney

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Follow Councilwoman McCraney on Facebook and Twitter:

@PaulaMcCraneyD7


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Phone Numbers
of Interest

- Air Pollution: 574-6000

Animal Services: 363-6609
or 361-1318

Anonymous Tipline:
574-LMPD (5673)

Brightside: 574-2613

Jefferson County Clerk's Office: 574-5700

Legal Aid: 584-1254

Metro Call: 311 or 574-5000

Metro Parks: 574-7275

Metro Police: (Non Emergency) 574-7111 or 574-2111

Metro Safe: 572-3460
or 574-7111

MSD: 587-0603

PARC: 569-6222

Poison Control: 589-8222

Property Valuation Administration: 502-574-6380


Public Works: 574-5810

Solid Waste Management (SWMS): 574-3571

TARC: 585-1234

Veteran's Affairs: 595-4447

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In this Issue



Message From McCraney

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Here are some top five things going on in Metro Government and Metro Council:

1. Metro Council is hosting redistricting meetings. If you want to learn of the ways all 26 Council Districts will change as a result of the 2020 Census, please tune in or attend one of the meetings. Click here for dates and times. By the way, if you are wondering why redistricting is required, click here for a 4-minute video, produced by MetroTV.

2. Metro Council is hosting public meetings regarding the FOP contract. If you are interested in voicing your concerns about it, click here for dates and times.

3. Metro Council passed an ordinance amending LMCO Chapter 70 to mandate Louisville Metro Government provide school (crossing) traffic guards. The amended version would change the definition of ‘traffic guard’ to include a non-employee of Metro government, including any agreements between LMPD and home rule cities. 

4. The moratorium on evictions related to non-payment of rent was recently lifted by a Supreme Court decision. Therefore, the Center for Health Equity has various programs available to Louisville residents. Click here to access list of services. 

5. The Council appropriated $40,000 to Victim Services Hotel Assistance, a Louisville Metro Government city agency which provides emergency shelter to a crime victim or witness when a local shelter is not an appropriate option or if a local shelter is unable to accommodate the victim or witness. The relocation assistance funds can also be used for airfare or bus tickets to relocate victims or witnesses when it is not safe for them to remain in Jefferson County. I allocated $1,000 of the $40,000 from the District 7 Neighborhood Development Funds.

There are moments in your life that make you and sets the course of who you are going to be. Sometimes they’re little, subtle moments. Sometimes, they’re big moments you never saw coming. No one asks for their life to change, but it does. It’s what you do afterwards that counts. That’s when you find out who you are. ---Unknown

On Saturday, let’s take a moment to remember those who lost their lives or risked their lives and whose lives will never be the same because of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. And if you want to attend an event on 9-11, I've featured some below that will take place throughout our community. 

We shall always remember.



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Blue Mass on 9-11

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On Saturday, the Cathedral of the Assumption will host the annual Blue Mass at noon. It has grown to a nationwide event to honor those who have died in the line of duty and those currently serving as first responders. In honor of all our local first responders, the names of those who have fallen in the line of duty throughout our history will be read.


Firefighters 9-11 Wreath Ceremony

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WHAT: A steel beam from the World Trade Center (WTC) will be on site for the ceremony. The LFD Honor Guard will lay a wreath on the WTC Steel to honor the 343 FDNY firefighters that were killed when the Towers collapsed.

WHERE: Louisville Division of Fire Headquarters, 1135 W. Jefferson St.

WHEN: Sept. 11, 10 a.m.

MORE INFORMATION: Active duty and retired LFD firefighters with motorcycles will escort the WTC Steel from LFD Headquarters, through downtown, to the Cathedral. They will be led by fire companies and LMPD in the procession (10:45 a.m.).


Big Four Bridge Arts Festival

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Saturday, September 11-Sunday, September 12   

The Big Four Lawn: 1101 E River Rd

The Big Four Arts Festival has been the most attended (40,000) two-day Event ever held in Louisville at Waterfront Park on the Big Four Bridge Lawn. The weekend following Labor Day, the 5th annual festival, September 11 & 12, will be held on the lawn which consist of four acres of tree lined walks overlooking the Ohio River, located at the Big 4 Walking Bridge. The Big 4 Walking Bridge has 25,000 people strolling it each weekend. The Festival is a two-minute drive from downtown Louisville and draws patrons from Southern Indiana as well as Louisville.

Such was the overall success of the Festival that Louisville’s Convention & Visitors Bureau presented the Rose Award to the Festival for a Event that is bringing so much commerce to Louisville! Louisville’s Festival is known for it’s 180 juried artists, EZ in-out access, spacious booth layouts, reserved parking for artist and many artist amenities. With a proven multi-media campaign we will produce record crowds again in 2021!

Big Four Arts Festival is a ticketed Event($5). Tickets will only be sold at the entrance of festival and by NO third parties. 


The 9-11 Lesson

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WHAT: Features tributes to the heroes and victims of 9/11, food trucks, craft activities, caricature drawings, music by Alex Miller (2021 American Idol contestant will perform at noon, acoustic set and 5:30 p.m. with his band), recognition of real-life superheroes of 9/11, stair climb, police vehicles and helicopter, mounted police, Louisville Fire Department fire engine and more. Heather French Henry, former Miss America, and national veterans advocate will be the event Master of Ceremony. Hosted by Global Game Changers, a Louisville-based education nonprofit

WHERE: Paristown, 720 Brent St.

WHEN: Sept. 11, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

COST: Free

MORE INFORMATION911lesson.org


9-11 Exhibit & Panel Discussion

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Following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, New Yorkers did something rather unexpected, they took photographs – lots of them. What began as a single photo hung in the window of a SoHo storefront became perhaps the most important crowdsourcing photo exhibition of our time. The resulting collection, here is new york: the september 11 photographs, returns to the Main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library to mark the 20th anniversary of the tragedy.

The exhibition features 500 photographs taken the day of and in the aftermath of the September 11 attack, by professional photographers and amateurs alike. The images are presented without titles or commentary. The result is both a vivid reminder of the horror of that day, and a celebration of the human spirit and strong determination of New Yorkers and Americans in general.

here is new york will be on display at the Main Library (301 York Street), September 9 - November 14 as part of the Louisville Photo Biennial. An opening reception and panel discussion, United We Stood: Memories of 9/11, will be held at the Main Library on September 9 at 6:30 p.m.  Moderator Melissa Swan and panelists Elizabeth Kramer (former employee in the Peace Corps’ New York office at the World Trade Center), Pete Longton (photojournalist who covered Ground Zero for WHAS-11), and Charles Traub (photographer/educator, co-founder of here is new york) will recall their first-hand experiences during and following the attacks.

The Louisville Public Library's collection of the here is new york photographs was a gift of Charles Traub and his family to the Library. Charles Traub was one of the original founding organizers of the exhibition in New York, and managed it with colleagues through the course of its exhibitions from 2001 to 2003. Mary Cadden Traub and Aaron Traub were part of a core group who maintained the organization's activities throughout those same years. The Traubs are natives of Louisville, Kentucky. 

The panel discussion and exhibition are free and open to the public. For more information, please visit LFPL.org/Exhibits.


Louisville Chorus 9-11 Concert

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WHAT: A concert lead by Musical Director Daniel Spurlock

WHERE: Louisville Memorial Auditorium, 970 S. Fourth St.

WHEN: Sept. 11, 3 p.m.

COST: Tickets start at $23, $20 seniors, $5 students (buy one get one free)

MORE INFORMATION: 502-968-6300; louisvillechorus.org



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Becky Peak - City of Plantation

District 7 honors one of our finest - a mayor of one of our home rule cities. Congratulations Mayor Peak for being our Spotlight for September!

We are delighted to feature you this month and share your story and the story of the city of Plantation with our subscribers. You are an inspiration to us all and we are peacock proud that you are a resident of District 7. Thank you for your great service! 

Who is Mayor Peak?

I spent about 18 years as a federal civil servant, working for both General Services Administration and U.S. Bankruptcy Court. After I completed my Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration at UofL, I decided that I needed to branch out and leave the government. Sometimes you can get pigeon-holed, and I wanted to try some other things. 

One of my accomplishments while at the federal government was helping them to understand the need for, and then make the investment in, an on-site childcare center. Uncle Sam's Place was something that I initiated originally in 1977 as an employee suggestion. Things don't move really fast in government, so it was '87 when the General Services Administration actually wrote the requirements and set the guidelines for setting up childcare centers in federal buildings. I got to be a part of getting it up and running, and served as the first chairperson for its steering committee. It served employees of all the agencies. That was a fantastic time for me. 

The childcare center humanized the area. When I was having a bad day in the courts, I could stand in front of the center's window and watch the kids play outside. Doing this brought things back into perspective and where they needed to be. Until COVID, they were still operating.

I later went to work in the private sector for ResCare. I was the Director of Purchasing and Administration for about eight years and loved every bit of it. During that time, we experienced the fun, and the trials and tribulations, I guess, of becoming a publicly traded company. I enjoyed that job.

I left ResCare and decided I wanted to start focusing more on not-for-profits. I had served on many not-for-profit boards and volunteered a lot. I worked with EACM (Eastern Area Community Ministries) for a while, and I've been a Residence Coordinator at California Square One apartments, low income apartments for adults.

Now I'm the Director of Operations at ElderServe in the Russell area.

How did you become interested in being Mayor of Plantation?

You know, it was not anything on my bucket list. But, when you start to get involved, and when you start asking questions about why this or that is happening, or why we didn't take another path, and you don't get sufficient answers, you think that change is needed. I was the middle child and the only girl in my family, so I had to make my own way many times. I decided to run for the council (of Plantation) to see if I could be a change agent.

It became obvious that we needed a total overhaul, and I wanted to make those changes. I ran for city council in 1999 and served until 2002, then I ran for mayor. I just wanted to help make things better. I felt like I had something to share and lots of experience from being in the private sector, the public sector and the not-for-profit sector. 

What is the history of Plantation?

It's called Plantation because there were a lot of family farms in eastern Jefferson County, and in the 1950s there was a group of developers who decided they wanted to create a new neighborhood. This was a neighborhood unlike any in the city. They wanted something where people knew each other and depended on each other to some extent. 

The developers wanted to create a neighborhood centered around activities where people could come together. So they dubbed it "The Plantation Country Club." Its goal was to encourage all the residents of that city to come together and be a real community. There was a sense of belonging, and truly, from what I understand, it was a village raising children because everybody knew everybody else's parents and you got away with nothing. Westport Road was just a two lane road at that time. As it started to develop, we had one of the first convenient stores and a post office. We also had a grocery store, an Ehrler's Ice Cream parlor, and a vet, who is still here today. 

On top of that, the Palmer-Balls donated land to the Archdiocese of Louisville to build Mother of Good Counsel Parish School. So you truly had a situation where your kids could go to school in the city where they lived. You had everything you needed within walking distance, and that was a draw for the development and sustainability of Plantation as a city. 

What are some of your ongoing Plantation projects?

Our projects that are ongoing are always things we do to help people make the best choices they can for themselves about their quality of life. I don't want to define that for anybody. I just want to make sure that the opportunities are there so that people can find their own level of quality of life. 

So, right now, we've got a state grant that's in process for pedestrian upgrades, which really are ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant ramps at our intersections. Instead of doing a little bit at a time, we will be able to be totally ADA compliant for walkers, people using mobility devices and people who push strollers. Our residents will be able to access our streets more safely. Currently, everything is with KYTC (Kentucky Transportation Cabinet) and we're simply waiting for them to check the box and say yes. Then, we can go into the competitive process mode. We're very hopeful that's still going to happen during calendar year 2021.

The Council just approved some re-paving projects, so we will be re-paving some streets within the next 2 months. I also just signed a contract with LG&E to upgrade all of our lighting. We are looking at what we need to do with our sign replacements, and instead of doing it piecemeal, we want to replace them all at once. 

What is your favorite part of the job as Mayor?

I think my favorite part of the job is communicating and trying to get people to collaborate with each other so that we can find the best solutions for our city. I want people to participate in government and understand that if they don't participate in government, public officials may not be doing all that they could be doing to represent you. I would like for people to be able to step up and say, "Yes, I want to run for council," or, "Yes, I want to run for mayor." Every time the election cycle rolls around, we're out knocking on doors trying to get people to participate. I would like for people to see how exciting this can be and what an impact they can have on our community.

The ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) money that Plantation has received is going to set up the city for the next 20 years. We are going to be very strategic and very diligent about how to spend that money.

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Notice of Public Meetings

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MEETING DATE: September 13, 2021

MEETING TIME: 1:00 PM

LOCATION: ONLINE - CLICK BELOW:

https://louisvilleky.gov/government/upcoming-public-meetings

For basic details of this case, please click here.

For specific case information, please call or email the listed case manager, Zachary Schwager, at zachary.schwager@louisvilleky.gov 

If you have any questions, please contact Planning & Design directly at 574-6230. 

Click on the notice above to make it bigger.


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MEETING DATE: September 16, 2021

MEETING TIME: 1:00 PM

LOCATION: ONLINE - CLICK BELOW:

https://louisvilleky.gov/government/upcoming-public-meetings

For specific case information on 21-LDC-0010, please call or email the listed case manager, Joseph Haberman, at joseph.haberman@louisvilleky.gov 

For specific case information on 21-LDC-0011, please call or email the listed case manager, Christopher French, at christopher.french@louisvilleky.gov

If you have any questions, please contact Planning & Design directly at 574-6230. 

Click on the notice above to make it bigger.



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Westport Road Resurfacing

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Work being done along Westport Road was preliminary work in preparation for a resurfacing project on Westport Road from Freys Hill Road to KY 146 (La Grange Road). The project has a completion date of October 15, 2021.

Please be mindful of workers in the area over the next several weeks.


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From St. MAM:

The pandemic put us all in a situation that we never imagined but especially for non-profits & especially, the community ministries who meet the most basic needs of our neighbors.

We will host our 7th annual St. MAM Golf Classic on Monday, September 13, 2021, and be one of the many non-profits participating in Give for Good Louisville (24 hr online giving day) on Friday, September 17, 2021.

If you are unable to join us on the course for the Golf Classic, we would appreciate your support all day and night with a donation that may be matched during Give for Good Louisville. Please see the flyer for specific requests. We would like to secure a minimum of 30 individual qualifying donations. To help us reach this goal, please use different emails and IP addresses if more than one person in a family will be donating.

Due to the many unknowns, we will not be holding our annual "Pulling Together" Auction/Banquet that ran for 25 years through 2019. We appreciate all of our long-time supporters and hope you will continue to lend a helping hand through our other events and online giving.

However, please save the date as Belmont Village Senior Living will be hosting An Art Affair to benefit St. MAM on Thursday, November 18, 2021. (we originally planned for this event on September 23) More details to come as we continue to evaluate the ever-changing dynamics with COVID-19.

It is more important than ever that we receive your continual support. Please help us spread the word by sharing this email with your friends and family!


Give for Good: St. MAM

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Click here for more information.


Give for Good: Sickle Cell Association

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Click here for more information.


Emergency Broadband Benefit

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GLI Career Acceleration

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Greater Louisville, Inc. (GLI) has created an innovative partnership with employers, workforce partners, and training institutions to help place people into a career path that will provide a livable wage and mobility. If you are interested in a job and growing your career, this program is for you.

GLI has brought together entry-level and secondary employers (from $11/hour to $31+/hour) to create pathways for you to access jobs while also pursuing upskilling or reskilling to get you ready for the next phase. Intentional connections have been made between 15 employers in five different career tracts:

  • Business services
  • Health care
  • Hospitality
  • Manufacturing
  • Technology

Participants in the CAN who enter the network are connected with training programs and support services to overcome workforce barriers and help move from low wage, low skilled positions to higher wage, higher skilled positions.

If you are interested in participating in CAN and growing your skills and wages, get connected here.

GLI is also currently evaluating adding new employers into the CAN. If you are an employer who is interested in participating, please click here.


TARC Mask Mandate

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Financial Help for Renters

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Metro United Way Resources

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Sign up to receive FREE resources for your business from Metro United Way. These resources include:

  • Resources for employees in need through their 2-1-1 call center.
  • A way to connect to and track employee volunteer engagement.
  • Diversity and inclusion resources.

Click here for more information.


Crisis Counseling

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You are never alone. There is support and help available. Text LOU to 741741.



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Kentucky Kingdom Offer

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First responders and law enforcement, active and retired military members and healthcare workers will get free admission to Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay Saturday and Sunday, September 11th and 12th. This is part of the park's Patriot Day weekend observance. Up to six guests in one party can get in. 

You just need to show your organization's ID to take advantage of the promotion.

For more information click here.


Dee's Fall Festival

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Join Dee's for its Fall Festival to kick off the season with lots of harvest fun for the entire family! Porch games, yummy treats, giveaways, and more! It will be Saturday, September 11th from 10am-6pm. There will be treats, games and vendors giving gifts and showing new products. The event is located at 5045 Shelbyville Rd., Louisville, Kentucky 40207.


St. MAM Golf Classic

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Click here for more information.


Jeffersontown Gaslight Festival

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Sunday, September 12-Sunday, September 19 - Jeffersontown, KY

What started as a small street party in 1969 has grown to become the 5th largest festival in the region and has taken its place as one of the top 20 festivals in the Southeast. The Gaslight Festival, hosted by The Chamber Jeffersontown, brings an estimated 200,000 visitors to Jeffersontown every year.

Centered in the small-town ambiance of Gaslight Square, the festival has evolved into a eight-day extravaganza that has become a time-honored tradition of Jeffersontown. It is through the efforts of The Chamber that the festival now hosts a motorcycle rally, car show, golf scramble, 5K, parade, balloon glow, children’s playground, live entertainment and over 200 arts, crafts and commercial booths. The Gaslight Festival is always the 3rd weekend in September.

Of the many events Chamber members can get involved in, the Gaslight Festival offers a fun opportunity to connect with the community. Every September businesses and residents come together to showcase Jeffersontown as a great place to live, work and play!

The Gaslight Festival is a PET FREE FESTIVAL. No pets are allowed on festival grounds. Although we love our furry companions, please leave them at home.


Frazier History Museum

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Click here for more information.



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Finish these iconic movie lines...

Answers found at the bottom of this newsletter!

The Godfather

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"I'm going to make him an offer _______"

Forrest Gump

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"Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. __________________"

Dead Poets Society

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"Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives _______"

The Help

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"You is kind. You is smart. You is _________"

Braveheart

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"They may take our lives, but they'll never take our __________"

The Sandlot

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"You're killin' me, _______"

Mean Girls

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"Get in loser, we're going ________"

Shrek

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"In the morning, I'm making _______"



Map of District 7

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Safety Reminder:

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crime

Metro Louisville now has an interactive map that will allow you to see what is happening in your neighborhood as well as others across the city. The map updates daily and if you choose you can receive alerts for your area by subscribing using the red receive alerts button on the page.  Click here to try it out: Interactive Map to Track Crime.

Weekly Update from LMPD 8th Division

NO CRIME REPORTED!

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Criminal Interdiction Division (CID)

Since March, the Criminal Interdiction Division (CID) has been making a solid impact in disrupting some of the city’s established criminal activity. To date, CID has made 78 arrests, of which 45 are identifiable gang members, and they have all been charged with multiple offenses. One CID case alone resulted in the federal indictment of 14 known violent offenders with ties to gang activity occurring in the Victory Park/Market Street area.

This focus has also resulted in us recovering a number of guns we suspect are being used in criminal activity. Since March 2021, CID recovered 74 firearms, including a single investigation that resulted in the recovery of 20 firearms and multiple federal indictments.

 Violent Crime Detail

We initiated a violent crime detail two months ago, providing a team platform designed to encourage all officers to be proactive in addressing crime. The crime detail operates twice a week and is comprised of officers from all over the city, including members of the executive command staff. Data is used to identify the “hottest” areas of the city in determining where the detail operates.

Officers taking part are encouraged to interact with residents when possible, to help build community trust. The crime focus is singular: violent criminals and/or illegal guns. The detail has been focused on the two areas of the city that were experiencing the most violence, the 2nd Division and the 4th Division, and after two months, data shows a cumulative slowing in the pace of violence. Certainly, no one is satisfied with the crime rate, and we continue assessing and measuring the impact of our operations to optimize our talent and will make changes as needed.

Some of the data points for the two-month period worth noting are as follows:

2nd Division — 95% Reduction in Rate of Homicides

4th Division — 72% Reduction in Rate of Homicides

Citywide — 69% Reduction in Rate of Homicides

Guns Recovered: 38

Felony Arrests: 47

Stolen Vehicles Recovered: 14



COVID-19 INFORMATION

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 Subscribe to Louisville Metro's Covid-19 e-newsletter for the latest news!

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GOVERNMENT & POLITICS INFORMATION

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Tune in to View Metro Council Meetings

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NOTICE: All Metro Council meetings are carried live on Metro TV, Spectrum Cable Channel 184 and  U-verse Channel 99.

The meetings are also available online at the Metro Council home page at http://louisvilleky.gov/government/metro-council/metro-council-clerk. (Click here and click on the “Watch Meetings Online” button.)  

OR access prior or current meetings here:

http://louisville.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2.

TO ACCESS MEETINGS THROUGH FACEBOOK: CLICK HERE

Agendas for these meetings can be viewed using the following link:

http://louisville.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2



State Government Website Information

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Click Here for State Government Website

Click Here to:  View All Agencies


Kentucky General Assembly

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Click Here to Visit Website for Laws, State Legislators, Watch Bills, etc

Click here for more info.



*District 7 Disclaimer:  By taking part in District 7 events, you grant Councilwoman Paula McCraney full rights to use the images resulting from photograph/video filming. Councilwoman McCraney will have the right to any reproductions or adaptations of the images for inclusion in her e-Newsletter or other Council publications. This might include, but is not limited to, the right to use them in printed and online materials, social media and news releases.

If you do not wish to be photographed, please inform logan.fogle@louisvilleky.gov prior to event attendance.


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1) he can't refuse. 2) You never know what you're gonna get. 3) extraordinary! 4) important. 5) freedom! 6) Smalls! 7) shopping. 8) waffles!