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

♪ ♪ Good evening and welcome to Kentucky edition on this chilly cold Friday, January.

The 19th, I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for kicking off your weekend with us.

>> So speaking of weather, we're dealing with more snow and dangerously cold temperatures.

The Kentucky Emergency management confirms 5 Kentuckians died as a result of this week's Winter weather.

Temperatures are expected to stay dangerously low through the weekend.

Be careful and bundle up out there.

Now.

Moving on to politics into the 2024 Kentucky General Assembly, a sweeping 72 page.

Anti-crime bill is advancing in the state legislature after an overwhelming committee endorsement last night.

House Bill 5 is known as the Safer Kentucky Act and addresses a raft of criminal justice issues.

It contains a news 3 strikes law that would mean life without parole for anyone convicted of a 3rd violent felony.

It would also create a stand-alone carjacking law increases penalties for several crimes and limits bill payments by charitable organizations to less than $5,000.

And last night's committee meeting folks on both sides of the argument had their say, Kentucky additions June Leffler reports on the bill but also could apply the death penalty for those convicted of murdering a police officer or first responder.

The story begins tonight's legislative update.

Families who lost their daughter son and husband spoke in favor of House Bill 5 Thursday evening.

>> Rachel Conley's has been Scott County.

Deputy sheriff was shot and killed after pulling someone over.

>> The people who murder our first responders have no idea of the consequences of their actions.

And I'm not talking about their court dates for their trial or their sentencing.

I'm talking about the families.

The families of the fallen first responders.

We are the ones who suffer the consequences of these crimes.

>> House Bill 5 would hold offenders behind bars for longer.

And victim say that could KET offenders from perpetrating more violence and other families.

>> If people know that if they murder a first responder, they will go to prison for the rest of their lives or they will receive a sentence of death.

Maybe then they will stop killing our first responders.

>> Law enforcement and prosecutors say this approach will help them on the job.

Prosecutors believe in second chances, we believe in redemption, but we cannot have our hands tied and we cannot focus more on the rehabilitation of an offender.

Then we can innocent live life and innocent communities.

Public defenders do not support this bill and some House judiciary lawmakers say the current penal code is doing its job.

One of the few Republican critics chimed in.

I relief would like to work with you on some of these provisions.

I don't know how the 3 strikes laws go into effect, for example, are persistent felon.

>> which we already have on the books.

I don't know how it's different from I think it doubles down.

The 3 strikes doubles down on on existing serious crimes that we already have serious penalties for and it takes away judicial discretion.

All committee members in the minority party voted down the bill.

>> And part asking if these policies will actually prevent and reduce pilot snow time in the state of Kentucky or in our nation.

Have we been able to incarcerate ourselves?

Out of the issue?

Ever to politically oppose policy.

Groups in Kentucky say according to the research longer sentences, don't KET us safer and they don't deter people from committing violent crime.

>> In fact, the general public is pretty much unaware of sentencing details and there's less and effect when a long sentence becomes even longer.

We also know that people tend to age out of criminal behavior so we'd be paying to KET folks locked up long after they pose any threat to our communities.

According to a recent study by the National Institute of Justice, they found that long sentences do little to deter individuals from committing crime.

Instead, those serving time without the possibility of parole, often percent greater risk to the corrections staff.

>> As they have no incentive to rehabilitate themselves.

>> Still keeping offenders locked up means they can't go out and commit more crimes.

And bill sponsors say that's the justice victims deserve.

>> I can give you 100.

People who committed their 4th violent offense.

It would have stopped that up.

Yet.

Another piece of data, Jake Luxembourg would be alive today.

Had we done our job?

That's not to protect.

That's one.

That's an attic.

Do with that data House Bill 5 passed out of committee in a 13 to 5 vote and now goes to the full House for consideration.

Opponents also question the impacts of limiting bill funds.

>> Banning folks from sleeping outdoors or in their cars and increasing the tunnel charges for Kentucky edition.

I'm John Leffler.

>> Thank you to now a programming note on Monday night's Kentucky tonight we've got a panel from those who testified on the Safer Kentucky Act this week in committee join us Monday night.

As we talk about House Bill 5 at 8 Eastern 7 central right here on KET.

Governor Andy Beshear is criticizing House Republicans for their spending plan that was unveiled earlier this week.

The two-year budget filed by House Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chairman Jason Petri does not OK money for universal Pre-K and it doesn't guarantee a pay raise for all school employees.

The governor wants both of those things.

Instead, the plan would leave it up to school districts to decide whether to give pay raises to teachers and staff.

Governor Beshear listed reasons why he thinks the GOP budget plan falls short.

>> What you will say is it adds more red tape to the operation of state government that we have ever seen requiring so many reports it would grind the executive branch to a halt.

It includes a major and massive limitations on a reply on on responding to natural disasters with limits we've never seen before in state law.

All the good required special sessions in the midst of natural disasters.

So I guess the 137 people trying to manage the immediate relief efforts include severe limitations on additional money to house prisoners.

There are fewer public safety investments, a significantly less dollars going to our public schools and a lot of other big concerns, including a massive come the state government personnel across the board with absolutely no study on what these positions are.

>> Beshear says he hopes Republicans changed their budget plan with super majorities in both chambers, though Republican lawmakers will have the final say.

Time now for into reprieve.

You have some major political news in Kentucky this week with our good friends are frequent.

>> Commentators here on KET got Bob Babbage with us and Trey Grayson.

You know who they are.

It's good to see you, gentlemen.

Thank you.

We'll start with Bob and talk about the budget.

That was the one of the big bills, the drop this week from the House Republicans.

How does it differ from what the governor proposed and where does the process now go from here?

Well, there are some differences.

>> And all these factors come into One thing we can gain from all this, it's going to be a while to get this budget finished.

It will take February and March.

And the House the Senate will have to extensively to do it to house budget as it starts is somewhat of a continuation budget.

A lot of the elements that have been suggested to the Legislature talk about spending some of the reserve.

Or not it, but you have to be considered.

Doesn't mean they're out there just aren't in yet.

And we're not fully for this time.

I was the center has opened.

It's a link to make suggestions for the budget.

They'll take some time as well before all that accumulated in the Senate will have a somewhat different version hits that dissipated have and they go together to work it out.

Over a series of meetings that come up that too park called Free Conference where pretty much anything goes from here trying to get all finished up by the deadline, which obviously is April 15th.

But I think the intent would be to have it finished well before they take that view.

Dover a night to have a governor consider bills and then they come back to maybe have some over ice as well.

Yeah, I don't want to give the governor the opportunity to veto without an opportunity override.

So you want to do it before the April 15 constitutional deadline.

>> Trade to Your your thoughts about what the House Republicans have presented and it seems to make way for that trigger for the income tax reduction.

Does it not?

>> Yeah, it does.

But did a great job of explaining kind of a process that You have to get some of the substance of the budget.

Yes, it it is set up in the trigger.

You continue that progression.

What's facing up to income tax?

That was a priority that House and Senate leadership to talk the last couple years.

And so the structure, the budget you that one of the ways they're doing is using rainy day funds, the pay for some one-time expenditures because the way the Formula Works, that's not considered part of the general fund.

We also saw that on Monday, governor budget, there was not extra money years first, lot of money for teacher continues.

The Republican legislators approach that school should have the flexibility to do what they want.

They increase the seat dollars and increased transportation dollars and that should help school pass along a increases in salaries to teachers and other other employees are not really capital items in the House budget, which is not really surprise.

Usually that is what comes in at the end, what it called the Free Conference Committee, just sort of sweeteners and using a lot of that one-time money to make some strategic and medications, economic development, investments.

But there was money set aside for water and sewer and world and underserved areas.

There was some money set aside for this grant program which is designed to match federal grants that the state might be eligible for for local governments, but they don't have the money to buy not match that to go to the private sector of the state is funding a pool of money for that?

I would say that we're really big surprises.

The legislators.

Pretty clear about having a different set of priorities.

Then the governor and these properties are pretty consistent last couple budgets, but it will see how it plays out.

The final version will look very different.

And I was right, though.

They'll pass to sing on day.

58.

Haha, the last governor, you've got to pass the gatineau and gotten better veto.

He took advantage of it and nobody's ever going to let the governor do that again.

>> That's right.

That's right.

And we should also mention that universal Pre-K is not in the budget that the House Republicans are proposing.

So that's a big item that the governor has been petitioning for for some time.

>> Truck when the governor did his budget address.

He said we're in the best shape we've ever been as a state that could be true and plenty of credit to go around.

A lot of people can take that.

But now how do you use a so-called surplus?

To to make investments and advances even further over the next couple of years.

There's the hard decisions of legislators have to make with executive branch and a whole lot of input from other people.

Yeah.

>> Long process to go.

We're only what a day for 50 something or maybe where the 13 for 13, Yeah.

Good mask.

Okay.

Another big bill and just in a couple of minutes have remaining the House Bill 5, which is the Safer Kentucky Act on Thursday night.

They advance that from a committee house judiciary.

We expect there to be a floor vote early next week when the lawmakers return.

It's a big bill.

Bob and a lot of things are in it.

And we heard some kind of mixed reaction, of course, last night to this proposal.

>> The testimony was so emotional, particularly for most parents and families who had lost younger members from the deputy's Scott lost her husband.

Crop problem and urban such that the GOP, a group in Louisville has come together to say we have to take some steps, but it's it an expensive piece of legislation and the opposition to was equally emotional about where we go.

Now we have this problem, particularly related to drugs.

Not to oversimplify this, but do we lock people up try different route to to wellness?

Both score?

What are we going?

Exactly.

And that's the hard part of this decision.

It's a major bill could be the most important bill this session right?

>> And Trey Grayson, many people who are asking who are on the opposing side that when did homelessness become a violent crime?

Because a lot of there are some provisions that deal with homeless encampments, et cetera.

That's in this House Bill.

5 say for Kentucky yet.

>> Well, along the along with the rise of a crime that we've seen in some areas of also seems all across the country, Verizon.

And almost as and there's a lot of reasons for that but I think it is part of the discomfort that folks have put as far as the perception going downtown.

It says You're you're you see more of those folks that they're asking people for money.

There's a concern about some of the folks inside.

That's I think that's trying to get at Jerry Bomb in his first term.

Legislator from Jefferson County has been a leader on this issue.

Bob mentioned other Jefferson County members as well.

They got House Bill 5.

This is the top priority.

My suspicion is as it heads through the legislative process.

I'm confident House Bill 5 with a lot of these items will pass.

But my suspicions gets trimmed a little bit.

Some of these issues get worked out.

Some more complicated as you might be dropping their stand on legislation future years.

But there will be there will be a bill that looks a lot like this is going to be something the governor will probably be tele override it.

I'm I'm pretty confident about that.

Yeah.

>> Well, we are confident they were out of time.

Unfortunately, we never have enough.

I thank you so much.

Trey Grayson and Bob Babbage once again for your insight.

Have a great weekend.

Stay warm.

>> A Kentucky school district is investing in its teachers by helping cover their course work for a rate change.

It's part of the Warren County Public Schools Grow your own initiative and it will mean some pay Bob's for those educators.

Our Laura Rogers went to class for tonight's look at Education Matters.

>> It's now going to war in 1978.

Garrett Bowen teaches world history at Warren Central High School in Bowling Green.

>> He tried to find a way to make it fun.

So and I just didn't have the board.

>> Also, word cause stalemate.

>> The thing that I love most is those a light bulb moments.

I'm truly passionate about teaching history.

>> So you had trains warfare like today's students are learning about World War.

One acting out scenes from the past in front of their peers.

It really makes us feel like we're actually there in person kind of the magic school bus that we all watched as a kid.

becoming a teacher.

Bowen spent 23 years and the U.S. military.

When we're talking about.

>> The events and the associations and the places being able to say that I have walked in those lands and I've got to witness some of this.

I get to teach from a different and retired from the military in 2014.

>> Less than a year later restarted his second career in education.

>> You don't have plans are we think we have an idea of what we're going to do, but then life happens and who would have dreamed that I'm in a profession that I absolutely love.

I would never picture that.

I love it as much as I did.

>> With a master's degree in curriculum instruction, Bowen recently applied to achieve ranked one certification through Bloom Board and Educational Consultants and talent development provider, Warren County Public Schools will cover a majority of the com where?

>> Providing more opportunities to help teacher that she learn more about themselves to better support themselves.

And the more we know about ourselves, the more we can help others, which would be our students, the people we work with that overflows into our community fry, Atlantis Central Powers victory when this opportunity came up like a is another opportunity to go to the next level.

So why not?

>> Try to take full advantage of that.

>> It is a professional development opportunity that translates to a pay increase, a helpful strategy to support teacher retention.

There are some places that are in dire straits for just to have a warm body of a teacher, if you will, in the classroom.

>> So somebody could have a bad day like quickly, I want to go So in chances are you probably could.

But here your maintain and KET in the best of the best that's powerful.

And I really think it's a smart objective on behalf of the district.

2.

>> Congratulations for Kentucky edition.

>> You chose to do this to better yourself and to be better for your students.

>> I'm Laura Rogers, Crime.

Thank you so much, Laura.

The program allows teachers to go at their own pace and it is integrated into classroom practice.

In exchange, the teachers agree to a commitment with the district.

The state is making it easier for people who want to forgo an attorney and handle their own legal matters.

The judicial branch has officially opened the legal self-help portal offering free legal resources and an interactive program.

The walks people through the process of filling out legal forms.

Those behind the portal say it's part of an ongoing effort to promote justice for everyone.

>> In order for the Kentucky courts to be successful in a vital part of our democracy.

The citizens have to have confidence in us and they can have confidence in something they can to access or understand.

So we're making every effort we can.

2 get them into the court system to try to solve these legal problems.

They have.

>> The idea behind the legal self-help portal was to provide for self represented Liggins a one-stop shop consolidated website where we pull together various different resources, some which were already available, some which we have through the course of this effort.

2 provide further access to justice.

>> They've taken kind of what appears to be complex legal proceedings, even in the smaller proceedings in broken it down in this step by step.

It's like a turbo tax for accessing the courts in certain areas.

These are civil proceedings that tend to be some of the simpler proceedings in honestly are the kinds of things that most lawyers don't to really take on unless they're already doing it.

Pro bono, we're talking about things like domestic violence, petitions, some simple divorce is a name.

Change is expunge months.

For instance, many expense months can be handled without attorney.

It's just another tool that.

>> You know, we can offer people to to give them a little bit more knowledge.

And, you know, you know, knowledge is power you know, to help them, you know.

Navigate their way through the legal system.

There's been lots of studies to show that when people go into court, but even by themselves, but they are given the opportunity to to tell their story and their herd.

They're regardless of the outcome.

They feel like justice has been achieved and they feel like the system has worked for them.

So that and that's the big reason we're doing this.

>> The portal can be found on the state court system's website and there are plans to have work stations at courthouses around the state.

♪ ♪ >> Greater Louisville Inc power to Prosper Minority Accelerator Program is all about helping small businesses thrive.

One graduate of the program is Angela Half Men, star of the PBS program, Fonz Importers love of quilting since completing the business accelerator program.

She's expanded.

Her quilting shop will to joy dramatically.

Take a look.

>> He recalled to We have all kinds of fabric and supplies to help Sowers create whatever it is they're creating whether it's a tote bag or a quote or the table runner, whatever you have.

we're bringing you new things all the time.

It's just super fun to kind of see the colors and see what people create and nurture creativity and others.

We believe that creativity is essential to the soul of a person and it helps you feel fulfilled in life.

So everything that we can do to support that dream.

And that journey here is the core of everything.

>> All your pieces.

>> Starting a small business is a tough especially in this economic environment.

My experience was it was a little lonely.

I didn't have anyone.

I could talk to and ask questions of who are slaying the same dragons.

But I was laying so I think the biggest thing I have to say as find other small business owners, they don't have to be in your same your same sector, your same industries sector.

But they are staying up late at night and wearing and making payroll and doing all those small business things that happened in trying to reach customers.

So find your own folks and be a part of a small business owners community.

You can learn from others in 2022, I was a member of Twitter Louisville, thanks.

Minority Business Accelerator program is called power to prosper.

And I simply put an application and I saw an email that came through from the Greater Louisville Inc and they were accepting applications.

And I thought, well, I'll try it.

And it was an intensive program that went on for many months and has different modules.

And it's really meant to kind of grow your skills in those areas that you feel weak and and get you financially literate so that you can read a P l statement.

You can read and your financial documents and make some intelligent decisions about how to grow your business.

And I'm also super thankful for just the people that I met in that group that supported me who also have their own small businesses.

>> You can find out more about local resources, available for small businesses on this week's end side.

Louisville with host Kelsey Starks, that's on Sunday at noon Eastern.

11:00AM Central right here on KET.

In March, Lexington will celebrate 50 years of merged government voters approved the merger between the city and county governments and 1970, to creating the Lexington Fayette, Urban County government on January.

First of 1970, for the merge government became Kentucky's first urban County government.

50 years later, it remains one of a handful in the entire nation.

Mayor Linda Gorton says the decision help prevent duplication of services and made local government more efficient.

A ceremony marking the occasion is planned for March.

21st.

♪ ♪ Braved the cold if you there and enjoy some great activities across Kentucky.

Our Toby Gibbs has tonight's look at what's happening around the Commonwealth.

♪ >> Locals who has a very special event happening tomorrow, a birthday party for their polar bear.

Connick.

I think the rescue their turn 13 this month and she's getting Taylor Swift themed decorations and special enrichment for her celebration.

The first 100 visitors can regain their tickets for a free poster with 13 tips on how to help polar bears come on up to the zoo to celebrate comic on her big day.

>> Fans of the 80's new wave and pop music won't want to miss this event in Danville tomorrow evening, Electric Avenue, the MTV 80's experience is coming to the boil County Performing Arts center to bring us back to the days of big hair and even bigger.

If it is time travel to some terrific tunes with Electric Avenue tomorrow evening.

>> The Circus is coming to Madisonville the dental staff family circus will be at the Glenn Damar Center Tuesday evening.

Jugglers.

Acrobats sorts, waller's and more.

Well, that's when the light of this fun family of man, it might not be under the big top.

This is a classic circus experienced with an artistic twist that all are sure to enjoy it.

The Virginia and Somerset is hosting a one night only concert with Ian Month sick on Wednesday months.

It has been named an artist to watch by Spotify and has over 400 million global streams under his belt.

The country artist recently toured with Morgan Wallen and Cody Johnson.

And now he's coming to Pulaski County to share his art with Kentucky.

Special guests include Zach Top and Hunter planned.

Go check it out.

Just because it's January doesn't mean you can't enjoy the great outdoors.

And Carter Caves, State resort park as the perfect event to do just that.

Next Thursday starts the 2024 Winter adventure weekend.

And there's lots of activities for beginners and advanced outdoors enthusiasts alike.

There's a list of adventures you can sign up for, including hiking, repelling climbing and canoeing and more.

If you're looking for a cure for cabin fever, this is it.

>> And that's what's happening around the Commonwealth.

I'm Toni Good.

>> Thank you to be as always.

The adventure is going to be braving the weekend cold right?

So we hope bundle up and you'll come back and join us again Monday night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central for Kentucky edition where we inform connect and inspire subscribe to our email newsletters and watch full episodes and clips akt Dot Org and connect with us all the way as you see on your screen there, Facebook X, formerly known as Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Thank you so very much for watching.

Kentucky Edition.

This week's take really good care and I'll see you right back here on Monday.

Have a great weekend.

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