>> We're not Almost everybody I know is struggling right after college.

College loan repayments are back.

How some Kentucky ends are handling it.

>> But we also get to allow these children to tree wishes of >> For kids in the family court system, Christmas magic can be in short supply.

Find out how you can help make this season special for them.

Named about business.

The treasured creations because I love to 2 items that will be treasured for years to come by.

Family members.

And see how these personalized decorations are turning heads.

>> Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET Endowment for Kentucky Productions.

Leonard Press Endowment for Public Affairs and the KET Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Wednesday, November, the 15th, I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for spending some of your Wednesday night with us U.S.

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate minority leader.

>> Is responding to violence and threats of violence and the U.S. Capitol itself and that violence involved members of Congress, a Republican congressman from Tennessee accuses former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a fellow Republican of punching him and the kidney.

Our Republican U.S. senator from Oklahoma threatened to fight the Teamsters union president during a hearing yesterday, a reporter asked Senator McConnell about all this.

>> His lead to what was going living room.

You need to consider a new sign showing with you what is your response to >> Frankly, I didn't used everybody who's in the Do these you know, who's going to do?

>> Well, Congressman McCarthy denies punching anybody.

He says if he touched Congressman Tim Burchett, it was an accident.

The U.S. House voted yesterday for a spending plan to avert a government shutdown Friday at midnight.

The plan was from the new House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican.

But most of the opposition came from his fellow Republicans who didn't want to continue what they see as, quote, big spending.

The measure passed 3.36.

To 95 with 93 Republicans voting.

No.

The plan would fund veterans programs, transportation, housing, agriculture, and energy until January 19th funding for defense.

The State Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies would be extended until February.

The Secant Kentucky's 4th district Congressman Thomas Massie voted no.

The rest of Kentucky's delegation voted yes.

Congressman Hal Rogers of Kentucky is 5th district in eastern Kentucky wants 2 more years on Capitol Hill.

Congressman Rogers has filed to run for his 23rd term and the U.S. House.

He was first elected back in 1980, Rogers is 87 years old.

He is the dean of the House, the House's current longest serving member.

A national Democratic group will spend millions of dollars to help Democrats running for the Kentucky General Assembly and elsewhere in 2024, that's according to a story in The New York Times.

The newspaper says the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee plans a seven-figure commitment of campaign money to Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

All 4 states have Democratic governors but all 4 states have heavily Republican legislatures.

The newspaper does not say how much money will be spent in each state.

According to the article, Democrats don't expect to take control of the Legislature's in any of those states, but they'd like to begin winning back seats in order to prevent Republicans from having supermajorities that can override Democratic governors vetoes.

Time now for a midweek check-in of some major political developments this week so far with our good friend Ryland Barton with Kentucky Public Radio.

Good to see you.

You seem to run.

And so the election is over.

That's in the rearview now, the task of governing and policy making its ahead starting January second, the lawmaking session begins in Frankfort.

What sense are you getting about what the legislative priorities are for particularly the Super Majority?

>> Well, Republican leaders in the legislature still trying identify a couple more conservative policies that they can pass that really knocked out some of the big ones in recent years of, you know, really regulating pretty much out of existence and Kentucky at this point.

Also passing soon, as you think, right to work, bill, sticking by right mind, writing Publicans to control the Legislature in 2017 in January, but they still want to get some work done on the school choice So there's a constitutional amendment that has been floated the crack open.

The state's ban on of public dollars from being spent on nonpublic education ends.

This is something that lawmakers have tried to pass in the form of a tax credit.

That would go towards people who donate to Starships for private school.

So kind of a back door into funding some private school education, helping kids go to private schools.

This is bill is a school choice measure and some Republicans are in favor of the really use it and see how this plays out during the session because this is one of those issues that reliably been able to split Republicans, the Republican caucus, which, you know, is this so big at this point?

They have a room for not everybody to be in line on that particular issue.

But nonetheless, it's been a complicated issue in recent years.

Going back to turn schools going back to this.

The start of track tax credit would first try to pass the legislature, but it was then ultimately struck down by courts.

So that's one of them.

Obviously, there.

We've already proposed a big public safety bill which will be discussing in the coming weeks before the legislative session.

You're going want to get something passed on that.

But also it's a big budget year.

So a lot of thinking to be done on on how to how to spend the state's dollars and thinking to on that on what the revenue is going to look like going forward as Republicans continue to say they want to lower the state's income tax.

Some even advocating for toll eliminating which would really require a huge shift to a sales tax consumption based taxes, which some schools are worried about, because it's a it's a regressive folks who don't have as much money and spending a greater share of their buying things.

And so the sales tax would would affect them a lot more than a reshuffle to get to see some of that extra money.

>> But also we're hearing that there could be some and temperatures actually examine more fully exemptions for rape and incest to Kentucky's near total abortion ban.

So there's some new developments on that conversation this week.

>> Yeah, but the House Speaker and Senate president, I believe badly mistaken, said that they hearing that conversation now that there were many specifics here, but especially after after this year's election were donated this when very forcefully on this issue to a polling of Republican opponent to speak to the in not supporting exceptions, to the to the state's total ban on abortion.

So it seems like there's some daylight here for some Republicans wanting to consider this.

This is a very complicated issue or a politically complicated issue that is it's going to be really hard to imagine some anti-abortion Republicans of being swayed by some of these arguments, although some already have have changed their minds on this.

Nobody's really talking very openly about this discussion right now.

And it will have to talk about at some point in the legislative session.

If anything's going to come up in committee and ultimately pass off the force.

>> You mentioned the Republican this House Speaker, David Osborne, the Senate President Robert Stivers and others have also signaled their intentions or not their intentions to work with the newly are re-elected.

Democratic Governor Andy Beshear.

So how is that going to go with?

You think they're going all get along and sing?

Kumbaya are will be a fight on day one.

>> It seems like this could be a fight on day one of the same old the saber rattling continues between the Legislature and the governor's office.

I think that it's almost just a political reality that that's going to happen openly.

I do wonder if there might be a little bit communication behind the scenes between the governor's office and legislature because really, of all of all the referendum, there are a couple Grayson, a Democrat winning that election.

It really shows that the people of Kentucky are working to what he had to offer here.

And so Republican lawmakers might do well to to kind of go along with what this this popularly elected statewide official is pushing for.

Obviously, there's going to be a lot of differences here, but maybe this year's session when the writing a state budget, you know, which sometimes gets very nonpartisan, that that will be able to work a little closer together.

we'll really see how that plays out.

Once the Legislature back in session on January.

Second, one other note on this issues Republican leaders also say to the plan to release their budget at the proposed budget ahead of the governor once again, which that was a bit of a snub last time around that the governor really >> Yeah.

Our Laura Rogers asked that question.

A Democratic start to that Republican House Speaker David Osborne last Tuesday and got that response.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is embarking.

This is the national organ of his organization is embarking on a bus, a multi-state and Denver, 7 figures to target these super majorities, Republican super majorities that have a Democratic governor and Kentucky is on the list with Kansas and Wisconsin and North Carolina.

What we know about this.

>> Yeah.

This is a really seismic change in how the national Democratic groups have states.

Red states like Kentucky are states that become very real like Turkey.

There hasn't been a lot of investment in some of these local elections.

And this is what Republicans didn't have.

The 2010 elections.

And so in early 2, thousands, they just kind of decided at one point instead of, you know, say wasting 60 million dollars on a Senate race.

U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts that are going to lose.

What if we took that money and applied it to a state legislatures across the country and it seems like Democrats are trying to start doing this.

Actually investing in and trying to build up their benches and in some of the some of the increasingly red states like Kentucky, it's it's hard to imagine the Democratic Party here, if they're that real low historically and the Republican Party is a real high water mark.

this this might begin that process of kind of evening out which you know, specially after a statewide election like this with the Democratic We I think Democrats see that there's a little bit more play here and there and they're wanting to pick up some of those seats, especially in suburban and then and other places.

then really not.

I'm not totally relinquishing control over areas as well.

Yeah.

>> Well, we'll have to leave it.

There will pick up again next week, perhaps and also on inside Kentucky politics with Bob Babbage and Trey Grayson will go over a few things.

Then.

Thank you so much from Barnes.

Good to see you.

In business news.

Bullet County is the future home of 500 new jobs UPS supply chain solutions is building a warehousing and distribution center that will be able to process 350,000 items a day.

The ribbon cutting was today.

It's a 79 million dollar project.

Right now in Lexington, a landlord doesn't have to consider federal housing assistance known as Section 8 vouchers as income of a potential tenant.

Lexington is considering an ordinance requiring landlords to do so.

The goal is to make it easier for people with low incomes to find a place to live.

Earlier this week, we brought you some tenants views on this yesterday.

Lexington's social services and public safety committee heard from tenants and landlords.

>> This is a moral question.

Local governments and well over 100 cities across the country.

>> Including both Louisville and Cincinnati.

The pass protections for those in need as are contained in this proposed ordinance.

Does this council cares much about all of its people as the Louisville Council does.

>> As it stands right now, section 8 housing vouchers or not.

>> Getting repeat business community needs.

We have 2 options.

Make them words, take it or refine the system and make the landlords want to accept it.

>> This includes incentives, support reimbursement for destruction of property, vetting, potential Boucher that would save our positive representation of the program.

Another idea is that landlords can put forth a firsthand experience.

>> This ordinance has a definite price.

It will make housing more expensive in Lexington for every renter.

It will establish a floor for the rental rates.

This ordinance add 0 units of housing to the limited stock already available in Lexington.

It will not make a single unit available in, quote, unquote, better areas with better resources.

The rents in those areas are higher than what the voucher holders can legally pay.

>> During the meeting, Lexington, Fayette, Urban County Housing Authority Director Austin Sims explained his office's position on the ordinance.

>> Let there be no mistake.

I stand against discrimination that prevents any person.

Have an excess to their basic needs.

It should be very clear that the House of Saud and I personally I have always fought against discrimination for those that we serve.

So I would hope that any reasonable person would understand and the house and Long a long time affordable housing advocates.

Jose discrimination.

And if that is what this ordinance is about, you can bet we support it.

>> Now, the full council or that committee did not vote during yesterday's meeting.

♪ ♪ >> Student loan payments resumed in October after a 3 year pause prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

>> So how are Kentucky students handling the restart costs for their college education about to find out?

>> There are a number ways in the repayment will be different than it was before.

>> In Kentucky, our average student loan balance for borrowers is right around.

$33,000.

That's the average.

And that's for about a little over 600,000 borrowers in Kentucky.

But KET in mind that about a 3rd of those borrowers have less than $10,000 of student loan debt.

So while 33,000 is the average, the em out, you know, obviously ranges from, you know, but like I said, about a 3rd of those folks have less than 10,000 that they're working with.

And obviously we have some some folks with a little bit more as well.

We are below the national average.

So the national average that's closer to about $38,000.

Average debt per student loan borrower.

>> College is so expensive and I went to a state school.

>> And grew up in a middle-class family.

And there was just no other way that I can finish my education without taking out loans.

>> I have both private and public longs and the private loans and actually I've had to start paying them earlier this year in February.

I am luckily apply for the safe plan.

>> And they're calling to save program.

It will reduce the amount of money that folks have to pay every month.

There will be a growing an increased number of people who won't have to pay on their loans at all if their if their incomes are low they're they're a loan balances will be forgiven earlier.

They would otherwise be the case.

So there there's some elements of that new system that folks can now apply for that will make it better than it was before.

Then coming You know, this can be hundreds and I even even more per month.

You can crowd out their ability to do other You know, Ford to have children safer, their colleges, the college education of their kids or their own education.

Save for retirement.

Buy a home.

Start a business.

A lot of people I went to college moved back home right after school, mostly because of student loan And just like cost of living in general.

But knowing that that's on the horizon >> they weren't able to go get the place of their own.

This had to move back in with her family.

>> If you are having some sort of hardship, whether it's, you loss of employment, you know, medical bills.

There are certain factors that your servicer can take into account.

Check your email and check your mail and make sure that you're reading what your servicer your loan servicer sending you so that you can follow up if they're needing or you're following the instructions that they're sending in terms of payments are reaching out to them.

It's also very important that borrowers are updating their information so a lot can change in 3 and a half years in a bar scene to make sure that the information that's on file with their loan servicer is correct.

So ensuring that their phone number, their email, their mailing address, all of that is correct so that they're not missing anything Avoid private lenders, if you That's been a big kicker for is going through a private lender for most of my lungs.

>> I really think that I'm living with other people has really helped me save as much as roommates can sometimes be frustrating.

I think that that's a big reason as to why I am you know, getting by right now.

You're not Almost everybody I know is struggling right after college.

It is not easy, but it does.

It's too easy.

I do think that it gets better.

>> Americans owe almost 2 trillion dollars and federal and private student loans.

♪ >> Casa of Lexington as a nonprofit that provides trained volunteer advocates for abused or neglected children.

>> And the family court system, as you can imagine, these children are often haven't received the Christmas.

They deserve.

That's where the Angel Tree program comes in.

>> The angel tree is an opportunity to select a job that has an active family court case and to purchase some of their needs.

Whether that side where winter coat well, some of their wishes for the holiday season.

We are nearing almost 2500 children that had on the this year?

We have just under 400 children at Mach 7 trees, many of which have already been selected.

There are some still available and they be if somebody is watching and doesn't look too happy this time of year, there's also work early.

You know, it's early November mid November and we have posted 7 and Joe Tree kicked off.

That is the reason we do that is to give community members and have time to go out.

It's a long shot for the children, every asset, all gifts unwrapped be returned by November.

27.

And so once that front that comes into the office, why we asked them to be at RAF, we make sure that sibling says get roughly the same amount items and that's where the Amazon wish list comes.

It very helpful.

If we need to stop look supplement jobs list, we can use those items and any extra items can be used throughout the year when we get a new child to John's birthday to be used as a guest of the volunteer to get out.

I think pasta is one of the will somebody get because not only are you that I stand for a job that maybe has never ha.

It's positive role model in their life states.

Some cases are CASA.

Volunteers are literally save children's lives are changing for the better so pass as a whole.

I think it's an amazing thing.

But the cost of angel tree is obvious things we get to do every year.

So you can imagine Paso, we see some really tough day sexual abuse of very young children, horrific physical abuse.

Thanks in.

No child should ever to be a part of.

And it's due to no fault of test because sure I get to ask for some of their needs and we we have teenager 13.

They ask How many teenagers that are in their home before Jenner Koper Christmas?

But we also get to allow these children to tree and make wishes of Never thought they could have maybe a icicle.

Our Barbara, all our baby is at particular.

Gangs are hopeful to happen for some of our were you.

They might be asking for sheets are pots and pans.

This is going to be transitioning to independent living and maybe get their first apartment and they don't have the same.

Said they may not have people in their life that can help the provide the sayings.

So I think age of tree is a very at home.

Happy way for our community and the commonwealth to come together and say we believe in our children, if we want to do what we can to get down best foot forward for their next.

>> Absolutely.

If you'd like to participate in the Angel Tree Program, you can donate from the Amazon Wish List on the CASA website or you can become a CASA volunteer.

The next training session is January 9th of 2024.

♪ >> Lisa Rayburn and her husband ran an engraving and home decor shop in horse Cave.

Kentucky.

>> They use a machine that cuts would with the use of a co 2 laser.

The work has even caught the eye of several well-known names from outside the Commonwealth.

Find out who and this week's Arts and Culture segment we call Tapestry Treasure Creations.

We make all kinds of custom must gifts.

We do >> baby gifts for the hospital.

We home decor.

>> We do engraving with Dick's a shun and T-shirts and caps in.

I call the Christmas ornaments.

It's in the store.

And so it's it's a lot of fun.

I was sitting at home doing absolutely nothing.

And I decided that I wanted to do something.

>> To just have a little hobby.

And I went to buy allies are machine and I was going to get one of small home lasers.

And then when I got there, I decided no, that's that stock will do what I want today.

So we went big in about the big lies are.

And so I just started playing with it.

And I got it one month before COVID.

So when I started playing with it at found out that people at the stuff and I were ordered and saw that.

Well started into business.

>> We can engrave just about any kind of wood.

And we put the wood in the machine and the we set the machine up.

We do everything on the computer that we want it to look like when it's finished product.

>> We send it to the machine and it starts Weiser or engraving and then cutting it.

It will cut it out.

Also.

>> And the and driving the.

>> Well, it's to my light, actually a laser light.

It never check just the piece that we put in the machine.

We do engraving for different people even like to the main shiners I'm on TV series.

We met a few of Ulm several years Event that we went to you and I were there with an open bar serve and then shot.

That's how my husband I said, well, we've will take some stuff that I can show to and maybe they'll order.

And he said all they won't order death.

Unlike that, that's an OK, but I took it anyway.

And I ordered a budget.

And so about once a month, I make a trip to the Smoky mountains deliver the items set up by 04:00AM and then that they are in a thing with Richard Petty called the main shot run.

And this is a yearly event that they have and all the proceeds from that goes to pay help veterans with that.

Thanks to Finaid.

And so I wanted on board with that because I love the veterans.

I appreciate what they've done for our country and us.

And so I wanted to contribute to that.

So I came up with a big a wall hanging.

That summit was a 20 by 32.

And I took that day on that front, $450.

And then I did canvases of Richard Petty, those age from 3.50, and it was just a really nice a van.

And then of course, we met Daniel pardon the nace of Dolly Parton and soft got to meet her several times.

And she's just a joy to be around and that's how I got into the Dolly, which I did a lot of fun rising here for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library for the kids.

When I got down mayor there, we're going to have a big event.

So I made a a book for out of Wood.

I was happy to contribute to all of them.

I love bacon.

The ornaments.

They are just a special thing that, you know like today and anything that has to do with Christ.

I love, you know, the Nativity.

Eason stuff like that.

named about business, the treasured creations because I love to 2 items that will be treasured for years to come by.

Family members.

>> Well, what a neat thing Lisa hopes to get and then border machine as well as a laser that can cut through metal.

Not just would to further very her designs and decorations.

Well, the better you can see the more you can learn a new program and the Jefferson County School System is helping students get eye exams and glasses to help them see more.

Clearly.

We'll tell you all about that tomorrow on Kentucky EDITION, which of course, you know, is at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central where we inform connect and inspire.

Connect with us all the ways you see on the screen, Facebook x, Instagram to KET in the loop.

>> We hope to see you right back here again tomorrow night.

Until then.

Take really good care.

♪ ♪ ♪