All right, let's get this thing started. Welcome in Kentucky, Anda's morning news here on News Radio eight forty whas snick coffee with you five oh five on a hump day, Scott Fitzgerald alongside John Alden as well. We'll have your first update on traffic and weather coming up here in about four minutes. Also John Shannon with your first news update around five point thirty. And it's gonna be ah, it's gonna be a hot one once again, I suppose because the rain is on the way, not that you're
a meteorologist, mister Fitzgerald. However, it's muggy. Is that the right way to go?
He's right, Yeah, I mean he's right.
I walked outside and uh I set my phone. Uh I set my phone right outside the garage whenever I was you know, we have a fridge in our garage and I was going there to get a drink before I head it out, and I'd set my phone down and I just opened up the garage and it guess just because there's some level of AC that does get to my garage, just complete fog in moisture all over my iPhone, which that tells you that it's that it's human as can be outside, right.
It's very human outside, and we're doing the we're fighting the thermostat at home. My daughter's moving into a new apartment, so Horner roommate are there. So my daughter kicks it down to sixty nine, throws on three blankets, and I'm paranoid the AC is going to give out because.
It's so there's a there's a battle for the thermostat inside the Fitzgerald Domain.
And it was freezing in there today. I got ready to walk out and it was just cold. And then so I knew that.
You know, when you walk outside you feel the heat. Oh, it's you like that? But are you a summer guy? Do you would you wish?
Do you prefer I've always been someone who enjoys winter weather just because I think it's pretty, and I I just like wintertime just because all the holidays, the sports that I love take place more so in winter. But this past winter, maybe because it was one of the more brutal winners we've had in a while, it got me a little bit. I was ready for the spring
to get here quicker than I typically am. And then honestly, summer, I'm usually yeah, once we get really really hot, like once you walk outside and it's like an oven and it's just disgusting outside. And if you walk from from you know, your your front door, to your to your dry to the to the mailbox and back, you're going to be sweating. That's when I'm ready for summer to be over. So I don't know, maybe as I get older, I'll shift more into being pro summer less pro winter.
But typically I've been more of a winter guy. I'm a weirdo.
Yeah, no you're not. I'm the same way. And could it be.
It's gotta be because you're from You're from the north.
A lot of people say that, But no, I'm more hoodie kind of guy, gotcha, And I love my hoodies and I like the winter because when we had that recent snow, my wife's like, why are you out there? Because I shoveled the driveway every two hours when you have a big snow. Now that's something I did bring home from Michigan, because if you don't.
It's just part of it. Yeah, it's embard.
My wife's like, why how do you go out there every two hours? Why don't you just wait till it stops snowing, I said one. I don't mind being out there and to the exercises, okay, but I keep the driveway clean.
To your point, there's something about the winter that, man, it just brings us.
It's good vibes for me. Yeah, and I love Christmas time, you'll lie, I'm a big Christmas nerd. But this past winter we had the real big snowfall that took place in I think at the end of January. And usually if we get something like that, which is rare as far as the amount of snow we actually got, it'll within a couple of days it's sixty degrees or fifty
degrees and it's all gone. We never got a buff freezing for a long time to wear the big disgusting snow mounds and all these parking lots and my draftways a big hill which is just a is a real pain in the you know what when it comes to having snow and ice, and it just never got warm enough for a long enough time for it all to melt. So I feel like we had one of the worst in a variety of ways. In regards to how you look at it, I feel like this winter was one
of the worst that we've had in a while. And I say that, you're probably thinking, this kid, what's he talking about. You grew up in Michigan, where I'm not.
No, no, you're right, no, see.
And that's the one thing I was real careful of when I started here was don't do the whole I'm from Michigan, you guys, this is nothing, because no it is. Because when I went up from my class reunion back I think it was twenty nineteen, they had temperatures that got up into the mid nineties into August and September.
They were closing.
Schools up there, whereas people here in Kentuck You're like, come on, man, I mean that's what we deal with on a daily basis.
But they were closing schools because some schools don't have the AC units to handle.
Yeah, and look, your resources are dependent upon what is most typically going to happen when it comes to weather conditions.
So it's going to be hot today, very very very hot, and well day if you can knock off.
Yeah, So just be prepared for that, everybody. We've got a lot to get to throughout these next nearly four hours. With you early signs of six of progress. Maybe I know results. It's really what business owners and residents on Bargstown Road in the Highlands are looking for. But we already have one bar that has decided to close down earlier on the weekends, as well as one bar last night got shut down because they don't have a liquor
license it turns out, So there's effort. There's effort being made on both sides to get this thing squared away. So we'll get to that in a lot more. Your first update of traffic and weather is coming up right now right here on news Radio eight forty whas. It is five poin fifteen here at Kentucky and this morning news news Radio eight forty whas Nick Coffee with you. Day three for me, and I'm motivated today. I'm feeling good and honestly, the last couple of days have have
been have been great in the mornings. And what I'm getting to is that this a big lifestyle change for me that I'm now having to just concede to. Meaning I never thought I was gonna be some billy badass and just be able to say and I'll be fine, No no adjustment to sleep schedule, You'll just be You'll just start getting up at three am, and it's gonna
be normal. I never I've never was that arrogant and that delusional, but I thought, you know what, you don't really need an app And now I realize I think I'm gonna need an APP. But I was told yesterday by the former uh, the former person who sat in this chair as well as are our current boss that I'm just gonna let you know. I don't want you to get overwhelmed, but day three is gonna be where
this where the sleep really hits you. And it's gonna it's gonna you know, you're gonna be tired, but just you know, you'll get used to it right it out, and I'm thinking I'll be okay. So we'll see. But I'm feeling good this. I think just knowing that there's a challenge there. They're expecting me to be running on fumes at some point, I'm I'm that that has given me an extra boost here.
Sky.
Yeah, but you're you're kind of nick knowing you over the years, You're you're luck like me. We talked about this that you know, everybody told me that too, And it's kind of like when you first get in and you start doing something like this. It's like when you have your first kid and John, you know this. Everybody has different advice and you just follow your gut and roll with it. I never had that third day issue whatever everybody talks about, but different.
I'm a morning person, so for me, it was easy. I came about.
But I'm not going to sit here and tell you, Hey, Nick, you know this is what you should expect, because the same thing I told John when he became a new dad, I said, everybody and her brother is going to have new advice for you, and oh yeah, and it's all going to be different. It's all going to be different. You just you run your own race, which is what you're great at. Nick, That's what you do. You're like nobody else in this town.
Thank you, and that's I'm big on compliments. Yeah, that's well, you and John are the same way. If we want to make that a big part of the show, I'm fine.
I mean, I feel like the right right.
I feel like the sleep issue may hit you more so next week as opposed to sometime this week.
Not only is everybody wanting to give me some tips, which again I think most people are coming from a good place when they do that. There's also some that are somewhat surprisingly sorry, meaning like oh you poor guy like you because I get so early, and it is, but look, there's benefits to being up really early. I mean, if I got a chance to do this and it started at one am, I think I'd have to do it because you know, it's just what I want to do.
So I'm excited and just be. You know, I'm gonna I'm going to fight through and not worry about getting You know, the wall is going to hit at some point, and I'll know how I'm going to react whenever. Whenever we get there.
Now it hits over and over. Dude, You're human, have you guys?
Scott, You've been doing this a long time as far as this shift, and you've always been an early riser from your time in the service. John, you're somewhat newish, but certainly a lot more used to it than I am. You also are very a very brand new dad, which means sleep just as anytime you can get it. It's such a blessing. Have you guys had a moment where it hits you?
Oh?
Yeah.
Most of society is not up yet, and they won't be up for a while. I started sending out text messages this morning and I'm like, yeah, that's probably an a whole move that the mudle woke somebody up. Who you know is you know, still got four or five hours to sleep.
I was told by my wife do not send me text before seven o'clock. But see when I go to bed at night, I turned my phone off and I told Cruse and I told the brothers that yeah, I told my sid guys, I got to sleep. If you want me, get me before nine the phone is off. And I'm see, I'm really good with boundaries. I love my boundaries. I live by them, and I was very straightforward with them. So if you want me, because Cruise you send me stuff, Curs will call me like nine
thirty at night. I'm like, dude, why are you not in bed? You know you got to get up. And so I shut my phone off. Then I turned on and like, like I said, if I got to text my wife, I'm thinking about something. She's like, she leaves it lit up by her bed, and so she complained she can't sleep because the phone is going off, and I'm like, shut it off. Just tell people you're to well. The kids are get it. The kids are away, my
son's at school, my daughter's moved out. She wants to have it on for the kids, for a safe service, and I totally understand that. Me on the other hand, no call your mom.
So you said something about that? That really that I've been told I need to do, because I've been trying to get a little nap in just to be a little bit more energized. What I don't want to do is be the guy that whenever my kids get out of daycare, kids get out of summer camp or whatever, and my wife gets home from work, that I'm just a zombie to where they're you know that I'm just, you know, I'm kind of going through the motions because I want to be you know, I want to enjoy
that time with them. However, the nap thing, if I just sit around and tell myself you better sleep, you better sleep, it won't happen. But turning my phone off would probably help. But I have such a I guess fomo if like, if my phone's off, what maybe this just tells you how highly I think of myself. Maybe, because what's the world going to do if they can't reach me?
If my phone's off.
I mean, I think things will be if I just let people who need to reach me know, Hey, this is when you squeeze into power now, because I'm trying to you know, not be in bed by five point thirty pm and have a little bit of a you know, in the evening or whatnot. So I'll adjust. But hey, it's been awesome thus far, and we're going to keep it rolling. We've got our first check of sports coming
up here in about five minutes. Are also another update when it comes to traffic and weather, and in ten minutes we'll get our first update from John Shannon on the news. So keep it locked right here Kentucky and his morning news news radio Way forty whas. Thank you, John. It is five thirty five here Kentucky and his morning news news radio waight forty whas. Nick Coffee with you.
I think it was pretty clear within the first really the first twenty four hours that it became a known thing, just how wild the scene was on Barchtown Road this past weekend and the weekend prior. I think you could sell from both Mary Greenberg and Chief Humphrey that they're aware that this is unacceptable and they got to do something to get this, to get this resolved, at least
make some progress. And I think there's some early signs here because we did find out that at least one barr has decided that they will start closing their doors at two am instead of four four am moving forward, And no way to know for sure if that's going to one lead to other bars deciding to do the same thing, or if it's going to lead to a real improvement, but it certainly can't hurt and our partners over WK why they talk to some of the residents
in the Highlands about just what's going on in the last couple of weeks. No longer is it you know, people go out and have a good time till two or maybe four am. Now it's more of a contest of.
What can we get away with right?
How crazy can it get?
You've got to have the local leadership involved, you've got to make sure they're on board with it, and you've got to make sure that they're all on the same page as the residents and the business owners.
I think these are steps in the right direction.
Highland tap Room that's great, though, start closing it too, I think will be even better if everyone else started closing it.
Too, you'll move the noise earlier. Instead of being three or four in the morning, it'll be two in the morning. But in general, it's probably a better idea to close the bars earlier, just because people have a little less time to drink and it'll be less of a problem at two than for now.
Both may Or Greenberg and Chief Paul Humphreys did speak publicly again about this issue today. Chief Paul Humphrey says that LMPD well once again this weekend, have a larger police presence on Bardstown Road and they will be enforcing the law. They'll be towing cars, issuing tickets, and arresting anyone that's not complying with the law.
Again, that's courtesy if our partner's over at WLKY. I've yet to have the pleasure of the honor to meet Chief Humphrey, and I'm sure I will at some point, but I don't want to insinuate that I know him by any means, But obviously when he's in the position that he's in, you hear him talk quite a bit. He leads the Louisville Metro Police Department. But there's something I really like about We're going to be enforcing the law.
That is very direct, very subtle, but it's almost a we're going to be making sure that nobody's trying us testing us. Again, I'm not speaking for anybody at all, but they realize they got to you know, I don't even know if it would be accurate to say that they just got to set examples, but they're just if you're if you are doing things that are against the law. That of course has contributed to the shenanigans in the
last couple of weeks in the Highlands. They're gonna they're gonna hold you accountable, which is I mean, that's that's progress, right, I mean, that's absolutely that's what you need.
That's and I I think I like the the the person that I mentioned the fact that it's gonna move the noise up earlier, but that's okay.
You're still not going to have people drinking longer.
Which that that that alone there makes it more dangerous the later into the evening, Yes, longer amount of time to drink. That's where that's where that's where it's a real you know, it's not to say that it wouldn't be concerned if you've got people that are at ten ten pm loaded and acting crazy because that's never good. But no, Yes, for me, I would sacrifice uh making, you know, having it happen a little earlier than than thinking that, Okay, here we go again, when maybe I'm
I'm getting up to get my day started. At four thirty five o'clock, you still got people trickling out of the area completely load.
I've seen them down here when I come and do Saturdays. And you know, if the longer you like pet Let's be honest, we've all been in a place and I want to say we all, but I want to paint everybody with that brush, but most of us have been in a place where we're like I should have went home a long time ago.
I maybe shouldn't have stayed for.
That last sounds like my twenties.
Yeah, yeah, exactly same here.
And so I think to your point, that's gonna go a long way in curving this violence.
Will it ever totally go away? Probably? I don't want to say violence, but just ruckus. Will it ever totally go away? Probably not. Will it shift to other parts.
Of the city, maybe maybe it'll shift over to Nulu, maybe it'll shift over to I mean we've seen this before.
Remember we had all the problems down at the Big four bridges.
Sure everybody was scared to go down there, and then it shifted over, it died away.
So I think you're right.
I think the city has has accomplished everything they needed.
To do here and will continue to do more.
And if it does end up elsewhere, you're gonna have to continue to operate the same way you are right now. And hope you like people accountable to I guess, just hope that if it's quite clear that if you do this, you're gonna be held account and remember that that you know you, people won't do it as much anymore.
No, you remember the street the street burnouts and then the LMPD cracked out on that with the mayor and that went away.
Same.
I believe the same scenario will happen here. Big tip the hat to the LMPD, Big tip the hat to the mayor. Great job also, Highland Taphouse. You know, maybe this will lead to others doing the same thing. And maybe it only took one to say, Okay, well we'll do what we can to help the community around here.
Yep, Mac, I don't know. I've gotten a lot older over the years. I'm not an old man, but staying out till four am what I can't relate. I mean, that sounds awful. That sounds awful to me, it really does. All Right, it is five forty here at Kentucky and it's Morning News. You got another update of traffic and weather coming your way. We're going to talk to Rory O'Neil on the other side of NBC News about something I wouldn't have expected to here, but maybe I shouldn't
be surprised. It's the rise in marijuana usage among seniors. So we'll get to that in more.
Again.
It's five forty one now here at News Radio eight forty whas it is five forty five here a Kentucky and it's Morning News on News radiohas Nick Coffee with you. We are now joined by Rory O'Neil of NBC News. Rory, it sounds as if senior citizens have decided to partake in marijuana usage at a much higher rate here recently than they did in years past. What does the data show us as far as just how much of an increase this is and maybe some factors that have led to it.
Well, it's interesting, especially when you break it down among the different demographics. But the new research finds that about seven percent of adults over the age of sixty five admit to using cannabis within the past month. Essentially, the rate is up about forty six percent over the past few years, and in large part that's because it's become legalized in a lot more states. So that's one factor. But we're also seeing a change in the groups of
seniors who are using it. Used to be more prevalent among older people with less income, but now as the social taboo goes away, people more who are more affluent with more income, they're also getting on board and getting high.
Well.
When it comes to the way in which you would access marijuana dispensaries prescriptions, I just don't feel as if I've seen a whole lot of marketing geared towards that demo when it comes to these kind of products, do we know I mean, again, there's a lot of different ways to access it this day and age, but is there a certain way in which they obtain it more consistently on the older.
Side, Yeah, we haven't seen too much of that. We now know though, that more women are using marijuana over the age of sixty five. That's also a specific demographic that's on the rise. And hey, look, remember these are the baby boomers. These were the berds who are bringing it back in the sixties, so for them it's an old habit. But it's also because they're using it as we used to treat ailments. As people get older, many people want to avoid going to a pharmacy and find
a more natural option. So that's why it's been more attractive for the older demographic. But I think it's interesting too that a lot of that stigma is going away, which is why people over sixty five, women in particular and the more affluent are now more likely to be using in some way. But there is a warning from doctors who are like, look, you got to tell us
that you're using this stuff. They're not being judgmental, they're just saying a lot of people are on medications for high blood pressure and diabetes and for that bad knee, but whatever it may be, they please keep your doctor in the loop about any marijuana usage.
That was actually going to be my next question, and that's the stigma around marijuana. It has changed quite a bit in recent years at a rapid rate, and that would have been the first thing I thought of, Rory as far as well, maybe they would be interested but wouldn't do it because of that stigma. But that's changed in a big, big way.
It really has. You know, it's advertised a lot more frequently. Now it's not under the table. You don't have to start, you don't have to buy it. By starting with buddy, you know, you can actually have safer ways of getting marijuana as well, is also a big factor for people. So, yeah, the whole marketplace has changed in so many different states.
It's not universal. Obviously, there are still pockets of the country where it's illegal, but clearly it is growing more and more popular, especially on the medical side.
Rory and Neil of NBC News is our guest here on news Radio eight forty whas certainly doesn't look like the fighting in Ukraine is letting up. Rory, what can you tell us on the latest.
Yeah, you know, we saw that massive attack that Ukraine used drones to strike deep into Russia, taking out bombers while they were still on the tarmac in an incredible display of technology and stealth operations. But now Ukraine has done it again, this time striking a critical bridge, the Kurse Bridge, which links Russia and Crimea. I think it's the third time this bridge has been attacked by Ukraine
since the war began over three years ago. We saw some more rocket attacks by Russia yesterday, but I think most the world is still bracing for Russia to fully respond to the drone strikes at the airplanes and now to this latest attack on the bridge, which has put it in what they call an emergency condition.
So I mean it safe to say these are real setbacks as far as those still holding out hope for progress in this situation.
Right. Well, it's also.
Though, you know, Ukraine also wants to show that it doesn't have to just give in work. Right, if we are starting to get to the round of maybe gett into peace talks or at least a ceasefire, Ukraine doesn't want to show that it's giving up and has to roll over that they've still got some fight in them.
Rory, as always, thank you for your tom have.
A great day. Thanks thank you too.
That is Rory O'Neil of NBC News. Let's get another update on traffic and weather. We've also got another update on sports coming your way at five point fifty in fact, ten minutes away from a next news update from John Shann and the cruise all here. Getting You started on a Wednesday five point fifty at NewsRadio eight forty whas