Speaking of Ward-Pugh, go vote for her in the ‘Most Admired’ contest at Today’s Woman! [Click the Clicky]

Kentucky’s environment is going to pot but Democrats aren’t keen on doing anything about it. Greg Stumbo favors allowing Jim Gooch to spew his weight in propaganda. And, no, Stumbo doesn’t really live in Prestonsburg. [Ronnie Ellis]

Fairdale Bigfoot may no longer be running for mayor, but he’s still got all kinds of advice for you. Especially if you’re troubled in the relationship department. [Consuming Louisville]

The next piece of the Wayside block redevelopment puzzle is in place. East Market Street is going gangbusters. [Broken Sidewalk]

There’s always been deep corruption in Southeastern Kentucky. But the latest audit from Crit Luallen details serious troubles with the Whitley County Sheriff. Check out the massive waste, fraud and abuse. [Page One]

Metro Government is definitely playing chicken with PETA. But who really wants a disgusting chicken statue erected, you know, anywhere? Hard to pick a side in this fight. [LEO Weekly]

Larry Hausman is kicking off his congressional campaign on Monday the 25th, 11:00 A.M., Bowman Field Airport Terminal. [Press Release]

Not surprisingly, your hometown newspaper thinks it’s fine and dandy to prey on the emotions of consumers by using Haiti to make a buck. Guess it’s no worse than a non-profit having overhead costs. Though, it’d be just as easy for a business to donate a portion of proceeds rather than use a disaster to to pull in profits. [C-J]

Yesterday President Barack Obama announced the Presidential Citizens Medal. Get all the details and watch the video at the link. [White House]

Jefferson County PVA Tony Lindauer wants to know what you think. [Take The Survey]

How sad. Somebody jumped to their death from the Heyburn Building yesterday. [C-J]

Fairdale Bigfoot is still running for mayor and he’s got a new advice column this week! Relationship advice time! [Consuming Louisville]

That Jesus Museum in Northern Kentucky is going to be pissed that the Louisville Zoo is about to play host to some robodinos. [WHAS11]

Big news for the corner of Market & Cambell. New restaurant, wine shop. Excitement! [C-J]

Suburban dollars fund urban services but benefits are often shared? [WFPL]

Somebody at the Courier-Journal just noticed East Market Street. You already know everything mentioned, but it’s a good read. [C-J]

Tricare is reconsidering Humana and UnitedHealth bids for a $21.8 billion contract. [Business First]

Patrick O’Shea’s is set to open any minute now on Main Street. And it is awesome to see that block come alive again.. [Broken Sidewalk]

Remember devil lady Anne Northup? She’s baaaack. And now she’s writing op-eds in the Wall Street Journal about how child-safety laws are killing American jobs and businesses. What she really means is child safety laws are killing child labor in China. She needs to go back to KT’s and Old Fashioneds. [WSJ]

Proud to see Crescent Hill named one of the south’s ten best comeback neighborhoods. [Southern Living]

Looks like Chuck Cash of Metro Planning is retiring. Will this end up being a hot mess? [C-J]

Anybody from the Abramson or Beshear Administrations want to try telling me Jerry Abramson isn’t on the ticket to help Cordish Cos out in the long run? Not just with gambling, but with free money? [Washington Post]

Here is evidence that Michelle is trying to give us a heart attack. [Consuming Louisville]

Perfect example of what’s wrong with Louisville: putting the interests of youth on hold in order to save some rich dude’s back yard. Jerry Abramson and the four or five families that control everything in Louisville just can’t be bothered with non-wealthy riffraff. [Sheldon Shafer]

Was the individual responsible for driving a car into a store at Westport Village in a Toyota? [WHAS11]

I love that Greg Fischer is afraid to make his own statement on crime in this community. And I further love that he sent a super-rich guy who lives at 1400 Willow (Greg’s rich sister and other folks live there) to tell the media there’s no crime problem and that the mere suggesting that we should add additional police patrols is silly. Keep it up, folks. Keep telling the public there’s not a crime problem. Keep allowing the super-wealthy folks living in a park tower that’s lined with marble and gold (literally) to speak on every issue. And if Louisville is so safe and crime-free, why is Chief Robert White living in an elitist East End community? Why is the man so afraid to visit the West End? Nice. [C-J]

Ambassador Matthew Barzun was spotted in Copenhagen. [Ambassador's Journal]

Cordish field of Schemes in Las Vegas. And in other places. Talk about an Abramson hot mess of a legacy. [Read All About It]

Tom Burch, who has a history of flip-flopping, illegally asking for favors for supporters and occasionally being spineless is making crap up again. Burch says Jim King has a plan to cut funding for the QCCT. But the facts don’t back Burch up. King never proposed cutting funding. That talking point came from the Fischer Campaign. [C-J]

You thought you had it bad here in Louisville? Lexington’s mayor wants everybody to die in a house fire. For real. And the Vice Mayor has to fight him on it. [Page One]

Looks like Joe Ley and East Market Street are about to get really fancy with some new and updated construction. [Broken Sidewalk]

Are these really the top Kentucky stories of 2009? [WHAS11]

Rep. John Yarmuth will tour Dare to Care Food Bank this morning at 10:30 A.M. Folks should use this as a good opportunity to contribute to Dare to Care. [Press Advisory]

The forum focused on discussion about a comprehensive energy plan to regain control of our energy future, revitalize our economy and break the dependence on foreign oil that threats us all. Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Dr. Jane Lubchenco moderated the event.

“In the next few years, some entrepreneur or innovator will revolutionize an emerging technology and fundamentally change the way the world uses energy,” Locke said. “President Obama wants to make sure the brains behind these innovations live, work and create jobs in America.

Secretary Chu said, “Clean energy will be the growth industry of the 21st Century, and we need to take bold action to make sure America is leading the field. One of the most important steps we can and must take to create new jobs and ensure America’s competitiveness is to pass comprehensive energy legislation to create a system of clean energy incentives.”

I’m obviously biased when I say the local business world can learn a lot from Gill. But it’s definitely true. One only need to step foot in the Green Building to see what I mean.

See?

Glad to see Louisville and Kentucky finally being represented in Washington.

Will this Norton-Anthem mess ever wrap up? Will there ever be a solution? We’re on the third day of talks. [C-J]

They get letters about Norton-Anthem. [More C-J]

If you haven’t yet become a fan of Fairdale Bigfoot, you may want to do so. He’s running for mayor. And he writes an advice column every week. [Consuming Louisville]

Attorney General Jack Conway filed a lawsuit against Merck yesterday in Franklin Circuit Court. The OAG alleges that the pharmaceutical giant is violating Kentucky’s Consumer Protection Act with activity related to Vioxx. [Press Release]

Possible sexual assault at the University of Louisville yesterday? Campus authorities sent out an alert in the early afternoon. [LEO's Fat Lip]

Can’t hype this enough. The expansion of Creation Gardens on East Market Street has the city abuzz. Check out these great historic photos and the new block rendering. [Broken Sidewalk]

Miss NuLu Fest on Saturday? Check out these photographs. [Backseat Sandbar]

We want your thoughts on Jefferson County Public Schools’ proposed changes to the student-assignment plan. [Toni Konz]

The NuLu Fest is the big event on our weekend calendar. It starts at 5 Saturday, featuring free music until at least 11 down on East Market Street. The bands aren’t shabby — Ben Sollee, Generic Alternatives, Thomas A. Minor & the Picket Line, Lucky Pineapple and The Instruction. Good names. You can also partake in BBC beer, wine from Felice Vineyards and plenty of food from local restaurants. It’s in the 700 block of East Market, which will be closed to traffic.

More Ideas: The Nulu Fest is billed as the closing event for the Idea Festival, which continues today and tomorrow. Though the event seems to have lost a little luster, word is that ticket sales have been brisk, and that the Anthony Bourdain event for tonight is sold out. We’ll have coverage of that. And here’s my experience with A.J. Jacobs. [V.V.]

No Massacre This Time?: Top-ranked Florida, which embarrassed UK 63-5 in The Swamp last year, is in Lexington Saturday. Meanwhile, the Cards are 14-point underdogs at Utah Saturday night.

Amanda’s Bill: House Speaker Greg Stumbo has pre-filed legislation that would require domestic violence offenders to wear electronic monitoring devices so their victims would know when they were nearby. Stumbo took action in response to the murder of Amanda Ross, the ex-fiancee of former legislator Steve Nunn, who is charged with her murder. [Courier]

And If You’re Into Painted Ladies: Check out the video from our pal John Gilderbloom. It’s a tour of a Highlands home called the Painted Lady and includes a tour of the neighborhood. John’s an ambassador, appointed by the Mayor. Oh, the Painted Lady. Yours for four nights at just $7,950. [Big Event Home Rental]

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY ­ The first annual NuLu Festival will take place on East Market Street Saturday, September 26th, from 5- ­11 pm. The 700 block of East Market Street (between Clay & Shelby), will play host to the festival and will be closed to vehicle traffic during the event. Held on the closing night of the third annual Idea Festival, the NuLu Festival is presented in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of Leadership Louisville and the Bingham Fellows Class of 2009.

Local restaurants and retailers will be on hand, and sponsor Bluegrass Brewing Co. will supply their local micro-brewed beer with wine by Felice Vineyard and Winery.  With live music all night, cellist Ben Sollee will perform, as well as Generic Alternatives, Thomas A Minor & the Picket Line, Lucky Pineapple and local rockers The Instruction.

The event is free, family-friendly including the Gallopalooza foals and the Bubble Truck, and open to the public.  The festival is presented by the East Market District Association with generous support from the following sponsors:  IDEAFESTIVAL, Bluegrass Brewing Company, Felice Vineyard and Winery, JAVA Brewing Company, Brightside, JEB Advertising, Action Graphics, Eon, Bingham Fellows, Leadership Louisville Center, Home of the Innocents, Tucker Booker Donhoff & Partners, Stock Yards Bank, Bargain Supply, sonaBLAST Records and 732 Social.

In November 2008, “The Heart of NuLu” became the official tagline for the East Market District in Louisville, Kentucky.

NuLu, more a state of mind than an area of town, is present in this relaxed artsy neighborhood with old buildings and new ideas. The area comprises parts of two of Louisville’s oldest neighborhoods, Butchertown and Phoenix Hill, and is home to some of the city’s oldest homes and businesses, as well as The Green Building, Louisville’s first commercial building anticipating Platinum LEED certification.  The neighborhood business association is made up of over 60 businesses which include galleries, creative retail stores, and artists in residence.

The event is intended to allow everyone to experience Nulu for themselves

They not only provided the best tire service I’ve experienced (and the quickest – you know I’ve been through this a few times recently), but gave me a deal on four tires that I’m not sure anyone in the city could beat. Made me feel really great for supporting a local business.

So, for real, if you’re in the market for new tires? Go there immediately. Tell Geno or Herbie that I sent you.

And on a related note – who should I bill? Lt. Dan or Conway’s camp? There was a cute little note on my windshield this morning that read, “You and little Jackie Conway should know better.” (or something along those lines, going on memory as I’m not at home). Somebody owes me some mega bucks for that bull.

KDP Turns to Fossett: We’re glad to see our former co-worker, Liz Fossett, on the 2007 Bruce Lunsford campaign join the Kentucky Democratic Party as a communications staffer. They need her help. [Page One]

Another Blonde: The new reporter at WLKY-TV is Karen Robey, even though the graphic lists her as Karen Brown in this report on that J&J Smoke Shop murder.  She’s returning to WLKY for her second stint on the air. [WLKY-TV]

Fancy Farm Attendance: With Jim Bunning out of the picture, we’re not sure if Fancy Farm becomes more or less important. We’ll say more. Especially when it comes to speeches by Trey Grayson and Rand Paul, the likely GOP candidates to run for his seat. Still, local TV stations are mulling decisions on whether or not to send crews to the big political party.

Better Than a Homeless Shelter: Renovations are nearly complete in the first section of buildings on East Market Street, and tenants should be moving in by October. [Broken Sidewalk]

Golden Poo is Already Flying: These are going to be better than those Emmys, so nominate somebody. Or just join in the hilarity. [Golden Poo]