Listen to the showAmusement Park Vacations and Safety
Headed to an amusement park this year? You won’t be alone. Amusement parks are popular this year with attendance up at two of the major regional park chains, including Six Flags and Cedar Fair. WFPL’s Gabe Bullard reports on how parks are attracting people who can’t afford a big trip for vacation this year. But if you head to the park, will you be safe? WFPL’s Kristin Espeland looks at how park safety rules have changed in Kentucky since last year’s catastrophic accident at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, as well as how amusement parks are regulated – and not regulated.
- Saferparks Advocacy Group
- ASTM International Amusement Park Ride Standards
- Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s amusement park regulations
- International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions
- Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s final report on the Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom accident June 21, 2007
Someone Must Wash the DishesAugust 26th is Women’s Equality Day; a day designated to celebrate the ratification of the 19th Amendment that granted women the right to vote. But not all women thought getting the vote was such a good idea. Suffragist Marie Jenney Howe decided to jump into the fray and wrote a tongue-in-check response from an anti-suffragist. Actress Michele LaRue (and director Warren Kliewer) thought this piece was perfect for a one woman show – and so Someone Must Wash the Dishes: An Anti-Suffrage Monologue was born. LaRue took some time out from her touring schedule to talk with WFPL’s Robin Fisher about her one woman shows and the suffragist movement. LaRue will be performing the piece at 7:00pm on Saturday, August 23rd, at the Frazier International History Museum.
- Frazier International History Museum - Women's Equality Day
- Michele LaRue
- Suffrage On Stage: Marie Jenney Howe Parodies the Opposition
Air Quality Alerts
The city’s annual survey about air quality alert days shows that more residents are beginning to believe they have can have an impact on air quality by changing certain behaviors. The extent to which they’re changing those behaviors is still an open question. WFPL’s Kristin Espeland has the story.
- America’s Promise
- Louisville Air Quality Forecasts
- Kentuckiana Air Education (KAIRE)
- American Lung Association site on protecting yourself from air pollution
Home Heating Costs
Summer is far from over, but the Kentucky Public Service Commission is advising home and business owners to brace for significantly higher heating bills this winter. WFPL's Rick Howlett talked to the PSC's Andrew Melnykovich about higher heating bills and what Kentuckians can do to keep them manageable.
- Kentucky Public Service Commission
- Kentucky Division of Energy Efficiency and Conservation
- Kentucky Weatherization Assistance Program
- Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
Asteroid MiningKentucky is known for coal mining, but is asteroid mining next? WFPL’s Gabe Bullard talks with Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation President Kris Kimmel about Kentucky’s future in space exploration.
Paul “Moon” Mullins 1936-2008The funeral for Paul “Moon” Mullins was held recently in Springboro, Ohio. The Menifee County, Kentucky native was a popular bluegrass musician and disc jockey in Eastern Kentucky and Ohio. Mullins died August 3 at the age of 71. Kentucky Public Radio’s Nicole Back has a remembrance.
