Salon.com > Bruce Schreiner

Investor buys Muhammad Ali’s childhood home

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 17:09:00 +0000

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A fan of Muhammad Ali has acquired an important piece of memorabilia: the boxing legend's boyhood home.

Louisville Realtor Dave Lambrechts told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Las Vegas real estate investor Jared Weiss closed on the property the day before. He said Weiss paid $70,000 for the small white house with a sagging front porch overhang in a western Louisville neighborhood made up of mostly neat, modest homes.

"The guy's a huge Ali fan, and that's what kind of spurred this," Lambrechts said.

The home already has a state historical marker out front recognizing the residence as the home of Ali when he was a boy named Cassius Clay. The marker says Ali lived in the mostly black neighborhood with his parents and brother and attended local public schools.

It was at the home where the future boxing champion's "values were instilled," the marker says.

"Ali's childhood home is really symbolic for the area," Lambrechts said.

Churchill Downs creating new level: ‘The Mansion’

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 18:47:03 +0000

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Move over, Millionaire's Row: Churchill Downs is preparing fancier digs to cater to the rich and famous at the Kentucky Derby.

Track officials announced $9 million in renovations on Tuesday, highlighted by a new ultra-exclusive section called The Mansion. Perched on the sixth floor of the clubhouse, it will overlook the finish line and offer panoramic views, along with red carpet arrival, a private elevator, butler and concierge services, access to a private wine cellar and meals made to order.

"It is absolutely an unparalleled experience," track President Kevin Flanery said. "It is an experience a notch above anything else that's ever been offered at Churchill."

The renovation could bring a fresh infusion of more blue-bloods and well-to-do spectators to an event already known as much for its high fashion and celebrities as the horse race.

The 138th rendition of the Derby drew a record crowd of 165,307 people this year. The crowd features an eclectic mix of T-shirt-wearing race fans who swarm the sweaty infield, to more gentrified fans in suits, sun dresses and elaborate hats.

The Mansion will open in time for next year's Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, track officials said.

Churchill Downs hit hard by possible twister

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 10:50:00 +0000

Churchill Downs workers scrambled to corral horses driven from their collapsing barns when a possible tornado hit the famed Kentucky Derby horse track and officials must to decide when races can resume after several buildings including the chapel were damaged.

The National Weather Service has not confirmed that a tornado it was tracking on radar did the damage Wednesday night or whether it was gusting straight-line winds.

But eyewitnesses playing in a Texas Hold 'em poker tournament at the track said they saw the rotation in the clouds and then saw swirling winds touch down along the backstretch and skip diagonally through the barn area, Churchill Downs spokesman John Asher said.

"Clearly in their eyes it was a tornado," he said.

No races are run on Wednesdays this time of year. But besides the poker tournament, people were watching a simulcast of races from other tracks and some workers live in apartments above the damaged barns. Still, officials had no reports of injuries to humans or horses. Some minor injuries were reported elsewhere in Louisville that was inundated by torrential rains that caused flash flooding.

“Thank you for suing us” — Taco Bell fights back on beef lawsuit with ad push

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:10:00 +0000

Taco Bell is launching an advertising campaign Friday to fight back against a lawsuit charging its taco filling isn't beef.

The fast-food chain placed full-page print ads in Friday's editions of the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times and other papers as well as online ads to "set the record straight," company President Greg Creed told The Associated Press.

The print ads say, in huge letters, "Thank you for suing us. Here's the truth about our seasoned beef." They go on to outline the meat's ingredients. The chain did not say how much it is spending on the campaign, but such ads in national newspapers can cost more than $100,000.

The class-action lawsuit was filed late last week in federal court in California. It claimed Taco Bell falsely advertised its products as "beef." The suit alleges that the fast-food chain actually uses a meat mixture in its burritos and tacos that contains binders and extenders and does not meet requirements set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be labeled beef.

Taco Bell quickly denied the accusation. "The lawsuit is bogus and filled with completely inaccurate facts," Taco Bell President Creed said in an interview.

Rand Paul: Medicaid has turned into welfare

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 21:24:00 +0000

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul says Medicaid has turned into "intergenerational welfare," saying coverage has spread beyond those truly in need.

The tea party favorite, who is running against Democrat Jack Conway, spoke to a Kentucky business group Monday.

When asked about Medicaid, Paul said the health coverage should be temporary until people can help themselves. But he acknowledged some need long-term assistance.

Paul says too many people are receiving the insurance who don't really need it, noting half the state's births are covered by it.

Kentucky has about 57,000 births per year, and Medicaid covers about half of them, according to Gwenda Bond, a spokeswoman for the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

About 800,000 people are covered under Medicaid in the state.

Rand Paul floats Social Security age rise

Sun, 03 Oct 2010 17:38:00 +0000

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul said Sunday the age of eligibility for Social Security and Medicare may need to be raised for future recipients.

But Paul, speaking during the first televised debate of the general election season with Democratic opponent Jack Conway, said he doesn't want to change those benefits for older people already receiving them. The debate was aired on "Fox News Sunday."

"But we do have to admit that we have the baby boom generation getting ready to retire, and we're going to double the amount of retirees," Paul said. "And to put our head in the sand and just say we're just going to keep borrowing more money is not going to work. There will have to be changes for the younger generation."

Major issues of the race thus far have been spending, taxes and the size of government.

Paul is a favorite of the tea party with his positions for smaller government and a balanced budget. Conway, the state's attorney general, has also appealed to conservatives, describing himself as a fiscally responsible Democrat who understands why voters are frustrated about rising federal spending.

Paul and Republican leaders have tried to paint Conway as a clone of the Obama administration.

Rand Paul: Obama jabs at BP could put company out of business

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:32:00 +0000

Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul said Thursday that harsh criticism of BP by President Barack Obama's administration could contribute to the oil giant's demise and harm its ability to pay for cleanup of the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The comments came in response to blistering criticism by Democratic opponent Jack Conway at their first appearance together. Conway blasted Paul for saying in late May that Obama's stance toward BP was un-American and anti-business. Those and other comments by Paul led to a backlash at the time that caused the Republican to retreat from the national scene for a couple of weeks.

Paul said Thursday that BP should pay for the Gulf cleanup, but that Obama administration's sharp rhetoric could help imperil the company.

"I don't want them to go out of business when they can't pay for the mess, and that's what that kind of rhetoric could do," he said. "I want BP to be in business so it can afford to pay for the mess."

BP said this week it has spent $3.12 billion so far in response to the spill, including attempting to contain oil, paying claims and reimbursing the U.S. and local governments. By comparison, BP posted $17 billion in profit from its vast operations around the globe last year.

Forbes to host fundraiser for Rand Paul

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:36:00 +0000

Kentucky Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul is taking his tea party-backed campaign to New York City for a fundraiser hosted by former GOP presidential candidate and multimillionaire Steve Forbes.

Paul campaign manager Jesse Benton says the $1,000-per-person event is set for Monday.

Forbes was an early supporter of Paul, who bucked the state's GOP establishment to win the Senate nomination in May. Forbes is a wealthy publisher who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 1996 and 2000. He campaigned on a platform that included a flat tax, medical savings accounts, parental choice of schools and term limits.

Paul raised $1.1 million in campaign cash during a three-month reporting period that ended June 30.

Paul is running against Democrat Jack Conway for the seat of GOP Sen. Jim Bunning, who is retiring.

Rand Paul raises over $1 million in 3 months

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:22:00 +0000

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul of Kentucky raised $1.1 million in the three months overlapping his primary victory and the start of the fall campaign, marking his best fundraising performance yet.

The money taken up between April and June was slightly higher than the amount Paul collected in the third quarter of last year, when he edged past $1 million in contributions, the Paul campaign said Thursday. The tea party favorite exceeded $600,000 in contributions in each of the prior two quarters.

The recent quarter included a final push for cash before Kentucky's late May primary, when Paul easily beat Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson for the GOP nomination. It also gave an early glimpse of Paul's fundraising prowess ahead of the November vote.

Paul campaign official David Adams told The Associated Press that contributions to Paul, a Bowling Green eye doctor, poured in from "regular people who just want the government to balance the federal budget and follow the U.S. Constitution."

But the amount also included money raised from a high-profile fundraiser last week hosted by Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, a fellow Kentuckian, at the National Republican Senatorial Committee in Washington. Tickets went for $1,000 per person, with sponsorships up to $5,000 per group.

Newest fast food ad space: Indiana fire hydrants

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:12:56 +0000

Fast-food chain KFC is giving two Indiana cities $7,500 so it can emblazon founder Colonel Sanders' face on their hydrants and fire extinguishers to promote new "fiery" chicken wings.

Experts say to expect more ads like this, on public property from sewer grates to the local landfill, as companies look to cut through the clutter of traditional advertising. Cash-strapped governments have long sold space on mass transit, benches, trash cans and other public property to help stretch budgets.

KFC told Indianapolis and nearby Brazil, Ind., it wanted to improve their fire safety by helping pay for new hydrants and extinguishers in exchange for advertising on them. The company plans to e-mail a national network of mayors on Wednesday to find three more cities to participate in the approximately $15,000, monthlong effort, which began Tuesday.

Alternative marketing efforts like this have been growing as people become immune to advertising in print, outdoors and on television, said Allen Adamson, managing director of branding firm Landor Associates in New York.

"I think it's the tip of an iceberg of things to come as marketers struggle to find places to reach consumers and as cities look for ways to squeeze more dollars," Adamson said.