>> Folks that are paying 1600 $1,700 a month in rent.

You know, we need to get them into homeownership.

>> Making homeownership more affordable is a priority for some state lawmakers.

And now they say they have a plan to help.

[MUSIC] >> As bad as we've seen it on the news and the small snippets, the reality is ongoing, unrelenting and worse than you've seen.

>> From Louisville to Minneapolis.

Frustrations flow over immigration enforcement here, from a Kentucky pastor who witnessed some of the chaos in the Twin Cities.

>> I want to be known as the dispensary that actually, you know, is able to provide that education piece to the patients that are out there.

>> And medical cannabis comes to Kentucky's capital city.

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

[MUSIC] .

>> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky Edition for this Monday, February 2nd.

A brand new month.

I'm Renee Shaw, and we appreciate you spending some of your Monday night with us.

According to the Kentucky Housing Corporation, the state is more than 200,000 housing units short of the current need by renters and homeowners.

Senate Bill nine aims to ease the housing shortage by creating areas with fewer upfront costs for housing developers.

Republican Senator and Senate Majority Caucus Chair Robby Mills announced the plan today.

The first part of the bill would create districts where infrastructure costs, like water lines and pump stations, can be financed over time, potentially lowering housing prices and speeding up construction.

>> These pieces of infrastructure can be hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars.

So if we're able to bond those upfront, give the developer money to put those infrastructure pieces in place.

That's going to bring a lot of new residential lots, possibly a lot of new residential lots, into the ability for people to develop on, say, there's 100 lots in the in the development.

Each of those lots will have a special assessment assigned to it, and the local government will collect that special assessment annually to help pay down those bonds.

>> Another section of Senate Bill nine would allow local governments to negotiate incentive payments for developers to attract them to build in certain areas.

>> This development district will enable county governments to negotiate county and city governments to negotiate with developers about returning a portion of their property taxes back to the developer as an incentive payment.

And what we're talking about is possibly waiving local, county, even library taxes if they can hold off on receiving their tax payments for five years, return those as as incentive payments to developers.

We think that's going to encourage developers to come off the sidelines and start developing new homes in our cities and towns in Kentucky.

>> Senator Mills says both provisions and Senate Bill nine are voluntary for local governments and don't cost the state any money as a priority bill.

Senator Mills expects it to be heard in committee very soon.

Kentucky's housing shortage is the topic on Ket's Kentucky Tonight this evening.

Our panel includes lawmakers such as Senator Robby Mills and other experts and advocates on housing and homelessness.

And we want your questions and comments.

As always, we hope you'll join us for that discussion at eight eastern, seven central right here on KET.

From more transparency in school finances to more authority given to the leader of the state's largest school district, Republicans in the state Senate are elevating K through 12 public education issues to the top of their legislative agenda this session.

Two of the major measures that advanced this afternoon by the Senate Senate Bill one gives more power to its superintendent when it comes to day to day operations and other responsibilities, and takes away power from the elected school board in Jefferson County, it passed by a largely party line vote of 29 to 7.

Senate Bill three strengthens public transparency in school finances, requiring budgets and what's meant to be posted on school websites.

It was forwarded to the House today on a 35 to 1 vote in the Senate.

We'll bring you the debate on those measures tomorrow night on Kentucky Edition.

Meanwhile, an education advocacy group is voicing concern about Senate Bill one protect Our Schools.

Kentucky says the bill fails to address the real issues at hand and shifts control away from local democracy.

Our Laura Rogers has more from the group.

>> Brant McKim is a retired public school teacher.

He is also on the board for Protect Our Schools, Kentucky and Brant.

Your group is sounding the alarm on some legislation that you don't really believe would be a positive for our public schools.

One of them is Senate Bill one, which would change the governance structure at JCPS, which is where you taught, by the way, tell me what you all are concerned about when you read the language in this bill.

>> Sure.

And thank you for the opportunity.

Senate bill one would actually take authority away from the democratically elected members of the school board in Jefferson County and give that authority to the superintendent, who is not elected and not directly accountable to voters.

And we're opposed to that.

We believe local control should be the operative principle, and we think that our school board should answer to our citizens who vote and elect them.

>> And Senate Bill 114 would also change up how school boards are perhaps even put into place, as opposed to being elected positions.

It's my understanding that these board members would be mayoral appointments in Fayette and Jefferson counties, which again, the largest school districts in Kentucky.

What is it about that bill that you think would have negative impact.

>> Like Senate Bill 114 is just a really bad idea, and it's really undemocratic because we elect school boards that answer to the community.

This would take that away and have the school board appointed by the mayor.

So if you live next to a school and you have an issue, let's say they're not mowing the grass and you've got issues with that right now.

If you call the school board member, they know that you vote for them and they have an incentive to try to respond to you.

If you call school board member that's appointed by the mayor, why do they have to care about your issue with your with the grass not getting mowed?

As long as the mayor is happy with them, they're fine.

That's not how it should work.

The school board members should answer to the community.

They should be a voice of the community, and they should represent community values, not be appointed by one person.

That is a step or two removed.

>> Have you all also heard concerns from parents and caregivers of these students that say, hey, we don't like the idea of what this legislation would do if put in place?

>> Yes, we're hearing from parents and community members that are saying our school board should answer to us.

They should be elected by us.

That should not be taken away from us as citizens.

That's undemocratic.

It should not be given to the mayor to appoint.

That's something for each school district.

And in Jefferson County we have seven different districts where we elect.

And so the community is kind of divided up.

And the school board members answer to the citizens that elect them in their regions.

>> Now, I do want to ask you about a bill you say you do support, and this one sponsored by State Senator Julie Raque Adams of Louisville.

And it affects administrator pay and pay increases.

And and so you say this is one that you would like to see cross the finish line.

>> The teachers association supports Senate Bill two.

And we really like this bill from Senator Julie Raque Adams.

Because what it says is that you if you're going to give a superintendent a pay raise, it should not be any more than what you give your classroom teachers.

It's really valuing your classroom educators and saying, if you're going to give a raise, let's be equitable and fair about it and give the same rates to teachers that you give to superintendents, because that's where the rubber meets the road in the classroom.

That's where the kids are learning.

And that's the closest that we get to the students with the educators.

And that's where we ought to have equitable pay.

>> Brant McKim, a retired educator and a board member for Protect Our Schools Kentucky, we appreciate your time so much.

Thank you.

>> Thanks for the opportunity.

>> And thank you, Laura.

Protect our schools.

Kentucky also says lawmakers need to focus on funding for public education, along with addressing class sizes, student mental health, transportation and facilities.

Now, another Frankfort news State Representative Daniel Grossberg, has reached a settlement with the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission.

Today's settlement means a public hearing regarding allegations the Louisville Democrat engaged in inappropriate interactions with women won't take place.

Instead, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports Grossberg will pay two $1,000 fines.

Those fines settle claims where the commission said there's probable cause he violated the state's ethics code.

That includes a claim Grossberg made inappropriate comments to a constituent in his Frankfort office, also a claim that he tried to shut down a Louisville strip club after being banned for inappropriate behavior.

Fellow Louisville Democrat and Senate Minority Whip Cassie Chambers Armstrong says sexual harassment by legislators is currently not clearly defined as ethical misconduct in the Kentucky General Assembly's ethics code, and she says her newly filed Senate Bill 143 that she filed on Friday would correct that.

Now, from Frankfort to Washington, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky says the Trump administration is making false claims about the killing of a protester in Minneapolis.

Alex was shot by officers with the Department of Homeland Security last month.

Senator Paul is chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

He's asked three DHS officials to testify before Congress next week about the ongoing situation in Minnesota.

Speaking on CBS's 60 minutes last night, Senator Paul said statements by top government officials don't line up with the video evidence.

>> I saw no evidence.

I saw a man that was retreating.

I mean, he went to the middle of the street.

He didn't even obstruct traffic.

He let a car go through.

As the agents advanced on him, he retreated to the side of the street.

A woman is violently pushed to the ground and he turns to her, and that's when he is grabbed from behind.

I saw no evidence of him assaulting the police.

>> Should Secretary Noem be fired?

>> I think we have to get through our hearing February 12th, and I think we have to see what the people who work for her say.

But my advice to them, if they're watching and they come to testify, is if you come in and you're going to justify that this man was aggressively assaulting your police officers, that cannot be acceptable.

And that's why they're lacking in trust.

>> Senator Paul is also calling for the officers involved in the deadly shooting to immediately be put on administrative leave.

More of that frustration with federal agents and recent immigration actions showed up in Kentucky on Friday.

The state's only Democratic congressman and his constituents in Louisville held a vigil for Alex, Rene.

Good and others who they say are being targeted by Ice and are languishing in immigration detention centers.

>> We are not a threat to day.

[MUSIC] >> We pray for those that are in leadership positions, Lord, that they will seek what is righteous in your eyes and help us, Lord, that we might be our neighbors neighbor and our brother's brother.

>> Who is our neighbor?

Yes, sir.

Everyone is our neighbor.

Yeah, every single person is our neighbor.

And when the commandment is to love thy neighbor as yourself, it is to love everyone.

>> That's right.

>> We are heartbroken.

We are angry.

We are fierce.

And we are ready, Lord, to stand and serve in light.

>> Clergy colleagues called and asked for for clergy to come from around the country.

And we did.

There were more than 150 of us who came from every state, every religious expression, every tradition Christian, Jewish, Muslim, indigenous, tribal.

We were all we all came because we all saw that what was happening in Minneapolis is profoundly unjust.

As bad as we've seen it on the news, in the small snippets, the reality is ongoing, unrelenting, and worse than you've seen.

It is constant anxiety.

It is neighbors who are having to get groceries for weeks and weeks and weeks for folks who are too afraid to come out of their house.

Even U.S.

citizens, people who are here legally.

But Ice and Border Patrol don't really care.

>> The Department of Justice announced they had to open a civil rights investigation into the murder of Alex.

Pretty.

Yeah, the Senate stopped a funding bill that would have funded DHS.

And they did that because of the pressure coming from us.

>> Yeah, right.

>> Pressure.

We don't need to give them another dime.

No, no.

>> That's right.

>> Yeah.

They are sending masked agents onto our streets, pinning parents to the ground and the pickup lines of their kids school, dragging people from their cars and yes, killing people in our streets.

>> When these brothers and sisters impacted by these things arrive seeking refuge.

We close the door and create laws that portray them as a threat to our promised land.

>> El miedo a salir de lo comodo para socorro aqui esta vulnerable buscando su tierra prometida.

>> Help us be filled with the kind of fear that moves us out of comfort to aid those who are vulnerable, seeking their promised land.

>> I think those who are in trauma all the time need to know that somebody has got their back.

And I think that I would like to think that if we were in trouble, people would come here.

And in fact, in our natural disasters, people have this is not a natural disaster.

This is an unnatural disaster.

And all the more that we needed to go and show loving human kindness.

>> Will walk hand in.

>> How Ice operates is a sticking point in the current partial government shutdown.

Democrats in both the Senate and House are calling for substantial changes to Ice before funding the Department of Homeland Security long term.

[MUSIC] In other news, a 16th person has now died as a result of the latest winter storm to hit Kentucky today.

Governor Andy Beshear announced the death of a 75 year old woman in Adair County.

And it was weather related over the weekend.

He also confirmed weather related deaths in Ballard and Hart counties, and a second death in Davis County.

You can see here where other storm related deaths have been reported across the state.

It includes Johnson County, where three people have died from the storm, a Louisville Metro Police officer seriously injured during the Old National Bank mass shooting has officially retired from the force.

Nick Wilt was shot in the head while responding to the shooting in 2023.

That left six dead, including the shooter and eight others injured, at a retirement ceremony on Friday, Lmpd's police chief, along with state and city officials, honored wilt for the bravery he demonstrated that day.

>> Many people forget how new of an officer.

Officer wilt was to just be ten days into his career and to be faced with one of the most terrifying and dangerous situations that an officer can face throughout an entire career of decades.

And I know that any one of the officers in this room today will tell you that when a call like that goes out, it strikes terror and dread, even in the most seasoned of officer, to hear an active mass shooting is going on with so many victims.

And yet that day here in Louisville, Kentucky, one of our newest officers answered that call without hesitation and with incredible bravery, putting himself in harm's way himself in front of others, prioritizing other people's safety over his own.

>> We had a conversation with your class just a couple of days before you graduated, that bad things are going to happen.

There's evil in the world, but there's only so few that can step in between good and evil.

And you get to do this.

It didn't take training.

It didn't take leadership.

It didn't take anything but character to do what you did.

And you saved lives because of it.

And we're very, very thankful to you for that.

>> Chief Paul Humphrey presented wilt with an award for his service.

He also received a key to the city from Mayor Craig Greenburg, one of the state's newest licensed medical cannabis dispensaries, has opened its doors in the capital city.

New era held the grand opening for its Frankfort dispensary on Friday.

They say educating patients about the products they sell is a top priority.

>> I think my biggest thing when it comes to just like dispensaries is kind of narrowing that stigma down, right?

And like getting that stigma out.

I want them to come in and make it feel and have it feel like a very comfortable environment, not have it feel like a medical office.

Obviously, we're we're distributing medical cannabis.

So we're absolutely taking the safety and precautions around that piece of it because we want to make sure that we're giving them safe product, but just the comfort making it feel like it's home and then just education piece, you know, I want to be known as the dispensary that actually, you know, is able to provide that education piece to the patients that are out there.

It is very regulated.

Everything is grown in Kentucky.

And so there's definitely, you know, everything's tested.

There's, you know, COAs around it.

And so I think that just like the safety around it.

And then I would say, you know who comes in.

Right.

And what the purpose of it is.

There are definitely specific conditions, qualifying conditions such as any form of cancer miss things like that.

PTSD.

So there's a few conditions that you have to have to qualify right out the gate.

I think as the program continues, I'm sure that that will kind of change and and evolve.

I got into cannabis because I saw how it helped people around me.

Right.

And so I think the biggest thing for me is just understanding how it has an impact on your life and how it can kind of alter and be able to change and, you know, hopefully support things that you're going through.

It's been absolutely amazing being in the early parts of this, because seeing like all the licensees and meeting all the licensee holders out there and the support that we've all given each other.

And so I think that's kind of interesting and fun to see.

You know, we're trying to get the program all up together in the right way and roll it out in the right way.

And that's, I think, huge to talk about because, you know, that's for a state so big, it's still kind of cool to see that small community and that small knit teamwork that's happening.

>> According to the Kentucky Cannabis Industry Alliance, New ERA was one of four licensed medical cannabis dispensaries to open in the state in the past week.

[MUSIC] Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg is running for a second term this year, but he won't be on the ballot as a Democrat.

A state law passed last year makes Louisville's mayoral and Metro Council elections nonpartisan for the first time.

On the latest episode of Inside Louisville, our Kelsey Starks sits down with the mayor to talk about the change.

>> Now you are running for reelection, and later this year, this will be the city's first nonpartisan mayoral election.

How will that affect how you're running for mayor, or will it?

>> Well, that's a good question.

I might need to answer that question in a year after the election is over.

But let me say this when you're focused on issues like the snowstorm that we've just been battling and recovering from, it's not a Partizan issue.

We all want to get the roads clear, and we want people in these frigid cold temperatures to have a place to go that's warm, to support people who are in need, to have strong partnerships with all of the other folks that are needed.

When you're dealing with emergencies like that, that's a lot of the day to day activity of being mayor.

And so this was not my decision to make it Partizan and nonpartisan.

But that's what those are, the rules.

And I'm very proud of my ability.

Over the past three years, we've shown that I've been able to work across differences, whether it's at Metro Council and past budgets, every year with overwhelming bipartisan support from Democrats and Republicans, I've been able to work in Frankfort, working closely with Governor Beshear, working closely with the General Assembly and their leadership.

And we've been able to do great things for Louisville.

So that's my goal is I'm going to continue to work in that way.

I'm going to continue to work across differences to find ways that when we can work together, that's what we're going to continue to do.

And I'll be talking about a lot about that on the campaign trail as we get closer to the primary and general elections.

And I believe that's what Louisville wants.

Louisville sees the the chaos that's going on in DC, sees all of that division.

That's not what we want here in Louisville.

We want people that have more in common than they do apart to work together and move our city forward in a new direction.

>> And just since you mentioned this, as we are watching nationally, cities like Minneapolis, what what is your plan or thought if something like that comes here and if the federal government brings Ice Border Patrol to patrol our streets?

>> Well, the chief and I and my team, we're definitely prepared for that.

You know, LMPD is focused on preventing violent crime from happening and responding to violent crime.

LMPD does not get involved in any civil immigration enforcement matters.

That's not their job.

We need them to focus on local crime and preventing it from happening.

So I'm hopeful that that does not happen as a result of some decisions that we've made.

We want to make sure that our entire immigrant community feels safe and supported.

Our immigrant community is so important to the city of Louisville, and I'm there to support them in every way possible that I can.

>> You can see the full conversation, including an interview with JCPS Superintendent Doctor Brian Yearwood on the latest episode of Inside Louisville.

It is streaming now online on demand at Keturah.

George Washington, Bear Bryant and Loretta Lynn all put in an appearance as our Toby Gibbs looks back at This Week in Kentucky history.

>> President George Washington signed the Kentucky Act on February 4th, 1791, authorizing Kentucky to join the Union.

Kentucky then became the 15th state on June 1st, 1792.

Lexington native John C Breckinridge, who'd served as vice president of the United States, became the Confederate Secretary of War on February 7th, 1865, just months before the Civil War ended.

[MUSIC] After the war, he fled to Cuba to avoid arrest.

Governor William Goebel died February 3rd, 1900, four days after becoming governor and five days after being shot in Frankfort.

Lieutenant Governor John Beckham took the oath of office to become governor later that same day.

Covington native Haven Gillespie was born February 6th, 1888.

He wrote the lyrics to Santa Claus Is Coming to Town in a few minutes.

In 1934, comedian Eddie Cantor sang the song on his popular radio show, and it became a smash hit.

Paul Bear Bryant resigned as the University of Kentucky's football coach on February 4th, 1954.

His record over eight seasons was 60 wins, 23 losses, and five ties.

His next coaching job was at Texas A&M.

Johnson County native Loretta Lynn signed her first recording contract with Zero Records on February 2nd, 1960 zero released her first hit song, I'm a Honky Tonk Girl, and that's a look back at the big events this week in Kentucky history.

I'm Toby Gibbs.

>> Thank you, Toby, and that'll do it for us tonight.

We hope to see you right back here again tomorrow night.