>> We're here to provide.

Assistance.

Our fellow constituents.

Citizens.

>> State lawmakers gather and fined for for a special session to do what they can to help Kentucky's flood victims.

The president unveils a student loan forgiveness program.

How many Kentuckians will benefit?

Has started carving out of >> I didn't have a voice lightly and I would make Bowen, Now's pop them slain jobs.

And a lifelong Carver brings life to a children's book.

>> What action of Kentucky edition is made possible in part by the KET and Element for Kentucky Productions.

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

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION for this Wednesday.

August the 24th I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for spending some of your Wednesday night with us.

Kentucky legislators want to spend 212 million dollars over the next 6 months to help rebuild Eastern Kentucky after floods that killed at least 39 people.

>> Governor Andy Beshear and Republican leaders of the Kentucky House and Senate announced the plan this afternoon at the beginning of a General Assembly special session.

Here's where Kentucky would get the money.

200 million of it would come from the Budget Reserve Trust Fund or rainy Day fund.

That now totals 2.7 billion dollars about 12 million would benefit of the American Rescue Act.

The plan also gives the education commissioner the flexibility to wave up to 15 attendance days for school systems affected by the flooding.

And it lets schools assign students to remote instruction, places where buildings can be used to share.

State leaders unveiled the aid package in the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort, Governor Beshear and Senate President Robert Stivers said the bill being heard during this special session is just a start and that the Legislature will need to send more aid during the 2023 regular session.

>> After many dark days in the emergency response, we're seeing a little more help.

Now.

There's a lot of work to be done.

Moving from an emergency to a stabilization phase in and of itself.

It's significant.

But the rebuilding.

Here is going to be one of the most complicated we have ever seen in this country.

This is not going to be at least in my opinion, the final action by the General Assembly to help and that rebuilding.

And remember, we're looking at years, not just in the next 6 months.

What this is intended to do after consistent in long conversations, multiple conversations.

>> Being there on the ground, taking other colleagues there working delivering water supplies and food because certain areas were totally cut off by the fact of the high water or the road was totally gone.

Are the bridge is totally gone.

We're looking at short-term objectives.

>> The session began this afternoon around 3 eastern time and the Senate Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer summed up with the General Assembly intends to do in the coming days.

>> And we're here to provide.

>> Assistance for our fellow constituents.

And citizens in 13 counties in eastern Kentucky that a bit been declared a federal disaster by the president of the United States.

Because of the tremendous rebuilding.

That needs to be done.

There.

>> Schools and roads and homes.

>> And because the Federal Emergency Management Agency is a reimbursement agency.

Mister President.

And because these entities in eastern Kentucky.

Having been wracked by the storms and there.

In many cases there tax revenues slammed.

My lack of.

Economic activity.

We're here to essentially.

Appropriate money from the rainy Day trust fund.

Appropriately named in this case to front the money to these.

These areas and these entities to help begin the rebuilding process.

>> The Kentucky Senate also paused today to remember one of the young victims of the flood senators honor the family of 18 year-old Aaron Crawford today.

Shortly after the session began, he was remembered with a moment of silence Crawford help flood victims for 3 days when he began to feel ill.

He was sent to UK Hospital in Lexington where he died.

Crawford was a football player and wrestler at not Central High School.

We now know how some of the Eastern Kentucky school systems will handle the start of school after the floods breath it in Perry County schools will start back on August 29th, which is next Monday for Leslie County.

It's September 6, the day after Labor Day.

Not county has a tentative start date of September.

19th.

The Letcher County school system hasn't yet set a date crews.

There are still cleaning the schools.

University of Kentucky men's basketball coach John Calipari's posting about his recent trip to eastern Kentucky on Tuesday coach Cal and other UK coaches along with Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman visited to State Park resorts where hundreds of people displaced by the flooding are temporarily housed the gave away 5,000 pairs of shoes and 10,000 pairs of socks.

And Jenny Wiley State Resort Park and Prestonsburg and Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park in Buckhorn.

This is video from the giveaway event at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park.

One girl we spoke to at the events as saying the coaches and getting a new pair of shoes lifted her spirits after losing her home and all of her belongings to the flat.

>> It impacts me in a good way because where usually shoes are pretty expensive and coming here and getting some free shoes feels like a reward because, well, I didn't think that I deserve immune issues.

But having been given to us and people being really nice, it's honestly did some good and it's made me feel really special.

>> Wow.

On Twitter today, Coach Cal posted about meeting the flood victims saying, quote, We coaches were blast by everyone.

We met.

They will all continue to be in my daily prayers.

We must not forget about those in quote.

Starting today, eastern Kentucky residents in 12 counties ravaged by recent floods can apply for help and buying food through the disaster.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as the secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services tells U.S. eligible applicants can even get money to replace food.

That was ruined by the disaster.

>> If they lost all their food, we can do replace humans we got a waiver so that folks can use those benefits even for hot meals that they need.

It.

And then there's something that we just got approval for, which is called the snapper disaster.

Snap.

This is actually up the second time in about 12 years that that we mainly get it kind of shows that and make sure the devastation that we've had in Kentucky over the past couple years.

>> So the disaster snap our disaster food stamp benefits program.

>> How long do we know that people are allowed or able to apply for this?

>> And then what happens?

How soon can they expect to be able to get some type of debit cards that are to be able to purchase the food they need.

>> They can start applying now today we've taken our first applications today and just over the phone, we received almost 1000 applications today.

folks comply, they can go to our online benefits place.

I can not.

But the best place to do is call And that numbers.

>> 1, 8, 3, 3, and please be patient because will get a lot of folks calling that But that's I that's a way that folks can get that and it comes up pretty quickly.

Don't get how doubly a week or so and it is meant to provide assistance to folks who lost everything.

And we encourage people to sign up because sometimes folks are are hesitant to say, oh, I don't need help and things like that.

But not only does it help you, but it helps your entire community.

So I encourage folks to sign up.

So the best thing to do is to call +1-833-371-8570.

You can also go into application We have sites in breath it in Clay and Floyd and not and less of the You can also find that online as well.

And it's I hear the kind of a one-stop shops that folks have set up or you can go into any more BCBS offices.

Rd CBS offices are open how we lost 2, but they reopened.

So I you can go to any DCS office in a plot.

>> Wonderful.

Well, thank you.

Secretary Eric Friedlander for helping us understand what's available and getting much needed food to those who have lost and who are in need.

Appreciate you, sir.

>> I appreciate you and thank you for the opportunity.

>> We'll discuss the Eastern Kentucky floods one month later.

And the legislation to help in the recovery next Monday night on Kentucky tonight at 8 Eastern 7 central.

And just a few minutes tonight, though, journalist y Lynn Barton joins us to talk about the special session flood recovery and more.

In other news, you've probably noticed it's the price of gas continues to drop.

That's a good thing.

Look at this map of Kentucky from triple a dark blue is the cheapest gas.

Dark red is the most expensive.

The statewide average today is $3.48 a gallon for unleaded.

That's a nickel.

Less than a week ago.

And $0.53 less than a month ago, the cheapest gas in the state is in Henderson County where the average is 3.20, and we're doing better than the U.S. as a whole national average is now 3.88 a gallon.

New boss is paved parking lot up to date technology.

Some of that is headed to Kentucky.

Thanks to a 3 million dollar Transportation grant.

That money will go to agencies across the state and benefit.

36 counties, governor Beshear says the money will mean better transit services in areas that need reliable transportation.

Berea College in Madison County.

Welcome.

1400 students today, the first day of class that includes 380st year.

Students almost $0.70.

70 1% of those are from Kentucky or Appalachia.

President loss offered the new students.

Some advice.

>> Enjoy this.

Or years college.

We're going to be the best years of your life insurance.

Well, the word to make the patient.

You're saying, oh, my.

Works for you might change your major.

You might not.

You will learn things you say issue that.

>> We would never have guessed 50 through.

>> This president were lost last time welcoming students at Berea who will be retiring at the end of this academic year.

President Biden today announced a student loan forgiveness program allowing millions of people to cancel $10,000 in student loan debt.

That's for people who are less than $125,000 a year, our families earning less than 250,000 people who received Pell Grants can cancel an additional 10,000.

Earlier I spoke to Aaron Thompson, president, the Kentucky Council on post-secondary education.

He says the program could forgive about 20 billion dollars in Kentucky alone.

>> For example, the First 10,000 we're going to see about 34% of those student borrowers in Kentucky affected by this.

That's about 200,000.

So the Suns in Kentucky.

>> And if you if we know what happens in the rules and this other 10,000 is applied, then that's going to add about 400,000 more borrowers in Kentucky.

A fact that so we're could see upward around 600,000 to 700,000.

Floyd.

Don't know.

I think here will calculate this.

I'm sure borrowers from Kentucky affect about this.

We've had a significant drop in adult learners coming back to college.

We see this in our Kentucky community and technical college system.

This could have an impact on both students coming back.

Yeah, you know that they now feel like they can come back and get this go up job or finish that degree.

This will affect many people, Lou.

Do you know, never finished college, but that student debt, it will have some effect.

Mayor current students will be affected by this, right?

So I'm all about getting more people to go to college and been able to afford to go to college.

Now.

And that's our goal to get more people in the pipeline.

We're really about 47% of Kentuckians who are graduating from high school going to college with him.

Many feel like they can afford it.

So affordability is a big issue for me and going to college.

Now this is paying off stuff from poker no longer there.

So I'm also anxious about how can we help our current populations?

This will have a greater chance of acting, obviously more low income and students of color who tend to have power bar because they need the money more.

And it's not long as that.

They've used to kind of go to pay tuition, which I want to be clear.

They also have to live.

They have to eat.

They have to have a house themselves and so on.

So you'll see in Kentucky for a place like Kentuckyian will have a much larger a fact.

I think there may be many other states who tend not to be as high poverty as we are.

>> U.S.

Senator Mitch McConnell is denouncing the president's student loan forgiveness program.

In a statement he says, quote, President Biden, student loan socialism is a slap in the face to every family who sacrificed to save for college.

Every graduate who pay their debt.

Every American who chose a certain career path or volunteered to serve in our armed forces in order to avoid taking on debt.

The policy he says is astonishingly unfair, unquote.

Senator McConnell isn't saying much about former President Donald Trump's criticism of him over the weekend.

Last week McConnell seemed to criticize the quality of some Republican U.S. Senate candidates backed by Trump.

Trump reacted to that remark calling McConnell quote, a hack politician criticizing hardworking Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate.

He also referred to Elaine Chao as McConnell's wife called her, quote, a crazy wife.

A reporter asked Senator McConnell about this yesterday in Louisville.

>> We know.

>> Chao served as secretary of labor in the Trump administration.

>> Time now for our midweek.

Check in on Kentucky politics with Rylan Barton who is the managing editor of Kentucky Public Radio and Ohio Valley Resource.

And we are in our Capitol Annex to be over here in Frankfort.

Good to se Ri one percent in person is nice to see you face to face.

So let's talk about one reason why we're here is because we're in special session at the time that we talked.

They were yet to go into session at 03:00PM.

So what do we know about the special session and how long it could last?

>> So Governor Beshear issued his proclamation for the special session on Tuesday.

Right?

And this proclamation lays out the framework for what he wants lawmakers to do.

He and Republican leaders of the legislature have been negotiating what they want to be in this package.

And really what it's going to be like if something is pretty similar to the Western Kentucky tornado relief bill from last year.

A big fund that will then be doled out in grants to local governments to utilities, to nonprofits are helping rebuild cleanup the devastation in eastern Kentucky.

There's going to be a lot of different elements to it.

We'll see exactly what the final version of it looks like and will be will be seeing that over the next couple days.

>> And we do expected to be larger than the Western Kentucky tornado relief package that came in around 200 Million.

>> We've seen some estimates in the low 200 million dollars and also some statements that, you know, this is this is really what they know they need.

Now Eastern Kentucky will need now.

Lawmakers will definitely be back in early January.

There will be another opportunity to kind of see how that legislation is working and whether they need to tweak it.

>> So we know that schools is a big part of this and that framework the kind of get the contours of what they were going to be talking about in schools are really feeling it.

And those who are not even back in school yet.

So this bill, we think will address that.

>> Yeah, I'm one part of it is just School buildings need a lot of repairs or entire replacements.

Governor Beshear made this very large assessment earlier this summer that there would be over 100 million dollars in repairs needed for schools.

But then there's this whole other complicated part of it that a lot of these districts haven't been able to start back up to some of them haven't even set there set when they will go back yet.

So there's funding issues for those school districts that need to try and have some semblance of of being whole.

And when you don't have those students in seats, that's really how funding is tied in Kentucky to how these districts can fund it.

So there will be some sort of fix for them.

An extension actually for some of the western Kentucky districts that are still dealing with this and the beast weeks of that western Kentucky legislation.

>> We know that the Kentucky Department of Education have some recommendations they issued last week.

I believe in it talked about, you know, it just in those average daily attendance rules and also maybe given hybrid remote options.

That kind of thing which we know we've heard some We really want those kids to be with us in the class eyeball to eyeball because that's the best place for them to be.

>> I think it's one of the lessons from COVID.

Both parents, teachers and students were all you know, they they want to get back in the classroom as soon as possible for some districts.

It might just not be possible this morning.

So there might be a middle ground.

There were some some folks just need to be in remote.

>> And that's the difference between western Kentucky in eastern Kentucky, western Kentucky.

They didn't suffer as many school building damage in those schools were used as shelters and other places to help.

>> Yeah, it's really fascinating.

Comparing these disasters in some ways.

I mean, they're entirely different.

Massive disasters and, you know, flooding is it?

There's the buildings are still people's homes are still wet and filled with mud almost a month after this disaster, people are still cleaning out what's going on.

So that it's a still a rolling thing that people are dealing and had come in.

People still dealing with in Western Kentucky as well.

But they're just different nuances for how these how these early on.

>> And so we do expect us to be individual assistance, right?

Does not just concentrating on transportation and roads and things that the government does, but also to get relief to people, individuals.

>> Will be interesting to see how that ends up shaking out there.

And I think there's definitely lot of pressure on lawmakers to do something about that because there has been so much criticism about the federal assistance has rolled out there.

Just a lot of confusion for people applying for benefits, not getting as much as they expected are not getting approved at So there will be some pressure on lawmakers have something.

You know what we saw a lot of that in the in the state's response for tornadoes was in, you know, in helping get people into some temporary housing.

We also saw what they can use to the team, Kentucky fund helping people pay for funerals and things like that.

So well, we'll see exactly what ends up in this final version.

>> Real quickly, just to talk about Senators Rand Paul and Mitch there's been a lot of back and forth about their relationship of late considering the fallout from the Chad.

not not nomination to a federal judgeship say more.

You can add about that.

>> I just one of the most relationships in Republican politics that you have you know, these 2 senators from the same state and they're they're kind of on opposite or not.

I was a very sides of of their perspective of the spectrum and then the political parties.

You know, I think it ripped all the way down to the legislature.

We see some of the you know, there's this liberty movement with the legislature of of folks are just really kind of small government Republicans and they're trying to push against establishment Republicans.

We see that happening in this.

But I mean, this isn't even this doesn't have to do so much with the with, you know, taxes or money or anything like this is kind of like Rand Paul wanting to be kept in the loop of of the deals that Mitch McConnell's making.

>> And we're still waiting for more to kind of fall into the Republican primary for governor.

We're still waiting, waiting, waiting will see.

There's a >> you, Canada.

Lot of candidates that are out already campaigning.

There are some who have been a launch, their campaigns that are waiting to if any more people get in the race.

Yeah.

>> Lot to follow Rylan.

Thank you so much for doing it.

Thanks for that.

♪ A visit to the Kentucky Folk art center in Morehead State University feels like stepping into a children's book.

Hundreds of small colorful sculptures fill the center, all part of an exhibition celebrating the collaboration between renowned eastern Kentucky artist many Atkins and children's book author Mike Norris.

And today's Temperatures Sacrament.

Our weekly look at arts and culture weeks for the world.

These 2 have created for children of all ages >> has started carving out of >> I didn't have toys to play with it and I would make Bowen, Now's pop them.

Slingshots and step black.

But why we're and that's when I realized back would car I had made some little to lead grows.

Jurors might be that at all.

And I had them are with the done.

They slide to come along and she said, Honey, these belongs in the gallery.

The relationship between the Kentucky Folk Art center and many Atkins goes back to the very origins of the folk art center, the current exhibition at the Kentucky Folk Art Center is titled Me Ad Can Story Carvings.

>> And this work that you see here, it's over 200 little less than 300 carvings that she made minis.

Carved figures really bring the characters that might creates in his written storytelling to life.

My and many met back in the early 1990's.

He's a writer, a storyteller, a musician, and he shared some of his both nursery rhymes and music.

And she in turn shared with him what she creates, which are wooden carving.

I had won an award at its center college where he wore it.

>> And he give me a looker, say it today and there's psalm.

The tape was real cloning shot here.

said I've got a bright blue ridge drew 3 legged.

How rap know, count bowed.

And that will a little blue rooster and asked and the time as a thank you, dear and man lighter, he called me back and he said, you know, if you would would allow the character's too much, that some would could put it in a children's book.

And I just thought that was funny.

So I start with all of them and saying I'm showing, you know, Mike and many approached us about the idea of doing an exhibition that would bring together for the first time.

All of the works for all 4 of the books have already been published.

And it's wonderful because it really showcases the relationship.

>> They're they're they're creative You see how they work together, how they inspire one another, which is a really cool aspect of folk art and art.

In general, how artists inspire one another.

My favorite is that could zoom and is granny run in the Cajuns.

Start drying in her hands.

>> Said the could sue had stowed her brand patients that we will do.

So the grain man with the scale of the news, each am and I call that the cause of man.

And that's my favorite character is.

first one, I really do that.

Bradley Rooster.

I'm never painted any of them.

Moved to got a wind with Magno ERs start paying.

>> Blue rooster son.

>> May I make all different colors >> said amounted to buy over and siac Hollaback colorful flaw.

>> Her work is really foundational to this collection.

We had an opening on July 15th and it was probably the largest crowds we've seen in here in years.

We had folks that came from all over the country to see many and to see this work for the community of Morehead and the eastern Kentucky region, including La County where where monies from she's kind of a full cart celebrity.

I don't like to be.

>> Called folk artist.

I like to be called a wood carver.

A lot of people say is the rule would speak still.

And that's a that's a pace would speak it.

Scared me.

Real bad.

>> Folk art is intuitive comes from the got its traditional.

It's passed down through generations and it's also narrative it has a storytelling quality that invites people and you need body.

>> That wants to be a folk artists can be a folk artist if they desire to because it is for ordinary people.

You now.

>> Mike and many are pretty good pair.

The many actions story carvings exhibit will run through September 9th.

Many actions other works are on permanent display at the Kentucky Folk Arts Center at Morehead State University.

So check it out for 3 days in September of the town of Berea will celebrate Spoon Bread.

It's a well-known Kentucky dish.

But if you're not familiar with it, you will be after tomorrow.

We'll tell you about Spoon Brad, its history and even how you make it.

That's Thursday on Kentucky Edition.

And we hope you'll join us tomorrow night on Kentucky edition at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central where we inform connect and inspire.

Subscribe to our weekly Kentucky Edition, e-mail news letter and watch full episodes at KET Dot Org.

You can also find Kentucky Edition on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV.

>> And follow KET on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop.

You're also welcome to follow me on Twitter at Renee K E T. Thank you so very much for watching.

You can watch the legislative coverage as it unfolds gavel to gavel tomorrow.

We'll have that for you online and on the Kentucky 10.

Also make sure you tune in to see your government in action.

In the meantime before see tomorrow night.

Take really good care.

♪ ♪