>> You have one tornado touched down in the euro area this evening at 05:00:05PM.

>> And that wasn't mobile-only tornado on Wednesday.

Saturday, we considered it a soft opening.

There was nothing soft about it.

>> An eastern Kentucky reopens its doors 9 months after the flights.

>> This General Assembly led by Republican super majorities in the House and the Senate.

>> Dead really big.

Thanks.

>> A state Senate leader praises lawmakers work during the 2023 legislative session.

♪ And step up to the plate and see watch new and improved at the Louisville Slugger Museum.

>> Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET Endowment for Kentucky Productions.

The only entered Press Endowment for Public Affairs and the KET Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Thursday.

April, the 6th, I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for spending part of your Thursday night with us.

>> The National Weather Service has confirmed 4 tornadoes touched down in Kentucky during Wednesday's severe weather.

And there's been at least one death that was in Louisville.

Here's Mayor Craig Greenberg from last night.

>> It's with a heavy heart that I'm reporting that we believe there's run.

Fatality.

That is potentially related to the storm that happened in the Dixie Highway Area.

In Southern Duval.

The coroner's department will provide more information and will be the ones to confirm the information after they have alerted the A final conclusion.

However, our thoughts tonight, our wish.

The family of that individual who passed this evening potentially related to the storm.

>> Now, here are more details.

All 4 confirmed tornadoes in Kentucky have a preliminary E F one rating with top winds of 90 to 110 miles per hour.

The most significant damage occurred at an apartment building and the Pleasure Ridge Park area of Louisville, a roof was torn off one building and several others damage, displacing 50 residents and injuring one person to the EF one.

Tornadoes ripped through the Newburgh area, damaging buildings and downing trees and power lines.

The EF one tornado in Meade County damaged homes and snapped trees off Joe Prather Highway near Brandenburg John Gordon with the National Weather Service in Louisville has been assessing the destruction.

>> Gosh, for folks just east of Dixie Highway got hit yesterday, rush hour.

All this damage we had all is tree damage.

We had insulation.

We had shingles.

What a mess.

I'm stunned that no one was injured or worse in this area right here.

Folks have a couple ways to receive warnings and be prepared for the We are in severe weather season.

>> About 50,000 customers remain without power in Jefferson County.

9 months ago, the Christian family of Letcher County was unsure.

They would rebuild their store after it was destroyed in the July floods.

But community need convince them otherwise.

Now, almost a year later, the ISO, my GA is finally reopened for business.

And the Christian family says they hope the new building will offer people more than just groceries.

>> It is great to be at this moment.

It's been a long journey.

This is home to me.

I have been here for 50 years.

What 25 years for the previous owner than 25 years for myself.

it was a total shock when they came in on the 29th and its flooded and had to start making some quick decisions of what we're going to do.

All we were left with was a shell of a building when we had to start getting the mud out and start making it out.

At the point in time we realized it was to talks that we had to look for professional cleaning crew coming in with hazmat suits and all that.

Once we got that, we had to make the decision of whether we wanted to rebuild our store.

And after about a week of hardware and crying and >> not knowing what to Our family finally decided, yes, our community and to the store because the closest or to hear is about 15 miles away.

We are located in a food desert.

So for the past 9 months, some people from down accordance meal in other places on down the road here, having to travel to the upper end of the county, which was.

>> 40 minutes there, 40 minutes back home.

A lot of our customer base is older, so it's hard for them to get out as just feels wonderful to be able to be back and do what we used to There are some changes that I want to make it a one-stop shop specially for everybody on the lower end of the county that had to go up to the room to get special things like can change your whether it's ice cream cakes, we've frozen course.

We'll have our screens all the time.

We're still in the Hunt brothers pizza now from open into 8 o'clock at night.

We've had in the smoker in the day.

Lisa, little bit for smoke.

Meats now was never able to do that Saturday.

We consider to the soft opening.

There was nothing soft about it.

>> I kept saying, you know, guys, they've been going for about 9 months.

We're going have to work to get our customers bag and my boys, Gibbs said we're not going to have to work.

They want to come and they did.

The community really rallied behind this came Saturday and we officially started selling groceries on Saturday.

>> Although it's a great day for us.

It's still a sad time for a lot of people struggling not being able to get their homes build, getting ready to get the FEMA trailers taking away We just hope this is an inspiration and a home that people can come to and just feel loved.

>> Also hope it gives everyone else they encourage meant to say, hey, they can come back even though it's my house.

All right.

Maybe Matt turns it may take a few minutes.

It's a lot of hard work.

A lot lot of smale.

But if we stay with it day by day, it will come back.

We will be able to bring it back.

>> No doubt about it.

Simon, Kristen said Saturday soft Open was the highest grossing day and store history.

Good for them.

It's been one week since the Gabba last fell and the Kentucky House and Senate and the 2023 legislative session came to a close Kentucky Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer came to our studios yesterday to discuss what he views as the legislative wins during the short 30 day session.

They pretend that you're a journalist and you're writing a headline about the 2023 Legislative session.

How should it be remembered?

>> This General Assembly led by Republican super majorities in the House and the Senate did really big.

Thanks.

And over the last few as I'm out and about people recognize it.

I think there seems to be more enthusiasm about the work of the General Assembly after the session than any in recent memory alive down.

21 of them.

So 21 regular sessions.

>> Yes.

So what do you think it is?

Are they mentioning a sports betting and medical marijuana been legalizes if that sweeping LGBTQ measure?

What are they saying that they're grateful for?

>> Yes, I would be about all of the They I get thank profusely for sports betting Medical Marijuana SB One 50 and limiting actually making a legal procedures.

Transgender procedures on minors.

I was on the elliptical this morning at the gym and someone came up and thanked me for sports betting and Senate Bill one 50 in the same sentence.

it's good.

It's good for people to understand that their General Assembly did a lot of hard work and big things that they want it done in 30 days.

Nonetheless, as I would not have predicted it.

>> Well, you've got a lot to live up to next year in Twenty-twenty forward is a 60 day session.

You know, I think we'll just slow down to just a couple of things.

Maybe make some tweaks.

Yeah, yeah.

The budget in the road plan.

We've heard this before sunrise and back.

So let's talk about your evolution of your position on medical marijuana and one of your floor speeches when the bill came to the Senate was one word describes where you were and where you could arrive and it was compassion.

>> Is that all it?

It is when it comes to your position on medical marijuana or did you feel pressure from constituents to make that choice?

>> It wasn't the pressure.

I mean, I don't change my mind very of a certain age.

Now where I'm pretty set in my ways.

It really 10 years worth of hearing from people who had a variety of afflictions and the only relief that they can get is from medical marijuana.

And what I had to do and this was hard.

I had to separate the pot smokers, the people who just want their pot so they can smoke it recreationally.

And I had to separate them from the people who wouldn't even think of doing any sort of illegal drug or narcotic.

This woman from dry ridge, a constituent of mine and Gregg County.

And she said, you know, I agree with you on every other position but you except on medical marijuana.

And she said I really would like it if we could agree on that, too, because it's the only thing.

That would give her relief.

And there've been lots of other people.

The couple from Mason County who have been lobbying American.

Michelle across the Michelle Crawford, my friend Justin Lou and Lou in Dallas, Key we we went from very antagonistic to being friends and people like him.

A lot of good bartender, friend of mine.

Maybe a lot of good old fashions over the years and even my 93 year-old grandmother who lives in Michigan and uses a marijuana cream on her bad knees along with our Shot of Buffalo, Trace Bourbon Cream before bed every night.

>> That's how you live to be 93 right?

Well, she has discovered the fountain of youth.

Yeah, I would not question that at all.

Well, we do know.

And it was mentioned several times that this bill doesn't go into effect until January 2025, it gives the cabinet that state health Cabinet chance to propagate the regulations and for the General Assembly to come back in 2024 and say, wait a minute, maybe this was marking language or maybe we can clean up things here.

Is that how you see it?

>> That's exactly Senator Steve West.

And President Robert Stivers actually worked on this committee.

Substitute and even though he voted against it, President Stivers wanted and he KET we had the votes to pass it.

The dynamic in our caucus said change.

And by the way, I I kept my vote but I walked into that committee meeting that day.

There were less than 5 people in the world who KET I was going to vote.

Yes.

And and he was not on that list.

But he KET the dynamic in our caucus had change with some of our new members.

And so he worked with Senator West to come up with the best committee substitute possible.

A tight narrowly focused Bill.

But I thought Senator Steve West was on with that with me on the radio on Monday when a guest host of the Larry Glover Live show and even he said, look, there are probably some things in here that we need to continue tweaking and we can do that in 2024.

Plus, we'll have the results of the survey research survey that we've commission with taxpayer money at the University of Kentucky to study medical cannabis.

And maybe there will be some things in there that can give us a better direction on how to make adjustments to the bill.

>> Right.

And they can also add other conditions, chronic or terminal conditions to that list because of their research.

Right?

So it's a pretty narrow now, but it could be expanded could based on the research at UK.

Yeah.

regrets when I say regrets, I don't mean by what you did do, but about what didn't get across the finish line.

What do you wish would have made it?

>> It's pretty tough to come up with what was left I mean, we we started with cutting taxes at the session, major steps to reform the mass at the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Thanks to Representative Kevin Bratcher and Senator Danny Carroll.

That was kind of in the middle to the end.

We band great games.

We passed sports betting.

We passed medical marijuana.

We passed a bourbon barrel tax.

I know there are things I'm leaving out with it.

A host of workforce It's pretty tough to be disappointed.

The one issue we didn't tackle I think is going to be something that will help to find the next session.

And that is school choice and a constitutional amendment on school choice and one of the things I really like about the session as we clear the decks of a lot of big issues which will allow us next year to focus on the budget.

The road planned.

And as far as I'm concerned, one of our priorities should be a constitutional amendment on school choice because that was filed this session, correct?

Right.

Just to put it out there and write, we made a decision.

>> Not to pass any more school choice Bill is because I KET getting struck down by the That's why we think we need a constitutional amendment.

We decided not to put any constitutional amendments on the ballot because it can't happen until 2024.

So we want to kind of clear the decks of that.

But there are some constitutional amendments that were filed that will be under consideration in 2024. because they they can't go on the ballot until an even number election.

>> Tomorrow, part 2 of my conversation with Kentucky Senate might majority Leader Damon Thayer as he give some more insight and what lawmakers could have on their docket in 2024, that's tomorrow night on Kentucky Edition.

We hope you'll join us for that.

We'll take a look back at the accomplishments of the 2023, Kentucky General Assembly coming up Monday night on Kentucky.

Tonight we talk to leaders of 4 creek, he advocacy or interest groups representing business youth and family issues.

You can see that Monday at 8 Eastern 7 central right here on KET.

Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky is 4th district is endorsing Florida.

Governor Ron DeSantis for President DeSantis is seen as former President Donald Trump top rival for the 2024 Republican nomination and a statement released by a pro DeSantis political Action Committee.

Massey said, quote, America needs a leader who is decisive, respects.

The Constitution understands policy puts family first and leads by inspiring.

I've been honored to call Ron DeSantis, a friend for over a decade during the 6 years we served together in Congress.

I witnessed Ron fight for economic freedom, personal liberty, fiscal responsibility and constitutionally limited government DeSantis has not yet announced his candidacy for president.

Kentucky is getting its first visit by a 2024 presidential candidate.

Former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential contender Asa Hutchinson will headline the southern Kentucky Lincoln Day Dinner.

The annual political dinner will be and Warren County on April 14th at the National Corvette Museum, also scheduled to attend the event.

Former UN Ambassador Kelly Craft, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, AG Commissioner Ryan Quarles State Auditor Mike Harmon and Somerset Mayor Alan Keck.

All Republican candidates for Governor.

There is a Kentucky connection to a Tennessee story that is developing right now.

A group of state lawmakers in Frankfort is condemning efforts to expel 3 legislators in Tennessee earlier this week, 3 Tennessee State representatives led protesters in the capital galleries calling for gun reform after the shooting deaths of 6 people at a Nashville Christian school, Tennessee House leadership refers to that protest as, quote, an insurrection and is now taking steps to expel the 3 from the Tennessee State House.

As of our Kentucky Edition deadline, the Tennessee House had already expelled one of the 3 with votes planned on the other 2, the National Black Caucus of state legislators is denouncing that effort saying the 3 were simply exercising their right to free speech.

The Kentucky Black Legislative Caucus says it agrees with the national groups position.

The Biden administration is making 450 million dollars available for solar farms and other clean energy projects at the sites of current or closed coal mines.

The process begins with 5 projects applications for those projects are due in August.

Decisions on grants will be decided early next year.

The goal is to encourage investment in areas like Kentuckyian the rest of Appalachia that have been hurt by a decline in coal related jobs in the last decade.

April is second Chance month.

It's a time to think about barriers.

Ex offenders face as they try to re-enter society and the employment addiction treatment and education programs that can help them.

The Kentucky Department of Corrections says Kentucky prisons and jails have 20,000 people serving felony convictions.

And 95% of them will be released at some point right now, 27% of released inmates commit another crime that lands them back in jail.

But that's down from 29%.

Last year.

♪ ♪ It has been a history making season for the Transylvania pioneers, women's basketball team.

The pioneers claim their first NCAA division, 3 women's basketball tournament championship on Wednesday.

The campus celebrated the undefeated team.

>> It.

♪ The place is just the first 2.

♪ ♪ ♪ >> Congratulations.

Pioneers.

The team Transylvania beat to win the national title.

Christopher Newport University was previously undefeated.

♪ ♪ Some engineering students at the University of Kentucky have found an innovative way to use human hair.

The students are taking leftover hair from the barber shop and creating a fabric casing that can be used to help repair bridges, pipes, buildings, and more.

They combined the hair with a type a binder they created to make forms fabricated with the human hair.

>> We have many combinations of binders that the students were developing and one of them went to work in this year.

Basically.

So then that's going to hold the fabric with a human hair.

In to the shape that you want.

And then we can pour concrete inside 2 in case.

Pine, this damage or Pierre, this them much insulin.

>> You're going to have to see it to believe it will show you the process and learn more of how this discovery came to be.

That's tomorrow night on Kentucky edition.

It was a good hair day at an elementary school in Warren County.

The school is helping students, many of them immigrants and refugees learn how to take good care of what's on top of the head so they can better focus on the thinking process inside their head.

>> Warren Elementary School in Bowling Green has a diverse student body.

We have about 34 countries right now represented in our school and about are represented in our Girls leadership group.

>> When their families relocate to the United States, there are cultural differences and new opportunities to navigate, going to switch to a into there.

Whoops, many of our are either refugees or have come from other countries that may not have access to hear parts that we have in the United States was trying to make its all a lot of our kids that are refugees were in camps for several years of their lives and they just had no access to hair products.

So they didn't really use any hair product.

>> It doesn't take much understanding how to use those products.

This is too like oil, your scout when it's dry.

The point of a recent discussion and a demonstration.

>> We went over how to condition your hair, the tangle it shampoo.

very mobile is a volunteer with Halo Girls.

Leadership Group, an acronym for helping and leading others.

>> You look around the >> She says encouraging the girls to love and care for their natural hair is important for good self esteem.

It's who they are and it's how it grows out of their skin and we want them to believe that they don't have to change how their hair looks to be beautiful are to be cosmetologist who specialize in their natural hair, textures spend some time going over basic hair care and hairstyles.

We have a lot of students from the >> I learned that you can use different Stephan curly hair and also there's right.

And this does that you can use on curly hair only got a few of these packages that you can put in your hair when you go to sleep and leaving and serving in the morning, we wake up your hair will be smooth.

>> I like it.

Here you see when you have your brain is in for a long time.

>> Event organizers say feeling good on the outside can translate to enter confidence and improved academic performance.

>> in school, sometimes when you go into the school and you're like, man, my hair is not done.

You're so focused on that.

It could take away from your ability to focus in class or you're worried about like, oh, I don't want anyone looking at me my hair looks so that you don't want to raise your hand and do all those These young ladies are in 5th and 6th grade.

>> These girls are getting to the age now where they can take care of their own hair.

>> And it will instill responsibility for them too.

I'm just our take care of their bodies at a young age and their hair can be a form of self expression and creativity.

>> Heres your your hair kind is a way for you to express yourself for Kentucky edition.

I'm Laura >> Hair care companies from as far as New Jersey donated the products for the hair clinic.

Kelsey Chapman says students who need to get them can get hygiene and hair products at the school's family resource Center.

♪ ♪ >> The home of the Louisville slugger is giving baseball fans something to cheer about.

On Wednesday, the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory unveiled its first museum renovation and nearly 15 years.

The biggest improvement is to the museum's back vault, which is now doubled in size.

It contains more than 3,000 original back to use by legends like Hank Aaron Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams and Derek Jeter.

The ball was only accessible with the purchase of a VIP ticket.

The museum says the basketball experience is now included in general admission.

>> Apple, it is.

It is great.

I got to admit the you see the line on the floor was great to brick.

That used to be the old wall.

So you bring a group in here say some ball players to get a little claustrophobic.

This opens it up.

It's great.

You get to see a lot of our models just to be able to see our history.

I mean, this is who we are.

The models, the bat.

That is what makes us a little slugger and to be able to share that with everyone else.

Not just be eyed Peas.

>> It's a special thing to me.

I think it's great that everyone now get to see this.

>> The museum says it also expanded its permanent exhibits like women play ball and the best black baseball team you've never heard of and added a 200 square feet space for temporary exhibits.

>> Earlier in the program, I said about 50,000 people were without power in Louisville.

That number was not correct.

Its 5,000.

>> So I apologize for that air tomorrow.

Part 2 of our interview.

We have it with state Senator Damon Thayer.

And we look back at the week's Political news inside Kentucky politics.

Plus, it's been more than a year since the devastating tornadoes touched down in Western Kentuckyian wiped out hundreds of homes tomorrow where many of the displaced have ended up and who's trying to help them find a place to call home all of that tomorrow night on Kentucky edition at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central where we inform connect and inspire.

Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter and watch full episodes and clips of KD Dot Org.

>> You can find us on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV and we hope you'll send us a story idea that public affairs at KET Dot Org and of course, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Thank you so much for watching.

Casey Parker Bell will be with you tomorrow night.

You have a great weekend to come on this holy weekend and I will see you Monday night.

Take good care.

♪