music >> Martha Lane is the only woman in the history of our commonwealth to serve as governor.

[MUSIC] And I think it's time we change that.

[MUSIC] The first hatch has been thrown into the 2027 race for.

>> Kentucky governor.

[MUSIC] >> As one area of the region grows, so does the other.

So there's no need to ignore that.

Let's embrace that.

>> One group is.

>> Working toward a unified Northern Kentucky.

[MUSIC] >> And I'm a young person that's able to start my career in a place that's having that type of trajectory.

[MUSIC] >> From retail to reuse for this campus now home to collaboration and creativity.

[MUSIC] >> We gave the opportunity to the the American people to adopt the wild horses.

[MUSIC] >> And leaving the wild for a new home in Kentucky.

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

>> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky edition for Monday, April 20th.

I'm Laura Rogers filling in for Renee Shaw.

Good to have you here with us this evening.

The state's highest elected woman is aiming even higher today.

Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman announced her candidacy for the 2027 governor's race.

As our Mackenzie Spink explains, the former educator and basketball coach says she spent two years asking Kentuckians what they want in a governor and says she's ready to tackle the issues that matter.

>> While several states haven't had their first female governor yet, Jacqueline Coleman wants to be Kentucky second.

>> As you walk down the hall behind me, you'll notice that Martha Lane is the only woman in the history of our Commonwealth to serve as governor, and I think it's time we change that.

So it is with deep pride in the work that we've accomplished to this point.

With abounding hope for a future we can author together.

An immense gratitude and love for my fellow Kentuckians that today I declare my candidacy to be the next governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

>> Coleman says she's proud of the work the current administration has done for the economy, but that she's not resting on laurels with the backing of a local labor union already.

Coleman says workforce development will be one of her top priorities.

>> Kentucky.

Now is not the time to take our foot off the gas.

As a matter of fact, I happen to believe the next governor of the Commonwealth, whoever she may be, will need to focus on economic and workforce development and complement that progress with a newfound concentration on people development.

And I am beyond honored to announce that on day one of this campaign, I have been endorsed by the Teamsters Local 89.

>> As a former teacher and assistant principal, it's no surprise that bolstering public education is also one of Coleman's campaign focuses.

She vows to continue the fight for universal pre-K in Kentucky.

>> We have to put kids first.

We have to support the people who show up for our kids every day, and we have to make sure our schools have the resources to do what we need them to do.

We can invest in our kids on the front end, or we are literally going to pay for it on the back end.

And I will not stop.

[APPLAUSE] And as governor, I will not stop until pre-K is a reality for every Kentucky family.

>> Coleman also mentioned access to mental health care and improving the foster care system as other key issues in her campaign.

Lieutenant Governor Coleman is the first candidate to announce an official run for Kentucky governor for Kentucky Edition.

I'm Mackenzie Spink.

>> The governor's race is not in this current election cycle.

The governor's seat will be open in 2027 as Governor Andy Beshear will complete his second and final term.

The Republican Party of Kentucky says Coleman doesn't deserve a promotion.

In a statement, they said in part, quote from her mismanagement of the unemployment system during Covid, including giving friends, her hairdresser and other associates special treatment over Kentuckians in need to being ousted as leader of the Education and Workforce Development cabinet.

Her record shows a pattern of poor leadership and misplaced priorities, consistently putting her own interest above the needs of Kentucky families.

Before we get to the governor's race, we have races for the U.S.

Senate and U.S.

House this year.

In Kentucky, we are less than a month from the May 19th Kentucky primary, and you will see some of the qualifying candidates for the U.S.

Senate on Kentucky tonight.

This evening.

Join us for that at 8:00 eastern, seven central right here on KET.

Governor Andy Beshear was in Detroit over the weekend speaking at a fundraiser for the Michigan Democratic Party.

Beshear, who is considered a potential contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, was a featured speaker at the event along with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Beshear told the crowd the best way to defeat President Donald Trump is by focusing on the policies that improve people's lives.

He also told them in order for the Democratic Party to connect with voters and show they are the party of the people, they should start talking like the people.

>> The language we use is a big part of it.

We can't say we're going to meet people where they are and then not do it.

We need our language to reflect what we feel in our bones and what we're trying every single day to do, to make life a little bit better for our people.

We, as the party, have let advocacy speak seep into our democratic language, and sometimes these terms make it feel like we're talking down to people, like we're talking at them instead of to them.

And listen, they came about for a good reason.

The idea was we'd reduce stigma, but we don't reduce stigma by changing words.

We reduce stigma by changing hearts.

We're not going to win back that House and overturn that bill.

If we say more kids aren't going to be able to concentrate at school because they're food insecure.

We're going to win by saying those kids can't concentrate because they're hungry.

We're not going to win by saying seniors can't sleep at night because they're food insecure.

We're going to win by leveling with people and saying, those seniors are hungry.

I'll give you the newest one that I'm told we're supposed to use.

It's called justice involved population.

Anybody know what I'm talking about?

Those are our inmates.

>> Beshear serves as the chair of the Democratic Governors Association.

Whitmer, who invited Beshear to the event, serves as vice chair.

This primary marks the first time that candidates for Louisville's mayor and Metro Council will be nonpartisan.

Kentucky's Republican supermajority made the change two years ago.

A former Democratic lawmaker and acting county clerk says the change means independent voters will finally have a say in the primaries.

>> For the first time, every registered voter, including more than 75,000 independent voters, will have the opportunity to vote in the primary for Louisville mayor.

My position right now is chair of the Board of Elections is not to make a determination whether or not it's worse or better.

I got to do that as a state senator when I made my vote in arguments today.

My job is to make sure it is the best thing it can be for Louisville voters.

And so having more participation, having people more engaged, I think, helps uplift the community.

And I think having to take your time and know your ballot, know who your representatives are, know who's running is better engagement because a educated voter in my, in my opinion, is always better.

>> Interim Jefferson County Clerk David Yates says voters will need to study their ballot closer than ever without D's and R's by candidates names, voters cannot simply rely on party values.

Yates is also running for his seat as clerk.

That is a Partizan seat.

He's up against a fellow Democrat with his time running out in Congress, U.S.

Senator Mitch McConnell's legacy is being shaped by history and his party polling.

After McConnell stepped down from Senate leadership found most Republicans don't care for the Kentucky senator, and some of his colleagues feel the same.

But on Friday, the University of Louisville welcomed McConnell and one of his friends in the Senate.

Our June Leffler has more.

>> The McConnell center at the University of Louisville nurtures students with an interest in leadership in politics.

McConnell visited Friday with one of his colleagues, the junior senator from Arkansas, Tom cotton.

>> You know how in the Senate we all say we're my good friend this and my good friend that?

It's usually not true.

When I say I think of Tom as a good friend, I mean it.

>> Cotton says he consistently voted to keep McConnell as Senate leader.

>> Not just the Senate majority leader, I'd say, but to being a legislative leader in any legislature, whether it's United States Senate or your city council, is recognizing that you're not the boss in that traditional sense, that you have to collect the votes, you have to appeal to the people that you need to vote for you on any given day or measure, and that those people are going to be there afterwards as well.

>> Cotton gave this parting advice to the undergraduate McConnell scholars.

>> If you're 18 or you're 22 and you want to get involved in politics, the simplest thing to do is to find a candidate who inspires you and whom you believe, or a race that you think is really important and show up and say, I'm here, I want to work.

I want to help us win in November.

And if you do that, the earlier you do it in the campaign, the more likely you're going to be doing something even more meaningful when November comes around.

And I promise you that that's all it takes.

There's no secret.

You don't have to have special connections.

You don't have to be rich.

You don't have to study political science.

No offense.

If you do, you you don't need to come from a political family.

All you have to do is to show up, raise your hand and say, I'm here and I want to work hard, and you'll get lots of opportunities in politics very fast.

>> That chat was part of the McConnell Center's Distinguished Speakers Series.

That program started in 1993 for Kentucky edition.

I'm June Leffler.

>> The latest debate between congressional Republicans whether to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Senator cotton supports it, saying it's undergone much needed reforms.

Civil liberty groups say it's been used to monitor American citizens, including left and right wing protesters, without a warrant.

President Donald Trump has directed his administration to speed up reviews of certain psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine.

The president signed an executive order Saturday that he says will help accelerate access to potential treatments.

Veteran organizations and others say ibogaine shows promise for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder and opioid addiction.

But ibogaine is known to sometimes trigger potentially fatal heart problems.

During the 2026 Kentucky General Assembly, state lawmakers overrode legislation vetoed by Governor Andy Beshear that sets up a framework for clinical research.

If ibogaine here in the Commonwealth will have more on ibogaine at the state and national level, including an interview with an ibogaine advocate and former executive director of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission.

Tomorrow, right here on Kentucky edition.

Well, turning now to Northern Kentucky, regional leaders are making an effort to advance the health and education standards for the northernmost part of the state.

As our Emily Sisk reports, one group is looking to unify the region and propel it toward success.

>> With 37 cities across three counties, Northern Kentucky has a unique challenge finding unity beyond its county lines and distinct cultures.

Karen Fening, president and CEO of the one N KY Alliance, said the question became how could the region speak with one voice?

>> You have the urban core, the suburban core, the rural core.

You think about that and how do you bring that all together under one voice?

>> That's where the one N KY alliance comes in.

The group focuses on Boone, Kenton and Campbell County's Advancing Unity health and education standards across the region over the years.

There are a few key initiatives the group has helped bring to life.

From a regional news organization to smoke free ordinance efforts.

>> When you think of things that we've incubated and launched as a community, Lincoln KY, which is a multimedia platform that covers Boone, Ken and Campbell counties, that's been very important to our community, our breathe easy efforts, which is really pushing for a smoke free ordinance across all our cities.

Extremely important as we look at the health of our community.

>> The One Nky Alliance also pushes for advancements in early childhood education and kindergarten readiness.

Educate in KY is another group that works throughout the region to see growth in the next generation of leaders.

>> Educate.

KY is a group that we incubated and launched in a. Successfully working through and with the existing public school system to bring innovation, new ideas, and just cooperation so that our student outcomes are better and improved as the years go on.

>> So how do all of these organizations and initiatives stay on the same page?

One way is by having a physical meeting place that serves the whole region.

The one in KY Center, located in the heart of Covington and at the foot of the Roebling Bridge, has been open to the community for just over seven months.

Although the idea for such a place was decades in the making.

>> 40 years ago, there was a vision that was identified to have what was called a multi Association building for the benefit of the community.

>> The groundbreaking for the center took place in 2023, and thanks to $15 million of state funding, the building opened last September.

>> This building is a tangible example of how we all come together.

The one in KY center is the front door to Northern, Kentucky.

>> Finance said.

It's no secret that Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati are in a symbiotic relationship.

She said one side of the river can't succeed without its counterpart.

>> There's also a competitive rivalry, which is very healthy.

You know, it's one area of the region grows, so does the other, so there's no need to ignore that.

Let's embrace that.

>> But as part of the Bluegrass State, Finan said she wants the one in KY alliance to set the standard for regional growth.

>> Northern Kentucky has to stand on its own and be its best version of itself.

>> For Kentucky Edition, I'm Emily Sisk.

>> Data shows that in 2025, Northern Kentucky welcomed 26 million visitors and generated $3 billion in tourism revenue.

Newly released census numbers show a trend reversal when it comes to populations in central Appalachia, according to the census, from 2020 to 2025, 15 out of 60 counties in the central Appalachian region showed growth in populations, adding more than 12,000 new residents.

All were in Kentucky and Tennessee, the Kentucky County showing the most growth.

Pulaski County, which gained more than 2000 residents.

Census numbers also show Pike County continuing a longstanding trend and population loss, losing around 4000 residents.

[MUSIC] Now to Silicon Valley meets south central Kentucky.

What was once a former shopping mall is today home to a host of tech entrepreneurs and creatives.

These startups are paving their way in an increasingly digital world and in what many consider an unlikely place.

In the 1960s, this building, spanning 285,000ft, was home to a bustling shopping mall.

>> It was the Mecca of economic development.

>> Years later, when another mall opened across town, this one became empty and dilapidated.

>> It was just a mess.

The floors you couldn't even walk on them on the inside.

>> In the early 2000, Western Kentucky University bought the building that would become the center for Research and Development.

>> The Innovation Act of 2000 created funding for the first time for what they called the knowledge based economy, which we call the tech economy today.

>> Now known as the w k Innovation Campus, it's home to one of six innovation hubs funded by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.

>> The central region ecosystem for arts, technology and entrepreneurship.

>> The WKU Innovation Campus is really interesting because it's this symbol of reinvention.

>> Shawn rubles.

Vecteezy is one of the tech startups that calls this campus home.

>> I first moved to Bowling Green for a job right out of college as a graphic designer, working for this company out of an old mall, which was very odd and strange to me at the time, but it worked.

>> Later on, Rubel was inspired to start his own company that connects creators to stock imagery for their projects.

>> We started just down the hall in a 300 square foot office space.

We had a plastic desk in this beanbag chair.

Every day we'd come in and work and try to figure it out.

>> Vecteezy counts Major League Baseball, TV network, In-N-Out Burger and Bowling Green's Blue Cotton among its clients.

The online creative platform has a team of 56 people, many of them working remotely using the Innovation Campus as a central hub.

>> The WKU Innovation Campus has been wonderful for us.

There's a lot of energy happening here.

>> That energy is evident in young entrepreneurs like Khalil Garmon.

>> And I just walked straight in and I said, hey, you know, I've been building this project in my college apartment.

I'd love a place with better Wi-Fi and maybe some whiteboards.

And they said, well, this is your place.

This is your tribe.

>> Garmin is founder and CEO of Money Bot, which teaches students about personal finance.

>> Money bot is a financial education platform where we use gamification AI technology to make learning about money simple, easy for teachers and students.

>> What grew out of a classroom project is now widely used in classrooms across Kentucky and beyond.

As more states mandate financial literacy courses.

>> Call this the money verse.

This is where kids can buy their bots.

>> This is a place where lots of talented people are.

They share their network.

They share their experiences.

>> When you hear of startup culture, you hear about San Francisco, you hear about New York.

>> But upon working in the collaborative smart space and observing success in the small business accelerator, Garmin continued his work in his college community.

>> It started to open my mind about, oh, I can have that sort of ambition, and it can work not just in Kentucky, but here in Bowling Green.

>> As that ambition and hard work pay off, companies have the space to grow and collaborate.

>> There's a culture, there's a vibe of collaboration.

It has become the place to be.

If you're technology oriented or you're trying to do something new.

>> The innovation campus is at close to 90% occupancy.

This also comes at a time when nearly half of all architectural projects in the U.S.

involve adaptive reuse, rather than new construction.

[MUSIC] Some Kentuckians got the rare chance to take home one of America's iconic free roaming animals.

At an event last week, the Bureau of Land Management opened the gates to its latest wild horse and burro.

Adoption event, offering more than 100 wild mustangs and burros for sale or adoption.

>> Out west.

We have approximately about 86,000 animals, wild horses and burros running on open range, and our job is to BLM, Wild Horse and Burro program.

We have to properly manage those wild horses and burros, their actual descendants of the Spanish Mustang when they were first came over.

The Mustang is what actually helped establish the West.

That's why they call them living legends.

So we have to go in and remove so many animals per herd areas, and we are deemed and mandated by Congress to adopt these animals into their homes.

>> I just take a horse where they are and try to evaluate what they need and go from there.

>> The program has been around since 1974, since it was incorporated under the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act, and we've been coming to liberty almost annually since I've been a part of the program, which has been about eight years.

>> The horses are federally protected animals, and so when we had access horses that were removed off the range, we gave the opportunity to the the American people to adopt the wild horses.

>> We are trying something new this year with liberty being that they got a great facility here and it can accommodate us.

So we wanted to maximize the use of the facility and bring extra animals for the public.

And so we're also trying to incorporate the celebration of America's.

250.

So we call this our mega event.

Now we do have two options.

You can do.

You can adopt, you can get up to four animals, but you may also purchase four animals.

>> If you're thinking about adopting a wild horse and if it's an adult, please take the time.

Build your facility.

Build your facility according to our specifications 20 by 20 foot, six foot tall.

Make sure it's built stout and just do the research before you let your emotions drive your adoption.

>> You can get a good wild horse or burro at a reduced price of 125.

A lot of these animals, they're they're hearty.

Their feet are hard.

Yes, they are wild.

But once you gentle them down, as you may see in the back, and it earns your trust, they become good barrel racing horse, good ranch horses, good cutting horses.

We even had a horse that became National Horse of the year during.

For dressage by the name of Cobra.

And he has his own Brian pony.

So they go through all different disciplines.

>> Such pretty animals.

The Bureau of Land Management also hosted an educational tour while in Kentucky, where they showed off the wild horses and burros up for adoption and discussed the history of the program.

[MUSIC] Look back tonight on two presidential visits to the Bluegrass State and scandal in the world of rat racing, our Toby Gibbs explains.

And this.

Look at this week in Kentucky history.

>> Matthew Harris Jewett was born April 22nd, 1788.

The Mercer County native became one of Kentucky's outstanding portrait painters and would eventually paint portraits of Henry Clay, Isaac Shelby and the Marquis de Lafayette.

Happy birthday to jazz great Lionel Hampton.

Born in Louisville on April 20th, 1908, he performed with such music greats as Benny Goodman, buddy Rich and Charlie Parker and won the National Medal of Arts in 1996.

[MUSIC] McLean County native James Bethel Gresham joined the Army on April 21st, 1914.

It's significant because in 1917 he would become the first American killed in World War One.

President Dwight D Eisenhower visited Kentucky on April 22nd, 1954.

[MUSIC] He reviewed tanks at Fort Knox, spoke at Transylvania University, and visited Abraham Lincoln's birthplace in Hodgenville.

President Lyndon B Johnson visited the home of Tommy Fletcher of I.nes on April 24th, 1964, as the president launched his war on poverty.

[MUSIC] Scandal rocked Spalding University's 19th annual Rat Derby on April 24th, 1991, after accusations that trainers for General Wratten used steroids to improve his performance.

Those are some of the highlights this week in Kentucky history.

I'm Toby Gibbs.

>> Thanks so much, Toby.

Well, as we mentioned earlier, some of the candidates for U.S.

Senate will join Renee Shaw here shortly on Kentucky tonight at 8:00 eastern, seven central this evening.

We will recap tonight's program tomorrow night on Kentucky edition.

We'll see you again here tomorrow night at 630 eastern, 530 central for Kentucky edition, where we inform, connect and inspire.

[MUSIC] Thanks so much for watching.

Have a good evening.