Five Louisville agencies are among 11 Kentucky non-profits sharing $100,000 in grants from Verizon Wireless for their efforts to prevent and raise awareness of domestic violence.Some of the funds will be used for programs aimed at young men who are at risk of becoming abusers. Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell says 90-percent of domestic violence offenders are male. "My favorite quote that I think emphasizes part of the domestic violence problem we have here was in a study where one of those who completed the study, one of the comments made was ‘The exercise of male power in its crassest form is physical violence in the family setting.’ How true that is," he said. Verizon’s foundation has long been active in addressing domestic violence. A Verizon employee was killed by her husband in Pennsylvania ten years ago.The company also distributes reconditioned cell phones to domestic violence survivors who may need to quickly contact authorities.The Louisville-area grant recipients are: MensWork: Eliminating Violence Against Women, Inc.University of Louisville Hospital Trauma InstituteThe Center for Women and FamiliesLegal Aid Society of LouisvilleAzheimer's Association's Greater Kentucky and Southern Indiana Chapter (elder abuse prevention)
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.