LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After a UPS aircraft crashed near the Muhammad Ali International Airport Tuesday, it sent a huge plume of smoke across the skies covering a large portion of Louisville and surrounding areas.

Is the air safe to breathe in Louisville?

According to AirNow, the current air quality index as of 7 p.m. Tuesday is a 34 – which is good. 

The smoke caused a level of concern which triggered a shelter in place from the airport to northbound to the Ohio River.

They are asking everyone to avoid smoke from the incident.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A beloved Louisville doctor died on Friday.

Norton Healthcare posted it on social media, saying Dr. Kelly McCants dedicated his career to heart care and championing health equity.

Norton hired McCants in 2018 to be the medical director of the Norton Heart and Vascular Institute Advanced Heart Failure and Recovery program. The healthcare provider said under his guidance, the eight-person team grew to 36 caregivers who were described as "instrumental in delivering advanced heart care and hope to the sickest of patients, reflecting his unwavering commitment to mentorship and collaboration."

He later served as the executive director of the Institute for Health Equity, and helped to remove barriers to care while creating a blueprint for equitable health access, Norton said.

"His work helped bring primary care to historically underserved neighborhoods, expanded mobile prevention services and helped lay the foundation for Norton West Louisville Hospital," the post reads. "These initiatives were not just programs; they were partnerships with communities that had long been overlooked."

Norton Healthcare went on to call him a mentor, an advocate and a role model.

"Dr. McCants’ legacy is one of vision, compassion and impact — a leader who believed that every person deserves a fair chance at health and who worked tirelessly to make that belief a reality," Norton said. "His personal and professional impact on Norton Healthcare, our community and the patients who trusted him will be deeply missed."

Family confirmed to WHAS11 News he was 50 years old.

Lyndon Pryor with the Louisville Urban League said McCants was a partner with the organization for years.

"What was clear about Dr. McCants was how much he cared about his community and ensuring that everybody had access to quality healthcare," he said. "And that we were looking at health outcomes from every lens possible to ensure that people could be their best selves."

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — While U.S. consumers have already spent billions online for Black Friday, Nov. 29 marked the 15th annual "Small Business Saturday."

It's a day that helps jumpstart local economies ahead of the holiday season.

A study from American Express found on average, owners estimate nearly 20% of their annual revenue will come from this year's Small Business Saturday.

It is especially impactful for Work The Metal, a gift shop in the Butchertown Market.

Co-owner Tim Buckles lost his husband, co-owner Jack Mathis, back in October.

He said the two always tried to keep the decorations and charm during the holiday season, a trend that continues this year.

"He and I, this was our vision; we love Christmas, we were both shoppers, especially at Christmas time, and we loved going into a store that gave us that wow feeling -- that was our goal," Buckles said. "We love it when people walk into our store and say 'wow.' So that's our goal, and that's what gives us that energy and that push to do it each year."

Buckles said days like Saturday give a big boost to their earnings.

Adobe Analytics, which tracks e-commerce, said U.S. consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online Friday, marking a 9.1% jump from last year. Traffic particularly piled up between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time nationwide, when $12.5 million passed through online shopping carts every minute.

Meanwhile, in terms of e-commerce, Adobe expects U.S. shoppers to spend another $5.5 billion Saturday and $5.9 billion on Sunday — before reaching an estimated $14.2 billion peak on Cyber Monday, which would mark yet another record.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky motorcycle club held their annual ride into the North Pole Saturday.

The Meade County Chapter of the Grim Reaper Motorcycle Club's annual ride benefited the Meade County Angel Ministry, according to a social media post.

The "wheels of the ministry" dropped off over $8,000 in cash and over $4,600 in toy donations, totaling over $13,000, according to the post.

The Angel Ministry's next event is an online auction on the nonprofit's Facebook page.

To participate in that auction, click here.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A man is dead after a shooting Friday afternoon in Louisville’s Parkland neighborhood, police said.

Louisville Metro Police’s Second Division was dispatched around 3:07 p.m. to a reported shooting in the 1400 block of Catalpa Street. Officers arriving at the scene found an adult man inside a residence suffering from gunshot wounds.

Officers rendered first aid until Louisville Fire and EMS arrived. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Louisville Metro Police’s Homicide Unit has taken over the investigation and is working to determine what led up to the shooting and whether a motive exists. 

Police later arrested a suspect, a juvenile, and they are charged with murder, fleeing or evading police, possession of a handgun by a minor and carrying a concealed weapon

Anyone with information is asked to contact LMPD’s anonymous tip line at (502) 574-LMPD (5673), submit a tip through the department’s crime tip portal, or provide any video from the area that may help investigators.

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