music >> The real benefit in.

Oh is is obviously not public schools.

>> Private or public lawmakers discuss which school systems will benefit the most from House Bill one.

[MUSIC] >> Last school year, our total was 474 students that were identified as homeless.

>> The number of homeless students is growing in Bullitt County, but a unique resource center is trying to change that.

>> It's been 57 years since I played here, and I can walk down the street and people greet me like they saw me day before yesterday.

>> And a Kentucky basketball legend turns author.

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

[MUSIC] >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky Edition for Thursday, October 22nd.

I'm Marvin Bartlett.

Thanks for joining us.

House Bill one passed earlier this year and sets up a statewide framework for Kentuckians to donate money for K through 12 scholarships and receive a dollar for dollar tax credit on their federal tax returns, up to $1,700 per person.

Yesterday, state lawmakers heard updates on the program's rollout and how it's expected to impact public and private school students.

Here's more from our Clayton Dalton.

>> House Bill one from the 2026 legislative session paved the way for scholarship granting organizations, or sgaus, in Kentucky.

These groups will take donations from Kentuckians and use the money to award K through 12 students scholarships.

As of October 21st, 17 organizations in Kentucky have filed to be Sgaus.

This week in Frankfort, state Senator Karen Berg questioned how public school students can benefit from scholarships when they don't pay tuition.

>> I think it at the elementary level, I'll just go there enrichment type activities, field trips, the associated transportation that goes with those back to school supplies, the supplies that are needed to be at school for any level.

It could cover those costs as well.

There's just I could go on and on.

There's a multitude of things, and I left out technology.

A child could get their own device.

It can it can certainly benefit our public schools.

>> On the high school level.

These scholarships can cover the cost of dual credit courses and AP exams.

Gary Fields, superintendent of Bowling Green Independent Schools, said this could help students in light of recent budget changes.

>> In 2025.

The dual credit scholarship covered two courses for students in 11th and 12th grade this year, only one course is covered, so we have a lot of students who are now having to come up with $297 for each additional course that parents had not really planned on or students had planned on.

>> But fields isn't convinced that public schools will be able to recoup money from these scholarships.

In the same way private schools will.

>> Most districts don't have many fees left.

We don't charge technology fees.

All of our kids get devices.

We don't.

You know, the textbook fees of of old are gone.

Students are not charged fees for things.

So the ability for us to recoup money or to use money from SEO for fees is really limited.

The Sgaus.

We're going to participate because we it can help our kids.

And if it can help our kids, we're going to do it.

But the real benefit in SEO is, is obviously not public schools.

That was that's not the obviously, the focus.

>> Private school students will be able to use these scholarships to pay tuition.

Doctor Gregory Ross, the president of the private West End School in Louisville, says scholarship granting organizations will be a lifeline.

>> Every one of our students receive a full scholarship, so we have to raise nearly $5 million a year, just a fraction of a public schools budget.

When we are dealing with public school kids, we get no state funding.

Okay, just want to put that out there.

So when we talk about the importance of something like an Sgo, it's a lifeline for us.

It's, it's, it really will allow us to continue to do what we do to support kids that otherwise would fail.

>> Any Kentucky student, public, private, or homeschooled can apply for scholarships from these organizations as long as their household doesn't exceed 300% of the area.

Median gross income for Kentucky Edition.

I'm Clayton Dalton.

>> Organizations interested in becoming Sgaus must file with the Secretary of State's office by November 30th.

Attorney General Russell Coleman wants to move forward with the execution of Kentucky's longest serving death row inmate, Carew Gene white, in 1979, white and two juveniles used a crowbar to beat to death two men and a woman, all in their 70s in Breathitt County.

Coleman says white has exhausted all appeals, and it's now time to schedule a hearing on White's claim that he is intellectually unstable and should have his death sentence overturned.

Coleman wants that question resolved, so the surviving families can get justice.

State Auditor Alison Ball has three choices for the executive branch ethics Commission.

She sent a letter to Governor Andy Beshear with the three names.

Christine van Tatenhove is special counsel to House Speaker David Osborne.

She is the wife of Gregory van Tatenhove, the former federal judge who is now dean of the UK College of Law.

Lawrence Van Meter is a former Kentucky Supreme Court justice, and David, former president and CEO of Kentucky Venues.

Beck was removed from that position over the summer after the Supreme Court ruled a 2021 law unconstitutional, a law that removed the board from the governor's control.

In June, the court also ruled against the the 2022 law, giving ball the ability to appoint members to the Executive Branch.

Ethics Commission.

In her letter to Beshear, ball cited a 2020 executive order from Beshear, saying the auditor and the attorney general could provide a list of three names and he would appoint one of them.

When it comes to infrastructure, Kentucky isn't quite making the grade.

The American Society of Civil Engineers has released its report card that grade States on roads, bridges and other critical systems.

The group gave Kentucky an overall grade of C, minus the head of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Kentucky section says aging systems underfunding and a new category are behind the low grade.

>> The big thing that the report card really highlights is that our infrastructure across the state is aging.

Obviously, most of the infrastructure that's in the ground or we use every day is either approaching, meeting or exceeding its expected design life.

We have bridges that are, on average, about 49 years old, which is the life expectancy is about 50 years old.

That's the design life.

So the overall arching grade of a C minus is actually a cumulative score of all 11 chapters that we graded for the state of Kentucky since 2019.

Two of those grades that go up and those were both in transportation.

So that was our roads and bridges categories.

These categories were really influenced that that upward trend was really influenced by recent investments through the Iija or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The overall grade for the state actually stayed the same.

And that is partly because we only had the two grades go up.

We also added a new chapter and that is stormwater.

And so stormwater actually received the lowest grade on the report card with a D minus.

One of the biggest reasons there is such a low grade in stormwater is because we lack a comprehensive inventory of stormwater assets throughout the state and truthfully, throughout the nation.

What happens is, is that if we don't know what's in the ground, then it's really hard to plan for things like extreme weather events or shifts in population.

I don't think there was anyone that was able to predict a hurricane hitting the mountains of North Carolina and eastern Kentucky.

However, we're seeing it more often, and so we can use things like predictive modeling and asset management.

And just speaking through what are the the breaking points or the pinch points in a system so that we can better prepare.

And so investment is really important when we talk about that kind of infrastructure to ensure that we are properly maintaining and operating the infrastructure.

And just like when you're operating a car or own a car or a home, the older the technology or piece of equipment is, the more expensive it is to maintain.

So understanding that, you know, we may not want to immediately replace the infrastructure, but we do have to be able to invest in extending the life of that infrastructure.

So just like your home or your car, investment consistently is key.

Telling your story to your legislators is huge.

They want to hear from you.

So if there is a, you know, there's a road that is a part of your commute every day and the bridge is failing, or there's a load restriction on that.

So that means the bus can't go over it.

These are the stories that your representatives need to really understand impact you every day.

And that helps prioritize where we want to do even that.

That inspection and planning side of the House to ensure that we can then plan for and budget for bigger capital investments.

>> Another area of concern workforce shortages across infrastructure sectors, retirements, less competitive wages and declining enrollment in civil engineering programs are creating the shortages.

The report says Stem education, strengthening training partnerships, improving access to higher education along with recruitment and retention programs, will be essential to building Kentucky's infrastructure workforce.

Lewis County could become home to the largest nuclear power plant site in the nation if a proposed project by a Lexington based energy company is approved.

The nuclear company announced it wants to build six nuclear reactors along the Ohio River and has begun geotechnical and environmental assessments.

The nuclear power complex would be Kentucky's first.

The proposal comes as Louis County seeks designation as a nuclear ready community through the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority.

The company said the campus could generate a combined 6.6GW of electricity, compared to the 7.2GW generated by the entire fleet of Kentucky's largest electric utility.

It is seeking federal approvals to begin site construction by 2028.

[MUSIC] Experts say when a student's basic needs are unmet, academic success often falls by the wayside.

That's why the Mckinney-vento Homeless Education Assistance Resource Team opened the Hart House in Bullitt County.

Homeless students and their families can get the resources they need in a private, comfortable environment.

As our McKenzie Spink reports, the Hart House opened in August of this year, but it has already served more than 300 families.

>> The Mckinney-vento act is a federal law that protects the rights of students who have been displaced from their homes.

Prior to the Hart House, families and Bullitt County, who needed support from Mckinney-vento services, had to meet with coordinators at the Board of Education building.

>> It could be a very difficult and intimidating step to to come and ask for help, to come to ask and ask for support and ask for resources.

You can add a layer of intimidation on that.

If you're coming into a public office building or something that looks, you know, administrative in nature.

And so this provides an environment that is welcoming.

It's encouraging.

It's homey atmosphere.

It's private.

>> The Hart House serves as a one stop shop for families experiencing homelessness.

It can be a food pantry, education center, laundry service, or a space to access a computer and free Wi-Fi.

Mckinney-vento staff say access to these services can help displaced students feel more regulated as they continue to attend school.

>> Before, we didn't have a place where families could come and do laundry.

People don't realize what a barrier that is for for children and students to be successful in school, that they can have clean clothes and food and school supplies and hygiene so that they can show up even though their housing is unstable.

We can provide that support so that they can be successful in school.

>> Reynolds says the number of students in Bullitt County who identify as homeless has risen by 30% in the last three years.

Last school year, the total number was 476.

>> Bullitt County is the largest county in Kentucky without a homeless shelter.

Really, these students and these families are hiding in plain sight.

Maybe they're staying with a family member or a friend.

We've got unaccompanied youth that are couch surfing.

Maybe they've been kicked out of their home due to some sort of conflict, and they're having to stay with friends.

>> The creation of the Hart House actually saved money for Bullitt County Schools, as the district originally planned to pay for the home to be demolished.

Local businesses like On top of it, roofing came together to renovate the home free of charge.

>> Learning that it was ultimately helping homeless children was a huge draw for us.

We were fortunate enough to be the initial contact with Bullitt County, but then we pulled in a bunch of our resources of other vendors that we use for material and for labor.

Basically, everything that you see, for the most part was donated.

>> Educators say helping unhoused families meet their basic needs is a way to help those students achieve long term educational success.

>> You can't learn at high levels unless your basic needs are met.

The research is very clear about that.

And so if we want to make meaningful gains with students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and economic challenges, then we have to provide resources and opportunities for them to get those needs met.

>> Students with unstable housing can also receive transportation and tutoring through the Mckinney-vento.

Coordinators at the Hart House.

For Kentucky edition, I'm McKenzie Spink.

>> The Hart House project received no federal funding and was fully funded by community donations and grants totaling more than $181,000.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] University of Kentucky fans know Dan Issel is one of the players who left a major mark on basketball.

He's the all time leading scorer for the Wildcats, who went on to professional success with the Kentucky Colonels and Denver Nuggets as a player, coach and general manager.

In 1993, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Now, he adds another accomplishment to his resume.

Author.

He's here to tell us about his new book in tonight's segment of Turning the Page, Dan Issel, thank you for coming in.

>> Marvin, thank you for having me, I appreciate it.

>> And the name of the book is Dan Issel from Kentucky Wildcat to NBA legend.

I'm sure over the years, a lot of people have pushed you to write a book.

Why did you finally get around to it?

>> Well, I met Doug Brunk, who is the coauthor of the book, about 2012.

He was writing his first book about Kentucky basketball called Kentucky Memories.

And so I, I knew that it would be a quality project if he was involved.

And when he approached me about it, I said, yeah, let's do this thing.

>> Yeah.

Well, one of the interesting things in the book is when you talk about your upbringing in rural Missouri and Illinois, even living for a time without electricity and running water, you didn't play basketball much as a young boy?

>> No.

Growing up on a farm in central Missouri, I didn't know anything about sports.

And when we moved to Batavia in the sixth grade, I went out for the football team and the coach said, now, men, we're going to start with the basics.

Is there anybody here that doesn't know how many players play on a football team?

And everybody laughed.

I went home and looked it up in the encyclopedia.

I had no idea.

>> Yeah.

So fans will want to know how from that upbringing you ended up being recruited by one of the legendary coaches of the of the basketball, Adolph Rupp.

>> Absolutely.

And I it really is an interesting story.

How I got here.

I wasn't their first choice.

And they weren't my first choice.

But the recruiting started to to up itself later on and wound up coming to Kentucky on the recruiting trip and, and fell in love with the place.

And coming here was the best decision I ever made.

>> Yeah.

You say in the book that if the transfer portal had existed back then, half of you probably would have left.

>> Well, Coach Rupp, I tell people, Marvin, that Coach Rupp had a way of disciplining people to motivate people.

You can either pat them on the back or kick them in the tail.

Coach Rupp kicked everybody in the tail, and so he was he was a taskmaster.

He was tough to play for.

But it sure wound up all right.

>> Yeah.

You wouldn't trade that for anything.

>> In the world.

Absolutely not.

>> What's it like now as you go around the state and talk about these things, to run into people who still remember something that happened decades ago, maybe things that you might not even remember.

>> It's amazing.

I tell people I can walk down, it's been 57 years since I played here, and I can walk down the street and people greet me like they saw me day before yesterday.

And, and everybody has a memory.

That's the special part about talking with with Kentucky fans either.

Either they remember playing me, playing growing up, if they're real old or or a lot of them telling me, you know, my grandpa, you were my, my, my grandpa's favorite player.

He talked about you.

So everybody has a memory about Kentucky basketball.

>> It is pretty amazing.

You also talk about your love for horse racing.

You do talk about your rural upbringing and some other things in your life.

So it's hard for us to imagine that there wouldn't be a everyone's a basketball fan, but would you think there are things in here that Non-basketball fans would find?

>> I hope, I hope so, because, you know, after my playing and coaching career was over, I still had a lot of life to live.

And there were ups and there were downs, and it's all chronicled in the book.

And I hope that, you know, people maybe who are going through a little bit of a rough patch right now will understand if you persevere, if you rely on your faith and your family and your friends, you'll get through it.

Hopefully you learn some lessons and you're better, better off coming out the other end.

>> And you do talk about some dark times, going through a bankruptcy, an offhand remark you made at one point that hurt your reputation for a while.

Why was it important to include those bad things as well as the good?

>> Well, when Doug and I first started this, I had no idea it would take this long.

We started writing this book two years ago, so it's it's a long process, but I told him, I don't want this to be superficial.

If we're going to do this, we're going to tell the whole story.

And I think it turned out well.

>> Yeah.

So people want to know what you're doing now besides a book tour.

>> That's that's about it.

We're still involved in the horse horse business.

My son and I, and it's been great for our relationship.

We've always been very close, but we talk almost daily about what's going on in the thoroughbred industry.

And so we do that a little bit.

But mostly I'm retired and go to the grandson's basketball and football and baseball games.

>> What do you want to be remembered for?

>> You know, I want to be remembered for the work ethic.

I mean, there were times that I played well.

There were times I played not so well, but at the end of every game, I could say I gave it my best shot.

And that's what I'd like to be remembered for.

>> How closely do you follow the Kentucky Wildcats these days?

>> Oh, don't miss a game.

Even even living in Denver, you get to.

You get to watch them.

And we.

We try to get back at least once, once a year for for a game here at Rupp Arena.

Nothing like the Kentucky Wildcats and Rupp Arena.

It's the greatest atmosphere in college basketball.

>> Yeah.

Sounds like you're enjoying this book tour, too.

You've been to libraries and bookstores.

You'll be at the Louisville Book Festival this Saturday.

It's been fun, hasn't it?

>> It really has.

And it's been fun because of the people I get to meet and, and hear their stories and their memories about Kentucky basketball.

>> Well, you're etched into the history of the Kentucky Wildcats.

We're glad you took time to write a book and to come in here and tell us about it.

Again, the name of the book is Dan Issel from Kentucky Wildcat to NBA legend.

Good luck with it.

>> Thank you.

Marvin.

>> A first of its kind immersive museum experience is opening in Louisville at the American Printing House for the blind.

The Dot experience is 20,000ft█!S of tactile exhibits designed to guide visitors through what's being called the world's first fully inclusive experience.

Christie Dutton has a sneak peek of the new museum on the next Inside Louisville.

>> Entering the Dot experience, we're surrounded by a black curved wall.

>> This is the first chance when you're coming into the museum to kind of calibrate a little bit so that you start thinking about sight not being the priority of how you're going to be exploring the museum.

>> This new 28,000 square foot experience combines a museum, educational center, and a behind the scenes factory tour.

Designed ceiling to floor for all abilities.

>> This is our path.

This is how we're moving through the museum.

>> As textures change beneath your feet, from hard flooring to carpet.

>> This is the place where this signals that.

Here's a place where you can stop, slow down and explore what's going on.

>> The one phrase that resonates throughout the Dot experience is nothing about us.

Without us.

The people represented here didn't just inspire the exhibits.

Their feedback helped design how the place looks, sounds, and feels.

>> We were not shy.

None of us were shy about, oh, I don't like this at all.

No, this is not okay.

>> Danielle Burton is one of the museum's prototype testers.

>> Because my degree is actually in deaf studies.

Yes.

I'm totally blind in my degrees in deaf studies.

>> Prototypers shaped everything from exhibit layouts to the angle of Braille displays.

>> And they actually did prototyping of an adjustable level until the group said, no, this is it.

This is the right.

This is the right level.

>> The goal is to create a place where accessibility isn't an add on.

It's part of the design from the very beginning.

>> And that's why that's what we asked for with our prototype, is don't give us the world that you used to live in, where you have to make accommodations because the world isn't meeting you where you are.

We want you to demand the highest level.

>> Here at the Dot experience, you're encouraged to actually touch the exhibits, to experience it hands on and explore it in your own way.

>> So here's an example.

This is Stevie Wonder's piano from when he was in high school.

So this was pointed to us and this is the this isn't a replica.

This isn't a model.

This is the piano.

But come up here.

Come up here.

I want you to touch it because that's what we have committed to in this place.

So this is the real deal.

>> Getting to feel history with your hands, including Helen Keller's desk that she used for the second half of her life.

>> And just like Stevie Wonder's piano, you can come up to the desk.

You can feel what the service feels like.

There's a ridge around it that she put on to make sure that she, you know, kind of knew the dimensions of the desk.

>> And the things that you can't be touched.

That would, you know, break, you know, we do have replicas.

>> Like this dual display of Helen Keller scroll tube with a 3D model that all are invited to explore.

>> When I did that, I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm touch Helen covers things.

And it was quite emotional.

>> The Dot experience opens its doors with a simple invitation.

Don't just come see it.

Touch.

Listen and explore it.

We're inside Louisville.

I'm Christy Dutton.

>> Learn more about the new museum.

The history of the American Printing House, and more on the next.

Inside Louisville.

Sunday at noon 11:00 central only on KET.

This is National School Bus Safety Week.

>> Parents trust our drivers and us as the district with their students.

The most precious cargo there is.

>> But I do want to do it.

>> Learn more about the importance of school bus safety and how a new law is changing.

When drivers stop for a school bus.

That's tomorrow on Kentucky edition.

Join us again tomorrow night at 630 eastern, 530 central for Kentucky edition, where we inform, connect and inspire.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] Subscribe to our Kentucky edition Email newsletters and watch full episodes and clips@ket.org.

You can also find Kentucky edition on the PBS video app, on your mobile device, and smart TV.

And you can send us a story idea at Public Affairs at ket.org.

Also, follow us on social media, on Facebook and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Thank you for joining us.

I'm Marvin Bartlett.

Make the rest of your evening a good one.