music >> This is not about expanding government.

It's about restoring a service.

>> Lawmakers hit the gas on a bill many Kentuckians have been asking for.

>> Everybody say we'd we'd.

>> We'll take a look inside the state's first medical cannabis processor.

[MUSIC] >> The greatest legacy any of us can leave.

[MUSIC] It is compassion.

And that truly is forever.

[MUSIC] >> And the champ finally got a stamp.

[MUSIC] .

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

[MUSIC] .

>> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky edition for this Friday, January the 16th, I'm Renee Shaw and we thank you for kicking off your weekend with us.

A bill allowing county offices to renew driver's licenses was greenlighted to its next destination at the end of the second week of the 60 day lawmaking session in Frankfort.

Senate Bill seven passed the Senate today and will now head to the House for consideration there.

The measure is seen as a course correction from a 2020 law created a regional office system for driver's licensing.

That criticism, our Mackenzie Spink has more on this popular proposal in tonight's legislative update.

>> Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say they've heard from Kentuckians that the current licensing office system isn't working for them.

Constituents say the long lines and long drives are especially hard for those in rural areas.

Senate Bill seven aims to alleviate those problems by bringing license renewals back to county offices.

>> Across Kentucky.

Our constituents have told us clearly that the current system for driver's license services is not working.

This is not about expanding government.

It's about restoring a service that once worked well and putting it back into the hands of those closest to the citizens that it serves.

>> The bill has a large amount of support, with 28 co-sponsors, including Democratic leader Senator Gerald Neal.

The bill passed the Senate with only one no vote.

Republican Senator Lindsey Titchener, who says her bill better, addresses the issue at hand.

>> My vote reflects this piece of legislation that it is not addressing the issues and I feel we should have.

We should be passing a stronger piece of legislation to start the work on.

I've listened to my constituents.

I've listened to constituents all over the state of Kentucky.

Any any comments on Facebook?

There are thousands of negatives about what we're moving through this chambers, but I understand the process is just getting started.

And I recognize that.

>> The role of the Beshear administration came up on the floor during discussion, several lawmakers saying that the burden to fix the situation shouldn't be on the General Assembly and that it is going beyond the scope of their role to do so.

>> This is an attempt by the General Assembly to fix something that is not actually their job.

It is the administration's job, through the transportation cabinet to provide this licenses to the public.

>> This governor has the power right now to fix this without any legislation.

Now, I can say that without fear of challenge, they can fix it right now.

Bottom line.

>> Senator Jimmy Higdon helped to work on this bill, but he expects that the issue of access to the regional offices will extend past this session.

Senate Bill 43 from last year made it legal for third party companies like AA to renew licenses, but it still hasn't started in practice yet.

>> Even when we pass it.

Based on this bill we passed last year, Senate Bill 43, that allowed for third parties to issue licenses.

It might be a while before something is done.

So this is I've been saying for a long time, this is this is a Band-Aid.

This doesn't really fix the big problem.

The big problem is it will probably be addressed.

You know, believe it or not, less than a year from now, the filing deadline will have come and gone for the governor's race.

I have a feeling that this this issue will be a big topic.

>> Many senators expressed hope that the bill would be strengthened by its passage through the House.

If changes are made to the bill, it will come back to the Senate for a final vote for Kentucky edition.

I'm Mackenzie Spink.

>> Thank you.

Mackenzie.

Governor Andy Beshear says his administration is reviewing Senate Bill seven.

Yesterday, he talked about his concerns about revamping the driver's license system.

>> My concern about changing the system is everybody else is going to have to start from scratch now and go through possibly those six years of, of of the learning curve.

Now, one one way that could help is if some of the vision screening could be done locally, because that's what's driving people in.

Now, people who used to just renew online if they can do the vision screening in their own community and then go online, that could resolve a whole lot of it as well.

>> The governor says his administration might create a counter-proposal to Senate Bill seven to be sent to the bill's sponsor.

Kentucky's medical cannabis industry has added on the final piece of its puzzle with the opening of the state's first processor in northern Kentucky.

The facility won't be selling products, but they'll be supplying dispensaries with what they need.

Our Emily Sisk was there for yesterday's ribbon cutting and gives us an inside look.

>> Everybody say we'd we'd.

>> Kentucky's first medical marijuana processor has sprouted up in the city of Dayton.

In this facility, workers will take the cannabis and produce well, several things.

>> We'll be producing gummies, vapes, tinctures, chocolates.

>> Right away.

We're going to be focusing on edibles and gummies.

>> Obviously, we know that that's what the market wants.

That's how a lot of patients prefer to have their medicine.

>> Right now, those 17,000 patients who've been approved for a medical cannabis card can't purchase these types of products.

They'll have to wait just a couple more weeks to see them on the shelf.

As Toro Infused sends their goods to a testing facility.

>> Once these guys have their products moving out the doors in a couple of weeks, then that product variety is going to be there, which is so important for the patients, right?

Because every patient receives the medicine in a different way.

Some certainly prefer to do edibles or to smoke a vape cartridge.

>> Right now, we're the only people that can be providing it to the state.

So I kind of feel like we're obligated to make sure these patients have whatever form of medication that best suits them.

>> Director of Extraction Donnie Patera explained how the machines will extract THC from the marijuana plant.

THC is the main medicinal ingredient, which will then be used in edibles and more.

He compared the lab process to oil rigging.

>> So this would be like oil rigs, and then everything else would be like the refineries where we're refining it to a final product.

>> Those final products will be shipped out to dispensaries across the state, like the Post in Beaver Dam.

After holding its grand opening last month, the dispensary had to temporarily close because they ran out of product.

Toro infused CEO Mario Gadea said with his new processor, that should no longer be an issue.

>> We intend to get product out to as many stores as we possibly can.

Ideally, we'll be in all 48 of those stores.

>> Rachel Roberts, executive director of the Kentucky Cannabis Industry Alliance and former state representative, said she was pleased with how quickly the industry has developed.

While legislation was signed back in 2023, medical cannabis didn't become legal until last year.

>> I know for patients it has just taken far too long to get product, but I think it's really important to remember this is just one year and you can see behind me how technical this is and what needed to be built out, especially for the processing side.

>> And in Dayton, a city of 5600 people, there's pride that the products made here will reach patients statewide.

>> It's a super proud moment for us to be able to offer these products that are going to be processed in this plant in Dayton, Kentucky.

>> With the opening of this facility in Dayton, Kentucky now has at least one cultivator testing facility, processor and dispensary across the state for Kentucky edition.

I'm Emily Sisk.

>> Thank you much, Emily.

Now in education news, as we told you yesterday, the superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools is proposing $142 million in budget cuts, including the elimination of hundreds of central office positions in Kentucky's largest school district.

Our Kelsey Starks sat down with Jess Clark from Louisville Public Media to learn more about it.

What it all means.

>> There are a number of positions that are considered technically central office that are actually school based positions, so there are concerns from some, you know, principals that even though some of these positions may be termed central office, they're actually going to cut and they're not going to insulate these schools from having staffing cuts.

>> And that includes academic instructional coaches, which is a main concern.

>> Those coaches.

That is a main sticking point, I think, for for a lot of principals and also some board members, these are called Aics academic instructional coaches.

And these are folks who work with principals to look at.

They kind of organize testing.

They look at data and trends in student test scores, and then kind of strategize how to improve instruction in the classroom level.

They're also really important for coaching inexperienced and emergency certified teachers who classrooms are increasingly relying on because of this nationwide teacher shortage that we have.

And so a reduction of $14 million towards those coaches that has a lot of people concerned.

Doctor Yearwood says that those coaches are not included in the 300 central office positions.

And so it's still not clear, you know.

>> Kind of be that supplemental.

Yes.

Right.

>> Those those those are included in the supplemental funding.

Funding that he's.

>> Proposing to cut.

Yeah.

So we'll just have to wait and see.

When it comes to teachers though, what what does it look like for teacher salaries.

>> So Doctor Yearwood has committed to not touching the base pay for teachers.

He is interested in reducing the cost of living increase that teachers tend to see every year.

And also some of these stipends that, you know, for working in high need schools.

Some of these stipends range up to $14,000 a year.

And so the unions are in active negotiations.

The district right now over, you know, whether the district can cut those, but they are on the chopping block.

>> Yeah.

And what are the chances you think this proposal will be voted yes by the school board, which is the ultimate decision.

>> I think pretty high.

You know, the school board members have been somewhat, you know, cagey about how they plan to vote.

But they've had this proposal since December, even though the public is just seeing it now.

Board members have had it since December.

And so I imagine if it's something that they're rolling out now, you know, district has already kind of gotten board member feedback.

I'm not sure how much it will change.

I've heard from board member James Craig that he still wants more information about the school closures in particular.

You know, there also are a lot of questions about the instructional coaches that we heard yesterday from board members.

So I think the closures and the aics, those will be the main sticking points would be my guess.

>> All right.

We'll keep an eye on it.

Thank you so much.

I know you will too.

Thanks.

Jess Clark from Louisville Public Media.

And that board is scheduled to vote on the reductions coming up January 20th.

Back to you.

>> Thank you so much, Kelsey.

If the school board does approve the proposal, the district is still projected to have a budget deficit of nearly $40 million.

[MUSIC] Time now to go inside Kentucky politics with our two faves, Bob Babich and Trey Grayson, to talk about week two of KY, GA 2026.

Hashtag or hashtag should have gone before, I guess.

Good to see you all.

>> Good to see you.

>> So how's the session going for you?

And talk about first, like the pace of the session and the fact that we had our first bill that passed today from the Senate dealing with driver's licenses.

>> I would say this seems like kind of a normal, normal, slow start 60 days.

They they have a lot more time.

You know, you had the filing deadline the first week, but even still, that's only a four day week.

So the fact that only one bill has passed the Senate, for example, that that's kind of normal.

This week, the House canceled most of its committees because they didn't really review the bills yet.

So we're we're early.

Lot of bills have been filed over 300.

>> Bills, yes.

>> Less than the Senate because the leadership has kind of said you shouldn't file as many bills.

>> But there's still over 500 already.

And we're only in like day 7 or 8 bob.

>> There's plenty to see.

I used to compare it to an Olympic bicycle race.

You know, they kind of go slowly around and all of a sudden.

Yeah.

>> Good analogy.

>> There's probably a conversation about money that goes on all the time.

What to make priorities of, given some very good suggestions and some very good ideas and some significant obligations that the state has over and above what it would usually have because of federal changes.

>> That's right.

Well, when Robert Stivers and House Speaker David Osborne were on Monday night on Kentucky Tonight, Osborne said expect the Republican budget plan to drop.

I guess it would be next week when he said it this week.

So you hearing the same that that could happen next week.

>> Although they did cancel an hour on its regular scheduled day, but they can reschedule a special Deanna.

>> Absolutely.

>> Yeah, the answer is probably everybody watching this.

Yeah, everybody here might know that one.

But yeah, it is an interesting budget cycle because the on the one hand there is a little bit of growth.

But on the other hand most of that growth, as Bob said, is probably going to be swallowed either by federal obligations or just, you know, you want to give your employees raises and things like that.

So there's and we have some one time money available for one time investments, but it's not likely to be replenished like the last couple budget cycles.

So they have to be judicious.

And then you have the the ultimate goal of getting the income tax to zero.

So every spending item has to compete with all the other items plus the income tax.

And we're not in a robust era of money sloshing around like the last two budgets were.

>> Yeah.

So let's talk about the bill that passed the Senate this morning.

This was by Senator Aaron Reed.

And this deals with driver's license offices.

And this is even it was brought up on the Senate floor that this is going to be an issue in the 2027 governor's race.

So we'll talk about the political fallout a little later.

But first, what does this bill do?

>> So what this bill does is in counties without a regional office.

So a few years ago, the state took driver's licensing services out of the counties which were in the circuit clerk's offices, and that was the circuit clerk's wanted to get rid of them.

The real ID was rolling out.

That required a little bit more work, a different kind of transaction.

So they were put into regional offices.

It is better today than it was a couple of years ago when it first rolled out.

But it has been a struggle.

There weren't as many offices as need be.

They didn't have as many employees.

So this is a kind of a common complaint.

And folks who live in rural, smaller counties have to drive sometimes an hour.

You got to get appointments online.

So it's not it's been bumpy, but it has been, to be fair, better.

However, last summer there was a scandal that broke out and one of the regional offices, there was a part time employee, temporary employee who was essentially selling IDs.

The allegation from whistleblower was that the person was selling IDs to illegal immigrants.

So now you have this kind of a customer service problem tied into this large national story.

And in a Partizan era with the governor running for president.

So that created some interesting political partizanship about it.

So on the one hand, this is about how should government work.

We have 120 counties.

Should there be one of these in every county?

How do you do it efficiently?

How do you embrace technology?

So what Reed's bill is, as I said, it's in each county that doesn't have a regional office.

That's the majority, something like 90 counties.

This applies to the judge, the sheriff, the county clerk or the circuit clerk could offer services for driver's licensing and renewal.

>> That's the key word renewal.

>> So the idea is to take a little bit of an off load from the regional offices.

The cabinet has to figure out the transportation cabinet has to set the rules.

There's a transaction fee.

There's an extra fee on top.

So it would be 25 extra dollars.

That goes to the local office to help pay for it.

Some counties could also do a deal.

So like, you know, Gallatin County could say, we can't do this, but hey, Grant County would you do it for us?

And they could do it in a local agreement.

But the idea is in a local county you can do your own people.

So Aaron Reed sponsored it.

Got Senate Bill seven, which makes it a priority bill.

There are two bills in the House that look at it slightly differently.

And legislators will tell you this is one of the top things they hear about from constituents.

So it's a long way to go in the legislative process.

And there's some real questions about how does this actually work at the local level, and aren't we heading in the right direction anyway?

At the state level, they don't always care about that.

Given the divide between executive and legislative.

But it will be a top issue, I think, in this session.

>> And I think there was some admission that the bill has a long way to go.

Lindsey Tichenor was the only no vote from Oldham County, and she'd had a previous measure the previous year.

Right.

And so we'll see all of these things when they go through.

Bob.

>> Jim Higdon calls it a process and it came out of his committee.

>> So that's a process.

Yeah.

And so this is how this works, right?

I mean, just because the bill passed the chamber today, it goes to the House doesn't mean this is a done deal.

By far.

These things are heavily negotiated.

>> They are.

And there will be some other suggestions and ideas.

That's how the process works.

That's how we should want it to work.

Still, in many cases, people have gone to their regional office with a good experience right here in central Kentucky, the one out on ironworks Pike or off ironworks Pike is exceptionally well run and well done.

Yeah, this one example of somebody cheating out there on the public side that gets blown up because of national issues as Trump is.

Trey Knott Trump.

>> Call me Trump.

>> I know what you mean.

>> That makes me presidential, right?

>> He is presidential cabinet material.

Yeah, there's there's always going to be a national spin, especially on this day and time as well as a lot of negative.

Just because there's a pent up anger about government that comes out more and more.

>> Yeah.

Well we're going to have to leave it there.

Gosh, we got through just 1 or 2 main issues before the time is up.

But of course we'll have you back same time next month.

Thank you guys.

Thanks.

[MUSIC] Three years ago, the Muhammad Ali Center, with the help of former Mayor of Louisville Greg Fischer, launched the hashtag Get the Champ a stamp.

And that was a campaign.

Well, yesterday that campaign paid off when the U.S.

Postal Service unveiled the Muhammad Ali Forever stamp in Ali's hometown of Louisville.

>> On behalf of the U.S.

Postal Service.

It's an honor to join you today as we dedicate a forever stamp in honor of the champ, Ahmad Ali.

Today, we honor a man who was the world heavyweight boxing champion who reshaped sports, fought for his beliefs and became a symbol of courage, decency and love.

As Ali said, service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.

And he lived those words every day.

Today, as we dedicate this stamp, we remember a man who dared to be bold, stood on principle and used his fame to improve humanity.

>> This moment is an invitation to all of us, an invitation to pause and to ask ourselves before every word we utter, what stamp am I making on this world?

What do my words leave behind?

Muhammad spent his life showing up and showing us that true greatness is not measured by who we knock down, but who we lift up.

We all have this power.

>> Muhammad Ali was never just a fighter.

He was a force for compassion, a voice for dignity.

A Louisville kid who became a citizen of the world.

From our streets to every corner of the globe, his courage still travels, his love still delivers, and his legacy like this stamp sticks with us always.

Now the mail will keep moving and stamps will keep changing.

But what?

But what Muhammad Ali shows us with his forever stamp is that courage has no expiration date.

Compassion outlasts the moment, and when you stand for what is right, your actions echo through time.

>> This stamp will travel millions of miles.

It will pass through countless hands, but it will quietly remind the world of a man who dared to believe that kindness could be powerful, and that being in service to others could be heroic.

But the greatest tribute we can offer Muhammad is not to admire him.

It is to follow his example, to make our own mark, our own stamp on the world.

>> The Postal Service printed 22 million Muhammad Ali stamps.

[MUSIC] So you might need to bundle up if you're going to head out, because there are some great activities planned this weekend and beyond all across Kentucky.

Our Toby Gibbs has the list of what's happening around the Commonwealth.

>> Experience, the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Junior through music, dance, and art.

As the Kentucky Center hosts the keepers of the dream.

Beyond the Dream, the Community Showcase features a short play blending music, dance, spoken word, and theater.

The program also includes the presentation of the Freedom Award and the Living the Vision Award.

Honorees.

Recognizing leadership and service inspired by Doctor King's work, the event is free.

Lexington will also celebrate Doctor King's legacy with the annual Freedom March taking place Monday in downtown Lexington.

The march will be followed by a commemorative program continuing a tradition of reflection, remembrance and community.

When the weather says stay inside, try heading underground instead for the Winter Adventure Weekend at Carter Caves State Resort Park.

Go on a wild caving expedition or take part in an underground yoga session.

[MUSIC] If you want to stay above ground, go on a guided hike, try rappelling or take a paddling trip.

The Fab Four gets a symphonic twist as the Lexington Philharmonic presents Twist and Shout the music of the Beatles A Symphonic Experience, the concert traces the Beatles early rise in the United States, starting with their 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and continues through landmark moments like Shea Stadium and the Hollywood Bowl.

The symphonic program revisits the songs that defined Beatlemania and helped launch the British Invasion, pairing orchestral arrangements with the familiar sound of the band's early hits.

Bernheim Forest and Arboretum is setting out to show that sometimes the best classroom doesn't have walls.

[MUSIC] With its Echo Kids Discovery Day, children and families can explore hands on discovery stations, join pop up story circles, or take part in a guided hike of the day, all giving young explorers the chance to connect with the natural world, take in a few notes, and maybe take down a few notes.

As McCracken County Library continues its Evening Upstairs series with a look at Paducah's musical history.

Hear about the early jazz musicians connected to Paducah and the surrounding region, and the role they played in shaping early 20th century jazz.

The program is free and open to the public.

Step into a prehistoric adventure in Louisville with Dinosaur World Live.

The interactive stage show brings life size dinosaurs out of the history books and onto the stage.

Audiences will encounter towering and realistic t-rexes, Triceratops and Segnosaurus.

[MUSIC] In this hands on experience.

[MUSIC] And that's what's happening around the Commonwealth.

[MUSIC] I'm Toby Gibbs.

>> Thank you much, Toby.

Stay tuned to KET for comment on Kentucky.

That's coming up in just about an hour.

Bill Bryant and a panel of Kentucky reporters look back at the news of the week that comes on at 8:00 eastern, 7:00 central, right here on KET.

We want to thank you for being with us all week here on Kentucky Edition.

We hope that you'll join us again Monday night at 630 eastern, 530 central, where we inform, connect and inspire.

We hope that you'll connect with us all the way as you see on your screen.

Facebook X. Formerly known as Twitter and Instagram on the social media channels to keep in touch with all we're doing here at KET and send us a story idea by email to Public Affairs at Keturah and look for us on the PBS app that you can download on your smart devices.

Have a great weekend to come and hope to see you right back here again Monday night.

Take good care.