♪ >> You know, when you when you walk through there, it's like a part of your childhood.

>> An emotional state this year talks about the tornado that truly hit home.

Plus hepatitis cases in Kentucky.

Children.

Should parents be concerned?

And what the state has in mind that could lower gas prices for some Kentuckians.

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

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

♪ ♪ Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION.

Today is Thursday, June 9th.

I'm Renee Shaw.

>> Thank you for joining us tonight.

6 Kentucky children have hepatitis.

The state says the children range in age from 8 months to 4 years old.

>> And there from 5 different Kentucky counties.

Jefferson Todd Lion Bourbon and Mead the cause is not is unknown but it is not linked to the COVID vaccine.

Doctor Steven Stack commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health discussed it today during Governor Beshear's news conference.

His message to parents know the symptoms and don't panic.

>> It's not yet clear if this is an actual increase in the number of children with hepatitis or if we've gotten better at recognizing and identifying it.

And of course, we've just come out of a global pandemic.

So we're paying particular attention to a number, a different things.

So for parents right now, the important thing is said to constantly educate and train children to wash your hands, cover your cough, make sure they're vaccinated about for all preventable diseases to the pediatrician's office for the Health Department.

I am just too pay careful attention their child.

They have a minor illness.

You don't need to go run to the doctor.

>> Other news from the governor's press conference today.

He is asking the federal government to waive the requirement for reformulated gas to be sold in the Louisville area.

He thinks that could lower the price of gas by 20 to $0.30 per gallon.

And he is declaring a state of emergency related to the baby formula shortage in order to prevent price gouging.

The governor says there are no reports of price gouging going on now, but there are in other states.

He says Kentucky has now passed 16,000 deaths from COVID-19.

Last night to the U.S. House passed a Democratic back to gun safety bill that would raise the minimum age to buy semiautomatic rifle.

It also bans large capacity magazines and establishes gun storage rules.

It faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

Congressman Andy Barr of Central Kentucky, 6 district voted against that bill while voting for a Republican bill that would allow the hiring of more school resource officers and mental health counselors.

>> Rather than passing this common sense legislation to enhance public safety.

The House passed a series of bills to restrict law abiding gun owners from possessing or acquiring firearms.

These proposals are a sad attempt to politicize a tragedy and do absolutely nothing to address our nation's mental health crisis or close loopholes in the existing background check system that enable troubled individuals like the Uvalde shooter to pass a check and purchase firearms and ammunition.

These bills also fell in every respect to improve safety in our schools.

Imposing more restrictions on law-abiding gun owners simply will not reduce deaths from mass violence.

>> The vote on the Democratic bill was along party lines with all 5 of Kentucky's Republicans voting.

No.

And Congressman John Yarmouth of Louisville voting.

Yes, Norment.

There's a co sponsor of the bill before yesterday's vote.

He tweeted, quote, There are no words to describe the unimaginable heartache.

The families in Uvalde are feeling thoughts and prayers from elected officials ring hollow.

These families deserve action, unquote.

U.S.

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky want action now to protect America's Supreme Court justices.

The Senate voted a night to pass a bill providing around the clock protection for the families of Supreme Court justices.

But the House hasn't acted.

Yesterday.

Police arrested a man near Justice Brett Kavanaugh's home.

Police say that man threaten Kavanaugh yesterday, McConnell denounced House Democrats for inaction.

>> Democrats have refused to take it up.

Now, look much credit that needs to news change right now.

House Democrats must pass this bill and they need to do it to that.

>> Some House Democrats say they haven't acted because they want the bill to go frther and protect law clerks and staff members who have also been threatened.

Kentucky's persistent felony offender law is intended to extend prison sentences for the state's most serious repeat offenders.

But some are saying the law is part of the reason for the state's high incarceration rate.

Our Casey Parker-bell reports on the conversation lawmakers are having about potential changes to the PFA law.

>> In Frankfort today, legislators met to discuss persistent felony offender or law.

Prosecutors used the law to extend prison sentences for repeat felony offenders.

But it only takes one felony conviction to be eligible for charges.

Marcus Jackson was sentenced using the PFA law and says the sole power prosecutors have should have limits.

This is the unfortunate reality of Kentucky's version of the 3.

Well, the 2 strikes.

Come up with the terms and power to create different strike zones for different hitters.

>> With impunity.

And absent judicial safeguards.

Buchanan County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders says legislator shouldn't break the current system.

>> And that Kentucky INS want prosecutors have tools to keep criminals off the streets.

>> You all make the walls.

We only enforce the laws.

But what we do, he's trying to use the P law to stop repeat offenders.

>> Proponents of changing the PFA law say there should be judicial discretion regarding charges.

But state Representative Jason Petri says one solution could be giving juries the power to rescind charges.

>> Because the way that the PFA along works now it reads the word persistent right out of the title.

When people hear persistent, they think what we often can we use the word persistent time and time and time again.

It is it time and time again.

It's just very next.

Time is where it can start.

>> There's nothing wrong with giving a jury.

That finds guilt.

On the facts.

Given the sign discretion in each jury that's called in every part of this commonwealth.

The same discretion to cite no 2 that they think in that community doesn't fit.

>> The Judiciary Committee will continue to discuss potential changes to persistent felony offender law over the interim period.

See today's Judiciary Committee meeting in its entirety.

Visit our website at KATC Dot Org.

Renee.

>> Thank you.

Casey lobbyist spent more than 11 million dollars in Frankfurt during the Kentucky General Assembly session earlier this year.

According to the Legislative Branch Ethics Commission.

It's a record.

The Lexington Herald-Leader says that tops the 10.7 million spent in 2018 the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce spent the most $184,000 as it lobby for and against more than 70 bills being considered the Kentucky Hospital Association spent 149,000.

There's disagreement between Kentucky and Indiana about how to handle riverlink tolls on 3 bridges over the Ohio River in Louisville.

>> The bridges are Kennedy, Lincoln and Lewis and Clark.

Each year tolls are either increased by 2 0.5% or the rate of inflation.

Whichever is higher right now.

The rate of inflation is more than 8%.

Transportation Secretary Jim Gray sent a letter to Indiana officials asking for a meeting of the 6 member told board to discuss limiting the entries.

2 members of that board say it's too late.

An exhibition now and Louisville honors the life of Breonna Taylor police shot and killed Taylor during a drug raid on her apartment in 2020.

Police didn't find any drugs.

A display called Breonna's Garden toured the country before arriving in Louisville.

Taylor sister Janai a Palmer, an artist lady Phoenix created the virtual reality exhibition, which includes flowers, paintings and photos.

The memorial will be on display for the next 3 months at the Roots.

One, 0, one African-American museum on North First Street.

♪ ♪ All this week we've been exploring the recovery of western Kentucky cities ravaged by December's tornado outbreak.

We visited former Governor Steve Beshear and his wife Jane, along with the current governor, Andy Beshear about the storm damage to Dawson Springs, a town that has many ties to the Beshear family.

I asked Steve Beshear for his reaction when he first saw the damage.

>> You know, when you when you walk through there, it's like part of your childhood.

>> It's one of those things.

It's just hard to manage.

You know, there's so many memories for his family and growing up their church.

Luckily their home in the funeral home next door, which was a major business.

It's not affected.

as severely as the rest of it.

But I was unwitting when he saw that, I can only imagine.

And when he first heard the from Andy and and the news that Dawson Springs been hand.

It was it was quite an emotional roller coaster because we didn't know what happened to so many of the people that and house this, their relatives and friends that are still there.

So.

>> Unfortunately, we found out for Lisa and I guess through and be really that, you know, are our close relatives were OK?

>> you know, we found out just a little bit after that that that.

Some of our any Miller and married to my sister Mary and some of his family and bring money.

Were affected and they lost some of that family.

And I, you it was it.

It was good that that depression pain.

You I don't care what your politics are.

The fact that President United States, which they are.

>> Last night and for U.S. as it's earned our state to have had the president come.

And I know that significant course for your side.

But for you personally, that gesture, how meaningful is that aside from politics?

>> I was very good because it shows you care about, you know, it shows for that number one, they care.

Number 2.

We're going to get some attention.

>> And that's obviously what we did also.

As I said.

It's like part of your childhood just got wiped out.

>> through the streets and as we did with the president and and and it was hard to tell even where you work, because there were no landmarks.

Everything's just wipe out your debt.

But me on his tractor.

>> Driving down.

so that's roads.

It's a last spring's, a safe place where it bad things that happen and then to to get hit by F 4 tornado stayed on the ground for 200 miles where we walked in with the residential section of Nelson.

Look both ways to us.

What's left and have the president there.

I know for us is bittersweet.

Now the president coming to western Kentucky.

And also springs may feel we just wish it could've been or any other race.

This was a moment in time now with the whole state and the whole country.

The whole world came together.

They did it for Russ.

I'd like to think that because they saw us actually saw as we're good people that open our homes and our hearts to one another.

When people saw that, they joined them.

>> And each other neighbors helping neighbors.

Can you talk about the spirit of Dawson Springs?

Well, use almost immediately.

What people are made up.

You have people out walking around trying to find other people in the dark in the rain and the like.

And then, you know, it's calm.

Comes in.

They just they keep at it.

Take care.

>> Yeah, I got to me too.

High school students.

I was there now.

Mayfield first, like the next morning and then down to the Dawson and they had come in because we're trying to figure out how to get water running again, working on getting a generator and meeting a completely dark.

Building that was still standing to high school students that have been out all night help pull people out of their homes still in shock.

Definitely been to trauma, but some heroic in Yemen.

And we saw that all across Kentucky from the farmer in Taylor who went from home to home to home and it has an incredible story of that family saying please don't leave us.

I think we we see the worst.

In the devastation we the best.

We saw God working through people that night and then in the coming days.

>> Even back sense.

Since France.

>> I went at that point and then went down again, just to kind of check in others are.

My family are going.

>> Steve's brother just came in from Alabama and wanted to to go down and see for himself.

So we haven't talked to him since since he left various to hear his reaction to, you know, any it's very emotional for for them.

So the entire family.

>> But I will say our cousins down there are at every single event where we're putting people and travel a pitch in and help out at the payroll park, which is a WPA project.

My grandparents, my my my dad's parents met at we then house people.

At the toughest moments.

And now that's an area where these travel trailers are where people are able to to stay interesting chain of events.

>> Yes, absolutely.

>> We traveled to Mayfield and like Mark May to survey the recovery effort.

And we caught up with a young reporter on December 10th Taylor West with the Mayfield Messenger was in Chicago, Illinois new soon reached her that her home town suffered utter devastation.

Viral images of a storm ravaged courthouse that helped so many personal memories for her.

We're got punch.

>> It's been a lot of like Halloween parades.

That is where we have our Christmas Parade for July Day.

>> You >> A lot of everyone's Gore childhood memory starts here.

>> Her task to document the aftermath was more than a reporter's assignment, but an act of devotion to the place she's called home.

Her first memories of the devastation are as fresh as that December night.

I love it.

>> Past the bridge that you see.

So when I came up about 9 o'clock at night, there were no lights and it was a new kind of dark that you've never experienced before.

And I just remember kind of crying house couldn't understand why it was so dark.

>> Obviously I knew why.

But I just never seen Mayfield dark.

>> I was packing my close up stairs.

My apartment and I kept smelling something that's not really good.

And I thought, well, maybe my grandmother was doing laundry because you smell outside when you know the dryer is going.

>> And that the second trip up my stairs, I realize it was the candle factory without smelling.

>> A recent college graduate.

The 23 year-old says telling the story of her native town took on special meaning job number one, giving people information on shelters, food, clothing drives the place where she would file her stories.

Part of the story line.

>> This is where you used to work.

Yes, that is where the Mayfield measure used to Yeah, before the tornado hit and I like just decorating my guests for the first time.

So well.

>> And you said that even though the building was destroyed, there are some things there that still remain last.

>> So when I got back and got to actually go inside her office.

>> Our guest had debris in all this.

But the first table.

>> Right by the windows that were blown out like we had a mail carrier that went to the building and everything of the papers are still sat.

Undisturbed not mean that there is a is there a particular story?

>> That really stands out to you as it is a reminder of why this is why I'm doing my work and my hometown.

>> I mean, there's so many.

Times that I've been like, I don't know if I want to dive into this story yet.

I don't know if I do The story of a little was Tony Jewell.

That was really Angeles, too.

his victims were NATO to stay or so.

And I spoke to his teachers and the day care that he was at.

And I mean, like this hearing stories >> at him and said, look at me a lot.

He has a brother.

That's all so young.

And so when he is mother survived.

And so I've made.

Here's now his brother gets to about his You know, I guess for more on all of these small community groups that are building houses.

>> Roundup.

You >> There is one story I did.

His name is Micah He witness in the middle of the snow Wednesday.

Wow.

>> So I mean, it's just I don't know if it's one story in particular, but it's seeing the things that you see on Twitter go viral and you're thinking I'm never going to see that with my own eyes and what you hold doing.

It in my hometown.

>> What do you hope?

The headline would be for Mayfield?

Maybe it's not 10 out.

Maybe it's a year from now.

5 years now.

♪ I think of how throughout the entire league.

The process of this, everyone.

So I said to you, we're still here.

We're still here.

And so I really think, you know, we may be talking about that, you know, maybe 9 to say people but the heart and soul mates with here never left.

>> Hundreds of homes were destroyed in the tornadoes, leaving homeowners to rebuild amid supply chain issues and soaring costs.

Plus, population growth in a competitive housing market.

A homeowner in the Briar Woods Bowling Green shares his story as we also learned there are resources to help ease the financial burden.

>> My name is Chris Decker from Bowling Green grew up here my whole life with the Western with the warnings and Todd here at Greenwood in South Florida school.

We had quite a bit of up top are Ruth kind of got lifted off and the walls on the upstairs level were twisted.

The basement is going to be fine.

It's eligible, but the top level of our house is going to have to be torn down before the start.

>> There are people that have been long-term residents, long-term homeowners that need help and the assistance that I don't think they realize there's potentially there's help out there for them.

We just announced last week a new program called Bridge The Gap.

Which is being led by houghton's interest rates.

A major >> corporation here in Bowling Green and they have currently believe it's 8 other funding partners have a goal of a million dollars for that for on pot for the bridge.

The gap today we saw it in the newspaper and it's for homeowners is not for renters.

So, you know, it's one of those things are as a homeowner.

You don't want to feel like you're applying for something that's for other people.

But apart from that, feel good about that.

And again, appreciate the people that United Way.

>> Goal of that program and we will be administering it is to bridge the gap between individuals insurance proceeds and the actual cost of rebuilding for replacing during the tornado.

We also saw an insurgence of >> the increases that happened off of route Warren County.

I'm insured for about 450,000, which I'm hoping will cover most of >> I have.

And my insurance policy, we have a a a clause where we get 20% over the cause of what they pay for the home for inflation.

Don't know if we'll have to get into that.

But if we do that will help that will cover everything that we have.

>> We want communities to be as vibrant as they were before.

And the investments that are being made through the funding partners and bridge the gap and the contributors to United crisis in recovery funds are going to help ensure that that happens.

These were neighborhoods that people were living in.

It wasn't just a home.

Yes, it was their home.

But, you know, they had neighbors the head that today's that was it was just like our neighborhoods that we live in and we want to rebuild those and keep people here driving in our community.

You know what the >> the housing market was in Bowling Green before the tornado.

So now you've got I don't know if it's double that amount of people that are building homes, but, you know, we've had to turn things into code architect to meet with him 3, 4 times for changes and again, our builder has ordered something so feel like we're headed there.

But I think it would be, you know, probably year, but time they get everything here, lumber, things of that nature.

So, you know, we hope to be back by the end of the school year next year.

I think that would be a good goal for us.

>> There is currently no deadline to apply for bridge the gap funding to be eligible.

You must be the owner of a home property or vehicle that was damaged in the tornadoes.

We invite you to join us tomorrow for a special Kentucky addition as we mark the 6 month anniversary of the western Kentucky tornado outbreak.

We look at the progress being made and the area continues on the road to recovery after being hit by those deadly tornadoes.

We hope you'll watch Western Kentucky hope rising at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central.

♪ ♪ >> The weekend is almost here.

We have a few events.

You might be interested in.

For a look at what's happening here is around the Commonwealth.

>> Kentucky's largest county fair kicks off this evening in Lexington, the Bluegrass Fair is celebrating its 60th year of music, carnival games and rides pig racing and classic fair food for the next 11 days.

Come help celebrate all that makes the bluegrass great at Masterson Station Park.

Let's get to the land of theater in bend fires.

But with a funny twist, Dracula Bytes is at Pioneer Playhouse, June 10th to July second in Danville, this goofy spin on the Classic Tale is fun for the whole family.

>> June 10th is National Bourbon Day in Bardstown Bourbon capital of the world.

Join in the festivities all weekend long with 11 unique distillery experiences music special pores and more all close to downtown.

>> 20 years of retro will be celebrated on June.

11th in Bowling Green with the best of retro Orchestra Kentucky concert join the Re Winders and retro singers along with Jeffrey Dunn Orchestra, Kentucky to celebrate the best retro concerts over the years.

And all there is to look forward to in the future.

The arts on the Green Arts and Crafts festival is this weekend, June 11th and 12th at Naples Park in Oldham County.

Get the chance to see different artist booths showcase your creativity and explore the many different forms of art that Kentucky has to offer.

>> Well, I think MoveOn ad, this year's play think Movement Music and Arts festival, June 15th to 19th in Harrisburg.

>> A summer adventure for the whole family will with time in nature, play shops, music and more to enrich the heart and beat the salt.

And that's what's going on around the commonwealth, I'm told, begins.

>> Some great things to do this weekend across the state of Kentucky.

We hope you get out there and make it a good one.

Coming up tomorrow, a reminder a special Kentucky edition, western Kentucky Hope Rising 6 months after being hit by deadly and devastating tornadoes.

What's happening now?

We'll catch up with the people of Mayfield, a Bowling Green and Dawson Springs to see how the recovery efforts are going.

And we want them to tell us what still needs to be done to help them return to normal tune in tomorrow night.

Western Kentucky Hope Rising.

That's at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central remind you that you can see a lot of content online.

A lot of these interviews that we do, many of them can be found in their entirety on our website at KITV Dot Org.

Some check out that content there.

If you miss an episode, you can go back and watch it on our Web site there as well.

It KATC Dot Org.

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

Follow me on Twitter at Renee K E T is.

Well, I'd love to hear from you.

Thank you so very much for watching.

And we hope you tune in tomorrow night for the special on western Kentucky.

Help Rise and it will inspire you and inform you and connect you to your neighbors and western Kentucky.

>> Appreciate you joining us tonight.

I'm Renee Shaw.

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

♪ ♪ ♪