♪ ♪ >> Could you imagine the expense of trying to of these folks instead of housing them?

>> It's now the law in Kentucky.

But the fight continues against the bill.

Some say on fairly targets.

The homeless.

>> Suicide among veterans is a national epidemic and we must work hard both understand combat.

>> How state agencies, community partners, veterans and their loved ones are tackling suicide among veterans.

>> They caught me that it was OK for me to let go of my pie.

More dads are coming to a drug recovery facility in Eastern Kentucky where moms and babies find healing.

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

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky edition on this Earth Day Monday.

April, the 22nd, I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for spending some of your Monday night with us case argued before the U.S. Supreme Court today could impact a newly passed law in Kentucky and Oregon City is challenging a ruling that says it's unconstitutional to fine and arrest people sleeping and homeless encampments.

If shelter isn't available.

The ruling said it amounted to cruel and unusual punishment.

But opponents say cities should be able to enforce ordinances, limiting where people can sleep in camp.

While advocates say it criminalizes homelessness, the case comes before the U.S. Supreme Court justices one week after House Bill 5 known as the Safer Kentucky Act was signed into law.

Part of the bill makes it illegal for people experiencing homelessness to camp in a private or public area.

Those caught violating the law could be fined up to $250 and jailed for up to 90 days.

The U.S. Supreme Court case was on the minds of those rallying in Lexington today against the Safer Kentucky Act.

Homeless people and advocates for the homeless say they want to show they aren't done fighting against the bill but hope a ruling by the highest court will make their fight easier.

Why Jo Durie, we say.

>> I watched this lack come and I thought it was so crazy.

This surely wouldn't do it.

Well, they did it.

And everybody that has to sleep on the street is the risk of getting a $250 ticket, which of course they won't have any address to send any information or get their court information.

They're going to miss their court dates and then they will have a warrant for their arrest and with a wind up in jail because they don't have $250.

Could you imagine the expense of trying to of these folks instead of housing them housing that would be so much cheaper and they can maintain their freedom and their liberty.

People don't just serve as kind of treat me.

Wouldn't do this to a I actually reside here.

Catholic Action Center.

Plus, I have friends and family members who are sleeping out on the streets.

>> They were rallying against his bill to make it illegal to be homeless.

Somebody changes to be home.

And there, you know, housing is getting so expensive that that's what's keeping a lot of people from getting housing is.

I was like 3 times.

You know, whether you have to earn 3 times the ring, you know, Senate don't really make sense the table or get greedy when they should be, you know, help the people out and part of the state twice council went to Frankfort.

We go out and just, you know, let people know that this should be a crime.

I've got family member, you know, multiple friends that live out on the street like a slate that the car that actually behind the you know, behind him or Wal-Mart or so.

And so we're we're rallying and hope a listen.

And it's hard out there.

We just need to know, you know, saying just help each other.

>> I want to Constitution allonby of it to be decided in the Supreme Court.

And I know that it is an unconstitutional thing.

It's it's first of all, it doesn't have any kind of it's a cruel and unusual punishment for not doing anything except for falling asleep.

And also it it lacks personal freedom and liberty.

And so I don't think that stand >> A similar rally was held today in Kentucky's largest city.

That's a Louisville.

We'll have reaction from that group coming up tomorrow night on Kentucky EDITION.

When women used drugs during pregnancy in their baby is often born addicted to that substance, it's called neonatal abstinence syndrome and 2022.

Kentucky reported almost 850 cases and rule counties.

The rate of babies born with it is nearly twice the rate and urban counties, a recovery facility in eastern Kentucky is working to change that one family at a time.

And now they're expanding.

>> Shovels of dirt.

>> Well, and here's of America had a special announcement.

We're expanding our Freedom House program here in Clay County, Kentucky.

This is a program that we've been operating for the past 4 years.

It started in Louisville more than 30 years ago and since coming here, we've been able to women to come into treatment to bring all of their kids with them.

We take care of the whole family at a time, but we're out of space.

So today we announced the really special groundbreaking of new expansion of this program.

We're going to double the capacity so that we can serve even more women in their kiddos.

>> The will have.

In total with these units and other units, 18 additional slots for young women and their children to do transitional housing.

And that's a big issue because from a policy that's how we get these young ladies in these children on a really good trajectory.

So they don't go back to the environment from which they came to.

The fact that we allow mom to bring all of her kids into treatment is the number one reason why this program has been so effective because we never want mom to choose between taking care of her health.

>> And taking care of her kids.

So we are able to do that together and it's really special because we can take care of kids and help them heal from trauma to this becomes a prevention program for youngest clients and a secondary prevention program for our adult moms.

I learned how to love myself again, to be able to forgive myself and a bit.

Forgive what I've done to my children.

>> To my sale to others.

They learned they had to do everything, governor, because once you're in a teaching that I cheat, who started that, that's where you go by.

Okay.

When you get sober.

So I had to re-learn everything.

You know, havoc lane had to take care of myself, you know, take care of my kids.

I kept me all that.

And most importantly, they caught me that it was OK for me to let go of my pie.

>> You're changing the trajectory.

We're saving health care costs in the future.

Moore also helping individuals point on have job.

So it's going to have a whole lot more people.

>> You know, because I only found in the bay in here and, you know, there's a lot of people out there that city could drugs and with family.

say kids get and took every for it.

You know, and I just it's going to be amazing because it's going be able to help more people in the community.

And to be able to get people back into say a civil society.

I just want everybody to say that they can do it.

>> House Bill 6, the main budget bill passed by the Kentucky General Assembly includes 10 million dollars for Volunteers of America.

Mid states over the next 2 years.

Debate continues about the accomplishments of the 2024 Kentucky General Assembly.

Last week we heard from political strategists and pundits for Kentucky lawmakers join us this evening on Kentucky tonight.

And of course, we want to hear from you.

That's tonight at 8 Eastern 7 central right here on KET.

Rental property owners in Louisville have until June one to register their properties with Louisville Metro's new rental registry system.

The city's codes department will also begin taking random inspections of rental properties and what city officials say are proactive moves to ensure safe.

Living standards for renters in the city.

>> We have always done random We haven't been the best and doing proactive random inspections on a specific group of like the properties.

So this gives us a tool to reach out and just ensure we're helping the folks who don't know the cause who may be intimidated.

You know, outside sources that call us.

So this is just the first time that will be doing proactive enters inspections for rental properties.

Tenants are really good about calling the landlords of the property management company and making sure those are addressed.

But there's little things like like lightning lighting in a hallway to exterior lighting a ventilation things that make the quality of life a little better, a small leagues that somewhere behind the walls are big lakes, creating mold and mildew in different problem.

So.

Really, just any little thing is important to bring to someone's attention.

>> Rental property owners are expected to include up-to-date contact information for themselves and any managing operators for their properties.

Failure to join the registry could result in a fine of up to $100 a day per housing unit.

When you're filling up your gas tank this summer, you may notice something different.

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture kicked off a new campaign today aimed at preventing hot car deaths.

>> Nationally, there's about 29 children who die every year due to a cardiac arrest and children.

And that's something that we as a department wanted to bring light to.

And so that's what we're here for this morning is to announce that to let you all know that we're going to have these inspection stickers that are going to add an extra special message to it to bring awareness for that.

I want to reiterate what commissioner she'll say if this saves one child's life, it's worth all the effort they're putting into This new campaign.

He mentioned a number of children across United States die every year as a result of a school hyperthermia.

They say as a trooper, but also as a father.

I can't put into words how important it is that we make sure that we're taking care of our children.

There was a huge problem, too many children die every year as a result of this.

Nobody wants to believe that we would be so distracted that we would leave a child or pet in a car.

But it happens every year.

>> The Kentucky Department of Agriculture inspects about 60,000 gas pumps across the state each year they for not only the quality of the fuel, but also to make sure they've not been tampered with.

♪ ♪ >> A drive to say veterans from suicide brought military members, their loved ones and community partners together in our land early last week, the summit was part of the Kentucky governor's challenge.

It focuses on military culture, gun safety and ways to better help veterans facing mental health challenges and suicidal ideation.

>> This is a for a summit.

Suicide prevention and lead to Maine means training.

The purpose of that rain is to bring out teammates, community partners, state agencies and others to come in and learn about a new techniques for suicide prevention taken for lead to training, is very important.

But most important is how we can pull our resources together to take care of our veterans who have mental health and suicides.

Tennessee challenges.

>> This summit is not only awareness, but it's about action.

A suicide among veterans is a national epidemic.

And we must work hard both understand it.

And a 2 work on ways together to combat it.

And so one of the things this summit is also about safety it's not anti gun or anything like that.

It's really waste to 2.

Think about.

Creating time and distance between someone who is at risk and therefore, if you're able to have things like gun locks, put on your weapons, for example.

>> That might slow or deter a veteran from committing suicide or family.

And so things that they just kind of coping means and a procedure means high school, you So that would not be a source of the 2 for suicide.

>> I think the biggest thing is to get them connected to the resources they So just their a P maybe outpatient treatment and help them make that next step and and help them get that voice they need and have the confidence behind to make that step forward.

>> The best way to to go forward is to act, to reach out to the VA, to the DA, beat us.

There are a lot of resources out there.

And I I do believe that oftentimes some of us who have family who are at risk.

If we hear certain things that they say, we feel that maybe it's just a bad day.

Maybe they'll maybe things will be OK and maybe they absolutely will.

But it's not a risk to take.

>> When you can help make that a person that's looking for that piece that's missing and be connected in the community as a transit back in 2 their families into their They have that support.

>> And there were 4 summits across the Commonwealth with the are Langer event being the final one.

♪ ♪ While many college graduates interested in journalism are being pulled toward big cities.

Some are choosing to stay and local rule communities.

We sat down with the 23 year-old editor of the Little Route County Herald News to learn about the significance of rule journalism.

>> I didn't always knows I was going to go into journalism.

I know some people wake up and they know what they're going to do.

I was actually in nursing student beforehand and decided that it wasn't for me and I really just try to look at myself and think about what do I like?

What do I enjoy?

I was a Kentucky Press Association intern.

I came here in May of 2022.

Having written 2 news stories in my whole career really great experience.

But I came in and my first day I had a story on the I wrote a story.

We had it in the newspaper 2 days later.

World journalism.

>> Is.

In many cases important to Kentucky because Kentucky is largely rural state.

So outside of Louisville, Lexington, Northern Kentuckyian a few other places we can classify almost every county.

Kentucky is being ruled.

And again.

For most of those places, they're being served by one news outlet possibly 2.

And in today's world, it's almost exclusively newspapers and their online news sites that are providing that coverage.

And in Kentucky, if we don't have strong world journalism been a lot of the communities, I'm not going to be well served.

It's important to have fresh voices.

I think many graduates who are coming out right now are skilled in a number of different areas are skilled and broadcast.

They're skilled and video there skilled in social media presentation and other things.

>> Campbell University, I think prepared to be very, very well has amassed communication major.

I took the journalism classes, but also to television classes in graphic design and in this that the other, they they covered everything.

So coming here, I think that really helps me because in today's world, we're not just a print newspaper.

You have to be more than that.

>> We update website to now daily sometimes hourly we push out social media post about.

A recent deaths in our communities to KET people involved.

People are going digital.

But here in LaRue County during the COVID time, our newspaper subscriptions actually increased and they have not falling off from a pandemic levels.

Local journalism here in LaRue County is about to Lorain County.

Everything is about here.

So from church, our farm Graham to real estate to our local heroes, to the ball teams.

It's in our paper each and every week.

I think that the spirit of local journalism could not be any.

More real then in a local newspaper, one of my favorite things about what I do is that I get to.

>> Tell people what's going on.

I get to KET them informed.

I get to help them engage in their community back.

I'm an example, would be as many other school districts.

We need more school bus drivers.

We've seen a lot of decrease in that.

So I wrote a story about it that, you know, we need more people.

This is what's going on to says if you're interested, go here to apply.

And I actually had the director of transportation here come up to me.

A recent meeting.

He said, hey, I just want I just want to let you know that a woman came in and she put in her application and then she said that she read in the newspaper.

She read that we needed help.

And so she's come to help.

What I've learned.

Coverage Wise is that you have to follow what the community's priorities are.

The longer that you are here.

They begin to trust you more.

They they trust you with information.

They understand that we want the best for the community.

And we want to help them.

We do that.

However.

♪ >> A bright future for her.

Indeed.

Cox will celebrate her first full year as editor in June, just as the little Route County Herald News welcomes a new intern and we want to give a big shout out to our intern.

Emily Sisk from northern Kentucky University for putting that story together where to go.

And Molly.

♪ Earlier this month, many across the U.S. stopped what they were doing to gaze up at the sky.

They were taking in the total solar eclipse far western Kentucky was in the path of totality, giving some local meteorologists a great chance to gather some weather data.

Our Chris T-dot and caught up with folks at the Kentucky Mesonet to see what they learned.

>> The April a solar eclipse was a rare opportunity for meteorologists and climate scientists to tests and changes in the atmosphere.

Joining us now is Shane Holland, the from the Kentucky Mesonet.

Okay, Shane, you have a lot of instruments out there.

Where were they and what are you all testing for?

>> So besides as it slides like the ones in Ballard Union Crittendon and Henderson counties, which were in the path of totality.

We set up 3 temporary.

I would say manager Maisonet sites, if you will.

These were tribe was with MS.

There were 7 meters tall and these were taking investments that included a so moisture as well as air pressure.

We're also looking at so radiation along with wind speed, wind direction.

>> And there is room temperature and humidity levels on that mask.

So what did you all find?

For solar radiation as you would expect of the areas that Halladay drop all the way to 0 at around 2 o'clock that afternoon, especially over in Ballard County, went to tally actually for around one 59 and change as it does.

So it had an effect on other weather, variables and rivers of resistance with the wind speed.

We saw that go call at every site, engage Kentucky over Ballard County for a good while, not just the ring, but a little bit after totality.

And that was a result of the year not being mixed out as it would be if the sun were out in full board.

So that was one of the interesting findings.

Another was the effect of soil moisture with the totality.

We have saw the soil moisture in terms of water for action by the ball and actually take a little bit of a debt around 2 o'clock that afternoon.

And that tells us that things like that, that operation as well as in Apple Transporation were being affected by the total eclipses.

Well, the air pressure rose for a little bit.

At least we're about to roughly an hour and 20 minutes after the period of totality.

And then the temperature, as you would imagine, it did fall a several degrees that are temporary site engage, the 0.5 meter level, which is closest to the grill.

We saw the temperature fall there, almost 10 degrees.

So that was pretty dramatic.

>> Thank you so much for sharing what you found from this pretty spectacular event.

>> Yeah, it wasn't the spectacular and we will not have another total.

So look, that's a good talk before a very, very long time.

>> Thanks, Jane.

Thank you.

>> And thank you, Chris.

the next total solar eclipse that will be visible for a large swath of the U.S. isn't until 2044 but chains, right?

Kentucky is not in the path of totality for that.

We'll have to wait even longer now.

How many 9 year-olds do you know?

Enjoy writing about radio isotopes for space exploration?

Well, there's at least one in Lexington, rainy land.

She's one of the winners of NASA's power to explore challenge a writing competition for K through 12 students.

Students had to write about NASA's Radio Isotope Power Systems, which are nuclear batteries used to power exploration to some of the farthest reaches of the solar system.

Rainey is the winner for her age group.

She will travel to Cleveland to tour NASA's Glenn Research Center.

Way to go rainy.

♪ ♪ >> Do >> you know about the Kentucky giant?

What about the day scandal rocked the world of a rat racing.

Our Toby Gibbs has those stories and more in tonight's look back at this week in Kentucky, history.

♪ >> Happy birthday to celebrated painter Matthew Harris Jewett born in Mercer County on April 22nd 17 88 many call him Kentucky's greatest portrait painter known for paintings of Henry Clay and the Marquis de Lafayette.

The Kentucky giant James Deep order died of a heart attack in Louisville on April 24th 18.

59.

>> Porter was a tavern keeper and coach driver who stood 7 foot 8.

>> He was considered the tallest man in America at the time he was buried in the special Kaufman measuring 9 feet long.

On April 22nd 18 63 2 years into the Civil War.

Get better at forces burned the courthouse in Monroe County, destroying all records that the veteran move was in retaliation after union forces burned the courthouse in Celina, Tennessee.

Legendary sportscaster Caywood Ledford was born April.

24 1926.

And Harlan even call UK basketball games for 39 years from 1953, to 1992.

President Lyndon Johnson visited the family of Tommy letter in it as in Martin County on April.

24 1964, as part of LBJ is war on poverty.

Scandal rocked the world of rap racing on April 24th 1991 when trainers for general Ramey were accused of giving the general steroids before the 19th annual raptor be at Spalding University.

And that's a look back at this week in Kentucky history.

I do begins.

>> Thank you to obey.

Always great information.

It's Earth Day.

The day we celebrate the planet, we call home the official theme for Earth.

Day 2024.

Planet versus Plastics.

Earlier this year we introduced you to a Kentucky woman on a mission to pick up as much plastic and trash and she can around the state.

Whitney Lewis's goal when she took on Earth Day Challenge last April was to collect 500 bags of trash in a month by January.

She had collected more than 11,000 bags and she is still going tomorrow on Kentucky Edition, we catch up with this force of nature to learn about her new mission to clean up Kentucky.

Way to go.

We'll hear more that that tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central on Kentucky EDITION where we inform connect and inspire.

Subscribe to our email newsletters and watch full episodes and clips of K E T Dot Org.

Check us out on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV.

>> And follow KET on Facebook X, formerly known as Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop and make sure you come back here at 8 o'clock Eastern for Kentucky tonight.

Until then, take good care, CNN that.

♪ ♪