♪ ♪ >> What we did is the General Assembly's.

We challenged.

We as a General Stanley challenge our universities to come up with solutions.

>> How Kentucky's universities are stepping up to problem solve.

When you think about the amount of work that goes into watching a roomful of children.

>> And the low wage that accompanies it is very hard to KET a talented workforce in that situation.

>> Kentucky faces a significant shortage of childcare providers.

How did we get here and how might we turn things around?

>> I just want to find a way to serve my community and make sure that it is a better place for everyone that lives there.

>> Why a college internship program is pairing future leaders with state senators.

>> We like to say that we're everything you like about Kentucky all in one place.

>> And see how old businesses and new ideas have helped create a thriving downtown and Campbellsville.

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

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION for this Monday, February.

26th Hope you had a great weekend.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you so much for spending some of your time with us.

It's day 38 of the 60 day 2024.

Kentucky General Assembly in regular session.

Today is the last day for members of the House to file new bills as of this morning, nearly 700 bills have been filed in the House this session.

The deadline for the Senate this Wednesday, where more than 260 bills have been filed so far.

Kentucky's universities want to do more.

That's clear from testimony in Frankfort last week and additional medical school, a veterinarian school and more PhD programs might be in Kentucky's future.

But that's only if state legislators sign off our Clayton Dalton has more on potential changes to Kentucky's higher education system.

That big ends tonight.

Legislative update.

>> Kentucky is facing workforce shortages in multiple professional sectors, especially in the health care field.

94% of Kentucky's counties have a shortage of primary care physicians and a 3rd of doctors in the Commonwealth are within retirement age.

But eastern Kentucky University believes it can help and is seeking approval from the General Assembly to start a medical school.

We continue to hear from our constituents, especially in rural communities that we're struggling with access to health care.

>> During COVID, we sell that come to light, especially in those rural communities.

And what we did is a General Assembly's.

We challenged.

We as a general Stanley challenged our universities to come up with solutions.

And that's what he can use do with this.

We have 3 medical schools in the state and they do wonderful work.

But there are nearly 14,000 applications to those 3 institutions last year and 510 students got in.

As we look at other states similar to us, whether be Alabama or South Carolina or Louisiana.

What we see is that those states have 4 or more medical schools trying to meet the needs of the health care needs in their communities.

Human health care isn't the only area where Kentucky is struggling.

The Murray State University wants to open Kentucky's first veterinary school, but it could jeopardize the state's contract with Auburn University.

>> Which safe spots in Auburn's that program exclusively for Kentucky students.

We have a limited number of practicing veterinarians in our state.

>> We we have enough veterinarians in in some urban areas, but we have a complete lack of veterinarians and many, many of the of the more rural areas of our state.

So we're currently our existing.

This are enjoying this contract with them or with Auburn University that's been in many, many years.

And we understand that that that contract has been beneficial.

But we see as we move forward, that the future veterinary medicine is only going to grow in the need.

Veterinarians and western Kentucky University wants to level up its research status to become a level.

2 research university.

>> Or in our 2 focusing on applied research, tailored to the region's needs.

>> Are ones are about theoretical research and a greater number of phd's.

But in our 2, it's really about applied research with a limited number of phd's associated with the economy in the workforce needs of the area.

And this is who WKU is today as an institution.

Every state surrounding Kentucky has at least one.

Our 2 university.

Additionally, 80% of the nation's top 10 boom towns are within 50 miles of an art to institution.

So are 2 universities also facilitate the transfer of knowledge from academia to industry and partnerships?

Great, create the development of practical applications.

4 research findings.

>> But there is one area WKU needs to expand before reaching this new status.

>> And so for us to continue along the path to accelerate and continue our research.

Griffin portfolio and to meet the talent needs of our region.

We really need to offer a select number of PhD programs.

WKU is poised to be the first comprehensive university.

Be able offer PhD programs and that would solidify us as the commonwealth's first research, too institution.

>> All of these measures need approval from the General Assembly, House bills, 404 of 7 which give Ek you Murray State University permission to move forward with their proposals have already gained passage in the House Senate bill 201, which sets up WKU to offer PhD programs has yet to see its first vote for Kentucky edition.

I'm Clayton Dalton.

>> Thanks so much, Clayton.

Kentucky's Council on post-secondary education will be in charge of overseeing all potential changes.

Kentucky faces a significant shortage of early child care providers and akt panel discussion about our state's early childhood workforce.

I spoke with Doctor Sarah van over from the Kentucky Youth advocates about the driving forces behind the shortage.

>> In Kentucky since we are lower cost of living state.

We see that the average wage for child care providers is $12 and $0.39 an hour.

We also know that 98% of other professions make more than childcare providers.

And that includes dog walkers.

So when you think about the amount of work that goes into watching a roomful of children.

And the low wage that the company says it is very hard to KET a talented workforce in that situation.

Many people grow up thinking I want to work with kids and they they school career program, then want to work and and they realize that they can't provide for their own family once they get there, nobody grows up thinking I want to stock shelves and retail.

I want to, you know, be a server, my whole life.

And in a restaurant.

But those are the jobs that are paying slightly higher than the childcare field.

And we lose a lot of people to those because they're able to take care of their families and obtain health insurance and benefits where many of our childcare providers can't right.

So is that the main crucial issue when it comes to building up the child care?

>> Workforce pay.

I would say that compensation is probably the biggest issue, not because our child care providers walk into it thinking I'm going to get rich doing this and they get disappointed afterwards just because of supporting their families.

The other issue companies that is is a level of respect many of our K through 12 teachers.

Receive a higher level of respect due to the education that that the experience that they have where the age of the children that they're working with as a child's age decreases, there is a respect that's associated with that.

And our preschool teachers do not receive the same respect as our kindergarten teachers in our infant toddler teachers often first to receive even less respect.

They're viewed as the babysitter and not somebody that is educated on child development or has the experience associated with that field.

And so when you're making low wages and your work is not valued, then that can be a driving force to leave your career field.

>> You can watch more about this discussion and learn a lot more about the importance of early learning on child's development in a one-hour program that debuted last week called Smart Start.

Okay.

UT special report that's available to watch online and on demand at K E T Dot Org.

And tonight, a programming note for you were going to take a deep dive into Kentucky's child care industry and examine legislative proposals.

Lawmakers are considering to rescue the system.

One of them is called the Horizons, acted invests about 300 million dollars over the next 2 years.

We'll discuss that and other ideas related to early learning and childhood development.

You'll hear from our panel and of course, we always want you to send us your questions and comments on Kentucky tonight tonight at 8 Eastern 7 central right here on KET.

Students at Northern Kentucky University are getting a firsthand look at the Kentucky State Senate as part of the future leaders internship program.

We spoke with a state senator and in turn from northern Kentucky about their partnership.

>> The future leaders internship program is a really beautiful opportunity for students to engage with policymakers to apply information and concepts that they're reading about researching and learning about in the classroom.

>> 2 big political process.

>> We do try to match them as best as we can to legislators who are out of interest.

So, you know, they might serve on a committee that someone has expressed an interest and are they could be someone who actually lives in the district.

We do that as well.

The young man with me this year college, Errol and from Brooksville Kentucky.

>> Brooksville is a different area.

Then where I live in Alexandria, I saw an opportunity to have a constituent from my district.

As well as from my largest constituent being northern Kentucky University.

And as another set of eyes and another set of years.

So I came to the Capitol as a page for Senator Wil Schroder in 2017.

So I believe that was my 6th grade year and I came here and basically did what I do here every day.

But only for one day.

And that kind of just sparked my interest and wanted to come here and work every day.

To be honest, there's not really a typical but I do get here about 8.45 or 9 o'clock every day.

>> Come in.

Talk about what we're going to be doing that day.

And then just get straight to work pretty much.

>> One piece that I love is he's in every meeting with me essentially he will hear things in meeting that apply to brooksville or Brecon County that I wouldn't have considered or wouldn't have known.

I consider.

And KU one of my largest constituents, my Senate district.

And because he's coming from there, he's bringing me the student government perspective.

He's bringing the entire student body into many of the issues that are coming into the office.

We also work with the Education Committee.

So any education bills that come through, we make sure to review those and understand what's going on.

And then some economic development bills as well.

>> Digging and said the bills and and really getting I mean, an in-depth look at how this whole process works.

If you have an interest in this area is unmatched in terms of the experience and relationships and that the insight you received through will be in on the ground as an intern.

My relationship with center Frankie from Meyer.

>> I would I would say it's a mentor ship.

I do work very closely with Senator Frank Ephraim.

I really a one-on-one experience being able to go to all the meetings that she goes to and just really get that firsthand view of what's going on.

I would like to run for public office someday.

She likes to go around and tell people that she's training me to be her replacement.

Now that quite a few years from now.

But it could happen.

You never know.

But really, I just want to find a way to serve my community and make sure that it is a better place for everyone that lives there.

>> A good future leader, indeed.

5 in KU students are currently interning with the legislature.

Their internships run through the end of March.

Now turning to tragic news over the weekend.

A Kentucky student is accused of killing a college wrestler.

Police say 18 year-old Josiah Tillman was found unresponsive in his Campbellsville University dorm room early Saturday morning.

He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Tillman was a freshman from Montana and was on the wrestling team at the private Christian University.

The suspect.

21 year-old Charles us CA Laura from Oklahoma was once on the same wrestling team.

Other details, including a possible motive have not been released.

Speaking on the Senate floor this afternoon, state Republican Senator Max Wise, who represents Campbellsville and Campbellsville University, a law reflected on the tragic news.

>> This president, I did not know Mister Joe Tsai Keleman.

But from every report that I know of my friends in Campbellsville and it can also university.

He was a model student athlete.

He was an 18 year-old from the state of Montana.

Who came to Campbellsville.

On a scholarship to wrestle, but also most importantly, a scholarship for Christian studies.

Major, the last thing you'd ever think of doing a Google search of Campbellsville University would be murder.

Mostly.

It's for record-breaking enrollment.

Mostly it's for sports accolades.

It's for alarms that have successfully gone into various professions.

But a fortune with this situation.

We've got an ongoing investigation.

In a situation.

It is just unspeakable.

And I say all this because asked for this chambers.

Prayers of peace and comfort us straight.

Tune in Compass seen Christian University.

And to the families of both victims.

>> In a statement university President Joseph Hopkins said, quote, just SIUC Hillmon was a beloved member of our community.

He was a bright light and a person of incredible hope.

This is an incredibly difficult time for our community together in unity and love.

We will honor his legacy and continue to support one another end quote, the University enrolls about 1200 students in Campbellsville and about 11,000 systemwide.

♪ >> Our Higher Ed News continues.

The University of Louisville is taking a huge step into the future.

The school is building a new hub for engineering students that will feature high-tech labs and classrooms.

The additional space will include research labs that will give students hands-on experience with electric vehicles, cybersecurity, renewable energy and more while Kentucky's production of these workers has grown U of L says the Commonwealth still lags behind the national average.

>> U of L has long led the charge of driving innovation, economic growth and providing students with that.

>> Education experience in 86 E. >> In the real world.

>> With this new state-of-the-art building, we accelerate those efforts creating bold new opportunities for students.

Researchers, the city and the Commonwealth.

>> We are in the proud to partner with Cowell to move forward with the construction this building, which will ensure that euros doing its part to generate outstanding engineering graduates.

>> Who will fill the stem?

>> Jobs available within the state.

And as we all know, there is just a growing demand within the commonwealth as well as nationally.

>> And this project will ensure the school remains a beacon of high-tech learning high-tech teaching and high-tech research for decades to come.

>> Construction on the 90 Million Dollar Project is expected to be complete in the summer of 2025. just in time for the 100 year celebration of the university's speech School of Engineering.

Well, the U.S. is back on the moon and Kentucky is playing a role in its return last week.

Intuitive machines, a company based out of Houston, landed a spacecraft on the moon with the help of Morehead State University.

We spoke to Ben Mao for us, the executive director of the Space Science Center at Morehead State University about the significance of the mission.

>> The missions into the machines, Orion, it is a lunar lander.

And it is significant because it's the first landing on the surface of the moon by an organization other than the government.

>> Why?

♪ >> So you had a private SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a private into the machines one of this year as well.

Affectionately known zoning and it managed by a private ground network instead of NASA's deep space network.

And we're part of that.

We're tracking data network, NASA's clips program.

It's the Infrastructure program.

>> And the idea is to bring companies in alongside the NASA to work to develop infrastructure, to support our return to them.

>> I'm with The clips programs are stepping stones to get a NASA and others back to them.

And that was on extraordinarily successful.

Despite a little a mishap with the and within this orientation landing, but still incredibly successful.

And we're part of that.

We're tracking data network.

And so that's been a whole.

We've been flowing We've been the lander on them and it's been a little challenging to get the commands up because the antennas or or you to not back toward years, but out in space.

Nonetheless, the into scenes team in Morehead team and also working with NASA have figured out ways the very clever strategies to get the radio waves to be received by the spacecraft and also from the spacecraft to send day to for the downlink.

We're now having to use the biggest radio telescope, some in the world of world.

But that's been successful.

So all of those images that and seeing that were great images released today from the surface of the moon 2 of those came down through the donor data network.

So Morehead State and this week's commanded the spacecraft and bring the signals down and been involved in the collection that signal.

So, you know, we've been we've been supporting every minute since it's been on the surface.

>> I am one lunar lander is the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon in more than 50 years.

It's expected to stop transmitting tomorrow because it will not be able to get sunlight on its solar panels after landing sideways on Thursday.

♪ ♪ >> It may not be the true geographic center of Kentucky but Campbellsville has been called Kentucky Central.

>> That's because the seat of Taylor County is situated less than 90 minutes away from major cities, historical sites, a popular state park that sees a million visitors a year and stops along the Bourbon Trail after losing thousands of jobs in the late 1990's, the city found its center by building up the old and inviting in the new as you'll see in today's Mondays on Main Street.

>> You know, we like to say that where everything you like about Kentucky all in one place.

Campbellsville was like many communities that went through a time where they downtown's were dwindling.

We lost a major employer here of 4,000 jobs from for those on the left in 1998, that was a major blow to our community.

>> There's been a lot of comings and Lot of businesses that didn't survive seem like a ghost town down here that was tumble weeds blowing down the street.

>> Even we were told that we need to move.

But other people and other people in the community to get out and tells were not a place to go.

The more we need to go to town.

I think the idea that is if we if we had moved, we would have been gone years ago, we would have survived.

>> We rebounded quickly with the acquisition of Amazon.

The first Amazon distribution center was located in Campbellsville in Kentucky.

And from other industries came.

And from that, we saw the revitalization of Main Street come back, the reinvest, the main street from property owners and business owners.

>> The community has been amazing and supported us through the years.

I mean, they come here.

They know Mitchell's, as you know, 114 years old.

They can't go anywhere else.

We've outlived JC Penney's.

Do I hear gordmans.

All of those businesses come and gone.

We are blessed with >> a number of local businesses who have made it to 60 years, 70 years won over 100 years that have remained in business in downtown Campbellsville for that time, Pierce.

So we started 1910.

It was mens and boys.

>> then we decided on our 100th birthday that I had STA one wreck of ladies just warm, reckoned.

Just see how it was.

And it grew and grew and grew.

>> We love to help make people's I know.

Sounds tacky would love to help make people's dreams come true and we can do that quite a bit.

>> SAS and then the longevity of that success.

I think that's why we've been here for over 75 years since 1948.

>> When other business people walk up and down Main Street and they see a business that's been in Campbellsville for 70 years.

They see that they can survive and they can thrive here as well.

>> There's definitely a lot of hesitation about opening a business, you know, especially in the post-pandemic world.

I came here to go to college.

So I went to college and I thought for sure I would move away at that But we decided to stay here me, my husband.

And so we've put down roots here in Campbellsville.

>> I just fell in love with Campbellsville.

We started in the small over on Court street about 2 years ago.

We had the opportunity to move into this beautiful, wonderful space so we stepped out making another big decision to go into a place that was almost 3 times the size of what we we're in.

>> We're always looking for new and unique businesses.

There are interested in our community and are willing to do you know, the type of things that you you need to do in order to to make our community more attractive.

Lemon Berry is I like to call it a place that is all things magical >> unique things that you wouldn't find in most stores, things that strip creativity and imagination and things that would be inspiring 2 individuals.

We decided to kind of post-pandemic that there's a need in our area a place to go to fund local artwork.

>> And to find local artists from our area, though we have about 50 artists in our store.

Most of them are from Kentucky.

And then we have a few outside of Kentucky.

We are in your business.

We've only been here about a year and a half, but the other businesses, I've always been very supportive and helpful.

We all try to support each other in that We all try to a shop locally community supports our downtown.

They they're appreciative.

>> Of our downtown go.

They recognize what we have.

There are some of our best salesman because, you know, they they spread the word and the word goes out.

And so all of our businesses thrive because the community and they have the buy-in, you know, they want to be downtown.

We walked the streets.

They enjoy it.

>> We have details about a lesser-known U.S. Supreme Court justice from Kentuckyian what's Kentucky State game fish?

You're about to find out as our Toby Gibbs takes a look back at this week in Kentucky history.

♪ >> Happy birthday to Horace Harmon Alert, born February.

26 18.

44 in Newport, President William Howard Taft would appoint alert and to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1910, Wharton wrote the decision saying the federal government couldn't tell state governments where to locate their Capitals.

Martin only served 4 years on the high court before dying in 1914.

President elect Warren G Harding stopped in Lexington on February.

28 1921.

>> During the train trip to his Washington, D.C., inauguration inaugurations were in March at the time he made a brief eight-minute speech from the caboose.

President Franklin Roosevelt created the Cumberland National Forest in February of 1937, on February.

TWENTY-SIX just 3 days later, Senator Alvin Barkley of Kentucky wrote a letter to the president asking to change the name to the Daniel Boone National Forest after a long debate.

President Lyndon Johnson would change the name in 1966.

Governor Martha Layne Collins signed the final agreement with Toyota on February.

28 1986, pledging that Kentucky would buy and improve 1600 acres of Scott County land for Toyota to use for its planned car plants.

On February.

27th 1956, the Kentucky General Assembly voted to make the spotted Bass Kentucky State game Fish and those are some of the big events this week in Kentucky history.

I'm Joe begins.

>> And happy birthday to Toby Gibbs today, too.

Well that I do it for us tonight.

We hope to see you right back here again tomorrow night.

And in the meantime, 8 o'clock Eastern tonight.

We have Kentucky tonight.

We'll talk about early childhood education.

Don't miss it.

Thanks so much for being with us tonight.

And I'll see you in a bit.

Take a kid.

♪