+5
Warning to those prone to road rage: Prepare to be pissed off for the good of the environment. Last week, Gov. Steve Beshear signed an executive order allowing slow-moving electric vehicles on many state roadways. The order will allow environmentally conscious drivers to operate the sluggish yet rechargeable electric cars on roads with speed limits of 45 mph or less.
-5
Housing prices in some parts of western Louisville plummeted 22 percent in the first half of this year. Increasing foreclosures are to blame for the downturn in median home prices, which dropped in a number of neighborhoods, including part of Shively, from $45,000 to $35,000. Some houses have been on the market for well over a year, including one bank-owned property on Bolling Avenue that’s sitting vacant despite its bargain price of $18,000.
-2
More than half of Jefferson County’s public schools failed to meet federal (yet conveniently unfunded) education goals outlined by President Bush’s brainchild No Child Left Behind. By not meeting math and reading goals, some Louisville schools could eventually face reorganization, or in some extreme cases, state takeover. Despite the disappointing news, school officials are determined to strive for that pie in the sky again this year.
-5
Citing rising fuel costs, firefighters in nine of the city’s suburban fire districts will no longer respond to calls for medical help unless they’re “critical.” That means residents needing assistance in certain neighborhoods will have to wait for paramedics, who typically are slower to respond than firefighters. Mayor Abramson is worried about inconsistent service, but because suburban fire districts are independent, it’s out of his control. So if you’ve fallen and you can’t get up, just wait patiently for help to arrive.
World-classness: -7
