All right, let's get it started. Welcome in, Happy Friday. You can feel it, right, It's Friday. We've made it to the end of the week and I'm on vacation next week, which is exciting. So I'm gonna make the most of these four hours before I get out of here for a week. I know you'll miss me, right right, everybody will miss me, right Please say please, thank you. I needed that.
You won't believe how much on mission Nick, thank you?
Yeah really, John and I talked about that yesterday.
Yeah, I'm sure it's been a real real process for you guys this week, just the dread and worry of knowing what life will be like without me for a week. But yeah, that's nothing better than to really uh inflate my ego myself. I'm doing it myself clearly to get the show started here on a Friday. But it is Kentucky and this Morning News, Coffee and Company, and we
were rolling with you for the next four hours. And I tell you what, We've got cooler temperatures comparatively speaking, this feels I mean, it's not fall weather, nothing close to it, but it kind of feels like it. Given the heat way we've had recently, and we had football on TV last night. I mean, this is arousing. I mean, this is what we've been waiting for. And we got a long way to go before we actually get to real football games. Well not a super long way, but
still long. Yeah, seeing football on TV last night it got me excited again.
Next Saturday, well coming up, not this Saturday, but next Saturday. Will mark the Saturday football every Saturday until February. Mid February, dude, this is the last Saturday. So if you need to get stuff done and you're distracted by football, tomorrow's the day to get it done.
Noted. Everybody, make sure you keep that in mind because he's don't say he didn't try to get your prepared right or what's about to come whenever we actually get to you know, the real stretch of it. And that's fun.
I've talked about this before on my sports show, and because of sports just being such a huge part of my life, my lifestyle, and really the older I get, the more I think, you know, I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but you know, you kind of grow out of that a little bit because you know, you got things that you you that are like you can't. I can't not be a dad for a weekend because Louis was playing in a big game, you know what
I mean. Like I've got responsibilities like like most people do. But my years have always not necessarily like mentally, my years, they don't change over in January. They change over when we get to a new sports season. And and so for me, like once we get past Derby and the sports year, for me, as far as what I really you know, crave and and love covering, that's kind of like, all right, well, now the off seasons here, the year's over, and then once we get to football starting, then you
have that going for obviously the entire season. Then college basketball starts and then you really roll into about Derby and like that. So when a school year starts, football starts, that's kind of what that to me, that's kind of how I chalk up here we go, there's another year. Because I basically have made my years based off of seasons.
There's been there's a magic to your point, I feel your vibe because there's a magic to that that fall transition when we and what it is the beauty of college football is basically it's it's a summer. It's a it's a fall picnic that breaks us from summer, from coast to coast. That's what college football. As people go out, they tailgate. You see it Louisville games, you see at Kentucky games. You can see it down at Moorehead and
Murray wherever you go up there. And I you, John, that's one of my favorite places to tailgate is up in Bloomington.
Oh yeah, beautiful place.
Oh my god, in Bloomington in the fall is magical and quick.
Right, And my my wife and daughter are not sports fans by any means, but football is kind of served as a rallying cry for our family. And whether it be a Saturday afternoon where we're all just kind of sitting around, or it'd be Sunday, you know, everybody gathers around. You don't have to be a technical football fan to appreciate the football season. And that's a big part of American culture.
Well, yes, that's what I was going to say, the word culture. It is such a it is such a big part of of really, and I know there's not a lot of there's some people that just that really aren't that interested in it. And I live I live so much of my life thinking, wait a second, it's not a big party every thing you do in your life, and then you know other people do different things. It's it's it's you know, I was in my own world,
I suppose. But with this shift, as far as the time of year, you really go from okay, summer break for kids, you've got really really hot temperatures and technically when football starts and school starts, it's still hot outside,
but it's going to start to downshift. But you go from you know, kind of having a loose schedule because again not to say that people don't follow baseball, but when high school football starts for families, that's that's a that's it's a huge priority, that takes up a lot of time. It's a big emphasis for them, and that that it's you know, it's it's gonna be here well before you know it.
And you get so many communities, not just here in Louisville, but start looking outside the waters and I look at some of these communities in southern Indiana, look at some of them around Kentucky.
You go to a place like.
Bell County, I mean communities rally around football. Oh yeah, in a lot of ways, dude, So you're you're spot on your assessment. There certainly is a changing of the guard going on right now, and I think flipping the calendar to August really emphasizes that.
I can't wait and again it'll be here soon enough. Yep, good stuff. All right, let's get you caught up on the forecast. I was going to say the warcast. That's not a word. But we'll get you caught up on what we can expect today in the weather with Matt Melissa Bitch of WLK why. Bobby Ellis will give us an update on the traffic, and we'll keep this thing
rolling along a lot to get into today. Mayor Greenberg set to join us at eight o'clock this morning, so make sure you stick around for that and stick around for us. We're here for the next three hours four hours roughly, and I hope you stay with us right here on news Radio forty whas. It is five point sixteen here at Kentucky Anda's Morning News Coffee and Company, Nick Coffee with you here on news radio at forty whas. So. One of the big stories yesterday was the explosion that
took place in Jeffersonville. There was a house that exploded. Five people were injured, and it sounds like the injuries were not life threatening, which is certainly certainly good. However, still an awful situation. And I didn't see some of the I mean yesterday when looking at the monitor in front of me. The wky coverage is what I saw
from a visual standpoint. Obviously was following along and keeping up with what was being reported about it, but it was, I mean, it's what you could expect, I suppose when you hear a house exploding and one of those things that just again from the visual standpoint, to know that no one lost their life is really a miracle just from the looks of it. But they found some of those victims yesterday in the front yard and they flew to to the hospital be a helicopter, while the remaining
three were taken to the hospital in an ambulance. So the home completely completely destroyed and there's no evidence at all of malicious intent, which is also I would say,
a good sign. It doesn't change anything as far as the outcome here, but investigators are urging the public not to speculate on the cause and warning that you know, rumors can be harmful and even slanderous, which this is maybe me being the new guy here in following these types of stories a little bit more as far as the detail, But that just to me seems like well, or like right out of the gate. Why would you think people would speculate. I mean, I think more than anything,
people would want to know. But I also think that most would be aware that there's all kinds of different scenarios that could have led to this happening. In fact, I'm willing to acknowledge ignorance as far as how these things happened to where you could tell me this explanation and it may be something I would have never even
known possible that could cause that. So it might be because meaning they might be warning people not to speculate and urging them, I should say, is because there was a house that exploded with a natural gas leak in twenty nineteen that I believe backs up to this house.
So to me, just trying to read the situation here, reading between the lines, certainly speculating on my end, not any proof by any means, but people are going to say this was this was caused by a gas leak, and that of course would be you know, that would be man. There's no there's no good way to have your house blow up, right, I mean, there's nothing like, there's no but to know that it was caused because
of a gas leak. I mean that would be you know, at that point, you're going to wonder who's responsible for that gas leak happening. So yeah, the explosion that took place in twenty nineteen on Assembly Drive was due to a natural gas leak, and that explosion killed one man, injured his wife and a neighbor. So one of the attorneys involved in that twenty nineteen case shared that the widow of the man who died that she's you know, she's she's recovered, and she sends her best wishes to
the victims of this latest tragedy. So again, it's I guess you could call it speculation, but it's reasonable speculation without question that a house that backs up to a home that previously exploded in twenty nineteen and killed somebody. I mean, let's just be real here, most who are you know, and again I'm not calling anybody else ignorant. I don't know anything about what would lead to this. So again, there's many scenarios that could be explained to me,
and I'll just take your word for it. If you're somebody that does, in fact know a lot about this, you're an expert. But I think most are just going to assume, well, yeah, that can't that's too much of a coincidence. Right. So Centerpoint Energy says no gas leaks have been found in their system, but surveys are still ongoing, and gas service in that area has been shut off as a precaution, which makes total sense. So, yeah, a scary situation, but again, fortunately no one is suffering from
any life threatening injuries in that explosion. All Right, We've got a loaded show for you guys the rest of the way, so stick with us. We've got sports coming your way here. In just a few minutes, Scott Fitzgerald will deliver his first sports update of the day, and of course you've got traffic and weather coming up. Bobby Ellis will get us caught up on how the roadways are looking this morning. Matt Melosa bitch is going to
give us some good news. At least, I think it's good news not to be as hot as it's been the last couple of weeks, which that's that makes me happy, I say, that as I'm heading to Florida, which will probably be brutal humidity and whatnot, but hey, it'll be on the beach and that'll be that'll be the best. That's the best way to deal with some crazy heat, right, all right, stick with us again. It's Kentucky Na's Morning News, Coffee and Company we can hear on news radioaight forty whas.
I would certainly hope this is my mother's favorite radio show. It would really break my heart if it wasn't. But I'm just gonna believe that it is. In fact, I know that it is Happy Friday, everybody. It is Kentucky and is Morning News with Coffee and Company here on news Radio eight forty whas Nick Coffee, that's me. You just heard John Shannon prior to that, Scott Fitzgerald in with sports and the one and only John Ald in alongside today. So the team has asseymboled here on a Friday.
And just a reminder, I'll be out next week and I'll miss you guys, and I know you'll be struggling without me, I'm sure, but looking forward to a nice getaway. But John, you knew this about me because of the years we worked together prior to the reunite being reunited here at WHAS. But the pre travel anxiety is not kicked in yet for me.
I wonder if it's because of the time of day being so much different than you know, when you were doing the afternoon show.
Yeah, I don't know. I usually would just get and I don't know. It's a real thing, and maybe I just looked it up to feel less or to feel more normal, which really you can find anything on the internet this day and age to make you believe whatever it is that you want to believe. But when I would go on any type of really trip, rather it be vacation or just a trip that's you know, associated with work, but it's also you know, something I'm looking
forward to. Right before leaving for any kind of trip, I get I would get this panic and this anxiousness that well, I shouldn't be going. I don't need to do you know, there's no I don't need to go.
There's and there's never really been a reason for that, but for some reason, And it's good that hasn't kicked in for me just yet, because I am excited to get down to Destin, Florida and I'm hoping that we see a much lighter crowd than when we have been in previous years, because this is the latest we've gone in a while. Once my daughter started school, we could no longer go in early to mid August, just because we needed to be back here so she could start school.
And we didn't realize how lucky we had it, because most schools across the country are back when you get to August, at least early August, mid August. I mean, heck, it's wild to think that some of these schools in southern Indiana started school in July and that could.
Again, it doesn't make any sense to me.
It felt early. But I went to dinner with my dad yesterday and he pointed out that he couldn't believe that those schools were already back in Those schools were already back to school, And then he mentioned that it's just in July, and I'm like, yeah, you know what I hadn't thought about that. Just the optics of that is it sounds like these kids are being robbed of summer to know that they're back in school in the
month of July. Now again, it was only like one or two days, but still it's really early, and I don't I don't think.
About the amount of snow days we had this past year. I'm sure, I don't know for sure, but it wouldn't surprise me if some of the Indiana schools went into June before they got out for summer break. That seems very short.
I feel like if you started school at the end of July and let's just say, you only get a few snow days, which honestly, last year was the worst winter we've had in a while. I mean, we hadn't had that many. I mean there was some what was it the first week back to school from Christmas break here in Louisville. I don't think they went back to school. No, I think they got like a three week break. So, but I'm just saying, if we get the average amount of snow days within the last decade, it won't be
that many. To be honest with you, and you started school in July, are you out by like Derby? I mean, it's that would mean that would make sense as far as with the typical school year when it lasts. But yeah, I can imagine those kids knowing that they got to go back to school and it's not you know. I mean, I think we went back to school whenever I was like in high school. I want to I think it was like mid August, like two weeks from now, which maybe I'm wrong on that, but yeah, back to school.
I mean, if you're in j CPS or the other school districts here in the area, you'll it'll be your day soon. In fact, it's next Thursday when JCPS starts, so be prepared. But again, I'm out next week. You'll be in good hands. It'll be the crew that you typically get every morning here minus myself and then Joe Elliott's going to be mixed in in some form or fashion within the week. So you'll be in good hands. And I'll miss you, and trust me, I know you
guys are gonna miss me like crazy. And I hope you guys have been able to pick up on my poor attempt at sarcasm here and there. We've got Rory o Heil coming your way in about five minutes. Looking forward to to the conversation with him, and it sounds like he's gonna be able to give us some encouraging news as far as the prices of homes, which if you have not bought a home recently despite maybe needing one looking for one because of the prices. I totally
get it. So maybe Roy is gonna Rory's gonna give us some good news here in just a few minutes. But your next update of traving weather, Bobby Ellis, will getus caught up on the roadways. As far as how we're looking to get this Friday start, Matt Melosevich, we'll tell us what we're in for as far as weather right here on news radio eight forty whas Happy Friday, ladies and gentlemen. It is Kentucky AND's morning news here on news Radio eight forty whas Nick Coffee with you,
and we now bring in Rory O'Neil of NBC News. Rory. Home prices have dropped in fourteen of the major cities here in the United States. What does this mean for buyers when it comes to, you know, finally being able to feel more comfortable in making what is a huge investment in a big purchase in anyone's life. It sounds like things are getting better for those folks.
Well, yeah, so it is shifting a bit to the buyers side of the equation, but things are still pretty jammed up right now. You're right. Medium home sales prices fell in fourteen of the fifty biggest areas in the country, and prices are falling because the housing market is slow due to the high housing costs and a lot of the economic uncertainty out there. Homes are also taking long longer to sell than a year ago in just about
every major metropolitan area. A lot of people are still waiting for perhaps that interest rate cut that could lower mortgage rates, so that's kept a lot of buyers on the sidelines as well.
I tell you what, I was thinking about this the other day, and it may just be because it's something I'm giving more thought to, But I can't remember the last time I knew someone that was purchasing a home, rather be the first time, or maybe they're just moving up just because right now, with all things considered, it's just a scary thing to do because of the economic uncertainty.
Do we know sort of those that are buying? Is it people that are just not as worried about the market because maybe they're financially just in a situation to where it really won't matter to them. Because I just I'm trying to think of who right now unless you just have to have somewhere to live, which again that may be the case for some, but I just tarked for me to envision when it comes to the average American who's buying houses.
Well, right, and look, plenty of people still relocate, usually for work, so you know, there was still a lot of mobility in the country for you know, and taking new opportunities things like that, and a lot of people are cashing out and perhaps downsizing a little bit, which is also why we've seen a lot of pressure on those entry level homes. You know, if you had a family home in the Northeast, now you want to move
to Florida. You're you know, you had the four or five bedroom house, Now you like just want a two bedroom because it's just the two of you. That kind of thing. Those small entry level houses are very tough to find. But the you know, there are some hot spots still. I mean a year in Cleveland, for instance, prices are up fifteen percent. Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, is up about nine percent. Detroit is up about seven percent. But then you go to Oakland, California, and then in Florida,
West Palm Beach and Jacksonville both have seen prices. Same with Austin, Texas and Houston, Texas as well, where there's been a big, big building boom. So that's a matter of supply and demand in places like Austin and Houston.
I feel like empty nesters may may not be able to become empty nestors as quickly as they wanted to, or maybe they won't be able to stay in that situation quite as long. Because if if you're finishing college and you are looking to you know, you're no longer living on campus because you graduated, I mean, you probably don't have it right away. A job that financially puts you in a spot where you're comfortably able to get a lease on an apartment and certainly buy a home.
But he knows, maybe the empty nesters are thinking, Okay, I need some relief. Yeah, you can come back, give us a little bit of rent money to help with this mortgage.
Well right, Well that's the other thing. So if you have the empty nesters, though, say they're sixty five, you know they have the mortgages been paid off, they've been there in that house for thirty years. You know, it's pure cash for them to go buy something smaller in Florida, So that's a very different kind of transaction. And you know, and those people sometimes they can buy in all cash.
You know, that's something we've seen a lot of as well, that there's a lot of cash buyers in the marketplace. And we've seen a lot of investment in homes by corporate investors who are buying those entry level homes and then turning them into mental property. So that's had been another big factor in a lot of this getting the real estate market punched up.
Rory and Hiliv NBC News is our guest joining us here on news Radio eight forty whas the Presidential Fitness Test is returning to schools across the United States. And I will admit maybe this is me showing my younger side. I'd heard of this, didn't really know a whole lot about it. I love it as somebody who loves sports and courage, you know, all kids to be active within sports in some form of fashion. What can you tell us about sort of what this entails as far as the test itself.
Yeah, well, we haven't gotten those details. But it used to be that up until I think twenty twelve, you used to have to pass this test that included forty push ups, ten pull ups, a six and a half minute mile run, and I think when it started they used to have a softball throw, a six hundred yard jog, fifty yard dash, a long jump, so it used to
be a lot more complicated when it started. But yeah, they phased it out about fifteen years ago to try to promote overall health rather than what had become concerning about the shame test of you can't do ten pull ups in front of your classmates or you can't climb the rope in front of the whole class of fifth graders. So they were trying to avoid that shame that a lot of kids felt. I'm talking about myself here, so
that was a part of it. But President Trump wants to bring this back as part of MAHA celebrating the two hunred and fiftieth Birthday of America. He wants to get the kids healthy again.
Rory, as always, we appreciate your time, enjoy your weekend, and we'll talk to my friend.
Hey, thanks, Dick, come a good weekend.
That is Rory O'Neil of NBC News. I think the Presidential Fitness Test totally makes sense that there could be some kids that wouldn't be able to complete it, and that could, of course, you know, maybe make them feel a little less confident in themselves, which is what you don't want. But I also think it just sounds fun. I mean, I'm not even a kid anymore. I'd like to do the test. I don't know how well I
would do, but a lot of fun for sure. All Right, we'll have some fun the rest of the way here, so stick with us your next update of trapping weathers right here, right now, and then we'll have another sports update with Scott Fitzgerald on news radio eight forty WHS