Dig

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Dig

Louisville Public Media

21 episodes

1 hour ago

Each season, we expose the systems that allow injustice to fester, and shine a light on the people fighting for solutions. Our reporting is rooted in truth, fairness and accountability. Dig is produced by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, at Louisville Public Media.

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Society & Culture,

All content for Dig is the property of Louisville Public Media and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Each season, we expose the systems that allow injustice to fester, and shine a light on the people fighting for solutions. Our reporting is rooted in truth, fairness and accountability. Dig is produced by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, at Louisville Public Media.

Show more...

Society & Culture,

Episodes (20/21)

Dig

The Girls, Part 4: ‘This is my story to tell’

Alleged victims of the Stoners find each other online and band together to demand justice. But they find themselves running up against police and prosecutors who want them to stay quiet. Hearing stories like this one can bring up painful feelings and memories, especially if you're a trauma survivor yourself. If you need to talk, you can reach the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE, or visit RAINN.org and click get help now for free, 24/7 support. If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988.Learn more about preventing sexual misconduct and abuse by K-12 school employees (PDF)If you have information about this case, or you think there’s something we should know that we haven’t reported here, please contact Jess Clark at jclark@kycir.org or 502-814-6541.Our work is community funded. To help us keep digging, visit kydig.org and click donate.

1 month ago

55 minutes 47 seconds

Dig

The Girls, Part 3: ‘If it was your daughter’

17-year-old Aryalle Stoner runs away from home and tells the police that her father, Ronnie Stoner, has been sexually abusing her for years. The cursory investigation that follows is representative of a larger issue with child sex abuse investigations in Louisville.

Hearing stories like this one can bring up painful feelings and memories, especially if you're a trauma survivor yourself. If you need to talk, you can reach the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE, or visit RAINN.org and click get help now for free, 24/7 support. If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988.

Learn more about preventing sexual misconduct and abuse by K-12 school employees (PDF)

If you have information about this case, or you think there’s something we should know that we haven’t reported here, please contact Jess Clark at jclark@kycir.org or 502-814-6541.

Our work is community funded. To help us keep digging, visit kydig.org and click donate.

1 month ago

47 minutes 22 seconds

Dig

The Girls, Part 2: ‘This isn’t ringing alarms to y’all?’

Over the years, two girls and one young woman report Ronnie Stoner for sexual misconduct and rape in a public middle school and high school. But Child Protective Services declines to investigate, and the school district, Jefferson County Public Schools, continues to promote him.

Hearing stories like this one can bring up painful feelings and memories, especially if you're a trauma survivor yourself. If you need to talk, you can reach the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE, or visit RAINN.org and click get help now for free, 24/7 support. If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988.

Learn more about preventing sexual misconduct and abuse by K-12 school employees (PDF)

If you have information about this case, or you think there’s something we should know that we haven’t reported here, please contact Jess Clark at jclark@kycir.org or 502-814-6541.

Our work is community funded. To help us keep digging, visit kydig.org and click donate.

1 month ago

42 minutes 36 seconds

Dig

The Girls, Part 1: 'I need to tell you something'

In 2023, 17-year-old Abbie Jones and her family accuse her high school football coach, Donnie Stoner, of child sex abuse. Another Louisville woman, Alexis Crook, says she was abused by Donnie too, and his twin brother Ronnie, when they were coaches at her private Christian school almost 20 years earlier.

Hearing stories like this one can bring up painful feelings and memories, especially if you're a trauma survivor yourself. If you need to talk, you can reach the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE, or visit RAINN.org and click get help now for free, 24/7 support. If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988.

Learn more about preventing sexual misconduct and abuse by K-12 school employees (PDF)

If you have information about this case, or you think there’s something we should know that we haven’t reported here, please contact Jess Clark at jclark@kycir.org or 502-814-6541.

Our work is community funded. To help us keep digging, visit kydig.org and click donate.

1 month ago

35 minutes 46 seconds

Dig

Introducing Dig Season 3: The Girls

They were trusted educators and respected coaches. But in the summer of 2025, twin brothers Ronnie and Donnie Stoner were indicted on more than 50 charges related to child sex abuse allegations. A group of young women say the abuse stretched back nearly two decades. So what took so long? This is the story of those women who say they survived the abuse, took matters into their own hands and are still fighting for the girls they used to be.

1 month ago

2 minutes 10 seconds

Dig

Bonus: Back to school with no bus

Hey Dig listeners. It’s been a while, we know. But we’ve been working on some new stories and will be adding them here when they’re ready. Up first, our reporter Jess Clark has been following the Jefferson County Public Schools system for a while — and when the school district’s board of education voted earlier this year to cut bus service for dozens of magnet schools, Jess started talking to families. She wanted to know how this huge decision would affect them — would they have to change schools — would they miss out on opportunities?

1 year ago

12 minutes 1 second

Dig

Bonus: Dirty Business

In July 2022, floods killed 45 people and caused more than a billion dollars of damage in eastern Kentucky. Then, the people who were supposed to help clean up actually made things worse for a lot of survivors. There’s big money in disaster recovery. In “Dirty Business,” we investigate the expensive, messy work of cleaning up after 2022’s catastrophic flooding.

2 years ago

55 minutes 33 seconds

Dig

The Model City, Part 6: 'Who's Gonna Be Next?'

City leadership makes a very familiar set of promises. Is it too late?

4 years ago

26 minutes 29 seconds

Dig

The Model City, Part 5: Say Her Name: Breonna Taylor

Response to protests in the summer of 2020 show how far LMPD had fallen from its ideals.

4 years ago

33 minutes 25 seconds

Dig

The Model City, Part 4: Might As Well Appeal

Former and current LMPD officers say the job can chew up and spit out people who want to do community policing.

4 years ago

33 minutes 38 seconds

Dig

The Model City, Part 3: People, Places and Narcotics

A homicide spike leads Louisville away from its promises of police reform.

4 years ago

32 minutes 18 seconds

Dig

The Model City, Part 2: Promises

In 2016, Louisville leaders promised policing focused on protection and safety. Did they deliver?

4 years ago

23 minutes 4 seconds

Dig

The Model City, Part 1: The Eye of the Storm

Barbecue chef David McAtee was a staple at 26th & Broadway, and a bridge between the police and his community.

4 years ago

25 minutes 58 seconds

Dig

Available Now... Dig Season 2

Louisville, Ky., the city now known for the police killing of Breonna Taylor, once made ambitious promises to transform its police department and mend its relationship with the Black community. Just five years before they killed Breonna Taylor in her home, Louisville considered itself a model city for police reform.

In a joint KyCIR/Newsy investigation, insiders and documents reveal the systemic barriers and choices made by city leaders and the Louisville Metro Police Department that led to its failure to meaningfully change. How did Louisville go from a national leader in policing to the face of a national movement protesting the police? Find out in the next season of Dig, coming soon.

4 years ago

3 minutes 20 seconds

Dig

Prosecution Declined, Update: The Hearing

Jen Sainato had been waiting for this day for a long time. She’d woken up early, put on her black striped suit, and drove five hours to attend the Louisville Metro Council’s public safety committee meeting. The council had called the police to answer questions about their handling of rape cases, in the wake of our story about Jen’s case. When Jen walked into the council chamber, the police were already settled in at the front of the room: two press people, a few men in suits, and Lt. Shannon Lauder — the head of the special victims unit, who’d been called by the council to explain why her department clears so few rape cases by arrest, and so many “by exception.” The eight metro council members in attendance were seated as well, looking out at the room from their elevated seats. And in the audience sat the survivors — women who had reported a rape to the Louisville Metro Police Department. Women who were inspired by Jen’s story to come out and seek their own answers. For most of them, this hearing was as close as they would get to their day in court.

Visit kydig.org and donate to support this and future seasons of Dig.

5 years ago

26 minutes 50 seconds

Dig

Update: Prosecution... Declined?

It’s been two months since we released the first season of Dig. And a lot has changed: city leaders are calling the police department to account, and there have been some changes in Jen Sainato’s rape case that we did not see coming.

Visit kydig.org and donate to support this and future seasons of Dig.

5 years ago

18 minutes 57 seconds

Dig

Prosecution Declined, Part 4: Cleared By Exception

Episode 4: In the final episode of this investigation, we learn more about Jen Sainato’s rape case - why it was closed, and how much evidence the police really had against the man she says raped her. (Note: This episode includes description of a rape and injuries sustained from a rape.)
Donate to support this and future seasons of Dig.

6 years ago

18 minutes 33 seconds

Dig

Prosecution Declined, Part 3: Harder to Prove

Episode 3: Louisville officials say rape cases are hard to prosecute. They are not wrong. But we talked with police, prosecutors and experts from around the country who told us it’s not impossible — you just have to be willing to lose a few trials. (Note: This episode includes a series of brief descriptions of sexual violence from courtroom recordings throughout the 14th and 15th minutes, and again in the 17th and 18th minutes.)
Donate to support this and future seasons of Dig.

6 years ago

21 minutes 22 seconds

Dig

Prosecution Declined, Part 2: The Wizard of Oz

Episode 2: Jen Sainato reported a rape to Louisville police in January 2018. In this episode, we hear about her attempts over the next two years to follow up on her case. And we ask LMPD why cases like Jen’s seem to be taken to the prosecutor’s office so early - sometimes before suspects have even been interviewed. (Note: This episode includes brief descriptions of multiple rape reports.)
Donate to support this and future seasons of Dig.

6 years ago

21 minutes 52 seconds

Dig

Prosecution Declined

Episode 1: Jen Sainato reported a rape to Louisville police in January 2018. She didn’t feel like they believed her. Jen’s case puts a spotlight on police response to rapes, the prosecutors’ unusual role in rape cases here in Louisville, and how it feels to the people who report. (Note: There are descriptions of a rape, and audio from a police body camera on the scene of a rape investigation, throughout this episode.)
Donate to support this and future seasons of Dig.

6 years ago

24 minutes 32 seconds