The DeVone Holt Show

DeVone Holt

DeVone Holt has spent his career in rooms where decisions are made — and he has spent even more time in the neighborhoods where those decisions land.  The DeVone Holt Show brings those two worlds together and places them at the same microphone. That means it’s not uncommon to hear the politician and the voter, the developer and the activist, or the democrat and the republican on the same episode. No shouting, no gotcha. Just straight questions, room to answer, and a commitment to follow up with real solutions.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    NIL, the Transfer Portal, and Louisville's Pro Team Dreams: Kendrick Haskins Breaks Down College Sports

    DeVone welcomes WAVE 3 Sports Director Kendrick Haskins for a deep dive into college athletics — UK and UofL football's early season, why the transfer portal hits mid-tier high school prospects hardest, how NIL money is reshaping who plays where and whether Louisville could finally support an NBA or NFL franchise after years of near-misses. Haskins also shares candid insight on Mark Pope's tenure at Kentucky, U of L's breakout freshman class and the disconnect between former Cardinal stars and the program. Also this episode: Aukram Burton, Executive Director of the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage, previews Jubilation: Ambassadors on a Sacred Journey — a new exhibit on the Fisk Jubilee Singers opening September 18th and running through February.  DeVone also opens the show reflecting on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, sounding the alarm on an underreported warning from AI researchers about existential risk and calling out President Trump's promise of $5,000 checks tied to the midterms for exactly what it is. 📞 Community Voice Hotline (sponsored by Harper Slade): 502-800-5432  🔗 More at DeVoneHolt.com Support the show

  2. Sep 7

    'Our City Is Not Safe' — Guns, Flock Cameras, and What It Will Actually Take to Stop Youth Violence - interview with Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins

    This week, DeVone continues last week's conversation on youth violence with Metro Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins of District 1, who made headlines declaring Louisville "is not safe" after 16-year-old Dannady Greene was shot and killed at a bus stop while trying to run from a fight she didn't want.  Hawkins doesn't hold back on (1) the trouble with Kentucky refusing to destroy recovered firearms, (2) why grassroots organizations doing real prevention work get buried in red tape while the city's budget leans overwhelmingly toward policing, (3) why people with lived experience (including police records) are often blocked from being part of the solution, and (4) her practical proposal to move school bus stops closer to churches. DeVone also presses her on what actually solved the Dannady Greene school-bus-shooting case — a flock camera, or people in the community — and gets a clear answer. Also this episode: DeVone reflects on Labor Day and the 600,000+ Black women who've lost jobs since the current administration took office, celebrates the diversity on display at Louisville's WorldFest and welcomes debut author Ronnie Dickerson Stewart, who joins from Atlanta to talk about her new book Work Life Remix ahead of its Louisville launch event on September 16th at the University Club. 📞 Community Voice Hotline (sponsored by Harper Slade): 502-800-5432 🔗 More at DeVoneHolt.com Support the show

  3. Aug 31

    "'We Play Politics With Our Kids' Lives': Anthony Smith on Fixing Youth Violence in Louisville"

    This week's show centers on the conversation cities can no longer afford to avoid: youth violence. Days after a 15-year-old girl was shot at a Jefferson County Public School bus stop in Louisville, DeVone sits down with Anthony Smith, Executive Director of Cities United and the architect of Louisville's first violence prevention office, to talk about what's actually driving the numbers up and why.  Smith (1) makes the case that Louisville's public safety budget still overwhelmingly favors policing over prevention, (2) breaks down the real dollar cost of every homicide and shooting, and (3) lays out concrete steps residents can take right now to become part of the solution.  DeVone also shares raw Community Voice Hotline calls from Antonio T-Made Taylor and Kimberly Moore, both frontline voices in this fight, plus reaction from JCPS Superintendent Dr. Brian Yearwood's press conference this week. Also in this episode: DeVone remembers Dolly Parton and what her legacy meant to Kentucky kids, addresses the troubling pattern of Black Americans found hanging in Southern states this year, welcomes Dr. Keith Look to the JCPS board, and has a few things to say about a certain NFL team owner's very bad week. 📞 Community Voice Hotline (sponsored by Harper Slade): 502-800-5432  🔗 More at DeVoneHolt.com Support the show

  4. Aug 26 ·  Bonus

    Bonus: Two Watchdogs' Warnings on Data Centers — The Interview That Didn't Make Air

    Never-before-heard content: Before Saturday's live data center debate, DeVone sat down with community watchdog Jeff Cavalcanti, who's spent months tracking Metro Council's handling of data center proposals. Jeff lays out the concerns that didn't make it into the broadcast — the low-frequency noise hum from hyperscale facilities, discharge water carrying heavy metals into a sewer system already under a consent decree, and a projected electricity draw equivalent to nearly 400,000 homes, roughly the size of Louisville itself. Jeff also makes the case for why he believes Jefferson County, given its density, may not be the right place for these facilities at all — and what he'd want to see if it moves forward anyway. This bonus episode also includes a raw Community Voice Hotline message from a listener named Nancy, who shares her own environmental and economic concerns about data centers moving in near her home in Kentucky. Her concerns range from "forever chemicals" in discharge water to the impact on local wildlife and pollinators. This is exclusive, first-time-public content straight from the Community Voice Hotline, sponsored by Harper Slade Advisors. 🔗 More at DeVoneHolt.com Support the show

  5. Aug 26 ·  Bonus

    Bonus: The Full Stacey Griggs Interview — Data Centers, Fact vs. Fear

    Before Stacy Griggs joined DeVone in the studio alongside Ken Shapero for Saturday's on-air data center debate, the two did an extended one-on-one telephone interview — and there was too much good material to leave on the cutting room floor.  In this bonus episode, Stacy (Louisville entrepreneur, co-founder of El Toro and AboutBit, and a 20-year veteran of building and operating data centers) walks DeVone through his "fear vs. fact" case for hyperscale data centers in Louisville.  He also explains: Why he says water consumption concerns are based on outdated studiesHow closed-loop cooling actually worksWhat happened to property values and power rates in data-center hubs like Ashburn, Virginia and Racine, WisconsinWhy he believes two hyperscale facilities could generate roughly $120 million a year in JCPS tax revenue — enough to meaningfully close the district's budget deficit. The two also dig into jobs, bandwidth infrastructure and why Stacy believes sitting this one out isn't really an option. This is the extended, unedited version of the conversation that shaped Saturday's studio debate. 🔗 More at DeVoneHolt.com Support the show

  6. Aug 24

    Data Centers in the Ville: Fears, Facts & the Rules Nobody's Written Yet

    On this episode of The DeVone Holt Show, we tackle the topic dividing Louisville and many other communities: data centers.  In the studio, entrepreneur Stacy Griggs makes the economic case of jobs, tax revenue, and why he believes fears are outweighing the facts, while Ken Shapero of the Louisville Climate Action Network lays out the real gaps in oversight that got us here in the first place.  Also, this week: Tawanda Owsley named the new head of the Community Foundation of Louisville, Stephen A. Smith's fallout with the National Association of Black Journalists, a voting precinct scandal out of the Jefferson County Clerk's office, and a new Kentucky law aimed at treatment over incarceration. 📞 Community Voice Hotline (sponsored by Harper Slade): 502-800-5432  🔗 More at DeVoneHolt.com  Support the show

  7. Aug 17

    The Cost of Polite Racism: Dr. Nikki Lanier on Why Kentucky Isn't Ready for 2045 - Aug. 15, 2026

    This week: "The Cost of Polite Racism." DeVone sits down with Dr. Nikki Lanier, President and CEO of Harper Slade Advisors and former Federal Reserve economist, to talk about 2045 — the year the U.S. becomes a majority-minority nation. Dr. Lanier makes the case that racism isn't just a moral failing, it's an economic one, pointing to trillions in lost GDP tied to discrimination and warning that Kentucky still isn't ready for what's coming. Her verdict on Louisville specifically: shame on Black Louisville for letting the city fall this far behind other markets. It's a candid, no-punches-pulled conversation about what "polite racism" actually costs us. 📞 Community Voice Hotline: Listeners weigh in on this week's question — what does Louisville need to do to become a city of the future? Call in at 502-800-5432. 📰 News of the week: Louisville's data center moratorium, Governor Beshear's standoff with the White House over a $100 billion data center deal, ICE's controversial new gear, and two unresolved stories out of Mississippi. 🔗 More at DeVoneHolt.com Support the show

  8. Aug 10 ·  Bonus

    Charles Booker on the DHS Discussing Family, Faith & Flipping the US Senate

    In this debut-episode conversation with DeVone Holt, the U.S. Senate candidate breaks his silence on the Mitch McConnell mystery, questioning whether the incumbent can even return to office and demanding transparency Kentuckians deserve. Booker opens up about building his "Hood to the Holler" coalition in the same rooms where Confederate flags fly, gets vulnerable about watching his mother cry at a Walgreens counter because she couldn't afford his insulin, and lays out why this race could flip not just a Senate seat but the entire chamber. He also gets personal — reflecting on fatherhood, sending his oldest daughter off to college, and why three girls are the real reason he's running. Raw, urgent, and unfiltered — this is the conversation that kicks off the DeVone Holt Show. Support the show

    Charles Booker on the DHS Discussing Family, Faith & Flipping the US Senate

  9. Aug 10

    Welcome to the DeVone Holt Show

    Welcome to the debut episode of the DeVone Holt Show podcast. Listen as DeVone introduces himself and shares his plan for using the show to deliver a weekly dose of encouragement, enlightenment, and empowerment to help listeners live their best lives. His guest on this debut episode is Charles Booker, U.S. Senate candidate who is campaigning to replace Mitch McConnell. Support the show

  • 9 Episodes

About

DeVone Holt has spent his career in rooms where decisions are made — and he has spent even more time in the neighborhoods where those decisions land.  The DeVone Holt Show brings those two worlds together and places them at the same microphone. That means it’s not uncommon to hear the politician and the voter, the developer and the activist, or the democrat and the republican on the same episode. No shouting, no gotcha. Just straight questions, room to answer, and a commitment to follow up with real solutions.

Information

  • Creator
    DeVone Holt
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The DeVone Holt Show
  • Show Website
    The DeVone Holt Show