♪ ♪ >> Kentucky >> lawmakers passed new vaping regulations and those new rules are headed to court.

I think it was a good budget.

It's not the best budget.

More mixed reviews of how state lawmakers are spending your money.

>> I try to bring it into the physical round, been physical media, something that is harder and harder to come by these days.

>> Plus, a Covington man is helping cassette tapes.

Make a comeback.

>> Production of Kentucky edition is made possible in part by the KU Team Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Wednesday.

April, the 17th, I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for winding down your Wednesday with us.

>> As the 2024 Kentucky General Assembly was coming to a close.

>> Lawyers were crafting a challenge to a bill focused on new vaping regulations.

House Bill 11 past with a combined 34, no votes in the House and Senate and was signed into law by Governor Andy Beshear earlier this month.

It limits sales of vaping products to brands approved by the food and Drug Administration.

On Friday, the Kentucky Vaping retailers association, the Kentucky Hemp Association and for vape retailers filed a lawsuit in Franklin Circuit Court.

It alleges House Bill 11 violates the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution because, quote, hemp derived products including they publ hemp products are not subject to regulation by the FDA and quote, the suit also argues the bill violates Kentucky's constitution because the title of the bill relates to nicotine products.

When the bill itself applies to more than just vapes containing nicotine.

During the session, proponents of House Bill 11 said cracking down on these products will KET kids from getting them.

Opponents said the regulations would close small vape shops without reducing risks for kids.

>> The majority of it are these flavored disposable vapes that are being manufactured in China and they are legal in China and they're only being made for sale in the U.S. and I would have to close my stores.

>> And closing my stores means I fire 50 people here in the state.

Simply can't compete.

Having vape stores have the exact same 15, 20 products as every gas station.

By far vape stores have the lowest number of selling to underage people as reported by the FDA in 2023.

>> Is set to take effect January.

The first the University of Kentucky is responding to allegations of sexual assault involving a former swim coach.

A lawsuit was filed last week in U.S. District court against former coach Lars Jorgensen, athletic director Mitch Barnhart and the school itself.

The suit was filed by a former assistant coach and an unnamed woman and accuses Jorgensen of sexual assault, including rape.

It also alleges the university disregarded multiple roof or reports of inappropriate sexual relationships and empower Jorgensen to, quote, foster a toxic sexually hostile environment within the swim program and to prey on sexually harass and commit horrific sexual assaults, unquote.

Today the University of Kentucky sent out a statement saying, quote, Once we learned of details of the allegations contained in the initial news article, we contacted law enforcement.

We will cooperate fully, unquote.

Jorgensen, a former Olympic swimmer coached at UK for 10 years.

He resigned last year after reportedly being suspended due to an NCAA investigation.

Louisville Metro police officers will see a pay raise and or to collective bargaining agreements between the city and the Fraternal Order of Police under the contracts, officers will get a 22% salary increase over a four-year period.

A 7% increase would take effect this year with a 5% increase the following 3 years.

That would Bob starting salaries for officers from 52,000 to 67,000.

The LMPD a short more than 200 officers.

City officials say they believe the bump in pay will help with recruiting efforts today while announcing the agreements LMPD Chief Jacqueline Glenvar O well and Mayor Craig Greenberg explained how the new contracts would also increase transparency and accountability within the department.

>> When we're paying a competitive wage in our policies are strong, too.

We are >> committee in investigating those officers who commit infractions.

>> In doing in their own then the community can have interesting things, too.

And now that we're addressing that concern, the issue that's accountability, there's a kind is accountability for officers and with the stun you is to ensure the community understands that they will given notification as to where the has ended.

And also, too, we as a new department, must ensure that we are doing everything we can to correct, you know, behavior from my quality training and to ensure that we can retain those officers leave in the coach earn that he said today.

These agreements preserve more records.

The also further define the process for misconduct investigations to more clearly ensure timeliness and review of prior discipline.

>> And they clarify the circumstances.

Ford's body cameras may be remotely accessed from my viewing for safety, investigative for tactical purposes.

>> The contracts will have to be approved by Louisville's Metro Council.

The council will hear public comments on the contracts at a meeting Monday.

Lexington's Mayor wants to spend a half billion with a B dollars during the next fiscal year.

Mayor Linda Gorton unveiled a budget plan with 531 million dollars in spending.

She calls it a solid plan with no frills.

56% of the budget would go to public safety.

That includes 3 and a half million dollars for new vehicles.

The budget includes money for 25 more cameras that read license plates, a tool that helps police recover stolen vehicles.

The fire department would get more than 5 million dollars for replacement vehicles.

City employees not already covered by collective bargaining contracts would get a 3% raise.

And one percent of the previous year's revenue would go to affordable housing as part of an ordinance passed by the council.

The new budget plan still needs council approval.

We talked about the state budget Monday on Kentucky.

Tonight, our panel of political observers talked about where your money is going, including the spending on your schools.

I think it was a good budget, especially.

We built up a lot of rainy day funds and it was also a lot of unspent arpa money that was going to need to get spent.

>> Or else it it was going to go away.

And I think you're seeing significant investments back in the Commonwealth large-scale projects, not, you know, one of the time.

Here's $10,000 for the league uniforms.

Here's 5,000 Bucks for new Flagpole to The of W Real Investment in You saw huge increases transportation for schools in the seek formula.

I it's really astounding the amount of money that's that's being put back into the commonwealth that did that this General assembly passed.

I think I think that that's extremely notable and it's not sexy.

It's not going to make headlines.

But I do think that, you know, with its past a disabled, the bus was important thing.

But I think this budget was a really good budget, significant investments.

The state.

>> Is this a really good budget marketing?

No, I would disagree with my friend, right?

Haha.

You know, you folks, particularly on the other side of the aisle have been touting that this is the best education budget.

And the commonwealth's history and the fact of the matter is they haven't even given enough money to give the 11% raises that the governor campaigned on and probably that won him a lot of votes because that's a policy that Kentuckyian identify with public education is the number one job creator and the Commonwealth.

It's the most important most consequential policy, an area that we have and and the state and they're continuing to underfunded.

They're not keeping up with inflation.

They're still not getting money for textbooks and professional development for teachers.

It's not the best budget.

I don't have anyone.

I talked to some reference day best budget.

I've heard people reference.

It is a responsible budget.

And I think that's certainly These are big increases.

The public education, both in terms of the per pupil based funding which are of.

>> I really increase quite a bit from the 4100 per people to 43.

26 in one year.

45 86 in another year?

And that's a little bit in the weeds.

But then you think about transportation funding, which for the first time since I've been doing this work 100% funding for people.

Transportation is not something I've seen in in in my work in Frankfort, it is pretty historic and it is significant.

Now.

I will say that I don't think that any legislators claim that that is enough for an 11% raise.

And I will also say, I mean, 11% raises a little bit of an arbitrary number, not sure where that came from, but it doesn't really address the inequities that we actually have in teacher pay, which is all we have people making 30,000 or less in the state of Kentucky as the starting teacher.

And we have folks in urban areas making a whole lot more in and that gap in particular would not have been addressed by the governor's proposed 11%.

Raise to everybody what they want to know, but that some some people get kind of what they needed.

Maybe.

>> The teacher, recruitment and retention act as great transportation funding is great.

Just an education.

I thought this budget did a lot and some of the bills to a lot for to address rule water issues that are plaguing the state.

I thought I did a lot of economic development, especially in forgotten regions like eastern Kentucky.

It's not really think it's a lot.

>> So you can hear more about the state budget, the safer Kentucky acted dei bill that didn't pass this session and more.

When you watch Monday's full hour-long discussion, Kentucky tonight that online on demand at KET DOT org Slash K Y tonight.

Now speaking of the budget and education with the state lawmaking session now in the rearview mirror, one high ranking leader boost of record spending in education in the biennial state budget, Georgetown, Republican and Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer talked with me earlier today about what is our will soon become law and his view on the education community's response to how K through 12 fared this time around.

>> People are always going to be disappointed in the budget process because there are some people who you could give them every dollar in the state budget and they'll continue to complain that they didn't get enough, particularly the public education sector.

I mean, we were increasing the seek formula 3% in the first year, 6% in the second year.

I had one superintendent from my district.

Thank me for that.

You know, they were they were on me, you know, leading up to it about how much money they wanted.

And then we gave them record funding 100% transportation increase the funding for tier one schools.

We did some big school construction initiatives.

I had one superintendent.

Thank me for it.

>> Is that because they're not direct raises too public educators and to bay, perhaps the classified staff.

Was that what they're still, though, the superintendent's superintendents?

>> Who most of our legislators rely on for input and advice and on budgeting and and policy.

They are the ones who said send us the money through the seek formula.

And we will decide who gets the raises and how much classified employees which are bus drivers custodial cafeteria workers and certified with your teachers.

And that's what we've been doing.

They are not state employees, right?

Teachers are not state employees in Kentucky.

They are employees of the local school board.

>> Later, Thayer who is not seeking re-election.

Also talk to me about where he'll concentrate his time now that the legislative session is over.

Take a listen.

>> I'm going to be a little more outspoken in some of these primaries coming up next, Paso and for home.

For normal Republicans.

What is a normal Republican, someone who wants to help put the fire out.

That's burning in America today.

>> Do you believe there are abnormal?

Republicans believe there are members of both parties on the fringes.

>> Who would rather pour gas on the flames and walk away and run to their Twitter feeds or to CNN or to FOX News to talk about it and brag about it.

Lee, fully and you know, that's >> not me.

>> You will hear more from Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer.

Tomorrow we share more of what he had to say about his work on the campaign trail for other state legislative contenders.

This primary season.

That will be tomorrow night on Kentucky edition.

In national politics.

Congressman Andy Barr, Republican from the 6 district in Central Kentucky is backing speaker of the House Mike Johnson yesterday, Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a fellow Republican of the 4th district in Kentucky.

Call for Johnson to step down as speaker and do it now before a possible future vote to remove them.

Massie said that will give Republicans time to agree on a new speaker Massie congresswoman Marjorie Taylor, Greene and some other conservatives believe Johnson has been too accommodating to Democrats on spending, including proposals for a new way to Ukraine.

Johnson says he will not step down.

Here's what Congressman Barr said on X, formerly Twitter, quote, Americans elected Republicans to govern and lead not to join a circular firing squad.

Every day we turn on our own as a day the Biden administration wins.

I proudly stand with Speaker Johnson unquote.

The U.S. Senate quickly dismiss the impeachment case against Alejandro Mayorkas, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.

The House impeached him over his handling of the U.S. Mexican border security.

It was a largely party line vote and a chamber.

The Republicans control by a narrow margin as debate started today in the Senate.

Senator Chuck Schumer of the majority leader called for votes to dismiss the 2 articles of impeachment against my orcas.

And the Senate did just that before today's debate, U.S.

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate minority leader urged Democrats in the Senate to take this matter seriously and to not dismiss it without a proper hearing.

>> Under the Constitution and the rules of engagement, you draw with his body to consider the articles of impeachment.

Was under render judgment.

The question right now should be how best to ensure the charges on the table received thorough consideration.

But it's the more pressing question is whether or not we're going to call you can let the Senate work.

Its will.

They're all.

They bring.

Articles of impeachment would be unprecedented in the history of Cabling would mean declining to discharge our duties and your name.

>> Democrats and Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah argued that the House impeachment investigation did not reveal any high crimes or misdemeanors as required by the Constitution.

♪ Time now for midweek, check-in of some major political news, which is all about the end of the 2024 Kentucky General Assembly in regular session with our good friend Rylan Barton, who is >> a senior editor with NPR states.

10, good to see you.

C to run.

And so we as people say, which is not correct.

We signee died on around a quarter till 9 eastern time and lots of bills passed, including a budget.

But there's some bills that did not pass like that contentious Anti Dei bill.

A break down.

What you see is the most important measures passed by state lawmakers.

This session.

>> The other big NTI bill you know, those one that we we figured some version of it was going to pass because or thereabouts, at least 3 different versions of it that are considered throughout the session.

The last ones that they're considering really returning O D I programs and higher education.

And this is something a lot of state legislatures are considering right now.

And it just I think that really a lot of the disagreement was between the different factions within your Republican leaders in the and the Legislature does not being able to come to terms with exactly what they wanted.

The final version of this bill to look There were some versions of this bill that would have been targeted 12 education as well.

I think another big a surprise at the end, possibly that are least everybody was kind of watching is whether or not that that bill to curtail elements of the states open records, that building in the passing that it seem like there's a lot of momentum and even support from a Democratic Governor.

Andy Beshear was this is a bipartisan effort here.

But there's so many worries about this raise from just open up.

Government have tickets tournaments.

I'm worried about how this would allow lawmakers, state officials to use their personal devices and personal emails to do work business and that would be we would have any access to the room.

Open records request.

So I think those are some of the surprise of the last minute.

You know, another thing just kind of harking back to something that happened during the session to pay attention to the the big charter schools amendment passed.

So at least pass the legislature.

That means voters will weigh in on during the election this year.

And that's that isn't a bill that would if approved by voters.

Little gives the Legislature the power to, you know, there are there have to be some enabling legislation that would give the Legislature the power to use money that is otherwise dedicated.

4 for public education for for other purposes.

So one of the big effort has been for private school scholarships.

That's a bill that has repeatedly been trying to pass out of the that's some of the state legislature by reading a tax credit that could go towards U.S. private school scholarships since been knocked down by the courts.

So this is the entry point to that possibility, having a number of >> and we know that there were attempts on the last day to resurrect a bill that would provide for exceptions to the partial abortion ban here in Kentucky, exceptions for rape and incest.

That discharge petition by Senate Minority Whip David Yates was not successful.

So there were some attempts to resurrect.

I want to call them Lazarus bills.

So to come up to the 4 that were not successful and along with what you mentioned, but medical marijuana also got a little bit tweaking again this time around.

What's that about?

>> Right.

So last year, Kentucky past that the big medical bill other still some work that needs to be done or at least their of their support.

They need to be done to really Authorites said to be the licensure process for folks for businesses too, to to begin applying to roll in and dispense with with candidates in the state of this is supposed to be legal January 1st of next and with the things that were passed out of that that can start to happen.

And we like the expenses really happened January first.

But now I'm businesses will be able to start applying for this.

Verified some language allowing localities have a little bit longer to consider whether they want to opt out of allowing this to happen in their area.

yeah, but I think another notable thing is that this did not expand any of the conditions that medical cannabis could be prescribed for in That was something that a lot of advocates of them wanting because this is as as it stands, this is like the most restrictive cannabis legal cannabis law in the nation and just allowed for so very few conditions.

So there are some advocates who want to expand its a few more.

That didn't happen it could in the future and online and again in you come next year's legislative session.

This will have a if everything goes, you know, according to plan, just have started rolling out.

So if you imagine lawmakers might take another look at this and come back in sooner.

>> And if we can shift to Washington now and talk about the 4th congressional Congressman, Republican Thomas Massie made news yesterday as he is going after the House Speaker Mike Johnson.

What is this all about?

>> Yeah, I mean, this is one of those things Thomas Massie is able to to to find is like every now and then find the spine, the spotlight.

And he's he's the second Republican to join.

Call for the resignation of the House speaker.

this comes at a really critical time in which the Congress is trying to considering a bunch of different funding measures, whether it's, you know, it is Israel that funding for for Israel, funding for Ukraine.

And a bunch of budgetary down the road.

So he he's trying to as he puts it.

This is the more organized way for Republicans to go about trying to create some unity and hopefully and identify new speaker.

But his critics are saying that, well, actually, what this would do is pay more pay on son.

So Candy, bar the 6th district in Lexington, he's he says that, you know, he's really taking the other side.

You're defending a Speaker Johnson saying that to oust him at this point, which the party into the playoffs?

Yeah.

>> Well, thank you.

Rylan from covering the front for 5 front and a little bit of the Washington to we appreciate it.

Take good care of you.

♪ >> School teacher Anthony on spends his downtime shipping music around the world.

The Covington 8, it is the force behind an alternative press label with a flair for eccentric releases helping both local and international artists produce and sell physical copies of their creations and he's doing it the old-fashioned way.

More tonight in the weekly Arts and Culture segment.

We call Tapestry.

>> Since being that 12, 13 year-old kid.

I've always loved cassette tapes.

I think that there are there modular.

They're adorable.

But all those silly reasons aside there.

Accessible, it's accessible media.

It's accessible for artists in a way that getting a vinyl record.

It's pressed is not necessarily accessible, cost a ton of money.

There's something about that that's just as valid say to a cassette tape, which is not only way more affordable, but you can put this together in your own House.

Fantasy IDEA magazine has used a coming out every single month.

We make.

>> Cassette called music.

Whether it's music for say a dungeons and dragons kind of role playing game or somebody is keyboard music.

That is a little to say.

You're strange too.

We sense of the elsewhere to try to bring it into the physical realm of physical media, something that is harder and harder to come by these days.

Everything goes straight either.

The original source from another tape back but over here and run through some processing.

>> Or from just may little.

>> Laptop gets processed a bit.

I do light mastering.

4.

The natural sound of the KSAT I like to boost a little bit of the high maybe do a little bit with the base, not a whole lot of really mixing with other people's music into that at all.

But I want to sound as good as possible for the cassette tape and record myself.

And I print everything myself.

And I said with a ruler and a razor and I've gotten pretty good over the years at cutting everything out and scoring them by hand.

So the full doesn't look all crappie.

I like to think that these things are pretty pretty flashy, but now I was just last night speaking with some friends.

And my fiance.

About.

How common everything and streaming capacity.

>> And that it exists somewhere in some cloud and whether it's music or a movie that you love or whatever, whatever.

But all it takes is for those companies to lose their license to work.

And all of a sudden.

>> You know, have the wicker man anymore where you don't have all those albums that you loved anymore because you never did.

It was more of a promissory thing.

You just had access to streaming rights and as soon as they lose their right to lose your inventory to their needs to be physical media and there needs to be an avenue for people to feel like there are in there.

Music matters.

It's very discouraging.

And I know that there are a lot of people out To work in your little studio or your bedroom or wherever on music that you are excited about it.

12 listens and the year.

They're sort of just this void that you for yourself, too.

And you don't always get a lot of stuff back knowing that I'm a part of it being something out there.

That response that enjoys that listens, that forwards.

That's what I want.

That's what I want.

>> The print side of Fantasy audio magazine features everything from tabletop games to poetry and interviews.

Its latest project is a sci-fi theme set that is currently on Kickstarter.

Bowling Green is getting national attention for economic Publication ranks the city number one for expanding businesses in attracting new industry.

The Chamber of Commerce is holding a special event tomorrow Moning with Lieutenant Governor state lawmakers and city and county officials will be there and bring you that story tomorrow night on Kentucky edition, which we hope to say a 4th the regular time, you know, at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central.

And so I see them take really good care.

♪ ♪