>> This is a little bit bizarre.

Because we've already litigated this and won.

>> The governor says there's no need to worry about a Trump administration threat to stop Snap benefits in Kentucky.

>> I know where you live.

I will go to your house, I will knock on your door, and I will see why you're not in school.

And I've actually done that.

>> How a bit of tough love can keep kids in school and out of the court system.

>> We'll probably add 50 to $55 million in economic impact, specifically in tourism to our region because of two festivals.

>> And how one eastern Kentucky county is setting itself apart to bring in visitors.

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

Good evening and welcome to Kentucky Edition for Thursday, December 4th, I'm Christy Dutton in Louisville, filling in for Renee Shaw.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Well, as we told you yesterday, the Trump administration's Department of Agriculture is threatening to cut off Snap benefits, also known as food stamps, to 21 states that have refused to turn over personal information about Snap recipients.

Kentucky is one of those states.

A reporter asked Governor Andy Beshear today about whether the USDA will follow through on their threat.

Here's the governor's answer.

>> Kentuckians aren't going to lose Snap benefits.

It would violate a court order that's out there.

Let me just say this is a little bit bizarre, because we've already litigated this and won.

So it was last May.

The Trump administration sent out what we believed was an unlawful order that we were going to have to turn over all of the private, personal information of all our Kentuckians that are on Snap information that the federal government isn't entitled to under law.

And just think about how hard we all protect our personal information.

It used to be that Republicans didn't think that the federal government ought to have all of your personal information at any time, for any reason.

And, Josh, the stated reason was not to detect fraud.

It was about immigration and wanting to use the information for immigration purposes.

>> During his news conference today, the governor again urged Congress to extend tax credits to people on the Affordable Care Act credits that are due to expire at the end of the year.

>> The U.S.

Senate and House needs to extend the tax credits that help people afford health care on the ACA.

I mean, the idea that this Congress would vote to extend tax cuts for the wealthy, but not tax credits for hard working Americans so that they could see a doctor.

That's just wrong.

Health care is a basic human right, and if they need another reason, this will just further hit rural economies that are already about to suffer.

>> Congressman Andy Barr of Kentucky's sixth district, a Republican, has a different take on the Affordable Care Act and the need to renew tax credits.

Here's Congressman Barr on the Fox Business Channel.

>> But the central irony of the government shutdown we just went through is that it was largely motivated by a Democrat temper tantrum over the failure of Obamacare.

It was a breathtaking admission by Democrats that that Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act, is in fact, unaffordable.

And I'm concerned about just simply masking, continuing to mask the true cost of Obamacare with more subsidies that just simply subsidize premium inflation.

If you look at the subsidies, if you look at the premiums in the exchanges and the Obamacare exchanges, those premiums for Americans in the exchanges have risen over 60% faster, higher than premiums in the employer sponsored system.

So Obamacare doesn't work.

And subsidizing that broken system is is not the answer.

And as you pointed out, we've found through studies that the subsidies in the exchanges are rife with waste, fraud and abuse.

One study says that $47 billion of improper payments with these subsidies.

So we need to move to a patient centered reform system that harnesses the power of competition and choice and gives power back to patients and forces more competition in the system that will lower the cost of health care.

>> Barr also praised President Donald Trump for his efforts to negotiate a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.

Barr says if anyone can negotiate a peace deal, it's President Trump.

A public hearing is now set for State Representative Daniel Greensburg, the Louisville lawmaker accused of inappropriate interaction with women and other accusations, according to the Courier-Journal.

The Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission will take up the case on January 26th and February 2nd.

The commission has to determine if Grossberg violated the Kentucky General Assembly's ethics code.

Grossberg's attorney, Anna Weitz, says the commission is likely to rule in the days after the hearing.

The commission is looking at three accusations.

There's a claim Grossberg tried to arrange a campaign contribution from a subway sandwich shop owner who was interested in catering for the state.

Second, a claim he made inappropriate comments to a transgender constituent in his Capitol office in 2023.

And third, a strip club manager in Louisville claims Grossberg tried to shut down his business after banning Grossberg because of inappropriate behavior.

Grossberg is a Democrat who has served as a state representative from the 30th district since 2023.

Some top Democrats, including Governor Beshear, have called for him to resign.

He was unopposed for reelection in 2024 after the allegations surfaced a year and a half ago.

Three Democrats plan to run against him in the 2026 Democratic primary.

Well, last year, 1 in 4 Kentucky students missed too many days of school.

That rate has fallen since the pandemic, but chronic absenteeism is still a top priority for policymakers.

In 2024, the General Assembly decided the courts needed to get more involved in the lives of truant students and their families.

For this series of Beyond the Bench, our June Leffler shows us how family Court judges are meeting this moment by stepping out of the courtroom and into the classroom.

>> Okay, Code Nation, have a wonderful day of both teaching and learning.

>> Principal Gerard Garrett makes morning announcements at one of Kentucky's only all boys public schools.

>> Olmstead Academy.

North is a very diverse population.

We serve about 517 students.

On any given day, you can come into a classroom.

There's a multitude of languages spoken.

>> Well, today is going to be a great day.

Remember, all lives matter and we are all in for our kids today.

>> A special but familiar face is in the building.

A family court judge is at school but without his robe.

>> I tell the kids when we first get started, the last thing you want to see me in is a robe, because that means that things are about to get real and real quick.

>> Family court judges can radically change a kid's life, deciding on matters of abuse, custody, and foster care.

But away from the bench, things don't have to be so serious.

>> A lot of times, some of the kids just need to know that someone cares about them.

And I want to be that person.

And I know the other judges want to do the same thing.

>> Judge Derwin Webb and staff at this middle school meet consistently with about a dozen students at risk of becoming habitually truant.

It's a small program only available at a few middle schools in Jefferson County, but it's showing success.

>> So we had 84 students that were in the program last year, and we had a 100% success rate.

None of those kids went down to the courthouse to see him in person.

>> The program identifies kids early when they've missed six days of school because once they miss 15 days of school state law mandates, districts refer the student to the courts.

>> They might have missed a couple more days, but they never went to the county attorney's office.

Past that.

>> Judge Webb and the attendance team ask questions and find what these kids need.

>> Some of those kids have not have been absent because they've been sick.

They just haven't turned in school notes.

Some of them do have issues of transportation.

We help them out with transportation.

Some say that something is wrong with my computer, so I haven't done my homework, so I stayed at home.

We helped them out, getting the right computer equipment that they need.

>> It's about meeting kids where they are, wherever that might be.

>> I have told a kid before, look, you can come back if you want to.

I hope you do.

But if you don't understand this, I know where you live.

I will go to your house.

I will knock on your door, and I will see why you're not in school.

And I've actually done that.

>> He's just not here.

Being a judge in the school, showing up in a robe and being an intimidating person.

I've been on a Tarc bus with this guy, you know, to show a kid how to get to school.

We've done home visits together.

>> A third of Jefferson County public school students missed too many days of school last year.

About half of those, or 15,000 kids were referred to the county attorney's office.

>> If we're not getting any response or it's a kid is just refusing to come to school or a family is not helping us, or a family might reach out and like, I can't do anything with this kid.

It's just like he or she is just refusing to come to school.

I need your help.

That's when the court usually gets involved.

>> Across the state, Kentucky's truancy diversion program takes a similar approach.

Like in Jefferson County, it's targeted, not pervasive, explains this former court designated worker.

>> And one of my counties, I had six middle schools.

And so my DPP, you know, came and said, Ashley, I would love I've heard about this, you know, truancy diversion program.

And I'm like, I can't do all these schools.

But what I can do is one of those schools.

>> Kentucky's highest ranking judge also supports this model.

She used to visit middle schools, too.

>> I used to refer to it as a honey baby program, because we could be really kind to the family and build that family up and not have the the court part of it ready to fall down on them.

>> Could this model expand elsewhere?

The chief justice hopes so.

Her staff are, quote, currently developing a portable curriculum that judges can use with middle school students statewide to support early intervention efforts for Kentucky edition.

I'm June Leffler.

>> Tomorrow, we'll take you back to one of the first truancy diversion programs in the nation, with perspective from a student who went through it.

That's Friday on Kentucky edition.

A Kentucky school system hires its own detective, and salting the roads is having some unexpected results.

In one eastern Kentucky county.

Our Toby Gibbs explains all this in our Thursday look at headlines around Kentucky.

>> Murray State's former provost is suing the school.

The Murray Ledger says Doctor Tim Todd's lawsuit against MSU alleges breach of contract after he was removed from a previous position and his salary cut in half.

The suit says Todd enjoyed a long and distinguished career with MSU as dean and full professor, before becoming provost and vice president of academic affairs in March of 2020.

Martin County Sheriff John Kirk says the winter road salting process is drawing feral horses to New Route three, and he says it's causing accidents and could lead to someone getting killed.

Sheriff Kirk tells the Mountain Citizen one crash occurred with 11 horses on the road.

A driver hit three of them.

Kirk addressed the fiscal court about this on November 20th.

He says the county needs to corral the horses and find their owners, and he says he can't act without formal authorization.

Kentucky law requires a school resource officer or SRO on every campus.

Now, Warren County has hired an SRO detective, a first in Kentucky.

WKU Public Radio says he's Josh Hughes, the former deputy chief of the Bowling Green Police Department.

Warren County Public Schools have 19,000 students.

It's the state's fourth largest school district.

A trip to London included a surprise gift from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a new camper big enough to accommodate their six year old daughter with trisomy 18, a genetic condition that caused complications at birth, including heart defects.

With the new camper, Carla and Gavin, Dawson's daughter Riley can be safe and comfortable during camping trips.

With headlines around Kentucky.

I'm Toby Gibbs.

>> Thank you Toby.

Nearly a million people are estimated to be caring for a family member in Kentucky.

The role of a caregiver can be demanding physically, financially, and emotionally.

As part of an upcoming KET special report focused on caregivers, our Kelsey Starks introduces us to a couple navigating these changes in their relationship one day at a time.

>> Robin and Albert Serkis were the kind of couple you would rarely find sitting still.

>> We were very active.

We went to a lot of bluegrass music festivals in Florida, and we had a camper, you know, we did everything together, worked in the yard, cleaned the house.

>> I was very athletic, very active in golf, football and basketball and hockey.

>> I always told everyone I was a kept woman because he took very good care of me.

>> But in March of 2022, everything changed.

>> A neurologist in the ER says he has a meningioma brain tumor.

>> Diagnosed it with that.

>> And showed us, you know, the images.

And you know, we were just like.

>> It was frightening when I saw that.

I'm like, wait.

>> A minute.

>> That's me.

>> Yeah.

>> It wasn't cancer, but the brain tumor had to be removed.

But that surgery caused additional damage.

>> It was a it was quite a mess in there.

And after they did that, it apparently the left side of my brain was, I guess, damaged for the sake of another word.

But when I came out of there, when I came out of surgery, I had no use of my lower extremities or my right arm.

>> They're like, well, he's going to need to go into a skilled nursing facility.

And I just broke down because I'm thinking, what does this look like from here on out?

>> Life looked different, not just for Albert, but for Robin, too.

>> After a surgery, you know, we were kind of blindsided and didn't know exactly how to navigate this new life.

And there was no playbook.

I had to get this ramp.

I don't know what I'm doing.

You know, getting to the bathroom, getting back in bed.

I had to order this hospital bed.

I mean, there was so much.

>> They made the decision to move back to Louisville from their home in Florida, to be closer to family.

Here, they found great resources like U of L Health's Community Fitness and Wellness Center, where Albert gets physical therapy once a week.

He's even starting to play his beloved guitar again thanks to music therapy.

But all of that adds up in time and money.

>> I had to give up my job 27 years as a public school teacher at a school where I loved, I loved my colleagues, and now I am a full time caregiver.

I have to find health care for the first time and that's very expensive.

>> With the help of friends, family, doctors and more, Albert is making enormous progress.

He says he owes it all to his attitude and to Robin.

>> I am going to recover from this.

I am going to be able to walk again.

I am going to be able to use my right hand again.

I just need to do as much as I can for myself to take that burden off of her.

>> Looking back now, Robin says her best advice for anyone who finds themselves in the position of a caregiver is to find your support system, like the friends and family who have helped them along the way, and remember to also be a caregiver to yourself.

>> Take care of your mental health.

If I'm not the best person I can be, I cannot take care of him.

And you know I'm his lifeline.

Our relationship has changed.

Before surgery, you know, we were this lovely, connected.

Couple and you know where we were, 50, 50, you know, and we did things together, and we just worked awesome together, you know, bouncing off ideas, navigating.

We traveled and we took care of each other.

Now I'm his advocate, I'm his protector, and I'm his voice, and.

That's where I feel like everything has changed.

The tables have turned.

>> Robin says she still often feels overwhelmed and even guilty at times, but their collective feeling is being grateful.

>> I mean, we are very blessed people, even though we've had this, you know, unfortunate situation occur.

You know, we are very blessed.

We have a wonderful family, awesome friends.

We if there's a problem we work together on, how are we going to solve this?

So yeah, I mean we are we are very blessed.

>> For KET.

I'm Kelsey Starks.

>> Join us next week as we learn more about the challenges facing caregivers, as well as some strategies that can help navigate the demanding role.

The caregiving experience at KET.

Special report premieres Monday night at 8:00 eastern seven central, right here on KET.

In a recent episode of Kentucky Tonight, we explored Eastern Kentucky tourism and how different counties in the region are attracting visitors.

Tonight, we'll take you to Boyd County to see how they're drawing in art and entertainment lovers.

Our Emily Sisk tells us more about what the county has to offer.

>> Where art meets adventure.

That's how Boyd County leaders describe their tourism scene.

At the core of that scene is the Paramount Arts Center, which has a 90 year old history of bringing entertainment to the region.

>> In my opinion, it is the jewel of the Tri-State.

>> In the early 1900s, Paramount Pictures film company decided to build a state of the art theater in each one of the 50 states.

>> They picked the location of each Paramount Arts Center based off what city they thought was going to thrive.

>> Because of the area's rich industries like steel and coal.

Paramount pictures decided on Ashland not because of the Great Depression.

Paramount pictures had to pause construction after finishing around a dozen theaters, but Ashland has been the preferred location of the arts center since 1931.

>> The preservation is maybe the most important part of the thing that we do here, and so these murals that are actual, honest to God murals with paint every year, they get redone and revisited.

>> Had some some pretty major work done probably 20 years ago now when they added the stage house.

Any traveling show, can any traveling theater show or any act has its its perfectly suited for that.

>> We had Tyler Childers in for a conference a few years ago.

My favorite concert that has ever been here.

Not a country music star, but Weird Al was incredible.

>> There's also an in-house theater group called the Paramount Players that puts on shows for the community.

For many Northeast Kentuckians, the Paramount is an irreplaceable piece in the region's puzzle.

>> That of of all the places in town.

That may be my favorite place, just to kind of be.

>> Music and the arts continue to shape Boyd County tourism.

The county is now host to two major music festivals, Rock the Country and Healing Appalachia.

Both events bring in world class musicians and many out of town visitors.

>> Being able to have Tyler Childers and Chris Stapleton perform, being able to have Nickelback and Kid Rock here and a slew of other artists and just welcome people from all across the world to Boyd County.

We got a 50 mile radius of people staying in hotels for these festivals, but it's super cool just people coming from California, people coming from Ireland.

>> You couldn't get a hotel room from Mount Sterling to Charleston, West Virginia because of those events.

>> And in case the crowds of people don't sell the impact, the county has the dollar figures to back it up.

>> We'll probably add 50 to $55 million in economic impact, specifically in tourism to our region because of two festivals.

>> Now besides music, Boyd County also touts its adventure tourism.

One piece of that is Camp Landing.

The entertainment district has a Malibu Jack's theme park, ax throwing, movie theater, sports simulator and more, all on one property.

And they're still growing, with plans to add a sports complex, horse racing track and hotels in the near future.

>> For one piece of land, it will be the biggest entertainment facility in the state of Kentucky.

>> The masterminds behind Camp Landing are Elizabeth and Jason Camp, who moved from coastal Florida to Boyd County.

>> We love the small town atmosphere.

We love the friendly people that are here.

But there was a lack of, you know, doing some things.

>> So the camps bought what was a vacant mall and turned it into an entertainment district.

>> We never in our wildest dreams would have thought we would have bought a dead mall and turned it into something like this.

>> I think it could be a model for all of all of Kentucky or Appalachia or even the country.

You know, retail is is struggling all over.

So, you know, just reinventing it.

>> And as visitors get further outside the city limits, they'll even find an off road track in rush, which is an unincorporated community on the edge of Boyd and Carter counties.

>> It's a 7000 acre off road park.

They have over 100 miles of trails.

We'll welcome 50 or 60,000 unique visitors a year to rush.

>> So with all the industries and attractions at hand, what helps Boyd County tourism stick together?

There was one loud answer.

>> It's the people.

It's always going to be the people.

>> The community is the one that keeps it going.

>> Tourism director Andrew Steele said if Boyd County prospers, then their neighbors in surrounding counties and states will succeed as well.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Emily Sisk.

>> Thank you Emily.

Beginning in 2026, the Paramount Arts Center in Boyd County will be operated by an Iowa based management company rather than the local board.

The city of Ashland announced the decision at the end of November, and to see the full episode of Kentucky tonight, all about Eastern Kentucky tourism, you can visit ket.org tonight.

We are about a month away from the start of the 2026 Kentucky General Assembly.

Advocates for Kentucky's children met today to talk about what they want to see from lawmakers in 2026, what are their priorities for Kentucky kids?

We'll talk to them about that.

Friday on Kentucky Edition.

And we hope that you will join us again tomorrow night at 630 eastern, 530 central for Kentucky Edition, where we inform, connect and inspire.

You can subscribe to our Kentucky Edition email newsletter and watch full clips of Kentucky Kentucky Edition at ket.org.

And you can send us a story idea at Public Affairs at Ket.org and follow KET on Facebook and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Have a great evening!

Take care.