What do The Wizard of Oz, Airplane and E.T. have in common? They’re all being shown for free at the Iroquois Amphitheater. [Consuming Louisville]

This is too important not to discuss: Sheldon Berman’s review has been pushed into July in an attempt to keep portions of said review secret. [WFPL]

Jury selection in the Rick Pitino – Karen Sypher sexytime extortion case begins today. [WAVE3]

You’ll want to check this site out for all of your fancy Forecastle Festival coverage. [Backseat Sandbar]

The festival was a giant success with 100+ performers and thousands of music lovers. [WHAS11]

Is Tilia open? Has anyone been? [Broken Sidewalk Flashback]

Six Flags Over Jesus is expanding into Oldham County. The church will soon spread further east and take over the world. [WLKY]

If you’re familiar with the Carriage Lady, you should probably help with her funeral. [FOX41]

Listen up, folks, you need to help me give away some books. Here’s why. [Page One]

Since the C-J doesn’t comprehend that running old news as an “exclusive” doesn’t sell newspapers, they ran a “print exclusive” on Sunday. Here’s a Monday link to the story about Rand Paul’s faux ophthalmology group. [C-J]

As Talking Points Memo noted in late May, we first focused on the group. And now the paper is running this like it’s breaking news. No wonder so many C-J reporters complain to me about hating their jobs. [TPM Flashback]

Chris Poynter is leaving Jerry Abramson’s mayoral staff to work for Greg Fischer. What was that, dear readers, about Greg’s crew not being a rehash of the last thirty years? You’re about to experience another four years of zero transparency, top-down “leadership” and personal spite and bitterness. (I’m talking about all the folks, not specifically Poynter.) [Joe Arnold]

Of course we hate paying for MSD’s debt. The interesting part of this story, however, is the part where the Courier-Journal continues to promote Steve Henry’s faux non-profit, Future Fund, as legitimate despite the fact that he used the organization to move money around and was recently convicted. [James Bruggers]

Bruce Dunbar, former WLKY anchor, died Friday. [FOX10]

Here’s more information that should lead you to believe the Courier-Journal editorial board is a Larry Clark apologist committee. [C-J]

Why is Rand Paul flip-flopping and trying to revise his own history 24/7? What’s happened to all of his “liberty” and “freedom” and all that? [Barefoot & Progressive]

Can the Professional Firefighters Association defeat Dan Seum in the state senate race? Not likely. [WFPL]

590 entries were received from more then 40 media organizations in the Ohio Valley. The awards will be presented at a gala in Columbus, Ohio on July 31.

Here are the nominees from Louisville:

Newscast – Evening

• WAVE3 @ 11 – Aaron Matthew Ellis, Sarah Miles
• 5pm Newscast – Suspect Chopper Chase, WLKY – Erin Gritton

Breaking News

• Jason Stinson Verdict, WHAS – Renee Murphy
• Waterfront Park Shooting, WLKY – David Masino, William E. DeReamer, Erin Gritton

Spot News

• Fatal test drive, WDRB – Bennett Haeberle, Sarah Grote

Continuing Coverage

• Metro Animal Services, WLKY – Andy Alcock
• Bridge to Nowhere, WAVE3 – Chris McGill, Doug Druschke

Peep the other nominees – there are a bunch – after the jump…

General Assignment Report – Within 24 Hours

• Dog Rescue, WLKY – Andy Alcock

General Assignment Report – No Time Limit

• Wolf Dog, WLKY – David Masino, Ann Bowdan

Feature News Report – Single Story

• Turtle Man, WDRB – Barry Bernson, Ken Bradley
• Last Picture Show, WDRB – Barry Bernson, Reed Nelson
• Drag’s A Life, WHAS – Adrianna Hopkins, Steven Richard
• Hailey & Carter, WHAS – Melanie Kahn, Steven Richard

Investigative Report – Single Story

• The Cost of Care, WDRB – Bennet Haeberle, Sarah Grote
• Water Pollution Probe, WLKY – John Boel

Investigative Report – Series

• Theatair X: Undercover and Above the Law, WAVE3 – Carrie Sharp, Roger Dunaway
• Male Modeling, WHAS – Andy Treinen

Business/Consumer – News

• Consumer Watch, WHAS – Andy Treinen

Crime – News

• A Rose is a Rose, WHAS – Adam Walser
• Dead End Street, WLKY – John Boel

Health/Science/Education – News

• Cross-Kidney Donation, WAVE3 – Elizabeth Donatelli, Michael Williams

Human Interest – News

• The Outsiders, WHAS – Adrianna Hopkins, Steven Richard
• Old Man and a Horse, WLKY – John Boel, Scott Eckhardt
• Notes Left Behind, WDRB – Jennifer Baileys, Kenny Bradley

Military – News

• Toxic Tour of Duty, WHAS – Melissa Swan

Sports – News

• Anyone Can Try, WAVE3 – Drew Cook
• Ride of a lifetime, WAVE3 – Connie Leonard

Sports – One-Time Special

• Triumph and Tragedy, WAVE3 – Reid Olson, Scott Reynolds, Jackie Hays

Documentary – Cultural/Topical

• Country Music Crossroads, WLKY – Ben Jackey, Will Sieg, Greg Burress

Special Event Coverage

• Thunder over Louisville – 2009, WHAS – Deobrah Harbsmeier, Jim Ghrist

News Promo – Single Spot/Campaign

• Meet Gary, WAVE3 – Christian Adelberg

News Promo – Image

• Cut Out For Mornings, WAVE3 – Christian Adelberg

Special Achievement: News Excellence

• WLKY News Excellence, WLKY – Mike Neelly

Special Achievement: Station Excellence

• WHAS11, WHAS – Mark Pimentel

Anchor – News

• Composite, WLKY – John Boel

Reporter – Sports

• Composite, WLKY – John Boel

Photographer – News

• Steve Richard, WHAS

Editor – News

• Composite, WHAS – Steven Richard

Congratulations to all the local nominees!

But Joe Gerth has more on the story:

Louisville Metro Council member Jim King and his daughter, Jefferson District Judge Katie King, have each agreed to pay $15,000 fines to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance to settle a case against them involving $135,000 King gave his daughter during her 2008 judicial campaign.

-SNIP-

Jim King had argued that he violated no laws because the law doesn’t specifically prohibit personal gifts from a family member to a candidate. And he had an e-mail from a registry employee saying the registry doesn’t “regulate private finances.”

-SNIP-

His review of the case continues, but Hurst said he believes the registry’s acknowledgement that there were no criminal violations of the law makes charges unlikely.

“We think this chapter is finally over,” he said.

While obviously stupid (NOT ignorant – stupid) on Jim King’s part – the KREF made its bed by sending him an email telling him it was a-okay to give now-Judge Katie King a financial gift. And there’s no way around it.

A WLKY reporter also did a story about the King settlement. I would link to it, but I’m not keen on promoting local reporters who post things like this about the very person they’re “reporting” on:

Da Nile… // Mar 5, 2010 at 4:46 pm

aint just a river in Egypt! Spend your money now Jimbo, you may not want to after you’ve been indicted!

If you want proof of who “Da Nile…” is, take a look at this screenshot from our commenting system that aligns the IP address with said reporter’s computer at WLKY’s headquarters:

I also don’t make a habit of outing commenters. But I felt it was warranted (and I changed my mind), as this person has pulled silly crap like this on our sites for a couple of years. Your previous writer was keen on letting it slide, but I’m not. Nearly every time Jim King has been mentioned, they’ve left a nasty comment.

The disappointing thing is that Mr. Reporter’s bosses know about his commenting from work, have communicated with me about it over the past couple years and are apparently still okay with allowing him to cover matters he’s working hard to trash. What really disappoints me is that he loves trashing his coworkers and colleagues around town only to act super-nice with them when working. I won’t even get into the emails he’s sent – from his work address – that have me shaking my head.

Enough is enough. I’ve waited a couple years for WLKY to correct things.

I hope Jim King’s campaign feels even more stupid for taking the individual seriously. And I hope Jim himself tries to educate himself on matters of campaign finance lest he find himself up this creek again.

Could the nation’s most eco-friendly school be located right here in Indiucky/Louisville Proper? [C-J]

Check out this profile of Democratic mayoral candidate Lisa Moxley from Bennett Haeberle. [FOX41]

David Tandy also got a fancy profile. He’s still unable to explain his JBS Swift flip-flop. (P.S. to Bennett: People aren’t pissed over the smell, they’re pissed over the Abramson/Tandy-supported law breaking.) [More FOX41]

Greg Fischer announced the endorsement of Retired Police & Firefighters Advocates, Inc. yesterday. The group represents 400 families. [Press Release]

The Louisville Zoo was fined $37,000 for that accident last June. [AP via H-L]

Dear Fifth Third Bank: You’re the reason I’m switching to a local bank. Goodness gracious. [WHAS11]

Did you know? JCPS officials got a blog about Bloom Elementary shut down because they didn’t want to be seen as pervert-enabling. Read this story to familiarize yourself with the basics and then start asking JCPS why they jerked a critical blog down about bad behavior at Bloom. [C-J]

Construction watch: creating an urban edge on Brandeis. [Broken Sidewalk]

Fairdale Bigfoot is no longer a mayoral candidate but he’s back with his weekly advice column. [Consuming Louisville]

Experts with Norton Neuroscience Institute will be on-hand to answer questions about aneurysm and other brain illnesses.

From a press release:

March has special significance as the Louisville community marks the one-year anniversary (March 10, 2009) of the death of veteran Louisville television journalist Chuck Olmstead, who suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm and died at age 60. March also is designated Brain Injury Awareness Month by the Brain Injury Association of America.

“Unfortunately, Chuck never knew that something as serious as an aneurysm lay deep within his brain. If he had known, he would have had it treated because he loved life,” said Candy Olmstead, Chuck Olmstead’s widow. “It is my hope that with the help of Norton Neuroscience Institute, we will be able to educate people about the symptoms of aneurysms, prevention, and the importance of early detection, as well as provide the community with accessible screenings.”

Give back!

Seriously.

She’s filed several lawsuits charging a widespread government cover-up, and that’s one of the reasons she contends she’s been assaulted 150 times.

“I have been assaulted on a regular basis through electromagnetic technology,” she said. “That includes microwaving, intrasound, via satellites.”

One lawsuit was filed against Louisville Gas & Electric, charging the utility with torturing and tormenting her by turning lights and other electrical appliances off and on.

“I’ve had four or five TVs destroyed, seven telephones or more, computers, fax machine, all those things destroyed,” she said.

Marshall claimed an electric current coming through the phone caused her to have a paralyzed feeling.

This lady has emailed me thousands of times about, well, just go read about it.

HOT MESS.

UPDATE: Upon thinking about it for a few minutes, I’m not entirely certain I feel comfortable even linking to this mess. What the hell? Wow.

Ben Jackey, a reporter at WLKY, has been hired as a communications specialist with Jefferson County Public Schools. His first day on the job will be Jan. 19.

Jackey, a Louisville native, will make $83,000 a year. His job responsibilities include helping write news releases, working with the news media and assisting in the planning and implementation of live events.

Mark Hebert started a trend, it seems.

River Fields just won’t quit. But the federal government isn’t having it. [C-J]

Louisville is so gay and stuff. Shh. Nobody tell Frank Simon. [LEO Weekly]

Fairdale Bigfoot possesses a superior knowledge of films and Facebook. Oh, is that homophobe David Edmonds trying to be his friend? [Consuming Louisville]

On Thursday, November 5, three Louisville businesses failed ABC compliance checks. Wiltshire Pantry on East Market, Whits Liquors on 15th and West Main Liquors on West Main. Come on, Louisville, check those IDs. [Press Release]

Turns out it was EIGHT MILLION GALLONS of poop that flowed into the Ohio. Never forget! [WFPL]

Oh no he/she didn’t! Who shot their wa, err, green laser in the eye of WLKY’s chopper pilot while he was flying around all the pig flu people? [Fat Lip]

Churchill Downs has hired a gambling lobbyist. Former Whitfield staffer. [C-J]

Louisville will get fatter than it already is. Dunkin’ Donuts plans to open 15 new stores in the area. We are all going to die of the fat. [Business First]

Metro Inspections is reviewing Wayside’s use of Hotel Louisville. [WAVE3]

“I’m trying to have a legitimate conversation with the guy and he walks around the desk and hugs and kisses me on the neck and says, ‘Aw, poor baby,’” Simpson told the investigator.

-SNIP-

“’I really want to see you,’ he said. ‘All I keep thinking about is coming on the bus.’ That’s what he calls the bus, ‘And holding you and kissing you,’” Simpson recounted the voice mail.

-SNIP-

Simpson said one time, she couldn’t account for documents or whereabouts of animal drugs and sent Meloche an e-mail about it.

“In the end, we figured it out, but he came to me and said, ‘Don’t ever put stuff like that in an e-mail because I don’t want anybody to know,’” Simpson told the investigator.

“What I certainly don’t want to see happen, there’s an investigation, he gets slapped on the hand and two months from now we’re back in the same boat we were before. That is what I fear I think the most,” Simpson said in the tape.

Click here to read/see Andy’s story in its entirety.

And Bennet Haeberle has this:

The complaint filed in May by another Metro Animal Services employee says Dr. Meloche “injected Sodium Pentobarbital directly into the heart of three kittens that were still conscious.”

One employee said she “was shocked” the issue had not been addressed.

-SNIP-

“I told Dr. Meloche that prescribing medications without documentation was a violation of the Kentucky Veterinary Practice Act.”

Michelle Hensel says she never received any medication from Meloche or MAS.

“I never received anything. There is no documentation for that. Dr. Meloche has never delivered me any medication,” said Hensel.

-SNIP-

“I think the atmosphere at MAS needs a big change,” said Downard.

Click here for his story.

Still, Jerry Abramson allows this guy to keep his job as head of Metro Animal Services. If that weren’t bad enough? Check this message from Meloche’s replacement showing just how close Abramson is to the scandal:

Organizer: Zelinsky, Wayne L
Sent: Mon 11/2/2009 6:05 PM
Required: Animal Services Everyone
Optional: Summers, Bill
Subject: MAS mandatory meeting – all employees (volunteers welcome)
When: Monday, November 09, 2009 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Location: Yellow trailer

Mayor Abramson will join us.

Hopefully Alcock and Haeberle will ambush that fancy meeting Jerry plans to attend with a camera crew or two. Better yet, hide a camera on an attendee so we can get a look from the inside.

Hot mess, man. HOT. MESS.