♪ >> You can catch a fish until you cast something into the water.

>> One top lawmaker says Kentucky's universities can do more as partners instead of competitors.

Kentucky jurors, you could be getting a raise.

>> The importance of aviation aerospace is paramount.

The Kentucky future.

>> And Kentucky high schoolers have a new way to take to the sky.

>> New from Kentucky have for you guys.

The ones that don't know the difference when Iraq in the So we want to get that fixed.

>> And the coal is Kentucky state mental.

There's only one problem with that.

>> Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KU Team Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Thursday, February, the TWENTY-SECOND, I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you so much for joining us this evening.

Each year in the Kentucky General Assembly Senate Bill one is safe or a priority piece of legislation this year that bill focuses on boosting academic research at Kentucky's colleges.

Senate President Robert Stivers masterminded the bill that he hopes will foster collaboration instead of competition among Kentucky's colleges, Kentucky additions Clayton Dalton has more as we begin tonight's Legislative update.

>> You can catch a fish until you catch something into the water.

I've never seen him jump in my boat, although he can't be sure the legislation will catch any fish.

President Stivers believes his bill will bolster health care, education and economic development across the state.

The bill creates an endowment fund that universities can apply to for research money.

The catch the funds must be used in partnership between at least 2 Kentucky colleges these past few years.

It seems as if our universities, several, which are behind me.

Tend to be more of competitors.

Then collaborators.

And cooperators.

The research isn't limited to just the medical field.

It just doesn't have to be medical or bio-medical.

I think of Morehead State University.

And their aerospace program.

We have Eastern.

>> Who is one of the few aviation accredited FAA programs for 5 school.

Could you see them in Morehead may be working together on aerospace and aviation and some research project that they would bring Stivers says funding clinical research can also spark hope for Saint Kentuckians.

We have funded.

The market cancer center.

2 years ago.

And it is bringing hope to people who have cancers that don't have to lead this state to go to MD Anderson.

The Sloan Kettering Cleveland Clinic or Mayo.

Can we not create the dynamics that other states have done?

That would not benefit and area but fit benefit the whole state.

Senator Reggie Thomas, a Democrat from Lexington, voiced his support for the bill.

>> As a life ball, Kentucky.

And it's always been my observation that we talk a lot.

About being champions in the reign of athletics.

And while that's nothing wrong about that.

I wish we talk more about being champions in the arena of academics.

That that's really what I want for Kentuckyian is to be at academic champions.

>> These are the top.

Some believe we need to make to take us into a 21st century.

Provider of healthcare and it will totally change the educational in economic dynamics of this state.

Senate bill one passed unanimously and now heads to the Senate Chamber.

>> For Kentucky edition, I'm Clayton Dalton.

>> The Kentucky Council on post-secondary education under the bill would be responsible for accepting and reviewing applications for the funding.

The council will then identify 5 research groups and a portion money 2, each for 5 year period.

Kentucky has more substance use treatment beds per capita than any other state.

But some lawmakers say too many people from outside Kentucky are taking up that bed space.

Kentucky additions June Leffler has more on a bill that hopes to change that.

>> House Bill 408, would ban in-patient drug treatment facilities from accepting low-income clients from out of state.

>> Trying to ensure that they don't recruit people from out of state and bring them here.

Medicaid.

So there's there's 2 potential 2 buildings for the provider.

One is for the active recruiting and the other is for having the that individual in the facility.

So the $500 per day rather than on the individual.

It's now on the provider.

>> That refusing to treat people from outside the state who can't pay out of pocket.

This move could open up more slides to Kentucky resident and curb the state's Medicaid costs.

The bill also requires providers to try to get their clients back home after treatment.

>> Get them a one-way ticket back home.

They can contact their family and asked him to come get them within.

24 hours.

They can connect with the mobile response team if available.

The bill's sponsor says otherwise, these folks might end up homeless and communities.

They're not from.

But a Lexington Democrat suggests once a Kentucky an always a Kentuckyian what this bill apply to a Kentucky born and raised person too, having run the course of addiction here in Kentucky that has fled to another state and then they're being essentially brought home.

I don't know if there's an opportunity to to create an amendment that someone who has substantial connections here may not be subject to this and provision or not.

So thank you.

That's a great question.

And I appreciate the concern I'm happy to have a conversation.

>> With you and with others as well to 2 figure that out because I don't know if there's anything that defines, you know, people that have moved in and they're coming back.

So it's something we can look into.

>> The bill passed unanimously out of the House Health Services Committee.

The committee also advanced a bill that would make it easier for doctors to treat sepsis in a timely manner.

>> Many of you may know that for every hour treatment, delay in the case of sepsis, the mortality rate increases by 7%.

The fact that sepsis is not a disease entity in itself and therefore, there's no diagnostic test.

That can be just quickly run and it can happen to anyone and to people with the very same illness from the very same organism, some people develop sepsis.

Some do not so that very unpredictability makes this early screening.

Absolutely critical to saving lives.

>> If passed House Bill 4.77, would require Medicaid to pay providers for all levels of sepsis care.

Not just severe cases for Kentucky edition of John Leffler.

>> Sepsis deaths in Kentucky have declined in recent years and 2021, the Kentucky Hospital Association created the Sepsis Kentucky Consortium.

It's equipped almost every Kentucky hospital with proven ways to triage and treat sepsis.

A bill to loosen restrictions on how much some teams can work on the job is advancing in the state legislature currently 16 17 year-olds in the state can only work 6 hours on a school day or 8 hours on a non-school day.

They can work 30 hours a week during the school year unless their grades and parents permit for more hours and they can work as late as 10:30PM, on a school night or 01:00AM on a non-school night House Bill 2.55.

Sponsored by Georgetown Republican Representative Phillip Rat.

What those roles bringing Kentucky in line with federal child labor laws.

Critics say without those protections, employers could exploit teen workers.

Louisville Democratic Representative Sara Stalker also argued the bill could lower funding for public schools in Kentucky.

>> One of the components of our seek formula.

Is the average daily attendance.

That means that districts get their seek money based on how many kids show up for the day.

And when those numbers.

>> Start to lower.

It will have a ripple effect throughout the public education system that will impact.

>> The students who don't touch dropout, who continue to show up.

>> If we're so concerned about seek formula when we got shut the schools down for COVID and what the virtual learning.

We know that 28,000 students did not return to class ring.

That's what hurt, I think formula.

>> Many kids in their districts when they could not go to school.

They did go and they worked.

And then they could not get them back.

That is a problem.

>> House Bill, 2.55, past the House.

The fall House on a vote of 60 to 36.

It now heads to the Senate for consideration there.

A programming note for you.

Kentucky lawmakers are considering what's called the Horizons Act a bill to help Kentucky's child care industry stay afloat.

Well, that Bill would spend about 300 million dollars over 2 years.

We're going to talk about it on Monday night on Kentucky tonight.

Hear from a panel and send us your questions and comments Monday at 8 Eastern 7 central right here on KET.

Well, it pays to serve on a jury, but not very much.

Some lawmakers want to put more money and jurors pockets for fulfilling their civic duty.

Republican state Senator Whitney Westerfield is the sponsor of Senate Bill.

22, it would raise jury pay to a flat rate of $125 a day.

Currently jurors are paid $5 a day.

Plus 7.50, to reimburse expenses.

>> That doesn't cover what you have to pay that day.

You have to pay to park in our bigger cities.

You may have to buy a meal that you could hardly get for $12.50, much less $7.50 I think it will be higher.

>> Many and yesterday's committee meeting both Republicans and Democrats said they agreed with the idea of raising juror pay, including and amaze Bledsoe of Lexington who described her own ordeal with being summoned for jury duty.

>> I had 2 babies under 5 and I was a stay-at-home mom at that time was not working and paid a babysitter $15 an hour to watch my kids for 3 days.

I did have to care.

Didn't have support.

And I was happy to do it.

Why wasn't happy?

I was.

How to pay for the service.

Yes, haha.

But there's a part of this that I could do this, but many people can't.

>> This is a fundamentally a critical part of our criminal justice system.

And when we ask individuals to come and do this is not just they're coming and the bin and the quote, unquote and are paid to do this.

They are in.

Putting themselves in a situation where they're engaging in something fundamental to our system yet takes them out of their mode of living each day that they count on one forward.

And I think that we are to strengthen this part of the system.

>> Senator Westerfield said his bill would cost a little more than 17 million dollars a year.

Senator Kristin McDaniel, chair of the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee declined to put the bill to a vote.

Instead, he said it would need to be considered in the confines of the state's two-year budget bill.

A similar bill being considered in the House calls for raising juror pay to $25 a day.

♪ ♪ ♪ >> It's called the Black Gold and Kentucky state mineral.

But one current lawmaker who knows his rocks.

>> Says his predecessors have made an embarrassing mislabeling of the Commonwealth State Rock and mineral.

>> And he wants to second set the record straight when it comes to cold.

>> In 1998, to Kentucky General Assembly passed legislation to designate cold as the official state medal.

Problem is toes.

Not really a member own job in terms of settlement Harry Organics and turned to pause.

We want to be part of his rock to 2 years later, the type of general assembly passed legislation investigate Kentucky package.

As the official State Rock.

According to the Geological Survey, the survey.

Was not consulted prior to this designation, which is unfortunate because it is a mark rules, including pursuing course too.

Kentucky as a state law that Israel no rule and the state to go wrong.

Kentucky's kind of been the brunt of jokes when it comes to the rock and mineral situation.

But we wanted to.

>> Correct that situation.

So when we go to science conferences, people do say.

New from Kentucky.

Are you guys the ones that don't know the difference when Iraq in the So we want to get that fixed.

I reached out to my local representative and Sharon Stevenson and she I said, you know, the I explain the situation to her and said, yeah, I'm a geologist and this is something that we've been dealing with for a long time.

How do we go about fixing this?

How do we go about writing a bill?

And she said it may have been will the shortest bills ever just of just a few lines, you know, to correct to the rock and mineral.

So so we submitted it through RC and next thing I know a few years later took a while.

But a few years later here we are having a vote on it.

One of the House Bill, 3.70, does.

>> Is it allows us to continue to monitor these incredible substances and very unique to the store.

Will Smith is to our state to be, but we just switched investigations to make >> A little bit more reflect what they actually are.

Geologically speaking.

>> We've been dealing with this for like 25 years cut.

You know, it's kind of a silly thing.

Some people May may think it's in consequential, but it is important.

It is important to get the facts right when it comes to science we're, you know, we're happy to.

>> To be at this point.

>> House Bill, 3 78 passed in committee today.

The sponsor Representative Al Gentry holds a bachelor's degree in geology from the University of Louisville.

So he knows what he's talking about.

♪ ♪ >> Sad news this week for the family of the line Chow, a former Republican cabinet member and the wife of U.S., Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

>> The child family says Elaine Chao, sister Angela, died Sunday after a car accident in Texas.

The child was U.S. shipping industry executive.

She lived and Austin, Texas.

Police say the accident happened on private property about 50 miles from Austin.

Police are not releasing any more information.

She was 50 years old.

The Southern Baptist Convention is kicked out a second Kentucky church.

The group voted this week to oust Emmanuel Baptist Church in Paducah off because the senior minister is a woman.

The statement of faith for the nation's largest Protestant denomination asserts that only qualified men can serve as pastors.

Emmanuel Baptist can appeal the decision.

The firm Creek Baptist Church in Louisville was ostracized for the same reason last year and lost its appeal.

>> Expect something new if you visit the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville and May.

Who yes is the museum is getting a million dollar upgrade.

The money will go to improve the riders up.

Exhibit.

It's an interactive exhibit that lets people see the race from the viewpoint of the jockey and the horse.

The changes will be ready for the 100 and 50th running of the Derby.

Of course, that's always the first Saturday in May.

Time magazine's list of the 12 Women of the Year for 2024. includes a can talk in Limon is in her second term as the poet laureate of the United States.

She's lived in Lexington the last 10 years.

And she's just written a poem that is headed into space.

NASA Aslam own to write a poem that will be engraved inside the Europa Clipper.

A spacecraft blasting off in October that will begin orbiting Jupiter in the year 2030.

The poem is called in Praise of Mystery.

A poem for Europa.

♪ How do you feel about your community's health and well-being?

The Lexington, Fayette County Health Department wants to know.

>> In a survey people who live or work in Fayette County were asked to name the health issues that concern them the most.

Some of the results in tonight's look at medical news.

>> The Community Health assessment is done every 5 years and for the purpose of letting us know what the needs of the community are.

And we starve a the community and we tried to incorporate quantitative and qualitative data and it's really to identify.

What are those see now that we have this child?

We have some data.

We know that the community wants us to work on behavioral health, slash mental health to behavioral health really is a lot of different things to know.

How are you doing mentally?

>> You know, how are you coping with different things in your life?

Right?

Like the you have a roof over your head is is that affordable?

What is what is your environment look like?

Do you have the resources and they will is that you need to try it.

You know, are your basic needs be met?

You know, to you or use that rain from food deserts.

Are students security like all of the scenes that are just basic needs really affect our behavioral health like how we how we cope, how we strategize, how we act in the world.

The main things that the community really wants us to work on our access to care knowledge and power Mundt mental well-being and financial stability.

So the big umbrella is still behavioral health.

But with those 4 kind of priority area stalling underneath it, and if we don't take good care of our mental health that were not able to take good care of us and our families.

And that's what's most important for Lexi tenant, you know, for the Lex and Tony INS and based on, you know what they said in terms of the survey, the want to be, you know, that Stewart's and we want to have good relationships and we want to do good life.

But we have to have a good balance also of mental health.

And so we have to be able to put our best foot forward in order to do that.

We need to take care of ourselves.

♪ ♪ >> Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S. and here in Kentucky since 1971, the National Cancer Institute has recognized centers that are developing new and better approaches to preventing diagnosing and treating cancer.

That includes the marquee Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky, which has further been recognized as a comprehensive cancer center on the was this week's episode of Kentucky Health Doctor Wayne Tuckson talks with the director of the Marquee Cancer Center about some of the work that goes into researching a problem as complicated as cancer.

>> Sometimes when we hear the word clinical trials it is some of it is clouded with experimentation.

You know, you're you're being tested upon.

Could you take us through what kind of cool trial set up and getting to that point?

What is it you're trying to do?

Yes, so it's an extremely rigorous process.

I mean, in terms of fog.

>> Going through various regulations with fall.

All that's a particular drug that you want to get into a clinical trial that takes to make it to that step.

And many of the the potentially promising drugs that we see in the basic research laboratories never make those rigorous steps to get to a clinical trial.

But again, I think the clinical trials, all for the best hope for If you look at, for example, breast cancer treatments, I mean, many of the treatments that that we currently do are thankfully due to the fact that many of the patients were very willing and very enthusiastic to go in clinical trial.

So that's really where we get the information.

sometimes the clinical trial helps the patient in terms of fall survival, et cetera.

But the information that we blame from that is is so helpful 2 to for further, you know, studies and for further or treatments down the road.

When a person toward trial, I assume it's fairly rigorous and how you're following So so that >> E and toward effects that may develop you pretty catch early.

I would imagine.

Oh, absolutely.

I mean, that is something that is followed very closely by the cancer center.

Me.

We have the whole team of of quality folks who are always assessing for potential side effects.

And, you know, the organizers of the clinical trials are off or are checking on quite frequently coming down for 4 visits as well.

So you're exactly I mean, not that there are not side of potential side effects with anything with any treatment, certainly during the clinical trial that to monitor an extremely closely.

>> You can see more of Doctor Texans conversation with the director of UK's Markey Cancer Center this Sunday at one 30 eastern in the afternoon, 12, 30 central right here on KET.

♪ ♪ Young.

Kentuckians will have a way to get their wings.

Thanks to a program coming to the Commonwealth High schools, the public and private sector came together to at the Aviation Museum of Kentucky earlier this week for the unveiling of the Kentucky aviation career preparation, curriculum.

♪ >> And almost 8 billion dollar impact approximately 130,000 jobs.

Think the importance of aviation aerospace is paramount to Kentucky future the the aviation aerospace industry is so critical and it covers a wide spectrum from small local to regional airports to massive airports in.

>> Louisville and northern not only from a commercial transportation aspect, but also from a cargo and Perspective and a lot of the major retailers and other that.

Must adequate air transportation to move their goods and services.

It's so critical to Kentucky's economy.

Both directly and indirectly.

It is a an industry that's so big so large that it can't function autonomously.

>> The businesses need to connect with schools.

They need to connect the workforce development programs.

They need to build relationships and systems and they need to work together to help develop that workforce in the future.

>> That's incumbent upon workforce professionals, education professionals, to make young people aware the career preparation, curriculum and the pathway towards aviation industry, jobs and careers.

What we've been able to do with Team Kentucky is develop a curriculum.

One semester course that speaks directly to those soft skills.

It can be there stand-alone course or it can be >> done in conjunction with PA Foundation High School Aviation STEM curriculum.

It is targeted for high school.

The curriculum is an add-on to our 4 year to CTE, pathway and professional development program.

So we've got a pilot program.

We've got an unmanned aircraft aircraft systems program as well.

So that is a four-year free for implement.

But it provides them an absolute great understanding aviation content, knowledge and the practical handguns hands-on skills to help set them up for success in aviation.

It's going to prepare them to enter the workforce is can prepare them for internship and apprenticeship opportunities.

>> But most of all, to KET Kentucky aviation space going strong for years.

♪ >> There are 59 public use airports in the state, according to a study from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the airport support over 23,000 jobs with an annual payroll of almost a billion and a half dollars.

Also helping the next generation fly high.

The program at Western Kentucky Middle School.

>> I want to be young age to teach the students how to dress and maybe that how to get ready properly for something like that.

So they wouldn't be caught off guard the way that I >> From interview changing a tire.

These young men are going beyond the basics.

That story is coming up tomorrow in Kentucky EDITION, which we hope you'll join us for our usual time.

You know, it's 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central.

And you can connect with us all the ways you see on your screen, Facebook, X and Instagram to stay in the loop.

>> Send us a story idea of public affairs at KET Dot Org.

A lot of good stuff coming your way tomorrow.

We hope we'll see you right back here again tomorrow night.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Take really good care to the sick.

♪