Here's what we tackled today on Byline:At the top - Kentucky Kingdom has now been closed for three consecutive seasons, shut down since its previous operator, Six Flags, declared bankruptcy. There have been two attempts to re-open the property: developer Ed Hart, who had previously operated the park, negotiated for more than a year with the Kentucky State Fair board to get the facility up and running, but those talks fell through. And earlier this year the Koch family, owners of Holiday World in Indiana, entered into and then backed out of a deal to operate the park. Now, a team led by Ed Hart is back with a new proposal. Ed Hart joins us to discuss the specifics of the proposal, and the challenges and obstacles with the neglected and deteriorating park.13:30 - A crowded field of candidates will be on the November ballot for three seats on the Jefferson County Public Schools board of education. Three incumbents are not seeking re-election. WFPL’s Devin Katayama runs through the list of 17 candidates for the board, the largest pool of applicants since the late 1990s.20:20 - WFPL environment reporter Erica Peterson discusses the major coal industry conference that took place in Louisville this week, along with news of a 9-million-tons per year coal export deal with India. We also hear Erica's feature on one of the key players in this deal, Kentucky Representative Keith Hall.27:00 - Kentucky Public Radio's capital bureau chief, Kenny Colston, discusses some of the major political stories of the week including the state health insurance exchange; the Kentucky tax commission's review of the state tax code; and the Biden-Ryan vice presidential debate coming up at Centre College in Danville.31:30 - WFPL arts and humanities reporter Erin Keane's feature on the 25th anniversary of the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA).36:30 - Erin Keane speaks at length with Carrie Nath, the executive director of the Governor's School for the Arts. GSA celebrates its 25th anniversary on Saturday with a big concert and art event at the Kentucky Center, featuring Harry Pickens and Ben Sollee, among others.
