But back to the real point, which is we are going to leave my husband out of it.

Two candidates for governor shared the stage and traded a few punches.

Those youth jeans are sold in our stores and we take those sales to invest in workforce development programs like the Opportunity Center here.

Goodwill Industries of Kentucky turns 100.

Find out how it's sharing the celebration with West Louisville.

All 72 entries that were submitted in the tournament are ultra cool and what was voted Kentucky's coolest product?

Here's a hint It has four wheels.

Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the Katy Endowment for Kentucky Productions, the Leonard Press Endowment for Public Affairs and the Katy Millennium Fund.

Good evening and welcome to Kentucky Edition on this Tuesday, May 2nd.

I'm Rene Shaw.

Thank you for winding down your Tuesday with us.

Kentucky voters are the two front running candidates for the GOP nomination for governor.

Together for the first time.

Last night here on katy, attorney general daniel cameron and former United Nations ambassador kelly craft top a recent public poll.

Three other candidates for the state's top job were also on hand for KETs Kentucky tonight.

Today, our Casey Parker Bell breaks down what the candidates had to say about their platforms and issues and each other.

As I understand, you have a coordination issue with your husband, Joe Craft, and that's under investigation right now.

But back to the real point, which is that we are going to leave my husband out of it.

The night started with a sense of anticipation.

It was the first time leading Republican gubernatorial candidates Daniel Cameron and Kelly Craft would appear on a stage together.

But the appearance wasn't particularly notable for their policy debates.

You're from Glasgow.

What?

Oh, excuse me.

Allow me to speak.

The hour and a half episode of Kentucky tonight featured significant squabbles between the candidates.

Civil discourse.

We've had discourse here across you attacking the attorney general.

I've been you've run negative ads and you don't like when somebody calls on Mr. Bates the woman card.

Let's take a temperature down and turn back to some issues here.

The leaders in the polls took shots at one another over money.

But Kelly, again, has spent $10 million attacking me when I'm the nominee.

I just hope she'll be willing to part with some more of that money to help me beat Andy Beshear in November.

You recused herself.

So why didn't you return the $29,000 in contributions from Pacer Matic to your campaign and the $100,000 donation from Pacer Matic to your super PAC?

While other candidates occasionally pled for civility?

Quite honestly, the last 10 minutes are why people are sick of politics in America.

It's he said, she said, We're going to spend a pile of money to tear each other down.

I want to Kentucky, where we left each other up and we get stuff done.

Those pleas fell on deaf ears.

You try to buy politicians.

You're trying to buy Kentucky, and it's not going to work.

There was still typical political flare.

Republicans took their opportunities to knock current Governor Andy Beshear, the governor.

Right now, Andy Beshear is irrelevant, particularly for his response to the COVID 19 pandemic.

Governor Beshear made a conscious decision to shut down our state.

The gravest disaster of the Beshear administration is he put people out of business and then didn't have the competence to get them paid.

The decisions that were made by Andy Beshear lack common sense.

I think that the economic harm the Governor Beshear has done to Kentucky is reprehensible.

His family businesses shut down our schools and he violated our rights.

Five of the candidates for governor were invited to appear, but the candidates shaking up the debate most was former attorney Eric Dieter's.

The whole state of Kentucky is filled with a bureaucratic mess.

And I'm going to go in there and I'm going to tear it apart and fix it while two candidates attempted to stay out of the fray.

Agriculture Commissioner Ron Quarrels and Somerset Mayor Alan Keck.

And I'm running to unite our state.

It's been decades since we've had a governor that works with the Kentucky General Assembly and we need to be looking beyond a one year or two year kick the can down the road mentality.

We need to have a long term growth set.

Fix problems.

You know, Kentucky hasn't reached its potential.

This is an incredible place.

And all Kentuckians understand that.

But we're not reaching what we're capable of.

Candidates were put on the spot by moderator Renee Short.

The Kentucky agriculture commissioner wouldn't answer questions about who won the 2020 presidential election.

Is yes or no.

President Biden's our president.

Did President Biden win the election fair and square that Donald Trump won big in Kentucky?

And that I think that there's reason to question some of the things that we saw in various cities around the United States.

The craft campaign has been forced to answer questions after financial reports showed her husband, coal magnate Joe Kraft, contributed $1.5 million to a super PAC backing the former U.N. ambassador.

The Kentucky Registry of Election Finance has said the contribution raises concerns about collusion between the PAC and the campaign.

Kraft said this on the matter.

Did you know about the contribution?

Did not know.

I was not aware of my husband's contributions.

And Attorney General Daniel Cameron was forced to answer questions about his political ambitions outside of this year's governor's race.

If there was a vacancy in 2026 and Kentucky for a U.S. Senate seat, do you vow tonight that you would finish your term if elected as governor for the whole four years and not seek that open Kentucky U.S. Senate seat?

I'm running to be the governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and want to help serve for the remainder of this decade as the governor and the candidates appear to be working to earn back some votes from a large bloc of Kentucky voters.

Teachers.

Former Republican Governor Matt Bevin upset many teachers during his one term as Kentucky governor.

But the current candidates appear to be trying to fix that burnt down bridge.

I cherish our teachers.

We value you.

We appreciate you.

I understand the importance of having teachers that feel appreciated.

This may have been voters final chance to see the two leading candidates, Kelly Craft and Daniel Cameron, before casting their ballot.

We're exactly two weeks from primary Election Day and knowing an answer to who will represent the GOP against likely Democratic nominee Andy Beshear.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm K.C.

Parker.

Bill.

Thank you, Casey.

If you missed last night's spirited debate or you just want to see it again, you can online on demand at Kate Dawgs K-Y tonight.

The Kentucky Democratic Party responded to last night's GOP debate here at Cady Coleman Allred, the chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party, says all of the candidates showed why Kentucky voters want to replace Governor Andy Beshear.

We saw a desperate and unhinged fight to appeal to the most extreme fringe of their party and an effort to divide Kentuckians and to chair each other apart from Kelly Craft.

We saw that she thinks that the path to victory lies in attacking teachers.

But Matt Bevin should call her in on what a poor choice that is.

Their leaders is proud to have pled guilty to chasing his nephew in a truck and for using homophobic slurs.

And both front runners, Craft and Cameron are facing ethics complaints with questions they refuse to answer.

Kentuckians deserve better.

We heard and saw lots of culture war distractions.

But what we didn't see was anyone who should be governor.

al-Hajj went on to say that the candidate spent more time shouting at each other during the debate than actually talking about the real issues facing Kentucky.

Is a new state law unfairly targeting teachers?

That's the case the Kentucky Education Association is trying to argue in court.

A union representing thousand of teachers in Kentucky is suing the state over Senate Bill seven.

The bill was vetoed by Governor Andy Beshear, but it was overturned by the GOP controlled legislature.

Senate Bill seven prevents government employees from using automatic payroll deductions to collect union dues, according to the Kentucky Lantern Corps.

Is now asking a judge for a temporary injunction which would block the law until the case proceeds through the legal system.

The online news service reports a lawyer representing the teachers union argues SB seven is unconstitutional because it exempts certain labor organizations, including those representing law enforcement and firefighters, those speaking in favor of the bill.

On the House floor back in March, Republican State Representative Josh Bray of Mount Vernon said the hazardous nature of certain professions was the reason for such exemptions.

Franklin Circuit Court Judge Philip Sheppard is expected to review the case over the coming weeks upon a popular Hopkinsville business is on the road to recovery after a storm nearly destroyed it.

And see how a bench is bringing a more positive outlook to the city of Frankfort.

Those stories and more and this week's look at headlines around Kentucky.

Crews have started repairing the mixer restaurant in Hopkinsville.

The business sustained heavy damage in the storm that hit Hopkinsville in March.

Restaurant co-owner Heather Dawson tells the Hop Town Chronicle they hope to be back in business in 9 to 10 months, but several factors could affect the construction schedule.

Dawson said in the days since the storm, they've received an outpouring of support from patrons and other downtown business owners.

She told the Hop Town Chronicle, quote, It makes you realize how much people love what you brought to the community and quote The Dawson Springs Progress is reporting that Hopkins County is home to the first of five homes in the state with certified fortified roofs.

Habitat for Humanity is building the homes using a program called Fortified Housing.

The organization told the Dawson Springs Progress the roofs are designed using a system that is stronger, more waterproof and more resistant to hurricanes and tornadoes.

Habitat for Humanity also tells the Dawson's Springs progress.

It lands on having other habitat homes with fortified roofs and eventually fortified walls and foundations as well.

The fortified roofs were paid for by a grant from the Red Cross.

The Appalachia News Express reports members of the U.K. College of Dentistry, the University of Pikeville and the Kentucky Mountain Dental Society, recently gathered to share their findings from a $1 million five year project dedicated to fighting oral cancer in eastern Kentucky.

The Appalachian News Express said the project eradicate oral cancer in Eastern Kentucky aim to raise awareness to increase understanding of the prevalence of oral cancer, stressed the need for annual cancer screening and make people aware of the link between tobacco and excessive alcohol use.

The project conducted 1892 oral cancers screenings with 42 follow up visits, according to the Appalachia News Express.

When the project began, Kentucky was number one in the nation with the highest rates for oral cancer.

With eastern Kentucky having some of the highest rates in the state.

One of the project coordinators is quoted as saying, Five years later, Kentucky is now tied for number four in the nation for oral cancer and current data showing numbers decreasing in eastern Kentucky.

WKMG reports Murray State University's Center for Agricultural Hemp is receiving $247,500 through a Department of Agriculture grant that will fund two projects.

The funding will help the center establish the Kentucky Fiber Hemp Farming Network and supply the Center for Agricultural Hemp, with hemp based wood substitutes.

The games are about to begin at the University of the Cumberland, according to the Mountain Advocate.

Starting in May, the university will offer an associate or bachelor's degree in gaming.

Students can take those courses either on campus or online.

It's also available as a concentration with the information technology bachelor's degree.

Kentucky's capital just got a little more positive.

The State Journal was there for the dedication of a new positivity bench honoring Dolly Graham, a longtime educator and mother of state representative and minority Flora Leader Derrick Graham.

The Frankfort Lexington chapter of the Lynx sponsored the project, according to the State Journal.

The link said the bench is designed to, quote, encourage a positive environment of support, build an inclusive culture and be a safe space for people to talk about the issues affecting them.

And quote, Representative Graham told the State Journal his mother would have appreciated the recognition but quote, She might be a little embarrassed by this attention.

She always put others ahead of herself.

And the very fact that we are here now says so much about her life and her legacy and quote with headlines around Kentucky, I'm told begins.

Thank you, Toby Gibbs.

People across Kentucky and America are remembering Janet Mullins.

Grissom Grissom was a Laval native who served as U.S.

Senator Mitch McConnell's first chief of staff.

Grissom died April 29th.

Senator McConnell paid tribute to Grissom on the Senate floor.

She had a communication style that one might delicately call direct.

Our hometown newspaper would later report that she had a salty tongue and salty tongue.

Well, that was putting it mildly.

She was a riot.

She was a force of nature.

And those qualities fueled a meteoric rise.

Grissom was 73 years old.

She was also an assistant to U.S. Secretary of State under President George H.W.

Bush.

Goodwill Industries of Kentucky has been serving communities in need for 100 years and to kick off the next 100 years, it's opening a brand new opportunity center in West Louisville to meet the needs of the underserved.

What we have focused on throughout our whole 100 year history is bringing the power of work into people's lives.

And what we mean by that power of work is the fact that a job is not just a paycheck.

It's it's our part of our image, our self-esteem, our relationships with other people, our place in the community.

And goodwill has always tried to bring that to people who are left out.

We're building 125,000 square foot resource center that we call an opportunity center.

That's not only going to house Goodwill's mission related programs and services, but we're going to have a number of other community agencies co-located with us on this site to serve literally one of Kentucky's most impoverished neighborhoods in a holistic way.

Like this community for this state has never seen before.

You can think of it kind of like a shopping mall with customer assistance.

So it's a big location where we have Goodwill's services available, but also where we've brought the services and supports of other organizations that the people who come to us tend to need.

We offer a lot of financial literacy to help people know how to use the money that they have.

We offer basic computer skills.

We offer services to help people clean up their their record if they have felonies and that kind of thing on their record.

We also will have legal aid there.

And we see a lot of people who have legal needs that they need to get straightened out.

Big Brothers, Big Sisters is going to be there.

So a lot of families with children in that age range can get youth mentoring services.

Our partners, Norton Health Care, on the same block, they are going to address the access to care.

That's such an important part of being healthy.

So we know that they're going to provide things like wellness clinics, primary care diagnostics and other health care services that have not been available in West Louisville for a very long time.

West Louisville is a non neighborhood community that is home to about 60,000 residents.

More than 80% of them are African-American.

And their average median household income is $21,000.

This community for decades has suffered with a number of social ills that have prevented it from blooming and blossoming in the ways that other communities around this state have.

Goodwill decided we wanted to be part of the solution in West Louisville.

We see a lot of people like Goodwill who have been incarcerated, who are in recovery from addiction, who don't have a place to live.

And I think a lot of people may see people in those situations and think that that can't change for them.

That is absolutely not true.

Opportunity means conditions are right for your success.

And we see a lot of people who've never had conditions that were right for their success.

And once they get the idea, once they understand that this is something they can actually do, there's no holding them back.

And we see people accomplish amazing things.

The West Louisville campus will be the 12th Opportunity Center in Kentucky, and it's set to open in early 2020 for the Kentucky Oaks.

The day before the Derby is for the Phillies and most everyone wears pink.

As our Kelsie Starks tells us, it's also a day to raise awareness of women's cancer and to celebrate local survivors of breast and ovarian cancer.

Well, one of the most moving moments of Kentucky Oaks Day at Churchill Downs, of course, is the survivors parade.

This is the 15th year of this tradition.

And Pam Temple from the Kentucky Cancer Program is here to talk about horses and hope.

One of the charity partners for the Survivors Parade, it's how did this concept come about and that a lot of people don't know the history of it.

It started about 15 years ago with former First Lady Jane Beshear and part of it was her love of horses and the horses and program that she and Kentucky cancer program started.

And as a way to just recognize the ladies for their survivorship.

And it started out as breast cancer survivors.

And then it was finally opened up to gynecological cancers, too.

So it's really, really recognizing those women who are fighting and surviving and are there to celebrate with all the fillies.

Yes, it's so much fun to watch and it just gives me chills every time I see it.

Let's talk about horses and hope what you all do.

And it's so important to the community.

It is.

It's been a wonderful program that's been around for 15 years.

And it's something where we go to all the racetracks, horse industry.

We've been to the rodeo, we've been to several different things where we do education about early detection prevention.

We take the Brown Cancer Center's mobile mammography unit and do mammograms for women who can't afford it.

We make sure that there's a means for them to have their mammogram.

We do survivor events to then again recognize and we don't just do it here at Churchill Downs.

We've done it at Keeneland and Turf Way and Ellis Park.

So we make sure that all of the horse industry is part of this.

And with it being horses and hope and that's what we want is for people to recognize that everybody is open to this program.

And just being a part of the Kentucky Oaks means that you are helping with those screenings and early detection because you all get money from that and that's what helps you be able to do things like this.

It does.

Part of it comes back to us so we can go out, in fact, later in May will be on the backside of Churchill Downs doing mammograms and participating in their health fair, doing more education.

So because of this event and the moneys that we are given with this, we can turn right around and help horse industry workers.

And that early detection is so important.

And those screenings.

It is.

It is.

That is where, again, with some of the workers at the racetrack, you know, they're very transient.

And for us to be able to reach them while they're here is so important because they're just sometimes they're following the horses and as well as those people who are in the community.

So they know that we're still here trying to reach everybody with our screenings throughout the community.

We have screenings every week, 2 to 3 Saturdays a month to where we're out in the community trying to reach those women.

They make sure they're getting their mammograms.

And when you see those survivors in that Oaks Day Parade, how do you feel?

It is so moving.

It gives me chills, just like now tears in the eyes because they just feel so lucky.

They feel so special that they're being recognized.

And when the crowd is cheering them on and waving, it just it is so moving.

It's you just have to be there almost to experience that and to watch it, because these ladies, you know, for that short little walk, it is it's the world to them.

Yeah.

There's there's truly nothing like it.

Well, thank you.

And thank you for all that you do in our community as well.

You can watch for the survivors parade, of course, on Kentucky Oaks Day.

That is Friday, May 5th at Churchill Downs.

Thank you, Kelsey.

The Kentucky cancer programs, mobile mammography van has free screening opportunities all over the state.

You can find the full schedule on its website.

The Kentucky Association of Manufacturers have held its own March Madness with a bracket containing Kentucky's cool as products and last week, the Corvette won the title of the coolest thing in Kentucky.

The coolest thing made in Kentucky is a tournament produced and presented by the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers to raise the public awareness of the diverse array of products that are produced here in the Commonwealth.

Manufacturing is representative of a significant portion of the state's gross domestic product, and as in addition to that, it employs close to 300,000 Kentuckians, which is a substantial percentage of the workforce.

And there are manufacturing facilities literally across in every corner of the Commonwealth, and it has a tremendous impact on our state's quality of life and on the quality of communities throughout Kentucky.

So the tournament is the exclusive domain of the participating public and companies entered their products.

We had 72 entries at the beginning of the tournament and those were whittled down to a Sweet 16 by public voting.

And then in that second round, we went down to the Elite eight and then down to the Final Four and ultimately the finals and and crowning of the Champion.

All 72 entries that were submitted in the tournament are ultra cool.

This one, the champion that happened to be crowned the coolest by those who participated in the voting.

What I hope for the future of the program is that the number of companies participating in the tournament continues to increase because we had 72 entries in this first tournament.

I'd love to see that double every year.

We have that many products that could be participating.

But along with that, what I hope is that the general public in the Commonwealth can look at what comes out of our state and be grateful for the diversity of products that we contribute to improving the quality of life of people.

All across the world.

Other members of the Final Four wore a Jif peanut butter from J.M.

Smucker's Tactile Town from the American Printing House for the Blind and the powerful X from Big Air fans.

An international art exhibit debuts in Lexington.

There's such a wealth of talent and creativity in Kentucky, and I personally and the museum have a goal of featuring and honoring our Kentucky artist.

Find out how some Kentucky photographers made their way into this exhibit, which is touring the world.

We'll have that for you tomorrow on Kentucky edition, which we hope to see you for at 630 Eastern, 530 Central, where we inform, connect and Inspire.

We hope you all subscribe to our weekly email newsletter and watch full episodes and clips.

I can't eat, dawg.

You can also find us on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV and send us a story idea at Public Affairs at Ket Dawg.

And of course, follow us all the way as you see on your screen, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Remember, if you want to see that debate from last night with the GOP candidates for governor, go to our Web site at Cato and stream it online on demand until I see you again tomorrow night.

Take really good care and have a great evening.