♪ >> Of course, I get here like much.

There's a lot.

The holiday weekend brings.

Severe weather will take a look at the damage.

>> How would a very active hurricane season impact us here in the Bluegrass State?

Experts expect more hurricanes than usual.

Why and what it means for people who aren't on the coast.

>> Well, up your sleeves and you'll have a chance to see the biggest star in America.

>> You know, Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KU Team Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION for this Tuesday.

May the 28th.

I'm Kelsey Starks in for Renee Shaw this evening.

The death toll is now 5 from storms that hit Kentucky Sunday, bringing rain tornadoes, high winds and hail.

The state says the 5 deaths occurred in Jefferson Harden Hopkins Caldwell and Mercer counties.

Another man from Hopkins County is now in critical condition.

Governor Andy Beshear declared a statewide emergency, 14 counties in 5 cities also declared emergencies late this afternoon, more than 50,000 customers were still without power.

The governor and Transportation Secretary Jim Gray discussed the storm situation yesterday morning.

>> Communities across Kentucky experience storms and produce strong winds.

Multiple tornadoes, hail in some places.

The storm knocked out power for thousands of Kentuckians temporarily shut down numerous roads and interstates and cause massive damage to homes and businesses like we always see after severe weather events, first responders and everyday Kentucky INS rallied to help each other in those temps moments they checked on loved ones in started to clean out and rebuild those personally year has all types of first responders, forestry cut teens and others, especially head into a Charleston where there's about 5 miles and people couldn't get in to check on homes.

It took a massive undertaking to reach those homes to check on individual, sadly, least one of which we lost.

Now as of this morning.

>> We are reporting high water, fallen trees and other impacts in about 45 counties.

Mainly, of course, is a good understanding.

Western Kentucky.

Nearly 100 state highways were affected, not overnight.

Storms and the bulk of those in Paducah.

Madisonville lingering districts or highway districts.

We've called in second ships, highway technicians to continue clearing debris and monitoring high water throughout these regions.

The Lindbergh County and in the hard-hit Charleston and Marjorie Hopkins.

Crews are cutting trees, clearing a path for search and rescue operations.

In Lyon and Caldwell counties overnight crews worked through numerous downed trees to help responders reach the tornado damage pound and ensure clear roads.

>> Straight line winds took down trees and power lines in Bowling Green, causing damage to homes and property.

Larry Rogers spoke with the homeowner who's still without electricity after a tree came crashing down on her roof Sunday morning.

>> Utility crews working into the evening on Memorial Day to restore power across Bowling Green to Red Bull out actually church in the basement.

Elizabeth Markle taking shelter when the storm hit Sunday morning.

My step dad called and was like we hear there's damage in Bowling Green in a salon.

Just back home away from church.

Only see a lot right now.

And then of course, I get here like her husband, Paul, was at home when this tree came crashing down on the roof.

He said this big win came from nowhere.

We heard this big crack.

Crews working to remove the debris before the extent of the damage can be fully assessed.

We have a leak in our back part of our house.

So we know that there's roof damage down the street.

Another victory now just a stump leaving this front porch in shambles, free service and removal a costly expense for homeowners.

Those things have a tendency to pile up.

The Markel's have filed an insurance claim.

Neighbors pitching in to help offering up this generator and Wi-Fi access.

We're able actually rent an air conditioner.

>> Off of it back in urban ruin and get our coffee made this morning, which is always very important to their home.

More than 100 years old.

>> Barely escaping the December 2021.

Tornadoes that touched down a few blocks away.

So it's been here and weathered a lot of other storms in situations.

Certainly now adding another weather event to the list.

Marco grateful no one was hurt and for the kindness of the community, people just walking from other parts.

Just asking how we were in just saying we're really glad everybody's okay.

So that means a lot for Kentucky edition.

I'm Laura Rogers.

>> The National Weather Service confirms an E F one tornado tracked out of Butler County and into northern Warren County.

Peak winds hitting 110 miles per hour.

There's also a confirmed tornado in Meade County.

Meantime, in Mercer County storms also damaged homes and power lines.

We talked to a homeowner there whose front yard was covered in downed tree limbs but said he's just thankful it wasn't worse.

>> The storm that we had coming through here the other night was a.

>> Well, a lot of lightning and everything we've been warned of high winds and everything.

So that's what it was.

Well, in Mercer County, we had 2 waves and on Sunday afternoon about 1 o'clock.

We had the first wave hit and I've been out this morning with the National Weather Service and we clocked the winds at about 70 miles per hour for that storm.

>> And we had another wave hit us about 1 o'clock in the morning on Sunday Monday morning.

Sunday evening.

So we had a lot of straight line winds.

We didn't have any indication of a tornado.

We see natural, big trees uprooted out of the ground.

>> And then glimpse breaking in that type of stuff which >> took out a power line.

Sonar Lecter Posen caused a lot disruption in our electric service.

>> We've had this tree in our front yard or provided plenty of shade for a long time for sun we lost half of it, it came to the grad we notice the rest of it was going to be damage.

So we decided to go on and finished taking it down.

And I've got my grandson here helping me remove the rest of it.

We're thankful God took care of No damage to the houses.

You could say and we're all able to get up and and that's a that's a lot to be thankful for.

This is a big first over the year and hopefully it will be the last word to you.

>> Will Kentucky qualify for federal help to pay for cleanup and repairs?

Governor Beshear and Eric Gibson, the director of Kentucky Emergency Management talked about that yesterday.

>> We also have to begin the recovery process.

Now it's a big enough of that where I think we should qualify for public assistance from FEMA with with what's been knocked down on utilities alone.

But on that individual assistance side is going to take everyone all across the commonwealth documenting their damage.

Even if you don't think you have a lawn that amount goes into.

The total is ultimately looked at to determine if our citizens can get that, how the recovery process.

It's important to know there are things that you can do as a Kentucky into others because as a state, there are certain numbers that FEMA look before they start to provide assistance.

So all damage reports are important.

>> Good photographs, receipt of necessary repairs to you know, the protection of your home.

And it's a tore through the roof or in something that you need to do to get it removed.

But KET those receipts turn those receipts in the process to turn those in would be to your local county emergency manager that works in each one of the counties.

They will be providing those.

That means to us here and we we compile all that information.

And our staff here will submit that as a request up to the governor's office and he would for the non to FEMA for their consideration.

So is a go over the recovery process.

It is a complicated process and we know it's a drawn-out process, but is the damage assessments begin this?

We make sure you're communicating well with your local officials and getting that information too, so that they can provide that information to us.

So we have a whole picture of the entire damage that we've been do or do this last 2.

>> Just last week, the Biden administration approved federal help for Kentucky after storms that happened the first week of April.

Those storms included straight-line winds, tornadoes and mudslides that affected 11 Kentucky counties.

One person in Kenton County died as a result of that severe weather.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was in Ashland this morning visiting the journey and addiction rehabilitation and transitional housing facility for women in 2018, McConnell helped pass a bill focused on addiction.

Recovery called that career Act.

It recognizes the need for housing and employment in a person's long-term recovery journey today, he said federal dollars given to the journey is money.

Well spent.

>> Want to come by.

Hear from the folks involved using the career and maybe that could have faced all.

Something.

We do all the bowls stuff all the time.

Sometimes wonder.

Well, it's actually.

They used or whether.

What is different.

The program.

Make a difference.

We need to have a whirl all across America.

Well, it is.

Confined to certain part of that.

One study ♪ we usually just a the here in this extraordinary.

>> McConnell is stepping down from his role as Republican leader in the Senate this fall that he says he won't stop working to fund recovery programs that are working.

Kentucky is now home to more safe haven baby boxes.

The devices allow parents to safely and anonymously surrender their infants.

Fire departments in Louisville and Bowling Green.

Each unveiled new safe haven baby boxes on Friday.

There are now more than 230 of them across the country, including 37 in Kentucky.

Well, the contract is official.

The University of Kentucky has agreed to pay new men's head basketball coach Mark Pope more than 27 million dollars over the next 5 years.

>> That's according to the Lexington Herald-Leader the deal averages out to nearly 5 and a half million dollars per season.

And it also includes bonuses for surviving the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, which is something the cats have failed to do in recent years, causing some angst amongst Kentucky fans.

♪ ♪ >> Critics of a school choice Amendment are organizing to oppose its passage.

And Kentucky is home to some sharp dressed.

Police are totally Gibbs tells us more in this.

Look at headlines around Kentucky.

♪ >> Public education advocates and formed a coalition to oppose an amendment that would allow public school funds to be used for private schools.

The group protect our schools.

Kentucky is working to defeat the measure.

It would allow the state to fund education savings accounts for families to pay their children's tuition at private or charter schools.

The Republican led Kentucky General Assembly approved placing the amendment on the November ballot during the last legislative session.

According to the Richmond Register, the group says if the measure passes private schools might not be held to the same educational standards.

And if it's approved, the state will end up providing what amounts to blank checks to private schools using money that should go to public education.

Supporters of the plan say it provides more choices for families in educating their children.

Kentucky INS are more likely to pay out of pocket for their mental and behavioral health services and for other medical care, the Kentucky land or to a report by the American Psychological Association show that its COVID-19 in the Commonwealth.

The number of Kentuckians forced to go out of their insurance network for acute inpatient care.

Also increased.

The report shows that Americans were 10 times more likely to go out of their insurance network for psychological care than they were for medical care.

Kentucky INS were 17 times more likely to get out of network care for behavioral health than they were for medical or surgical care.

Eric Ross, the executive director of the Kentucky Psychological Association tells the Kentucky Lantern the fact that so many patients are forced to go out of network to receive mental health and substance.

Use care is unacceptable.

He says no one is doing well and quote, we have room to go before we have something that looks like real parity between our mental health and medical systems.

Going from bike to blue list on the London Police Department and national honor.

The Sentinel Echo newspaper says the department was chosen for the best dressed Public Safety Award by the Network Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors.

Police uniforms across the U.S. and Canada were in the running for the award.

The London Police Force change from traditional black uniforms typically worn by city police to Navy Blue London Police Chief Chuck Johnson tells the Senate elect a new design reflected a look into past uniforms that also featured great pockets and graced right down the leg of the pans.

With headlines around Kentucky.

I will be good.

♪ >> We'll give blood in the next month.

And you could when Taylor Swift tickets give it any Kentucky Blood Center location from May.

28, which is today until June 29th and you'll be eligible to win 2 tickets to Taylor Swift's November 3rd concert in Indianapolis.

You can also win a $500 visa gift card to pay for the travel.

Every donor will get a Taylor Swift inspired T-shirt.

It's a good time to give blood donations are usually down during the summer.

When many people are on vacation.

♪ ♪ The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Associate Ministration commonly called Noah released its 2024 Hurricane outlook forecasting the greatest number of storms ever predicted for the Atlantic hurricane season which begins June first.

That's this Saturday, Kay ETs Christie gotten talks to a hurricane expert to find out why this could be a record breaking season.

>> Hurricane forecasters are warning of a very active hurricane season ahead.

No scientists are predicting between 17 and 25 named storms.

That's compared to an average of about 14, 8 to 13 hurricanes compared to an average of 7 and between 4 to 7 major hurricanes.

This is category 3, 4, 5 and that average number is about 3 at Rosenkranz joins us now is the lead hurricane season forecast.

Therefore So, Matt, this is the highest forecast issued ahead of the hurricane season.

Why is it so high?

>> So one of the major factors in determining tropical storms and hurricanes are the sea surface.

Temperatures in the amount of energy in the ocean.

And right now in the Atlantic Ocean, we're seeing observing record levels of sea surface temperatures and ocean heat content across the tropical Atlantic.

So it's one major factor that went to the South.

Look.

>> Warmer temperatures is this from climate change?

>> There's a little bit for from climate change, but there is also out of it this year.

That's from the Inter annual variability.

There's very little cloud cover and the tropical Atlantic about all this.

And you just had really heat up the top layers of the ocean.

There are also active period since 1995. that just features warmer sea surface temperatures in general.

And that's why we've had so many of these active years recently.

>> Okay.

So what do you tell people to be prepared for a season?

That's potentially going to be this active?

>> So I people repair every year as if the storm is going to come here come to their region or have some kind of influence when you're a bit further inland.

Heavy rain, flooding, flash flooding.

Those are kind of really the main concerns.

Weather service is updated.

Our flood inundation mapping project.

When your local weather forecast office across the state?

Well, we'll have that kind of information accessible at the click.

>> Okay.

And now here in Kentucky, we're in a state that's completely landlocked, right?

We're not on the coast.

So how is how would a very active hurricane seasons impact us here in the Bluegrass State?

>> You're more likely to see some recurring storms that make landfall them.

Louisiana taxes and then move up into Kentuckyian there are likely to not for the stronger of winds but those heavy rains as those storms move our and all that moisture.

They pulled up in the air, can guess fall out the eastern Kentucky with that rugged terrain area.

It can get flash flooding very quickly.

So being prepared to get to higher ground.

Very quickly.

Haven't that go bag ready?

And some of that food ready to go back to a little bit of water ready to go.

So you can make that move our to have to really be critical this year.

>> Last year was also a busier than average hurricane season in the Atlantic.

NOAA says it was the 4th most active Atlantic hurricane season on record with 20 named storms forming tied with the year 1933.

Among those 20 7 became hurricanes with 3 reaching major hurricane strength.

♪ >> Well, you might think the oldest festival in the state is the Kentucky Derby.

But it's actually the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival in Pikeville this past weekend was the 90rd festival and it brings together people from all over the state.

>> Kentucky, my office full, of course, is rich in tradition.

We're we're certainly proud of it here, though.

This first floor and the even older than the Kentucky Derby.

>> You have your Princess Coronation, your Queen's coronation by have They have a parade.

It takes a lot of people to make.

This arrest will happen.

A lot of work goes into it.

The tradition mice, a unique and the generations of.

The families and the generations that follow the have have their hand in making this festival happened.

I mentioned delighting in town.

That's That was when I was younger.

You always associated her with the Mount Laurel, first of all.

>> Well of work.

And about 60 years, the funding for 7, I started with floats.

different plays and then family and not a nun.

>> 73 of and it was up became general chairman.

And I've enjoyed every man and all that.

Every minute.

>> The pageant itself is, you know, it's college in the will the sand a coin can to taking office the way average somewhere between 16 and 25 candidates a year and they are welcome the and the people's homes.

So those those candidates stay and somebody is why we don't put them up in hotels with been done that since the festival began, its a great example of how southern hospitality still here in eastern Kentucky.

>> This is something that I wanted to do for quite a few years.

There was a girl from my hometown.

He was a mount moral festival.

Queen and 2015.

And I remember just looking up to her so much since being here.

It has exceeded my expectations.

All the girls, everyone who's helping with the festival, my whose family have all been absolutely amazing.

It's really something so cool to be a part of and it's something that I will cherish forever Pinedale.

He's honestly become another second home this weekend.

I met so many people want to present the community that and influenced me in ways that they don't even understand right now.

And so I definitely want to come back and be able to contribute to the festival and contribute to the Palmdale communities.

>> Once again, Ellie price of a gallon.

>> Objectives are to support and promote higher education and to help preserve and maintain the heritage of the Kentucky Football Festival.

Well, we do that through scholarship awards.

The young ladies that come here for the first will both because the princes and for the queen candidates.

They're exceptionally awards.

If you read the resumes, what they're doing in college, what they've done in high school so far, the absolutely amazing what we want to do is support them as they try navigate their way through very expensive educational process.

>> Our 2024 Outlaw festival Queen Miss with Taylor Caldwell.

♪ >> Well, this is the one 100th.

>> Anniversary of our family reunion here.

Imponderable our father was here in the civil some conservation corps and was one of the ones that helped build the park.

>> And the night before the first Mountain Law Festival 1938.

He was charged with clarifying the with selecting pool.

>> All those years that we came here, there's always a special feeling feeling and I thought about it over the years.

And it's it's still here today in this town.

And it's like I'm feeling of love.

I think.

And so I think Palmer has more on that for a lot of places out.

And certainly economically things have changed.

But there still a spirit here that goes all the way back to those early days.

You can come here the first time I.

>> And drive through our downtown and you can come back.

They Memorial Day weekend and people have freshened up their yards.

They breed and landscaping.

I find that their pound Bull is a better place for the Kentucky office.

>> That coronation ceremony took place in the Pine Mountain State Park which celebrates its one 100th anniversary this year.

Well, this week we celebrate Kentucky's birthday, the founding of Louisville and the dedication of our current state Capitol building are 2 big ifs has all of that and much more on this.

Look back at this week in Kentucky history.

♪ >> Pioneer settled core Nylund on the Ohio River on May 27th 17 78.

That settlement would eventually become the city of Louisville.

3 years earlier on May.

28 17.

75.

>> And this couple minister conducted a worship service at Boonsboro.

This is the first recorded church service in Kentucky.

Governor Augustus Wilson led the dedication of Kentucky's current Capitol building on June.

Second, 1910.

>> It cost 1.2 billion dollars.

Deadly tornado formed in West Tennessee and moved to Kentucky eventually killing 64 people on May.

27 1970.

Most of the deaths.

42 of them were from Fulton County.

It's estimated that tornado was an EF 4.

165 people died during the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire in Southgate on May.

28 1977, tragedy led to tougher fire codes across America.

John Marshall, Harlan was born June first 18.

33 in Boyle County as a Supreme Court justice from 18.

77 to 1911.

He was known as the great dissenter with his opposition to many organizations, often supported civil rights laws imposed by the rest of the court.

And happy birthday to Kentucky.

America's 15 State joined the union on June.

First 17 92.

And that's a look back at this week in Kentucky history, I told begins.

>> Well, tomorrow we will catch up with Rylan Barton of NPR to discuss the latest political happenings and we will.

We learn something new about the Scottie Scheffler case after his arrest at a PGA Tournament in Louisville.

The county attorney is expected to speak on that case tomorrow.

We'll have that and more Wednesday right here on Kentucky Edition.

We thank you so much for joining us.

And we do hope you'll join us again tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central for Kentucky edition where we inform connect and inspire.

You can subscribe to our Kentucky Edition, e-mail newsletters and watch full episodes and clips.

They're all Okay.

E T Dot Org.

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

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We thank you so much for joining us here tonight for Kentucky Edition, we hope you have a great.

♪