♪ >> We need to focus on place and not race.

Some state House Republicans call for dismantling Dei, Kentucky's public colleges and universities.

>> That's what's going to bring so many jobs and so much economic development to this region.

>> It's almost the end of the line for a massive state transportation project.

>> Researchers are coming in and talking this group of people who feel a lot of a lot of people in the group have felt ostracized or pushed away or not heard.

>> Their drug users turned consultants the inside.

They're offering University of Kentucky researchers.

>> We felt like Franklin needed to be more welcoming when you drove into our downtown area.

>> And a Kentucky town that sits on the Tennessee border welcoming visitors to Kentucky with Southern charm.

>> 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, January, the 29th, I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for spending some of your Monday night with us getting kids to and from school has been a challenge for many Kentucky school districts.

>> A high ranking Senate Democrat believes he's got an answer to that right now.

School bus drivers must have their commercial driver's license or CDL to operate a traditional full-sized school bus that requirement along with competition from other professions like trucking that put many school districts in a patch to get more drivers, particularly in Jefferson County.

Louisville.

Democratic State Senator David Yates is Senate bill 90 to provide schools with some more transportation options.

♪ >> Senate Bill 90 to its might be your headline.

It's common sense.

Government legislation that will make transportation safer, faster and more cost efficient.

We do that by allowing non CDL drivers to drive non CDL vehicles we know that we have routes all throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky did is not sufficient.

You have sometimes a handful of students that are going all the way out to the rule areas or you have the whole bus of students full buses, students waiting on one or 2 because the compounds.

And so what's been asked best practices sitting around a table to say what we can do to make transportation better.

The Senate bill, 92.

And we will while simply did you have regular non traditional?

Vehicles for transportation assets?

they Inc the multi pastor of a smaller vehicles that you do not need to see deal.

Now, was it such a big issue?

Well, we know that we have a huge short of CDL drivers.

We have a huge shortage of bus drivers, but they have to be CDL right The trucking industry it is.

It's also had a shortage.

May have a competition.

So what we want to do is make sure we have our kids getting to and from school safely efficiently more cost effective.

>> Under Yates's bill qualifications and standards for these non CDL drivers would be established by the Kentucky Board of Education.

Speaking of education, many of the educators leading Kentucky's public schools say they don't think the current budget proposed by House Republicans will help districts attract and KET teachers.

>> That's according to the Kentucky Association of School Administrators which just released a survey from more than 90 public school districts.

The survey asked school district leaders to assess the impact of what is House Bill.

6 on teacher salaries, the two-year budget plan filed by House Budget Chairman Jason Petri does not guarantee a pay raise for all school employees on like the governor's proposal.

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

The KSA called the bill a step forward but said it was still, quote, inadequate.

Adding that the quote, budgetary gap will exacerbate the teacher shortage, Hend our ability to attract new individuals to the profession and result in declining math and reading scores and quote, House Bill 6 is waiting to be heard by the House appropriations and Revenue Committee.

School choice is getting another big push.

This legislative session.

>> And the House 2 bills have been filed calling for a proposed constitutional amendment allowing for public money to be used for private schools.

State representative Josh Callaway, a Republican from Irvington filed his school choice Bill House Bill a earlier this month.

Now, the latest as House Bill, 2, it was filed last week by state representative Suzanne Miles, a Republican from Owensboro and the House GOP Caucus chair Friday during comment on Kentucky youth that night.

Panelists discuss the difference between the 2 bills and which one House leadership seems to be favoring.

This is the second, but it's the one that leadership appears to be pushing more heavily.

The first bill would have mandated that some money goes toward school choice.

This one says that the legislature has the option.

>> putting public funds towards nonpublic schools.

So we KET that this was coming.

Really they've been talking about this for the months leading up to the legislative session.

So we KET a school choice and was coming obviously for some worse.

Several sessions Republicans have tried to get tempted to put in charter to put money towards school vouchers.

But haven't or a school voucher tax credit, I should say.

School scholarship tax credit.

But those have been successful.

They've been struck down by the court so far.

So this is the the next attempt to actually change or amend our constitution through this amendment to allow that.

>> And John, the juice and you can see more of that discussion from members of the Capitol Press corps about school choice measures and other bills circulating in Frankfort.

You can watch that on the law online and on-demand at KET Dot Org.

Now this afternoon in Frankfort, Governor Beshear was asked his thoughts on House bill to the latest proposed school Choice Amendment.

Here's what he had to say.

>> Well, that House Bill 2 a is wrong and would take money from our public schools and send them to private corporations.

That may claim to be doing education.

In fact, I takes any constitutional requirements are prohibitions out and let the General assembly send that money anywhere that they dubbed educational.

This is billions of dollars and it's really simple.

Public dollars should only go to public schools.

>> If the school choice Bill is passed by the House and Senate, it would then go on the November ballot this year leading up to the voters to decide.

Now also coming out of Frankfort legislation to scale back or even dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion or dei policies at Kentucky's public colleges and universities.

It's a big topic of conversation at the state Capitol.

Earlier today I spoke with Shelby County, Republican State Representative Jennifer Decker about her bill that gets rid of dei offices and trainings eliminates race-based scholarships and bans resources to promote what's called discriminatory concepts.

>> Representative Decker, thank you so much for your time.

>> Thank you for having me.

Renee.

>> Question basic to you about why you filed House Bill 9.

What do you want to accomplish with this measure?

>> I love how spill mine because I care about the students of Kentucky, the students, the low-income students than represented students.

I want all students to have an equal opportunity to go to suppose secondary school.

The great equalizer.

>> Some would say, though, that this seems like it's an antithesis to that philosophy because it does target programs, activities, perhaps that helps under represented marginalized students.

Do you agree or disagree with that?

>> I disagree wholeheartedly The data that is wonderful data produced by the Kentucky stats shows just the opposite to be true.

The dei initiatives have them on our campuses.

Starting in about 2011 and the data shows that since 2011 we have lost.

Over 39,000 students from our college campuses.

And that number over half more than 24,000 students have been low income.

Black students.

that number low income in-state black students, we have lost 34% since 2011.

I believe just the opposite is true.

I did not Believe Dei has lived up to its promise.

To bring more diversity in to make students feel like colleges more accessible to them.

>> In your legislation, you call all for Dee Dee boxing and defunding dei offices department's personnel.

>> Tell us, do you think that that is appropriate at this time and does that suggest that there is no all remnants of racism left to be dealt with and your proposal for abolishing those offices.

>> The dei offices on our campus are not who is charged with insuring against discrimination on our campuses.

Federal law already requires that each college campus that receives federal funding has offices to enforce non-discriminatory conduct, tune in to ensure equal opportunity for all those offices are on every college campus and they should be adequately funded to ensure the very things you're talking about.

They dei offices are not those offices.

They are super flu.

Us.

And they need to and they need to stop.

That funding should be spent on initiatives that actually.

We cannot continue to fund those offices when the data shows they have not helped.

>> What a concept such as white privilege be considered a discriminatory concept.

>> White privilege throughout history has got to be studying.

There's no doubt that there is that that is the time that Mike, what the bill says is that what?

What is prohibited?

every instance that is spoken of of pride, quite privileges to be taken as true, not to bay did not discuss and that it persists today.

And and in every possible way that it's discussed.

We want open, honest debate.

With good will we want them to have to talk to have a a free market of ideas.

Banning no concept whatsoever.

Other them.

The concept that these matters.

Happened.

They still happen.

Paper says without debate on the subject.

>> Representative Decker, thank you so very much for your time this evening.

We appreciate it.

>> Thank you for your time.

Thank you for having me.

Now have more with state Representative Jennifer Dechert tonight along with other state lawmakers, scholars and state higher education official on Kentucky tonight this evening at 08:00PM Eastern 7 central.

>> As we talk about dei legislation before the Kentucky General Assembly as it pertains to higher Ed, we always welcome your questions and comments by phone email and social media.

So join us for that discussion tonight right here on KET.

The state has taken the next big step toward completing the Mountain Parkway expansion project.

Last week it was announced that every section of the Mountain Parkway expansion is either completed under construction or under contract.

The last part of the project will connect Salyersville to Prestonsburg today.

Speaking on the project, Governor Andy Beshear said the state is fulfilling a 60 year promise to eastern Kentucky.

He went on to say a four-lane Mountain Parkway means economic growth and more choices for communities and future generations.

>> Every day that goes by that we have this under development that we don't have it done is one day that the citizens of eastern Kentucky lack the artery that they need for a better life and we call it an artery.

And we all think about our circulatory system.

It's what brings life to different parts of our body.

It's what's going bring so many jobs and so much economic development to this region.

And we talk about that in terms and phrases like economic development.

But what it is is opportunity for our kids and for the kids.

Eastern Kentucky, the far too often have been faced with the tough choice.

I'm moving.

We're changing their dreams.

This is going to unlock possibilities.

We're no matter how big they dream, no matter what they want to do in life, they can chase it right there in eastern Kentucky.

>> When completed the Mountain Parkway expansion project will close the only gap in a 400 mile four-lane high-speed corridor that runs from Pikeville to Paducah.

Turning now to national News, President Joe Biden says the U.S. will respond after a drone strike by an Iran-backed group killed 3 American troops in Jordan and injured dozens more near the Syrian border.

While many details are still unclear.

We know soldiers with the Kentucky National Guard are currently stationed in Jordan last August at Lexington based 138 field artillery brigade, nicknamed Kentucky Thunder deployed to several countries in the Middle East, including Jordan.

In a statement the U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky called the victim's brave U.S. Service members and said, quote, My prayers are with their comrades wounded in the attack and with the U.S. personnel, including many Kentuckians serving across the region and harm's way, unquote.

McConnell went on to say America's enemies are emboldened and quote will remain.

So until the United States imposes serious crippling costs, end quote.

♪ >> Researchers at the University of Kentucky are gaining insight into drug use and recovery from a group that knows the subject really well.

Survivors union of the Bluegrass is a community advisory board made up of current drug users or those who run on abstinence recovery.

UK researchers consult with the group monthly organizers say the board has helped shape the trajectory of some research projects.

>> The purpose of this committee advisory board is to really fill in a gap in research.

So you have you ever researchers that are that are wanting to research the effects on on drugs on, you know what substances are doing to individuals.

However, a lot of times the people doing the research might not know the best ways to be able to interact, with folks who are either close a substance use disorder or are resolving it or or in the in the midst of use, whether controlled or chaotic.

These 2 entities need to be.

I'm talking to one another.

And so not just topping, but in 4 Marines important to be able to work with people who are actively using versus 4 route, 73 6%, maybe someone who had 20 year the pain at then may not be able to provide the same amount of the same type of input.

>> Researchers are coming in and talking this group of people who feel a lot of a lot of people in the group have felt ostracized or pushed away or not heard we put in protocols and in one of those is before anybody.

That is a visitor in a they have to be voted in as a human and I'm is low.

So everybody says yes, one person says no, that individual will not be allowed to enter the due to privacy had 20 different grade.

The everything in that like that in total until they come from.

>> Oliver UK came the but for example, the College of Medicine nursing public health, education, and they come respecting lot of different topic, for barriers, medications for opioid use disorder.

He did that during service program as a person with.

>> Lived experience living experience in this.

>> that is empowering anything that I went through.

Good, bad, indifferent that that he can now be used for up a better purpose.

I feel like I walk away each each surprised and amazed.

It's something that takes place.

We want to have a full, robust kind of representation of our whole commonwealth.

We need the voices of all pathways.

We were going to.

>> You know this this if we're going to cut into this epidemic, it has to be, you know, death by 1000 pathways to recovery >> Survivors Union of the Bluegrass has 12 active members.

They say there's currently a waiting list of people who want to join the board.

>> Kent Hockey has come out on top once again in the big Blue slam, defeating Florida for the 4th straight year in the annual Blood donation Drive Kentucky Blood Center donors were trailing Florida donors on Thursday but rose up with back-to-back days of more than 300 plus donations that gave Kentucky the wind with 1416 donations to Florida's 1358 donations.

The Kentucky Blood Center said the donations are the most by either side since the COVID-19 pandemic way to go.

Big blue.

♪ It's the first Kentucky City you come to traveling north on.

I-65 Franklin.

The seat of Simpson County.

It's just 45 miles from Nashville and quickly growing what remains the same, however, is the southern charm of downtown home to retail and restaurants.

Our Lauren Rogers gives us a look.

And this installment of our series on Kentucky town's Monday's on Maine.

From race horses to Bourbon.

>> Franklin is big on Kentucky.

Heritage.

>> The location is paramount because we sit on I-65 between national in Bowling Green and we have so many travelers that travel I-65 every day.

>> And many of them stop at the Franklin exit.

John, to attractions like Kentucky Downs and dueling grounds.

Distillery people want to see horses in the Kentucky, Kentucky.

People want to see bourbon as of the 2 things they usually mainly think of.

So we have both of those here.

It's also the home of professional golfer Kenny Perry who owns a golf course in Franklin.

Kenny has brought a lot of notoriety to Kentuckyian especially to Franklin.

>> Was just a good person.

And that is really important, I think.

And he kind of exudes that small town family charm that we have here in Franklin.

Amy Ellis is executive director of the Simpson County Tourism Commission.

Before that, she spent several years at the helm of Franklin Simpson Renaissance, which evolved out of the main street program.

Our Main Street is essentially 31 that so our Main Street runs from the north and to the south and will actually do the state won here in Franklin.

But our hearts of our Main Street is our downtown.

Each year.

We try to do in a project.

Kim Roberts now leads Franklin Simpson Renaissance Franklin is a growing Tio.

She and Amy Ellis often collaborate to support downtown revitalization.

We work really close with the merchants to try to help their businesses grow.

>> Bringing new businesses and the department is on the part of my job is keeping the downtown pretty, you know, through beautification.

Nearly a decade ago, efforts ramped up to save historic buildings on the square.

>> Will investors renovating those buildings to bring new life and newcomers to Main Street?

Total renovation.

Pull bricks off the building.

Brick by brick, clean them and put them back on the building.

>> That led to the sale of more historic properties.

So we've cell about 12 buildings downtown and have seen major innovations in those 12 buildings in the last 10 years.

Opening a small business does carry financial risk and much of their focus remains on supporting downtown merchants.

It's hard.

It's hard for new businesses in a small town.

>> They have to have that ability to hang own during some pretty hard times before they reach that goal of heaven, regular customers, that would become the idea behind the mustard seed market.

>> We just tell you the mustard seed market actually came about from a conversation that my mom and I have had to make.

Harry and Amy Ellis said travel to other cities similar to the size of Franklin to see what they were doing to get people downtown.

We walked in the front doors.

I just looked at a new message.

This is the coolest place I've ever been.

>> That business and Gallatin Tennessee would become the inspiration for mustard seed market.

I just made the comment.

I said I wish we had something like that in Franklin and mom, look at me.

And she said, well, let's open mind.

>> 8 years ago they did providing vendor space for small businesses, not quite ready to invest or move full-time to their own shop.

And I feel like it just gives small businesses the opportunity to really start out to kind of figure out the business and then hopefully be able to grow into their own storefront.

Kerry says she saw a major push to shop local and small during the pandemic in 2021, we saw an upsurge in sales and we're doing great and we've kind of plateaued after that to draw more foot traffic.

Franklin Simpson Renaissance host downtown events, including summer concerts that draw thousands of people to the historic district.

>> This really could fans were getting bigger every year, even though we're small.

We're big, small town, big parts.

But we're always known for.

>> We can make big things happen in this town.

And the reason being in because we have a lot of dedicated true Franklin people that love our town.

We all over town.

We want to see it grow.

We want to see.

>> All of our businesses.

61 all comes together to create an atmosphere that he was both locals and tourists coming back.

I know.

>> Know that if we hadn't flipped our downtown over and made it a little bit more accessible to people and more inviting to people that maybe we haven't had that success for Kentucky edition.

>> I'm Laura Rogers.

>> Thank you, Lauren, as always.

Kim Roberts says they're already planning for Christmas with a big project plan that they'll announce soon.

They're also grant opportunities for building owners to do renovations and improvements with a historic preservation ordinance to give them guidelines.

♪ >> Kentucky icons, Loretta Lynn and Henry Clay put in a parents as our Toby Gibbs takes a look back at this week in Kentucky history.

♪ >> The maysville in Washington Turnpike company was incorporated January 29th 18.

29.

The company that built the road from Maysville to Washington.

A town in Mason County, 4 miles away the road at 13 told houses and 6 covered bridges.

It was the first road west of the alleghenies made of crushed compacted stone.

>> Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky introduced a series of proposals dealing with slavery on January 29th 18, 50 many historians believe the compromise of 18, 50 as the proposals or call today temporarily ease tensions between the North and the South and the late civil war by 10 years.

On 1/30/1900, a sniper shot.

William Goble, one of the 2 candidates have claimed victory in the disputed 18 99 election for governor double would take the oath of office after being shot.

And I on February 3rd.

A baseball teams joined forces to form the National League on February.

Second, 18, 76 1 of those teams was in Louisville.

The rental inside with a 0 record label on February.

Second, 1960, and the label would put out her first song on the top girls that went to number 14 on the country music charts.

And those are the highlights this week in Kentucky history.

I'm told, begins.

>> I get Eleby artificial intelligence.

It's on a lot of people's minds tomorrow.

We'll take you inside an AI summit held in Lexington where business and state leaders discuss the innovations applications and dangers of the technology.

We hope you'll join us for that and so many other stories tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central on Kentucky EDITION where we inform connect and inspire.

Subscribe to our email newsletters and watch full episodes and clips at KET Dot Org.

You can find us also on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV.

Send us a story idea to the address on your screen and follow KET on Facebook X, formerly known as Twitter.

>> And Instagram to stay in the loop.

Thanks so much for watching.

I will see you at 8 o'clock for Kentucky tonight.

Take good care.

♪