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Story by Carley Calabro

 

Leadership Southern Indiana was initially started 36 years ago with a leadership program for business leaders called Discover.

However, in 2015, LSI has created a program specifically for high school juniors titled Nexgen.

Nexgen is a five-day leadership program for high school juniors representing every high school in both Clark and Floyd County, as well as a school in Kentucky.

Nexgen LSI is a year-long program that starts with five days of students attending different businesses and companies. Each class is dedicated to one aspect of becoming a leader, as well as learning about the community.

“Nexgen was created in 2015 because LSI thought we would get our young leaders to learn more about our community while in high school,” said program coordinator Lisa Bottorff. “We were hopeful our youth would learn more about our community so they would realize how wonderful it is a so that they would want to live, work and play here after high school and/or college.”

While there, students learn about team building, diversity and financial literacy.  They tour various businesses and companies and learn about the economy and government. Along with the tours students will be given time to meet with business, community and government leaders.

In addition, students learn about the importance of philanthropy and choose a non-profit organization to give their time, talent and treasure to. To start the program off this year, First Savings Bank donated money to the charities students learned about.

For junior Ethan English, Nexgen has already taught him how to act in the real world.

“It has taught me to be a big time leader and philanthropist in the community,” English said. “I like the fact that we get to meet an abundance of unaccustomed young adults at contradistinctive schools around the area to come together and deposit time and money into southern Indiana.”

The Nexgen organization teaches students necessary aspects in order to become a successful leader. It not only helps young leaders today, but benefits more in the long run by giving life-long lessons for the future.

Story by Makiyah Owens & Braxton Troutman

Muhammad Ali (1942-2016)

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., Muhammad Ali was a professional boxer and civil rights activist. Born and raised in Louisville, Ky., Ali is known as one of the most influential and favored sports figure of the 20th century, and easily the most significant person from the Louisville Metropolitan area.

After attending Central High School, he went on to beat more champions and top contenders than any heavyweight boxing champion in history. Ali won medals, awards, and executed many selfless acts that made him such a significant person not only to the city of Louisville, but to the African American community nationwide.  

Bryson Tiller 

Bryson Tiller is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. Born and raised in Louisville, Ky., Tiller attended Iroquois High school before his career started in 2011. His big break came in 2014 when he gained recognition for his single “Don’t” from his album Trap Soul. The album was released in 2015, and climbed as high as No. 8 on the US Billboard 200.

The single “Don’t” reached No. 13 on the US Billboard Top 100, the highest a Louisville-based hip-hop artist has ever reached. In March of 2016, Tiller received the key to the city from Greg Fisher, and in the same year he received his first awards: Best New Artist and Best Male R&B/Pop Artist at the BET Awards.

Darrell Griffith 

Darrell Griffith was born and raised in Louisville, Ky., and is a graduate of Male High School. Griffith attended the University of Louisville, where he played basketball all four years at the university. While at Louisville, Griffith led the Cardinals to their first NCAA National Championship against the University of California Los Angeles in 1980.

Griffith went on to the NBA, where he was picked second overall in the 1980 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. Griffith played 10 season, all with the Jazz, averaging 16 points and three assists per game in his career. In 1997, Griffith started the Darrell Griffith Foundation to help give back to the community of Louisville. More recently in 2014, the Darrell Griffith Athletic Center was opened at the West End School as a gift to the community

Sadiqa Reynolds

Originally from The Bronx, Sadiqa Reynolds has found a home, and a remarkable career, in Louisville. Reynolds is the President and CEO of the Louisville Urban League, and former judge of the 30th Judicial Court. Reynolds is also the first African American woman to clerk in the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Reynolds has brought a positive and energetic attitude since taking over as President of the Louisville Urban League back in October. Reynolds has been recognized for her actions and been called a ¨Woman of Influence¨ by the city of Louisville, and a civil rights advocacy. Reynolds has also been a part of over six different boards and worked as a public servant and role model for most of her life. Reynolds is married to Keith Reynolds and has two daughters, Wynter and Sydney.

Dawne Gee

Dawne Gee was born in Louisville, and attended Pleasure Ridge Park High School. Gee attended the University of Louisville, where she maintained a Bachelor Arts degree in communications and biology. Gee has been a member of the Wave-3 news team since 1994. Before working at Wave, Gee worked in radio broadcasting at Cox Radio as an on-air personality for 17 years.

In 2009, Gee was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and on Nov. 25, suffered a stroke during a live broadcast. Miraculously, Gee recovered from both medical conditions and still continues to fulfill her role as a news anchor on Wave-3 News. Gee serves as an inspiration to the city of Louisville for her commitment to the media, and overcoming her medical issues .

Story by Tristan Jackson

Kenneth Groth, Brent Falkenstein, P.K. Falkenstein, Kasey Falkenstein and Kooper Falkenstein — the Falkenstein family has been churning out Jeff High basketball greats since the 1930’s.

Brent’s son, Bailey, is next in line.  

Bailey has been playing on the Varsity team since his freshman year. Now a junior, he is the team’s top scorer (18.9 points per game) and has solidified himself as a leader.

“There’s definitely some pressure there,” Falkenstein said about being a top scoring option for Jeff. “But I have to do it for my team.”

With guard/forward Michael Minton being Jeff’s lone starting senior this season, Falkenstein has stepped up and made strides in his own game. He has become a role model for underclassmen, who have also played a large role in the team’s success this year.

“It motivates you to want to elevate your game and get to the level he is at,” said sophomore Drew Taylor on playing with Falkenstein.

Since Falkenstein’s freshman year, the team has seen constant improvement. After a 2014-15 season that saw Jeff only managed an 8-14 record, new head coach Joe Luce was brought in to return JHS to its winning ways. Last season, the team posted a 19-13 record in Luce’s debut.

“Bailey has gotten to the point where not only is he a fantastic scorer and a go to guy for us,” Luce said. “He has learned to make others better around him, and I think that’s why we’ve been able to play better basketball.”

Along with the excellent skillset Falkenstein brings to the floor on a nightly basis, a winning mentality is something he prides himself on.

“I just want to be remembered as a great player who won. That’s really what I want to bring to Jeff — winning,” Falkenstein said.

In the hotbed of basketball talent in southern Indiana, Falkenstein says he is motivated by hearing what other players are doing on the court, and believing that he is just as good, if not better, than every opponent he faces.

A lack of confidence has never been an issue for Falkenstein, as he feels his work ethic has put him in position to not only be a leader on the basketball team, but to also headline a star-studded baseball team at Jeff.

“Bailey is always showing leadership by getting people focused, giving constructive criticism, and letting others know when he made a mistake,” said pitcher, and teammate, Gabe Bierman.

Falkenstein looks for both teams to have great seasons this year and next, and said his goal for the upcoming baseball season is to win a state championship.

Additionally, Falkenstein credits all athletes for finding the time to balance school and a sport. Although it’s difficult to put the work into two different sports, he says sports helped make him a better person and “the man (he is) today”.

As talented as he is on the court, it’s hard to imagine Falkenstein choosing another sport over basketball in the future, but it’s very possible.

Falkenstein is one of the team’s top baseball players, and he believes that he is talented enough to wind up playing professionally at some level.

While leaning towards baseball, where he has already received Division I offers from schools such as Indiana and Xavier, Falkenstein said this basketball season has opened up the possibility of playing basketball in college.

Whatever way he chooses, it’s likely his talents will carry with him to college, along with his work ethic and sense of leadership.

For the time being, Jeff fans will cheer on yet another Falkenstein from the stands as he carries on a legacy that has been over 80 years in the making. 

story by Jalin Ernest

With Valentine’s Day closely approaching (Feb. 14), many couples look to take the cheaper approach for a thoughtful gift. For some, less may mean more. But during this time of love and compassion, the thought is what counts the most.

• Great Escape Movie Theater (Clarksville, Ind.): At $11.50 per person for a regular 2D movie, it’s not the cheapest, but it’s the easiest. To cut costs and save money, get your candy from a store away from the theater. Make sure to choose your movie prior to your arrival because when you get there, choosing your movie may be harder than it seems.
• Steak and Shake (Clarksville, Ind.): This may be as close as it gets to cheap at a sit-down restaurant. Milkshakes are a little pricey, but very much worth it. With a menu of meals under $4, you may not beat it at any other restaurant.
• Eastern Lanes ( Clarksville, Ind.): Who doesn’t love bowling? It is an easy idea, maybe even a  last minute plan that can work for a lot of people. With a special on Friday and Saturday nights from 9:30 pm to 12:30 am you can get shoes and a lane ( a maximum of 3 people ) for $11 per person.

Cheap Gifts:

• Flowers: What girl wouldn’t like flowers with a nice little message attached to them. You can get flowers from anywhere, Walgreens, Meijers, Krogers, probably even Rural King. If you need t just throw something together get you some flowers and a one dollar card and write a nice message and she will love it.
• Chocolate: Because … why not?
• Teddy Bear: Every girl needs someone to cuddle with when her boyfriend isn’t around. They come in many sizes and you can get them from Walgreens, CVS, and Meijer. Some of them may not be the cheapest but any girl would love to have them and would be thankful that you got them one.

story by Jalin Ernest

With Valentine’s Day closely approaching (Feb. 14), many couples look to take the cheaper approach for a thoughtful gift. For some, less may mean more. But during this time of love and compassion, the thought is what counts the most.

Great Escape Movie Theater (Clarksville, Ind.): At $11.50 per person for a regular 2D movie, it’s not the cheapest, but it’s the easiest. To cut costs and save money, get your candy from a store away from the theater. Make sure to choose your movie prior to your arrival because when you get there, choosing your movie may be harder than it seems.

Steak and Shake (Clarksville, Ind.): This may be as close as it gets to cheap at a sit-down restaurant. Milkshakes are a little pricey, but very much worth it. With a menu of meals under $4, you may not beat it at any other restaurant.

Eastern Lanes ( Clarksville, Ind.): Who doesn’t love bowling? It is an easy idea, maybe even a  last-minute plan that can work for a lot of people. With a special on Friday and Saturday nights from 9:30 pm to 12:30 am you can get shoes and a lane ( a maximum of 3 people ) for $11 per person.

Cheap Gifts:

Flowers: What girl wouldn’t like flowers with a nice little message attached to them. You can get flowers from anywhere, Walgreens, Meijers, Krogers, maybe even Rural King. If you need to just throw something together get you some flowers and a one dollar card and write a nice message and she will love it.

Chocolate: This is more for the girls that need to get their significant other that just so happens to be a male. Guys already know that every girl loves chocolate, but if you are a girl and don’t know what to get your boyfriend just go with chocolate. You really can’t go wrong.

Teddy Bear:Every girl needs someone to cuddle with when her boyfriend isn’t around. They come in many sizes and you can get them from Walgreens, CVS, and Meijer. Some of them may not be the cheapest but any girl would love to have them and would be thankful that you got them one.

As drivers merge onto the newly-built I-265 highway and follow it south, a new landmark will peak its face around the bend of the road: the East End Bridge. The bridge connects Utica, Ind. to Louisville, Ky., and completes a shortcut to the eastern side of the city that once took 30-40 minutes to drive.

Now, the drive is merely 10-20 minutes, and lets drivers avoid the headaches of downtown traffic. More importantly, though, is that the bridge opens up a new side of Louisville some Jeff residents aren’t as familiar with, including an area of shops and restaurants waiting for Hoosiers to come and explore.

 

Construction of the Bridge

Construction time– Construction of the bridge began in June 2013, cutting into the $2.3 billion budget of the Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Project. After three-and-a-half years, the bridge’s opening ceremony took place on Dec. 18, 2016, officially marking the opening of the bridge to the public.

Labor– According to Union worker Donny Farish, the bridge was completed 100-percent by Union laborers. He credited the Union for the construction, saying wages would have been too low without it.

Tolls– If drivers choose to cross the East End Bridge, they might find themselves paying some money to do so. The tolls on the new East End Bridge cost $2 if drivers have a transponder in their car. If not, drivers can expect to pay $3 if the car has a registered license plate from Indiana or Kentucky. All other drivers will pay $4 to cross.

Finishing touches- As of print, the bridge has been opened for over a month. However one can still find construction crews around the bridge seven days a week. Farish says his crew has been working around the clock since Labor Day to finish minor construction on the bridge, as well as the walkway that accompanies it.

 

Things to do on the Kentucky side of the Bridge

The Paddock Shops- A shopping center right across the bridge is full of shops and restaurants that southern Indiana doesn’t have.

Clothing Shops: J.Crew , Lane Bryant, Ann Taylor and Talbot’s can be found in the Paddock Shopping Center.

Fan Outfitters is a clothing and apparel store for those UK fans and U of L fans looking for the best team gear.

Barnes and Noble can be found in the shopping center, providing customers with a wide variety of books and music to buy.

 

Blaze Pizza is a restaurant located within the Paddock that serves up some of the most delicious pizzas you’ll ever eat. For the picky eater, Blaze Pizza uses an interactive service format that allows guests to create custom-made pizzas at fast speeds – for only about $7 each.

Cabela’s- Similar to Bass Pro, Cabela’s is a superstore for quality hunting, fishing, camping, recreational shooting and outdoor gear at competitive prices. Cabela’s has a wider variety of hunting gear than Bass Pro, and just as competitive prices.

Things coming to Jeffersonville in the near future

While the bridge is beneficial for Hoosiers, some east-enders from Louisville will reap the benefits of the new structure, too.

A new retail center, located next to the round-abouts in Jeffersonville near River Ridge, is expected to be finished by 2020. This new retail center plans to have four hotels, a medical campus, restaurants, senior housing, a cinema,  bank and other retail.

This area is expected to have restaurants that are more family affordable, but no drive-thru services. The site is started with construction already, and hopes to have some shops opening by the end of this year.

“Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.” — Martin Luther King.

After the new year has passed and the month of January is in full swing, attention often turns to Martin Luther King Day: a day that honors a man who valued justice and equality.

During his life, King showed humanity and leadership with all he had, and spoke about it to all who were willing to listen. To honor his holiday, Clark County students paid homage to Martin Luther King by submitting essay, poster or video projects to be in “The Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Contest.”

In the JHS contest, there was a three way tie for first place: freshmen Alayna Lacy,  freshman Lyndsey Vessels , and some students from Ms. Corcoran’s Impact class. Lacy and Vessels both entered in posters and Ms.Corcoran’s students made a video. In the county-wide contest, Vessels poster placed third.

“(I) read through his speech at least seven times, then I just started taking things from the speech and put it all on a poster board,” Vessels said.

The senior team of Jacqueline James and Emanda Gibson took home second place in the JHS contest.

Scholarships were also handed out to students. To earn the scholarship, students had to fill out an application, write an essay, have a certain amount of community service hours and have a good academic record.

The Martin Luther King Scholarship winners from JHS were seniors Lizzy Bishop and Lucy Sandavol.

There is a yearly breakfast put on by the King Holiday Committee to show admiration for Dr.King. This year the King Scholarship Breakfast host was Renaissance Academy.

“I’m very honored to be here,” Sandoval said. “There are so many people here to honor Martin Luther King.”

The chair of the King Holiday Committee, Janice Leavell, was very impressed with all the students’ work .

“People say that kids are our future, but these amazing kids are our now,” Leavell said. “He wanted all people to be equal. We honor him because we are the people.”

The contest and scholarship winners are invited to attend the breakfast, as well as school administrators all over Clark County.

“This is a wonderful community event to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.,” JHS principal Julie Straight said. “I’ve been able to attend for four years. The students are a big part of the event and live out the dream.”

Greater Clark County Schools Deputy Superintendent Travis Haire commented on the event saying that Martin Luther King’s dream is still living throughout the talented students artwork

“This special event is meant to celebrate Martin luther King jr Holiday and to honor students with showing great artwork and with awarding scholarships,” Haire said.  

MLK committee member Dawn Krabbe stated that the Martin Luther King Contest showcases the unique out-of-the-box creativity of the students.  

“It’s a wonderful event for the community to recognize a lot of students artistically and academically. Not all students are the same and it shows their different mediums in Clark County,” Krabbe said.

All involved spent the day basking in the inspiration  that was Dr. Martin Luther King and he will continue to be recognized for years to come as the expressive inspirational man that he was. Let’s all keep living out the dream of Dr. King.

 

“ If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward. “ — Martin Luther King

 

The city of Jeffersonville has some of the richest tradition in all of Indiana high school basketball history: two state titles between boys and girls, former professional players, fans that rarely miss a game and a gym that’s full of historically great games.

Every Friday night, there was hardly ever an open seat in sight within William S. Johnson Arena. If you got there within 30 minutes of tip off, you’d be forced to sit in the nosebleeds. Now, it’s hard to find a bad seat in the gym with at least 50-percent of the seats unoccupied.

Red Devil basketball is something that people used to take huge pride in.

All of that seemed to end after the last star player, Darryl Baker, graduated four years ago in 2013. Head coach Chad Gilbert accepted the athletic director position at Charlestown High School and a team that consisted of three all-conference players ended up barely reaching .500 for their overall record.

In 2015, Joe Luce was hired to take the reigns over. After inheriting a roster full of seniors, Luce went 19-13 in his first season.

“I wouldn’t have taken the job if I didn’t think Jeff could win a state championship again,” Luce told The Hyphen in 2015.

But more importantly, Luce has shown the passion to revive the once-powerhouse program. This season, the unranked Red Devils opened the season with a win over the seventh-ranked Southport Cardinals in front of a crowd that barely filled up the bottom section of the gym.

The Lady Red Devils are also having a fantastic season. After playing an extremely tough schedule to kick-off the year, they have already posted a win over Bedford North Lawerence, their first win over the Lady Stars since the 2010-11 season — the same year Jeffersonville won the state championship.

Again, the gym for that game had more open seats than filled ones.

This year officially marks the beginning of a new era of Red Devil basketball. Both teams are succeeding with young talent who show nothing but pride in putting on a Jeffersonville uniform.

They deserve a sold out gym or even 75-percent capacity, but will the fans return?