♪ >> if you could presume that it would have the risk of getting infected walking through the air for up to 2 hours after they left.

>> What you need to know was the measles continues to spread.

The state is a step closer to cracking down on vape sales to Kentucky kids.

>> It's amazing when you look at the impact that it's had its attractive students from all over the world.

Who?

>> And these students are singing their hearts out and it's paying off.

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

♪ ♪ >> Good Evening and welcome to Kentucky edition on this last day of February.

It is Friday, February the 28th I'm Renee Shaw and we thank you for kicking off your weekend with us.

We're learning more tonight about Kentucky's first confirmed case of measles and more than a year.

>> Doctor Steven Stack commissioner of Kentucky's Department for Public Health says the patient is recovering.

The case involves someone and Franklin County who recently traveled internationally.

The person may have unknowingly expose people to the highly contagious virus at the Planet.

Fitness in Frankfort.

So far, doctor Stack says no other cases of measles have been reported, but he says we're not in the clear just yet more about this.

In tonight's look at medical news >> at this point, we're not aware of anyone else who has become infected.

Remember, we just announced that case within the last week and it takes 8 to 12 days for expose people to develop symptoms.

So we are only really now just beginning to get to the period of time where it is possible.

We could see others.

Measles is possibly the most contagious human virus on the planet at present.

You can have one person with measles is likely to infect at least 18 other people.

If someone with measles were to sit in this room with us for a short period of time, you could presume that you would have the risk of getting infected walking through that air for up to 2 hours after they left very, very contagious.

The most common things or you have cough, everybody knows you have red watery eyes.

You can develop a rash on your face.

It's kind of a fine red looking spot Suresh.

It starts in your face and spreads to the rest of your body.

And sometime a few days into Michigan developed little white spots in your mouth caught complex spots.

The mmwr vaccine, the one that we give to children is incredibly effective.

It's one of the most effective vaccines.

In fact, if you get 2 doses likely recommend and children are recommended to get their first dose at about one year.

And the second dose of kindergarten age about 46, if you get those 2 doses, you have a 97% prevention, right?

So meaning that you have less than a 3% chance of getting measles, even if directly exposed to it.

If you have 2 doses, if you only have one dose of the mmwr vaccine, given 93% prevention right?

If you are immunized or if you're over 70 or if you serving U.S. armed forces, you do not need to worry about this for yourself.

You are very protected and you should walk around and confidence that you are very safe.

There's never a guarantee, right?

There's always the uncommon are the rare case.

That's sad.

But but you should generally feel that you are safe if you aren't immunized and you are exposed to someone with me so she should presume that there's a very high risk you will get infected because measles is so contagious.

We have to have 95% or more of a community vaccinated against it in order to prevent its rapid spread.

And immunization rates have decreased.

So in Kentucky, for example, in 2019, we were at about 93% of kindergartners who are immunized 40 for measles.

That fell to about 88% during the COVID pandemic.

It's now back up to 90%.

But it's still significantly short of a 95%.

It's a physician.

I think I probably conservatively treated 50,000 people.

In my clinical career.

I never had a person come in with appendicitis.

Some say it's a natural thing.

I'll just go home and die.

I never had a person with breast cancer say it's a natural thing.

I won't take chemotherapy and radiation therapy and try to KET myself alive.

It is a sadness for me as a physician that these immunizations that many billions and billions of human beings have taken for many, many decades with great safety and they have nearly eliminated some of these diseases.

It's a great sadness for me that unfortunately there says counter narrative in society that immunizations are somehow unnatural or not safe when, in fact, the illness is so much more dangerous.

>> Measles and vaccines were discussed on the state Senate floor yesterday.

And Frankfort as the Senate unanimously passed a concurrent resolution establishing the Make America Healthy Again.

Kentucky task Force.

The resolution is sponsored by state Senator Shelley Funky from Meyer and based on President Donald Trump's focus to make America healthy again, the task force will encourage dietary and lifestyle to a lifestyle changes to reduce chronic diseases, reduce public exposure to environmental health risks and improve public input on state health policies while supporting the measure.

Democratic State Senator Karen Berg, who was also a medical doctor in Louisville, stress the importance of vaccines and keeping Kentuckians healthy.

Meanwhile, Republican state Senator Lindsey Titian are offered an alternate argument.

>> This threat is real and our vaccination rate in this state because MIS information.

I just checked this information.

Are not necessarily high enough to give ice herd immunity.

Which means guys, everybody is that risk.

>> So I understand whole heartedly.

The concepts of health.

>> And well, be and being responsible from what you put in your body and how you treat your body.

But I also >> can not.

And any circumstances.

Minimize what medicine at dime to impact the survival of children in this country.

>> And I love the fact that she does bring up vaccination.

This is an area we should not be afraid to look into.

There is some stigma around vaccines that they are holier than thou and untouchable.

When the truth of it is, you look at the side effects to some of these vaccines and they far outweigh the communicable disease, but for some reason were not allowed to talk about that.

I'm OK to talk about that.

And I think it would be wise of every parent to talk about that and do their homework and its interesting that nobody wants to notice how many children now have permanent heart damage from Myocarditis imperil cut Perry kind.

It is from being vaccinated from the COVID vaccine which I've been trying to stop for a couple of years.

So this is about making America healthy again and Kentuckians being healthy makes America healthy as well.

And I think we owe it as a body to do that hard work and to look into these issues and not be afraid to talk about these and discuss them.

>> The make America Healthy Again.

Kentucky Task Force will meet monthly during the 2025 interim their findings and recommendations are due by December.

That's just some of what happened in Frankfort this week.

Now it's time for end of week review of legislative action.

We hadn't previously reported called Post script.

It's well documented that Kentucky is facing a housing crisis, a task force established last summer learned the Commonwealth.

The short more than 200,000 houses and rental units.

But what to build and where can be divisive.

Republican state Representative John Hodson from Fisher Ville neighborhood in Louisville says he's concerned some developers are scamming the system.

Speaking to the House, local government committee this week.

He said House Bill, 18 would enhance requirements for building in areas with single family homes by establishing traffic capacity standards and adding congestion.

Restrictions on new developments while also requiring elected local officials to weigh in.

Some Democrats on the committee worried the bill could add additional hurdles.

And I have real concerns with the fact that we have had for many years, a housing crisis on our hands.

>> And if we continue to put restrictions, particularly from the state doing that to the local level, which is concerning I don't know how we're ever going to get across the finish line and build more housing.

This seems to go against a whole nother effort that we're up against that.

The state is there something else that I'm missing?

The do agree with you that we need density.

But when needed in the areas where it's appropriate in the infrastructure can handle it when you have a two-lane road that.

>> 2 emergency vehicles cannot pass on.

We're trying to put its a 300 more apartments on that.

That's unsafe.

I think in a situation like that, the local elected officials need to weigh and not just elected planning and zoning board doesn't stop you from doing that to the development of just tested yet that William.

>> In a vote by the elected officials, not an elected plenty of zoning board.

>> House Bill 18 easily pass the committee and is now waiting to be heard by the full House.

Health advocates are calling it a victory for Kentucky's kids on Wednesday, the Kentucky Senate passed Senate Bill 100 a bill that would mean tougher punishments for retailers who sell tobacco nicotine and vaping products to kids the bill, if it becomes law, would create a division within Kentucky's alcoholic Beverage Control unit to regularly check retailers and create penalties for retailers who sell to kids.

Half the money raised through fines would go to youth vaping prevention and education programs.

State Senator Jimmy had done a Republican from Lebanon sponsored the bill with Senate passage.

The bill now moves to the House.

The Kentucky Youth Advocates put out a statement saying, quote, We applaud Senator Higdon for his leadership on SB 100 and thank the Kentucky Senate for its support.

We now urge the House to act with the same urgency and discernment in tackling the youth vaping epidemic.

So these products never and up in the hands of our kids end quote.

A bill requiring performance evaluations for Kentucky's public university.

Presidents and faculty also cleared the House this week.

State Representative James Tipton, a chair of the House Post-secondary Education Committee is the sponsor of House Bill 424, the bill requires faculty performance reviews every 4 years and makes it easier for universities to fire employees.

Representative Tipton says this bill is not intended to strip away a faculty member's tenure.

>> He's talking about the comments that I've heard about not showing up to work on time.

Not showing up to work it out.

>> Refusing to teach an in-person class.

Refusal to teach and online place and things of that nature that any employer would expect any employee to perform tenure refers to things like freedom of speech, freedom of expression, political expression, academic freedom.

We're not talking about those things here.

The intent of this is to if we actually have someone who just honestly not doing their job this in a lot of times, I have difficulties in making these removal process.

Its goal of this is so we have a more efficient, more effective system of public education for students across the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

>> Attracting professors and recruitment and retention is at an all time concerning point.

And this is something that our professors affil is unnecessary, that there already is systems in place for oversight.

>> House Bill 424, past with 78.

Yes votes and 17, no votes.

It now heads to the Senate for further consideration.

There.

It's time now to go inside Kentucky politics and talk about some of the big news in the state Capitol this week as the session is on the descent, its aims.

>> And we have 2 political operatives with us today joining us by Skype on screen left to see.

Well, Carly, who was a Democratic political and public affairs operative and also joining us is Iris Wilber Glick, who is a Republican strategist and she is the founder and owner of Iris.

I W Strategies, I should say.

So.

Good to see you both.

Thank you for joining us.

I think it's been a long week iris and I know that you're on the move almost literally.

But you're standing put right now.

Tell us what you think.

The big legislation of the week was so far.

>> Thanks, Renay.

Lots of traffic.

You know, leadership has has set the town that this is a short session.

Some cleanup measures not heavy, loves.

And we've seen some of that play out, although there's been a lot of activity, particularly at the committee level Senate Bill one is now moving through the process to clear their committee and will be on the Senate floor soon.

And that is that Kentucky film incentives and creating that that structure and focusing on tax incentive programming in trying to elevate Kentucky's film industry on a national scale.

And so, you know, we receive bipartisan support on that.

I know that that probably not as a sort of the teeth gnashing type of issue that we're seeing an, you know, with the Senate bill, one marker, lots of support.

And we're now seeing that meant that the process will Carly, what are your thoughts on the big bill that moves this week?

>> I'm really concerned, actually about House Bill 398, which it as the gutting of the statewide OSHA, like protections for state workers.

And that's people in the building trades Teamsters members, truck drivers, people who work in dangerous areas.

And this bill basically takes away the foundational things that KET workers safe.

And I think that we're seeing a lot of this anti worker sentiment around the country right now, whether it's the firing of people from their federal jobs or, you know, the dismissal of a certain programming, some cuts federally.

It's kind of filtering down in the states that are weakening, actually those protections to KET our working people safes.

I'd really like to see the Senate pushed back against that and come up with a solution where we're not going to be hurting again.

The people that work for a living as well as businesses that will be affected by it by increased fines for motion.

>> Well, and along those lines are lots of bills that to some prior apps on your side of the ledger are concerned about the fluoridation bill.

There's other bills dealing with waterways and defining those to have the state regulations and not be as stringent or to match what is in federal regulation.

So there's a lot of bills like that still left to go.

And we really this is day 20 so Tuesday when they return will Mark Day.

21 iris.

The sand is easing out of the hour glass.

What do you expect for them to accomplish?

What will actually make it across the finish line and the next 9 days.

>> So Renee is sort of the typical timeline as we're nearing toward started this last stretch of a short session.

Essentially, if a bill is not clear committing crossed over to the other chamber and the likelihood of that building able to see full passage ahead of the day period really diminishes.

I think the trajectory of those bills.

And so, you know, the bills that have you made it to that threshold, it's probably a decent indication that the other chamber, you know, that they may take it up and has enough time on the clock to complete its full sort of process before the governor considers the pen.

And you know whether or not he'll veto measure not and so good indication coming early next week and those you to go ahead and cross over and not the likelihood that means that the timing it right out of those other bills.

>> But they could attach a bill all by way of an amendment right to an existing bill that does seem to have some forward motion.

I think Bill titles absolutely mad.

>> All right.

We've seen some important decisions regarding bills about jurors diction of South Yes, absolutely.

I would be looking for bills with titles.

And so there are sort of these it may be issues working behind the scenes that may be getting a shot.

Of course, there's always the opportunity for committee substitute or or amendment.

But the likelihood of that, you know, I think it's quite limited, particularly since leadership on the Republican side indicated.

Let's KET us true to the spirit of a short session, which is really meant for young queen of bills and a measure that should not be as contentious that we've seen play out in the longer sessions and so we'll see if leadership holds true to that.

Yeah, well, how do you see it?

>> Like I think that there has been a lot of opportunity for the legislature to do some really positive things and the direction they take and has seemingly been a starkly different than uniting a country after a big election.

We're uniting the commonwealth after a big election.

It seems very divisive.

Very culture.

We're focused the war on workers, a war on something as basic and common sense focused as flow fluoride in the water.

I'm not really, you know, concerned about what bills are called rather, but what's in those bills.

And I think we're taking Kentucky backwards.

A portion of that.

>> So just real quickly in about a minute that we have remaining, you will have already commented made about the federal tone and tenor infiltrating the politics in Kentucky.

We know that President Trump will make his State of the Union address or his address to Congress on on March 4th, the same day that I think he announced the tariffs on Canada and Mexico would go into effect.

How are you saying what's happened?

Federally play out and Kentucky, perhaps you've already said it.

>> Well, I mean, first of all, we have all about 25,000 federal workers in Kentucky.

>> The Department of Government Efficiency has now stated that by mid March there has to be a reorganization of every agency, the federal government to slash their workforce.

>> We're already seeing some of those cuts coming in Social Security offices across Kentuckyian other federal workers.

I know the American Federation of Government employees will be holding a protest, a press conference Wednesday March 5th that following day to protest some of these draconian cuts to programs and They're they're people's careers and lives on the line here that are working for a living.

They're not lazy.

They're not complacent.

They're doing the public service that they were hired to do.

And we're seeing a real enmity and almost hostility from from the Trump administration towards these folks that are just doing their jobs virus.

>> So President Trump campaign loudly clearly on his priorities and policies and that the voters spoke loudly and back in November.

And so, you know what I'm witnessing, our campaign promise is being pursued and follow through again.

These are no surprises at this played out loudly on the campaign trail and Republicans at every level, you know, see it as a referendum to follow through on campaign promises.

And as the saying goes, winners make policy losers, go home.

>> And on that note, we'll have to bid you adieu.

We hope you have a great weekend.

Rest stop for the next 9 days of K Y GA. 25 hashtag.

Thank you so much.

Iris and will.

♪ ♪ >> Students are singing for scholarships.

Vocalists from across the country will compete in the 20th annual all Tech vocal scholarship competition at the UK Singletary Center for the Arts in Lexington to learn more about the program.

We spoke to opera singer Reginald Smith.

A former winner turned Judge.

>> Judging is not new to me.

Working with young singer's is not new to me as I do a lot of masterclasses and workshops and all of those things.

But being able to do it at Kentucky for the competition that made such and indelible impact on my own life and career is really a special.

I think some of them really looking forward to and hoping that, you know what we do propel the next great.

>> Artists as they do.

You know, >> it will take vocal competition serves as a competition for the per theater and for the School of Music particular the voice and offered programs, it serves undergraduate students transfer students and graduate student said the both master's and doctoral level.

It's geared towards people that are coming to study voice.

get education.

The vocal performance of the graduate levels as well.

>> And what it does is it allows students to compete for different scholarship opportunities.

Some of the scholarships include full rights.

Some of them include full ride with assistant ships.

>> And then there are a number of love.

>> Prizes that also could help aid in covering the cost of school.

It's amazing when you look at you.

>> The impact that it's had.

>> For students coming to the university, even if they didn't win the competition, it's attractive students from all over the world.

A lot of those students have going on to have great careers.

And as I said in education, that's the main thing now to see.

>> Some of the folks that went to Kentucky that are now teaching at high schools that are now sending the students there to do the same competition.

And that's pretty cool.

I think the advice that you give all the time, is he saying your heart out?

>> The as prepared as you can possibly be.

It shows her artistry.

Show us who you are and show us your soul.

>> And really make music the lot of formative years in terms custody language study, I'm learning the music that really set you up for the career that I'm having now.

It happened because of my 70's that Kentuckyian I thought that was very grateful for that.

>> The competition is this Sunday at 02:00PM Eastern Time.

This years, competition is part of Lexington's 200 and 50th anniversary celebration.

Mayor Linda Gorton will present a proclamation in honor of the program's 20th anniversary.

♪ ♪ Watch some acrobats eat some tacos may be at the same time.

It's a combination you can't beat.

And our Toby Gibbs tells us about it.

And this look at what's happening around the Commonwealth.

♪ >> Tomorrow starts Women's history month of the Kentucky Historical Society has the perfect event to kick things off pens, poise and persistence is an interactive workshop.

We'll dive into the stories of Kentucky's prominent Suffragette said the design, your very own museum exhibit.

Be sure to check it out.

The Peking Acrobats are coming to Somerset on Thursday.

Witness these amazing performers defy gravity manage daring maneuvers and push the limits of acrobatics.

Taking acrobats had been performing for over 30 years.

Don't miss your chance to see them at the center for Rural Development.

Fans of musical theater and Greek mythology need to know about the Tony winning musical coming to Paducah next week.

Haiti's town is coming to the Carson Center.

Come see the story of Orpheus and Eurydice see in this gripping show.

That brings you to the depths of h*** and back.

Already underway.

And liberty is the 12th annual Winter Nationals Garden Tractor Show.

This indoor event is the perfect place to find hours of action-packed entertainment.

Whether you're a farm equipment fanatic or just looking for some weekend fun.

This event is for you.

It's like Shark Week.

But for Tacos, Lexington Taco Week is back on Monday.

Whether you like hard or soft shell spicy or mild salsa.

There's a taco on this list that fits your fancy.

Every location has designed to tantalizing tacos.

One beat at one budgetary.

And so grab your foodie friends and get that out for Taco Week.

The Audubon Museum in Henderson as an exhibit, that's sure to appeal the art lovers and ordered the logical enthusiasts alike.

And Bernard Lowe says one of the be an artist to ever exist and his reproductions of the John James Audubon Birds of America, France are proof that Lotus is one of the Masters.

>> Check out some of his work on display through March 9th for and that's what's happening around the Commonwealth.

I'm Toby yet.

>> Thank youto be a lot of cool things to do today.

The sounds of protests echoed across several Kentucky college campuses.

♪ >> If you die.

♪ >> These students at UK you another public universities in Kentucky were speaking out against the end of programs to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

And you'll hear about them Monday night on Kentucky Edition.

So we hope you have a great weekend to come and the to join us on Monday at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central on Kentucky.

Addition, we inform connect and inspire.

Connect with us all the ways you see on your screen, Facebook, X and Instagram to stay in the loop and send us a story idea by email to public affairs at K E T Dot Org.

>> It's been a pleasure being with you this week.

This last week in February.

We'll see you on March.

Take care and have a great weekend.

So long.

♪ ♪