For the people of Millersburg.

These were more than just Millersburg native talks about seeing his childhood go up in smoke.

>> You never know if you do give kids an opportunity.

How do they know something for the moment?

>> Not everyone in the horse capital gets to spend time with horses.

One program is helping to change that.

>> It might have been the hardest thing that I've done my entire life until I physically and emotionally.

>> And a bowling Green chef shows off his skills on national television.

Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the Kaye E T and Aument for Kentucky Productions.

Leonard Press Endowment for Public Affairs and the Kaye E Team Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ >> Good evening.

Welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Thursday, June 23rd.

I'm your host Renee Shaw.

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

It was a painful sight for the people of Millersburg and Bourbon County as fire claimed for historic buildings in the downtown area, including one that dated back to the 19th century.

The Bourbon County Sheriff's Office told the Lexington Herald-Leader the fire began in one building, then spread to 3 others, including one with apartments.

No one was hurt.

We spoke to Lenny Braddock, a former Lexington TV reporter who grew up in Millersburg.

He lived near the fire scene and talked about how much those buildings meant to him and other people in Millersburg.

>> One of that that burned was the pool room where I hit a lot we'll time that we like to say it was a it had an arcade to that pool tables and has been hours and hours and hours and that in that particular building.

>> But playing gold playing video games in the in the 80's and 90's.

The post office was like a rite of passage when you were old enough to figure out how to work.

The combination on your post office box where everybody got their mail.

There was a huge deal and it was air condition.

Millersburg was on.

To have its major historic buildings starting to come back to maybe have some businesses in them and, you know, show off the downtown.

There's been a lot of revitalization going on in millersburg with mustard seed hill and there is other ventures and to have these truly historic buildings just destroy.

It is really sick and units.

>> You know, as I'm watching the video last night, I was just sick to my stomach.

It.

I have tears right now thinking about it.

Just watching my childhood burned to the ground.

In a town of less than 1000 people.

You truly do know everyone.

And so when you see your volunteer fire department now there in 97 degree heat trying to save their historic buildings on Main Street.

You try to do anything you can do to help them.

So there was a apparently a huge outpouring of people just.

Even local businesses providing water and food.

The place to cool off.

And that is that a >> The cause of the fire is still unknown.

The Herald-Leader reports state police are involved in the investigation.

>> Governor Andy Beshear says Kentucky has set another record low for unemployment.

>> 3.8% that breaks the record of 3.9 set last month.

Unemployment fell and 107 of Kentucky's 120 counties in May.

It went up and 9 and stay the same and 4, the highest jobless rate was in my coffin county at 10.9%.

Cumberland and Woodford counties.

Each had the lowest at 2.6%.

Governor Beshear discuss unemployment during his regular Thursday news conference.

He also discuss the continuing water crisis.

And Marion in Crittendon County where a lot of rain and recent action to prevent a levee failure have left the town with just a 20 day supply of water.

The governor described what the state is doing to help.

>> The National Guard and the transportation Cabinet have already delivered significant amounts of bottled water.

And in fact, we had a bunch left over the tornadoes in western Kentucky were other counties brought them to help out.

We're also looking at other contracts where we're going to be able to continue to provide as much bottled water is as needed.

We're going to distributing into the National Guard Armory.

Looks like we're also going to be using National Guard tried to at least fight evaporation in secondary, we call it another lake by transporting water.

We're still finalizing where that water is going to come from.

So the National Guard working very h*** o* that.

>> KT continues to follow this.

So look for stories tomorrow and Monday from Marion County.

Or Marion Kentucky, rather, Governor Beshear is also declaring a state of emergency on gas prices.

He says that will allow the state to take action against gasoline price gouging.

The governor says he just learned that the attorney general's office has received 263 complaints about price gouging since January.

He says even if a state of emergency only provides slight relief every little bit helps.

>> I'm willing to do what it takes to provide relief, even if it's minimal.

So today I'm taking this action because I believe strongly that even minimal relate is better than no relief.

And if we're going to hold somebody to task like I was able to his attorney general for price gouging.

The baseline price is only set when I sign the state of emergency by letting it go further and make it even harder of people out.

There are gouging us.

>> As we told you yesterday, President Biden is proposing a federal gas tax holiday to run through September as a way of easing high prices at the gas pump.

The federal gas taxes more than $0.18 a gallon for gas and around.

$0.24 for diesel fuel.

Senator Mitch a cut of Kentucky says he doubts a gas tax holiday would help.

>> This effect of strong.

Well drawn.

President Biden's other ineffective stop on gas prices.

Emptying out the strategic Petroleum reserve that we need in the event of a true national security crisis.

Not just a Democrat, too.

Inflation crisis.

This ineffective administration's big new idea.

It was a silly proposal that senior members of their own party have already shot down.

Well, in a drive.

Earlier this year.

But Speaker Pelosi should President Biden's idea, quote.

Wouldn't even be going because the consumers she called it, quote.

Very showbiz.

>> Senator McConnell said a gas tax holiday right now would also make inflation worse.

Senator McConnell voted in favor of moving ahead with a bipartisan gun safety plan.

Senator Rand Paul voted no.

The Hill reports that Senator Paul is vowing to introduce amendments when the final bill comes to the Senate floor.

Paul says he supports some things in the bill like increased scrutiny for anyone under 21 trying to buy a gun.

But he's concerned about red flag laws allowing courts take guns from people who pose a threat.

He's concerned some states would be denying people their proper due process.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he expects the Senate to take up the gun bill this week.

Kentucky is ready to get to work on a planned interstate.

69 bridge over the Ohio River in Henderson connecting Kentucky and Indiana.

Governor Beshear was there for yesterday's groundbreaking.

The state will extend interstate 69 by 6 miles and add new interchanges.

The work will begin this summer and last into 2025. the governor says this will bring more jobs to the area there are new concerns about drought in Kentucky.

Dan Makamae of the National Weather Service told the Courier Journal Kentucky has experienced abnormally dry conditions over the past 30 days with just 50 to 75% of the rainfall we normally expect to get.

Now, this is a map from the U.S. drought monitor and you can see parts of Kentucky and yellow meaning abnormally dry in a small area.

That's in a moderate drought.

Many parts of the west or in extreme drought or exceptional drought.

♪ Today President Biden proposed new protections for LGBTQ students and victims of campus sexual assault under title 9 in response State.

Representative Ryan Dotson, who sponsored a new Kentucky law that prevents biological males from competing on girls.

Athletic teams says the president should keep politics off the playing field and let women compete fairly well on this 50th anniversary of title 9 broadening opportunities and education sports for women and girls.

I spoke with longtime University of Kentucky senior athletics officials.

Sandy Bell about advances and challenges that remain.

developed.

A pleasure to sit across from you.

Thank you for a few minutes of your time.

Thank you for having me.

Renee, appreciate it.

Happy title.

9.

Thank you.

Today due to accidental is the actual day.

Absolutely.

I'm not going to date year to date.

You reveal your age, but I know that title 9 was not something you enjoyed and high school or college.

So when you think about what title 9 has done for young women, athletes now, how would you summarize it?

And you're There are lots of places where I speak, lots of rooms that I'm in where I start the conversation with.

I'm probably the only person in this room.

>> Who completed high school and college prior to that passing of Title 9.

And I had 3 brothers.

So my job was to watch them play.

And that's what I did.

So now not only getting to see these young women.

Have these opportunities but being able to be part of that and travel with them and enjoy their successes with them.

It's just absolutely amazing to see and we're giving them these athletic opportunities.

But we see it later with them in life or make it empowers them in every part of their You know, they become a and and run a company or something.

So I think it has very far-reaching effects with our female population.

Tyson, wonderful talk to us about the expansion of of women's sports that UK U K Athletics and even a new program that you're beginning.

Yes, I'm very excited about that and excited about all of them.

So in the 1970's, when title 9 past Doctor Singletary was our president at that time.

And he decided that he would move 7 of the women's sports that we're currently housing campus recreation would move him over to the athletics department.

So those 7 sports were women's basketball gymnastics volleyball cross country indoor track, outdoor track and tennis.

So we move those 7 over and none of us were here at that time.

But but that was the beginning.

And then a little later in the 70's we had in women's which has become a very successful program.

Press went to nationals couple years ago.

And then in 1983, we added women's swimming and diving, which won an SEC Recently we added women soccer in 1992. softball.

In 1997.

And we just added the new emerging sport of stunt.

I do want to bring a recent story by USA TODAY Investigation.

You're very well aware of this.

Talked about division one schools that maybe they're manipulating >> the rosters to show that there's greater parity, then there really is.

And it really did hone in on UK and U of L your response to that article, right?

And that they were talking about track rosters they were talking about so.

>> When I mentioned the 7 sports that we had in the early 70's, I mentioned cross country.

I mention indoor track and I mentioned outdoor and those are 3 of the 7 that we added because the NCAA that everybody considers those to be 3 separate sports.

So if a football student athlete also plays baseball.

And actually plays both of them, we count that person twice.

>> If a male or female.

>> Track student athlete is an indoor and outdoor.

We count them twice the men exactly the way we count the women.

So there's no manipulation going on.

It's following the regulations of how we're supposed to count them.

Cross gender.

We're doing exactly the same way.

We're not counting women and not counting the man.

We would never do that.

Sorry.

The resources on par.

>> Facilities and access to the same things that we see perhaps some of the star athletes in the men's basketball program enjoying the did the Lady Cats get to enjoy that level of spoil?

>> went through an OCR review starting back in 2016, they came on our campus and they looked at the benefits and they've got 16 different areas with a look at locker rooms.

They look at all of the different things.

There are some non-discriminatory factors that go into why when the men's basketball team travels to police up police officers travel with them because of the attention and the need for that.

And we don't have that on the women's side because they don't have that need.

So there is so there.

>> Budget will look a little larger in that area.

But for a nondiscriminatory reason.

>> As the host of the countdown to kickoff show on UK radio network Kristy Thomas has the distinction of being the first female host of a network pre-game show in the Southeast Conference.

Thomas tells us title 9 helped her land a job she loves and knows the landmark legislation is making it easier for her 12 year-old daughter to pursue her dreams as well.

Title 9 is.

>> Going to be the cornerstone, the backbone of anything that any young woman does or any woman in this industry period.

Does, because that's where it all started.

I think for a long time, real women just needed the opportunity.

They just needed a seat at the table.

And that's what title 9 really afforded.

A lot of people was a seat at the table and just that opportunity.

And then there's always someone that came before you that help add a little bit more to the table that I think for someone like me that's been involved in athletics for a long, long time playing it and working in it.

I think that that's been what it's all about is a seat at the table.

But I think that's what's so beautiful about title 9 and white even worked and why it worthy of implementing to begin with was because that's what everyone needed was just that opportunity to show what they can do at that point.

And it's up to you.

Once you've been given that opportunity have to make the most of it.

One thing I'm seeing change is the growth of sports in the amount of young girls who are involved in sports.

>> Has also changed as well.

2 new seen more women get sidelined opportunities, especially in sports that are really dominated by men.

Football is one.

And I think we're being taken more seriously.

I think that's something that probably wasn't the case.

When I first started in this industry 20 years ago because we've proven ourselves and we've shown that we can do the job.

We can do a really good job.

We now see it's not unusual to see a female doing sidelines for on any football game, whether it's at >> the college level or the professional level.

I am now doing a pre-game radio for football.

That is a little rare.

I think title 9 is 100% instrumental and the landing where I am.

There's not anybody else in the SEC.

No other school that has a female doing what I'm doing for pre-game radio.

And I love that.

I absolutely love that.

And I take that very, very seriously.

I don't ever think about the fact that I'm a female doing it.

I don't ever consider that.

What I know is that I I know about college football.

I've been.

Really fortunate in my journey in athletics that it from from a title 9 perspective.

I have seen people before me that have have worked hard in it's not lost on me what they did to help me get where I am or lift me up a little bit.

My college basketball coach is a Hall of Famer Don, a wise yes, started basketball at Campbellsville University.

It comes to college at the time and and she fought.

She fought to get a budget.

She fought to get uniform.

She fought to even have a team.

All these things that I know she did that I didn't have anything to worry about when I got there and and we had everything that the man had, you know, for the most part.

A big barrier right now is just that the revenue and the amount of revenue that women's sports can generate or will they generate versus what men do.

And that's a tough argument sometimes because there's no question that that's that's still very much.

There's a wide range.

There's a wide gap there.

You'll hear people make that argument all the time.

Well, the WNBA doesn't generate the amount of revenue that the NBA does.

And they're right.

I mean, there is no argument there that absolutely is the case.

It doesn't mean that women's basketball isn't good.

It doesn't mean that women's basketball doesn't have a place and that doesn't deserve a platform.

But but I do think that that is a very difficult thing to try to overcome.

But I think it's just everyone coming to the realization that even if it doesn't bring in the amount of money, they're still interest there.

Still people that are at home watching their advertising dollars to be made.

Then you have people like the women's soccer team, the national team who fought for equal pay and got it.

It took years for them to get there.

But they fought for equal pay That's what title 9 is really all about is making sure that you end up like my 12 year-old.

He will never know any different from Hearst brother.

Her little brother playing baseball.

They will both have the same kind of experience.

It is exactly what you would want.

A little girl grow up thinking that that there is barrier.

There is nothing that they can't do as a female.

♪ >> And the horse capital of the world, many young people don't have the means or the opportunity to ride a horse or get hands on training for a career in the equestrian industry.

Jeremiah Rees wants to change that.

He founded Frankie's Corner Little Thoroughbred Crusade, a program that exposes young people to the equestrian world and gives them the chance to learn about horsemanship.

♪ ♪ >> The reason I say that my grandfather has the biggest influence is because, you know, at a young age, you know, I mean, I loved looking for says, but I had no idea where to go where it into an issue where they even can were to learn.

So my grandfather, France's Wilson worked Jonah Bill, I think about 40 something years.

So he was a groom.

He was a trainer.

He was exercise rider.

He broke or says he might watched.

He also he worked to King Live during all of the sales from 1974.

To about 2004.

He worked those jobs, you know, simultaneously.

Had it not been for him.

I mean, going to work with him.

I want to get into this.

I was sitting in the room or my grandfather passed it.

And what is now on our logo is actually a picture that one of my major.

My grandfather and I kept looking at that pitch.

I looked at that pitch like 3 times.

And I would just like, you know, really what he's trying to say and literally we try to have to ask the question.

The whole organization can.

The nonprofit came.

So all the skills I've learned picked up from the years.

I just feel like I mean, it's I have is my duty.

My purpose, my life to pass it on these young people.

Because again, you never know if you don't give kids an opportunity.

How do they know something for the moment?

>> I've been involved with Frankie's Carlo.

Their records say for 2 years when I started a locust races, when I learned about the program and decided that it was wonderful and I had to volunteer.

We found 16 students that really had little to no riding experience and they did say that through an issue whether its finances or travel, we're not able to take commercial riding >> My teacher was telling people about it.

And I was like, hey, that's a really good opportunity that I can't really afford to do otherwise.

>> For me, I've never liked grown up like on a farm whereas have livestock or says stuff like that.

>> Well, as and never thought about going to do or says I really did like Lucy's.

>> That's what I love about this program.

Half he's come from so many different demographics.

But at the same time you get to teach all of them life skills.

What a horse Our students really.

>> They how to care for the horse and then they learn how to ride.

>> We kind of teasing the groundwork and understand that everything that you do on the ground translates to settle.

We you know what?

It's all that snow from cleaning bar maintenance.

Grooming.

>> You can learn stuff day if you want to use in a career, what was his did?

You could use a little bit alike.

>> With to key is, you know, they want to gain since to whether it have known that clinic or whether they go work in worked.

One of the farms, you can make a plea to live in.

But a lot of these kids, they just don't understand.

Everything's out there within this.

You know, the equine industry.

>> I've always wanted to be like in the industry.

Average wanted to be a vet and to work with animals like that.

So learning here at psych a good person experience for me that I really am going to take with me the rest of my life because I will use it when you know that.

>> And even if they don't go into the equine industry once they graduate.

>> They still have a lot of skills that make it to where they're going to be successful, no matter where they go to have change.

I think I've become more confident in what I'm doing because the more I know the more confident I feel myself.

>> That's why I feel like it's so important.

But I give back and give the back to the kids.

And I feel like that, you know, everything just worked perfectly.

So I me in all honesty, I it's got to be it has to be my grandfather making things work for me.

♪ >> A bowling green man knows for known for his award-winning barbecue sauces will be featured on a new cooking show premiering tomorrow night right here on KITV.

Brian Lee is one of 10 home cooks from across the country, sharing their talents and regional flavors influences to see who will win.

And the search for the Great American recipe.

>> When I was 4 years old, my father used to all these large parties.

I would run around these parties, mixing sauces together like ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and making people try it on whatever good barbecue.

I think that's the origin story right there.

>> Today we are prepping for the a great American recipe premiere party.

>> I am making biscuits.

What has that's one of one of the things on the show allowing anyone that comes to our watch party to experience a dish that I created on the show.

And there's about 480 biscuits and my future today.

>> We're doing to revise its one of my favorite cuts mean the experience on the set of the Great American recipe was fans the past it was has been ruling.

It might have been the hardest thing that I've done my entire life and mentally physically and emotionally.

But it was it was an experience like no other.

I didn't know how their ovens words didn't know how they're mixers words.

You know, the time is ticking.

You have to think about presentation and a lot more than just the flavor as picking for you at home.

I don't necessarily need to be an Instagram with the shot.

Was hectic.

It was stressful.

And it was great.

Absolutely great.

I like creating flavors that make people say, wow, that's really good.

And push their boundaries calling early.

I like fusing different profiles in different regions of the world together in my sauces and spice ones and the line just going to grow.

The first episode has 2 components to it.

First dish I make is ribeye with the cheese and barbecue restaurants say that is what I consider to be who I am.

The second issue I make is where I am, which a biscuit.

Trio hot around this.

Get the mental cheese with bar fight sauce.

This good and Nashville hot chicken straight down.

I-65.

People will definitely pick up on some something that I'm rep and Cheese.

You know, it's my version of the mental cheese but it is still coming to cheese.

We're doing this.

Get supplemental cheese.

How you know, Nashville, hot chicken.

You can't get much, much more of this area that.

I feel now turned out.

I'm I'm very confident in myself and who I am and my phone looking.

>> It was great.

It was a success.

>> Great.

You can see Brian on the Great American recipe premiering Friday night at 9 Eastern 8 central right here on KATC.

Our best wishes to him tomorrow on Kentucky EDITION.

We'll recap the week in politics and inflation is making it harder to help the hungry.

We'll take you to the God's pantry food bank.

We hope you'll join us again tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central for Kentucky edition where we inform connect and inspire subscribe to our weekly Kentucky addition, e-mail news letter and watch full episodes akt Dot Org.

You can also find Kentucky addition on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV and follow KETK on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Thank you so much for joining us tonight.

I hope to see you again right back here at 6.30, eastern tomorrow night.

Take good care.

♪ ♪