In almost a decade of covering Louisville, I’ve come to realize there are usually a couple of stories per year that end up being unforgettable – whether we realize it in the moment or not.
This year, there were two. These stories were incredibly important to our local community, but captured the attention of national audiences as well. And they were unique compared to our other coverage because they required the entire LPM News reporting team to contribute.
It may not be obvious to the outside world, but these stories also exemplify some of the best traits of our team: the ability to go from covering breaking news with urgency to contextual, human-centered stories, as well as a willingness to help each other within the newsroom.
Here are the two stories from 2025 I expect I’ll never forget.
The failure of the police reform consent decree
When Donald Trump took the office of president the second time, there was a broad expectation that he would shift how America approaches police reform. Here in Louisville, the ink was barely dry on a consent decree agreement between our city government and the U.S. Department of Justice under Joe Biden.
Even before Trump was sworn in, the federal judge overseeing the case, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, questioned the need for the consent decree. If he had ordered the agreement, it would’ve put the weight of the federal court behind the plan to reform the Louisville Metro Police Department.
That didn’t happen. And in May, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced the deal was over because the DOJ, now under Trump, was moving to dismiss the case. He immediately said the city would proceed with reforms with local oversight.
This came more than five years after police shot and killed Breonna Taylor in her home.
Taylor’s mom, Tamika Palmer, blamed the mayor, saying if he had finalized the consent decree sooner, the Trump administration wouldn’t have been able to unravel it.
Here are some of our top stories on the subject:
- Louisville consent decree – not reforms – over, mayor says
- Breonna Taylor’s mom blames mayor for ‘dragging his feet’ as Louisville consent decree ends
- On Track: Unpacking the Department of Justice's consent decree decision
- Louisville police chief discusses end of federal consent decree
- ‘Breewayy Day’: Louisville activists honor 5 years of advocacy for Breonna Taylor
- Louisville Metro Council endorses police reform recommendations
- Louisville begins process of hiring independent police reform monitor
- What we know about the 2 finalists who could oversee Louisville police reform
- Civil rights, local presence a focus as Louisville residents question police reform candidates
- Louisville announces selection for police reform monitoring
- Louisville’s top police oversight official gets another four-year term
The tragic UPS plane crash
Our team had just wrapped a full day of work when I got a call: Something big was on fire near the airport, and the thick plume of black smoke was visible for miles all around. It was dramatic, occurring as the sun was going down and as thousands of Louisville were commuting home. And it was immediately clear that whatever had happened was a really big deal.
It took mere minutes for our news team to assemble, signing back on from wherever they were at the time to make calls, deploy to the crash site, write, edit and so much more.
The story that unfolded is one we all know by now: A UPS cargo plane crashed as it attempted to take off when its left engine detached. It crashed straight into a couple businesses, killing more than a dozen people, including the three-person crew on board.
Many questions remain surrounding the circumstances of the crash and details about the recovery. We’ll continue reporting on them.
Here’s how we covered the crash in 2025:
- Kentucky Gov. Beshear says at least 9 dead in UPS plane crash near Louisville airport
- UPS plane crash continues to impact Louisville Wednesday
- Louisville shop owner recounts UPS plane crashing, trapping employees on property
- Recovery efforts continue after ‘catastrophic’ fatal Louisville plane crash, Beshear says
- Louisville air and water mostly safe after deadly UPS plane crash
- Federal agency investigating Louisville UPS plane crash says engine fell off on takeoff
- How to talk to children about the UPS plane tragedy
- UPS identifies crew members aboard cargo plane that crashed in Louisville
- Mourners hold candlelight vigil for Louisville UPS plane crash victims
- Louisville resident, business owner sue UPS, GE and Boeing after deadly plane crash
- Crews still cleaning up oil dumped into south Louisville waters by UPS plane crash
- Louisville leaders identify 14 victims in UPS plane crash
- Louisville Orchestra to play free tribute concert honoring UPS plane crash victims
- UPS Airlines president makes appearance in Louisville after devastating crash, amid lawsuit
- Early UPS crash report indicates failure of left-engine hardware during takeoff in Louisville
- Officials say it may be a while before it’s business as usual around UPS plane crash site
- ‘Completely unforgivable’: Families of UPS plane crash victims file wrongful death lawsuit
- After Louisville UPS plane crash, AI-generated slop was everywhere
