Daniel Schorr Special

WFPL will air a one-hour special about the life and career of Daniel Schorr tonight (Friday) at 7 pm. Robert Siegel will anchor.

Daniel Schorr Dies At 93

From NPR:

Daniel Schorr, a longtime senior news analyst for NPR and a veteran Washington journalist who broke major stories at home and abroad during the Cold War and Watergate, has died. He was 93.

Schorr, who once described himself as a “living history book,” passed away Friday morning at a Washington hospital. He was able to bring to contemporary news commentary a deep sense of how governmental institutions and players operate, as well as the perspective gained from decades of watching history upfront.

My favorite Schorr legend: He read President Richard Nixon’s “Enemies List” live on the air, and didn’t realize he was on it until he got to his own name.

CN2 Poll Puts Paul 3 Points Ahead Of Conway, 19% Undecided

A poll of the U.S. Senate race conducted by Braun Research for CN2 gives Republican Rand Paul a slight lead over Democratic candidate Jack Conway (41%-38%). This is the closest poll of the general election, and with this survey more than others, undecideds are shown to be key. 19% percent of those polled had not yet made a decision in the contest, and it looks like many of the undecideds were political moderates.

Conway led among those who considered themselves to be moderates, 52% to 18%. Nearly 27% of moderates said they haven’t made up their mind.

“When you step back and look at it at arm’s length, the race is up for grabs because the middle is up for grabs,” said Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism at the University of Kentucky and former political writer for the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Psych Test Ordered For Metro Government Whistleblower

Public Works employee Eric Garrett, who has filed suit alleging retaliation by Metro Government for reporting improper actions, has been ordered to undergo a psychological test, according to LEO.

In an injunction filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court, Shane Sidebottom, an attorney for Public Works employee Eric Garrett, asks a judge to prohibit the city from ordering his client to undergo psychiatric testing prior to returning to work after he filed a retaliation lawsuit.

“They’re trying to get my client to go a psychiatrist who specializes in criminal forensics to determine if he’s criminally insane. And if he doesn’t go, they’re going to charge him with insubordination so they can fire him.” says Sidebottom. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

In a letter sent to Garrett’s attorney on July 19, Assistant Jefferson County Attorney Mark Miller says the city retains the discretion to determine when and under what circumstances an employee can be required to appear for a fitness for duty evaluation and that no justification is required for such referrals.

“Mr. Garrett controls when, and if, he will return to work by deciding whether or not he will appear for the fitness for duty evaluation, which has been previously scheduled twice but your client has not appeared,” Miller says. “Continued failure to appear for the evaluation may be deemed insubordination.”

Yarmuth Campaign Touts Lead In Latest Poll

Congressman John Yarmuth‘s (D-3) campaign sent out a release today touting the results of a Cooper and Secrest Associates poll conducted in late June.

The survey gives Yarmuth 58% of the vote. Republican challenger Todd Lally has 32%. 10% of those polled said they were undecided.

Political Pop Quiz

Perhaps the most revealing part of this week’s mayoral debate was the moment when candidates asked each other questions. The questions can hint at campaign strategies, and since it’s early in the general election, the direction the candidates took is interesting.

Independent Jackie Green asked Democrat Greg Fischer and Republican Hal Heiner to differentiate their policies. This shows Green’s dedication to his assertion that the major party candidates are too similar to bring about real progress on environmental and transportation issues, among others.

“In November, voters will choose either the old business as usual, energy-greedy, energy-dependent local economy, or voters will chose a new energy-lean, energy-independent local economy that can meet the challenges of the future,” said Green in his closing statement.

Fischer asked Heiner about his appearance at a Tea Party rally during the primary and whether he believes Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul‘s policies are right for Louisville. Fischer appears to be countering Heiner’s apparent attempt to lure in progressive voters by reminding those voters that Heiner is a Republican. Progressives who like his stance on bridge tolls or his political distance from Mayor Jerry Abramson may not like his stance on other issues. Heiner, however, said that other candidates’ platforms are irrelevant to the mayor’s race.

“I am not running for anybody else’s campaign, on anybody else’s platform or what they stand for or don’t stand for, and, quite frankly, an analysis of various candidates at any level or any party on their positives or negatives of their backgrounds, quite frankly, is inappropriate in a mayor’s race,” he said.

Heiner, again possibly shooting for the Democrats who didn’t support Fischer, asked about Fischer’s closeness to Abramson, and whether the mayor’s office was Fischer’s second choice after his 2008 Senate bid. Fischer responded that his past candidacy and his charitable work show his desire for community service.

“When you take a look at where the real benefit, the leveraged benefit can take place, it is through government service, through public service,” said Fischer. “Whether it be in the United States Senate or as mayor. Running for the U.S. Senate taught me that I enjoyed this,” he said. “I like people. I like solving problems.”

And as others have mentioned, the Ohio River Bridges Project was absent from the debate. No one asked about it. No one brought it up.

Latest Rasmussen Senate Poll Consistent With Prior Surveys

The latest Rasmussen poll puts Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul at 49%, 8 points ahead of Democratic candidate Jack Conway, who has 41%.

Rasmussen entered the general election giving Paul a 25-point lead. The lead shrank to 8 points, then 7 points and is now back at 8. All of the fluctuations have been Conway’s, with Paul holding a solid 49% for weeks, according to Rasmussen.

In May, a Survey USA poll put Paul’s lead at 6 points, but gave both candidates a higher percentage of the vote.

The Day The Music Store Closed

Ear X-Tacy will close tonight (Wednesday) at 6 pm. The store will re-open at its new location in the Douglass Loop on Friday. Is anyone (besides the Backseat Sandbar crew) planning on attending either the closing or re-opening?

Allegations And Intrigue In The Bridges Saga

The co-founder of the “Say NO To Bridge Tolls” Facebook group says he was targeted by a supporter of the Ohio River Bridges Project. The accused says he has done nothing of the sort and is being falsely accused.

LEO has the details. Also of note, the alleged intimidation stemmed from a recent State of Affairs about the bridges project.

How To Watch The Mayoral Debate

Bellarmine University is hosting a debate tonight between three mayoral candidates: Democrat Greg Fischer; Republican Hal Heiner; independent Jackie Green. The debate hall fits about 600 people. If you can’t make it or if it’s too crowded, you can also watch the event live online at Bellarmine’s livestream page, beginning at 7 pm.

And of course, we’ll have highlights on WFPL.