>> What happens to go back and watch a video of Schoolhouse Rock understand 3 different branches of government.

>> A Republican leader in the state Senate says Governor Andy Beshear is taking credit for something he didn't do.

>> And what this does is when it comes in contact with the virus in the air starts to.

We've got these proteins that are in charge of infecting an individual.

>> University of Kentucky researchers have found a possible new way to prevent COVID infections.

And he said if I can't be on Broadway, I'm going to bring Broadway to the Bluegrass.

>> And the story of the man who built an iconic Kentucky theater.

>> Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET Endowment for Kentucky Productions.

Leonard Press Endowment for Public Affairs and the KET Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION for this Wednesday, July 27th.

>> I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for spending some of your Wednesday evening with us.

A federal judge has ruled against a northern Kentucky student involved in a Washington, D.C., protest that became national news and 2019 and January of that year, Nick, send men and other students from Covington Catholic High School protested at the Lincoln Memorial while a Native American group was also protesting the other man in this photo, Nathan Phillips said send men blocked him from leaving Sandmann said that was false and he sued several newspapers, magazines and TV networks that reported it today.

Federal Judge William Bertelsmann dismiss the lawsuit against 5 media outlets saying Phillips was expressing an opinion that can't be proven true or false.

As we told you yesterday, state Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer is not happy with Governor Andy Beshear's Tuesday announcement about 75 million dollars going to help the Kentucky tourism industry.

The money will go to help tourism organizations so they can promote Kentucky tourism and attract conventions and meetings.

Senator Thayer says the governor is trying to take credit for the money and the budget that the General Assembly approved.

>> This is just emblematic of Governor Bush years.

Modus operandi where he takes full credit for actions of the legislature and completely ignores the way government supposed to work.

Perhaps he needs to go back and watch a video of Schoolhouse Rock to understand the 3 different branches of government.

That's 75 million dollars was inserted in the budget.

By me at the request of the Kentucky tourism industry.

It then works its way through the process.

And again, you have the support from House and Senate Republicans and made it into the final budget.

The ironic thing is we appropriated those 75 million dollars in tourism recovery funds to help our tourism business revive itself after Governor Bush years, shutdowns and lockdowns during the COVID pandemic.

And now he's taking full credit, as he always does with money.

That was appropriated by the General Assembly.

>> Senator Thayer says expect more videos like this one in the future.

Ukraine is block Le State U.S.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Ukraine says Senator Paul is promoting Russian propaganda with his criticism of U.S. involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Paul has questioned U.S. spending to help Ukraine.

In a statement, Paul said, quote, My oath of office obligates me to defend the United States.

And that includes defending our country from incurring massive new debt.

No matter how worthy the cause, unquote.

He also said while his sympathies lie with Ukraine, his loyalty is to the United States.

In Fayette County.

The school board is considering an increase in student breakfast and lunch prices for students who don't get their meals for free if approved breakfast would go up $0.65 and launch would increase by $0.25.

That means breakfast would be $2 launch for elementary school.

Students would be 2.75. for middle and high school students.

It would be $3.

A vote on this is expected next month.

Daniel Cameron is one of 22 Republican attorneys general suing the Biden administration over a school meal program that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Tennessee's attorney general is leading the challenge under the program.

Schools would lose federal mill funding if they don't have policies in place to protect LGBTQ students.

Here's a statement from Attorney General Cameron's office.

Quote, The Biden administration's directive sacrifices.

The nutritional needs of America's children to advance a political agenda.

Approximately 100,000 programs receive federal funding to provide free or reduced price meals for children.

And we cannot allow the Biden administration's flawed policies to result and necessary funding being withheld from Kentucky schools, residential childcare centers and other programs, unquote.

As Kentucky's COVID-19, cases continue to Rise.

UK researchers found a way to potentially reduce cases.

They've created a new type of mask material.

That research shows is better.

Then an n 95 at preventing COVID transmission.

Our Casey Parker-bell spoke to the project's lead.

Researchers.

>> So when the COVID Coronavirus coming the picture, he said one of apply team member and we could use like this and fog is being called.

Yeah.

What he calls.

>> Researchers at the University of Kentucky have created a mask membrane that could be activate the COVID-19 virus on contact uses enzymes to capture the spike proteins on the coronavirus and deactivate them.

>> A member of the master code within nontoxic and time cause some to rice.

And this is an enzyme you'll find and laundry detergent at your home.

Actually.

And what this does is when it comes in contact with the virus in the air starts to.

We've got these proteins that are in charge of infecting an individual.

>> Their goal was to make a better mask that is more comfortable to wear.

>> One of these 18, this is one Posen, the thickness.

And when I poured in there.

I could have a smaller pools.

But I could be better.

And then 30 seconds, this more breathable mask.

Could the activate the sars-cov 2 protein that makes people sick.

>> So the idea is that you this will make a brief ability for longer periods of time, which means don't have to switch out your mask off and.

>> PhD student Rolling Mills says the center masks could reduce pollution while improving the possibility of stopping the virus.

>> So if we make a nice little.

>> Before working on COVID related projects, the researchers were working on systems to filter pollutants out of the water.

Sources after the pandemic began, they shifted focus now they say their new technology could have wider applications.

>> A lot of viruses that infect people the same way that COVID does.

For example, the seasonal flu virus could have potential applications with these masks so it could be a mask that could be war, you know, indoors during high flu season to help reduce that strain on the health care system and people so.

>> Professor bought a car you professor DB says students called him, says similar technologies could potentially be used in air filtration systems.

He says this could be used in hospitals and restaurants and it could reduce the need for mask wearing and the materials to create the membranes needed for the new masks are already available.

>> Does make a deal is already there.

But the market could you make it to that is that he can be done.

>> For Kentucky edition, I'm Casey Parker-bell.

>> Thanks, Casey.

A quarter horse spread racing track is headed to Ashland.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has awarded a license to revolutionary racing.

In addition to the track, revolutionary racing will also build facility offering historical racing machine showing videos of past races.

The governor says this project will mean an investment of 55 million dollars and will create 200 jobs.

♪ Time now for our midweek.

Check in on all things politics.

Certainly some of things politics.

>> With a wry Lynn Barton, who is the managing editor of Kentucky Public Radio in Ohio Valley Resource.

Good to see or island.

>> I mean, it gets you 2.

>> So let's talk Jessamine County Republican Party issued a strong rebuke of Senate leader Mitch McConnell over his vote on the gun safety bill or this Safer Communities Act.

So tell us about this.

>> Right.

So this is that big Senate bill are the big bill that earlier this summer in the wake of the tragic shooting in Uvalde Texas.

What it would do is it encourages states to set up a red flag something which has been proposed in Kentucky but has never passed.

And it's been a real 3rd rail in Kentucky.

Politics of Republicans are a lot of Republicans have not really wanted to touch that.

However, the national Senate majority or Minority Leader Mitch McConnell at back at this one big federal version of this bill that again encourages states to pass red flag laws basically by distributing grant money out to states and had a couple kind of a gun safety elements to expanding a background checks for people who are younger than 21 years old and a couple other elements as well.

Republicans and Jasmine County of took issue with that.

They're formally censured Mitch McConnell in their own This is something is kind of happened before in a couple other So in the in the wake of the 2020 election when Donald Trump lost Mitch McConnell had some strong words against the former the of the Nelson County Republican Party chair had tried to push the state Republican Party to central McConnell.

So there's always these kind other factions within the Republican Party that aren't entirely happy with the the most important Republican in the state of Mitch McConnell and every now and then these bubble You know, it's it's doubtful that this is going to do much to take his political career.

But it's always just a good reminder that there's the the Republican Party can be complex of times.

diversity of opinions on on some of these issues.

Yeah.

>> Search certainly showcases some of the dynamics of the Republican Party as we've seen and some primary contest and maybe even those to come.

So let's also talk about Fancy Farm just right around the corner on the first Saturday in August tradition since 18, 80 and the political stopping started in the Mid 1930's with it with a be happy.

Chandler for speaking there.

We've gotten some confirmation of who's going to be there and who's not.

And who's conditional.

So the governor is not going to be there.

He's taken a pass.

>> Right.

The governor will be in Israel on a it's, you know, every elected official as well as people are going to be on the ballot are invited to Fancy Farm of this year.

He's kind of been hit or miss over the years as to whether or not he shows up.

This is become more of an issue for Democrats over the years as they have fewer and fewer elected offices are specially statewide elected offices in Kentucky.

And there's just fewer and fewer Democrats are kind of, you know, running in big competitive there will be a at at Fancy Farm this year.

A Democratic Senate candidate Charles Booker will be there.

Also, Coleman Elrich the chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party will be there, which is a little unusual because again, it's usually elected officials and people who are on the ballot.

He's neither of those.

And also Jimmy AU's Brooks, who's a congressional candidate running at so first district Congressman Jamie comb or so Democrats will have some bit of a presence But it is it's really remarkable this used to be a very democratic, event in a very Democratic heavy side of the state.

And it is just completely flipped, really had over the course of my lifetime.

I I watched that and really over the last 10 years or so is when it's really become You know, there's this is Republicans all the way down all the way down the ticket of speakers.

>> So the political calculus for Governor Andy Beshear not being there and choosing to take a vacation or go to Israel as he's doing.

Do you think that will be to his detriment later or is it so far out from when the gubernatorial contests happens that this will be forgotten by then and not so consequential.

>> Well, one of the rules of thumb with Fancy Farm is that you can't really win Fancy Farm, but there's a lot of things you can do to lose fancy far.

He can get up there and you you can got to make a fool of yourself.

So that's often you know, the read of people who don't show up as sure they're going to the barbs thrown at them and they're not going to have the opportunity to respond.

But yes, people might not necessarily remember that as much as they might remember a gaffe or something.

But yes, your point is well taken that the of the gubernatorial races until next year, you know, this this year doesn't really have to have to show up for some of the best.

Probably much more likely that he would show up next year when he's running for his reelection.

>> So we will see you down at the farm.

Also see you next Wednesday.

But Riley will be on comment.

Will make a already a big plug for that for that Friday Eve, a Fancy Farm.

But we'll talk to in the meantime.

It's good always to see Robin Barton take here.

I see to buy.

♪ >> Monday of this week, Kentuckyian spoke out at the last town hall meeting held by the medical cannabis Advisory Committee.

Now the Bashir administration's work begins on sorting through the public's comments and exploring possible options and making medical marijuana available in Kentucky.

I talked with the 2 co-chairs of the Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee today about the hearings and what's to come.

Glad now to have secretary of the justice and public safety Cabinet with us.

Kerry Harvey and the secretary of the public protection Cabinet.

>> Ray Perry joining us.

Thank you, sir.

Both of you for your time.

I want to go to you Secretary Harvey and ask you about the purpose of the advisory panel.

Why it was formed and where where do you see it going now?

>> I think Governor Beshear moment to hear from Kentuckyian so for us, the state concerning this important issue, particularly after it was so a really clear that this is an issue that had great support across the Commonwealth.

Well, Republicans, Democrats and independents and even in the Kentucky General Assembly, there was bipartisan support.

And I think Governor Beshear is far from a lot of Kentucky ends that.

Could benefit and have benefited to medical.

And of course, and they're very frustrating, but very frustrated that we've not been able to move on this issue.

Want to go to Secretary Perry and ask about some of those resonating experiences that you heard over the course of these town halls.

>> That you've held across the state.

Were there certain sentiments are things or experiences that really resonated and were repeated?

>> Is there was a first off.

We had nobody in opposition at any of or town halls.

It was all our citizens.

There was a lot of veteran was a lot of children who have this different disorders and of a seizure disorders may be asked for one test.

Those disorders, even a recovering addicts that are using medical cannabis to stay off the So it was bipartisan.

down walls everybody who we want to hear from everybody.

It was overall a very positive and very touching to hear some of the stories you know, of people just dealing with chronic pain.

The veterans with and how cannabis use is really help them.

They don't want to feel like they're criminals They want to have this options between themselves and their doctor.

38 states already have that.

38 states have voted to allow.

I mean, here in Kentucky, it's 90% approval.

And we've done on our website Renee, we had 3,191 people respond.

And of that 98.5% in support.

And even those that were opposed to it.

A lot of those just won it all out.

Recreational and medical cannabis.

But that were just talking about medical and of.

>> So what are the options available to the governor at this juncture?

Secretary Harvey is executive order.

The only tool that he has in his tool box.

And does he have that authority really to legalize medical marijuana by executive authority.

>> The governor understands that executive authority in this area is limited.

It can't overrule the the Kentucky request statute.

But by the same token, executive authority is not inconsiderable.

He does have significant authority.

I'm not going to resume today to was to try to predict now he might exercise that authority.

That will be something he will determine after hearing the voices of so many Kentucky engine that they're considering its options.

But I think he understands not only the limits of his executive authority in this area, but also the potential of his support.

>> The people we met with there, there are law abiding citizens.

They don't want to be considered criminals.

This stuff is what did they really believe?

It's helping them.

And I have no reason to doubt anything that they said.

They were very sincere.

Now we all know that ever cannabis, it was made illegal and here in Kentucky illegally.

Any young person who watch?

But I did can get it with a matter of days or hours.

So I don't understand why we would punish our people.

Our veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder are people in severe pain in maybe cannabis.

Is not the answer for them.

But it certainly should be a tool and the arsenal.

It may be the first thing you would use, rather the scrabble opioids enough.

It worked.

That's great.

As far as the safety goes, Jane of this is been used by indigenous people for thousands of years.

I don't know if there's one recorded death from cannabis overdose or boxes city.

So it's obviously safe.

And we just that, you know, it's time.

>> The state legislature considered medical marijuana legalization and 2020 2022. and those house measure stalled and the Republican controlled state Senate.

♪ 400 people from Afghanistan recently resettled in Bowling Green officials say while the refugees are grateful to be out of a conflict zone, but now face new challenges, there was special grant.

The city hired someone who understands their plight and will connect them to the resources they need to start over and new country.

>> Should not much.

He is call me on the set up an appointment and he's asking me is actually what how you can get a roll.

>> A youthful class.

So what I would be doing is all caught that the resource that provides the ESL class and give the guy and role in the class.

And it was started learning.

>> Improving his English >> The Afghan community Navigator, position that we had not really originally intended to hire 4.

We had a very unique Grant became available from the Open Society Foundations and it was targeting a municipal governments in certain specific states.

>> That we're going to receive a large influx of refugees arrivals.

But what?

>> number one challenge is English language and also employment.

A lot of these people who are here or the main person responsible for providing the families back in Afghanistan.

They are really working hard to get him.

One man and to borrow a line who is and to integrate into society and to make enough money to build their lives here and also support their families back in Afghanistan.

>> She said we know that it's important to have someone dedicated someone who is within the community, someone who understood the community.

And so we wanted to use a part of the funding to actually hire someone to be an actual navigator.

And it's the first time that we had a position of targeting a specific refugee population within city government.

>> I'm in constant communications with a couple of companies here in the city of Baldwin.

To connect Afghans to them so that they have reliable and we'll pay the employment.

>> Foreign born population increased by almost 87% within a 5 year period from 2011 to 2016.

You can see how quickly the demographics of the community can change and how we're serving a completely different group that we did not expect through refugee through that, you know, through the various geopolitical situations happening across the sometimes that we can't control out.

So we do know it will serve Ukrainians in the future or whether other populations.

We will have that.

We have become very diverse within a very short period of time.

>> And that last story tonight for decades, the pie, an airplane, house and end-all has performed plays the old fashion way outside and under the stars.

We take a look at this Kentucky landmark in our weekly Arts and culture segment tapestry.

>> 73 years ago, a Danville native returned from his service in World War 2 and began what has become a landmark tradition not only in his hometown, but for all of Kentucky.

>> My father has been Henson served in World War.

2 with the G I bill.

He went to New York City to study acting and then his father here in Danville, Kentucky, called him and he had a heart attack and he needed his awesome to come back and help with things.

So dad came back to Danville, Kentucky, and he said if I can't be on Broadway, I'm going to bring Broadway to the Bluegrass.

>> Evan Hansen went to work dreaming and designing a summer stage for theater goers to enjoy plays under the stars.

>> My father was a force of nature.

You know, we would watch him, you know, build a building.

He'd never built anything with blueprints.

He would come just draw design on a napkin and he would put up a board and start nailing all of this complex that you see around here.

Is a complex was created out of his passion for his dream.

In 1956.

>> His dreams would get a tremendous boost.

He convinced MGM's studios to bring a major film production to the Bluegrass State.

>> He heard that they wanted to film a movie called Raintree County.

It was meant to be the next gone with the wind.

>> Part of the film centered around a beautiful train station and GM would build and leave behind in Danville.

Hansen would quickly say the value of this building as a centerpiece for his new theater.

>> He dug a hole in the ground.

A huge haul to make an ampitheater and the rest is history.

The rest became this.

This amazing pioneer Playhouse.

>> But just as his father's health drew him back to Danville, Henson's failing health.

We call to his children.

>> The show must go on is in our DNA and the Hampton DNA.

>> 73 years ago with the family run business since that.

>> Are you all is nothing New York, the center of the other.

It is great to >> every summer Playhouse puts on a series of 5 place.

>> With laughter and applause telling the applicant.

Another tradition that has become a great attraction for play goers.

>> Is the opportunity to enjoy dinner and to mingle before the play.

>> We have patrons who have been coming back for years and they're so happy to see us.

They're like we just couldn't wait.

We couldn't wait to the playhouse opened again.

We couldn't wait to see you.

>> The Playhouse has attracted actors from around the country.

It is part of Hanson Stream that he paid forward to fulfill the dreams of others.

>> There have been hundreds, if not thousands of actors who come through these doors like John Travolta or Lee Majors are Bo Hopkins or Jim Varney.

But even as importantly, are many actors who have gone on to be teachers who have gone on to be better communicators in their work.

>> The way as the sun sets and the play begins, the dream big and 73 years ago comes to life.

It is a wonderfully and a wonderful tradition for all to enjoy it.

>> I Kentucky treasure indeed.

We hope you'll join us again tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central for more Kentucky edition where we inform connect and inspire.

We hope you subscribe to our weekly Kentucky Edition email newsletter and watch full episodes at KET Dot Org.

>> I hope to see you again tomorrow night.

In the meantime, take really good care and have a great night.

♪