We also have a set of rules that we operate.

If we're going to add something to the commonwealth, it's not something.

vice driven.

That we have to be very cautious.

>> A state lawmaker explains why he thinks banning gray machines as Kentucky's best bet.

>> It was created to be an independent entity that would not be influenced by politics.

But yet we've seen that happen over and over again.

>> Why some lawmakers are pushing a bill that could change how members are elected to the state's board of Education.

>> I think for a lot of the producers, determine whether they were going to stay in production.

>> They're ready to grow.

How some high school students are helping Eastern Kentucky farmers get back to business after last year's devastating flawed.

>> This isn't about Asbury.

This isn't about the Hughes Auditorium.

This is about God.

>> And we go to Asbury University were student led revival is putting a spotlight on a small Kentucky town.

>> 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 president's day Monday, February, the 20th, I'm Renee Shaw.

>> Thank you for spending some of your Monday night with us.

In recent weeks we've told you about the controversy surrounding slot like gaming machines in Kentucky, Republican State Representative Kilian Timoney of Nicholas Ville plans to introduce a bill that would make the machines illegal.

A similar measure failed to pass last year.

Today I asked Representative Timoney about his new legislation.

I started our conversation by asking why are they called Gray machines?

>> We are very similar to slot there, a gambling and you see them all over.

You seem all over the bluegrass right now and convenience stores, gas stations.

Chinese buffets, barbershops, gas stations I but they are machines.

It's a gambling device.

And, you know, you put your money in and you hope to win more money than you put in so by definition, it a gambling device, they're called gray machines because they do operate within a gray area of the law.

You know, people ask me all are actually great.

Know they're not great, but they do operate in that space to the Commonwealth has 3 legalized forms of gaming.

And that's that anything through the charitable Gaming Historical Horse Racing or art or horse racing in general and the Anything outside of that is considered illegal.

These these machines Are there are being sold to mimic of the historical horse racing slot machines and therefore, people are our feeling comfortable with them in and want to KET them around.

But the element of the element of skilled versus chance is the other part of the gray interpretation.

So they feel like they are a skilled game.

>> Because of memory, right?

So tell us about that.

The memory aspect of the game.

Yes, ma'am, there's a of part of the game that it is a memory you if you follow the pattern around and I'm not going to make any assumptions as to what your memory skills are like, but minor, So I usually get about the 4th repetition.

And then it's just like completely.

It's but that is how they get away with by saying that they're skilled because there is a memory skills.

Part.

But people don't play that because it is incredibly challenging.

They play the slot machine part where it's your traditional, what you'd see in any casino.

The with the wheel spins in the different Icahn's pop-up and if they show up in a pattern, you can advance the pattern and that's also part of the But that doesn't happen every time.

I so you can spend it 20 times and not get an opportunity to advance employ skill.

So it is a very, very loose interpretation of the word skill.

If you ask me.

>> So you have legislation that eradicate gray machines throughout the commonwealth.

And you have said before we started taping that there, possibly tens of thousands of bees.

We had heard earlier numbers that maybe 3500, but that's the way underestimate.

So is there any talk about legalizing them and regulating them in any way or should they just be eradicated from the state states that have them?

>> Have casino commissions where people with badges and guns go and they check numbers and they have got the data to stay up on on payouts and those types of things.

We don't have that in order for us to regulate them.

We would have to build a whole new branch of government almost or an agency in government and then staff it.

And then developed the rules to go along with it.

So it was a really, really daunting task.

So what is this going to vote on?

That was not done on that kind of analysis.

I know man.

>> I didn't go all the way that far.

It got to the point where I sit where we had a commissioner and we had agents and we had the regional, our regional offices.

>> And that was enough to I do.

>> So I'm curious about where these tens of thousands of places that have these from barber shops to Chinese buffets to see stores as we often hear many of the mom and pop your locally owned.

So we heard this argument last session.

I don't have to tell you this.

This is could be a big hit to those local economies and particularly those mom and pop store owners.

Your response to that.

But that's a really tough because I'm a firm believer in supporting our small business owners.

You know, I I truly believe that that this year, the spirit of entrepreneur, Alyssa is a live in Kentucky.

>> And that's the cornerstone capitalism.

And we need to be encouraging that and those types of things.

But at the same time, we also have a set of values.

We also have a set of rules that we operate.

If we're going to add something to the commonwealth, it's not something.

vice driven.

That we have to be very cautious and we have to we have a framework that we have to run through in order to make it work.

The 3 legalized forms of gaming Kentucky ran that gauntlet.

They ran the gauntlet and they they took a pretty significant beating along the way and they continue to do so.

And this is one of the scenarios where this age, these groups, these these companies completely skirted that aspect set up shop, got our small business owners during the pandemic where things were really, really tough.

Got them lucrative contracts where they are generating good amounts of money and then said, OK, well, how can you remove these?

I think it's worth noting, you know, not all small business owners are going with these machines.

Some of them have are facing hard times and they're choosing.

To stick with their business model.

They they do not want to become many casinos on every street corner and they're being faced with this pressure.

Well, it's about foot traffic, the profit margins in those businesses are so small.

It's about it's about volume.

And if you're taking 15 or 20 or 50% of businesses, you're forcing that mom and pop the didn't want to go this route.

You're forcing their hand and I economic Darwinism.

But this is something that is not.

And I mentioned it in the Courier Journal.

Our list.

This is not just a simple product or not.

We're not doing something.

We're not selling something different.

This is a significant impact and it is this a significant impact on values and communities and we have to have that discussion on the forefront.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> State Representative Timoney is one of our guests on Kentucky tonight this evening.

We're discussing state teacher shortage with 2 more members of the Kentucky General Assembly Education Commissioner Jason Glass.

And Kentucky's 2023 High School teacher of the year.

That's tonight at 8 Eastern 7 central right here on KET.

One of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear's first acts when he took office was to replace the Kentucky Board of Education with new members.

But a new process could determine the makeup, a future boards.

More in tonight's Legislative update.

Senate Bill 107 would create a committee to nominate new members for the state's Board of Education for each vacancy.

The nominating committee would supply the governor with 3 nominees Bowling Green Senator Mike Wilson sponsors the bill.

>> We saw previous governor.

And a point and all these boards.

And they were not balanced in any way politically.

Or racially are any of those things.

And so we've done a lot of work on this trend.

Remove politics because we created the Board of Education in an education itself was created to be outside of the governor's office.

It was created to be an independent entity that would not be influenced by politics.

But yet we've seen that happen over and over again.

>> Well, some Senate Bill, 107 also requires future education.

Commissioner appointments to be approved by the Senate confirmed by the Senate, the Board of Education's nominating committee would consist of 7 members representing Kentucky Supreme Court districts SB 107, passed the Senate Education Committee last Thursday.

It can now be heard by the full Senate there is a push to require a Deas defibrillators and every Kentucky middle and high school state Representative Ruth Ann Palumbo, a Democrat from Lexington, has introduced House Bill 3.31. it calls for adding an amendment to an existing law that requires schools to have an emergency response plan under House Bill 3.31.

AED as would be required at every school related game practice and event.

It also requires 3 employees and all coaches to be trained to use an AED last month.

We told you about a northern Kentucky family who was pushing for similar legislation after the sudden death of their son during soccer practice, a high school sophomore in Palumbo is district also collapsed in the gym at Dunbar High School in 2017 as a former city council member.

One newly elected state senator hopes to bring her years of experience to Frankfort.

>> Tonight, we're introducing you to a nother new lawmaker who has deep roots in central Kentucky.

♪ ♪ >> Amanda Means, but so are the Senate District 12.

I've always had a passion for public service and I love helping people.

And so I have a love my time on City Hall.

And I view this simply as an extension of that to service.

And it's just not for too nutty to continue to engage and serve people a different level on different issues.

And that's really why decide to run.

I'm very fortunate to serve as vice chair of appropriations and revenue, which I look at.

It just been the extension of my work on the city budget, Lexington.

And so I think that will be a great opportunity to continue to use some of that background and experience serving our families and children.

And as a mom, I really care about making sure families are supported.

So that will be interesting survey on licensing occupations, which has allowed Bourbon horse racing involved in my district reflects that.

So that will be good.

And then the last one, a state local government, which again, I think will be a good opportunity to kind of maybe shed some light on some of the issues in Frankfort, how they apply.

New legislation is passed.

And Frank for obviously impact Lexington, other communities.

And so having that perspective, I think, well, at a lot of value to the table, I didn't come in a long list of passionate issues.

I really came in the listen.

There's obviously things I care about.

Tax reform.

How we and pay for government.

The local level state level.

How we think about appropriating funds to initiatives and projects.

I care about education, about health all those things in the past.

The policy not in the cares about everything.

So policing in Fayette County as big a big issue, making sure our public safety is an has good representation.

So there's some legislation working on and several filed.

But I've also recognize in the Senate that if you haven't been working on it for about a year, it's real hard to get something moved.

So I'm planning on filing something stirring a lot of listening and then really engaging this year and going for next year being a budget year with a little a month.

I think tax cleanup is a big issue in the past.

A lot of legislation last year.

Often things have unintended consequences.

And so looking at how making sure those things are cleaned up and with that make sense before next year, I think will be critical.

So there's been a lot of that conversation and there's come conversation about the personnel compensation study, how we play state employees.

That's still conversation pace for the session.

The juvenile justice reform is massive and important making sure those who are in those environments are safe making for those who are protecting them also are safe.

That will be a big piece.

You've heard lots of talk conversation about gray machines and sports betting and Marek medical marijuana.

And I'm so I think waiting to see what the caucus thinks about legislative priorities.

And I think we'll probably take a stab at a couple of them.

I am very fortunate in the sense that I think they've looked at my background to last 8 years on City Council, my body of work and thought that being vice chair and I would be a good asset for the Senate.

I just I think in the first freshman to have that role and has not gone unnoticed in.

So I am a little bit nervous.

Not going to lie about the level of maybe expectation they have for me and making sure I live up to that role and responsibility.

But I'm excited.

I think I do bring in a value to knowing how to appropriate funds and look at the unintended consequences and putting a budget together.

And I hope I can be an asset to help.

It moves more smoothly next year.

But the end of the day, if people don't step up and say I'm willing to try want to give my time in the education service, then we won't have people who represent the people.

We'll have just entities that are been bought and paid for and that's not helpful.

You know, we all of our role to play and I think public services important one.

And it's something that I take great pride in and I've taken the time to get to know my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and develop relationships because that's what keeps it from becoming a political circus.

When you respect the person you're talking to and you can save valuable than we see it differently.

We all want what's best for the Commonwealth.

We may disagree on how to get there.

We made the screen the politics to get there and not all good politics makes good policy.

Not always good policy.

Makes good politics.

But there are people who are making that effort and trying to do the right thing.

Another new state senator will soon be elected tomorrow.

There's a special election and Senate District 19 which covers part of Jefferson County.

>> The seat was previously held by Democrat Morgan McGarvey who was elected to the 3rd Congressional district in November.

In Washington, Democrat Kasey Chambers, Armstrong and Republican miss to Glenn are running to fill the seat.

Only people in the 19th district can vote in tomorrow's special election.

Now, here's good Health news about COVID in Kentucky.

The new COVID map out Friday shows just 2 counties and the high category for COVID activity Greenup and Ali, it this is down from last week when 5 counties were red and the week before when it was 11.

Fayette County is one of the medium counties and Jefferson County remains low.

Former President Jimmy Carter has entered hospice care at his home in Georgia.

According to a statement from the Carter Center, Carter was a little known Georgia governor when he began his bid for the presidency.

Ahead of the 1976 election, he served a single term and was defeated by Ronald Reagan in 1980, Carter traveled extensively in his 80's and his early 90's, including annual trips to build homes with Habitat for humanity.

He worked on a habitat home and pike full Kentucky in 2015 decades.

Earlier in 1979 he made a trip to Bardstown Kentuckyian waved from the roof of his car along the parade route at age.

98 Carter has live longer than any other American president.

♪ The Kentucky Department of Agriculture estimates the historic flooding that hit eastern Kentucky last July did more than 3 million dollars in damage to the nearly 140 produce growers in the region.

But a new program through the Kentucky Hoarder Culture Council is getting small produce farmers back on their feet and growing again.

The council has partnered with Ed programs at 4 high schools to repair small farm equipment damaged by the flooding.

>> We were very concerned with what we could do, what kind of impact we can have a meaningful way to help growers within this area who are impacted by those, you know, flooding at events on their farms.

We wanted to be sure that in a growers that had equipment, you know, that was damage that that we can do as much as we could to get that repaired and back in their hands before they wanted to start preparing for their spring season.

Now.

>> When you lose one plate, I kind of let you know you're taking a hit.

I some of the Taylors and stuff got water up around them and I was to get a program that helped us repair allows.

What about Ron?

>> We received this equipment before Christmas break for saying obviously worry about is the water seeping in the prices?

It should not be.

And then also the sealed and the dirt getting inside the motor, which can be actors and abrasive.

And as motors working can wear out the parts as well.

>> We can tell it been like under water and the flood and there's a lot of dirt and other debris like in the flywheel.

All the debris got in the motors and just kind of clogged everything up like our writers and this one.

>> Let him feel get through.

We just had to take a party engine and get clean out all the dirt and debris those inside there and put it back together.

We've been you know, we've been working on quite a while just to try to get them, you know, in tip-top shape.

I didn't have any idea what was wrong with these motor.

So watch the kids and they really got into it.

They were like, okay, what's what's what we need to do next.

So it was really gratifying.

>> To see them to get involved with it in to learn they turn hands on skill that they can take out his this class and use later in life.

No students were able.

>> you know, get in and do some diagnostics, do some repair work.

And then what we did with those pieces that weren't repairable.

We're able to report that back to the grower of like, okay, here's the diagnostics that the students went through and it's most likely that this is the problem in that grower can decide what they want to do.

At that point.

We've worked on other equipment.

May be somebody would bring in from the community.

It wasn't an emergency, but this meant something to be able to get back to some people in the kids know where they came from.

They KET that this was from the affected region, just catastrophic.

A disastrous effects from that flood.

And I think the Kerry little extra special, meaning none of these were large pieces of equipment.

But those were important to those producers.

>> And the you know, if you had to replace those, it would be thousands of dollars.

I think for a lot of the producers determine whether they were going to stay in production or not.

>> It may have meant a great deal to me.

It's a spring.

Good luck with that come but with a battery and now very impressed with You know, they went to the trouble to buy me a battery to put brightly.

The one that's return.

And when you can help get help replace and tie it to.

It's a great deal.

>> This was a bright spot.

They they thought they had lost everything.

And so when they they start to see you haven't lost in all, we're going to help you.

you know, they get their equipment back and not works.

>> We just want to help everybody out and get just kind of getting back their stuff.

It just makes us happy that like me personally, I can help a farmer back in the FIBA.

>> Replacing their engines and fixing it for him.

>> It very nice.

Know that we could help relieve some of that stress.

Maybe some financial burden.

>> The Kentucky Horticulture Council said growers have applied for the program each with multiple pieces of equipment in need of repair.

The equipment is being divided among high schools and Montgomery Robertson and Spencer counties and Western Hills High School in Frankfort.

♪ Thousands of people near and far have been flocking to a small Christian college in central Kentucky for nearly 3 weeks.

Now, the reason a spontaneous revival at Asbury University.

>> It is hard to describe what is happening in a lot of people have been labeling it as a revival or awakening.

Some people just.

>> I've been coming here and we're and Hughes Auditorium and some people than finding God in it's going on 13 days now.

I think of just nonstop worship testimonies and a lot of love it.

>> And starting Wednesday, during chapel, the speakers at near Crabb said that we could stay and worship and come out of altering pray later on that day, I got a text Santa come back to Hughes that something was happening.

And so I ended up coming back and they're probably 40 or 50 students.

And they're just we're shipping and rain.

And I'm reflecting on a lot of especially Zach said during Chapel.

Right before I had left, I actually got my phone out and I took a picture of the crowd to show how empty it was.

And I remember Thinkin.

I feel like this is going to turn into something big, but I didn't think it was going to be this massive that people are coming from all over.

♪ I have longed for this and I didn't think it was going to happen like this.

And it's just it's just mind blowing that, you know, a couple kids state after chapel.

And then now it's turned into people are coming from everywhere.

The night I shared my testimony in front of everyone, the lady that went in front of she was from Singapore.

And so that was the that's been the for this.

I have other places like yeah, it's it's crazy where everyone is coming from.

>> From the United >> my hope for all this is that people take it into the world.

Now, people from all over.

I hope they take it too.

Their they take it to their towns.

They take it to their schools.

>> You know, I just hoped they take this love and they share it to other people.

This to stoplight town usually has never seen this many people.

And now people are everywhere and it's spreading.

And, you know, people are starting to realize that.

>> All the good things are happening.

Amazing.

>> As Mary will now live stream portions of the event so that those who are unable to make it can still be part of the experience.

♪ Our Toby Gibbs has education, politics, science and sports.

And this look at this week in Kentucky history.

♪ >> Nathan, be Stubblefield of Murray patented his mechanical telephone on February.

21st 18 88, the mechanical telephone didn't use electricity.

That carried sound vibrations over a tight wire suspended between 2 sound boxes.

A congressman from Kentucky was involved in a dual over a dual a newspaper editor wanted to challenge Congressman Jonathan silly of Maine to a dual.

The editor asked Congressman William Graves of Kentucky to give a letter to silly silly refused the letter Graves then felt insulted, challenge silly to a duel himself.

>> And on February 24th 18 38 killed silly in that pool.

Senator John Sherman Somerset died February, 21st 1991, at the age of 89.

It was a Republican who served 3 partial terms and 2 full terms in the U.S. Senate.

He also served as U.S. ambassador to India and to East Germany.

It was on the Warren Commission that investigated the assassination of President John F Kennedy.

Jon?

Brian Bowman, a lawyer, an educator for Mercer County about in the agricultural and mechanical college of Kentucky in Lexington on February, 22nd 18.

65.

It was made possible by the Moral Land Grant Act signed by President Lincoln in 1916, the school would be renamed the University of Kentucky.

In one of the most famous fights in boxing history.

Louisville native Muhammad Ali Beach, Sonny Liston in Miami Beach on February, 25th 1964. list in the heavyweight champion of the time was a 7 to one favorite.

And Ali won by technical knockout win list and gave up and the beginning of the 7th round.

And that's a look back at this week in Kentucky history.

>> I'm Toby gives.

>> Thank you much.

Toby Gibbs, camaraderie, carpentry and craftsmanship.

That's what a veterans center in northern Kentucky is offering service members and civilians alike.

Hear more about their impact on the community tomorrow night on Kentucky edition, which we hope to see you for at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central where we inform connect and inspire subscribe to our weekly Kentucky Edition, e-mail news letter and watch full episodes and clips at KET Dot Org.

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

You have a story idea.

Send it to public affairs at KET Dot Org.

We'd love to hear from you.

And I hope to see you again tomorrow night.

Until then.

Take really good care.

♪