♪ ♪ >> What we're not building one-bedroom and two-bedroom.

Units.

>> Small town and big city leaders say they have one problem in common.

>> We are here for the long haul.

2 years out from historic flooding.

Governor Beshear doubles down on his commitment to eastern Kentucky.

>> And made the Kentuckyian who's making Team USA Proud in Paris.

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

♪ ♪ Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Monday, July 29th, the start of a brand new week.

>> I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for joining us this evening.

Kentucky's housing market is short about 200,000 houses and rental units.

That's what the Kentucky Housing Corporation told state lawmakers last month today.

Local leaders of counties big and small describe what the housing shortage looks like in their communities.

Kentucky additions June Leffler has more in tonight's Legislative update.

>> The Blue Oval as Kay battery plants are bringing thousands of jobs and people to Hardin County.

Elizabeth Town's mayor says that growth is sending housing prices skyrocketing, causing the burden even in his own home.

>> I have a 24 year-old son that the handover Greg graduated 2 years ago and is now working sewing insurance for a farm here in Kentucky.

That's well known and he's doing a really good job.

But he's still living in my house because he's not married.

Doesn't have 2 incomes to go out with these interest rates and find something that's affordable that he can afford right now.

And so we need to tackle that problem because I need to free up some space in my house to you.

If you do understand that.

>> This isn't unique to Hardin County, elected leaders from communities of all sizes.

Tell Kentucky lawmakers they need more housing for everyone.

City officials say Louisville is so populous it doesn't have enough land to build out.

So it will have to build up.

>> If we don't add density to our city to our county, we will not be able to grow as a city.

We will not be able to grow the economy.

>> He's not talking about 17 story buildings full of people that need more services than we can provide.

But, you know, I live in the highlands in Louisville now.

So you might walk past a single family home and the home next door is a duplex in the home.

Next door is an apartment building and it makes for a beautifully diverse neighborhoods.

>> Rural counties might have the space but need infrastructure to support developers and eventually residents and specifically in Marshall County.

>> The areas where you would be able to do that, which would be outside the cities >> that that would allow that much development.

Unfortunately, we don't have.

>> The infrastructure there already.

A Boone County officials says everyone from folks on fixed incomes to college educated professionals struggle to find an affordable home.

>> What we found right away.

Do a great job of building 3 and four-bedroom, single-family houses.

But we're not building as one-bedroom and two-bedroom.

Units whether owner occupied or rental.

>> Federal housing vouchers do help some of the lowest income renters.

Some cities had ways to mandate landlords rent to tenants with these vouchers.

But this year, state lawmakers made those income discrimination bands illegal with the passage of House Bill.

18 for Kentucky edition of John Leffler.

>> Thank you.

June.

A separate task force set up to examine the state's largest school district also held its second meeting today.

Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Marty Pollio discussed teacher salaries and retention efforts.

Transportation issues and chronic absenteeism.

Republican State Representative James Tipton suggested there was more to teacher retention than just raising salaries.

>> Run into a someone.

New is a JCPS teacher on Saturday.

I see you ready for the school year.

She said I retired.

22 years man.

So as I'm talking to here, she didn't talk about Sarge, talked about discipline.

And I know that's a major issue.

That's probably I know you and I have talked about the difficulty that you have in finding that appropriate balance.

The discipline and also I'm not having the federal government come down on you.

We're seen a trend of decline in that which is very positive in nearly every single category of of discipline referral.

That does not mean that's not still an issue.

You there was an issue prior to COVID.

It's been exacerbated since COVID.

I think we're starting to balance out.

We're not seeing that but COVID impact that we did maybe 18 to 24 months ago.

>> But there is no doubt it is a challenge has been a challenge for my entire.

>> The 30 year career, which is the balance between high standards for student behavior and expectations of students.

While at the same time making sure students are in school so that they can learn while at the same time having face scrutiny from a variety of various educational groups, both federal and state as to whether we are disproportionately impacting certain student groups.

And so, you know, I I say that one of my biggest challenge is or frustrations that I have in my career is on the one hand, I can be told we're under disciplining students by not disciplining enough.

While the next day I can be in a meeting with a federal group or even a state group who says we're over disciplining students.

And it's just a real challenge and a frustration for me.

>> Today, the task force also heard about new literacy and math efforts recently implemented by JCPS.

The task force includes lawmakers, JCPS educators and parents, a teacher union representative, a Louisville City Council member and a school choice advocate they have until December.

1st to submit a report to legislative leadership.

K through 12 education is the focus of our discussion on Kentucky tonight this evening.

One of the guests will be Kentucky's new education commissioner Doctor Robbie Fletcher.

Be sure to catch our conversation and send in your questions and comments.

That's tonight at 8 Eastern 7 central right here on KET.

The general election is 99 days away.

Today we're learning more about who will be speaking at this weekend's Fancy Farm political picnic in western Kentucky, which is considered the official kickoff of fall campaigning in Kentucky, former Attorney General Daniel Cameron is set to speak on behalf of former President Donald Trump's campaign.

That's according to the picnics political Chairman Stephen Elder, Trump endorsed Cameron and his bid to become Kentucky governor last year.

As we've reported, Governor Andy Beshear and Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman will not be speaking.

We've yet to hear from U.S.

Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul Fancy Farm is this Saturday and you can see the political speaking event live beginning at 2.30, Eastern one, 30 central right here on KET on the heels of the Republican National Convention today.

We're continuing our conversation with RNC treasurer Casey Crosby last week.

She told me why she thinks former President Donald Trump deserves a second term.

She also dispelled some rumors about what's become known as project 2025.

I I talked to my friends and my family alone.

You go to the grocery store.

>> You're hit with bidenomics its grocery prices are out the roof, the border.

I mean, it's just goes on and on.

under President Trump, I can tell you myself, and I think most of my friends would agree their lives are much better under President Trump President.

See then they happen for the past 4 years and lets people vote with pocket book issues at the end of the day, that's what they care about.

They care about their families.

One of the things in this is my final questions has been a topic of discussion that's project 2025.

>> That is a 900 brief, if you will, or a playbook or guidebook for what a possible second Trump administration would look like.

Is that the case and does Donald J Trump?

Standby project 2025.

I think he's publicly disavow that.

Now.

I've heard him on several different media outlets disavowing that.

He has not read it.

He really does not know who's behind it.

And so, no, I mean, last week we talked about the energy that we had at the Republican National Committee.

We place pass a platform.

>> That is what our party stands for.

President Trump was very involved with that.

And I think if you want to look to what policies he supports, look at the Republican Party platform.

I'm not some project 2025 that he has publicly come out and said he does not support or endorse.

Casey Crosby was one of our guests on last weekend's our Friday segment of inside Kentucky politics.

You can see that conversation online on demand.

>> At KET DOT Org.

2 years ago.

Strong and heavy flood waters tore through communities in eastern Kentucky, destroying homes and taking the lives of 45 people as the waters receded, it quickly became apparent that Appalachian Kentucky needed more housing.

Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, who was reportedly in the running to be Vice President Kamala Harris, his running mate visited for hard-hit counties last week saying at his first stop, quote, no matter what role I'm in, I'm going to be here.

Here's more from Kentucky additions, Clayton Dalton.

♪ >> Andy Beshear travel throughout Eastern Kentucky last Friday to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the 2022 floods.

His first stop was Floyd County with the Appalachia Service project where he gave 11 families the keys to their newly built homes this year also offered a glimpse of what's next.

>> We're not done across eastern Kentucky right now.

We have high ground projects that are going to build at least 500 homes that were working through.

And we believe thousands.

In addition to that, I'm going to go from here to visit Chestnut Ridge in Knott County to look at all the work that's being done on an ounce today that we've closed on 100 acres on that site.

So we're going to be able to start building homes here in the fall and in the winter.

We're also going to be an SkyView in Perry County or completing a 1 million Dollar Access Road.

The next step is a 12.7 million dollar construction phase will build streets, build foundation for houses and put the finishing touch on the main road.

I think you're going to see houses coming up in Perry County this year and then we're going to be in Breathitt County where the mayor and the judge of work to find every piece of ground that we can to support as many homes for folks that were impacted not just in 2022, they were hit by terrible flooding in 2021 as well.

So we are here for the long haul.

>> Jackie Bradley, a resident of Floyd County, lost her home in the flood 2 years ago.

>> My grandson, my was set on my son's porch and he said, grading look at your house.

He said it looks like it because it's the Wizard of Oz.

>> All right.

I'm Scott from Oracle.

>> But on Friday she got the keys to her new home.

>> I'm so thankful for this and they've done a good job.

It's beautiful on the inside.

>> I am looking to have peace and quiet.

And enjoy life.

Our 70 years old and it's time for me to have some peace and quiet.

>> It's the celebration.

There was also sadness as communities like Hindman in Knott County.

Remember those who died in the floods?

Now, 2 years ago, I stood with just Dobson.

It's become a friend of mine and a property not far from here.

But children have been swept away.

The house was gone.

The plastic swing.

Was all that remained hanging from a tree.

I remember the pain.

As we sat there and we prayed for that family.

And we pray for a better day that would come for this community.

This county and the city.

>> It was they have that in my heart.

You know, I love all these people into my job.

I'm 81 to about once what to your assailant.

my heart wrote.

And then we hear to pay full price and why so the children?

My heart was melt.

And the all this devastation that we were not used to this.

He'll serve to steal who always remember.

That will happen.

>> For Kentucky edition.

I'm Clayton Dalton.

Thank you, Clayton.

>> Eastern Kentucky counties are among the top 10 in the country with the most natural disasters.

That's according to a new report from rebuild by design, which tracked data from FEMA between 2011 2023.

We spoke to one of the authors of the Atlas of Disaster and Accountability Report who says while natural disasters can be prevented, there is a lot that can be done to lessen the devastation.

>> But the data looks at it's basically 2 things.

One is the occurrence of major disaster declarations.

The and we only looked at the very, very, very worst.

So these are the major disaster declarations altogether from 2011 to 2023, Kentucky experienced 20 different federal disaster declarations for major storms.

Kentucky is way above the national average.

The national average for counties with 3 disasters and Kentucky had 5.8.

Kentucky has experienced a huge spot of climate disasters from severe storms and flooding and landslides that tend to be the ones that are more frequently, 2 tornadoes and winds and severe winter storms that tend to be less >> the second thing that we look that 2 types of assistance that happens only after disaster.

One is public assistance and the other one is.

Hazard mitigation.

We looked at a number of different public assistance, which was 944 million dollars.

And that's the funds that come to a community after disaster.

Then there's another type of come after disaster, not called Hazard mitigation.

And there's that 47 million dollars of hazard mitigation and that to help communities think about preparing for the next disaster.

And Kentucky has gotten almost 400 million dollars of community development block grant disaster recovery funds and total for Kentucky.

You've got about 1.4 billion dollars between 2011 and 2023.

But rebuild by design is calling for.

Is that a majority of the federal funding get pushed from post disaster funding to pre-disaster mitigation.

There's so much you can do from the individuals get to the communities go so on.

The individual Scout, for instance.

>> The government can help but strengthening your building.

Codes are coming up with incentives are the ways that you can make sure that your your roof is on better.

You know that it's made with better materials that won't come off after a storm.

And then on the street level, you can start thinking about poor surfaces like how do we make sure that our communities are green and that there's space for the water?

>> To come into the land?

Hello there in order for the sewer system to hold up after a storm.

There's so much we can do and our message is really about having these conversations now.

>> We wanted to show that whether you're in an urban place or girl place, you're experiencing the same disasters.

And it's time that we start working together.

>> To see where your county ranks when it comes to natural disasters go to rebuild by design, dot org.

♪ We all know it.

Kentucky is a beautiful state with lots to offer but making sure that message is conveyed well can be a tough job.

I recently sat down with Lindy case Pier with Kentucky's tourism, arts and heritage Cabinet to talk about the economic impact of tourism, which is big and a major milestone for Kentucky State parks.

>> Well, Secretary case, theres good to see you.

Thank you so much.

Yes, happy summer.

It's a busy summer summer.

It is.

And it's a big anniversary for the state parks is and it's our 100 here.

Yeah, we've been celebrating since January.

We kicked off the year with Solace House our poll or in doing writers workshop.

He did that in January.

another one in April is going to do yet another one at Lake Barkley and the in November.

And then after he did those.

>> 3 year committed just 3.

Then I'm Frank X Walker and Crystal will consider how cold we were writers day.

And I said, hey, would you all do some workshops?

So they're going to go to General Butler in December.

So you're just plucking all the poet laureate >> It's been great because as you know, yeah, he's he's great.

A segment on parks is a man of our park system.

Then and as everyone should be and once they found out they, they become that.

You know, I tell you that story that we did with him do anything that would make that better if they would have been a right?

I mean, because you could just tell how much that had really nurtured his creativity that been connected to Cumberland Falls in that way.

I mean, it was so often to KET if you hadn't been, you definitely want to go after you saw him talk about it.

>> Well, that night after hit after his workshop, we we all walked down there and, you know, he had his dog party with him but walking to and soon issue before you even get to the path.

As soon as you hear the falls, yes, just the sense of calm just comes over you and that's just one of the many things that people find it at the state parks that that it's why they KET coming back.

>> I think they are Kentucky's a secret jewel and jam these.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

I think people just don't know enough about them and why and how is that trying to change perhaps at the centennial anniversary?

>> Well, work.

We're trying change that and let people know.

But when you go to the parks, I mean, in the parking lot, you can see license plates from Canada and every state in the union, you know, and and the parks are well kept secret.

But but since I've been in this position, I found out from so many people just how much they do love our parks.

And and we're just going to try to ramp up that message and and let people know and and and share that with them.

And and what if the other thing Sabin with tourism?

Because we have so much folks that come here.

So many folks to come here for horses and bourbon.

But when they get here, they find out that it's so much more.

Yeah.

Park system is one of the things they discover.

Yeah.

>> How many state parks and we know there's renovations happening to many of them.

There's there's 44 state parks are 17 resort lodge is we have some of the best golf courses in the country.

There are renovations.

The appropriated in the governor supported does renovations and and we we need them desperately.

We will be going back for more because some of those renovations are on HVAC.

And and >> Wiring things you can't see and folks want to see, you know, new betting they want to see the lands.

They want to see cosmetic changes as well.

And we're working on that.

You also want air.

It's 95 heat in the winter.

That's exactly right.

Well, we look forward to more is is is you celebrate?

You know, we say around here you celebrate an anniversary for 3 years.

that that will certainly be a large part of what we see coming out of the cabinet.

But there's so much more that the cabinet does right.

I mean, the state parks is one thing, but there are programs that people probably don't connect to.

You.

>> Well, we say with a fine cabinet, you know, and I just had to buy up a second because we got ahead of myself with the post story.

But we had a big celebration on Capitals estate it's at the old state Capitol in July.

1st.

And the governor spoke and Commissioner Meyer and I spoke, but it was just and it was the prettiest day of the summer.

It was acting so fitting, but so much of what's within our Cabinet.

You know, the Kentucky Horse Park, the Heritage Council, the History Center, which is such a jewel for our state governor School for the arts over 1000 in our governor's school for the Arts and when I leave here, that's where I'm headed a day.

But I'm just life changing.

Transformative experience for for those young artists that come to G S a Department of tourism You know, it's the governor announced in June.

Over 13 billion dollar economic impact in from the tourism industry in Kentucky over 95,000 jobs.

I mean, those are clean, creative industry jobs.

And it's it's just a very exciting what's happening and tourism.

>> I've got a lot of close friends who are in tourism and I often maybe Im see some of their events and now is asking, do you think that policymakers really understand how crucial tourism is to the overall economic development of the state?

And what's the case that you're making right, that it's we're supporting and and financially in other ways.

Do you think that the General Assembly now completely understands 13 billion dollar economic impact of 95,095 1000 jobs?

That's nothing to sneeze at its not.

It's not.

And so much of.

>> What I just mentioned is within our cabinet.

Those lend themselves to those jobs.

You know, folks and that working in the arts and and creative industries, it's it all as part of of those jobs to create an over 95,000 tourism.

And and that's why people come to Kentucky.

They want and often when they come for bourbon and horses, then they decide they day they explore and discover.

There's so much Yeah.

And and because Kentucky is so unique and anybody that ever comes here loves it, falls in love and they are not just a one-time visitor.

>> We do have to give a shout out to the local tourism directors, right?

Who do only yeoman's work in helping to elevate the profile of their communities.

Absolutely.

It's another anniversary this year.

It's a 45th anniversary of our Main Street which Mr.

Absolutely.

That the heartbeat of those local communities in and that's where people come and they get an authentic experience with the charm and the ambiance of the main streets and that the restaurants and the shops and everything that you know, that they have to explore their.

Yeah.

Yeah.

>> Anything else you care, dad, secretary?

>> Well, if if anybody is not discovered a state park during the season, if we have any vacancies, please, please try to get in to see a state park and and explore Kentucky because it's it's absolutely a a it's it's it's our new Kentucky home.

And and we're working every day and the governor's working every day to make sure that if we leave a strong legacy for the future, when when we finish this administration and its, there's a lot to be proud of.

Yeah, absolutely.

With.

Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

We appreciate it.

Thank you.

♪ ♪ ♪ >> In sports news, a Lexington native is once again bringing home the gold for Team USA defending champ Lee Kiefer defeated her American teammate in foil fencing at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris yesterday earning her a second gold medal.

The four-time Olympian is a graduate of the University of Kentucky in 2017, she became the first American woman to earn the number one ranking and foil fencing.

Congrats to her.

A Fancy Farm picnic without political speeches and camping out for the king.

Our to begin says a look at some of the events that happened this week in Kentucky.

History.

♪ >> Kentucky was part of the first U.S. census with work beginning August for 17, 90, it was 2 years before Kentucky became a state in the census would reveal Kentucky had a population of about 73,000, about 12,000 of those were enslaved people.

The first fancy Farm picnic was July 31st.

18, 80 in Graves County.

It was described in a local newspaper is a barn dance and pick next.

The political speeches wouldn't begin until 1931.

>> Happy birthday.

The legendary White House reporter Helen Thomas born in Winchester on 8/4/1920, Thomas became White House correspondent for United Press International and covered every president from John F Kennedy to Barack Obama.

He died in 2013.

Also happy birthday to the Lexington Legends.

Baseball team organized 8/3/2008 would begin play next season.

The Baseball Hall of Fame inducted former be happy.

Chandler on August.

First 1982, Chandler had been baseball commissioner from 1945.

To 1950 and was commissioner in 1947. as Jackie Robinson integrated in the major leagues.

On July.

29 1977.

65 Elvis.

Presley fans began camping out for tickets to his plan to Rupp Arena concert on August 23rd.

But they didn't get to see him and died on August 16.

2.

And that's a look back at this week.

And Kentucky history, I tell begins.

>> As always, thank you.

Toby Gibbs got to do it for us tonight, but we hope to see you right back here again tomorrow at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central for Kentucky Edition.

We inform connect and inspire.

Check out all the ways that you can check in with boss on Facebook, X and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Thanks so much for watching.

Take really good care and I'll see you tomorrow night.

♪