[MUSIC] {sounds of walking on bridge] >> Ahead the work to make sure these bridges of the past extend into the future.

[MUSIC] What happens when Kentucky's biggest city closes a busy road?

>> We remember that democracy is strongest when communities come together with respect, participation, and shared purpose.

>> And what better way to celebrate America's roots than by planting a tree?

[MUSIC] Production of Kentucky edition is made possible in part by the KET Millennium Fund.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] Good evening and welcome to Kentucky Edition for this Thursday, May the 28th.

I'm Kristi Dutton in our KET studios here in Louisville, filling in tonight for Renee Shaw.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Dotted across Eastern Kentucky, you'll find swinging bridges that connect rural communities this year with the passage of Senate Bill two.

61 landowners and local governments can work together to maintain these unique structures.

Here's more from Kentucky Edition's Clayton Dalton in Manchester.

>> Towering above the rivers and creeks of eastern Kentucky, you'll find an important part of Appalachian history swinging bridges a symbol of cultural pride.

They also serve as critical infrastructure in times of serious flooding.

>> Years ago, a lot of people traveled the edges of the rivers to get places, but when the river got up, you couldn't get across them.

So it was your method of getting from one side of the river to the other side, because the bridges would either be washed out or underwater.

>> Mountain communities like Manchester are investing in recreational tourism, and these swinging bridges are a vital part of that conversation.

>> Whether you agree or not with what's happened to the coal industry.

People understand there has to be a diversification of the economy in here, that we just can't rely on fossil fuels.

We need to do other things.

So you're seeing other communities really get into what can we do, you know, to create a diverse economy.

And one of them that we have, and probably our biggest asset is people love this type of this, this type of terrain, this type of atmosphere.

It's a lot more laid back than the city life.

And so people come down here and spend that time.

>> Many of the swinging bridges in eastern Kentucky have fallen into disrepair until now.

Cities and counties were wary to maintain the bridges and take on that liability.

But with the passage of Senate Bill 261, all that has changed.

>> So.

But the bridge.

Nobody knows who the owner is.

So if they were to spend money on this bridge, they would get a bad mark in their audit saying, why did you spend money on something you didn't own?

Same thing for the county.

But when the water gets up, it becomes a pretty integral part.

Not here, but the other places.

You'll see about being able to get out of the hall, across the road, and you'll see where people park.

And so nobody wanted to keep them up because they didn't want want the liability to they didn't want to get dinged on an audit.

So that's what the legislation changed.

It says it's permissive.

Cities and counties can spend money on these without getting in trouble with the state auditor.

And because nobody really knows the clear definition.

You're assuming responsibility coming out here.

So we reduce the liability under like the Tourism Development Act.

So it's kind of like getting on a four Wheeler.

And it's almost identical to what we did with the four Wheeler trails.

If you're going to go on the trails, you assume the liability.

You know what you're doing running through mud holes and going up mountains and everything else.

Don't come back and sue us.

When you took the risk.

>> Will Boling grew up in the region and used a swinging bridge to access his family's farm, named the Old Home Place Bridge.

The all metal structure remains a symbol and a utility.

He says he's happy with the new legislation that allows cities and counties to preserve these bridges, and for the protection it offers landowners.

>> Personally, I believe it's a great thing.

It's one of those things where in the past we've always been happy to have been happy to share the bridges with folks, allow people to come out and and take part in it, get out, walk across them, see everything there is to see.

But it was always something in the back of your mind.

What happens if somebody gets hurt, if something of that nature.

So having the ability to have that the the recreational liability protections, but also having some of the some of the dollars to upkeep the bridges is absolutely huge.

>> The bridges don't just impact individual families or out of town visitors.

>> You get a thing about it.

There could be a one one bridge built, and it'd be a community of maybe ten families.

Exactly.

You know, they may be a mile or so stretched out, but it was it was a community thing.

And mostly where we built them was where it would serve the best for the community.

>> Oftentimes, too, the way I look at it, when we're going through and thinking about the things that we can do to make make the community more, more amenable to folks coming in to see it and to, to hang out and enjoy the things that we have.

It's also making things better for those of us who live here at the same time, too.

>> There's no question that Eastern Kentucky's swinging bridges offer tourists a special experience.

But for locals, preserving these landmarks means even more.

For some, it's hard to put into words.

>> They're still necessity sometimes, but it's it's still it's.

It's just something.

It's just something to get you.

>> For Kentucky Edition.

I'm.

Clayton.

Dalton.

>> We are just days away from an interstate being shut down in Kentucky's largest city.

Beginning Monday, a stretch of I-65 will be closed for two months in Louisville.

During that time, three bridges will be replaced.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says by closing I-65, they.

They'll save at least a year of added closures and delays.

>> We want everyone in Louisville and the entire metro region to be aware, but also to have a plan for this closure.

This.

This project, though, is is in the top priorities that we have in Kentucky to improve and to replace our aging infrastructure and to provide new safety and mobility for the traveling public in Kentucky, replacing the first three I-65 bridges and six others next year is important, first and foremost, to improve safety.

These structures have been maintained regularly over the years, but they are at the end of their service life.

This $150 million investment in this portion of the project will ensure that these connections remain safe and sound for generations of Kentuckians.

You can see some of the work that's already occurred on one of the bridges that we have.

You can see that the the work of the the new culvert that goes underneath I-65 is basically completed.

And now when the I-65 closure occurs, they'll be able to take off the old existing bridge and then place the remaining portion of the roadway that's going to go on top of that.

So all this work, and if you look at the other locations of the 65 corridor, similar work has taken place.

The official detour has been designated along Interstate 264 or the Georgia Powers Expressway, and then along I-64 along the river, and this closure will be in place from June 1st to August 1st.

So it will be in place for two full months.

So it's going to be on the west side of Louisville along I.

264.

The Georgia Powers Expressway will be the detour.

>> You can learn more about the project, including maps showing detour routes online at I-65 central corridor.com.

Well, overall, Kentucky roads are better on average than roads in the United States as a whole.

That's from a study done for construction coverage.

A company involved in road construction.

The Lane Report has a story about the report's findings.

The report found hazardous road conditions not only put drivers and passengers at risk, they also hurt the economy and contribute to traffic jams.

Here are the Kentucky findings.

The average Kentucky vehicle travels 29 miles a day.

66% of Kentucky roads are in good condition, 28% are in fair.

About 6% are considered poor.

That's better than the national numbers.

Nationally, 55% of roads are in good condition, 32% are fair and 13% poor.

Well, the results in an extremely close primary race in Jefferson County aren't changing.

Current state representative Beverly Chester Burton lost her Democratic primary last week by just five votes to challenger Kenya Wade.

That tally was confirmed today after Chester Burton requested a recanvass of the votes.

Wade was at the local election center today.

>> I really feel like the people of district 44 spoke up that it was clear, so I'm just really ready to get to work about the things and the policies that I ran on.

>> Today was a request for a recanvass.

So any time it's within one percentage points of a race that the candidate can request a Recanvass.

And as you've seen today, like in the past, every vote was was cast correctly in the precincts that were tested.

And so this was a close race.

You talk about, you know, five, five votes.

It means every single vote matters.

But it's also important that we do this so that your voters, your constituents, people out there understand that it's done accurately.

And that is important.

>> Wade will almost certainly go on to represent the southwestern portion of Jefferson County, which includes Shively.

There was no Republican primary for this seat.

Wade runs an anti-gun violence nonprofit.

Today's recanvass was different than a hand recount, which candidates can also request for a hefty fee.

New county jobless numbers show a mixed bag.

The state says the unemployment rate went down in 66 of Kentucky's 120 counties from April of 2025 to April of 2026.

It went up in 41 counties and stayed the same in 13.

Kentucky's highest unemployment rate last month was in Martin County at 7.8%.

Woodford County had the lowest at 3.1%.

The overall state unemployment rate, released earlier this month, is 4.3%.

[MUSIC] Data centers are cropping up across the country, and Kentucky is no stranger to the developments.

Just this week, a new massive development was announced for Northeast Kentucky.

But not everyone is on board.

Our Emily Prince sat down with Connor Giffin of the Courier-Journal today to learn more about data centers moving in across the Commonwealth.

More in our reporter's notebook segment.

>> Connor, thank you so much for joining us.

>> Thanks for having me.

>> Absolutely.

So from your reporting, we know that there are a handful of data center developments out there that are either in progress or their prospective.

So where are some of these locations at and just how much money is being invested to make these happen?

>> Yeah.

So we've seen a few of these crop up around the state.

There's a few of them that are now, you know, in a planning phase and are seem to be moving forward.

There's tens of billions of dollars at this point that companies have said they're intending to spend on these projects.

You know, to put that in perspective, the annual city budget of a city like Louisville, Kentucky's biggest city, is a little more than $1 billion a year.

So this is a huge amount of investment for the state to see.

And we've seen a lot of them kind of crop up around kind of the Ohio River corridor, in part because there's a lot of industrial land around the river.

And they also have access to kind of that existing electric transmission.

So that's kind of part of why you're seeing them crop up along those areas.

>> Possibly the latest announcement was in Northeast Kentucky just announced this week plans for a data center around the Boyd County, Greenup County, those kind of areas.

Tell me more about what are the plans there and who is the company behind this?

>> Yeah.

On Tuesday, we learned that a company called Terra Wolfe had plans to build a data center in the East Park Industrial Park on about 285 acres.

That industrial park is on the border of Boyd County and Greenup County, and at plans to scale up to about a gigawatt of power that's 1000MW by 2030.

That scale would make it among the largest projects we've seen proposed anywhere in the state.

>> Yeah, it's an important note that this company, Terra Wolfe, is the same company who's driving another data center in Hancock County, right?

>> Right.

Yeah.

So that that company might sound familiar because they're building another large hyperscale data center in Hancock County.

And in that project, it's kind of interesting.

They found a site again along the Ohio River that's on the site of the former century aluminum smelter outside Hallsville.

If you're familiar with that area.

And that smelter had been idled for a few years since 2022.

The company had laid off its its employee employees of about 600 people who work there and said that they weren't able to operate due to steep energy costs.

And now Terra Wolfe has acquired that land in about a $200 million sale.

They're going to be building a data center there.

And in their statement earlier this week, we heard them say that they found Kentucky to be, you know, an appealing State, largely because of our access to energy.

>> Yeah, that's a great point because I think what's on a lot of people's minds is, you know, why?

Why are these companies picking Kentucky?

So that's a good point there.

I want to turn back to Northeast Kentucky, because there has been a lot of controversy from the community.

I think that's not uncommon when we see these announcements, but a lot of folks in the community are complaining about maybe the lack of transparency from the elected officials or just concerns that they have about a data center coming to town.

Tell me more about the arguments there.

What are you hearing from those folks?

And and for the people who don't want this to come?

Why is that?

>> Yeah, we're hearing almost as far as I've seen, every every project of this scale that we've seen, proposed or announced has pretty quickly seen public backlash.

There's there's definitely a large concern among the community that these projects are going to harm environmental quality, quality of life.

There's a lot of concern that because of the heavy draw on infrastructure, including electric utilities, that they could see their rates increase.

>> And in in Boyd County, specifically, the judge executive, he made a post kind of giving a statement, sharing his argument for why he was in favor of this.

What did he say?

>> Yeah.

Eric Cheney, the judge executive of Boyd County, he was saying that this is a project that would, you know, it would bring an industrial project to a site that was intended for industrial project, one that had sat vacant for a long time.

He said that local and state officials had spent a lot of time collaborating to make sure that this project maybe wouldn't fall into the same pitfalls that other projects around the country have had.

And I asked Tara Wolfe for more details about things like tax revenue that this might bring, and total jobs in construction and permanent operational jobs.

So we're waiting to kind of see some of the specific details about this project.

>> Certainly.

And then on the state response level as well, you also got a statement from Governor Andy Beshear, his office, and kind of their again, their argument why they are a proponent for this.

And tell me more about what they had to say.

>> Yeah, that's really interesting.

We haven't seen Governor Andy Beshear speak about data centers one way or another very strongly.

We've seen some kind of general remarks about how, you know, obviously, the state wants these to be beneficial and that, you know, the administration is going to look carefully to make sure that they're not causing harm to communities.

In the governor's statement this week, he said that the company had agreed to pay all of its own power, that it would ensure no detrimental impacts to the local community, and, of course, that it would bring a lot of jobs and investment.

I should add that Beshear's statement also included that the administration would be watching the project's development closely to make sure that it fulfilled the promises it had made and kind of their deal making process.

>> Well, I'm sure this will not be the last announcement that we see for the state of Kentucky.

I feel pretty certain about that.

But we want to thank you so much for your excellent reporting.

We'll keep following this, but thank you for sharing with us about it.

>> Yeah.

Thanks for having me.

>> Kentucky's drought picture has improved thanks to recent rain.

This is the latest map from the U.S.

Drought Monitor.

You see some red, which means extreme drought in Casey, the Casey County area, Whitley County and Todd and Logan counties.

But this is an improvement from a week ago, when a huge swath of southern and western Kentucky was red.

Now orange means severe drought.

Light orange.

Moderate drought.

The Drought Monitor released this map today, but it was completed Tuesday morning, so any rain received since then wouldn't be reflected on this map.

People gathered in Bardstown to honor a police officer 13 years after his unsolved murder in one county, plans to educate people about the dangers of THC in children's snacks.

Our Toby Gibbs has the details in this look at headlines around Kentucky.

[MUSIC] >> Bardstown and Nelson County honored Officer Jason Ellis on Memorial Day, 13 years after his murder, a shooter ambushed Officer Ellis at Exit 34 of the Bluegrass Parkway in 2013.

His killer still hasn't been found.

The Kentucky Standard reports the ceremony included the placing of a wreath at the Jason Ellis Memorial next to the Bardstown Police Department.

The police chief, assistant chief and Ellis mother in law praised Ellis as a calm, courageous, compassionate police officer and a great man.

[MUSIC] From the Danville Advocate Messenger.

The Boyle County Health Department is launching a new campaign over concerns about children accidentally eating snacks containing THC, the main compound in marijuana.

Doctors are worried that children are eating and drinking candy and drinks containing THC without knowing it, since the labels sometimes look similar to those of regular foods, THC can have serious health effects and can even be life threatening.

The health department plans to put up posters to educate people about the risks.

[MUSIC] Louisville's Arthur Street Hotel is in danger of closing.

It's a transitional shelter that helps people move from homelessness to permanent housing.

[MUSIC] The Courier-Journal says it costs $4 million a year to operate the hotel, and a third of that comes from the public sector.

But city funding wasn't included in Louisville's 2020 627 budget recommendation.

A spokesperson for Mayor Craig Greenberg says the city is working with the Arthur Street Hotel on a proposal to provide permanent, supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness.

Covington is joining educate n k Wise Reed Ready Network.

Covington already had a program called Reed Ready Covington, a program to provide resources to Covington kids to promote kindergarten readiness.

[MUSIC] Lincoln KY says Covington just voted to hand off its program to educate n KY, which provides early childhood education resources to other Ohio River cities.

[MUSIC] headlines around Kentuc, I'm Toby Gibbs.

>> America is celebrating birthday number 250 this year in Kentucky played an important role in the early history of the United States.

We'll talk about that next Monday on a special Kentucky tonight, guest host Chip Polston and a panel of history experts will discuss Kentucky's settlement and growth.

Join us for Kentucky Celebrates America 250.

And that's Monday, June 1st.

Kentucky's birthday at 8:00 eastern seven central right here on KET.

And speaking of history, Kentucky's official tree is playing a part in a celebration of America's roots.

The Kentucky Liberty Tree Project is marking America's 250th anniversary by planting tulip poplars in all 120 counties.

We were in Bourbon County recently for their poplar planting ceremony.

>> Today, as we celebrate or commemorate America 250, the legacy of the Liberty Tree and what it represented back then and now, is being revived across the nation right here in Kentucky counties, trees are being planted and designated as liberty trees.

These living images remind us today that although our country is not perfect, America is still a country where hope is very much alive and well.

It is a place where those who are disenfranchized can gather and let their voices be heard.

It is still a place where people can gather as a community and exchange political ideas, and it is still a place where we, the people, can come and say we will agree to disagree.

>> The Kentucky Historical Society administers the America 250 Commission that's statewide and as part of the goal to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Kentucky Historical Society has worked with communities including Bourbon County and Paris, the daughters of the American Revolution, across the state to plant a tulip poplar.

In every county.

>> Throughout history, trees have stood as enduring symbols of strength, resilience and renewal.

The Liberty Tree holds a particular important place in American history.

Before the founding of the United States, colonists gathered beneath a famous elm in Boston known as the Liberty Tree.

It became a meeting place for ordinary citizens who believed in extraordinary principles, including freedom, self-governance, justice, and the right to have their voices heard.

>> The word spread about that tree to the other colonies.

And so, out of solidarity with Boston, the other colonies began to designate trees in their home areas as liberty trees as well.

>> We remember that democracy is strongest when communities come together with respect, participation, and shared purpose.

And we recognize our responsibility to continue cultivating these values.

Right here at home.

A tree begins small.

It requires care, patience, and stewardship.

Over time, its roots deepen, deepen, its branches expand, and it provides shelter and strength for others.

In many ways, that mirrors the work of a community.

>> Just like back in the day.

We want this.

This was a gathering site for individuals to think about liberty and what the new nation may look like.

We are hoping 250 years later that these trees will be remembrance of that, but also be a place where communities can come and generations on down the road can come and reflect on and, you know, think about the future of their communities.

>> The Liberty Tree Project is a partnership between the Kentucky Historical Society, the daughters of the American Revolution, and the Kentucky Division of Forestry.

The tree plantings will continue through this year.

Tomorrow on Kentucky edition.

What's at stake for Meals on Wheels?

>> In the meals I bring when they cook them?

That may be the only hot meal they get during the day.

>> Rising food costs and flat funding from the state mean seniors who relied on home delivered meals could be cut off.

Find out the impact and how some city governments are filling the gap, and we hope that you will join us again tomorrow for that story and many more.

That's tomorrow night at 630 eastern, 530 central for Kentucky Edition, where we inform, connect and Inspire.

[MUSIC] You can subscribe to our Kentucky Edition email newsletter and watch full episodes and clips@ket.org, or send us a story idea at public affairs@ket.org.

That's all the time we have for tonight.

Have a wonderful evening.