♪ ♪ >> It's not going away and to be quite frankly, we're behind.

>> Catching up to artificial intelligence.

How Kentucky lawmakers could regulate the technology.

>> If they wanted to do truly go green tomorrow and costs wasn't a factor.

We could go through tomorrow.

>> Frankfort has set out to go green by Twenty-thirty.

How might the city get there?

>> Their skin is dry and hot.

Then we're going to be a lot more concerned about the heat related illness.

Avoiding heat dangers and a summer of record shattering temperatures.

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

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this brand new week.

It is Monday August, the 12th.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for starting off your Monday night with us.

The future is now when it comes to AI or artificial intelligence and all the ways it can improve our complicate our allies were major topics of discussion among lawmakers from statehouses across the country last week.

The National Conference of State Legislatures convene for 3 days last week at the Kentucky International Convention Center and downtown Louisville for the annual summit that drills down on scores of public policy issues that legislators nationwide are facing the chairman of Kentucky's House Education Committee spoke with me last week about the pros and cons of a I use in the classroom as kids head back to school.

More in tonight's Education Matters segment.

>> Chairman Representative James Tipton, your chair of the Kentucky House Education Committee.

We appreciate you spending a little bit of time with us.

>> Well, thank you, Renee.

It's always a pleasure to talk about education in Kentucky.

the good things in the things that we need to work on 2 threes.

>> When we talk about them often don't wait to share this space of being at the National Conference of State Legislatures.

We know that education is up a major topic.

What is it that you're really hearing?

You resume over and over again about some major issues of concern?

>> Well, I think one of the main topics that he's come up in the last year, so it is artificial intelligence.

It's here.

It's not going away and to be quite frankly, we're behind in his changing at such a rapid pace.

It's going to be very difficult to get ahead of it.

But I do think it's important that we understand that we have policies You can put up dark, appropriate guardrails one of the most important things is the ethical yeast that yeah, can be such a valuable tool not only to our students, but also to or teachers in in how they teach you how students learn so it's a changing dynamic that we need to get her arms wrapped around.

>> And it's not just all bad, right?

I think oftentimes with the discussion is framed around the concerns of the negative aspects, others.

But as you just alluded to, it could be used as a tool for educators and a positive way.

>> Absolutely.

I know there's concerns about cheating and things like man, but as as the general, yeah, I'm learning some of the term I had this.

Yes, jonee eyes coming along they're they're actually able to help teachers identify students who cheat using a a.

>> Oh, wow.

So they can get away with it.

That's right.

Not as easily.

But, you know, we just have to.

Better understand it.

Then we probably have students in the classroom, but no more.

teachers in the classroom when the stain were going to provide professional development for them.

>> To understand the appropriate use of AI can benefit them in the classroom.

>> Numeracy and literacy to other big job are not issues that I know that you're very passionate about.

And then behind legislation to help boost reading and math proficiency.

You're hearing a lot of conversation about that in this space.

Yes, there's been quite a bit of conversation.

I was actually on the panel.

>> Are are this weekend?

And those are the questions I got asked about.

That's what we've done in Kentucky on early later seen early Numeracy and those are foundational skills that all students have to have an early years.

And if they can, if they can.

Be proficient him sufficient and what they need to know that they can build on that the rest of their education careers.

Of course, in 2022, we passed Senate Bill 9, the Re to 6 a bill.

And in this last session, 24 session, we passed House Bill 162 than ever see counts.

Bill.

it's a those are fundamental issues.

And we've got a lot of we've got a long way to go there.

I think this these pieces of legislation to help us move the needle on those issues.

>> Is there still conversation Mister chairman around learning loss from COVID or have we mitigated that or enough where with there's always been some gaps in academic achievement and COVID didn't help for many populations.

But is there still conversation on mitigating learning loss from COVID?

>> Yes, I think it is still evident that there is learning.

Well, I just left the session and that was on the topics of conversation, especially since the pandemic and what has education and where are we?

I was okay of Kentucky.

72 assessment scores.

I looked at Jefferson County.

I looked at 18, 19 in the year.

22 23 and in between the 2019, 2022, we were saying 8 to 12 point drops in proficiency on reading and math and in the gaps, the gaps for their before they're even more prevalent.

Now did see some improvement in 23.

I understand that the 2024 ksi scores to come out on October.

3rd, having made public so I'll be very interesting in looking at that and see if we've made some improvement.

But there are a lot of other things it not just test scores discipline issues in the classroom.

Chronic absenteeism is is a major concern and those type of direct disruptions.

Students not in school.

I think our contributing to the test scores being where they are.

>> All right.

And even trauma, right?

We know that there's a lot of conversation around that kids are dealing with mental health issues that are right.

That previous generations had not experienced.

Is that been a conversation piece here?

>> absolutely.

I mean, we have.

Grandparents and great grandparents raising.

Raising these children nail and and we have children in foster homes.

We don't know what these children deal with.

It helped and the trauma that they bring it to school and deal with some of maybe Hungary that may not have warm clothes they may The parents may have been fighting.

We don't know what they're dealing with.

So I think it's very important that we provide the appropriate wrap-around services.

Mental health is a major issue.

A couple of the issues that we're going to look at in the 20 type session that we had a bill in 24. to be another bill coming that would bans a direct school boards to ban cell phones in school.

That is a major disruption to learning a distraction.

Learning a date is also shown that contribution.

to mental health issues.

Another issue concerned about is the influence of social media, especially young children.

We're going to see another building.

25 that would put a strict age verification on the social media accounts.

Yeah.

>> We'll certainly KET our eye on that legislative session that is approaching faster and faster lately.

Thank you, Mister Chairman for being with U.S.. Representative James Tipton from the 53rd District of Kentucky.

Appreciate your time.

Thank you.

Renee.

>> You can see more of our interviews and features stories about the NCSL summit online on demand at K E T Dot Org.

Turning to a higher education news.

Now the fall semester gets under way next weekend.

Western Kentucky University President Timothy Caboni gave his faculty and staff convocation today at Vanmeter Hall.

He highlighted accomplishments and goals leading into the new academic year.

Doctor Caboni says enrollment is up slightly in 2024, he says a long-term goal is to become a Carnegie classified high research institution.

They also want to improve freshman retention, which is getting better.

But Caboni says financial difficulties can be a barrier to graduation and to the board.

>> Jennifer has the state invest about 17% of our total budget.

The rest is really driven by tuition.

And so what we need to do is everything in our power, both to moderate those tuition increases but also create that financial aid infrastructure help support them.

So we've been really aggressive in the past 5 years with our hilltopper guarantee that if you have one dollar in Poway, you essentially can come to WKU without paying a dollar in tuition.

>> Tony says they also offer border state scholarships to students in the Nashville Metropolitan Area, which make up about one-third of the freshman class, the president's address also included announcing this year's winner of the spirit of WKU Award presented to a history professor who's taught at the university since 20 13.

>> Teaching history is always challenging.

Is that the challenge is different, right?

But I will also always tried to teach challenging topics.

So I teach history of genocide, history of HIV AIDS and history of Russia.

So these are all topics that are challenging their own ways.

But I think that's why students often gravitate towards history because we ask questions that don't have easy answers.

>> Classes for the Hilltoppers at WKU Begin next Monday, August the 19th.

Thousands of Kentucky veterans are benefiting from what has become the largest expansion of VA benefits in decades.

The PACT Act was signed into law 2 years ago.

It expanded disability benefits and health care coverage for veterans, particularly those who were exposed to toxic burn pits on Friday.

The Department of Veterans Affairs said more than 1 million veterans have started receiving disability benefits from the new law.

That includes over 16,000 veterans in Kentucky.

It took years to get the PACT Act through Congress in 2022.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was one of 11 Republican senators to vote against the bill.

♪ ♪ In related news.

Money is coming to Kentucky to give veterans and their families more housing options.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or HUD is putting more than $300,000 toward public housing for Veterans.

11 public housing agencies across the state will be getting the money through a national program that looks to be decreased.

The number of homeless veterans.

The Department of Veterans Affairs says veteran homelessness increased by more than 7% last year.

Kentucky has a horde, a housing shortage and there's just not enough homes and there's not enough rental units and the costs are high.

Kentucky will need more than a half million new housing units in the next 25 years.

So what's causing the problem and what can be done?

We're going to talk about it tonight on Kentucky tonight.

Our topic is affordable and available housing.

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

And Kentucky.

Some cities in the Commonwealth had set timelines to go green.

That means powering the city buildings and machines with almost exclusively renewable energy.

We take a look at Frankfort where city leaders say they're just the right community to be an example for the rest of the state.

Our June Leffler has more.

>> At Kentucky's Capitol, renewable energy is a hot button issue, but not so much in Frankfort, the elected city council in 2021 unanimously set a goal to go green by 2030.

>> They're probably ratepayers out there who don't think noble energy is the future and we're not agree with this pathway, but I think what they would agree with is that if we can do anything as a city leadership to reduce our operational cough permanently, that would be a wise thing to do.

>> Maryland Wilkerson says Powering Frankfort City operations like keeping the lights on at City Hall are treating Frankfurt's drinking water can cost upwards of 3 million dollars a year.

>> If we can reduce that by half, you know, that's a big savings for city our size and would free up money to do other things.

Staff salaries, making investments in the community, perhaps lowering taxes.

>> Renewable energy can save money in the long run, but it requires upfront cost to install a wind, solar or hydro system.

That's where federal funding comes in.

The city will submit an application this fall for 20 million dollars available through the Inflation Reduction Act.

>> We have a good story.

We have a good narrative and we've already done a lot of the home.

Mark.

>> Frankfort employed the National Renewable Energy Lab to see if going green is even doable.

The lab said yes.

>> To get to 100% renewable energy, the best pathway forward is to build a utility scale size solar array.

No, it's not just and we're not going to get there.

Just putting a seller on all the rooftops of all city buildings.

>> The city's partner in this energy overhaul is the local municipal utility, the public and to the works for customers, not shareholders.

>> If they wanted to do truly go green tomorrow and costs wasn't a factor, they could go through tomorrow.

It's how do you think of doing this in a sustainable way?

Not only environmentally but also economically and socially.

>> Even before the city said its Green Energy goals, the Frankfort Plant Board resolve to at more renewable energy sources to its grid.

In part to study the electricity rates.

It sets.

>> For too long, we've been relying on sometimes just single sources of power.

And when you are then price fluctuations throughout, like we're seeing the battle grass historically, it can really have a downstream impact on repairs and things.

>> The Frankfort plant board started harvesting solar in its own backyard last year.

There are a is a community solar program, meaning interested customers help pay for the panels and the utility locks in their energy rates for years to come on a grander scale and 2018, the local utility in partnership with the Kentucky Municipal Energy Agency decided to build what will be the state's largest solar array.

>> This comes on line fall.

And when that comes online, renewable energy.

Portfolio will go from one to a 19%.

>> Polio, the ashwood solar array in western Kentucky will serve 8 communities and double the state's solar energy production making one large step towards a brighter, greener future for Frankfort for Kentucky edition from John Leffler.

>> Thank you.

June 2020, the city of Louisville said its own goals to run entirely off of clean energy.

The city plans to power all public city operations with green energy by 2030, and do the same for the entire metro area by 2040.

♪ ♪ >> While Mother Nature is forecast to turn down the thermostat a bit this week this year could be record shattering when it comes to the heat.

>> Making it all the more important to be aware of heat related illness.

A doctor from Norton Healthcare shares a few of the symptoms and how to avoid falling victim to the heat.

All of that in today's health news >> so there's really 3 like stages of heat illnesses are heat related illnesses, right?

So the first one, the one that we've all seen, whether you're sports on TV or you've had a >> you.

Had the cramps while playing your The first ones typically heat cramps.

You know, those muscle just cramp up on you now, the other 2 that a little more You know, I was going to your heat exhaustion and then you've got your heat stroke, which the church, the big scary one that we want to stay away from by all means those you're going to see progression of They'll they'll be throwing up to have the heat cramps.

They'll start to just kind of acting a little off and being a little You also look at like there are the sweating or not.

If they're not sweating, then we're going to get really worried.

You know, their skin is dry and hot.

Then we're going to be a little more concerned about the heat related the one thing is I duration, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, sweet our athletes, whether they're playing at the collegiate level, freshen a little high school middle school.

You're right.

When it gets hot, you know, you sweat profusely.

You've got to have that.

That storage of flu.

Is there you've got to hydrate.

You got to make sure you stay on top of your hydration.

I know everybody's favorite.

A sports drink is going to be a gator in our power and our body armor.

Most people aren't going to sweating profusely enough to.

So warranted a bunch of those.

You know, they're also high in sugar.

So water is going to be a great thing it really comes down to person.

The person, you know, athletes, athletes, situation you know, we've had athletes that we are pretty hydrating route crazy amounts of fluid and they still cramp up, you know, so I don't think there's a set again, it goes back to how your body's processing and, you know, the other big thing is actually going to you know, again, acclimated to the heat.

So, you know, and and college football, you know, we do a two-week acquisition period where you're going out and you're not running as hard.

You're not running as fast.

You're not hitting as hard.

You're not staying out as long but you're getting used to the heat and intensity of the game.

>> Other ways to avoid heat related illness limit outdoor activities to early morning or late in the evening and wear light colored clothes made of fabrics that can wick away moisture Redbird mission has been a force for good and south Eastern Kentucky for more than 100 years since 1921, the group has provided a variety of services and opportunities for the families to call the mountains home.

Our friends at Kentucky Life.

Give us a look.

>> The message of record mission is to advocate for justice and empower individuals.

We are in southeastern Kentucky, very rural up in the heart of Appalachia.

Beautiful landscape streams, right heart of the Daniel Boone, National Forest ♪ homes, speckled everywhere.

>> That have been passed down through generations.

We just got a whole communities, a family living taking care of one another.

It's beautiful.

>> And red birds here primarily to serve the community >> and meet that the cities counties are not able to in these rural areas.

>> Record started in 1921.

It was started by the evangelical United Brethren Church.

The evangelical United Brethren eventually merged with the with the math distrust becoming United Methodist.

It started out as the settlement school.

And we started adding some of the other services, some of the other outreach services.

>> Here at the mission campus, we've got a K through 12 school.

We have in our school room, 220 kids approximately a little over 3 quarters of our kids from the community here.

Some of those kids are international We have it count it.

Countries that are represented.

We really focus on developing leadership skills from a very early age.

You know, the need to give back to the community and be a part of their community can be responsible for one another and help each other out.

>> The last 2 years we have printed small classes.

We have graduated 17 this year.

But over the last 2 years in a row, we've every one of our students are going to college.

>> I'm responsible for the community outreach ministries.

And under that there's community aid and that's your basic social service type, supportive services, food, clothing, we do.

Commodities food drives c'est a baby pantries.

We have elderly ministries with a senior citizen center and homebound programs.

We've got a medical clinic dental cleaning, some of the other resources we have here is a community store.

A lot of the families that we assist might come in for a box of food and regal.

We realize that they can also benefit from clothing.

>> Or use household goods or furniture.

And so community outreach can help low-income get discounts at the community store.

>> The thank you.

Always a deals to the hills I don't see how these people could live without Redbird a nation.

>> The summer Olympic Games wrapped up over the weekend and more athletes with Kentucky connections or bring home some serious hardware.

And tonight, sports news bus.

I rossell won gold in the women's 100 meter hurdles by 1, 1, 100th of a second.

Russell was a standout on the track while at the University of Kentuckyian has a reputation as an influencer with roughly a million followers on social media.

The reigning Olympic champion in her event was Jasmine Camacho Quinn, who was also a former Wildcat.

She won bronze for Puerto Rico.

Another pair of ex cats help Team USA Win Gold in the 4 by 400 relay.

Alexis Holmes ran the final stretch of the relay.

And Sydney McLaughlin Love Roni, ran the fastest like of the race.

Helping propel her to becoming a two-time gold medalist in Paris from the track to the hardwood.

Avery Skinner, help Team USA are in a silver medal and volleyball and in a nail-biter against the host country, 3 former Wildcat Devin Booker, Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo helped Team USA Win its 5th straight gold medal in men's basketball.

How about those cats?

The U.S. had a great showing in Paris winning more medals than any other nation and time with China in the gold medal count the summer Olympic Games will return to the U.S. and 2028 with Los Angeles being the host city.

♪ We Kentucky ends of the past have also showed off their athletic skills during the Olympics and people in Lexington used to travel the city by Mill driven streetcars.

Our Toby gives looks at what happened this week in Kentucky.

History.

♪ >> U.S. government open toward training airport for B 17 bombers in Boone County on August 12, 1944, they would eventually turn into the Cincinnati northern Kentucky International Airport.

Lexington Ian's could hop on you will driven streetcar starting August 12, 18.

82.

The fleet contain 30 mules and 15 wouldn't cars moving across 9 miles of track.

>> The Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Mean County Native Harold P** Wee Reese on August 12, 1984.

He was best known as a shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

And he was widely praised for supporting Major League Baseball's first black player.

Jackie Robinson in 1947.

Legendary racehorse man, a war lost his only race to a horse named upset during the Sanford Stakes in Saratoga Springs, New York, on August 13, 19 9 team.

The U.S. Olympic team, which included members of the University of Kentucky so-called fabulous 5, won the gold medal on August 13, 1948.

Beating France.

64 to 21.

Owen County native Willis.

We won 7 shooting medals in the 1920 Olympic Games in London.

We was later a vice admiral in the U.S. Navy.

The first long John Silver Seafood Restaurant opened in Lexington on August 18, 1969, as of December 2023, there were 540 restaurants throughout the United States.

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

>> I'm told he gives.

Thank you much Toby catastrophic flooding in recent years has more people keeping an eye on Kentucky's rivers and streams.

>> This is not an emergency alert.

I do this right now.

I mean, it's not going to wake you up the middle of that, but it's going to come up play.

The streams up to here.

>> Tomorrow on Kentucky Edition, a real-time tool that's letting people stay in the know about potential flooding and their area.

We'll have that story and much more tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central on Kentucky Edition.

Thank you so much for watching.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Until I see you again.

Take really good care.

♪ ♪