music >> People seem to be responding to that message.

You know, they're tired of the mudslinging.

They're tired of the negative.

>> A candidate for the United States Senate is touring the Commonwealth, boasting his conservative values.

>> You know, a lot of what we're seeing in terms of the numbers for January and February suggest that people have left the labor force.

>> More Kentuckians are leaving the workforce.

What one expert says is driving their exit.

[MUSIC] >> We often joke that we could be called Kentucky because of all the ticks and tick borne illnesses that we have.

[MUSIC] >> And how to tick proof your time outdoors this summer.

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

>> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky Edition for this brand new week.

It is Monday, April the 27th.

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

Members of Kentucky's federal delegation are weighing in on the weekend shooting at the white House Correspondents Dinner in Washington, D.C.

the Justice Department says Cole Allen was armed with guns and knives when he ran through a security barricade inside a hotel.

He was tackled outside of the ballroom where President Donald Trump, the vice president, and many other top administration officials were gathered.

The 31 year old suspect appeared in a federal courtroom this afternoon, where he was charged with the attempted assassination of the president.

U.S.

Representative James Comer of Kentucky's first congressional District, is chair of the House Oversight Committee on social media.

He said he wants to hear directly from the Secret Service, quote, the Department of Homeland Security, including Secret Service, has been unfunded for more than 70 days.

Now it's time to stop the games and fund DHS, end quote.

Congressman Andy Barr of Kentucky's sixth district shared a similar statement, saying, quote, it's time for Democrats to join us in fully funding our law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security, end quote.

One of Barr's opponents in the U.S.

Senate race is also speaking out against the political violence.

GOP candidate Daniel Cameron made a campaign stop in Maysville this afternoon ahead of Kentucky's May 19th primary.

Our Emily Sisk has more from Mason County as we count down to primary Election Day.

>> U-S Senate Republican candidate Daniel Cameron made a stop in Maysville this afternoon as he's in the middle of a statewide meet and greet with Kentucky voters.

Cameron said he's confident in his position going into the May 19th primary, and he spoke against the political violence in Washington this weekend at the white House Correspondents Dinner.

>> Obviously, you worry about the safety of everyone that is in that room, and that's where my immediate that's where I went immediately is I hope everyone's okay in that room.

And then, of course, you start hearing the reports that everyone in the room is safe.

And, and so you thank the Lord for the Secret Service and how quickly they responded and reacted.

>> Still, the former attorney general said he finds the repeated instances of political violence specifically against President Donald Trump to be, quote, disturbing.

Cameron positioned himself as a supporter of law enforcement, saying he has a record of being tough on crime.

>> When I'm in the Senate, I'm going to fight my tail off to make sure that there is someone in Washington that is standing up for the interests of law enforcement, and we will never defund the police if I have anything to do with it.

>> Cameron addressed voters in Mason County after putting out his first television ad last week.

The ad highlighted his identity as a husband, father and Christian.

The Republican candidate said voters have responded favorably to his message.

>> People seem to be responding to that message.

You know, they're tired of the mudslinging.

They're tired of the negative.

They want somebody that is, you know, focused on, you know, how do we make this country the best version of itself?

How do we make this Commonwealth the best version of itself?

As I told the people here, this is going to be a turnout election.

We know that.

You know, typically the numbers in primaries are a little bit lower.

So every vote here in Mason County counts.

>> One issue important to Mason County voters is artificial intelligence data centers.

Recent reports say that companies have approached Mason County citizens to purchase their land for the purpose of building a data center.

There is concern about increased energy costs and less available farm land because of the centers, Cameron said.

If data centers want to make their home in Kentucky, it needs to be by the will of the community.

>> You know, I was over in Hancock County here recently, and, you know, the folks there have made a decision that they want it because they have the infrastructure in place, and they fashioned agreement with, you know, the companies such that they feel comfortable going down that road.

I think it's a kind of just a a default position.

The company has to be willing to pay for the increase in the consumption of energy.

That should never be borne by neighborhoods or residents in a neighborhood.

They shouldn't see their energy bills go up simply because a data center has come to town.

>> The Republican candidate also said he wants to disband the focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI.

Instead, he said he wants a country built on merit and integrity for Kentucky Edition.

I'm Emily Sisk.

>> Hey, buddy.

>> Thank you.

Emily from Mason County.

Now turning to the U.S.

House, voters in Central Kentucky sixth Congressional District will be picking a new member of Congress this year to represent them.

Meet some of those Republican and Democratic candidates on a special two hour Kentucky tonight, and we hope you'll send us your questions that you want the candidates to have to answer.

That will happen all tonight, beginning at eight eastern, seven central right here on KET.

In other news, former state Representative Jesse Crenshaw has died.

The Lexington Herald-Leader cites family and friends as saying.

Crenshaw died yesterday at the University of Kentucky Hospital following an undisclosed illness.

Crenshaw was a representative for House district 77 that covers parts of Lexington.

He was first elected in 1993 and served in the state House until 2014.

Crenshaw was the first black member of the House from Fayette County.

The House Democratic Caucus says his work, quote, reflected a clear commitment to fairness and equal treatment under the law, along with the belief in second chances, especially in his efforts on civil rights and restoring voting rights, end quote.

Crenshaw was also a veteran of the Vietnam War.

He graduated from UK.

S law school in 1973 and would later become the first black assistant attorney for the U.S.

District of Eastern Kentucky.

Representative Jesse Crenshaw was 79 years old.

[MUSIC] A new economic report shows fewer people were on the job in Kentucky.

At the beginning of 2026, the Kentucky Center for statistics reports.

The state's labor force declined by more than 11,000 people in the first two months of the year.

In January, the state was down by more than 5400 workers and almost 6000 in February, also declining.

During that time.

The state's unemployment rate.

We hear now from Mike Clark, the director of the University of Kentucky Center for Business and Economic Research, on what may be behind the decline and what it could mean for the state.

>> These estimates come from the U.S.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, and what they basically do is they serve a households and they ask.

They ask households that they're surveying about their employment situation.

And based on a number of questions, they group individuals into basically three buckets.

The first is if you're working, you're considered to be employed as you're working for, you know, for, for some type of wage.

If you're not working at a job, but you're actively been searching for a job over the last four weeks, then you're considered unemployed.

And to be actively searching, you actually have to go out and apply for a job or go on interviews or do, you know, put some effort into actually trying to find a job.

Over the last four weeks, those individuals are considered unemployed.

Those two groups are what we call labor force.

So the labor force is people who are employed, people who would like to be employed and are trying to find a job.

The other group you have is what we call not in the labor force.

And these are individuals that have a lot of difference, are in a lot of different situations.

This could be an individual who is attending school full time and therefore not working because they're focused on their education, individuals who retired and left the labor force.

Or this could be somebody who's maybe taking care of their kids.

Their parents are in the labor force for some other reason, but it can also be individuals who are are in a situation where they'd like to work.

Maybe they need to work, but they haven't been able to find a job.

And so maybe they have kind of stepped out of the labor force and stopped looking for a job.

They want to work, they may need to work, but and most people might consider them to be unemployed, but because they're not actively searching for work, they're not counted as unemployed in the official statistics.

If you look at the estimates we have for 2026 and they cover January and February, we did see the labor force decline.

And this suggests that maybe the labor market situation is starting to change.

So while the unemployment rate has continued to decline, it's not so much because we see more people working.

It's because people seem to be leaving the labor market.

It now appears that we're seeing fewer people reporting that they are looking for work, fewer people reporting that they are employed.

So employment has actually gone down.

And it's a situation where the unemployment rate has continued to fall in January.

Well, I'm sorry, February, I think it was 4.2%.

But the decrease in the unemployment rate really had to do with the fact that a lot of people who maybe had been looking for a job in the past have stepped away from the labor market again.

So if you look at the number of people employed, the number of people employed have actually gone down over the last couple of months.

So suggesting that we're in a bit of a different situation now than what we were seeing throughout much of 2025.

What it may be is that is reflecting the fact that the economy seems to be slowing down.

So individuals who maybe were trying to find a job, maybe experiencing some challenges in terms of finding work.

And so as a result of that, they seem to be stepping out of the labor force, maybe to come back when the labor force or when the labor market improves.

But, you know, a lot of what we're seeing in terms of the numbers for January and February suggest that people have left the labor force.

What I want to be a little bit careful about labeling this a trend at this point.

So so these are all just estimates.

And the estimates have margins of error.

And they will be revised over time as more data comes in.

So when I see a change in one month I don't get terribly excited or concerned that I saw that change because next month it might just reverse and it might get just simply revised as more data comes out.

And so the story may seem to change with two months of labor force decline that we've seen here so far, that's starting to get my attention.

I don't know that I want to necessarily label it a trend at this point, but it is suggesting that, you know, again, maybe the economy is slowing and workers are having more challenges finding a job.

And so this seems to be consistent with kind of our expectations that the economy would tend to slow in 2026.

But it is something for us to watch over the next few months to see whether or not this is just kind of a, you know, a couple of months, you know, will we actually see this materialize for, for a longer period?

As for the impacts, it's a little bit hard to say.

You know, we're seeing a bit of a slowdown in both in terms of the demand for workers, but also the supply of workers.

You know, I think some of the implications of this is, again, you know, relatively fewer people working, earning wages, that will be harder on some households.

They may have to be careful about their spending.

And that can also place put a bit of a drag on certain aspects of the economy.

>> According to the Kentucky Center for statistics and the U.S.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job sectors in Kentucky showing a decline are manufacturing, trade, government and transportation job sectors showing growth, education, health care, professional and businesses.

[MUSIC] To weather.

Now, parts of Kentucky are in desperate need of some rain.

The National Drought Mitigation Center shows Western Kentucky is experiencing extreme drought.

That means creeks and ponds are dried up, and it's become very expensive to maintain livestock and crops.

Drought conditions are only slightly better in other parts of the state.

We could see some relief from the dry weather tonight, but unfortunately there's also a risk for severe storms.

The National Weather Service says the greatest threat is along and west of Interstate 65.

Strong winds, hail and tornadoes are all possible with this weather event because the storms could arrive while many people are sleeping, officials say.

It's so important to have multiple alerts that can wake you up if you need to seek shelter.

The storms are expected to weaken as they move east across the state.

As the warm weather brings more people outdoors.

It also signals the start of a tick season.

Our Christie Dutton talks to an entomologist about tick borne illnesses caused by the most common tick seen in Kentucky, and how to protect yourself.

That is in tonight's Medical News.

[MUSIC] >> Doctor Jonathan Larson joins us, entomologist with the University of Kentucky.

Okay, doctor Larson, this is Kentucky is prime tick territory.

What ticks are we seeing right now?

>> Right now we can get a hodgepodge of just about all the ones that we worry about on people.

That would include the Lone Star tick, the American dog tick and the black legged deer tick.

>> Okay.

And those are responsible for different health impacts.

Sometimes in humans.

What is related to what health impact?

>> So when we talk about ticks, they are the number one pathogen vectoring arthropod.

Here in the state of Kentucky.

We often joke that we could be called Kentucky because of all the ticks and tick borne illnesses that we have.

But blacklegged deer tick, they're responsible for the distribution of Lyme disease.

And then we also have American dog tick, which is most associated with Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

And then the Lone Star tick is most commonly associated with Alpha-gal syndrome, sometimes referred to as the red meat allergy Wright.

>> And I've been hearing a whole bunch about that lately.

Why are we hearing more about it?

>> Kentucky is one of the top states for Alpha-gal.

Unfortunately, we're kind of one of the battleground states Tennessee, Missouri, some other nearby states.

We are states that have a lot of Lone Star ticks, and as a result, more people are being exposed to the sugar molecule that is responsible for alpha-gal syndrome.

And we're seeing rising numbers of these people that are suffering from that allergy.

>> Oh, wow.

So is the Lone Star tick the most common tick in Kentucky?

>> It is the number one King Kong tick in the entire state.

It displaced the American dog tick, which used to hold the title back about 30 or 40 years ago.

But since it's started to infiltrate more of the state and become more common, it is absolutely the number one tick that we capture in our tick drags and that we receive via extension submissions.

>> Okay, so when is tick season?

Are we in tick season now?

Does it ever end?

Why does it seem like it just lasts on and on forever?

>> Unfortunately, it doesn't really end in Kentucky.

There are some times where it kind of goes into a lull in the winter, but the Blacklegged deer tick is active on any day above freezing, so any of those warm days that we get in winter, those ticks are active and we could encounter them.

If you're going out into the woods, I would say the prime tick season in the Commonwealth is kind of that May and June time frame.

You could extend it into April as well, but that's when these species are starting to get more active.

They're either reproducing or the adults are becoming active after the winter.

And we're starting to see new ones be born for the new year.

>> Okay.

Is there any sort of new tick that we need to be concerned about?

Or an invasive species?

>> There is an invasive species of tick.

Of note.

It's called the Asian longhorned tick.

And it is a bigger deal for cattle producers as well as people who like wildlife.

It's not been as big of a deal for people, although it has been found on a human in Kentucky before.

It can get on to wild and domesticated animals.

And if it's not caught in time, unfortunately, almost all of the ticks that we've seen from this species in the U.S.

have been just females, which means they're reproducing asexually and you can end up with very heavy tick loads on animals in areas of infestation.

And there can be really problematic symptoms after that, where the the animal's losing so much blood, it gets sicker and sicker because of the ticks.

>> Oh, wow.

Okay, so the Asian longhorned tick.

Okay.

With the little bit of time that we have left, what do people need to know to protect themselves from tick bites.

>> Right now would be a good time to think about wearing longer pants.

Still, even though it's starting to get warmer, you can tuck your pants down into your socks or into your boots, and that can cut off.

One of the easy access points that ticks have is just crawling up your pant leg or up your leg to get to the the other bits that they want to bite.

You can also wear skin based repellents such as Deet or oil of lemon eucalyptus.

There's also Picaridin and ir3535.

All of those can provide some protection when you apply it to your skin.

You may have to reapply, particularly if you sweat a lot or you're getting wet outdoors.

If you're going to be outside for a long time, I would consider treating your clothing with permethrin.

That is not for your skin.

It is an insecticide.

But once it dries on your clothes, it's safe to wear those clothes again.

And when the ticks crawl onto you, it will kill them.

Just shake out your pants at the end of your camping trip and Dossett dead ticks will fall off.

It feels very satisfying, and you won't have been bitten by those little sneaky bloodsucking ninjas.

>> From ticks to the Derby.

The guest list is out for the Barnstable Brown Derby Gala.

Considered one of the biggest events of the Derby season, the list includes a mix of musicians, singers, athletes, and actors among those attending music legends R&B hitmaker Patti LaBelle, country music queen Tanya Tucker and electric Queen of funk Chaka Khan, Lance Bass and Joey Fatone from NSync will be there.

Bulletproof country artist Nate Smith will set your world on fire.

Masters champion Sergio Garcia and Grammy Award winning rapper and actor T.I.

will let him know.

Additional celebrity guests are expected to be announced before Friday's gala.

Speaking of the Derby, you may remember legendary jockey Pat day from his longshot win back in 1992, but you may not know about his life leading up to that point.

On a recent episode of Inside Louisville with Kelsey Starks, he talks about his racing career, including battling addiction and how he ultimately found his new calling in life because of it.

>> The success came so fast and furious, I didn't really appreciate it.

At the end of the day, I was looking for higher highs.

I was taking it all for granted.

Actually, my attitude was that I deserved it.

Like I had put forth the time and effort to be where I was and which was a complete fallacy.

But but.

As I'm climbing the ladder of success, as I said, at the end of the day, I was looking for higher highs and got involved with drugs and alcohol and assorted Life.

In 1982, I was in a position to be leading writer in North America and I thought, boy, that's the key.

If I could be the leading writer in North America, if I could reach that, that level of success, I'll never have another bad day.

The world would have you to believe that you know, and your chosen vocation.

When you reach a certain level, you're supposed to be happy forever.

That's, you know, you've gotten a hold of the brass ring.

You've.

You've found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

And so I rode hard through 82 through the fall of the year, rode here at Churchill, went to New Orleans, was riding at the fairgrounds, subsequently won the National Riding title.

At the time I was in the in the celebrating.

So the pilot and I just.

Him and I, we stopped at a liquor store on the way back to the airport, got a six pack of beer, got to the airport, got on a plane time.

We got to New Orleans.

The beer was gone.

Sheila had rented a room at the fairgrounds, at the racetrack where they were having a New Year's New Year's Eve celebration party.

And so I walked in and somebody walked up with their hand like this.

And I held, you know, some pills of some kind.

Somebody else walked up with a big glass tumbler of an alcoholic beverage of some kind, and the party was on.

I was off and running, and for two weeks we were celebrating.

And when I came out of that drug and alcohol induced stupor and took a personal inventory, the fleeting feeling of succeeding was gone.

Nothing had changed.

I was more empty than I was.

I discovered that the climb to the top was more rewarding and fulfilling than actually getting there, because you had something to reach for.

I'm like.

So that kind of sent me on a search like, what am I here for?

This isn't making any sense.

I've got a beautiful wife and a successful career, but I feel empty inside.

>> You can learn more about Pat day's remarkable story and how he's changing lives both on and off the track to this day.

That's on Inside Louisville that's streaming right now online and on demand at KET dot ORG.

Five days to go before the 152nd run of the roses.

Fittingly, we have some derby related historical facts as our Toby Gibbs looks back at this week in Kentucky history.

>> Louisville's Seelbach Hotel opened on May 1st, 1905.

The hotel would eventually welcome countless celebrities, including several presidents.

President Franklin D Roosevelt visited Kentucky's Fort Knox on April 29th, 1943.

The president inspected the gold depository, watched a firepower exercise involving 700 soldiers, and reviewed tank training.

Citation.

Won the Kentucky Derby on May 1st, 1948, on his way to winning racing's Triple Crown.

Diane Crump became the Derby's first woman jockey when she rode a horse named fathom.

On May 2nd, 1970.

Dusk commander won the race.

[MUSIC] The American Basketball Association's Kentucky Colonels played their last game on April 28th, 1976, a playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets.

As the ABA folded, the Colonels tried to join the NBA, but they were turned down.

April 30th, 1963 the steamboats Belle of Louisville and Delta Queen raced for the first time.

The Delta Queen won.

That launched a steamboat racing tradition, taking place the Wednesday before every derby.

There was racing in the air in Louisville on April 28th, 1973, during the first Great Kentucky Derby Festival balloon race.

As 11 balloons filled the sky over the Derby City, starting at Iroquois Park and moving southeast.

And that's what was happening this week in Kentucky history.

I'm Toby Gibbs.

>> Thank you so much, Toby.

Some sad news tonight as we remember one of our own right here at KETV.

Mr.

James Grimm died yesterday following a brief illness.

James joined KETV and 2012 and most recently led our I.T.

and Facilities Department along with Master Control.

He played an important role in helping to launch Kentucky edition, as well as helping to keep many other productions up and running.

We will miss his unique brand of humor and his cheerful hallway hellos.

James Grimm was 53 years old.

Our deepest condolences to his family and friends.

As we mentioned earlier in the show, some of the candidates for the sixth Congressional District will be joining me here tonight on Kentucky tonight, beginning at 8:00 eastern, seven central.

And we'll have a recap of tonight's program tomorrow night on Kentucky edition, which we hope you'll join us for again at 630 eastern, 530 central, where we inform, connect and inspire.

Connect with us all the ways you see on your screen, the social media channels online, on demand@ket.org, the PBS app, and send us a story idea at the email address on your screen.

I'm Renee Shaw, thanks so much for being with us tonight, and I will see you in a little bit for Kentucky tonight.

Take really good care.