♪ >> What's the story behind the snob now?

We know.

>> Just how bad is the flu in Kentucky?

We'll crunch the numbers.

Up to middle up to make it valuable.

Shape.

It.

And then when it cools off, it stays wherever you put it and hats are very similar.

>> And a Lexington man who's turning brimmed hats into one of a kind works of art.

Production of Kentucky edition is made possible in part.

But the KET Endowment for Kentucky Productions.

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

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Wednesday, December 7th, I'm Renee Shaw.

>> Thank you for starting off your Wednesday night with us as many believe the COVID-19 pandemic is beginning to wane.

Another virus is hitting Kentucky hard.

>> And flew ends.

A season is already in full force with the Kentucky Department for Public Health calling the outbreak widespread.

The CDC map for flu activity shows Kentucky with one of the country's highest activity levels.

Our Casey Parker Bell spoke with the Lexington, Fayette County Health Department about the spike in flu cases and what you can do to stop the spread.

>> Flu spreading rapidly lets people hitting people, unfortunately, very, very hard in Lexington.

There are already more flu cases this year.

Then the previous 3 combined Kevin Hall says the spike in cases is happening in part because people are returning to pre-pandemic habits.

>> The most likely reason we're seeing an increase in numbers are simply that most of the COVID restrictions have got away or people are following.

That might be where the last few years the trends in Lexington hold true for the entire state.

>> Data from the Department for Public Health shows weekly case numbers continue to increase the data which typically lags a couple of weeks behind shows Kentucky hitting over 6,000 cases in a week.

>> Typically in previous flu seasons, you would see cases strictly them right now and not hitting high level until January and February.

Those are the peak Kentucky that is hitting hard and early.

>> National flu case numbers are dwarfing totals from the previous 6 years.

But Hall has some advice to prevent spreading the flu to others.

>> We have a long way to go.

>> So we need more people start by getting the flu shot.

And, you know, there's backs presidency heard about shot after shot after shot for COVID.

People are tired of hearing about vaccines.

Vaccines protect you.

And annual flu shot protects you and those around you also wear your mask when you go out in the public areas, wash your hands frequently.

And the last thing you can do it so important if you're sick.

for Kentucky edition.

I'm Casey Parker Bell.

>> Thanks.

The Kentucky Department for Public Health reports 14 people have died from the flu this year.

The Kentucky School Boards Association is keeping track of school districts that have closed or switch to NTI days because of illness.

This fall.

It's now up to at least 63 school districts.

That's 200,000 students and at least 2 school districts have closed more than once.

U.S.

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky criticized former President Donald Trump yesterday for Trump's remarks about the 2020 election and the Constitution on social media.

Trump said he should be reinstated as president because of fraud and the 2020 presidential election even if it met terminating all rules, even those in the Constitution.

This was Senator McConnell's response.

>> Shaking the president says it's actually the Good show now be suspended are not followed.

It seems to me would have a very hard time being sworn in.

As president of the United States.

>> Trump has denied he was calling for the cancellation of the Constitution.

He blamed what he calls the, quote, fake news for misinformation and lies.

We talked about President Trump's constitution comments Monday night on Kentucky tonight, Republican strategist Alan Williams said Trump's remarks could hurt him among Republican voters.

Former Congressman Mike Ward, a Democrat believe the Republican response to the comments was too weak.

>> And now where are they?

When Donald Trump swears he want.

>> Swears that if it's in his interest, we ought to change the Constitution.

Not by having a constitutional convention, not by proposing a constitutional amendment, but just by disregarding it.

Well, that's a big problem.

And and it's a problem for America.

Its problem for democracy.

But boy, it's a problem for Senator McConnell and some of the others who are being forced to say to answer the question, which side are you on?

And the question is, are you on the side of the most successful and the longest lasting democracy in the history of the globe.

Or are you on the side of a megalomaniac who simply wants power?

I've not heard any Republican any in the Senate >> agree with what Trump has said.

It's more like another combat, her 2 of them disagree and say to.

2 members and that's that's 5% and leadership just say, you know, you're elected to defend and protect the Constitution.

So it's another Trump statement.

And I think those kind of statements are going to make the Republican primary for president a lot more interesting and not a foregone conclusion.

Like many people thought that if Trump filed, he wins.

I think if he continues to say these kind of things and that he will continue to marginalize himself and he will not be our nominee.

You can see more that spirited conversation about national politics on Kentucky tonight.

Online on demand at K E T DOT Org.

Slash K why tonight?

>> More politics is coming up tonight on Kentucky.

Addition as we talk to Rylan Barton of Kentucky Public Radio and Ohio Valley resource than just a few minutes.

We know more today about the snow above Senator McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy yesterday at the nation's capital during a Congressional Gold Medal event honoring police officers from the January 6 riot.

The family of fallen officer Brian Sicknick wouldn't shake hands with McConnell or McCarthy segments.

Brother Craig told CNN that the 2 had, quote, no integrity.

He said they were perpetuating the same policies and laws that caused the insurrection to occur.

♪ We continue our weeklong look at Western Kentucky's recovery following a deadly tornado outbreak almost a year ago.

When we met Adam Turbo 6 months ago, things looked bleak for this.

Lifelong Mayfield resident.

He and his family survived the tornado that hit their town.

But their home was and lovable.

A camper provided by the state, gave them a place to live.

But the time limit to stay in.

It was running out.

Then a group of strangers gave him and his family a gift.

He says they can never repay.

>> That house was still standing and we had no idea what was going to do about a home or anything.

I was down, didn't want to get out of bed and I was the past upset, crying.

But I forced myself to get up.

I forced myself to KET going.

We have been in this campus since April 23rd.

We've just to the best that we cut 8 months is very I'm past that.

And they both passed the House with us and the camper upside of it.

That day they tore down.

All right.

Mom and I both just they just stand and watch them.

A crime being a sprawling up in that house and watching it just almost disappear within my eyes was.

It's hard.

Even now thinking about.

My house, I spot home and those gone.

So we're actually going to ring doorbell.

They've said so I'm really excited about that.

And we have heard about homes for Just crazy to think that people have never met me before my mom or anybody for Mayfield, never even heard of Mayfield before has came to the small town to help us.

Bill.

Is this a pitiful how and dozens of other homes they've built about least 20 other homes.

I never thought I'd actually have a new home like a brand new build home.

And they're citing the House over tomorrow night.

This is probably actually the biggest cause that I've ever had on us.

But we get something out.

>> Definitely been excited about.

That.

Just gave me hope that I felt like I lost afterwards.

And to sing this up.

I feel like I actually have a home again.

I'm not in it yet.

But I know within the next couple weeks of the NBA and it's exciting that.

Remind me that people do care about each other in the world.

>> Such great news.

Adams advice for other survivors who are struggling.

KET your hopes up and KET reaching out to others for help.

The federal and state governments will spend 2 and a half million dollars studying how to prevent flooding on the Kentucky River in Lee County.

The study will look at the use of levees and flood walls and other strategies to prevent the kind of flooding damage seen in 2021.

And 22, the money is from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state's flood control local match participation program.

The move was praised by the mayor of Baby Ville and the Lee County Judge executive.

Global research shows that horse racing not for the ball, has the highest rate of concussions.

But according to jockeys, current concussion tests aren't working for them.

Researchers at UK Sports Medicine Research Institute are trying to fix that with the new Jackie specific concussion test called the Graham Test.

If you're a Jackie, you've had injuries and you've got your head multiple times.

Typical symptoms of concussion include dizziness.

>> Slowed reaction.

Time cloud of vision.

And when you think about what they're doing, they could be on the track with as many as 19 other horses and jockeys pairs if they make a decision too late or they think the decision is the right decision.

But they went and made that when they were concussed.

That's a major issue because they could be putting not only them and their horse that, Chris, but they could be putting anyone else in that field at risk.

>> That's the difference between off school to all of the school says as a real element of serious injury and that is that's why is probably more important for us school compared some of the schools are 80 be at the forefront of it.

And yet with one of the one is lagging behind was test.

That test is great because vests for specific for us.

>> Typical concussion protocols that you see in terms of testing.

All right.

You're bound.

Aaron scoring system, which is the best test or a s*** 5, which is mostly questions the best test they're asked to balance, standing with your feet together.

>> And it and then on one leg.

>> And yes, and close their eyes and do this on an unstable versus stable surface jockeys don't stand in those stances.

And so a lot of them struggle to even complete the test before they even never get a concussion.

>> We have very little itty-bitty We have to bounce Bill was about 8 and that's curry in the context of what the whole spot from all hands on.

That met that test.

We have a simple and it moves east and on it.

But is big enough wide enough feet can stand on top of it.

And so fit with as if we are on top of the littles.

>> We asked the jockeys, what do they need to help promote their safety?

What could they do?

And so one of the things that the jockeys told us that they could react to a potential problem that was going to occur on the track.

And so the question we really had his full is their reaction time fast enough when an incident occurs is like hit the hit the light.

That's all you're being asked to do.

Kind of like Whac-A-Mole.

When you go to the arcade.

>> But then they have to make decisions while also riding.

So we decided to add what's called choice reaction time.

We give them 2 different light colors.

And we only asked entry spot to the blue lights but not to the red lights.

>> And then I had a few jockeys tell he wasn't fast enough.

So we've added what we're calling a threshold test, which means it's speeding up throughout the test.

>> And that will give ideas how fast they are on a regular They're hitting 30% and that fast.

This one.

But then maybe if they get concussion, they can't even hit any of those facets.

Once some really good way of easily figuring out if we can for my job.

>> Concussion is inevitable in sport.

It's going to happen.

We're hopeful.

>> This test might give the jockeys a reason to want to come and self manage that potential concussion injury had free really bad head.

Trauma is like in the space of tea is the first 2 I diagnosed with some ice was incorporated full.

>> They cry with cool.

My first concussions.

>> Hopefully, you know, like someone who is is that my Was companies go my dad to get tested and see the riot said of KET going on, becoming a danger to themselves and Asia.

Thomas, you know, >> the Graham test is still in its prototype phase, but researchers hope it will be ready to move forward within a year.

♪ Time now for our midweek, check-in of some major political developments in Kentucky so far this week with public radio journalists Rylan Barden.

He's the managing editor of Kentucky Public Radio and Ohio Valley Resource.

Good to see your island.

>> It's you to run it.

>> So let's start with Andy Beshear.

Governor Andy Beshear made it official official and he filed for reelection and also made note that Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman would continue to be his running mate, Lieutenant Governor.

So no surprise here.

>> Right.

No surprise.

He and he had indicated he was going to do this a long time ago.

But he finally officially filed the paperwork with the secretary of state's office this week.

You know, there's a little more time for other candidates hop into the fray until the deadline in But so far most of the action has been on the Republican side I think the last count about 12 Republicans have signed up to challenge for the child's chance to challenge this next year.

yeah, they they really think that he's a week going into this election that Kentucky's an overwhelmingly Republican state, other some public, the public polling that would suggest otherwise.

The pulling around 60 to 62% in a couple public polls over the last few months.

And I think a lot of that can be attributed to his response to various disasters which have marked his.

A first term in office.

The Coronavirus pandemic.

Also of the tornadoes and and that tore through western Kentucky in central Kentuckyian flooding in eastern Kentucky has been a real constant presence on the TVs and radios and Kentucky into the last few years and is near total name recognition across the state must be just at about 100%.

Now.

>> So we have to talk about another name that we haven't heard.

Most of us have been in Kentucky for a while since 1999.

And that is Pepe Martin who ran for governor as a Republican and won the nomination in 1999 and ran against Paul Patton.

But now she's a Democrat and she's running against Andy Beshear.

>> Yeah.

76 year-old Kevin Martin getting back into the political arena.

She's really the only official challenger of Governor Beshear in the Democratic primary right now.

Oh, that's right to choose a She lost to Paul Patton during his run for reelection in 1999.

That she she lost by quite a bit that you're think a patent got about 61% of the vote Gatewood Galbraith was in that election.

He got 15% of the vote.

So Martin she's kind of in the middle.

There are a lot of folks were uniting behind her.

She made some controversial erase a statement Mitch McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao at Fancy Farm.

She also made a questionable claim about a state police saying that 80% of state police and sheriffs and state were engaged in drug trafficking.

So that really kind of take your campaigning that you're just back down, saying she wants to to eliminate the state income tax.

Also legalized marijuana.

she's kind of running.

An interesting campaign is a but she's just one other candidate in the race on the Democrat side.

>> But we have heard that Jeff Young, who was defeated and the congressional district race that just happened is interested in running for governor is right.

He tweeted earlier last month that he was thinking about running.

And, you know, Jeffrey Young usually tries to find something to run for in every election.

He lost the 6th district congressional race this last year after making some controversial really supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

A pretty unusual position for a running in American politics.

The state's yeah.

>> So let's talk about the 2023, Kentucky Legislative session.

That's coming up.

It will start January 3rd, Republicans have laid out their priorities, income tax reduction and further tweaks to the House bill, which is House Bill 8 that allowed for that.

This what we can expect and perhaps even the first week of the session, I've heard.

>> Right.

It seems to be a big initiative for them to come out of the gate this They're really trying to rally around this.

So the state has had these big budget surpluses in recent years of a lot of that attributed to the year.

The economy didn't take is badly during the Coronavirus pandemic is budget writers kind of expected expected?

It would so revenues really exceeded what the state was planning Republicans took that as a sign to to clip the income tax to really essentially good, make sure that some of that money was staying in taxpayers pockets going forward.

So as long as is a big it's going to go down from 5% to 4 and a half percent on January.

First, that's already happened because of these budget surpluses.

It looks like we're going to get another surplus is news of that in July.

And so they're poised to cut another 0, 5%, of the bring it on the 4%.

You know, the question around this is, you know, a lot of this is comes from after, you know, about 20 years of budget cuts after the 2008 notably to higher education.

A lot of other state services and those haven't really been restored.

And so Republicans are really kind of taking this opportunity when the call economy is doing pretty well, always from a budget standpoint to just kind of of make sure or they're ensuring that that money's not kind of be restored at as creative rate as Also, this is big.

This partly rely on a shifting are expanding the sales tax to 35 new services and critics have always said that shifting from an income tax to more sales tax model is regressive is a regressive tax structure.

It ends up hurting or people because they spend a larger share of their incomes on things that are ultimately tax by the sales tax.

Where is, you know, it's not going to be captured by the income tax.

So it's kind of complicated concept there.

But in the end, it's it looks like Republicans are going to cut that even further when we come back into session in January.

>> What is on shore about what Republicans may tackle our carve out for abortion and particularly rape and incest.

So with the failure of constitutional amendment, number 2, Senate President Robert Stivers has been asked about this and he's evaded the question.

>> Jack, grammar of, you know, of or dean emeritus of the press talk to Senate President Stivers recently it during a retreat in northern Kentuckyian a star said he was unsure that really the vote rejecting the anti-abortion constitutional amendment signal that, you know anything about what lawmakers should do going forward.

So this is the big question is when the state if and when the state Supreme Court rules on Kentucky's abortion bans, will lawmakers come in and do something in January dealing with abortion?

We've got a lot of calls to create exceptions for rape or incest, or, you know, some expansion for what types of abortions are actually allowed in the state because there's pretty much total ban on the procedure right now, except for some extreme cases.

So maybe we'll get a little bit more clarity on that later this month or once the legislative session starts.

>> Well, thank you, Roy Lynn Barton, as always for breaking it down for us this Wednesday.

We'll see you next week.

Take good care front.

♪ >> Construction management students.

You're going to like the sound of this.

The state is offering scholarships to students and construction management to 5 states schools.

The schools are northern Kentucky University eastern Kentucky, western Kentucky University, Morehead State and Murray State.

They are a limited number of them, but they could be worth up to $59,200.

The application deadline is February.

First 2023.

200 new jobs are headed to me.

Lynn Burg County, the state says Double D will spend 41 million dollars to convert a warehouse into a facility to make poultry products.

Governor Andy Beshear says 52,000 Kentuckians work in the food beverage and Agra Tech sector.

Today marks the 81st anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Hawaii, the United States declared war on Japan the next day.

It's believed that 8 Kentucky ends died in the Pearl Harbor attack.

The Kentucky Historical Society says 307,000, Kentuckyian served in the military during World War.

2 with 14,000 wounded and 8,000 killed.

♪ There were ceremonies all over the U.S. and in Kentucky commemorating Pearl Harbor Day, including this one in Lexington that you're saying the Navy League, the Marine Corps League and the Central Kentucky Council hosted this event at the Lexington Senior Center.

It included a rifle salute music and a bell ringing.

Washington Mayor Linda Gorton says the impact of the attack is still felt today.

>> Even though the Pearl Harbor attack occurred 81 years ago and thousands of miles away from us.

We still feel the impact today.

Pearl Harbor, World War 2 and the greatest generation transformed our country.

>> The governor ordered flags at state buildings lower today in memory of those killed at >> Pearl Harbor.

♪ >> One part of Americana, one par driving down a Kentucky back road.

That's how a new art exhibition of hand-crafted hats is being described.

Artist and Craftsman.

Tony had done shares how his Kentucky roots are woven into every piece of wearable art work.

He makes more.

And tonight's weekly look at arts and culture that we like to call tapestry.

>> One has my whole life probably influenced by.

Growing up sitting around my dad watching Westerns.

Probably, you know, Clint Eastwood.

John Wayne movies as a kid.

I was actually doing a Google search one day.

Just to look for a new hat.

So it's really interesting hats online that I can tell.

We're not something you just buy store bought.

When a little deeper found all these incredible have makers.

We're making very interesting and creative.

The more research I did, I was like, wow, I can do that myself.

Making hats.

Interestingly enough is very similar to working with metal.

You know, to make it valuable shape.

It.

And then when it cools off, it stays where you put it and hats are very similar.

Use heat and steam.

And the material the felt material becomes a viable.

We shape it anyway.

You anywhere you want.

And once it cools off, it stays we put.

So the there's a lot of similarities.

Starts with just that.

The hat body itself, which is made of Beaver fur.

>> And then you have to shape that for felt over walks.

And then after that.

That shape is complete.

That's when you can start to get more creative with and LSU.

That.

So think it's different than, you painting or sculpture.

And why?

Because does have a function.

But it's still a creative.

The process.

And it also more interactive.

And making same painting or sculpture interactive with the client.

The patrons.

Because you're making something that's very personable.

Something.

>> That someone is going to wear.

I think the landscape of Kentucky, the landscape and probably the music have really influenced my sculpture.

And my hats, you know, just to the changing of the seasons, the beautiful green, you know, in the springtime in Kentucky when the grass starts to blend, it doesn't even look real.

Sometimes it's it's legal.

Looks like it's going.

I think the diversity of all that.

>> Has influenced my war.

I get the most satisfaction really interacting with clients who has for someone knowing that they're going to wear it.

I want them to walk out of the door.

Feeling good about what we've done, what I've created for him.

>> Real works of art.

Indeed.

The exhibition titled Forging Felt will be open to the public at the Lex Arts Gallery until December 31st.

Tomorrow on Kentucky Edition, we talk to the Louisville police chief who's leaving that job and she says it wasn't her idea.

>> It was essentially you either resign or be fired and, you know, I don't I don't like how they've gone about this.

I don't think it's in the best interest of the department.

And I think the department's being highly politicized.

>> Our Kelsey Starks talks to police Chief Erika Shields about her 2 years in Louisville and the aftermath of the Breonna Taylor shooting Thursday on Kentucky Edition, which we hope to see you for tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central where we inform connect and inspire.

Thanks for watching tonight.

And I will see you again tomorrow night.

♪