Strong dipped into his deep Florida ties again and loaded up his third class with another group of highly touted defenders to add to a young team that will return 18 starters and started 11 different freshmen last year.

“We started down in Miami. We worked from Miami to West Palm (Beach) from West Palm to Port. St. Lucie, to Orlando up to Valdosta, (Ga.) up to Savannah back down to Lake City,” Strong said Wednesday. “That was a trip. I told Hurtt, I don’t know if I can drive around with him that much the way that man drives. It was a fun trip.”

A worthwhile one, too.

Strong signed 10 players from Florida in his 24-man class headlined by linebackers Keith Brown and Nick Dawson.

“That’s a position that we do need help right now,” Strong said.

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Brown received more than 30 offers from BCS schools and had originally committed to Miami and Illinois before choosing Louisville and enrolling in January. He’ll likely be an inside linebacker with the 6-foot-3, 228-pound Dawson on the outside. Strong said his two other freshman linebackers — James Burgess Jr. and Lamar Atkins — would be in the mix for playing time.

Louisville’s class ranked between second and fifth in the Big East among the major recruiting websites and between 38th and 46th nationally among the 120 teams in the FBS. The new group includes six defensive linemen and five offensive linemen.

“The game is won up front so you have to go and get your offensive and defensive linemen because that’s where it all starts at,” Strong said. “You can go find a skill guy, they’re everywhere, but it’s always hard to get those offensive and defensive linemen.”

In the last three years, Strong has signed 15 offensive linemen, and this group includes some of the biggest yet with Abraham Garcia weighing in at 345 pounds, DeAndre Herron at 340 and Joe Manely at 335. All three are 6-foot-5 or taller.

Strong again had his greatest success in the Miami area, the region he also recruited when he was on the staff at Florida during two national titles. Atkins, Brown, Burgess Jr., Garcia, defensive back Gerod Holliman, running back Brandon Radcliff, defensive tackle Pedro Sibiea and defensive back Brandon Snell all are from Miami or the surrounding areas.

Two more Florida natives — tight end Gerald Christian and wide receiver Robert Clark — transferred from the Gators to play at Louisville.

Louisville’s big showing led one national recruiting site to say one of the best turf wars for talent ongoing right now was between Strong’s coaching staff and the hometown Hurricanes.

“Probably the reason they why rated Louisville versus Miami is because we went to Miami and got some really good players,” Strong said. “We’re going to recruit who they recruit, so whoever wins that young man over then that’s where he’s going to end up going to school.”

Louisville’s roster already has heavy Florida ties and Strong mentioned four of last year’s freshmen who grew up in Miami area, including quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who made a major impact for the Cardinals.

“When (Florida recruits) see their success, they’re looking at it, ‘hey, I can go there and I can play and I have a chance to go be successful myself,’” Strong said.

A waste-hauling truck struck a Louisville City School System school bus Wednesday morning near the Louisville Street and Broadway Avenue NE intersection.

There were no injuries, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol, which investigated the incident.

The bus had been eastbound on Louisville Street NE and stopped in traffic at about 7:10 a.m. Wednesday when it was struck in the rear by the Republic Services truck, according to state troopers.

The truck reportedly had been southbound on Broadway Avenue NE and was making a left turn onto Louisville Street NE. The truck driver was cited with failure to maintain control.

Officials with the Louisville City School System were not available late Wednesday morning to provide details regarding the number of passengers on the school bus.

One of the men, identified by police as 21-year-old Haris Boskailo, pulled a gun and took the victim’s cell phone, $30 in cash as well as the pizza and the pizza delivery bag.

At a sophomore chemistry class at Assumption High School you won’t see any textbooks in the classroom. Instead students are using Tablet PCs furnished by the school.

It is one of two classes using the technology this year.  “We are hoping to prepare the girls for the 21st Century,” says Joyce Koch, Assumption’s technology director.

Next school year all freshmen and sophomores at Assumption will be using the technology, with the entire student body eventually to be included.  “Right now we are training all of the teachers,” says Koch. “We are giving them time to experiment to see where it fits into their lessons.”

Educators says the technology offers a variety of benefits from scratchpad features for note-taking and book marking to the ability to immediately send quizzes and homework to teachers.

Students seem to like the new technology. “I love it because it is a lot easier to keep up in class,” says sophomore chemistry student Eliza Hill. “The teacher puts the notes up on the board and we can do it at our own pace.”

Student Tori Shaper adds, “In the future our teacher is going to send us videos, so instead of sitting in class and watching from the board, we can watch on the computer right in front of us.”

Other high schools are moving forward in the technology revolution. St. Xavier High says after significant research and study all members of its incoming freshman class in the fall of 2012 will be getting an iPad.  “We chose to roll it out with the freshman class so we can practice the impact on the building,” says St. Xavier President Perry Sangalli, ”and to train a small group of teachers so we can use the technology well.”

St. Xavier Assistant Principal Frank Espinosa says the new technology won’t replace textbooks right away but likely will eventually.

“Just ask a kid to take a backpack home and  read a book.” says Espinosa. “That is not something our kids want to do, but they want to deal with technology and use the iPad.”

Woodford County High in central Kentucky has become the state’s first public high school to give each of its students an iPad for instruction.

Most of the educators who spoke with WDRB News agree that even with the most modern devices at hand, students still need the basics of a solid curriculum and skilled teachers, but the world of high school is definitely changing.

Alicia Cropper was the only Providence player to reach double figures, pacing the Friars (10-9, 2-4) with 14 points. Leading scorer Teya Wright managed just three points, 10 below her season average.

Many blaming Rick Pitino, questioning his oversight, including the offense, substitution patterns, practice sessions, Pitino Fans heavily invested in Louisville basketballhis recruiting shortcomings. Even Denny Crum getting into the act Wednesday, wondering whether Pitino works his players too hard. Whether it’s appropriate or not for a former coach to be criticizing his replacement can be debated but it’s out there.

Protesters filed a lawsuit to keep the city from evicting them and their tents from Founder’s Square, but a judge moved that suit to federal court.

The group is still working to reach a deal with the city.  The Department of Codes and Regulations met Thursday morning.  It’s asking Occupy organizers to make applications for where they want to be, along with specific numbers of campers and tents.

Jim Mims, the Director of Codes and Regulations, says, “That’s what we’re going to try to access.  Is this little park adequate enough for their event, or are there other places that may be more accommodating, not only in terms of Louisville and also in terms of restoring this park.”

The city wants to ban tents and make it a daytime-only demonstration.  Occupy members believe that infringes on their rights to free speech and assembly.

In December of 2004, her son, 23-year-old Troy Todd, was shot and killed outside a vacant home on Marrett Street in Louisville.

“I’ve heard different stories, you know, witnesses stating that he had an argument and then there was gunshots,” says Todd.

But none of that has ever led to an arrest. That’s why Todd still keeps her family members and the Bible close.

After several years, her son’s case had gone cold, but in 2009 a tip helped generate new leads.

“They know who it was, but they said that the only reason why they can’t do anything is because there is no gun.”

“In this case, we did have an individual that came forward and gave us some information back in 2009, which gave us enough information to help point to a person of interest, but obviously not enough to make an arrest,” says Lt. Barry Wilkerson, Metro Homicide Commander.

Wilkerson says there are several hundred cold case murders dating back to the 1960s.

“We do have a cold case squad that is attempting to sort through those, and I think we’ve–in the last couple of years–developed a lot better system in tracking those down.”

And the system seems to be working.

Last year, nine cold case murders were solved, fifteen were solved in 2010, and they solved ten in 2009. DaWanda Todd hops the same thing will happen with her son’s murder.

My friends, this Georgetown team is for real and proof of that came at the Yum Center on Wednesday. Let’s remember that the Hoyas were picked 10th in the Big East preseason poll. Next week you may see Georgetown in the top 10 of the national rankings.

You may not have heard enough about Otto Porter, Markel Starks or Henry Sims, but these guys played like all-world performers against the Cardinals.

Initial tests showed no ligament damage in the knee, but the school said a knee specialist determined the injury to Reid’s cartilage and bone was season ending. She will have surgery on Jan. 4.

Louisville coach Jeff Walz says Reid’s injury is a big blow to the team, but that they cannot use it as an excuse in Big East play. Reid averaged 13.1 points and 5.3 rebounds a game and was a preseason first-team all-conference pick.

The Cardinals (11-2) lost guard Tia Gibbs to a season-ending right shoulder injury earlier this year.

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