music >> We are here to fight until the very last minute, when we can no longer fight.

>> Intoxicating or not.

The debate over hemp usage continues.

[MUSIC] >> Compare.

Compare.

Compare.

Don't let this period of time pass you by.

>> There are changes to Medicare.

What you need to know to plan your coverage.

>> It was shocking and it's really in my blood.

[MUSIC] >> And it's in his bloodline.

A Kentucky farmer is getting statewide recognition.

[MUSIC] >> 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 15th.

I'm Marvin Bartlett.

Thank you for joining us.

It's that time of year again.

School test scores are here.

The results offer parents, school leaders and policymakers a snapshot of how students are doing in core subject areas.

Our June Leffler has the data.

>> The 2025 2026 assessment results are in and reading scores went up.

>> The percentage of students proficient or distinguished in reading increased across all grade spans.

And fewer students scored at the novice level.

>> The assessment highlights year to year change, with across the board gains in reading and mixed results in other subjects.

>> Science performance continues to increase.

I'm very thankful for that.

When compared to prior years, particularly in elementary and high school settings.

While the social studies performance has remained relatively unchanged across the state.

Writing performance was mixed across grade levels.

>> But go back a few more years, and the results are more promising.

Since 2022, many more students are getting higher marks at all levels in all subjects.

Nationwide, schools are still rebounding from the negative impacts of the Covid 19 pandemic.

>> Well, I will say that we're still not at that level of maybe the 1819 reading scores.

Let's be open about that.

Even if we go back to the 1819 scores, we're not happy with those either.

We want more and more of our students each and every year to be proficient in reading and keep growing.

So whatever the scores are, we're never going to be satisfied.

At KDE or Shaw, nor should we be satisfied at the school level.

But I will say our rate of growth compared to other states is higher, and the data will show you that.

>> Other highlights.

Rates of graduation and college readiness are also up.

The report also names the 5% lowest performing schools in the state, known as Comprehensive Support and Improvement Schools, or Sis.

Of those 53 schools, nearly three quarters are in Jefferson County public schools.

Now, JCPS is the largest school district in the state, but the second largest Fayette County Public Schools had no CSI schools.

Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher says districts should help each other out.

>> How do we connect those schools that may be defying the odds a little bit, or going against what the common scores are, and how do we make sure that those type of practices are implemented in other areas?

>> State Auditor Alison Ball released her audit of JCPS this year when testifying in Frankfort recently, she highlighted low scores among the district's black students.

>> Those are deeply troubling.

Actually, they're heartbreaking numbers.

>> JCPS educates nearly half of the state's black students.

However, this racial achievement gap is not any more apparent in JCPS than it is elsewhere in Kentucky.

Statewide, the percentage of black students scoring proficient or distinguished is 20 percentage points lower than the total average.

That goes for reading and math scores at the elementary, middle and high school levels for Kentucky Edition.

I'm June Leffler.

>> The Prichard Committee, a leading advocate for public schools like the improvement for economically disadvantaged, disabled and English language learners.

It didn't like the drop in kindergarten readiness.

We told you yesterday about sweeping changes on the way for the U.S.

hemp industry.

In 2025, Congress approved new regulations for hemp that take effect later this year.

Some see it as a prohibition.

Today, co-founder of Cornbread Hemp in Louisville, Jim Higdon, testified to state lawmakers about the hemp industry.

He was asked by his father, Senator Jimmy Higdon, about synthetic versus natural hemp.

>> The bill that was passed in D.C.

a lot of the talk when they passed that the ban US hemp products was based on a. They painted with a pretty broad brush where the synthetic and the natural THC were all considered to be dangerous.

I know you've worked on that quite a bit in D.C.

and hopefully we've.

People understand the difference between the two products.

Could you explain some of the work that you've been doing on that?

>> So synthetic cannabinoids will be banned in America on November 11th as scheduled.

In that in the ban that was implemented last year, the only products that got an extension to December 12th were naturally occurring cannabinoids.

Synthetics are due to expire.

Their federal legality on November 11th.

>> We took a trip to Cornbread Hemp's facility to learn more about the hemp industry and what the future holds for that company, its products and its customers.

If Congress doesn't act.

Here's more from Kentucky editions.

Clayton Dalton.

>> When Congress passed the 2018 farm Bill, they removed hemp as a controlled substance and defined it as a cannabis plant with a low amount of THC.

That decision paved the way for many hemp products currently available on store shelves today.

Companies like cornbread, hemp sell lotions, gummies, and seltzers.

>> We have grown this business to 105 employees.

We ship 50,000 orders a month out of here.

We've been the fastest growing business in Kentucky several years in a row.

>> But since Congress voted to change the definition of hemp, requiring much lower levels of THC, Zipoli says many of their products, including non-intoxicating ones, are at risk of being banned.

On December 11th.

>> It is not just intoxicating hemp products, it is also CBD products that we sell here at cornbread Hemp that have 1 to 2mg of THC per serving.

Those are Non-intoxicating CBD products.

They will all become federally illegal if this ban goes through.

As it's written today.

>> Cornbread.

Hemp does make intoxicating products, too.

>> We launched the first ever certified organic THC gummies derived from hemp, and we also have a five milligram THC beverage.

We would consider those impairing products that need to be in the hands of adults, not children that need to be aged 21.

Plus.

>> Cornbread.

Hemp acknowledges that changes are needed within the hemp industry, and they believe Congressman Andy Barr's Lawful Hemp Protection Act does that without squashing the industry.

>> We have a problem in America right now that we need to solve.

Hemp has colored outside the lines based on the definition of the 2018 farm bill, and that needs to be corralled and contained with good regulations.

But the proposed solution to this of an outright ban goes way too far.

We need regulations.

We need guardrails.

We need taxes in order to become a mature industry in America.

And Andy Barr's Lawful Hemp Protection Act does those things.

It provides guardrails like mandating 21 and over age gating, good manufacturing processes, mandatory third party lab testing, bans on foreign imported hemp from places like China, and sets a tax rate for our products so that the federal government can begin to receive revenue to help enforce those regulations in the marketplace to clean up these bad actors.

>> Without congressional action, Zipadelli says.

The future of cornbread hemp is grim.

>> If this ban goes through as it stands today, as it's written, unfortunately we won't be here anymore.

We would, we would.

We're going to try to be.

But the fact is, 99% of our business comes from products that contain low levels of THC.

We will no longer be allowed to produce them or sell them.

We will not be in business.

If that's the case.

That's the reality.

And we we're here to fight until the very last minute when we can no longer fight.

>> For Kentucky edition.

I'm Clayton Dalton.

>> Says they buy all their hemp from growers in Kentucky.

A new partnership in Kentucky pairs veterans with careers in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Sazerac, the parent company behind brands such as Buffalo Trace, has partnered with the nonprofit initiative Kentucky Valor.

As our Mackenzie Spink reports, its leaders say more military skills apply to the hospitality industry than you might think.

>> Kentucky Valor was founded to help families that are transitioning out of the military to find licensed occupations in Kentucky and accelerate the licensure process for those veterans.

Its new initiative, called Industry Connections, targets fields that don't require those certifications.

>> We noticed that a lot of our participants were interested in fields that didn't necessarily require a license, but they still needed help identifying what those industries entailed and needed to be connected with hiring employers within those industries.

>> Sazerac is the first employer partnership in the industry.

Connections initiative, allowing the opportunity for veterans to find careers in tourism and hospitality.

Tourism in Kentucky is a growing industry.

2025 was the fourth straight year of record growth in tourism, generating roughly $14 billion in economic impact, according to the governor's office.

Kentucky Valor says there's a diverse range of tourism careers that could interest those with military experience.

>> A lot of people, when they think of the bourbon industry, think of distilling, but there's so many jobs behind that, that go into that from customer relations to marketing to technology and cybersecurity.

And there's a lot of management and leadership roles that are behind the scenes in that industry alone.

>> We know that men and women coming out of the military or their spouses have some real skills, both hard skills, whatever they learned in the military.

And we know the military has every imaginable occupation, but they also know soft skills.

>> They know how to lead teams.

They are very disciplined.

They perform well under pressure, and they care about people.

To me, that is hospitality.

Whether you're running a hotel or you're in charge of a visitor experience at a distillery, or even just a large event, all of these skills are necessary.

>> One of the challenges facing service members who are transitioning to the civilian workforce is how to translate their military experience into a resume.

>> It's hard for a service member to know how to translate their education and experience in a way that is understood and valued by the civilian employer, so we do a lot of work with that on both sides.

>> Kentucky Valor says taking the time to work with veterans and their families ensures long term careers that benefit both the service member and their new employer.

>> Typically, less than half of transitioning military veterans stay in their first role a year.

Valor has been around for years now.

We're at 94%, so 94% of the people we place in a job stay in those jobs at least one year.

That's because of that personalized nature.

We get to know you.

What do you want?

What does your family want?

Where do you want to be?

The type of role.

>> Kentucky Valor is looking to expand the Industry Connections program to more industries down the line.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm McKenzie Spink.

>> Kentucky Valor has 44 different pathways for transitioning service members to become licensed or certified for different occupations across Kentucky.

[MUSIC] It's harvest season, and we're grateful to the farmers who provide our food, fuel and fiber.

This week, Kentucky Farm Bureau announced its 2026 Kentucky Farmer of the year.

More now from Laura Rogers, who visited the honoree and his successors on their Hardin County farm.

>> Every day is a different day.

You get to experience different things.

>> Coming down to the food you eat, the clothes you wear, everything starts and ends on the farm.

>> And for the Rogers family, that's right here in Glendale, where they raise about 3000 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat.

>> Rogers farms, established in 1975 by my grandfather.

He passed it on to my dad.

>> His dad is Steve Rogers, Kentucky Farm Bureau's 2026 Kentucky Farmer of the year.

>> It was shocking because there's so many well-deserving farmers in the county.

And then, of course, across the state.

>> Rogers didn't grow up farming as his family moved around quite a bit for his father's career.

>> My dad was in electronics.

>> He thought he'd follow in those footsteps, but when his grandfather passed away and his dad bought this farm, plans changed.

>> When we first moved down here, it was pretty well set.

I just enjoyed the work.

I like getting out with my hands and being outside.

>> He has fond memories of visiting this farm as a child, where his grandparents raised Black Angus cattle.

>> We would come down and help my grandfather move cattle around.

>> He says his grandfather would be quite proud of what Rogers Farm has become today.

>> He never really thought this ground could be cropped.

And you know, and now it's being cropped and raising really good crops on.

It.

>> Crops like white corn used in weisenberger corn meal.

>> You will see our products on the table.

>> Rogers Farm is a prime example of generational farming.

Steve sons, Philip and Adam, are next in line to carry the family farm into the future.

>> I'm just super proud that Dad and Granddad was able to give us an opportunity.

The opportunity was up to us to take and run with it.

>> There are many benefits to generational farming, like the passing on of knowledge and keeping farmland intact, but also the affordability factor.

>> Without them doing what they do, my brother and I could not have gotten into farming.

It's harder today to get started.

A lot of capital goes into farming.

>> The USDA says farm real estate and the U.S.

now averages $4,500 per acre.

And in a community like Glendale that's now home to a Ford plant, development is moving closer.

>> Once it's gone and developed and put into something else, it's never going to be returned to farmland again.

>> This, as Kentucky Farm Bureau says, the Commonwealth has lost 1.4 million acres of farmland and 17,000 farms in the past 20 years.

>> There's only so many acres that our food can come from, and once this farmland goes away, it's going to be harder and harder for us to continue feeding America, as well as the rest of the world.

>> Other challenges persist, like rising fuel prices.

>> It's easy for us to go through 200, if not as much as 300 gallons of diesel in a day, and that $6 that gets you up to 12 $1,500 every day.

>> And things were tight already.

So, you know, they've gotten tighter.

>> But the Rogers family is resilient.

Overcoming economic and weather related challenges in the past with a focus on the future.

>> It's nice to know that the farming operation is going to continue following my dad's footsteps, my grandfather's footsteps.

We're glad to be a part of keeping this country going.

Fed.

It's something you take pride in.

>> Kentuckians in Moore counties will have access to health care, courtesy of a new medical office for outpatient services opening in Lexington soon.

UK health care broke ground today on the 220,000 square foot facility in Hamburg, East, right off Interstate 75.

UK leaders and local and state officials touted the expansion as one focused on access for employees and patients.

>> The intersection of I-64 and I-75, essentially the front door to Eastern Kentucky.

Looking at our ambulatory visits, more than 30% of those patients come from eastern Kentucky.

So this highlights the opportunity that we have to provide care closer to where they live and work, and for them to depend on that specialized care that they have come to expect in a few short years.

Patients will be able to pull off the interstate, pull up to the building, park and walk right in the building.

>> One of the things we learned is we studied the greater Lexington area to serve more patients is that over 10% of University Kentucky employees live in Hamburg, and we want to serve them, and we want to serve the patients who come up and down the highway.

40% of our patients come from Lexington, Fayette County and surrounding counties.

The rest of those patients come at a distance.

When they come on to Chandler Hospital on a campus.

They're coming for very complicated care, trauma, neonatal care, etc.

but if they need an outpatient visit, how can we make that more accessible for them?

Easy parking.

Walk in a beautiful new building, very accessible for those patients who might have problems ambulating around the building.

>> Access to health care in this area is really critical.

It's one of our fastest growing areas of Lexington, and so the families really do need access to more care.

And this is going to be a really unique facility that will provide great care.

Lots of different services, even even a drive through pharmaceutical facility, all in one location.

So it's going to be a great asset for this side of town.

>> The project is scheduled to be completed in December of 2028.

The center is expected to start taking patients as early as spring of 2029.

If you are enrolled in Medicare, now is the time to review your plan and possibly make changes.

Open enrollment started today and runs through December 7th.

This is when eligible adults can switch from traditional Medicare to a Private advantage plan.

Change from one advantage plan to another, or join or change a part D prescription drug plan.

Here to help us navigate the options is Angela SEEK health and benefits unit Manager.

With legal aid of the bluegrass.

Angela, thanks for coming in.

Thank you.

I know one of the things people look at the most probably is those advantage plans.

More than half of the Medicare enrollees have that.

Yes.

And people are being forced to make some changes this year because some of those plans are disappearing.

Right?

>> That is right.

We have several plans that are terminating their contract with Medicare in Kentucky.

We have a number of new plans.

So this opportunity is the time to look at what is available, compare current coverage to those new options and make a change.

>> Yeah.

And those advantage plans are the ones that include vision and health and hearing those kind of things.

That's why they're popular, right?

>> That's right.

They are inclusive.

So it covers both the medical prescription drug and does offer some additional benefits that Medicare, Original Medicare doesn't cover.

Usually most of those, about 80% of Medicare Advantage plans do not charge a monthly premium.

Now, individuals still pay their part B premium, which is $202.90 a month.

But they don't have an additional monthly premium.

So those are enticing because they get the coverage that they need.

Plus some, and they don't have to pay an extra premium for them.

But it doesn't always mean it's the best coverage for them.

There are some obstacles that are created under Medicare Advantage plans.

You know, they are difficult to travel with in most situations.

We have had complaints about skilled nursing facility care not getting covered as it would under original Medicare.

So there are things that people need to consider before they go and enroll into a plan.

>> Is the fact that some of those plans are disappearing, causing some panic?

>> Oh, yes.

So, you know, we have seen so far this year as we've been comparing options for our clients, increased premiums, increased deductibles, increased co-pays.

So the plans are passing more on to the beneficiary to cover.

But they are receiving the beneficiaries are receiving their notices that their plans are terminating.

And some plans have other or some companies offer multiple plans.

And so they can be cross walked, which means they can be enrolled into another plan with that same company.

It doesn't mean it's the best plan for them, but that is offering them some protection.

But if you're enrolled into a silverscript standalone drug plan, then there is no crosswalk.

If you don't do something by December 7th, you will have no coverage.

>> January 1st.

Why are so many plans disappearing?

I assume it's profit margins.

>> Yes, that's what I understand is that they are taking a look.

The companies are taking a look at at what they are able to profit and what they're paying out.

Of course, for beneficiary care.

And and we understand that they are, you know, deciding to limit their market a little bit.

>> You started to mention cost.

And that's the biggest thing on people's minds.

Of course, part A, which is hospitalization usually comes with no cost, although there's a deductible, right.

That plan B, which covers outpatient services, doctors visits, the the amount right now is about $202 a month.

What are we hearing about what it might be in 2027?

>> Yeah.

So the trustee's reports are indicating that there will be an increase.

The trustee's report.

Social Security trustee's report indicates a cost of living adjustment.

And so when there is a cost of living adjustment to Social Security checks, that does more times than not mean A part B, premium increase.

So we're looking at going from 200 to 90 to about 209 50.

So $209.50.

We are anticipating an increase in the part.

A deductible by about $60 a year.

And I'm sorry benefit period.

And then we're going to see most likely an increase in the part B deductible as well.

>> Yeah.

Everyone who's enrolled, they get an annual notice of change that everyone should have received that by now.

Right?

>> Yes, yes.

They should have received that by October 1st.

The annual notice of Change discusses the change within their prescription drug plan or their Medicare Advantage plan.

Those are difficult documents to read.

But if you need to compare your coverage, you can always call one 800 Medicare.

You can call your local ship program the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, and our ships can help with those comparisons at no cost to the beneficiary.

>> Yeah, this is something you can't ignore.

We need to emphasize that, especially if you're just now becoming available for to enroll.

Yes, there can be penalties if you don't do it in the right time frame.

>> That's exactly right.

So we have a late enrollment penalty for Medicare Part B and part D. So if you don't accept the medical coverage or the prescription drug coverage when you become eligible, it can be quite pricey for you.

When you do decide to enroll.

>> Part D again, we talked about it, the drug plan, that's another one that that people will look at very closely.

And that's the one where you may be seeing some sticker shock.

>> Oh, that's exactly right.

So we are losing two plans in Kentucky next year.

We're losing a Health spring plan and a Silverscript plan.

But of the eight plans that we have remaining, four of them will cost over $100 a month, one of which is over $200.

So it is very important to compare this insurance, make sure that the plan is paying for the medication, and then take a look at the premium.

It's not a good plan if it doesn't cover all the medications.

>> Yeah, well, just one final thought.

What's the biggest thing people should be considering right now as we're in this open enrollment period?

>> Compare, compare, compare.

Don't let this period of time pass you by.

Don't answer the phone if you don't know the phone.

The phone number.

We are getting complaints.

Marketing complaints, marketing violations with cold calling and and and door to door sales.

Always go to people you trust and who are local to answer your questions.

>> All right.

And again, the enrollment period runs through December 7th.

Angela SEEK, thanks for coming in today.

>> Thank you.

>> A recent KET call in forum took an in-depth look into Medicare options and open enrollment.

You can watch that hour long discussion on ket.org.

[MUSIC] President Donald Trump will campaign in Northern Kentucky Saturday.

The question is which side benefits.

>> He agitates Democrats who don't like him, but he also excites the Maga voters that do like.

>> Him.

>> Our experts talk about Trump's impact as Election Day draws closer.

We go inside Kentucky politics tomorrow on Kentucky edition.

Join us then at the same time, where we inform, connect and inspire.

Subscribe to our Kentucky Edition email newsletters and watch full episodes and clips@ket.org.

And you can send us story ideas at Public affairs@ket.org.

And follow KET on Facebook and Instagram.

Thanks for joining us.

Have a good evening.