>> Kentuckians are a thing.

As a general matter.

Determines that this pandemic is over.

>> Well, a Kentuckyian scale back their holiday gatherings because of COVID-19.

>> Positive attributes of well-being.

Mental health can have a positive outcome on heart health.

>> How mental and physical health might be more intertwined than we think.

>> We would hit by the tornado.

First.

Back to the lake.

>> And a Bowling Green Museum becoming part of history itself.

Now getting ready to reopen its stores.

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

Leonard Press Endowment for Public Affairs and the KET Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Tuesday, December, the 13th, I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for winding down your Tuesday night with us.

Kentucky's on employment insurance system will soon see some major changes beginning January.

1st.

>> The state will reduce you.

I benefits from 26 weeks to a sliding scale with a maximum of 24 weeks.

These changes calm after the passage of House Bill 4 during this year's Kentucky General Assembly.

Our Casey Parker Bell speaks with 2 experts about the changes and how it could make a big impact.

>> We want to be in a better position to handle an economic downturn.

>> My primary concern is that it can hurt claimants who are doing everything that they need to to get their next job.

The changes to unemployment insurance will be the first to the system in 84 years.

Kentucky is currently one of 40 states that offer at least 26 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits.

According to the Department of Labor.

>> This will change next year as Kentucky adopts an index to determine the number of you.

I benefits available based on the state's unemployment rate.

>> We're consistently in the bottom 10 states for workforce participation.

This is, you know, legislation that.

It's intended to stop the bleeding in a sense.

>> KET Shanks from the Kentucky chamber says the state has implemented new policies to attract business to Kentucky.

Now she says the state needs to ensure the Commonwealth as workforce at the ready.

>> So from the business community standpoint, this legislation ensuring the sustainability of the trust fund of the system as a whole and getting people back to work more quickly is going to be good for our economy.

We have a pretty long average duration that Kentuckyian spend when they're on unemployment.

>> Kentucky's unemployment insurance trust fund.

He's not been solvent since 1974, according to federal standards, the only state and solvent for a longer period as Pennsylvania.

But the stump you go from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy says the changes will have a broader impact on the economy.

When you cut off benefits when times are tough, that doesn't just hurt the claimants who are using those benefits.

That also hurts the rest of the workers and that local economy.

>> Who are continuing to make and sell the things that that those folks need.

Google says the indexing scheme that determines the duration of benefits is particularly harsh.

>> The index starts by providing 12 weeks of benefits when the unemployment rate is 4.5% or lower a week is added to the benefits for every half point increase in the unemployment rate until reaching 24 total weeks of benefits.

People says using the statewide rate also makes it difficult in communities that are struggling more.

And that's especially harsh for parts of the state that have that have never recovered from even the Great Recession places like we've gotten county where unemployment still over 12% there are still several counties that are over 7%.

The Kentucky Center for Economic policy studied how the Unemployment Insurance Index would apply to previous years in each of the past 4 years benefits would be cut by over 10 weeks.

There are other changes to requirements for people searching for work people on you.

I would have to do 5 work.

Search activities a week that's up from one previously 3 of those must be formally submitting an application.

The other 2 could be things like job shadowing were participating in a job search seminar, eligible workers can also participate in approved job training or certification programs and maintain their benefits.

>> So you could take that period of unemployment and you could go back to a community college program.

You could get a CDL, some sort certification or license in the healthcare industry, which is always needing workers and you could take advantage of that time to do that.

And so the bill creates an incentive for additional education and training.

>> The changes take effect on January.

1st, the differences in opinion on the impact of those changes will remain.

>> If we really want to rapidly re employ people we need to, you know, much more robustly, provide things like child care.

We need to provide for elder care in ways that we haven't up to this point.

We need to open up more waiver slots, for for for people with disabilities who are using Medicaid services.

Those are the types of things that will free up workers who are currently caring for people.

What we what we don't need to do right now is cut their legs out from under him.

Average weekly benefit the receiving would be a mind with with the federal average, about $350 a week before taxes.

>> You may struggle to make ends meet.

You may make decisions such as health care decisions.

>> Or other that aren't ideal because you don't you don't have the funds and then you're reducing your lifetime earnings.

>> For Kentucky edition, I'm Casey Parker Bell.

>> Thank you, Casey.

Kentucky's current unemployment rate is under 4%, which means that unemployment benefits will start at a 12 week maximum in January.

The benefits could be shorter for some workers who are offered a job and 120% of their benefits within a 30 mile distance of the workers.

Residents must take the job or risk losing their jobless benefits.

Congress still needs to pass a government spending bill and a bill funding.

The U.S. armed forces.

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky says a bipartisan defense bill is in the works.

He warned Democrats not to add on related spending.

>> Our Democratic colleagues are already spent 2 years massively massively increase in domestic spending.

Using party on reconciliation the normal appropriations process.

So clearly, our colleagues cannot now demand even more more domestic spending.

And President Biden, even a question.

In exchange for funding to the United States military.

Funding.

Our national defense is a basic governing duty.

The commander in chief's on party does not get to them and a pile of unrelated goodies in exchange for doing their job.

And funding our armed forces.

House and Senate Democratic colleagues go except Israel to Jean the very near future.

We may show have a shot at the something a full-year funding bill that will give our military commanders of the certainty they need to invest plant, stay competitive with rivals like China.

>> Congressman-elect Morgan McGarvey of Louisville will soon be the only Democrat representing Kentuckyian Washington, D.C., he was elected sus to succeed.

Representative John Yarmouth in the 3rd Congressional District.

Mcgarvy served as a state senator for 10 years.

He says there are several issues he hopes to address including gun control.

>> This is an area where I have some frustration, particularly as an outsider to the federal government right now, 90% of Americans agree that you should have to have a background check of purchasing a firearm.

Let's get that done.

I mean, it really isn't much of an imposition at all, if any, with with the technology we have and think about if it saves one life.

Let's look at the crisis version rights or 10 short.

I think this is really, really good piece of legislation that was crafted with input, not just from Democrats and Republicans, but from urban and rural legislators here.

Yeah, the reality is that over 60% of the gun deaths in this state and in this country, our death by suicide.

Having that cooling off period, you can really save lives.

I think we can find rules.

Legislators who are dealing with this people in the veterans community who are dealing with this issue, who want to make a difference.

I refuse to accept the notion that there is nothing we can do on this when we are doing nothing right.

And you mentioned cooling off period.

I wanted us to define that a little bit more.

So it's still it's not taking away people's guns.

Just having to wait a little bit longer.

I just, you know, and if someone is truly a crisis like in the crisis, aversion rights or tension order.

>> The only it's not a person, the only type of people who can actually serve a crisis, a version much potential order.

Our law enforcement.

They have to law enforcement has to investigate that fund probable cause that someone is immediate threat or danger to themselves or and then get a judge to sign off on it.

You know, this is really making sure that we're protecting people's rights while also protecting people and our I think that we can make some progress on it.

And I do think that the abortion debate is going to be important.

Federal government when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade and they enacted the Dobbs decision.

There are states like Kentucky.

We're still right now.

A woman cannot permit her pregnancy at any time for any reason.

Other than immediate threat to her help.

We need to codified Roe v Wade into law.

I don't think that people want these extreme measures throughout the country.

And I think the federal government needs to act.

Andy, what do you think of the possibilities?

And that happened?

The likelihood of that happening?

That is one that with divided government I think is really unlikely.

>> Right now, I think that.

That becomes kind of a bright line issue, which is unfortunate but I think there's pressure and I think, you know, you saw across the country voter speak out on this issue and they they voted with their feet.

But even in Kentucky.

A state that I think many have said is a solidly red or a prolife State Amendment.

2 was defeated here this year.

And so I don't give up on That's how that's now been a Democrat in Frankfort, the West to I I have to believe that lawmakers throughout the country listened heard and saw the same things I did on election night.

>> Mcgarvy will be sworn in on January.

3rd in Washington, you can see more of my interview with Congressman Elect on connections this Sunday at 12 noon Eastern.

11:00AM Central.

In medical news.

Kentucky's COVID positivity rate is now 8.63%, according to the new number out yesterday.

That's up a little from last week's number of 8.14% as we told you Friday, 12 Kentucky counties are now in the red meaning high COVID levels.

9 of those 12 are in western Kentucky.

The Commonwealth's COVID-19 numbers continue to trickle up right before the holiday, but it doesn't appear it will be stopping most people from traditional holiday gatherings, almost 17% of say COVID is somewhat likely or more to prevent them from attending a holiday gathering while over 80% say it's not too likely to change how they celebrate this winter.

Those numbers are according to a recent poll by the foundation for a healthy Kentucky.

The foundation's president Ben Chandler says Kentucky hands are ready to move past pandemic era restrictions.

>> Kentuckians think as a general matter.

Determines that this pandemic is over, they're going to behave like is for the most part during the holidays.

Actually, I think given a lot of the protections that's appropriate now for them to do it.

But we want to put a fine point on it.

And that's I'm point is.

It really makes a great be deal of difference if you get vaccinated.

>> So you just heard Chandler recommend vaccines for protection against COVID-19, the Kentucky Department for Public Health reports.

58 1% of the state's population is fully vaccinated and another 37% as being boosted and the foundation for a healthy Kentucky is poll found that of people who are already vaccinated just over 70% say they're at least somewhat likely to get a booster shot annually if recommended.

Researchers at the University of Louisville have found that strong mental health corresponds to lower cardiovascular disease.

Risk factors.

And they say maximizing your overall well-being might be simpler than you think.

>> Psychological well-being could be a good consists of 2 different parts.

There's and overall happiness.

But it goes beyond that to also having a meaningful so that you are doing things that don't always make you happy in the moment, are >> pursuing things that you are interested in that use your personal strengths and things like that.

It can often feel very overwhelming that you need to make all these changes and all these different areas of your life to be healthy.

We're told that we need to get better sleep, that we need to exercise.

We need to eat and now you need to add.

And this other thing that I need to do to feel better and it doesn't necessarily need to be these huge, you know, monumental changes that even small changes can contribute towards well beings positive attributes of wellbeing and mental health.

It can have a positive outcome.

>> On heart health.

So it could reduce your risk factors or it could lead to things that are reducing your risk factors.

>> For heart health.

>> We found that individuals that had higher levels of psychological well-being lower cardiovascular disease risk.

So their cholesterol levels were better.

And we also saw that some of the age related declines that we see vascular stiffness and sort of how your arteries a work that we didn't see those what we would have expected.

You know, we tend to see that though things get worse as you get older and folks with higher levels of wellbeing.

We didn't see things got worse.

When we look at psychological well-being and ways to improve that >> there's lots of different options.

Mindfulness based approaches are one way and mindfulness is really just being very present in the moment and not on your cell phone or being distracted by other things and try not to judge the moment is good or bad, but just sort of being there and being present.

>> Everyone is more where mental health, but I think they think about it for mental health for anxiety and depression.

But I think can 10 Ewing to understand that there is an interconnectedness between our mental health and our physical health and our environment and also give us some sense of what we can do to improve health.

I think that's what a person can take away from this.

They can find things.

You know, they enjoy or they work with mental health professionals are other people to learn ways that that would potentially be able to be applied to their daily life to increase their well-being.

I think so much of medicine and psychology are related to helping people get rid of something that's wrong with them.

>> So the idea we're getting rid of a disease, we're getting rid of the disorder, but just getting rid of that disease or disorder doesn't necessarily mean that the person is doing well are flourishing, just maybe means we've gotten back to baseline.

>> And so part of this, study and the results of this study show that that well-being, this idea of going beyond just not being sick but being healthy.

And having good psychological well-being goes a long way towards contributing physical health as well.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> Here's some good news for Louisville.

The Commerce Department has just given the University of Louisville, 13 million dollars U of L will use the money to launch a statewide manufacturing center.

It will be known as the Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership and will be a part of the U of L Office of Research and Innovation.

The goal is to help manufacturers boost productivity, KET jobs and compete in new markets in the U.S. and abroad.

Northern Kentucky University will not become a so-called authorize or of charter school in the area link Nky reports that the Board of Regents declined to take action Tuesday to become the authorize or and authorize or is an institution that can oversee a charter school and K use faculty Senate issued a statement in November saying it opposed being an authorize or because it conflicts with its core values of diversity, equity and inclusion.

And KU says it wasn't consulted about this before the Kentucky General Assembly passed a charter schools bill earlier this year.

Now local school boards will have to select board members to serve as authorize ERs.

More education news and Pulaski County to schools are joining forces to create a new one wy empty reports that Campbellsville University and the University of Somerset have entered a partnership.

Decorate the Somerset Institute of Campbellsville University.

The Institute will operate out of several classrooms inside a bank building with degrees offered in business and health care.

The plan is to start offering classes in January 2024.

Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops is reacting to the death of Mike Leach head coach at Mississippi State University coach Leach died at the age of 61 from heart problems before coaching at Mississippi State.

He was also head coach at Texas Tech and Washington State.

And he was offensive coordinator at UK and the late 1990's.

Here is coach Stoops reaction from Twitter.

My thoughts and prayers are with Coach Leach is family and everyone with Mississippi State football.

I love talking football and everything in between with Mike.

He was a great one and he will be sorely missed.

♪ >> Louisville's and coming mayor has named his senior leadership team.

Mayor-elect Craig Greenberg says Barbara Sexton Smith will serve as deputy mayor.

He picked Nicole Georgia's deputy mayor for public health and services.

David James will be deputy mayor for emergency services and it shows Dana Matan as deputy mayor for operations and budget.

David Caplan will be chief of staff and general counsel and he selected key should Dorsey, as deputy chief of staff, as we reported last week, Greenberg named Jackie Gwen Brelo.

While as interim police chief replacing Chief Erika Shields who says she was told to resign.

Inflation was down again and November.

New numbers show consumer prices Rose 7.1% from a year earlier.

That's down from 7.7% in October.

It was 9.1% in June.

This was the 5th consecutive monthly decline.

The inflation rate is falling as the price of gas also falls, triple A says the average price for a gallon of unleaded is now less than $3 in Kentucky.

It's $2.96 a gallon.

As of today a week ago, it was $3.9 a month ago.

It was 3.45 a year ago.

It was $3 even the national number now is $3 and $0.24 a gallon.

♪ A Bowling Green History Museum is finally getting to move back in one year after it was hit by not just one.

>> But 2 disasters.

First, the tornado then 2 weeks later, an electrical fire.

The good news is that most of its artifacts were able to be rescued and restored.

♪ >> Its history, its history, some of it out from Bowling Green.

Some of it.

I KET that new and I mean, that's what's interesting to me to learn new things.

There are a lot of Weston classes that left to count.

We will hit by the tornado first.

Then a fire 2 weeks late.

A friend of mine called me and says you're building so fast.

Not unlike home fire, and I'm like, oh, my goodness.

That night of the fire, the board members, the Western U.S. people, Corbett, museums, people, everybody worked together.

So when I say we have partners, we have part.

I thought everything was the home.

And when I got back and was able to go to West and supply services that feat what it was most of us step was there.

It's just food, few things com.

Well building a spin put in windows, flooring.

I told somebody I'm going come so nothing like being at home.

We moved back to the museum.

And as you can see, I've got a lot of work today even to begin to look at the boxes and seeing where this goes and that goes.

I never thought I'd be interested in history.

I mean, there's school history.

There's military is straight.

People are seeing that we have a military wounded.

They bring pictures of my dad was in the military within the military.

This community history.

So everything.

>> The items and artifacts still need to be claimed in organized the museum hopes to be open fully and operational by the spring.

♪ >> We wrap things up tonight on a musical note at northern Kentucky University conductor and the gilling M's instrument of Choice.

>> Isn't a trumpeter, a violin?

It's a full orchestra under her direction.

These college musicians were to provide their audience with motion failed and timeless experience.

>> I come from a musical family.

My dad is a composer.

My brother is a composer.

My mother is a pianist.

I originally came piano and I was 5 years old.

>> Bowl, I played the trumpet.

And I've learned, you know, various instruments.

>> And then after that, I found the cello, which the instant that I now currently plate.

My first experience as a conductor was marching band.

>> Being a drum major.

>> The older I got, the more I realized that it was such a strong calling and passion and my life.

And so I ended up kind of pursuing that one of the things that I really want by orchestra and my students is to really kind of learn how we put spirit and heart and that music because we're telling a story and we want the audience to really get wrapped up in this amazing story.

It's sort of like, you know, >> seeing this undiscovered stream of water.

And knowing that if you take away from this blocking the flow of water.

It will flow into a stream.

That will eventually flow into a massive effort.

And if you think about it, that's an orchestral ensemble S. >> I'm sitting at a concert with somebody.

They'll ask me for watching a conductor.

Like, what would that just mean?

Like there's some secret code for every gesture and there are some universal codes for You know, we kind of go like this.

You know, we're cutting something off.

We do really big gesture.

It's something loud when we get really small.

It's something soft.

If we do really jaded movements.

We want the sound to sound.

>> Very short.

And Jay, good.

And when we get very fluid, we want things to be smooth.

The stereotype for a conductor, especially a conductor of an orchestra.

Is this kind of male conductor in the tuxedo and tails.

>> And it a little bit of a harder I think right now for a female as a conductor.

But I think it's that much important.

And I take it very seriously to be in that role when I'm in front of an orchestra, I have a 50, 60 people that I'm reaching at any given time.

And I'm constantly able to challenge them and help them kind of reach new levels.

>> One of my favorite things as a teacher is really see where people start and seeing where they get to do so that that growth is really amazing for me.

>> We're really kind of this unique program and I really feel the freedom to be creative in ways that are not boxed in just by what other people in the field.

And I think that's what's made this program can of rise really quickly what I want the audience to is really an emotional experience to feel 10 action with the music to kind of experience that sense of wow, where almost you have timeless miss.

I want them to kind of wish there was more.

I want them to come back.

>> That certainly will inspire you to do that.

We hope to see you again tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central for Kentucky edition where we inform connect and inspire subscribe to our weekly Kentucky Edition, e-mail news letter and watch full episodes.

A ktv Dot Org.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for joining me tonight and I'll see you right back here again tomorrow night.

♪