Best WFPL Podcasts (2025)

Have you ever used the "places" feature in the Wikipedia app? It shows you interesting sites near your location. Michelle Kadikian, who lives in Old Louisville, used that feature while at home, and found fragments of information about a Civil War encampment called Taylor Barracks. There's not a lot of information about these buildings in the histor…

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Wednesday December 10, 2025 4:21

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The latest news for Wednesday, December 10, 2025 from the Louisville Public Media newsroom in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Tuesday December 9, 2025 7:32

17d ago7:32

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The latest news for Tuesday, December 9, 2025 from the Louisville Public Media newsroom in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Monday December 8, 2025 7:07

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The latest news for Monday, December 8, 2025 from the Louisville Public Media newsroom in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Friday December 5, 2005 6:47

21d ago6:47

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The latest news for Friday, December 5, 2025 from the Louisville Public Media newsroom in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Thursday December 4, 2025 7:16

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The latest news for Thursday, December 4, 2025 from the Louisville Public Media newsroom in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Wednesday December 3, 2025 4:31

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The latest news for Wednesday, December 3, 2025 from the Louisville Public Media newsroom in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Tuesday, December 02, 2025 4:30

24d ago4:30

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The latest news for Tuesday, December 02, 2025 from the Louisville Public Media newsroom in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Monday, December 01, 2025 4:22

25d ago4:22

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The latest news for Monday, December 01, 2025 from the Louisville Public Media newsroom in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Wednesday, November 26, 2025 7:15

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The latest news for Wednesday, November 26, 2025 from the Louisville Public Media newsroom in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Tuesday, November 25, 2025 7:15

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The latest news for Tuesday, November 25, 2025 from the Louisville Public Media newsroom in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Monday, November 24, 2025 6:41

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The latest news for Monday, November 24, 2025 from the Louisville Public Media newsroom in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Friday, November 21, 2025 4:46

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The latest news for Friday, November 21, 2025 from the Louisville Public Media newsroom in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Thursday November 20, 2025 6:36

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The latest news for Thursday, November 20, 2025 from the Louisville Public Media newsroom in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Did a German spy really live in my house? 7:18

4M ago7:18

7:18

When Sarah and Lowe Sutherland bought their house back in 2007, a friend of a friend told her a titillating story: "I was a paper boy on your street back in that during the war, and when I was delivering the papers, I saw that they arrested a German spy in the house that you just bought." The Sutherlands have wondered since then, is it true? LPM's …

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What's with the beeping box in NuLu? 7:32

5M ago7:32

7:32

It sits alongside a brick building in Louisville’s NuLu neighborhood. It’s a metal box, about the size of a dresser, or maybe a deep freezer, but a little taller. And it makes a beeping sound. Sort of an alarm, but so quiet you can't hear it until you're close to the box. It's been described as "quietly having a meltdown." Local lore says it's been…

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Who are those faces on the old Manual High School? 7:00

6M ago7:00

7:00

At the corner of Brook and Oak Streets in Old Louisville sits a building that started out as the duPont Manual Training High School, back in 1892. When Dan Trabue moved to the neighborhood around 25 years ago, he noticed something curious near the building's roofline: six round medallions, each with a face staring out over the neighborhood. "I was …

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Who is the voice of the crosswalk? 5:59

9M ago5:59

5:59

"Whose voice is that on the the walk sign at Douglass Loop and Bardstown Road? I go through that area quite a bit, and at some point I noticed that there was a voice, and that the voice didn't sound like they were from Louisville." That's what Dan Pike and many other people have been curious about over the years. So he sent his message to Curious L…

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What's That Door In A Hill On Lexington Road? 3:42

6y ago3:42

3:42

You may have seen it while driving down Lexington road, away from downtown, just before Headliners Music Hall. A retaining wall in the side of the hill... with a door in the middle. What's behind it? It's a question we get a lot at Curious Louisville. On this episode, Ashlie Stevens takes us behind the door. From Louisville Public Media More Info H…

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Curious Louisville: Do White Outer Lines Make Roads Safer? 5:55

6y ago5:55

5:55

For fourteen years, Robert Miles has seen cars in ditches, in neighbor’s yards and in his own fencing that borders the boundary of the horse farm his family owns. He lives off Todds Point Road in Shelby County. “It’s horrific, you’re taking your life in your hands every time you go through,” Miles said of a particular curve in the road. Todds Point…

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The World Still Goes Around And Round 19:41

6+ y ago19:41

19:41

Earlier this year, we set out to take a deep look at why Louisville's West End is changing -- and how. In this last episode of Here Today, we address the uncertainty that lies ahead, and how that could affect the people who live west of Ninth Street. Here Today is a listener-supported project. You make it possible for us to hold the people in power…

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A Rose Is Still A Rose 21:38

6+ y ago21:38

21:38

Just as we started working on Here Today, our colleagues on In Conversation, WFPL's weekly talk show, did an episode about the investments coming to west Louisville.After the show aired, the station got this email from a listener: Please stop calling the West End "West Louisville!" There is another town, way down river from here, called West Louisv…

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Let Me Understand Your Plan 20:15

6+ y ago20:15

20:15

After learning about all the ways revitalization could go wrong, we wanted to learn about the city's plan for avoiding the pitfalls that have happened elsewhere. Here's a section of Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer's third inaugural speech, given in January of this year: "[L]ook at what’s happening in west Louisville. Nearly a billion dollars of inves…

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The House I Live In (I Bought It) 10:49

6+ y ago10:49

10:49

Homeownership has been touted as “the American dream” for decades -- and some advocates say it’s also the way to prevent gentrification in west Louisville. On this episode of Here Today, we take a look at homeownership in the West End, and whether owning your own home really leads to inter-generational wealth. Support this work, by clicking here: w…

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It’s Hard Out Here For A Renter 11:22

6+ y ago11:22

11:22

When you rent a place to live, you’re subject to the whims of your landlord. Whether you’ve lived in your place for a year or 10 years, if your landlord decides to sell, you could be forced out. The changes happening in west Louisville are affecting the people who live there, and most of them are renters. As property values rise in the West End and…

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Diggin' on Beecher Terrace 9:30

6+ y ago9:30

9:30

The site where Beecher Terrace was built has a story that's much older than the housing complex itself. Louisville's first black doctor had a home there with his family. The city's first cemetery occupied what's now Baxter Square Park. Before we move on from Beecher Terrace, we spend some time this week learning more of that story. Click here to su…

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Can't Find My Way Home 14:52

6+ y ago14:52

14:52

Construction of the new Beecher Terrace continues, and fewer than a hundred families are living in what’s left of the old complex. Several hundred others are settling into their new homes throughout the city. While some displaced residents await the new and improved Beecher, others are content to leave it behind and start anew. Those who do come ba…

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Promise Of A New Day (Again) 15:55

6+ y ago15:55

15:55

When someone makes a promise to you and then doesn’t follow through, would you believe them the next time? And if you trust them a second time and they don’t come through, what about a third time? In recent years, plans for new developments in the West End -- like the FoodPort and a Super Walmart -- have come and gone. Now, west Louisville resident…

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How Did We Get Here? (Nobody's S’posed To Be Here) 20:24

6+ y ago20:24

20:24

What comes to mind when you hear “west Louisville?” Do you picture the families who live there? People coming together for barbecues and neighborhood block parties. Kids playing in the park. Neighborhood churches. Or when you think of the West End, are you reminded of the last thing you heard about it on the news? A recent shooting. People living i…

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Why Is A Stretch Of Louisville Highway Measured In Kilometers? 5:45

6+ y ago5:45

5:45

The United States prides itself on a kind of rugged individualism. We like to think we do things our own way here. So while the rest of the world uses the metric system, here in America, we use a system based on inches, feet, yards and miles. Except on a particular stretch of Louisville highway. Lots of you asked us why. On this episode, WFPL's Ash…

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Introducing... Here Today: Louisville's Changing West 1:06

6+ y ago1:06

1:06

This is a pivotal moment for west Louisville. There's a track & field complex planned, a new YMCA in the works, and the renovation of Beecher Terrace. But as property values rise, so do property taxes, and that can be a hardship for the people already living there. Is this revitalization? Or gentrification? If you're seeing this trailer because you…

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Why Does The U of L Cardinal Mascot Have Teeth? 5:15

6+ y ago5:15

5:15

Woody Woodpecker. Donald Duck. Iago from “Aladdin." Louie, the U of L cardinal. All these birds have something in common: at various points in their histories, they have been depicted with a full toothy grin. Which leads to our latest Curious Louisville question from Rachel Peterson: “Why does the U of L cardinal mascot have teeth?” “Birds don’t ha…

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Curious Louisville: Why Is There An Omar Khayyam Blvd In Valley Station? 7:07

6+ y ago7:07

7:07

Nadeem Saddiqui and his family recently moved to Valley Station, in the southeastern part of Louisville. "It's stereotypically not the most multi-cultural area of Louisville," he said. So it surprised him to see a street named Omar Khayyam Blvd. "It was a medieval Persian poet," he said. "Growing up my parents had a lot of books of his poetry." Nad…

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Curious Louisville: Who Were The Caldwell Sisters? 5:09

6+ y ago5:09

5:09

Support Curious Louisville: Curious Louisville is all about you. You send us your questions, and we take you along with us on a search for the answer. It's people-powered. In fact, our whole organization here is people-powered -- it's because of your support that we can do the work we do. Join us with a pledge today, and we pledge in return to keep…

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Curious Louisville: Who Cleans Up Graffiti On The Backs Of Freeway Signs? 4:57

7y ago4:57

4:57

Is it art? Is it crime? A little bit of both? Whatever it is, it's part of your morning commute. "Every morning when I commute to work, no matter which way I go, I started to see more and more graffiti on the back of the signs," Joe Sullivan reported. "I saw it and I thought, I hope they take that down, because if they don't take it away, it's just…

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Curious Louisville: Why Are There So Many Fish Fries In Louisville? 5:39

7y ago5:39

5:39

Every year at the beginning of Lent, (the period in the Christian calendar between Ash Wednesday and Easter) WFPL publishes a guide to all the fish fries in Louisville. It's always one of our most popular stories of the year. There are Facebook groups dedicated solely to rating the different fish fries around town. And hundreds upon hundreds of peo…

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Curious Louisville: What Was Old Louisville Called Before It Was 'Old?' 3:17

7y ago3:17

3:17

Louisville is a city of neighborhoods. For a lot of people, where they live is a big part of their identity. And Curious Louisville listener Evan Patrick wondered about how one neighborhood developed an identity of its own. WFPL’s Ashlie Stevens looked into the answer.By Louisville Public Media

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Curious Louisville: What Happened To Muhammad Ali's Olympic Medal? 6:21

7y ago6:21

6:21

In the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, a young Muhammad Ali -- then called Cassius Clay -- defeated three-time European boxing champion Zbigniew Pietrzykowski. He returned to Louisville with a gold medal, which he wore around his neck for days afterwards; some biographers say he even slept with it around his neck. But then, the medal disappeared, and…

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Curious Louisville: Whatever Happened To The Falls Fountain? 5:43

7y ago5:43

5:43

It was supposed to be Louisville’s answer to the St. Louis arch. But in the press, it was eventually called ugly. A turkey A good idea gone bad. It’s been gone since 1998, but not entirely forgotten. In fact, it’s been on Curious Louisville listener Mark Friedland’s mind: Whatever happened to the Falls Fountain? In this edition of Curious Louisvill…