Baxter’s 942 Bar and Grill could lose its liquor license after a Kentucky Alcoholic Beverage Control hearing officer recommended upholding a Metro Government decision from October 2024.
According to a Louisville Metro ABC news release, the recommendation cited prior “violent incidents” near the Highlands bar, “higher-than-average police calls,” public safety concerns, and community feedback. Metro ABC Director Bradley Silveria initially denied the bar’s renewal application in October 2024, a move the state hearing officer said was supported by “substantial and varied evidence.” The business closed in November 2024.
“Director Silveria was faced with an ongoing pattern of violence and a licensee that demonstrated an unwillingness to modify its operations even in the face of this deadly violence,” the Kentucky ABC hearing officer stated. “The decision to not renew the licenses at issue was an exercise of sound discretion — not an arbitrary whim — and should be upheld.”
The original denial followed multiple shootings near the Highlands-area bar, including an Aug. 11, 2024 incident that left two people dead and another injured, as well as a shooting-related assault on Oct. 5, 2024. Officials also noted the bar frequently hosted a local DJ whose performances coincided with both incidents.
Six months later, in April 2025, a Kentucky ABC hearing officer recommended reinstating the bar’s license. Metro ABC spokesperson Brandon Bowden said on April 6 that the case was sent back to the state ABC for further hearings and review.
“The responsibility of our agency is to act when circumstances demand it,” Silveria said. “When lives are at risk, inaction is not an option. Public safety is not negotiable, and this decision reflects that commitment.”
Craig Greenberg said his administration will not tolerate incidents that “contribute to violence or jeopardize” community safety.
“We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to make Louisville safer,” he said.
Councilman Ben Reno-Weber, who represents the Baxter Avenue corridor, called the recommendation a “victory” for Bardstown Road and the Highlands.
“But more than that, it is a victory for neighborhoods everywhere whose input, data, and engagement has been validated as important to what is tolerated and not tolerated in a neighborhood,” Reno-Weber said.
According to Metro ABC, the recommendation will now go to the Kentucky Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, which will make the final decision.
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