Why this candidate for the Kentucky State House would make history if elected.

The big challenges retaining the nurses we have while building a pipeline of nurses.

Why many Kentucky hospitals are hanging the help wanted sign.

And we're not in full blown drought, but we're getting dry.

Summer isn't officially here, but for many Kentuckians, it sure feels like it.

And once I started doing it more, I became more comfortable and more exciting to do.

And now she's headed to state the young athlete who's not letting anything stop her from reaching her goals.

Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET Endowment for Kentucky Productions, the Leonard Press Endowment for Public Affairs, and the KET Millennium Fund.

Good evening and welcome to Kentucky Edition on this Friday, June 2nd.

We made it to the weekend.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for starting it off with us.

Breaking news from the horse racing world.

Churchill Downs and Louisville will move races for the rest of the current spring summer meet to Alice Park in Henderson, which is in western Kentucky.

That's according to the Horse Race Nation website.

This after the deaths of 12 horses at Churchill Downs since April 27th and an inspection of the track races at Churchill will continue this weekend.

Then the races will move to Alice Park sometime late next week.

The current meet ends July 3rd.

And politics now.

A new poll shows the governor's race tied with both Governor Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron, the Republican at 47% with 7% undecided.

The poll is from Signal, a polling firm that works for Republican candidates.

The same poll shows Republican Russell Coleman ten points ahead of Democrat Pamela Stephenson in the race for Kentucky attorney general.

39 to 29%, with about a third of voters undecided.

Emma Curtis Lexington will try to become the first transgender representative in the Kentucky General Assembly.

Curtis is a candidate for the 93rd state House seat that's now vacant after the death of State Representative Lamine Swann.

The special election to fill the seat is November 7th, the same day as the general election for governor and other statewide constitutional offices.

Curtis was one of the leading protesters against Senate Bill 150, the sweeping Anti-transgender bill passed by state lawmakers earlier this year.

It's not a certainty that Curtis will be the Democratic nominee.

Nominees for special elections are picked by the parties, not by primary voters.

It looks like the U.S. will not default on its debt.

The U.S. Senate passed a bill last night to raise the debt ceiling.

The vote was 63 to 36.

Among Kentucky's U.S. senators, Mitch McConnell voted yes to the bill, while Senator Rand Paul voted no.

The vote comes one day after the U.S. House had endorsed the deal.

The vote there was 314 to 117 with all six members of the Kentucky delegation supporting the bill.

Last year, the Kentucky Hospital Association reported a need for over 13,000 nurses.

While many organizations and state leaders work to solve this crisis, Kentucky's nursing shortage continues.

So where are we now and what still needs to be done?

We spoke to leaders at the Kentucky Nurses Association to find out this as we start our month long look at how businesses and industries in the state are trying to get and keep people on the job.

It doesn't matter how many beds a hospital has if there are not enough professionals to staff them.

The Kentucky Hospital Association's report in October of 2022 listed that 13,000 nurses were needed in hospitals.

That's just hospitals.

That doesn't look at any of the other places where nurses work.

We're looking at being closer to 20,000 nurses.

The nursing shortage is nationwide.

It is even worldwide.

We don't have enough nurses to care for patients.

The big challenges retaining the nurses we have while building a pipeline of nurses.

Nurses are frustrated.

Nurses are tired.

Nurses are getting older.

Retaining nurses must be a priority.

Some of the things that the American Nurses Association has done, as well as the Kentucky Nurses Association, is to focus on healthy nurse Healthy Nation, which focuses on mental health, exercise, dietary and that type of support.

The CNA has a program called Kentucky Nurses Helping Nurses, and within that are webinars to teach you how to do stress reduction, how to meditate, other things that you can do to help raise yourself up from the stress that you're feeling on a day to day basis.

I also have heard from different organizations that they've done things like a Lavender Road where a nurse may be experiencing stress at the moment and they just need a break and they'll just they'll call a code lavender.

They go to the lavender room, somebody covers their patients, they do their stressors.

They resolve to where they can go back and work and they go back.

That's the lavender.

That's a code lavender, and it works.

The other issue is education.

We don't have the schools of nursing and the faculty in the schools of nursing to actually produce those good nurses that we need.

If we don't have faculty, we cannot admit nursing students.

It's impossible.

Students cannot teach themselves.

We also need ways to start the recruiting for nurses earlier.

People don't really understand what nurses do.

Nursing is not just hospital nursing.

It is a broad spectrum of jobs.

We are scientists, we're researchers.

We are business people.

There's a million things you can do.

You have to be honest, it's a hard job.

Anything in nursing is a hard job.

But it's a great opportunity for any person to have a career and a career they can build on.

Bill Hayden says that the need for nurses is seen across the board in Kentucky with the state's metropolitan areas and nearly the same amount of need as it is in rural areas.

AMWU women Surgical Center is selling its downtown Louisville building, according to the Kentucky Lantern.

It was one of the last two abortion providers in Kentucky last year after the US Supreme Court overturn Roe versus Wade.

The Kentucky General Assembly stopped virtually all abortions in Kentucky.

The building's co-owner on a marshall says AMW remains committed to restoring abortion access.

Planned Parenthood remains open in Louisville, providing health services.

Other than abortion.

Last night, Davis County leaders voted for a new budget that cuts county funding for the Owensboro River Park Center.

Western Kentucky University Public Radio reports the center hosted drag shows for audiences 21 years old and up.

The center's executive director says the shows will continue and that the center is abiding by state law and not promoting anything indecent or obscene.

Time now for our Inside Kentucky Politics segment, where we dissect some of the big political news of the week in Kentucky and beyond.

And we have a dynamic duo with us today on this Friday.

On the left side of your screen, you see well, Kali, who is a Democratic strategist and founder and president of Alpine Strategies.

And on screen right is Republican strategist Iris Wilber Glick, a Principal McCarthy Strategic Solutions, which is a bipartisan government relations firm.

Good to have you both.

Hi, Renee.

So let's talk about the governor's race.

This is the gift that keeps on giving.

We thought we'd be through talking about that for a little bit after the primary.

But in Kentucky, you know, we just can't help ourselves.

So there was a poll that came out today.

And Iris, I will let you explain from whence this poll originates, the group.

But it has Republican challenger Daniel Cameron and Governor Andy Beshear, the Democrat, in a statistical dead heat.

Talk to us about this poll.

This poll, which, you know, the pollster know they have a great reputation.

Historically, quite accurate methodology is fair.

And so right now, what we're seeing a snapshot towards the end of May is that, you know, Cameron Beshear, it is a dead heat.

You know, the remaining voters that that are undecided at this time, you do not have a strong approval of the sitting incumbent president Joe Biden.

And so opportunities there for Republicans to to connect with those voters on issues that that really resonate here at home.

So I know that there can sometimes be some tension between, you know, trying to nationalize a gubernatorial race.

But no matter what with the proximity to the 24 cycle, nationalize in this race is inevitable.

We'll see quite a bit of money spent in and out of the state to talk about issues that impact voters everywhere.

And Kentucky voters will be tuning in.

And so the opportunity is there for General Cameron to connect with those voters, identify some contrast between Beshear, Biden and himself.

And so that's what the camera campaign will be banking on, is to identify those voters who are undecided or categorize as swing and bring them on.

And based on his message, his vision on resonating with Kentucky values.

Well, well, we know that.

And this poll which signal which is a Republican pollster, had have them at 47% each, Daniel Cameron and the incumbent Andy Beshear, 7% of voters saying they are undecided.

And so you can speak to that.

Whether or not this is a legitimate independent poll and how much stock Democrats put into it.

And also comment on nationalizing this race, connecting the governor to President Biden.

So when I think about this poll, I think it shows that Daniel Cameron's in real trouble, because even though Republican pollster says if we nationalize this race, meaning if we start talking about somebody that isn't the governor of Kentucky that Governor Bashir doesn't always agree with on every issue that, you know, has been, you know, not doing the governing here, If we talk about that person, then maybe Daniel Cameron can win.

And that's because Daniel Cameron doesn't have a record of accomplishment to run on.

So they're going to try as hard as they can to to tie Governor Beshear to the National Democratic Party.

We've seen the ad of Governor Andy Beshear and we know that there is a group getting in the game on behalf of Daniel Cameron, and he is going to be appearing doing some stops on Friday, starting Friday and through the weekend.

Iris, to really jump start his general election campaign will not only see allies such as the various, you know, governors, associations, party apparatus, those type entities, but yes, we'll see some outside groups spend some money and so so expect to be blitzed.

Radio, TV, digital, you name it, maybe even some mail.

At this point, we'll probably experience unprecedented type spending in an off year gubernatorial race here in Kentucky just because of a lots of interest home and far regarding particularly Kentucky to to to indicate what Republican trends there are as Kentucky continues to trend trend red regarding registration.

You know, there is a lot of positives here for Republicans to pick up on regarding some of the ad spend that we're already seeing.

I mean, Daniel Cameron has already experienced four months of significant voting spend to try to diminish his record, his vision.

And he has been able to prevail over all of that.

The party is more unified, more than ever, that showed in the results on primary election night.

And yes, General Cameron is is hitting the road, taking the message straight to voters the next several days and obviously taking advantage of the summer months with festivals, parades, holidays, you name it.

So we'll see Daniel crisscrossing the state.

BROWN For for probably the next receivable weeks here Governor has already started he did what, 12 or 13 stops right after the primary and has an ad already up kind of defining for folks who he is, what he's accomplished.

Can you I guess this is one point you and Iris can agree on, is it it's going to be a lot of money put into this race this year?

Absolutely.

It's going to be probably one of the most expensive races in Kentucky gubernatorial history.

Governor Bashir obviously had a very aggressive tour right after the primary election.

Visit a lot of places, started to build what we think will be the largest organized organizing campaign in Kentucky history.

Definitely for our party.

We have a robust game plan to continue to have a conversation with Kentucky voters about Governor Bashir's record of success for Kentuckians.

And I just want to point out that Iris had made a really interesting point about, you know, Daniel Cameron's had four months of attack ads.

Let's remember, those were Republicans attacking him.

That was not the DGA or outside Democratic groups or Governor Bashir's campaign.

These were Republicans actually attacking another Republican for over four months with almost $11 million, I believe, spent against him.

And I'll make another point here.

I heard also that there was unity within this Republican Party, but there has not been a unity rally yet.

We saw a very strange ad from Kelly Kraft recently, an online ad about stay tuned about what's next.

But I have yet to see, you know, the Quarrels campaign and the craft campaign and Cameron all come together to say that, you know, the party is unified.

And in a Mason-Dixon poll previously, 41% of Republicans were actually in approval and saying they were going to vote for Governor Beshear.

So I think the Republican Party's actually kind of fractured and splintered, number one, because of that party, that very intense primary, but also because of the great work Governor Beshear has done.

And he hasn't given them a reason to vote for anyone else.

Well, we'll have to leave it there, unfortunately, because it was getting good.

But we thank you for your time.

Well, Carly and Iris Wilber, we appreciate you so much.

Have a great weekend.

Thank you so much, Renee.

Rainy weather isn't always welcome once the polls open and summer activities kick off, but the latest U.S. drought monitor map shows the dry weather is beginning to take a toll on Kentucky.

Kate Christy Dutton talks with a climate expert about the latest drought status.

Much of the state is starting to feel the impacts from the lack of rainfall.

The U.S. drought monitor has just placed parts of Kentucky in the abnormally dry category.

Shane Holland from the Kentucky Metronet and Climate Center joins us now.

Shane, how are you?

I'm doing great, Christy.

How are you?

I'm doing good.

Okay.

So abnormally dry.

We have a good portion of central Kentucky, northern Kentucky, even western Kentucky in this abnormally dry category.

So what does that mean?

Well, basically, it means that we're not in full blown drought, but we're getting dry lawns, gardens, fields are getting pretty thirsty.

Parts of the Commonwealth did not receive much more than an inch and a half to two inches worth of rainfall during the month of May.

And we're now getting to the time of year where because the sun is so strong with the sun and also high temperatures getting warmer, we see more evaporation taking place and we also see more evapotranspiration taking place from the plants, from the vegetation and such.

And that dries it out very quickly.

And so if we go many days that widespread organized rainfall and that's been the case now for much of the state, things are going to gravitate toward drought.

And that's where we stand right now as we head into the month of June.

And with that summer sun, you mention that how things dry out.

But also we've been seeing some above normal temperatures, too.

What impact does that have?

Well, we see many days of temperatures in the upper eighties and into the nineties and no rain that's going to exacerbate drought conditions.

And I think what we're going to see as we head into next week is probable expansion of what we call D zero or abnormally dry conditions across portions of the Commonwealth.

And one reason I say that is because of a massive ridge of high pressure which is built in over the Ohio Valley up to the Great Lakes.

It's a blocking high.

What that means is that it's hard for organized storm systems like frontal systems to make their way into Kentucky to provide us with the widespread rainfall that the state could really use.

I know eastern parts of Kentucky got in on a decent amount of rain, a two inches plus in some cases over in Pine County from a system that moved through on Memorial weekend.

We could use something like that across the rest of the state.

But unfortunately, we're not seeing another system of that type coming our way any time soon.

So with really no relief in sight here, what does this mean for the average person?

How are we feeling the effects?

Water usage is going to go up, but a lot of us, if we have gardens, we're going to be using those sprinklers, using those hoses to water the plants, water the crops and things for the next week at least.

So it looks like this pattern is are going to give way.

We could use something like a tropical system to work its way northward into Kentucky.

There's actually one in the Gulf of Mexico right now with a high chance of developing into a named entity or tropical cyclone.

And a lot of times in years past, we've seen those systems work their way northward into Kentucky with the remnants dumping a lot of rain over the commonwealth.

But unfortunately, it looks like this system is not going to be moving northward.

If anything, it may actually drift southward.

So that does not bode well for widespread rainfall chances for the commonwealth.

All right.

Well, I guess we'll just keep watering the lawns, watering the gardens, then.

All right.

Thank you so much for being here, Jane, and for explaining that US drought monitor to us.

Thank you so much, Christy.

Thank you, Christy.

So far, the lack of rainfall hasn't had major impacts on the growing season, but that could change with persistent dry weather sticking around in the forecast.

Schools out for the summer, but some high school sports continue with state championships.

That includes track and field where one young athlete isn't letting physical challenges keep her from the competition.

Our Laura Rogers has more.

13 year old Kaylie Richards may get around on two wheels.

So I set a school record and then I beat it myself.

But she doesn't let it stop her from going the distance and track and field.

Who I am.

I don't stop doing what I'm doing.

Richards will compete at the state track and field meet this weekend after an impressive showing at regionals in first place.

Greenwood.

She threw a new personal best in the adaptive discus by nine feet, which is a huge improvement on such a big stage.

And then in the shot put, she threw a personal best over 11 feet.

Since introducing her to the sport.

Leathers has pushed Kaylie to set and beat her own record.

Kelly started with Shotput and it was nine nine in the beginning.

He first wanted her.

I want you to hit eight feet.

She hit that, and I was.

I want you to do nine feet.

She hit nine.

And he was like, I want you to do ten feet.

This is the first year HSA has offered adaptive discus Leavitt's.

It was also a Parks and Recreation employee says he is seeing more interest in adaptive sports.

I think we're going to continue to see those opportunities grow because there's just a lot of people who recognize sports and recreation as something that's important to quality of life.

Though now excelling at the sport, Kayleigh wasn't so sure at first about participating.

Kayla is always kind of had that wall at the beginning of an activity, but as long as you coach and push her through, that determination kicks in and you can't really stop her.

Kayla has spina bifida.

She just wrapped up her seventh grade year of middle school but is already competing with Greenwood High School.

She's just really excelled and shown a lot of enthusiasm to learn, which is going to be great.

You know, she'll be able to do this for the next five years all the way until she graduates from high school.

She wants to be a role model for other kids.

Think more kids like me should try stuff because it doesn't seem like you can do it.

But once you get out there and try, you can actually do it.

Like you may not be going as far as someone like.

I don't want to say normal because no one's normal, but like someone not with a disability, you may not be throwing as far as them, but you're still doing your best even just to go and do this and adapt to this and show, hey, you know, kids like me can do this.

So very, very proud.

For Kentucky Edition.

When we focus on somebody's abilities and not their disabilities, we give them every opportunity to succeed.

I'm Laura Rogers.

Good for her.

The state track and field championships are underway now at the University of Kentucky.

Kaylie will compete in her events tomorrow.

The School for the Creative and Performing Arts, or Scapa, is a program in Lexington that allows students the opportunity to grow and develop their talents in different areas of art.

Colton Ryan is a proud Scapa alum who's now starring in the new Broadway musical New York New York, which earned him a Tony nomination for best leading actor in a musical.

I recently talked to him about his upbringing and the huge role that Scapa is playing to get him to Broadway.

To be blunt, the theater saved my life when I was a kid.

You know, it built me up.

And I know that I think about Scamp all the time, because when I was a young man, you know, I'm a very disciplined person, but, you know, but I do this for a living.

So as you can imagine, the way my mind worked as a child, it doesn't always fit all the boxes and and the ones who recognize that were my, my teachers, etc.. Mr. THOMAS.

Ms.. Lobb.

Mr. Marsh, this is great, great educators, arts educators who knew that really you can you can find the goodness in any child from any place.

It's they're going to see it in you, especially when you when you teach in the arts.

You learn a lot about yourself that way.

And so I reflect on it quite a bit because, frankly, I know how still even in this landscape, how much of a miracle it is that even Scapa just exists.

And I think it should be a right for all children.

I think it is the reason I am here today.

It's not even just as that man on the stage, but as the man I am in life who I am now, currently at this moment terribly proud of.

So yeah, I couldn't be without it.

Well, I'm terribly proud of you.

Not even knowing you're just having.

You've said that the fact that the power of the arts can do so much to heal what ails us.

Really?

You know who we are, what we are, and what we what we think people should think of us like.

It reconciles all those things in a way I think about especially currently, the way the world is, is head and what we what we're handing to young people.

You know, all I know is the arts have never hurt a soul.

It's only built them.

And for that reason I just think I feel like I am so proud to be of my upbringing in Kentucky because of that, not in spite of it.

Well, you can see more of that heartfelt conversation with Broadway actor Colton Ryan on Connections this Sunday on Katie.

We talk about how he first got into theater, the move from the bluegrass to Broadway, and his current show, which earned him a Tony nomination for best leading actor in a musical.

And I also talked to Willie Carver, the 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year and author of Gay Poems for Red States.

He talks about his identity as a gay man and the relationships that formed him in Appalachia.

All this on Connections this Sunday at 12 noon Eastern, 11 a.m. Central right here on KCET.

Some summer like weather is on the way this weekend.

Hooray!

It's a good time to enjoy music, art and nature Kentucky style.

Our Toby Gibbs has a few ideas and this look at what's happening around the Commonwealth.

The first ever Appalachian Art and Music festival is tonight at the McCreary County Public Library in Whitley City.

Enjoy live music from Uncle Edsel while you learn from countless demonstrations, including ones for soap, making, water coloring, stained glass, making corn, shuck dolls making and so much more.

Release your inner adventurer during the Shawnee Outdoor Adventure Day in Louisville this Saturday.

Try your hand at all kinds of nature activities such as hiking, fishing, biking, climbing and archery, fun for all ages and all skill levels.

This is one event you don't want to miss.

Celebrate the best of Southern Kentucky's food, entertainment and beautiful landscape during Duncan Hines day in Bowling Green Running all next week.

This event revives an old tradition to celebrate Kentucky's culinary adventure and entertainment scenes in a fresh, new way.

So come on out to eat well and live well.

To kick off this summer season.

This Saturday, during the downtown Henderson Porch Fest.

Grab a chair, blanket your dancing shoes and come on out for an evening of live local music, food, trucks and dancing in the street.

Happening on the first Saturday of every summer month.

The cruise and craft show is back in McKee this Saturday, hosted by Backroads of Appalachia.

This event features creative vendors and cool cars for an exciting evening for the whole family, and that's what's happening around the Commonwealth.

I'm Toby Gibbs.

Thank you, as always.

Toby Gibbs.

And that'll do it for us tonight.

We hope to see you again Monday night at 630 Eastern, 530 Central for Kentucky Edition, where we inform Connect and Inspire.

I'm Rene Shaw.

Thank you so much for being with us this week.

And I will see you next week.

Have a great weekend and take good care.