>> Almost >> everything we do in government is centered around helping people in a way to avoid violent past.

>> Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton discusses her recent re-election and what she hopes to do in her second term.

We'll revisit stories of young Kentuckians who are getting ready to step in to key industries in our state and lead the next generation.

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

Leonard Preston Down and for Public Affairs and the KET Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION for this Friday December the 23rd I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for starting your weekend off with us on today's episode of Kentucky Edition, we're highlighting the next generation of young people who will soon play a pivotal role.

>> And some of Kentucky's Candace trees.

We'll introduce you to students who are working with NASA, a young woman who is learning a trade dominated by men and show you have video games are teaching young people more than you may think.

But first, a conversation with Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton and the 2022 general election.

Mayor Gordon earned 71% of the vote giving her a decisive victory in her bid to serve the Lexington community.

Another 4 years.

I recently sat down with the mayor to discuss her when the challenges she faced in her first term.

And now she plans to tackle some of the lingering issues impacting Lexington.

>> I've been around a while.

So a lot of people know me and they know how I operate and what I do and where my focus is.

So I had hoped I would do well.

I didn't really expect that well.

So I'm really honored.

That so many people.

Voted to put me or to KET me.

Yeah office.

Yes.

And it really is it's a great honor that people trust me.

You know, it's all about trusting the And so I was thrilled.

Yeah, very excited.

>> Your first term.

What are you most proud of?

>> You know, my first term was.

Really defined I will say budget troubles and COVID because when I first came into office the first week of 2019, I learned that we were not going to make our budget now that was pre-covid.

And then of course, the next year COVID hit.

And it was a challenge of a lifetime because as you know, there was no one to pick up the phone and say how did you do this for That right now or anything like that?

So we had to right the playbook.

And I have a wonderful team of senior leaders in government and they helped every step of the way and our stakeholder groups in the community are healthcare or healthcare stakeholders.

Our business stakeholders, all of those groups helped get us And it was a huge Remember all the different things in the beginning?

We didn't know if our waste workers could pick it up off the surface of the her bees in the Rosie's right.

So we put them and gloves and masks and tie Send.

You know, there were a lot of unknowns about this virus might and what it could do.

And so I'm very proud of the way our city came through that came through the testing, the vaccinations.

We folks in the community who stepped up and said use my the gym sitting empty.

You can have vaccines here or whenever.

That is still, you know, we're still dealing with the aftereffects of all of the economy was like a roller coaster.

It was terrible.

And thank goodness for federal funds because they really save cities.

The other thing as you know, right in the middle of the pandemic.

George Floyd was killed.

The streets erupted racial justice protests.

And for me, that was a a real ah, ha It was a cry for help.

And for change.

And so the really good that came out of that was my commission on racial justice and equality.

And then we had 7, 70.

Community members who worked all summer the summer of 2020 to make a plan for us to be better.

And that area.

And so now we're still working on implementing some of those recommendations.

We've implemented about half of the 54 mile and one Lexington, which is an anti-violence, but really a community building and Misha Tivy Vine Koroma who has been on this show a few times in different capacities.

>> Who's really a community stalwart when it comes to engaging with use is having some success with this initiative that is proven to lower youth violence crime.

So this is a positive if there can be a silver lining, it's a real positive.

And, you know, there's always a silver lining some where.

And the work divine and his team are doing is >> very difficult.

They're in the street, you know, working with families impacted by violence and he he's amazing.

And hit in just the last year.

If you take the last 12 months.

gun violence among his group, which is the 13 to 29 year-olds, has decreased by 50%.

The gun homicide.

That's pretty big.

And that's the kind of thing we're looking for.

Is that kind of change and helping steer people and families to a path of nonviolence.

And that takes work.

Well, we know that there's been some and our friends to the West and Louisville.

There are I don't want to 6 peer Manning with a concept called group Violence Intervention.

And we've talked about.

>> On other programs here, it KET on even the gentleman who was responsible for engineering.

That program is talked about how successful it has been in other cities, but you're not convinced.

And and many of the African American clergy weren't convinced.

And and some people say, well, what's the difference?

They both have very similar approach is about getting intervening and diverting all when a kid or maybe of someone who's on the cusp of adulthood is on the wrong path.

No one disagrees with that philosophical approach right?

Why do you think that community violence intervention or this one Lexington approach is better than what other cities nearby are trying.

Well, the thing about one Lexington is it's community violence.

Intervention.

we think it's a better fit for Lexington.

Our team of folks.

>> Throughout government made many phone calls to other cities that have use gvi.

We wanted to know if it was a good fit for us because if we thought it was we would have implemented it.

However, one of the things that we learned is that the mechanism we believed would have put a focus on the communities of color here.

Big whether you were in violence are not involved in violence or not.

And the other thing that we learned when we talk to these individual cities is that many of them used to use that.

But then they learned the homicides were rising while they were using gvi.

We just did not feel it was a good fit for us.

And so we went to the community violence intervention, which now the Department of Justice, he's really supportive of what we're calling cvi or community violence intervention because you're going right to the people, right?

And the root causes.

Yes.

And the root causes.

I mean, if we do look at the root causes and try to intervene and those we will never make progress.

>> You can see my full interview with Mayor Linda Gorton on Sunday, January 9th at 12 noon Eastern 11:00AM Central.

♪ >> Morehead State University is preparing its students for an industry.

Many are surprised to find is thriving in our state.

The aerospace industry, students at the University Space Science Center worked with NASA on its recent trip to the moon.

The chief agency launched Lunar Ice Cube, a satellite developed and built by students and faculty at Morehead State University.

The Space Science Center also operated the Lunar Ice Cube Mission from its mission Operations Center right on campus.

Here's our story from June.

>> I think that the human species or in a Lee explorers.

>> We've always wanted to explore what's beyond the horizon.

And it's just a part of our DNA.

I think.

>> the Space Flight Center is a research and development and education primarily focused on a small spacecraft that sign up or Asian fabrication.

Small spacecraft in deep space mission >> I've heard is that around here that we can do everything from concept to build tracking.

The only thing we can do is launch her own.

>> early adopter of the keeps that form factor will small satellite technologies idea to KET said has revolutionized small satellite technology teams at town than all of the infrastructure and development has been geared towards Merced.

Later.

It was sort of in the first generation and to plan >> It upsets.

When the leader it is.

A NASA mission.

But more his state is the lead on.

We build a spacecraft here and that's going to watch it on the maiden voyage of the most powerful rocket ever built.

Little rice who is going to orbit the moon for the better part of 6 months to map the distribution of water.

Try to figure out where the water is, how much of it is there to help move around the surface of the ideas that when we return to the we're going to stay.

>> If you were to a company to try to design this, it would probably take 40 15 professional in 2 years to do such things.

We don't have that many professions.

They're very, very few program to get students involved as much as because we really want.

We really try to work together as a team and we bring the students into that team and they get to work with the NASA folks.

>> We've had every just about everybody here that works in the building has worked on Lunar Ice Cube at some point or another in some way, shape or form of the 21 year old student center literally had their their fingerprints on orbit when the planet Earth so that that's kind of cool aspect of the program.

So I've worked on the ground station side of things.

But I was also part of the thermal pane team for Lunar Ice Cube as well had took a class.

>> For solid works and the next thing I know I'm part of helping out with Lunar Ice Cube.

Salt works file making a 3 D model.

I've done a little bit of had worked for modeling the wires in it and I'm a operator of the radio antenna that we're going to use to >> We'll be tracking a winter ice cube throughout its cruise phase into at science phase into and it's inevitable.

A crater on the moon.

>> We have a big discipline.

The Hill, 9 story antenna which now referred to as NASA's Deep Space Station.

17 that we track income and spacecraft for NASA and for other organizations.

>> This is actually a really huge.

We're on the same network with all the other guys talking all the space probes that NASA's launch into space.

The students are involved in pointing that you know, setting up the track before the dish to track the satellites and then making sure that the data is flowing correctly to NASA.

>> All of the projects that are here, the 21 minute, this really set it apart with its actual commitment to doing stuff as and tracking actual satellites and building satellites.

Very cool and interesting stuff that you to see what other colleges.

>> Just the opportunities to work with the Deep Space Network.

There's nowhere else that would be able to be this hands on and such some project.

>> There are many programs really out there that and deal with this level of detail and give students to hands on.

We almost have to change the mindset from, OK, I haven't decided on my NASA representatives.

I documents on said there are days I wake up and I'm like, wow, this is really what I'm doing today.

Things that I handled.

>> We're putting the moon.

And then while it's doing that, I'm going to be tracking it in.

>> Sending commands and receiving data.

It's really mind blowing some time.

♪ >> Mindblowing indeed from space to sports.

Esports is taking the world by storm and now it's becoming a sport.

And some Kentucky high schools.

We spoke to coaches, players and professionals across the state to see how esports is impacting not only education, but also career readiness.

>> It's one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

But instead of taking to the field, these players are taking to their computer screens, esports or competitive video gaming is now a billion-dollar industry with the U.S. viewership surpassed by only one other professional sports league.

The NFL.

But it isn't just capturing the attention of people online.

There's also caught the attention of schools across the country, including here in Kentucky.

When it first started, it was a video game club here at the school and people just came play games after school one day a week.

Okay to say.

>> Announced that there would be a formal esports league.

So they competed and they won.

And then we start telling parents this is in the club anymore.

This is a varsity sport.

That's kind of how you support started here in >> I decide to join because one like I.

Do enjoy games a lot.

And one of the games that was on the sports team was a game that I like to play a lot.

I had a lot of nerves going into it.

But now that I've gone through, it gets.

>> What and give it up for the world.

>> And experts say you can forget the stereotypical image of a video game player when the misconceptions is that everyone who plays video games going to turn into a couch potato and disconnect from to side.

And if you go to a video game tournament, I got to the sport arena.

You don't see anybody like that.

>> Making just simple connections was pretty easy since I only had to talk with people through screen, which is much easier than in person.

And then when in-person practice started, I already KET who he bore.

>> It's honestly hard to remember who I did and didn't know beforehand because we've gotten place together.

It's their place when before they may have felt more isolated kids that I KET were more isolated are not anymore.

You have instant body of friends and then you can talk about everything.

The played the night before on the bus on the next day.

Right in.

>> It's very good at that socializing socialization now a football KET like their football team that feels like their home and their family.

Same with possible saying within the same with any other sport.

And now these kids who want to community around games can and it's really cool that they can do that through their >> But esports programs aren't just having an impact on the students.

Relationships.

According to Davis, Chan, they're also having an impact on their academic experience.

>> Having it there to look forward to after school after class and being able to see the faces of all of my fellow athletes in the holes smile at each other.

We love each other.

Has it's going much, much more enjoyable experience.

>> That more positive outlook on school.

I'd be excited to go to school to see your teammates definitely impacts the class room.

The ones that I'm I have in my class of all improved in my since being a part of the scene.

>> And there are opportunities to KET playing in college.

Many schools now have varsity esports teams and some are even offering e-sports scholarships.

It's no longer just as novel saying that they do.

It is a feasible way.

Think go to college.

>> Get a scholarship.

And compete.

Parents understand esports is an avenue in which there students can pay for their education is going to be.

>> A pathway for them to get that degree.

>> My parents are pretty traditional people.

So they're like there's no I in this game for not having fun with your friends out there.

And it's like now I commuters like I mean, paid to play games.

>> But they're not just getting scholarships.

Students say being involved in ESports is also help them focus on a career path.

>> It definitely has inspired me to go into engineering engineering and, you know, this goes like going to esports state.

They have this massive overlap where its refining the process and breaking things down into individual components to try and refine.

And, you know, optimize every last piece of a system.

I built my own computer to play video games and computer science can help me play video games.

Make video games.

>> So it goes hand in hand.

>> According to experts, the skill students learn playing esports will likely benefit them once they enter the workforce.

Originally we all thought of video games that just needed for entertainment.

Whereas now I think.

It's really more about work.

>> You're having those tangible is that employers are looking for your communication or accountability showing up.

They're still marketable aspects for me on any sports team.

>> I really like it might help our problems deals.

And what about teamwork skills?

I guess at the same time a lot of these kids have been playing games by themselves for most of their lives.

So they've had to focus on me.

Me, me that to adapt to the team mentality.

When your go to the real world, got your real job.

You're going to be part of team.

We have leaders in the team and you have just members of the G you need to know how to interact with people on your team that have different roles than you.

>> While ESports may be a simple pastime for spectators for players, it's a key to enlist See a lot of people think of esports as like, oh, it's just a game.

So it's like not to pour in for it like a waste of time to them.

It's more than just a game.

It's it's everything they care about right now to them.

That matters.

>> So say all of those video games that you bought over the holidays for your kids may have purpose.

After all.

Well, here's another young Kentuckyian who's ready to step into a different key industry in our state over the summer we spoke with the young Madison County woman whose excelling in a field usually dominated by men.

>> Welding of hard work when the fire.

>> Unless you're willing to get burnt, this is not a job for you.

>> Getting >> burned is not usually people's forte.

>> When Hannah Moore joined a welding class offered at Madison County Area Technology Center.

We found it wasn't just her clothes at night.

It.

>> She's she's a quiet kid.

until she got in this environment, it's really she's excelled.

She's came out of her shell.

>> My dad did in high school and he was really good.

And so I thought when I got high school, I'd try it out.

Dabble in it because I really didn't want to work a desk job.

I want to do some form of trade and welding is really what stuck.

>> I didn't really expect her to really going to the welding field she she would do some type of trade, possibly that.

♪ >> I really like the idea that she's brave enough to go into a field where women are not the the jury that.

>> Hanna is not in the majority and her welding class.

I.

>> He's the only male in the morning while they last.

>> Only one of the males in the welding program.

She says for her and Hannah finding themselves ways exactly.

There.

>> You mention are both very well respected.

I think it's because they know that.

♪ >> We like to be respected and we want to be you just like, you know, one of them.

We don't want to be treated differently.

>> Once they realize that I KET what I was doing and I KET I was talking about they kind of all fell in line.

And now they we joke around and have fun.

But I mean, they do every day.

>> The boys have come to handle a lot of time for questions.

We'll go to them and they'll help herself.

It works great for that.

>> It's not about really male or female is how hard you want to work.

>> Hinson said Hannah Strong work ethic and her skills as a welder made her a standout in the program.

We never stops here any.

>> Time of the day after school.

But I'm going to be here.

She is here practicing.

>> If I have not placed going on for adults, she's here helping with ad or practicing or self during that time period.

>> I know the night classes were there 2 nights a week, sometimes more for 6, 7 hours at a time.

And I'll be jumping from booth to business.

He's jumped from this debate and now give pointers in tips like he would.

And then during the day, I pretty much do the same thing.

>> They let you go.

How old are you as you lay in something that looks really nice.

>> There's not some snowflakes, but then you give these little pointer tips and you just watch him get so excited whenever they start getting it all back in Canada says she wants to welding after she's had the opportunity to work in the welding industry for a while and there will be plenty of opportunities available.

According to the American Welding Association.

The U.S. will be short almost 400,000 welders by 24.

>> The association blames the shortage on retiring replace.

Hope that we're seeing an uptick in numbers across the board in all industries saying that a large demographic is retiring out of the workforce in the skilled labor positions.

So the students coming in bringing him better trained, skilled and unskilled labor capability.

>> Are more personal now than they've ever been to be able to field position.

>> Being able to draw more women and the welding industry.

>> Also helps fill the worst.

According to Hall.

>> We're breaking down a lot of those barriers and those misconceptions on the facts and looks very different today and seeing welders coming in like Hannah and being able to break that more and more that we have several they know.

Well.

>> To make the basic issue.

♪ >> Well, here's to Hannah and girls like her.

We hope you've enjoyed today's program.

Looking at the next generation of leaders.

Certainly we're in good hands.

Coming up on Monday, a conversation with House Democratic minority floor leader Joni Jenkins, who is in the final days of serving in the Kentucky General Assembly.

We'll also have another special episode of Kentucky edition looking at some of the new ad tech projects coming to the state as well as some of the lingering issues impacting Kentucky farmers.

You certainly don't want to miss it.

Hope you had a great holiday.

We will see you on Monday night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central for Kentucky Edition we inform connect and inspire.

We hope that you'll subscribe to our weekly Kentucky Edition email newsletter and even watch full episode of the program on K E T Dot.

>> Org.

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And of course, your walk to follow me on Twitter at Renee KTVT once again.

Happy holidays to you.

Take really good care and we'll see you Monday night.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪