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Blake Hall

@blakeshall.bsky.social
162 followers 385 following 171 posts

Rubyist in Lexington that wants more housing and safer streets. Lover of tinkering and video games. Cover photo by @ryanhermens.bsky.social‬

PostsRepliesMedia
Blake Hall @blakeshall.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
I kinda want a cargo bike icon tattoo…
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Adrian Paul Bryant @adrianpbryant.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This story - an interview with a woman who lives in one of the 60+ condemned apartments in Cardinal Valley owned by a PA company - went up the morning I got laid off. I forgot to put it here, but I hope you all will read what is most likely my last big story. www.kentucky.com/news/local/a...
kentucky.com
‘A total nightmare.’ Inside condemned Lexington apartment owned by troubled landlords
“I played by every rule while a massive corporate landlord broke them all and destroyed my home,” she said of her condemned apartment.
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Blake Hall @blakeshall.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Can Lexington and Central Kentucky support a local newspaper? How many people won’t notice (because they haven’t said anything about it themselves) and will just keep subscribing to the hollow shell that remains?
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Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Did you guys know that a widely used transportation technology is encouraging Americans to prioritize speed and convenience over physical activity, with grave consequences for public health? It's called an e-scooter and it's time to finally do something about it.
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Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
You're the dean of a public health department and *this* is the first time you've thought about America's built environment? www.forbes.com/sites/bernad...
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Steven Lucy @slucy.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Well that's pretty convincing data.
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Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
It was inevitable that reactionary centrists would turn against harm reduction and call for a return to mass incarceration
theatlantic.com
The Cities That Said Yes to Drugs
Policies that gave addicts clean needles and places to use drugs were intended to reduce harm. They created a “zombie apocalypse.”
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Lexington Herald-Leader @kentucky.com · 30/07/2026
The Chicago-based student living company has submitted a zone change request and development plan to the city to build a new apartment complex.
bit.ly
New 10-story student apartment complex proposed for High Street
The Chicago-based student living company has submitted a zone change request and development plan to the city to build a new apartment complex.
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Lexington Herald-Leader @kentucky.com · 30/07/2026
YMCA president Paula Anderson said members will be given a 60-day notice before the location closes.
bit.ly
YMCA seeks demolition permit for downtown Lexington location. It’s not closing just yet
YMCA president Paula Anderson said members will be given a 60-day notice before the location closes.
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Lexington Herald-Leader @kentucky.com · 30/07/2026
A recent amendment to the KY Open Records Act is being used by police to conceal where they put Flock cameras.
bit.ly
KY police conceal Flock camera locations under open records law amendment
A recent amendment to the KY Open Records Act is being used by police to conceal where they put Flock cameras.
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Blake Hall @blakeshall.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
There's always something so satisfying about seeing something you committed to OpenStreetMap show up in another app/site.
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Blake Hall @blakeshall.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Neighborhood up in arms over a by right 8 unit apartment building. The landlord sucks but so many people are just complaining about the concept of apartments and tenants. Even though we already have similar buildings. Nice to see more defenders though, overton window seems to be moving...
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an appliance is making a weird noise that isn't on youtube @jesseltaylor.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
as a committed centrist, it saddens me that both parties are falling captive to their extremes - the right to insurrectionist cultists who want to invade american cities, and the left to socialists who want better bus service
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eek @eke.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
this is so insane
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Oliver Moore @oliver-moore.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
If the kind of "new social norm" he favours is akin to the way we've normalised and accepted 1.2M road traffic deaths globally every year, well, I do have some concerns
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Lexington Herald-Leader @kentucky.com · 17/06/2026
If approved, the new Complete Streets Design Manual would require city streets to have wider sidewalks and protected bike lanes.
bit.ly
Lexington streets could look very different, and be safer, under new design guide
If approved, the new Complete Streets Design Manual would require city streets to have wider sidewalks and protected bike lanes.
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Brandon - "Fietser" @americanfietser.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
My daughter is fighting her nap with the same furiosity as a "concerned citizen" against bike lanes at a neighborhood meeting who hasn't ridden a bike since 1958.
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WKYT @wkyt.com · 09/06/2026
A major donor is suing officials from the non-profit that operates Gatton Park on Town Branch ⬇️
wkyt.com
Donor sues Gatton Park, alleges water play area not named after late son
In a suit filed last Thursday in Fayette County Circuit Court, Susan Naylor, the president of the Will Smith Foundation, alleges that Town Branch Inc. Executive Director Allison Lankford and Capital Campaign Director Ben Shaffar defrauded her of $ 800,000 and did not consult her on the signage near the play area despite agreeing to do so.
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
New research examines Waymo's California robotaxi trips btw Aug 2023 and Dec 2025. Conclusion: 46% of miles driven involved no one inside the car. That's 40 million miles of deadheading, with Waymo vehicles using road space w/o transporting a human. doi.org/10.32866/001...
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Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
In addition to being super convenient to have shops near you, the amount of times you run into neighbours and community is amazing - something you don't really get when you have to drive.
a corner convenient store
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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
hazard pay for our beaver comrades or we're striking
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Miriam Posner @miriamposner.com · 23/05/2026
www.theringer.com/2026/05/22/n... jesus THANK YOU
1. "They were blocking my path." Not an excuse!
2. "They were touching my car." Not an excuse!
3. "They disagreed with my politics." Not an excuse!
4. "They were rude to me." Not an excuse!
5. "They kept asking me hard questions and filming me with their phones, and I'm a powerful man who's used to being treated with deference." Buddy! You cannot ram your Cadillac into a pedestrian just because you're an easily flustered rich guy! This is so obvious!
At least, I used to think it was obvious. That was before the president of Cornell backed his car into a group of students and got away with it scot-free.
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Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 23/05/2026
I wrote about why governments must stop relying upon Facebook and X/Twitter to communicate vital disaster information to the public a while back - unfortunately, this issue is only getting worse. You can do something about it: write to your local authorities and demand they change their approach.
little-flying-robots.ghost.io
We Have to Stop Using Facebook and X to Warn People About Disasters
In the early morning hours of July 4th, as the Guadalupe River reached catastrophic heights, city officials in Kerr County, Texas turned to an all-too familiar mechanism for getting the word out to ar...
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Lexington Herald-Leader @kentucky.com · 21/05/2026
An online survey on the future of Winchester Road will be available until June 20.
bit.ly
Got thoughts on how to improve Winchester Road? The city wants to hear from you.
An online survey on the future of Winchester Road will be available until June 20.
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Prof. Ian Walker @ianwalker.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
The private car is an inefficient mode of transport in urban areas. Behold the hospital car park outside our office
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Blake Hall @blakeshall.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
“As part of its agreement with the city, Town Branch Park has pledged that the portion of the Town Branch Trail that goes through the park will remain open to the public regardless of private programming in the park.” So that was just a lie then.
kentucky.com
Construction update on Lexington’s new $39 million ‘living room,’ set to open in 2025
Town Branch Park, a $39 million park in downtown Lexington, will be built over the next 18 months. Fundraising for the park will continue throughout 2024.
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Blake Hall @blakeshall.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
So Gatton Park, the big new private park in downtown Lexington, is closing the Town Branch Trail, a major bike path that connects downtown to the distillery district, again. I was told that during the park's design phase, the city told them they expected the trail to be open 24/7/365.
A screen shot of a facebook post from Gatton Park On The Town Branch saying that a portion of the Town Branch Trail will be closed Friday, May 15 and Saturday May 16 and asking people to detour around the park using Main St and Oliver Lewis Way. There is a map showing the closure and detour.
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Blake Hall @blakeshall.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
My wife got one of these AI written "personal" emails. It's creepy as hell. Most people would be turned off if someone manually researched them and then sent them a letter, it's worse when it was automated by a program. I wouldn't trust a candidate that thought this was "good"
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Blake Hall @blakeshall.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Lexington makes it illegal to play basketball in the street. Just a blanket ban, no considerations for local streets or even cul de sacs #urbanism #urbanplanning
Screenshot of Lexinton KY's ordinances saying: "Sec. 17-27. - Playing ball in street.
No person shall play baseball, football or any other game of ball upon any street within the urban county; and any person violating this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined not more than ten dollars ($10.00) nor less than one dollar ($1.00) for each offense. "
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Blake Hall @blakeshall.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Would love it if any of the social sites allowed you to mute keywords on a per account basis. This is mainly coming from having to sift through "local" news sites which constantly mix in random stories from around the country. This would also be solved with per category RSS feeds on their sites...
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Quality bike lanes can magically create new cyclists out of thin air. "The installation of protected and buffered bicycle lanes was consistently and significantly associated with increased bicycle commuting." doi.org/10.1177/0361...
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Blake Hall @blakeshall.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
It always astounds me how bad Facebook recommended posts are. Because I interact with local bike/ped posts, businesses, and council members it regularly shows me council posts or new bike lane announcements from far away cities
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Blake Hall @blakeshall.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
So not only are they widening an arterial, they a closing a major shared use trail for an undetermined amount of time… www.kentucky.com/news/local/a...
kentucky.com
Heads up: Long-term closure planned for Lexington’s Legacy Trail
The construction project affecting Newtown Pike and the Legacy Trail is expected to be completed by the spring of 2027.
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Blake Hall @blakeshall.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
This church blocked a parking spot with a traffic cone to avoid disturbing this mama duck
A traffic cone in a parking spot in front of a group of bushesA duck nestled inside of a bush next to a sidewalk and parking lot
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FinjaReloaded @finjareloaded.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
given how many horses I'd own if I could just ask the city to provide a place for them, that's probably a sensible approach
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Jennie @unabridgedopinions.com · 19/03/2026
Watch the little legs kick when the train goes by! That baby loves those trains.
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Then there is deadheading: AVs driving around empty b/c they’re en route to a pickup, waiting to be summoned, or heading toward a charging station. In the SF Bay Area, just under half of Waymo’s miles driven has been deadheading.
thedriverlessdigest.com
What CPUC Data Reveals About Waymo’s Deadheading and Utilization
Waymo has been racking up some major milestones lately.
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Blake Hall @blakeshall.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Best coffee shop cat #cats
A black and brown tabby cat sleeping on a leather chair in a coffee shop
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karenrambo.bsky.social @karenrambo.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
This is hands down the best thing that you will read all day. And if someone doesn’t put out a t-shirt that has a picture of a dolphin on it with the caption, “You don’t question Gerald”, then what are we even doing here?
Amazing Feed • Follow
1d • O
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FORT MYERS, FL -- FLORIDA MAN FOUND SUNBURNED AND DISORIENTED ON SANIBEL CAUSEWAY CLAIMING HE WAS "KIDNAPPED BY DOLPHINS AND FORCED TO BUILD AN UNDERWATER CITY"
Lee County Sheriff's deputies responded to the Sanibel Causeway early Monday after a motorist reported a man standing on the shoulder "soaking wet and drawing blueprints in the sand."
According to the police report, Ricky James Hollowell, 33, was found barefoot, severely sunburned, and wearing only swim trunks. He told deputies he had been
"taken against his will by a pod of dolphins 3 days ago" and forced to work on what he called "an underwater construction project."
According to Hollowell and the police report:
Hollowell claimed the dolphins approached him while he was swimming off Fort Myers Beach and "escorted him to a site approximately 40 feet below the surface" where they needed help building structures
He told officers the dolphins communicated through "a series of clicks that he eventually learned to interpret" and that the project foreman was a dolphin he referred to as "Gerald"
When asked how he breathed underwater for 3 days he said "Gerald handled that. I didn't ask questions. You don't question Gerald"
He had drawn an elaborate blueprint in the sand that deputies described as "detailed enough to be concerning" including what appeared to be condos, a town square, and a recreation center
He told officers he was released because "the dolphins were satisfied with his work" but that Gerald said
"they'd be back for phase two"
Responding deputy Shawn Oakley told reporters: "I've been with the sheriff's office 11 years. The blueprints were the part that got me. He had zoning."
Hollowell was transported for medical evaluation. Gerald was unavailable for comment.
Some men build cities on land. Ricky Hollowell claims he built one underwater for dolphins and honestly the blueprints were hard to argue with.Picture of a man with short brown hair and a sunburned face with the Caption “Florida man claims he was kidnapped by dolphins and forced to build and underwater city.
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Blake Hall @blakeshall.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
One phone call with the ISP and I've doubled my down speed to 2Gbps and cut $20 off my monthly bill
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Matt Hutchins AIA @matthutchins.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
If you’re pushing housing in lowrise n’hoods, eliminating useless sideyards is the unlock for the urban design everybody says they want. In exchange for sideyards that no one uses, you get better units, lush interior courtyards, space for trees and play, higher density and lower energy use.
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Brandon - "Fietser" @americanfietser.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Rising gas prices hate this one weird urban trick.
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mattie lubchansky @mattielubchansky.com · 02/03/2026
so uncivil | patreon.com/lubchansky
PANEL 1: The IMPORTANT PUNDIT is standing on a soapbox with a megaphone on the street. One or two people are watching. He motions with his thumb behind himself.
PUNDIT: Hello! WHAT IF Mattie had all of "her" skin ripped off in one big piece like a clementine? 
PUNDIT: This is "its" house by the way!

PANEL 2: MATTIE, sitting on her couch with a book. The voice from the megaphone comes from outside.
VO: What if someone did that. Just if anyone has a big knife, for doing the thing I talked about. I'm just wondering aloud!

PANEL 3: MATTIE leans out the window, yelling.
MATTIE: Get bent, asshole!

PANEL 4: Back on the PUNDIT. everyone is raising a knife of some sort.
PUNDIT: Can you believe that language?
PERSON IN CROWD: SO uncivil.
PERSON IN CROWD: Let's go up there with our blades
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WKYT @wkyt.com · 25/02/2026
Robert Alan Glover said he is relying on the community to come forward with information to prevent a similar incident from happening to someone else. Details: www.wkyt.com/2026/02/25/lexington-m… 
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Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Quick Reference.
ROVÉLO CREATIVE'S GUIDE TO
Cyclist Visibility

BIke stencil Visible
bike stencil behind a dash - invisible

invisible unless rolling through a stop sign
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Blake Hall @blakeshall.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
A side project I've been working on: A map of bike and pedestrian collisions in Lexington, KY in 2025: projects.blakeshall.com/bike-ped/ind... Still needs polish, but once I have the design pinned down, I plan on adding more years. #visionzero #completestreets #urbanism
projects.blakeshall.com
Lexington Bike/Ped Collisions 2025
An interactive map of all reported 2025 bike and pedestrian collisions in Lexington, KY
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Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Driver Perfectly Describes Pedestrian They Couldn't See.
woman talking to a cop beside a car
Driver Perfectly Describes
Pedestrian They Couldn't See.
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Lexington Herald-Leader @kentucky.com · 18/02/2026
The gas leak left a 62-year-old man dead last July.
bit.ly
Lexington fined apartment complex owner after fatal gas leak. The company hasn’t paid
The gas leak left a 62-year-old man dead last July.
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Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Scoop: Ring's CEO told staff Search Party is not going to be just for dogs, according to a leaked email I obtained. Said it is "first for finding dogs" before suggesting it would be expanded to be used for crime: www.404media.co/leaked-email...
404media.co
Leaked Email Suggests Ring Plans to Expand ‘Search Party’ Surveillance Beyond Dogs
Ring's CEO told staff the feature is “first for finding dogs,” indicating a plan to expand.
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