A new master plan for the Louisville Free Public Library system will be presented to a Louisville Metro Council committee Tuesday afternoon.Library Director Craig Buthod says the $100 million plan proposes the construction of three regional libraries, additional neighborhood libraries and improvements to existing facilities over the next 12 years.Buthod says the plan had to be scaled down after voters rejected a tax increase in 2007 to fund a more ambitious proposal."The very next day the mayor called the library leadership in and said, 'let's keep moving forward,' and asked us to revise the master plan and come back with something that's realistic given the new economic realities," Buthod said.Buthod says he hopes that library funding might be included in any economic stimulus plan approved by the federal government next year.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.