music >> It seems that you want to give me the more authority, but I'm here to tell you I shouldn't have it.

[MUSIC] >> The debate continues over who should call the shots in Kentucky's largest school district.

[MUSIC] >> No American believes that he was assaulted.

The officers.

[MUSIC] >> U.S.

Senator Rand Paul blasts ice over the latest deadly shooting in Minnesota.

>> This is the biggest disaster winter related disaster that Cumberland County has had since the 1994 snowstorm.

[MUSIC] >> And we check in with crews in southeast Kentucky who are beginning to bounce back from a deadly winter storm.

[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 Thursday, January the 29th.

I'm Renee Shaw, and I thank you for spending some of your Thursday night with us.

Things must change at Jefferson County Public Schools.

Well, that's what lawmakers say in regard to Senate Bill one, which would transfer operational duties from the school board to the superintendent.

That bill was debated in committee today, along with a measure to improve financial transparency among all school districts.

Our Mackenzie Spink was in Frankfort and tells us more on the Senate priority bills that passed the education committee today.

The measures come as the state's largest public school districts, Jefferson and Fayette County's deal with multimillion dollar budget shortfall.

More about this as we kick off tonight's legislative update.

[MUSIC] >> Senate Bill three, sponsored by Senator Lindsey Titchener, would require school districts to regularly post financial reports and credit card statements to their public websites to improve transparency among their spending habits.

>> Senate Bill three will strengthen requirements for financial transparency for our districts and expand the general public's access to the budgeting process, financial reports, and spending information.

In order to ensure our taxpayer dollars are utilized properly and effectively for the education of Kentucky's public school students.

>> Although spending by the two largest school districts has been in the spotlight recently, Senator Titchener and committee chair Senator Stephen West say the measure will benefit all districts in the state.

>> It's not just JC and FCPS.

There are problems everywhere across the state, and it's good for the public to have this transparency.

But it's also important.

What we've seen is the people who are constitutionally elected to make decisions by the people, don't have access to information.

Basic information.

>> Senate Bill three passed with only one no vote from Republican Senator Stephen Meredith, who says the bill doesn't go far enough.

Senate Bill one aims to improve outcomes in Jefferson County schools by redefining the powers of the school board, making the superintendent a more powerful authority concerning day to day operations of the district.

>> It's clear we think the board doesn't need to be engaged in the day to day, low level operations of the district, hire the best and put them in charge and give them the authority to make those decisions.

That's the way we see the role of superintendent.

>> A concern brought up by lawmakers and teacher advocates was the effect the bill has on local decision making, as school board officials are the only elected officials in the public school system.

>> This bill undermines that principle of collaborative democratic decision making by stripping power away from an elected board and concentrating it into one unelected administrator, fundamentally altering the balance of democratic oversight.

>> Bill sponsor Senator David Givens says the board will still retain the ultimate authority of hiring or firing superintendents, which connects the superintendent to voter accountability.

>> I think with regard to accountability to the voters, the board is that connection to the voters in this case, and then the connection to the superintendent having that authority to say he or she must go is the ultimate authority.

>> Regarding Senate Bill one.

The current J-c-p-s superintendent says he's against the measure.

>> It seems that you want to give me the more authority, but I'm here to tell you I shouldn't have it.

>> Senator Gerald Neal says the new superintendent needs more time to course correct JCPS before governance changes like SB one move forward.

>> I am encouraged by the new leadership that I see, and I am encouraged by the collaboration that's been pledged and is apparently unfolding the Jefferson County Public Schools.

We owe you the ability to come in here and do what you say you will deliver.

>> Several senators expressed that they feel J-c-p-s is out of chances.

>> 41 out of the 55 lowest performing districts in the state of Kentucky are located within JCPS.

That's been ongoing for 20 or 30 years.

We've heard things are going to get better.

We have a new three year plan.

We have a new five year plan to turn a blind eye to the situation.

Jefferson County would not only be unethical, it would be immoral.

>> Senate Bill one passed out of committee and will next head to the Senate floor for consideration.

The original bill passed both chambers when it was first introduced in 2022, but in 2025, the bill was ruled unconstitutional by the Kentucky Supreme Court for unreasonably targeting JCPS.

For Kentucky Edition.

I'm Mackenzie Spink.

>> Thank you.

Mackenzie.

In response to the Kentucky Supreme Court's ruling, Senator Givens says this year's version of the bill includes 42 reasons why JCPS should be treated differently than other school districts.

Defendants who are caregivers for a child may soon be eligible for alternative sentencing, which would keep them out of prison and involved in their children's lives.

That's what the Family Preservation and Accountability Act seeks to do.

But some state lawmakers feel it could create an unfair disadvantage for defendants who don't have children.

Our Emily Sisk has the details.

>> State representative Nick Wilson says in his job as an attorney, he sees many Kentucky defendants fighting substance use disorder who want to be a better parent.

>> The driving factor is their children.

They want to be a parent.

They want to be a family.

There's been this focus on job training, drug court, inpatient drug treatment, outpatient drug treatment, and what this bill does.

It adds parenting classes and family counseling to that list of those successes.

>> The Family Preservation and Accountability Act allows felony defendants to motion for the court to consider their status as the caretaker of a dependent child.

The court could then give alternative probation, sentencing like substance use disorder treatment, and educational training instead of time in prison.

There are exceptions in the bill.

However, defendants would not be eligible if they're a violent offender, attempted or threatened domestic violence, or if their victim is a child.

A Western Kentucky senator and former law enforcement officer said it was his understanding that these services were already available.

>> The overarching view for this bill was it simply wasn't necessary.

It was it was a solution to a problem that didn't exist.

And all of these options are already open to the court.

>> It may not feel necessary to judges, but the folks that are out there living this, it's necessary and it's not available.

>> If they're not available, how are they going to be given as an alternative?

If they're not in that community?

>> Well, they'll, they'll they'll have to become available.

>> That's that's something that you left out of this.

In the conversation.

>> A Campbell County judge posed a problem with the cost of alternative sentencing.

>> They are available.

They're not free.

Defendants have to pay for that.

>> The committee also heard from a mother who battled substance use disorder more than a decade ago while caring for her young son, she said.

After begging for this type of intervention for years, she took full advantage of it.

>> I signed up for everything the place had to offer every parenting class, every extra class, and it paid off in on March 3rd, I make it.

I'll celebrate 16 years in long term recovery.

>> And while an Eastern Kentucky lawmaker said he supports the bill, he brought up his concerns, saying it could create a disadvantage for defendants who don't have children.

>> Let's just say, hypothetically, I'm a drug addict, you're a drug addict, but you have two kids and I don't.

We are somewhat creating a two tiered system of justice, because you're going to be eligible for a program that keeps you out of the clink.

While myself, who perhaps arguably is more responsible because I've not brought a bunch of people into the world that might be on social services and everything else that are having to deal with my, you know, your malfeasance or whatever.

I got to go to jail, but you don't.

And that does create some concerns for me.

>> The family is the backbone of a godly society.

We have to figure out how to get the family back together in this commonwealth, especially in Appalachia.

>> The bill ultimately passed out of committee, with only Senator Danny Carroll voting no for Kentucky Edition.

I'm Emily Sisk.

>> Thank you Emily.

Representative Wilson said the legislation includes the word caretaker instead of parent, adding that only defendants actively involved in their children's lives would be considered for alternative sentencing.

Kentucky Senate president wants a historic $150 million investment to support research at Kentucky's universities.

In 2024, Senate Bill one created a framework for the state to work with the universities.

Now, Senate Bill six provides the money for it.

>> We were talking about AI when we're talking about aviation and NASA, something between Eastern, UK and Morehead.

We want to talk maybe about a new type of aluminum, because we have such an aluminum industry here.

How do we have a lighter, more durable, more flexible, but stronger aluminum?

Let's think about the possibilities.

And this bill, Senate Bill six is the funding component to Senate Bill one of 2024.

And I know this is a lot of money, but I have heard multiple entities and universities saying this could bring millions of dollars in partnering monies to the state.

>> So in that same press conference yesterday, Kentucky's AG commissioner spoke in favor of Senate Bill five.

It allows local school districts to circumvent some regulations that are currently keeping local produce out of Kentucky public schools.

>> So, as an example, if you're a farmer and you're growing broccoli, it's not enough just to give them a head of broccoli, because that requires them to hire another person in the cafeteria to chop it up, get it ready, do the things that they're doing.

And so working in partnering with companies that are located here in Kentucky and attracting ones to Kentucky around further processing opportunities to create those broccoli florets in a bag, ready to go in a steamer.

>> So those measures have been filed and will be assigned to committees.

Now, more news from Frankfort as lawmakers work on preparing the state's next two year budget.

One group is trying to get more voices heard during the process.

The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, which is a progressive leaning think tank, is including or is holding its annual Kentucky Kentucky policy conference tomorrow.

We spoke with the executive director, Jason Bailey, about the conference and its focus on giving communities across the state a say on how public dollars are spent.

>> I think people are getting more engaged at the moment.

I think that they have strong opinions one way or another about what's going on in the country, and that trickles down to the state level.

And a lot of the issues that we're dealing with the legislature is dealing with in this session have to do with decisions made at the federal level.

So there's a direct connection in which things they see and are probably more aware of in Washington.

Impact the decisions in Frankfort and therefore what happens in their local communities.

The big and most important issue facing Kentuckians is affordability.

They're finding that the cost of of basic needs, whether that's housing, child care, groceries, electricity, are out of reach for many Kentuckians who aren't seeing their wages grow or their incomes grow.

So, you know, we we look at issues and especially in the current context, through that lens, the most important tool the state has to help families deal with affordability is the state budget, which is also the most important piece of legislation that lawmakers will pass.

So we are looking somewhat anxiously at the state budget and with real concerns about what's going to be in it and what's going to be left out, because we have the effect of income tax cuts that have been enacted the last few years, that are reducing the amount of revenue.

That plus a slowing economy means less money for things that that people that people need, especially at this moment.

The budget is the most powerful tool we have as Kentuckians together to help make our lives better.

So it's so important that every day folks participate in the process.

These decisions have long term implications for the quality of life for our kids, for our seniors, for the kind of infrastructure, whether educational or physical, we are building to be a robust state.

It really matters what lawmakers ultimately end up putting in that budget.

We have advocates from different organizations, membership organizations, community labor, etc.

that that come.

So we have some decision makers who who come to that conference.

We have folks urban and rural, East and west, central Kentucky who really represent a broad array of folks who, you know, aren't aren't typically the ones who are at the table when the final decisions are made, but are are the kind of people that we want to see more engaged if we're going to have a robust, a more robust democracy and ultimately better outcomes.

Well, we show them success stories.

I mean, there are lots of examples where even small groups of Kentuckians came together to advocate for more funding for things, and they won them.

This has happened over time.

So, you know, I think there's a lot that a little goes a long way in terms because the budget is complex.

There are a lot of numbers.

So we break things down.

We produce a budget primer that just makes the process as simple as possible.

>> The state budget is filed under a House Bill 500, and it will be having hearings on that measure in the days and weeks to come.

Now, in other news, a former state lawmaker wants to remove a Fayette County circuit judge.

Kilian Timony accuses Judge Julie Goodman of abusing her office.

His petition cites six different cases, and one of them, she dismissed a murder case after police accused a man, Cornell Thomas, of driving more than 90 miles an hour, hitting a car and killing a woman, according to testimony, judge Goodman dismissed the case, saying he was only being charged because of his race.

An appeals court reversed Goodman's decision yesterday.

Goodman told the Lexington Herald Leader she was unaware of the impeachment petition.

Now, Timony is a Republican who served as a state representative in the 45th district, that is, in Lexington until his defeat in the 2024 primary.

He is running again for the seat this year.

Now turning to national politics, U.S.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky is critical of immigration enforcement actions by the Trump administration after the shooting death of a nurse in Minneapolis last week, appearing on the Fox Business Channel, Paul said no one is buying the government's explanation of what happened.

>> When people watch that video and the government tells them, well, he was assaulting the police officers, nobody with any objectivity watches that video and believes that's what's happening.

As the man retreats with each altercation, he retreats and then the woman is thrown violently to the ground.

He's thrown to the ground.

No American believes that he was assaulting the officers.

In fact, the opposite appears to be true.

So we have to get some rules of the game, and we can't have the government justifying this type of behavior because the vast majority of Americans think this was unfair.

What happened?

>> And Senator Rand Paul disagrees with the Trump administration's view that the protesters shouldn't be armed.

Paul says protesters can and often do carry guns based on their Second Amendment rights.

[MUSIC] Now, on our winter storm coverage, Governor Andy Beshear says an 11th person has now died as a result of this week's winter storm.

Road conditions are improving across the state, although side roads are still hazardous in many areas.

As you probably know, freezing temperatures and power outages continue to be the biggest issue.

Southern Kentucky and southeast Kentucky saw more ice than snow.

Pulaski County was one of the areas hardest hit today.

There are still more than 1700 customers without power.

That's down from around 11 or 10,000 at the peak of the storm.

Cumberland County was also hit hard this week.

Today we spoke with the county's judge executive, who said getting through this storm has been a team effort.

>> This is the biggest disaster, winter related disaster that Cumberland County has had since the 1994 snowstorm.

This storm was a little different because when it originally hit, you had that light, fluffy snow mix that we needed to get out and push off of the road, but we also didn't want to be caught out there when that sleet and rain mix came down.

Freezing rain mix came down because that certainly made for treacherous conditions.

We ended up in a situation that was less than ideal.

On Sunday evening we had two dump trucks and the greater in ditches, three separate locations and three separate pieces of equipment all over that.

That evening that was just after dark.

And that makes for a challenging time when you've only got eight pieces of equipment out there.

When that call comes in telling us we've got a line down or trees down that that brought a line down, we then have to get folks out to clear the road just to get to that point, because if we've got a line down, Tri County will go to it, but they have to be able to get to that line.

So that meant we had to dispatch Cumberland County Road crew members or Burkeville Fire Department or Maryland volunteer fire Department members or contract workers to get that road cleared so that the linemen could restore power.

This was really difficult in this weather event because we didn't have the luxury of our road crew going out and cutting all those trees and pushing snow and busting up ice.

We had to prioritize.

I don't know how counties get through a storm like this without working together.

It truly brings out the best of the best in all of these counties.

We hear a lot today about this side or that side on any given issue, but when a crisis happens, it it seems to bring out the best in all these counties.

And I know it did for Cumberland County.

>> And we hear that often.

Now.

Judge executive King says the county provided more than 400 meals from its shelter this week because of the winter storm.

[MUSIC] The mayor of Lexington says the city is seeing record high employment and is making solid progress on affordable housing in her state of the city and county speech today, Mayor Linda Gordon highlighted the city's economic growth, touting city investments and two new industrial parks, along with ag tech and solar energy projects.

Another area of focus the city's workforce development program, one of the keys in helping Lexington set a record for the highest employment in the city's history.

Affordable housing also a priority with this week's brutal weather putting the spotlight on the city's unsheltered population.

>> Building affordable housing is one of many ways we work to reduce the number of people in our community who are experiencing homelessness.

In 2025, we again offered a winter shelter service to meet seasonal needs.

We increased outreach downtown to quickly respond to concerns and to engage individuals in need of assistance.

I formed the Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness, which is focused on identifying strategies, resources and solutions to better serve Lexington's homeless population.

Since 2020, we have spent $50 million to address homelessness.

Even so, like many other cities across our nation, we saw an increase in the number of unhoused people in Lexington last year.

>> Mayor Gordon says the city has also seen a drop in violent crime, with homicides down almost 11%, assaults with firearms down 23% and robberies down 26%.

Property crimes were also down around 9% overall.

She credits the city's investments in new crime fighting technology for the Lexington Police Department and One Lexington, a city program aimed at reducing youth gun violence.

Now going to the largest city in the state, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenburg is in the last year of his first term since he took office in 2023, he's been through three police chiefs, a mass shooting, downtown's biggest employer moving out, and a deadly UPS plane crash.

On the next, inside Louisville, Kelsey Starks sits down with Mayor Greenburg to discuss his priorities.

Looking ahead.

>> And I'm a great believer that education is the great equalizer, and that's why we launched Thrive by Five Louisville.

That's why we're working to make early childhood education and quality child care reality, because there are far too many kids in this community that the first time they ever go into a classroom is their first day of kindergarten.

And odds are at that point they're already behind and they might never catch up.

So just think what this city would look like if every child has quality child care.

Early learning experiences before their first day of kindergarten.

When you look down ten, 20 years from now and you see the impact that that will make, that's something that I'm really excited about, how that's going to change the trajectory of our city.

So that's an initiative between us, between philanthropic communities, nonprofit organizations.

And again, it's called Thrive by Five.

In the past year, we opened three Bezos Academy, which are year round, full time early learning centers for children.

No cost to the families.

Wonderful.

That's part of this whole initiative.

So that's one of the long term solutions that I'm really excited about.

>> Yeah.

And that particular issue has been debated a lot in Frankfort about expanding that State why.

>> It.

>> Is, and how do you feel about that, expanding it statewide, and what are some other things that you're looking for right now in this legislative session?

>> So I'm a strong supporter.

This should be, we hope, to be a model for the entire state.

And I strongly am working to encourage state legislators to find a way to provide more support, more resources to child care, to early learning experiences.

It's great for the kids.

It's also great for the parents that don't have to make that impossible decision about whether they can afford child care so they can reenter the workforce.

That's one of the many issues that I'm advocating for and Frankfort right now.

I'm also very focused on advocating for some investments in Louisville, here in downtown Louisville and elsewhere around the entire city.

We have shown that investing in Louisville is a strong investment in the entire state.

And you look at some of the things that we've done with the Community Care campus that's working to provide more shelter and services to individuals who are homeless.

Investments in transforming the Belvedere, which is really much needed.

Infrastructure improvement over the highway.

The largest parking garage in downtown Louisville that's literally crumbling concrete that we're working to transform.

So I'm excited about some new investment opportunities for our city across the entire community that I'm advocating for.

Also a big focus on housing.

We need more places for people to live.

We need more single family homes.

We need more apartments.

We need more duplexes.

We need more affordable housing.

We need more of all housing.

And so I'm working closely with legislators on what we can do to build more housing.

And of course, like we've already talked about public safety.

Are there some things that the state can do?

I know there are.

And I hope that the state will make some steps to help us give us some additional tools in Louisville, the state's largest city, so that we can continue to make our city safer.

[MUSIC] >> More of that interview on Sunday at 12 noon, 11 a.m.

Eastern Time.

And thank you for watching us tonight and and I’ll see you tomorrow