The news radio eight forty w h S.
Had a boys, John Shannon, it takes a team for it to become what sticks. Coffee and Company Kentucky and his morning news really, but it is Coffee and Company. I'm Nick Coffee, and I've got the company with me, the company men. Shall I say? John Olden's not with us today. He'll be producing a little bit later on. But Scott Fitzgerald alongside. You just heard John Shannon, and we've got one hour in the books and three more and then the weekend starts for us.
A right on time, dude, absolutely all right on time. Looking forward to the weekend. You have big plans.
I don't have any big plans, which is kind of exciting. My son's got a basketball game tomorrow morning, and I believe we may end up trying to get to that beer fest, which I may need to rely on Scott Fitzgerald, because if anybody can help me at a beer.
Fests, it's you.
Because I'm somebody that I'm like, you know, usually I'm a bushlight, bud light kind of guy.
I've had.
I'm not anti crap here by any means, but I've certainly not been educated on what I would eat like I would go to certain breweries that are there and they would describe sort of the type of beers that they have and some of the like I know what an ipa is, but there's other beers that I would be It would be foreign language to me.
I have a fluffer nutter stout vag.
Pardon if you called your physician.
Ah, No, I gotta in fact well, And I've been staring at it every time I opened the fridge this week. I've been staring at it because I don't I don't drink any beer during a week just because the schedule goes too strong. But when I get home from the City game tomorrow night, I'm looking forward to tapping into that one. I got a couple of different ones that I'm gonna try as well. And that's the beauty of it. Man.
And you know, back in the day, and you know you know this, I think you and I are like in that respect to when I was in the military living in what was a quase dorm, I was a bud light because you don't have craft beer back to the.
Yeah, I was a bud light guy.
That world didn't even exist yet.
No, And I mean every night I come home and you crush a few.
And then when the weekend got here, there were some weekends where I was like, I'm just kind of burnout on beer. And now the nice thing is with the different craft beers and not dialing it up during the week it's a real treatounce Saturdays.
I'm telling you this is now the weekends. I mean, weekends are always great, but whenever I now have to be much more mindful about my you know, my day after after five pm, Like you you know, it's just it's not it's not not a good idea to to partake in the craft beers or really any beer just because I got to get up at three o'clock in
the morning. But that has led to there being more joy Like now the weekends mean a little bit more because you know, I'm a little more mindful, a little bit more in routine, which is good for me anyway. But once we get to the weekend, it's, you know, and more than anything, it's not about just the time off.
It's it's that today once we wrap up the show and I wrap up my day, and then on on Saturday, I will I will go throughout today and tomorrow knowing that I don't have to get up at three o'clock in the morning the next day, and that's become the payoff of the weekend, right.
Yes, yes, I remember.
We've been doing this for a long time, but it's.
New to me.
No, no, no, no.
And I'm glad that someone else recognizes it because I never really I thought I was just kind of the only one that felt that. To your point, I mean, there's a little admittedly there's a little extra pep in your step on Friday, there is typically with all of us. But when you work this kind of shift and you take the grind as hard as you do because you're doing a ton of social media stuff, you're fully invested in this. I mean, and you're not just posting on
x or anything like that. I mean, you're you're producing videos on TikTok anywhere else. Plus you're digging deep into stories.
Dude. When you can just.
Leave your brain at the door and just sit down and relax for three days, it's it's.
Cold, no doubt.
And I've always felt like saying that Friday's the best day of the week because it's a workday for most people. If you work a normal Monday through Friday.
Job.
Friday is a workday, and really a lot of things are just about state of mind. But Friday, if you are Monday through Friday nine to five, or just anything Monday through Friday, the reason Friday feels so great is, yes, you did probably spend many of those hours working a job, maybe even a job that you don't like, but you know that the next day and even the next day, you don't have to worry about, you know, being prepared to start you start your work day or start your
school day, whatever it may be. So I finally realize that. Then again, maybe I'm not making sense, not to sound like a philosopher here, but the state of mind of a Friday is why it feels like the best day, because you know the next two days you're free. You can kind of, you know, maybe not do whatever you want, but you know, you just don't have to go to work. And that's why Sundays are good. I don't do much of anything on Sundays anymore, just to get ready for
the week, but there's the feeling of Sunday. Well, yeah, I know I know that three o'clock, that three am alarm clock is going to be a real pain in my ass the next day.
Well, and I know that you appreciate.
And there's some people, in fact, I just posted this up by the next you know, some people live their lives to you know, basically I need to get to Friday to escape the life they live during the week. That should never be the case. Now, I don't think that's what you're talking about here. It's just a chance for you to kind of put things down for a bit. And we all need that, dude, we all need to recharge, and especially when the weather starts getting nice in the fall.
And to your point, you've got football. Now you'll be able to sit back and watch some college football all day Saturday.
And for those that love the NFL on Sunday. So yep.
And I tell you what, it's not just something that is nice to have, it is needed.
You will you will.
Suffer if you don't do some self care and just unwind and disconnect. So just keep that in mind. Not that I'm a therapist by any means, but I can tell you from experience, even if it feels like you shouldn't be doing it, don't don't over don't overdo it.
Yep.
It never works out well for anybody. So all right, let's let's get an update on trafficking weather. Bobby Ellis will tell us how the roadways are looking here so far. On a Friday morning, we'll get the latest forecast from Matt Melosovich a WLK. Why and what I want to get to next is the latest on what's going on
with Kroger. I feel for him because this may not be as as rare as I think it is, and I'm sure it's actually not, but this has been a storyline in the news in regards to rodent droppings at multiple locations, and even if they're working hard and they've made improvements, it's still been a story for about a month now, which is not idea when it comes to a popective. So we'll get to that in a lot more. It's Knsuctuta's Morning News. Here's Radio eight forty whas. Terry
Miners here for Bowling roofing. We've all seen those recent storms causing extensive damage to roofs. It is six seventeen here at Kentucky and it's Morning News Coffee and Company News Radio eight forty whas. So we'll give you the latest on the situation at Kroger because it is exactly
that it's a situation. They have probably more inspections going on than they ever have maybe internally, and of course the those that work for the Louisville Metro Public Health Department that are keep keeping these businesses following certain guidelines
and whatnot. So it started last month at some point, I feel like it's been longer than a month, but I don't know the exact date where it became a news story, but it was the Goss Avenue Kroger that was the first that had certain aisles shut down and then the store shut down completely for a very brief amount of time. But right now they did confirm this says of yesterday, the Louisll Metro Public Health Department did confirm that they'll be inspecting the Kroger on Westport Road
following a new complaint that came in yesterday. So this comes after inspections that the Brownsboro Road Kroger revealed live mouse droppings and damaged products due to rodents. Follow up inspections at that location showed some progress, according to the health officials that were there on site, and other locations Guss Avenue, Holiday Manor Lagrange Road. They've all had complaints in some form or fashion, and it looks as if Gusts Avenue and Holiday Manor have shown real improvement since
that happened. That's good for you, Scott Fitzgerald. That's your Kroger, right, Yes, so they're making progress. But Lagrange Road location has shown an increase in mouse droppings results resulting in them still being open, but more aisles are closed. So stores where the droppings were found have been ordered to close those affected aisles for cleaning and sanitation, which is or sanitization,
I should say, and that's what's needed. But I just maybe I'm overreacting, and maybe I'm not realizing that I'm in the minority here. But when I hear rodent droppings, I just I'm going to avoid that place. And now that it's been in multiple locations and you're not seeing this happen at competing stores, it's just a bad look from a PR perspective. Now I have gone to Kroger since then, not those locations actually have gone to pick up.
There's a certain seltzer. My wife likes that that is there and not at the liquor store we typically go to. So That's why I've been there, and I haven't once thought about it. But if it was the Kroger that I go to that that was in the news for this, I mean, I'd probably still go, but it would be on my mind.
And what I don't know is a was this just the expectation.
Once you hit the radar of being a store or I guess a company that had at least one of their locations with this issue, or are you now being monitored more than you ever have in more than others? Meaning I guess how different is Kroger than other competitors that when it comes to groceries, because in their defense, maybe maybe this isn't that uncommon and this is just sort of I guess the process of what happens when you do end up needing to be monitored a little
bit more closely. But again, there's not competitors that are in the news for this amount of time where this has continued to be a story. Also, I don't I'm not here to evaluate who's doing a good job or not when it comes to pr because I don't really know. I can't tell you what you can do. They just snap your fingers and this is no longer an issue
for your brand and whatnot. But I'm thinking maybe because they have had a bunch of closures across the country, some locations I know at least one in Louisville was closed down, maybe that's been the priority for them as far as just navigating that. But if we get to another couple of weeks and this is still something that is in the news regarding a location that is newly having these issues or one that still can't get it corrected, I mean, I don't think they're gonna Kroger's gonna fall
apart overall. But again, if anything, it's just a bad look.
Yeah, and you know, it's like, well and we'll talk. We can talk more about it as the morning goes on. To Nick, I was gonna ask you, do you pay attention when the uh CJ comes out with their list of restaurants who have been dinged.
I should, but I don't because I don't want to know.
Or you just said something was very interesting, because once I see there's one place that I frequent that got danged pretty hard for something significant, and even I first split second thing, maybe I'm not going to go in there. But then again, I think if the city just checked them out. They've probably got their you know, Tea's cross.
I've got to go.
The best time to go was after they were shut down and then got to reopen because they probably would have never been cleaner. But then when you hear locations that had to do that and now now are again having issues, that's that's that's the problem.
That's the worst look of the whole situation.
I think that's right.
Anyway, we'll talk about it more moving forward. This morning, We've got an update of trapping on weather coming your way. Also another update on sports from Scott right here on news Radio eight forty whas.
Yes, thank you very.
Much, John Shannon, it is Kentucky and his morning news with Coffee and Company on news Radio eight forty whas. So, yesterday was the Big twelve their media days that got started, which, by the way, I kind of like the fact that they decided to not have a preseason conference rank, Like there's no preseason poll from those that are either the coaches that vote or the media poll that they do,
and I think those are pretty silly. It does give you a reference point, I suppose, as far as what those that coach in the league actually think, but we all know that none of that actually matters, and you rarely think about it once the season starts. However, the team that was picked to finish I believe dead last, was the team who ended up making it to the College Football Playoff and winning that league in Arizona State.
A really good story, but it also when you create a perception from your own leagues voting, that could hurt. Like Arizona State, they ended up getting in because they won the conference, but they also had a tougher climb to get towards the top of the rankings because they didn't get the preseason benefit of the doubt, which in college football that's just that's a story for another day.
But because you only play twelve games and not everybody has even close to the same level of schedule, when it comes to difficulty where you like the perception of you early on, even before you play a game, it matters. It shouldn't, but it does anywo. Anyway, the reason I wanted to get to the Big twelve is because Mike Gundy. He's been very very much I think blunt probably the best word.
I wouldn't say.
He's been against the movement here as players seemingly went from having no power in college sports to having all the power. But you know, he's pretty direct, and I think at times he's just brash and it rubs people the wrong way. He's also said some things that if anything, you know, I mean, most coaches wouldn't say it, but
maybe he's just being real with you. But he talked about needing to make the players employees of the university, and there's been so much resistance to that for a long time, and I actually think that there will be resistance moving forward. But what this would do is if there's a because the reason coaches want their to be a the status to change that these are actually employees is because that would get that would give you collective bargaining,
and then you could set a salary cap. If there was a salary cap, that would make life a lot easier when it comes to one not only building your roster, but managing it. And I don't I wouldn't be against
that in any way. But here's the issue. If you make the student athletes employees, there's a cost associated with that that is substantial, and that's added on that's adding on top of the now revenue sharing that they have to do where roughly twenty million is going to have to be distributed among student athletes moving forward every year, that's a twenty million dollar bill that did not use to exist that's now going to be there every year and it's only going to grow. So if you let's
just use this, let's use this example. Football is the biggest cost of any of any school, and certainly it's the biggest revenue generator for most. So a football program like Ohio State, let's say eighty five scholarships, they're receiving probably fifty to sixty grand intuition, room and board and all that. Well, if pre classified as taxable income because they're employees, I mean, schools could owe seven to twelve grand in payroll taxes per athlete. That adds up we're
talking about six hundred thousand to one million dollars. Then you have wage to work, right, you can't. Your scholarship's not payment, and you're going to have to not only have revenue sharing, but you're going to mean a minimum wage. You mean, you have to do something like that because they're employees. You can't just say, well, their payment is a scholarship. And then you talk about health workers, comp that kind of stuff per athlete, that's a big expense.
There's eighty five scholarship athletes. And then you throw in just payroll HR, legal support. That could be another couple hundred thousand or more annually. And that's just to manage the new systems. So you're talking about an added expense of maybe I'm using football as an example, which would be most expensive, but keep in mind there are many other sports that have big rosters, nowhere near the size of a football roster, but maybe four million dollars and just a whole lot more work.
Well, that's the story I posted yesterday that the University of Minnesota A. D. Mark Coyle said he presented his budget to the school's board of regents. Heberjacks an eight point seven million dollar devastate Yeah, and to run his department.
And that's before any type of they have an actual again, like so this would be an added an added expense to that. And again it's just you're talking about not only what it would cost for the student athletes. You'd have to hire a lot of resources and pay those salaries and cover insurance for those people. And it's just I think that I don't know if it ever gets there.
I just I assume it won't just because of what I mentioned, But if it does, I really don't mean I think at that point the benefit of even offering an athletics department for a lot of schools wouldn't be
worth it. Now I'm talking about the non power programs, right like, but that that generally that overall, and if the NCAA did this, they couldn't just do it for Division one, they'd have to do it for the entire entire crop of student athletes at the Division one, two, and three level, and that that would eliminate I mean, they would eliminate sports even being a thing at smaller schools.
So and that's sad. Yeah, absolutely, that's sad. No doubt that you would start to get rid of it.
I think you bring up a great point, Nick, and I'm glad you're you're kind of lifting the lid on this and really taking a hard look, because when I saw that article yesterday that came out of the Minnesota Star Tribune, I was kind of like, and now it's starting to become crystal clear where we're headed with this thing, which's encapsulating everything you're talking about and that is just so sad that when did we get to this point in our world where we went talking about college athletics
one making athletes employees at the university, and two now you've got an ad saying I'm going to start with the deficit of eight million dollars yep, And that's ridiculous.
I think the root of this is the NCAA not having any awareness and not just assuming that they didn't have to make any adjustments along the way for generations to where it led to a lawsuit, and that lawsuit ended up getting in front of a judge that decided, yeah, what you're doing here, it's not legal, So there's going to be a settlement where you you owe billions of dollars to former athletes, and moving forward you have to at least share revenue. So it became an issue because
they let it get to this point. If they would have made some modifications along the way to maybe let athletes just profit from from certain things or maybe at as there's something that could have been done that would have let that would have kept you from having the lawsuit by Ed O'Bannon that really put this thing in motion to where they just held off too long, and now it's it's seemingly and I hate to say this not to sound like such a pessimist, it is seemingly
impossible to envision a scenario in the future where this isn't messy. And again, I don't know the perfect plan, but I'd say the blame falls on just then them thinking that the amateurism model that was arka at thirty years ago would be sustainable in modern times. And it, let you know, they they played chicken if you will, and a judge told them, yeah, what you've been doing for a long time not legal. And the days of players ever just not getting paid, that's never gonna happen again.
And I'm not against that. It's just it's a mess. There's no way to deny that it's and it's and I get in a way if you if you think it's confusing and it's just a turn off because of what it is now, I get it. I hope that you that you stick with it because college sports are great. We certainly are a college market around here, but it may be a turnoff to people, and I kind of get it. All right, quick break, we'll get an update
on Traffick and weather. Also, we will get an update on sports coming up in about twelve minutes or so.
Right here on News Ready.
Waight forty WHS. It is six forty nine here at Kentucky, INA's morning news news radio eight forty w h as Coffee and Company, Myself, Knitt Coffee, s Cut Fitzgerald, and John Shannon with you today. John Alden, he's uh, he's going to be in a little bit later today, not with us, but he had to pick up a different
shift today. That's and that's that's because of that's just who he is, and it makes it seem even more fitting that he should go back to the nickname that I gave him when he and I worked together on our sports station, because he's a company man. Whatever you need him to do, he'll do it, and we miss him. But again, he got to sleep in a little bit today. I guess that's it's the benefit for him, and he probably needs it because he's got a newborn baby at home.
But it does seem as if David, this's got to be a routine that has been established because John is no longer quite as exhausted looking whenever he arrives, and you never want to tell somebody mean you look tired, because that's a really nice way of saying you look awful. And I don't mean he looks awful. But when I see him visually tired, I just think of, man, I remember those days. But then I think, gosh, well I didn't have to get up at three o'clock when that was going on.
So it's rough, dude. I mean, it's he has and he's starting to fall into his pattern.
Now.
I was getting coffee the other morning and I was asking him, listen, so how's it going. He goes, he seemed to beat. He was pause, and I remember I was at that point because my some was porn while I was doing this gig with Tony. And you get to that point where you kind of turned that corner and then I don't know if you just get used to being tired all the time or you just learned
to better deal with it. But John certainly found a new gear, and uh, yeah, we'll look forward to having him backup Monday with us.
If you've been there, I'm sure sure you can relate real quick before we get out of here and get an update on traffic and weather. I would imagine Bobby Ellis will give us latest on this, but looks as if there's been an accident. Well, I think it's a stalled motorist that is that is right near sixty five north by I think Saint Catherine, So that has created some stop its to just be mindful of that. But
again we'll get the latest and more as we move forward. Again, weather and traffic coming up, and also we'll get an update on sports right here on Who's radioate forty to BHAs you.
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