Cover Stories
Tourism Without A Super Spread: Can Louisville Have A Safe Economic Boost On Derby?
The pandemic has caused widespread sickness, death, grief and hardship amongst individuals and families in the Commonwealth and beyond, and it’s also taken a drastic toll on the economic pulse of Louisville as a city, especially the downtown area. That paired with a stream of current Kentucky COVID cases similar to last July, and a…
What a COVID-Mindful Derby Looks Like From Inside Churchill Downs
Derby at Churchill Downs will look different right from the gate this year — the first with spectators since the pandemic started. At admission, every other gate will be open, and masked guests will scan their own ticket at the turnstile. They’ll be administered a medical screening, including a temperature check. Any guest with a…
A Kentucky Derby Gambling Guide: The Favorites, the Long Shots, the Weird Names
What’s in a name? Could be a Kentucky Derby pick — though not necessarily a winning one. At the card game the other night, Jim and Dave, a couple of likely Derby bettors, were getting a first look at a list of this year’s Kentucky Derby contenders. “Hey, there’s a horse called Helium!” Jim exclaimed.…
The State of Black Entrepreneurship- A Conversation with Tosh Ernest, head of Wealth, Advancing Black Pathways at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
This article is sponsored by JPMorgan Chase & Co. This year, between February and April alone, the U.S. lost 440,000 Black-owned businesses. What made these firms so vulnerable? The unfortunate reality is that far too many Black-owned businesses entered this crisis under-capitalized and under-resourced to begin with. Through our own research, we know that businesses…
Savage Love: Quickies
Q: I have a quick question about bisexuality. What if one has a preference for dating straight individuals? As a straight woman, I am only interested in dating straight men. Is that some kind of phobia? Or is it okay for that to be a preference? I’ve always wanted to ask someone this but I’m…
Morris Plays Morris After a Long Year of Lockdown
Local drummer Gregory Morris took his time in lockdown to create a new music project, morris, a rhythm section. For this project he is playing with bassist Tony Downs and recording engineer Nick Layman on guitar. With an upcoming show and new band, he took time to share with LEO what he’s been up to,…
Seviche Always Satisfies
More than a year later, when the local food critic finally heads out to a fine local restaurant for a relaxing sit-down dinner, where does he go? For me, the answer is simple: It has to be Seviche. I’m always reluctant to name any restaurant my No. 1, as any of five or 10 favorites…
Six Can’t-Miss Local Beers To Enjoy Derby Weekend
When the editor asks the beer writers if they can crank out a last-minute article on six can’t-miss local beers that out-of-towners might want to try while visiting Louisville for Derby, the beer writers jump at the opportunity. However, there is no way the beer writers can narrow it to six. Watch how we sneak…
Three Artists Who Help Bring Color and Creativity to the Greatest Two Minutes in Sports
It takes a lot of people to make Derby happen, from the artisans that have created the Derby trophy since 1975, the servers and catering staff who keep racegoers fed and buttered, to the workers who groom and care for the horses. There are so many hands involved, and the artists add to the color…
A Disgruntled Q&A with a Cicada Expert
When I heard a large amount of cicadas, Brood X, were reemerging this year after 17 years, I was disappointed and then incensed. Here I was, with one dose of the Pfizer vaccine in my arm and plans to go camping with my similarly COVID-safe friends after a year of relative isolation, and some bug-eyed…
Thorns & Roses: The Worst, Best and Most Absurd (4/28)
Rose: JCPS Suspends Suspensions Jefferson County Public Schools could be on track to permanently end suspensions for pre-kindergarten through third-grade students, the Courier Journal reported. A JCPS committee tasked with reviewing schools’ disciplinary policies is recommending the district make permanent a moratorium on out-of-school suspensions for the youngest students. The moratorium, which was put in place…
Louisville Urban League’s Statement On the Verdict in the Derek Chauvin Trial and the Arrest of Denorver Garrett by LMPD
Like many across the country, the Louisville Urban League was anxiously awaiting the verdict in the criminal case against Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. We were hopeful that we would see, what should have been, certain justice, but we were all too aware that we have been let down many times before.…
Races, Riches, Racism and The Kentucky Derby
On May 2, 1970, in Louisville, a 32-year-old vibrant and disheveled Hunter S.Thompson wrote an article that has since defined the Kentucky Derby. You will note, if you read it in its inglorious entirety, that there isn’t much mention of horse racing. “We didn’t give a hoot in hell what was happening on the track,”…
Derby 147 — A Comedy
[The following story takes place just ahead of the 2020 election. At least, it could have… It includes the names of all 20 horses running in the 147th Kentucky Derby and, hopefully, some laughs.] Just before Pope Francis arrived at The White House, President Trump convened a meeting with his few remaining loyal cabinet members…
