In Kentucky.

National Guard troops are on the move to another part of the world at the University of Kentucky.

Do you get to share your story and hear someone else's story?

And that's always so enriching.

It's the time of year when Lexington has a population explosion.

The fact that the National Cancer Institute had the White House announce that and that they are promoting this program, I am really humbled, honestly.

Meet the researcher from University of Kentucky who is being nationally recognized for her research.

You never know if you don't give kids an opportunity.

How do they know if something's for them or not?

And not everyone gets a chance to work in the horse racing world.

Meet the man who is changing that.

Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET Endowment for Kentucky Productions, the Leonard Press Endowment for Public Affairs and the Katie Millennium Fund.

Good evening.

Welcome to Kentucky Edition on this Monday, August the 14th.

I'm Christie Dutton, filling in for Renee Shaw.

Thank you for joining us.

With less than three months to go before the November 7th election for governor, it appears we will see the two candidates face to face several times.

On Friday, Governor Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron put out statements about their plans to participate in debates and other joint appearances.

Both say they will take part in a Paducah area Chamber of Commerce Lunch forum airing on WPC on October 12th.

Both have agreed to accept invitations to appear on Kentucky tonight here on KET on Monday, October the 23rd.

Once those invitations go out and they both say they will appear on a debate on WKYC in Lexington on October 24th, Governor Beshear says he will appear at a League of Women Voters woman voter debate in northern Kentucky on October 16th.

And Attorney General Cameron has agreed to appear at a Chamber of Commerce forum on September 20th.

Plus, a spectrum one news debate in Louisville, October 3rd, and a Bowling Green Daily News forum sometime in October.

A specific date for that has not been announced.

More than 6000 students began moving into the University of Kentucky today.

The state's flagship university is once again welcoming its largest freshman class.

Today, we caught up with some new students, their parents and the school's president, who each share a little about what they're looking forward to this year.

Well, we need an educated workforce in Kentucky.

When companies make a determination about where they're going to locate, they certainly gauge the education of the population.

Compared to just about seven or eight years ago.

We graduate 2000 more students a year.

So imagine, you know, over a five year period, we put 10,000 more graduates into the workforce.

What dazzles me is our students creativity.

They're creating their own jobs.

Many of them stay fully prepared for what may be that job.

We've yet to hear of.

It really excites me to see people arrive filled with hopes and expectations of us.

Okay, well, we're up here trying to get Paige in a room.

I'll be back in just a second.

Dropping my daughter off for school.

She's our first one, so it's a little nervous, but pretty excited.

She.

I don't know why, but she's always loved Kentucky and when we first came here to check out the campus and everything, we just felt real safe and.

And it's just really clean and nice, so we just fell in love with it.

There you go.

You're in.

I lived in a small town, so I haven't really got to experience much growing up, and I'm really excited to experience a big city and meet a lot of new people.

What we're going to have is a mosaic of stories for people to share.

Often times, people in our neighborhoods where we grow up look like us have had the same experiences at the University of Kentucky.

You get to share your stories and hear someone else's story, and that's always so enriching.

My parents went here and I just wanted the new experience out of my comfort zone at home.

So this was the nearest way that I could get to.

So they know a lot of people who went here and a lot of people who are still like, I live around here.

So I'm like, I need to make sure I'm doing good so that those people aren't like watching me.

All of our data and years and years of experience say your likelihood of student success, adapting well to college, graduating on time improves when you live on campus.

Those first one or two years.

So we're extremely happy to welcome all these students and their families who join them or move in the race from higher ed to the state's largest public school system.

Still no school for students in the Jefferson County School system.

Superintendent Marty Polio canceled school last Thursday and Friday after bus delays Wednesday.

Some students didn't get home until almost 10 p.m. on Saturday.

The school system decided not to resume school today as they continue to work to improve the transportation process.

They're now aiming to start school in the middle of the week.

And on Friday, Superintendent Polio also addressed the possibility of students learning from home.

We are in no way considering NTI, and so that has been a common question around NTI.

I will say this again, we have ten days we can use for NTI for the entire school year.

There is no other way around that.

Those will be reserved for the real snow days that could occur in the wintertime.

And so, once again, families we have there has now been zero discussion about any instruction on NTI whatsoever.

We will let you know the decision about when school will resume.

Two Kentucky lawmakers are looking at ways to reduce childhood hunger.

State Senator Kasy Chambers Armstrong and State Representative Chad all are co-sponsoring a pre filed bill for the upcoming legislative session.

It would require certain schools to participate in a federal program known as Community ELA Bill eligibility, eligibility provision or CFP.

Under the bill, all public schools with at least 60% of their students by their student body meeting c EP's income eligibility requirements would have to participate by the 2025 26 school year.

According to the Kentucky Department of Education, CFP affiliated schools will feed more than half a million students this year.

This bill could allow an additional 20,000 students to benefit.

The bill also calls for nearly $17 million in additional state funding to help schools participate in the program.

The 2024 General Assembly begins in January.

More than 100 Kentucky National Guard soldiers are on their way to the Middle East.

Family and friends gathered yesterday for a farewell ceremony at Transylvania University.

The soldiers are part of the Kentucky Thunder assigned to the 138th Field Artillery Brigade.

They're being deployed for nine months to support the U.S. Army in Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Qatar and Kuwait.

Your dedication, love and support to your soldier is what allows them to do their mission.

We recognize the sacrifice you make every day as part of our 138 year old artillery and Kentucky National Guard being your calling for your sake.

Governor Bashir also spoke at yesterday's ceremony.

In an unstable and difficult and dangerous world.

You are leaving your loved ones to make sure that this United States remains the home of the free because of you, the brave.

I don't think there's any greater service than dedicating yourself in your state and to your country.

You're always there to protect our families and our communities here at home, and in this case, to defend our freedoms abroad.

Here assigned to Task Force Spartan.

The Kentucky Thunder will continue to maintain and build partnerships with regional partners throughout and through joint exercises and cultural exchanges.

Congressman James Comer isn't happy about the special counsel pick to investigate the president's son, Hunter Biden.

Attorney General Merrick Garland picked David Wiese, a U.S. attorney appointed by President Trump, Colmer says.

Wiese is this same guy who agreed to a plea deal from Hunter Biden on charges he paid his taxes late.

Colmer is the congressman from the first Congressional District.

He is also chair of the House Oversight Committee.

He told the Fox News Channel, quote, This will not deter our investigation.

We're going to continue to move forward and try to present the American people with the truth about this family, unquote.

U.S.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky is demanding a perjury investigation into Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime White House medical adviser.

Paul claims that Fauci lied to Congress when he said the United States hadn't funded coronavirus research in China.

Paul says there's now proof the National Institutes of Health did fund research.

Fauci denies ever lying to Congress and says that Paul doesn't know what he's talking about.

Good news for Kentucky veterans.

You have a few more hours under the Patriot Act to apply for benefits if your health has been affected by exposure to toxic substances.

The deadline has been moved to tonight at 11:59 p.m..

It was last Wednesday.

But so many people were signing up.

The website had technical problems.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs says there are more than 270,000 veterans in Kentucky.

As of last month, fewer than 12,000 had applied for the new benefits.

New regulations are now in place for some dangerous psychoactive substances.

In Kentucky, House Bill 544 was signed into law earlier this year.

It directs the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to put new restrictions on Delta eight and other cannabis derived intoxicating agents no later than August 1st of this year.

Under the new law, the products must be labeled properly, kept behind a counter and cannot be sold to anyone under the age of 21.

Matthew Bratcher is with Kentucky Normal, a group advocating for the reform of marijuana laws.

He says the new legislation is good for the industry.

You know, I think in general these are very good rules to be laid out.

A lot of these were already being followed by many businesses in the industry already as far as it goes with the CEOs and making sure everything is tested.

But to ensure that there is a, you know, a very comprehensive testing process for all the products, I think is fantastic.

The Tampa resisted packaging the children out of its very good.

Overall, this is going to be a boon for the hemp industry is going to get CBD and other hemp derived cannabinoids out of the gas station and into more into the shops where people are experienced, are knowledgeable on the product.

The law does not restrict gas stations from selling Delta eight or similar products.

But Bratcher says the language of the law may lead to that outcome.

The way the rules are kind of structured, you know, they have to sign up.

They have to be open for inspection.

All these other things that, you know, they may not want to deal with.

So I think it's going to get like some of the players out that are kind of pushing bad products or cheap Chinese hemp.

And that's what you'll find a lot of time with these gas stations.

It's not necessarily technical products.

So this is going to be good to get that out of there and just get it in the shops where people are more knowledgeable and can have more context on.

This bill is different than Senate Bill 47, which legalizes medical marijuana in Kentucky.

That bill goes into effect in January of 2025.

Radio listeners in Louisville are remembering journalist and broadcaster Rick Howlett of Debbie FPL FM.

He died Saturday at the age of 62.

He began his career in broadcasting in 1984 and joined Louisville Public Media in 2001.

He hosted the midday newscast and a weekly talk show called In Conversation, WFP said.

Howlett was a trusted voice for our community, a man beloved by his family and colleagues.

Last year, President Biden partnered with the National Cancer Institute to launch the Cancer Moonshot Scholars Program.

It was designed to, quote, support early career researchers and help build a cancer research workforce that better represented the diversity of America, unquote.

Earlier this month, Lori McLeod, an assistant professor from the University of Kentucky, was named a cancer moonshot scholar.

So I've been selected as a cancer moonshot scholar, which means that I've been awarded a five year grant that will support my research on hope and quality of life in cancer patients.

So I'm a clinical psychologist by training with expertise in cancer survivorship and cancer care delivery.

So I'm really focused on people who have been diagnosed with cancer from the point of diagnosis on.

So a lot of the work that I do integrates people's strengths or positive psychology into supportive or psychosocial interventions for patients.

But I'm also very focused on how we can improve the process of care, to really improve quality of life and the quality of cancer care we're delivering.

The work that I do is important because I focus on populations that we don't have good representation of in cancer research, but who really represent a lot of cancer patients.

So a lot of the work that I do is focused on advanced stage lung cancer patients.

It's one of the most common cancers.

It's the leading cause of cancer mortality and people who are going through treatment for advanced stage lung cancer have high needs that we don't do a good job addressing.

So I'm really trying to think about what are the needs of this patient population and how can we address those through interventions that will work not just at a place like Marquee cancer Center, but the community as well.

So with my moonshot are one I'm going to be testing whether or not a hope enhancing intervention for patients with advanced stage lung cancer can support their personal goal pursuits during treatment.

As well as reduce distress, improve mental health and improve quality of life.

Basically, the intervention is designed to where when patients are coming in for their chemotherapy or immunotherapy for their treatment.

Here we have someone who sits down with them, talks with them about what areas of your life are most important to you.

What sort of goals do you want to set in those areas of your life?

And then how can we help you pursue those goals?

Because oftentimes what happens during treatment is a lot of the things that are really important to patients for their quality of life kind of take a backseat while they're so focused on their cancer treatment.

But we know those things really matter for how well patients live while they're going through treatment.

So my hope is that by doing this intervention, we can really carve out space for patients to think about what else is important to me while I'm getting treatment and support patients and those goals.

The fact that the National Cancer Institute had the White House announce it and that they are promoting this program.

To me, it is just really humbling and it makes me feel like they're very committed to do this sort of work and to diversifying our scientific pool, which I, I think that it really will help us have better science and help train future researchers who are going to come with new ideas as well.

Mike Louth is one of 11 other scholars so far, and the first researcher from a university in the state of Kentucky to be awarded by the program.

Well, in the horse capital of the world, many young people don't have the means or opportunity to ride a horse or get hands on training for the career in the equestrian industry.

Gemma Reece wants to change that.

He founded Frankie's Corner Little Thoroughbred Crusade, a program that exposes young people to the equestrian world and gives them a chance to learn about horsemanship.

The reason I say that my grandfather has the biggest influence is because, you know, at a young age, you know, I mean, I love the look of horses, but I had no idea where to go, where to get into the industry, where to even begin, where to learn.

So my grandfather, Francis Wilson, worked with John Bell, I think about 40 something years.

So he was a groom.

He was a trainer, He was an exercise rider.

He broke horses.

He night watched.

He also he worked at Kingsland during all of the sales from 1974 to about 2004.

He worked those jobs, you know, simultaneously.

Had it not been for him and me going to work with him, I wouldn't have got into this.

I was sitting in the room where my grandfather passed it.

And what is now in our logo is actually a picture that one of my uncles drew of my grandfather.

And I kept looking at that picture.

I looked at that picture like three times and I was just like, you know, what are you trying to say?

And literally, right after I asked the question, the whole organization came, the nonprofit came.

So all the skills that I've learned picked up from the years.

I just feel like I mean, it's it's my duty, my purpose, my life to pass it on to these young people.

Because, again, you never know if you don't give kids an opportunity, how do they know if something's for them or not?

I've been involved with Frankie's choir, a little thoroughbred crusade for two years.

When I started at Locust Trees is when I learned about the program and decided that it was wonderful and I had to volunteer.

We found 16 students that really had little to no riding experience, and they did say that through an issue, whether it's finances or travel, we're not able to take commercial riding lessons.

My equine teacher was telling people about it and I was like, Hey, that's a really good opportunity that I can't really afford to do otherwise.

For me, I've never like grown up like on a farm where I've had livestock, horses, stuff like that.

When I was younger, I never thought about doing a day on horses.

I really did like horses.

That's what I love about this program, because you have kids that come from so many different demographics, but at the same time you get to teach all of them life skills.

What a horse visual assistant.

Our students really.

They learn how to care for the horse and then they learn how to ride.

We kind of teach them the groundwork and understand that everything that you do on the ground translates to the saddle.

We, you know, we teach all that stuff from cleaning stalls, barn maintenance, grooming.

You can learn stuff if you want to use in a career with horses.

You can use that later or the life with these older kids, you know, they want to get into the industry, whether it be having their own vet clinic or whether they go work in work at one of the farms.

You could make a really good living, but a lot of these kids, they just don't understand.

Everything's out there within this, you know, the equine industry.

But I've always wanted to be in the industry.

I've always wanted to be a vet and to work with animals like that.

So learning here, that's like a good personal experience for me that I really am going to take with me the rest of my life, because I will use it when I get older.

And even if they don't go into the equine industry once they graduate, they still have a lot of skills that make it to where they're going to be successful no matter where they go.

I think I have changed.

I think I've become more confident into what I'm doing because the more I know, the more confident I feel in myself.

That's why I feel like it's so important that I give back and give the knowledge back to the kids.

And I feel like that, you know, everything just worked perfectly.

So, I mean, in all honesty, it's got to be it has to be my grandfather making things work for me.

A piece of history connected to Mammoth Cave National Park has returned home.

A restored stagecoach that carried visitors to the came back in the 1800s, pulled into the into the lodge at Mammoth Cave on Saturday.

Congressman Brett Guthrie was among the guests on board.

It was followed by remarks from the park superintendent and members of the Mammoth Cave National Park Association about I first saw this stagecoach in 1968 and I was a seasonal employee here, and I saw these wooden remnants lying on the floor.

And I really had to look look close in this warehouse to see really what it was and and finally figured out.

And when I asked someone, they said, Yeah, this was a stagecoach.

And this may be the one that Jesse James had robbed it.

It's just good to have this back home where it should be.

This is a part of the history of Mammoth gave the Stagecoach was restored in 2016 and has since been on display at the National Corvette Museum and the National Cave Museum.

It will now be on permanent display at the lodge at Mammoth Cave.

The lodge is undergoing a renovation and with plans it has to open in early to mid September.

And you can.

Tecce is home to the first long John Silvers and the last battle of the American Revolution.

Toby Gibbs has that and much more in tonight's look at this week in Kentucky history.

Well, as Augustus Lee of Allen County won seven medals in shooting events at the London Olympics, which wrapped up on August 14th, 1925, were gold medals.

He remains the Kentuckian with the most Olympic medals.

He would later serve as a vice admiral during World War Two.

A New York Yankees pitcher hit Cleveland Indians, shortstop and Ohio County, Kentucky native Ray Chapman, on August 17th, 1920.

Chapman was carried off the field and died 12 hours later after surgery.

It's the only Major League Baseball death directly caused by an injury during a game.

The first Long John Silver's seafood restaurant opened in Lexington on August 18th, 1969.

The chain has grown to 568 restaurants as of June of 2023.

The Battle of Blue Lake spot in present day Robertson County on August 19, 1782, is considered the last major battle of the revolutionary War.

Americans won the war, but they lost this battle with 72 Kentuckians killed.

President Harry Truman presented the Congressional Medal of Honor to Colonel William Earl Barber of the U.S. Marine Corps on August 20th, 1952.

The Morgan County native, then a captain, led 220 Marines who held off 1400 Chinese troops during six days of fighting in North Korea.

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

I'm Toby Gibbs.

We hope you'll join us again tomorrow night at 630 Eastern, 530 Central for Kentucky Edition, where we inform, Connect and Inspire.

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