St. Nicholas Students Raise Funds for Families
On Thursday, December 6, the feast day of Saint Nicholas, 32 students, four staff members and several volunteer parents from St. Nicholas Academy went shopping at Jefferson Mall to purchase gifts for 15 children and their families who needed a little extra help during holidays. Over $3,700 was raised for this shopping day, dubbed “Heaven Cents,” according to Joyce Edwards, development director at the academy. “This was such a great experience for the entire school to be able to help these families during the holiday season,” says Edwards. Pictured with their shopping lists are, from left, 8th graders Briana Ruzanka, Jalen Story and Emily Shepherd, all 13.  St. Nicholas Academy is located at 5501 New Cut Road.                        

Mobile WIC Website Makes Services More Accessible to Families

Families enrolled in the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) nutrition program may now use their mobile phones to find the nearest WIC-approved grocer and to check their monthly balances, thanks to a new mobile website, www.kywic.com.

Louisville’s mobile WIC website is one of only a few such sites across the country. The site was developed on the recommendation of an advisory council of WIC participants to improve access to services and to reduce barriers to good health. Website development and hosting was funded by KentuckyOne Health through its Upstream to Equity project, a collaboration with the Center for Health Equity to address health disparities, and made possible with a grant from Catholic Health Initiatives.

WIC, a supplemental nutrition program for pregnant women, postpartum and breastfeeding mothers, and for children younger than age 5, allows eligible families to shop for healthy food using the eWIC card, which looks and works like a debit card. WIC also provides nutritional evaluation, counseling and education.  

Estimates suggest that only half of the families eligible for WIC benefits actually enroll. Many families may qualify for WIC services, but not know it. For more information, visit www.louisvillewic.org or call (502) 574-6676.

Bardstown Road Aglow Announces Winners
Contest winners from the Four Roses Bourbon Bardstown Road Aglow 27th Anniversary event were recently announced.

In the Business Outdoor Decorating Contest, the Grand Prize went to Keith’s Hardware, at 1201 Bardstown Road. The business received $250 along with a 2012 commemorative plaque. Why Louisville, 1583 Bardstown Road, received the Griswold award and $150; and Renaissance By Design, 544 Baxter Ave., won the Business Appropriate award and $100. The winners were independently selected by celebrity judges, including Michelle Arnold, Laura Rogers and Brook Katz of WHAS, Sara Havens of LEO Weekly, and Ashley Anderson of The Voice-Tribune, among others.

In Four Roses’ third annual Holiday Bourbon Battle, bartenders from a dozen restaurants and bars competed. In the week leading up to Bardstown Road Aglow, which took place Dec. 1 along Bardstown Road and Baxter Avenue, participating establishments featured Four Roses’ holiday cocktails. More than 1,000 votes from the public were submitted via text message and by “liking” drink photos on the Four Roses Facebook page.

Bristol Bar & Grille came out on top with the “Four Roses Remedy,” a drink featuring Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon, benedictine and a dash of bitters. Lilly’s came in a close second followed by Flanagan’s Ale House

in third and Ramsi’s Cafe in fourth. Bristol’s winning bartender, Chad Zanger, received a $500 cash prize, an engraved Four Roses decanter and a plaque for the restaurant. The winning bartenders from Lilly’s, Flanagan’s and Ramsi’s received cash prizes.

The winning holiday cocktail recipes can be found at www.fourrosesbourbon.com or www.bardstownroadaglow.com.

MAS Waives Licensing Late Fees in January
Louisville Metro Animal Services is waiving all late fees through Jan. 31 for cats, dogs and ferrets whose licenses have either lapsed or have never been purchased.

Citizens can license their altered pets for $9 and unaltered pets for $50. The late license amnesty can save a substantial amount of money (late fees can range from $47.50 for altered animals to $295 for unaltered animals).

LMAS uses funding from licenses to support operations that include caring for stray pets, investigating public safety threats as it relates to animals, investigating allegations of animal cruelty and neglect, and other concerns.

LMAS Director Justin Scally says licensing your pet is not only the law, but can also help people and their pets reunite. “License numbers provide our staff with your contact information. If a Metro Animal Control Officer finds a roaming dog or cat with a license, the officer may be able to provide your pet a free ride home,” says Scally.

To license your animal, bring a copy of your pet’s current rabies certificate to either LMAS location: 3705 Manslick Road, Monday through Friday, noon to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; or Animal House Adoption Center, 3516 Newburg Road, Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. (Wednesday until 7 p.m.).

You may also download an application at www.louisvilleky.gov/animalservices and mail in your payment.

Olmsted Parks Conservancy Photo Contest Call for Entries
For the second year, Olmsted Parks Conservancy invites photographers to enter its 2013 Frederick Law Olmsted Parks Photography Contest. The contest is open to all participants and there is no entry fee. Submissions are welcome through June 1, 2013. Winning photographs will appear in the Olmsted Parks Conservancy’s 2014 calendar.

There are six categories: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, Smaller Park (under 100 acres), and Parkways. Each category will have one winner and two honorable mentions. The Best of Show winner will be on the calendar cover. Photos may be of any of the 18 Frederick Law Olmsted parks or six parkways in Louisville. Each photographer may enter up to five photographs.  

For a complete list of Olmsted parks and parkways, as well as contest details and prizes, visit www.olmstedparks.org/contest.

Plea for the Trees Update
A group of concerned citizens known as Plea For The Trees wants to keep residents informed about developments that could affect the properties surrounding Bowman Field. Plea For The Trees is fighting The Bowman Field Safety Project, announced by the Louisville Regional Airport Authority in December 2011 and now in progress.

Plea For The Trees states in an email that the LRAA has selected a project contractor and established a local office at Bowman Field. ”Aerial surveying and mapping data collection are currently under way, and we expect it will be well into 2013 before the next public meeting or opportunity for formal involvement,” says the email; “Thanks to the tremendous public outcry against the Bowman Field project (characterized by a Federal Aviation Administration official as a ‘huge tree removal initiative’ that is ‘loosely based’ on FAA regulations) the LRAA and FAA appear to be proceeding very slowly in the project.”

Residents may stay informed by visiting the Plea for the Trees website, www.pleaforthetrees.org. The “Take Action” link provides contact information to report jet/airplane exhaust fumes, odors of raw jet fuel (similar to lighter fluid) or exceptionally loud aircraft noise.

Supporters can also help by writing letters to elected officials (see contact list on the website), by making a tax-deductible donation to the group’s legal fund, and by spreading the word to neighbors and friends via Facebook (Plea For The Trees) or other means.

Grass Roots Campaign Sprouts Tree Plantings
After hearing Louisville was rated the number one heat island in the country, Dr. Chris Catt decided to do his part to restore the community’s storm-damaged tree canopy.  The health psychologist and Bellarmine University wellness professor started a grass roots public awareness campaign late last summer that led to the recent planting of 43 new trees in the Upper Highlands neighborhood.

Catt, who lives near Atherton High School, began by placing banners and signs around his Dundee Estates neighborhood, branding the effort “Re-Tree Dundee.” He sent out emails and mailings, and eventually held two informational meetings. Teaming up with Mike Hayman of the Louisville Tree Advisory Commission, Catt received professional advice on shade tree species, their selection, and planting sites to maximize shade for walkers and joggers.

Neighbors working together were able to have the trees delivered, planted and mulched for $225 each. Forty-three trees – maples, oaks, ginkgos and elms ranging in height from 8-10 feet – were planted in the Dundee Estates neighborhood from Nov. 27-29. Many of the trees line Fordyce Lane, Tartan Way and Lamont Road. Additionally, Hayman selected two white-bark sycamore specimen trees, 10-12 feet tall, that will have unique white bark within the next year or two.  These trees were planted at strategically visible corners.  

Last summer’s 100-plus-degree weather – lasting for over 10 days and with a record high of 106 degrees – made Catt a global warming believer. He says Louisville needs to plant several hundred thousand trees to keep pace with the dwindling tree canopy and reverse the heat island effect that’s making our summers so miserable. Catt is currently working with 8th District Councilman Tom Owen and the Upper Highlands Neighborhood Association to create a model for other neighborhood associations to follow.  

If you’d like to work for the cause in your neighborhood, contact Dr. Chris Catt at (502) 345-6859 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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