 Councilwoman
Madonna Flood
Administrative Clerk
Andrea Crider Derouen
City Hall
601 W. Jefferson Street
502-574-1124
Welcome to District 24 E-Newsletter! To learn more about events and services in our district, check out our webpage!
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Inspections by the food safety team at the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness are intended to make sure establishments know and follow the best practices to keep their diners safe from foodborne illnesses such as E. coli or salmonella.
What do those letter grades in the restaurant window mean?
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A placard – This grade acknowledges safe food handling practices were observed and designates that the restaurant meets the requirements of the Kentucky State Food Code without priority violations at the time of inspection. There can be a few non-priority violations, and the facility will still pass.
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B placard – This grade indicates the facility has passed the most recent follow-up inspection. Prior to this, however, it failed two consecutive inspections. The B placard may also represent that a facility was recently closed due to imminent public health violations, then re-inspected and opened after passing a follow-up inspection. This is why a restaurant can score 100 and still have a B grade.
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C placard – This grade indicates that a food-service facility has failed to meet the minimum requirements of the Kentucky State Food Code upon the most recent inspection. Because the score for this grade represents priority violations, they must be corrected immediately or within seven to 10 days, depending on the severity. Once corrected, they can return to an A or B rating.
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What are the most common violations inspectors see?
There are two types of common violations -- priority and non-priority:
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Priority (or critical) violations are actions or food preparation practices that can lead to a high risk of foodborne illness. Our data shows the top three priority violations, resulting in a C grade placard are:
- Improper food temperatures (in the danger zone between 41-135 degrees F)
- Cross contamination (i.e., food contact surfaces, equipment not clean)
- Poor staff hygiene (i.e., eating, drinking while preparing customer food)
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Non-priority violations are items that are related to a lack of general sanitation and facility maintenance. These must be corrected but do not pose a critical threat to food safety and public health. The top three non-priority violations we find are:
- Physical facilities are not maintained or clean. (i.e., floors, walls, waste containers)
- Nonfood-contact surfaces (such as storage shelves) are not clean.
- A certified food protection manager is not present.
What might cause a food safety inspector to shut down a restaurant?
The main reason a food inspector would shut down a restaurant is because of an “imminent health hazard” such as fire damage, flooding, disruption to water or power supply, sewage backup/exposure, insect, or rodent infestation. The establishment remains closed until that hazard is corrected.
When going out to eat, what are three tips for a diner to look out for?
There are several things that can indicate how well a restaurant is observing food safety. Check the posted letter grade and previous inspection history, using our Inspection Score Lookup Tool. The letter grade placard includes the past three inspection scores.
- Observe food handlers:
- Are they sick?
- Washing hands properly?
- Eating and drinking while preparing food?
- Is your hot food served hot? And cold food cold?
- Check for cleanliness:
- Do the bathrooms have soap and towels for handwashing?
- Does the dining area have greasy tables, old food waste on floors?
For more food safety tips and information, visit FoodSafety.gov. Information for food service operators such as how to obtain permits, inspection information and certified manager training can be found at our Food Safety Program website.
 The Louisville Zoo is excited to announce the return of its popular lantern festival. Back for the fifth year with a lineup of new lanterns, Wild Lights runs select nights March 23 through May 19. Tickets are on sale now at louisvillezoo.org/wildlights.
Wild Lights guests will venture through the Zoo’s 1.4-mile path and experience hand-crafted, illuminated art displays. The event will feature more than 60 individual displays in themed areas depicting nature, coral reefs and Chinese mythology. Select area highlights include a blooming morning glory corridor, a 23-foot-tall octopus and a walk-through phoenix tunnel. Interactive lanterns invite guests to enhance the experience by powering lantern movements, competing in games and more. This 38-night immersive event features live cultural performances including Chinese folk dances, acrobatics and more. There will also be unique handcrafted goods available for purchase along with snacks and cocktails by Service Systems Associates — the Zoo’s food and amenity vendor.
The event is wheelchair and stroller-friendly on a paved path. The festival is a rain or shine event and will be held 7 – 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday nights from March 23 – May 19, 2024. In addition, Wild Lights will run every night during JCPS Spring Break, April 1 – 5, 2024. The Zoo will host a special preview night exclusively for Louisville Zoo members on March 22.
For more information, visit louisvillezoo.org/wildlights.
 
 The Louisville Free Public Library is partnering with Derby City Wrestling to think outside the box in promoting children’s literacy. LFPL and DCW will host “Reading & Wristlocks” on Friday, March 22, 6 p.m., at the Southwest Regional Library.
This free community event will feature superstars from Derby City Wrestling reading to children, taking pictures, and signing autographs, before they lock up and square off inside the ring for a night of exciting pro wrestling action.
Derby City Wrestling is a weekly episodic pro wrestling television series that airs Saturday at noon on MY58 in the Louisville/Southern Indiana media market and in syndication throughout Georgia, Nevada and Arizona. It is produced by Los Angeles based David Marquez productions, an Emmy Award-winning global media company that has provided full-service television production and distribution for more than 25 years in combat sports.
“Reading & Wristlocks” is a free, non-televised live event and space is extremely limited. Seats must be reserved in advance online at www.LFPL.org/Wrestling.
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