LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The WDRB Investigates team tackled a wide range of topics in Louisville and southern Indiana in 2023, everything from holding those in power accountable and working to protect citizens from scammers at home.
Our reporting shed a light on the disastrous rollout of Jefferson County Public Schools buses in August and dams across Louisville that are in danger of failing without any emergency plan in place if they do.
And the stories have sparked change, resulting in new legislation and even new arrests.
Here are the top 10 WDRB Investigates stories read on WDRB.com in 2023:
10. 5 Louisville dams are in poor or worse condition with no emergency plan in place
After the Silver Creek Dam near Fairdale threatened to fail in March, WDRB investigated the conditions of similar dams in Louisville. The review focused on 20 high- and significant-hazard impoundments, or structures that engineers believe would lead to loss of life or property if they failed.
Inspection reports obtained under open records laws showed that five of those dams, or one-quarter, are in poor or worse condition, and none has an emergency plan in place. Dam safety advocates recommend those plans so that first responders and neighbors know what to do if a dam is compromised.
The documents showed that state inspectors had urged Louisville Metro government to create such plans for years, including for three dams owned by Metro Parks & Recreation: Mitchell Hill Lake, Tom Wallace Lake and Waverly Park. Mitchell Hill was listed in poor condition during its last inspection.
Former Mayor Greg Fischer’s administration didn’t follow those recommendations.
Months after our reporting, the Metro Council put $5 million in the city’s annual budget for the parks department to spend on deferred maintenance, including on dams and other infrastructure.
The budget also asked parks leaders to work with Louisville Metro Emergency Management Services to take inventory of their dams’ conditions, make a maintenance plan and create emergency plans for those dams. That information must be reported to the council four times a year.
"Not everything's perfect and things are going to wear out, but we've got to have a plan if they do, you know, and then in the meantime, we want to make sure we've got money in for deferred maintenance," Council member Dan Seum Jr. (R-13) told WDRB last summer.
The parks department said in its update in October that it has hired engineers to do an analysis of immediate and future needs. It’s expected to be ready next spring.
Two dams in Jefferson County aren't in compliance with Kentucky standards for passing and storing large amounts of rainfall.Â
9. After 2-month wait for mammogram results, Louisville woman says Norton patients are 'due an explanation'
A hacker group called BlackCat claimed responsibility for a cyber attack in May on Norton Healthcare, leaking files as proof. Social security numbers, bank information and mammogram images were among the sensitive documentation leaked online. The documents appear to show a large amount of Norton's financial information, including operating accounts and payroll accounts with a balance of tens of millions of dollars, credit card information, confidentiality agreements, patient imaging orders, vendor and bank information and business invoices.
Audrey Frazier went in for a mammogram shortly after, a routine process through Norton Healthcare that has always returned near immediate results. She said she repeatedly called her doctor for results and sent messages but never heard back.
"I get ... you can't fix the world, but give people an explanation, especially when it's their health," Frazier said.
Seven months after the attack, Norton finally said their investigation found neither the company's medical record system or its MyChart system were accessed. On Dec. 8, Norton called the breach a "ransomware attack" for the first time since it happened. The company said it notified federal law enforcement officials and began "working with a respected forensic security provider to investigate and terminate the unauthorized access."
The investigation found that "an unauthorized individual(s) gained access to certain network storage devices" between May 7-9 but "did not access Norton Healthcare's medical record system or Norton MyChart."
Norton has denied several requests for an interview since May 9.
8. As student behavior drives Louisville bus drivers to take a stand, JCPS outlines its plan to help
More than two months of chaotic transportation to and from Louisville public schools came to a head in November when nearly 150 bus drivers called out sick, canceling more than 100 routes.
The call-out by drivers was part of an organized effort to take a stand against what many drivers said is a lack of student discipline and long bus routes. There are regular reports of fights aboard buses, causing headaches for drivers and students and leaving parents concerned.
A fight Aug. 18 on a bus involving Stuart Academy students started with some name-calling, parents said. In September, an Eastern High School student and an adult were shot in Louisville's Russell neighborhood after police said a fight started on a JCPS bus and continued when they got off.Â
A few days later, a fight broke out on a bus with Atherton High School students on board. Students were yelling at each other, one threw a punch, and one student was left with a bruise to the forehead.
Another fight on a Westport Middle School bus in October in St. Matthews left parents like Stephanie Hair concerned with her child on that bus.
"It's just student behavior," Stovall said. "Regardless of where you are from, you've got to be held accountable."
But how often are students punished in cases like these? In the 2021-22 school years, JCPS gave out 12,301 bus referrals. For the last school year, there were 14,821 bus referrals.
Data shows the discipline the district uses the most is a student conference, then a full bus suspension.
More than two months of chaotic transportation two and from Louisville public schools came to a head this week when nearly 150 bus drivers called out sick, canceling more than 100 routes.
7. A southern Indiana woman was killed at work. A Chinese company ignored a judge's ruling to pay up.
Melissa Stephens was 44 when she was killed while working at the Autoneum factory in Clark County, Indiana, in 2017. Her surviving children later won a court judgement against the manufacturer of the machine she was operating when she died.
A judge found that the Chinese manufacturer, Feilong Nonwoven Machinery Co. Ltd., was liable under Indiana law for a "design defect" and for building and selling a product in a "defective condition." Feilong was ordered to pay $10 million to Stephens' estate.
But the company has ignored that 2021 ruling. While international agreements let Chinese companies get served with American lawsuits, it's challenging to collect U.S. court judgments against those firms, especially those without assets here.
As a result, the Stephens family has been pursuing an unorthodox legal strategy by trying to recover some funds from Autoneum that it has paid Feilong for goods shipped to Indiana.
And, in September, a judge ruled in their favor. Autoneum must compensate Stephens’ estate for the money it has paid Feilong since early 2022.
The case highlights a longstanding difficulty in an interconnected world of global business: Collecting U.S. court judgments against Chinese firms.Â
6. Kentucky's new EV-electricity tax seen as 'barrier' to public chargers
Starting in January, anyone who installs a publicly available EV charger in Kentucky will have to quantify the amount of electricity dispensed from the charger — even if it has no separate meter — and pay a monthly usage tax to the state.
The new tax is meant to capture revenue from drivers who otherwise wouldn't contribute to Kentucky road funding, but critics say it will discourage the installation of public electric vehicle charging stations while also double taxing Kentucky EV drivers, which lawmakers in the Republican-dominated General Assembly say they didn't intend.
All charging stations, including those that are free to use at churches, farmers markets, YMCAs and shopping centers, will have to pay the new tax so long as they were installed after July 1, 2022.
"The biggest concern is that it basically is not going to bring in the revenue that makes it worth the expense, so you're going to see people stop providing public chargers," said Lane Boldman, executive director of the Kentucky Conservation Committee, which lobbies state government on environmental issues.
The new EV electricity tax was included among dozens of other tax changes in the Republican-controlled legislature's fiscal bill, House Bill 8, in 2022.
Kentucky is one of seven states that will tax electricity consumed by electric vehicle charging stations -- even community chargers that are free to the public at churches, YMCAs, businesses and parks.
5. 'Protect what we have' | At Ford's Louisville Assembly Plant, Escape’s decline raises questions about future
The Escape, Ford's popular compact crossover SUV, ushered in a new era of growth at LAP. Employment more than tripled from the waning days of the Explorer. Thousands more jobs were created at Louisville-area supplier plants serving LAP.
But now, the 68-year-old plant appears to be nearing another inflection point. With the Escape's sales sliding and Ford pouring billions into electrification, the future of LAP will be a top priority for United Auto Workers leaders when they negotiate a new four-year labor deal with Ford later this year.
"The focus right now is on Louisville Assembly Plant, making sure that we have product there and in every assembly plant in North America," said Todd Dunn, president of UAW Local 862, the chapter representing workers at LAP and at Ford's larger Kentucky Truck Plant in eastern Jefferson County. "... There is no other option than keeping that plant open."
In addition to wages and benefits for hourly workers, the UAW intends to secure commitments for vehicles at each of Ford's existing plants, an effort to "protect what we have," Dunn said.
Ford, for its part, wouldn't divulge long-term plans for the plant, which employs about 3,200 hourly workers. But in a statement, the Detroit-based automaker noted that the plant is working on the refreshed 2023 Escape and will soon get a new Lincoln Corsair, the higher-priced Escape derivative that is also built at LAP.
"Louisville Assembly Plant and our employees there are an important part of Ford's manufacturing operations," Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker said. "Louisville Assembly is currently launching the new Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair."
But, speaking at an investor conference last year, Ford CEO Jim Farley seemed to cast doubt on the future of the vehicle.
"We're going to have passion brands," Farley said. "We're not going to have commodity products like Edges and Escapes."
As Escape sales hit a decade low in 2022, the future of Louisville Assembly Plant is a top priority for the UAW in upcoming contract talks with Ford.Â
4. Highlands residents want their neighborhood back. Here's an up-close look at a night on Bardstown Road.
In August, more than 300 people packed the pews of Douglass Boulevard Christian Church to voice their frustrations and concerns, many of them having reached a boiling point with crime, street racing and noise overtaking their quality of life.
"We don't feel safe outside past dark," said Katherine Ussey, who lives in the Highlands.
Residents in the area have asked city leadership for a plan to fix it and return their neighborhood to the charm of the past. But what is it really like along Bardstown Road? On two recent weekend nights, we got a first-hand look.
more than 300 people packed the pews of Douglass Boulevard Christian Church to voice their frustrations and concerns, many of them having reached a boiling point with crime, street racing and noise overtaking their quality of life.
"We don't feel safe outside past dark," said Katherine Ussey, who lives in the Highlands.
Residents in the area have asked city leadership for a plan to fix it and return their neighborhood to the charm of the past. But what is it really like along Bardstown Road? On two recent weekend nights, we got a first-hand look.
On two recent weekend nights, we got a first-hand look.
3. Louisville woman’s death highlights rare complications with dental procedures
Shanna Wright had complained of tooth pain. On June 30, 2022, the 42-year-old single mother sought treatment at Derby City Oral Surgery on Preston Highway.
At the dental office, Wright ran to the bathroom because her tooth infection made her sick to her stomach, according to her mother, Lisa Freiberger.
Freidberger had accompanied her daughter to the tooth extraction, thinking she would drive her back after the procedure. "I was going to go back to work, take her home," Freiberger said. The notion that Wright would become seriously ill during the procedure was "the last thing that ever crossed our mind."
But the next time Freiberger saw her daughter, "they were loading her on the ambulance with the automatic compression machine. The staff said, 'we need you to get to the hospital.'"
After five days on life support, Wright died July 5, 2022.
Now Wright’s family is suing the dental provider, Dr. Jonathan Swope and Derby City Oral Surgery, now named South Louisville Oral Surgery. An attorney for Swope denied any wrongdoing.
"You should not die getting a tooth pulled," said Bo Bolus, the family's attorney.
Shanna Wright died during a routine dental procedure in Louisville last summer.Â
2. Body camera video challenges Louisville council member's claim of misconduct during traffic stop
When Louisville Metro Council members discussed funding for a new police training and wellness center in late April, councilman Jecorey Arthur made his position clear.
Arthur, D-4, was one of five "no" votes, and, in explaining his reasoning, told members of council that police already had health insurance and access to therapists. He said there were dozens of other city needs for that money.
But, more to the point, Arthur offered criticisms of the embattled department for failing to implement recommendations from multiple critical reports, including a history of officers wrongfully arresting and killing Black people, such as Breonna Taylor.
"The most leverage that we have for accountability is their spending," he said during the April 27 meeting. "It's their budget, and we are about to give that leverage away. ... I promise you this building will not change the culture of the police department."
And after listing some of these high-profile LMPD incidents, Arthur shared a personal experience: He claimed he was a victim of police misconduct Dec. 16, 2021, during his first year on council, following his "no" vote on a police contract.
"Officers followed me home that night, pulled me over, took me out of my car and threatened my life, saying to keep a round in the chamber of my gun at all times," Arthur said.
Arthur said he told the police chief at the time, Erika Shields, about the incident "and she did nothing." He said he also informed current interim Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel about the stop, and "she has done nothing."
"That's what these investments will change — absolutely nothing — and that's why I'm voting no," Arthur said.
But police body camera video of Arthur's traffic stop obtained through a public records request provides a different perspective. It shows Arthur volunteering to exit his vehicle and doesn't appear to show officers threatening him after stopping him for expired tags.
Metro councilman Jecorey Arthur said officers followed him home after a meeting, pulled him over, took him out of he vehicle and threatened his life. But police body cam video of Arthur’s traffic stop obtained through a public records request provides a different perspective.
1. Owner of Louisville pool company facing fraud, theft charges after dozens of families claim thousands in losses
Cory Dahlkamp recently moved to her new home in Bullitt County. It took months to build the house, and Dahlkamp wanted a space for her family to hang out and enjoy the outdoors.
The house was designed around a pool, she said, so she called Davenport Extreme Pools & Spas.
"Our project was going to be $96,000, I believe," Dahlkamp said. "We did pay her the $46,000 and received nothing."
She said her contract for the pool was filed in 2021, and there still isn't an account of where the money went or what it was spent on.
"We spoke with them on the phone a lot," Dahlkamp said of the period before they paid the $46,000 deposit. "We had a couple references and we even went to their office. It looked like like a reputable business."
Earlier this year, more than 20 families reported the same complaint about Davenport: They paid tens of thousands of dollars to the company for a pool, work was never done and the company quit responding to its customers.
The company since has filed for federal bankruptcy protection in an attempt to reorganize the company, disconnected its publicly available phone number and removed its Facebook page. Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Davenport and owner Tracy Davenport, alleging the company stopped responding after no work was done and attempting to get their deposits back.
"The fraud here is pretty massive," said attorney Steve Pence, a former Kentucky lieutenant governor who is representing the families. "Dozens of people have called me about representing them. The scope of this scheme is far broader than you can imagine."
Davenport has since been arrested on a slew of charges in Kentucky and Indiana, including fraud and theft.
Owner Tracy Davenport was recently charged with two counts of theft in Floyd County and theft and fraud in Clark County.
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.