for a moderate Kentucky voter.

What are you offering them?

Daniel Cameron On the social issues that turn some people on and turn some people off.

How big is the Louisville truck plant walkout for Ford?

Humans make mistakes, but they shouldn't have to pay their life for that mistake.

Plus, how cities and the state are working to make streets safer for all of us.

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

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

Good evening and welcome to Kentucky Edition on this Friday, October the 13th.

We know you're not superstitious.

Thank you so much for kicking off your weekend with us.

I'm Rene Shaw.

Attorney general and Republican nominee for governor, Daniel Cameron is criticizing his Democratic opponent and the incumbent following the release of a new report in 2020.

During the height of the COVID 19 pandemic.

Advocacy groups encouraged Governor Beshear to help crowded jails by releasing some offenders early.

Bashir ultimately released more than 1600 inmates who were convicted of nonviolent crimes, who were either classified as medically fragile or had less than six months to serve.

Cameron is now citing a report by the state courts that shows nearly 70% of the inmates released were arrested on new charges.

Some of the charges include assault and homicide.

This is not something we are happy to talk about.

Each one of these crimes is a heinous act with victims whose lives have been changed forever.

The report, prepared by the Administrative Office of the Courts, only represents charges, not convictions.

And many of the individuals were arrested more than six months after their early release, meaning they would have likely been out of jail when the alleged new crime happened, regardless of any action taken by Governor Beshear.

I have a full interview with the Republican nominee for governor this Sunday afternoon on Katie's connections.

Governor Andy Beshear declined my invitation for a half hour interview.

General Cameron talks to us about his relationship with U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The importance of former President Donald Trump's endorsement and his positions on abortion and transgender issues and more.

Those social wedge issues have been at the center of his campaign, and I ask him if those are persuasive positions with swing and moderate voters.

When we think about how important that seems to be to the campaign that you're running, transgender issues, some people would say, are you you're running even more to the right.

So for a moderate Kentucky voter, what are you offering them?

Well, Renee, what I will say to you is that this is actually the first time this has came up in this conversation.

I mean, what I've tried to talk about here is education.

Try to talk about the fact that there's been a governor that is let out 2000 criminals and made it challenging on the public safety front.

And we want to talk about workforce as well, because I know there are a lot of employers that are struggling right now because they cannot find people to work in their facilities, in their plants and in their businesses.

And I think we have to make sure that we are addressing those issues and those are things that I'm going to work on again, education, crime, workforce.

Of course, as I've said repeatedly, I think you do need a governor that is is willing to say and is willing to support legislative legislation that protects women's sports from biological males.

I think most parents at home want to make sure that their daughters and granddaughters have a fair opportunity to compete in their sports.

I think that's a common sense idea.

But when we think about this race and what is at stake, it's our kids and our grandkids.

And it's about making sure that they have quality education.

It's about making sure as well in my view, that we eliminate our state's income tax if we want to encourage people to get back to work.

I think we can do that through, you know, making sure that government encourages that.

But also let's not penalize people for going to work in the morning.

Now, you can see my full half hour interview with General Cameron this Sunday morning at 1130 Eastern, 1030 Central right here on KCET.

Another reminder, you can see Governor Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron on Kentucky tonight.

That's coming up a week from this coming Monday, October the 23rd at eight Eastern, seven Central.

And then week after that, you'll see the candidates for lieutenant governor Jacqueline Coleman and Robbie Mills on October the 30th.

Now, you'll be able to send us your questions and your comments by phone and social media and email.

This upcoming Monday, I've got a group of Kentucky political observers who will handicap the November 7th races with less than a month to go.

So check us out Monday night on Kentucky tonight.

Yesterday, we told you about new allegations concerning the state's youth detention centers.

Officials with the Department of Public Advocacy, which represents individuals charged with a crime who cannot afford an attorney, said some juvenile offenders were being kept in isolation for up to 21 days at a time.

They also testified that isolation was being used as a form of punishment, which goes against the Department of Juvenile Justice's policy of reserving isolation only for major rule violations.

Lauren Hunter is a trial lawyer and public defender.

She says there is a lot of research showing the dangers of isolation, particularly among youth.

There is science that says it creates psychosis, paranoia, depression, self-harming, behavior, suicide.

You know, and JJ, I think has recognized this at one point because their policies were created in 2020 to and if their policies are to be followed, it's a recognition of the science as to why this is a danger.

In response, officials overseeing the detention center said they were unaware of the EPA's claims.

But Justice and Public Safety Secretary Kerry Harvey did give some real world examples to illustrate why extended periods of isolation may actually be needed.

I have monthly meetings with the Public Advocate.

I can assure you that he has never addressed one word of any of this that you've heard here today.

Nobody wants any youth or anybody to be isolated.

But if that's what you have to do to to try to preserve safety, I mean, what else can you do?

Yesterday, lawmakers also learned how Jay was implementing new procedures.

You'll recall earlier this year, Governor Andy Beshear ordered juvenile center workers to have pepper spray, which was later codified into law with the passage of Senate Bill 162.

Secretary Harvey said that while some employees have been disciplined and even fired for improperly using pepper spray, he felt the tool was having a positive outcome.

According to De J.J., in the six months prior to pepper spray being carried by staff, there were 29 assaults and youth detention centers.

Now, in the six months since pepper pepper spray was introduced, there have been only eight assaults as the United Auto Workers strike enters its fifth week.

The UAW president says strike expansions could occur any day of the week, not just on Fridays as they have been in the past.

John Vein also says no one else is joining the strike today.

On Wednesday, 8700 workers at Ford's Kentucky truck plant walked off the job.

It's Ford's biggest factory and its most profitable.

Ford says the pickup trucks and SUVs made their produce $25 billion in annual sales.

October is pedestrian safety Month.

Earlier this week, we told you the dos and don'ts to stay safe on the road.

But transportation officials say altering the design of our streets in ways we might barely notice can also reduce road injuries and deaths.

Kentucky Edition's June Leffler has more.

Not obeying the rules of the road can be deadly.

But Kentucky's bicycle and pedestrian coordinator, Keith Lovin, says it shouldn't be that way.

Humans make mistakes, but they shouldn't have to pay their life for that mistake.

Logan asks, Why might a pedestrian step out in front of a car or jaywalk?

Was there not a sidewalk?

There?

Was there, you know, Was there not a crosswalk that they can go to?

The crosswalk is, you know, a half a mile away.

Nobody is going to walk up to the intersection if they need to get across the street.

Lovin an engineer says most streets were originally built to move cars as quickly as possible, but redesigning roads now can better accommodate walkers and cyclists.

There's things that you can use, such as speed tables, you can use reflective markings, you can do enhanced crosswalks, you can do signals where the pedestrian activates the lights in the light will turn red, and that signals that the motor is to stop narrowing streets.

And even planting trees can subconsciously tell drivers to slow down.

If you go down a tree lined street, you're going to go much slower than if you go and it's just wide open.

There's no amenities, no vegetation.

It's been proven that trees will calm a street.

Last year, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet updated its Complete Streets safety manual for the first time in 20 years.

It recommends how roads can be built to better serve all users.

The state also works with the city of Louisville to target the most dangerous roads and intersections in that city.

Claire Yates is a transportation planner with the city of Louisville.

We conduct field visits at all locations where pedestrians and cyclists in Jefferson County have been struck and seriously injured or killed on surface streets.

And we develop recommendations as part of a collaborative team.

The city set a goal to eliminate all pedestrian deaths by 2050, adopting an approach called Vision Zero.

And top priority of any government is to protect its residents.

Just.

Just that we would not accept any gun violence deaths.

We should not accept any traffic deaths.

Earlier this year, Louisville received 21 million federal dollars to improve ten of its highest risk roads.

Those streets include Bury Boulevard and Southern Parkway in the South in an East and West Oak Street in Oklahoma.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm June Leffler.

Time now for an end of week review of some major political news in Kentucky so far this week.

Actually, at the end of the week with two of our good friends who you often see here at Kati, they're both with McCarthy Strategic Solutions.

Sherman Browne and Amy Wickliffe.

And we welcome them both.

Thank you, guys.

You'll make a return visit on Monday night.

So what we don't get to in this few minutes of assertion, certainly ham it up on Monday.

Let's talk about where we are with 20 something days out.

Sherman Brown, Andy Beshear has got some money and he's put out a release about how much he raised in this quarter.

A million and a half.

Feeling pretty good.

The polls look like they're pretty favorable toward him.

Yeah, I think if you're in this race right now and you're Andy Beshear, you've got to be pretty happy.

If I were one of the two candidates, I would want to be Andy Beshear in the spot you're leading on the fundraising side.

Every poll has shown him with the lowest poll had him at six points up.

There was one that had him at 16 points.

I don't think that it's a 16 point race, but that is out there.

But I do think that this race is is folks thought that it would be a lot closer than this.

As of right now, it's not there.

The polls haven't shown that.

And then the fundraising.

You know, it's just been stellar.

I mean, he just keeps keeps keeps it going.

Yeah.

But we also know, Amy, that raising money doesn't always mean if you got the most money, that you're going to do the best and end up being the victor.

We saw that in the Republican primary, right?

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

And I think that Republicans tend to have this October surge.

And I think we're starting to see that and feel that out at events.

I've been at a couple of events with Attorney General Cameron just to get a feel for what voters are saying and what are kind of to see what that energy is like.

And there's a very good energy out there on the campaign trail right now.

It is a very competitive race.

I think when we look at the polls, I think what we've we've actually done some research in to see that Republicans are kind of not being counted appropriately or not being accounted for in a lot of the polling.

So I don't think that.

I'm not saying that Daniel Cameron is up right now, but I think it is a lot closer of a race than some people might be thinking right now.

And I think a lot of that will start to move in these next couple of weeks as people really start to pay attention to the race.

Yeah, And they had their first really joint debate.

I mean, they've been at venues before, but not on the stage at the same time, certainly not engaging each other as they did just on Thursday in Paducah for the Chamber of Commerce.

And you saw this.

Tell us your impressions of how Daniel Cameron did.

I did.

I thought he did.

Excellent.

You know, the gloves came off a little bit yesterday, which I enjoy.

I love a debate.

I watch all of them.

So I really enjoyed yesterday.

I think this is the first time that Governor Bashir has really been challenged on the stage.

Right.

Because it is the first time that they've really seen each other.

And I think there were points throughout the debate where you could tell at least I thought that the governor might be getting a little frustrated with some of that pushback coming from Daniel Cameron.

So I think more to come as those more debates come in the next couple of weeks.

But I think all in all, I think it was a friendly crowd.

I heard that Daniel Cameron got a very good reception down in West Kentucky, which is no surprise.

It is a Republican country down there.

And so I think the polls will show will bear out in his favor.

And this was a business community event.

Of course.

This was the Chamber of Commerce there in Paducah.

So you have a very targeted audience there in the room.

What do we know about how Bashir scores in western Kentucky where there he has been on site?

Because of the tornadoes and the relief and all of that is his view, higher than perhaps it might be thought?

Well, I think his view is higher everywhere than it was in 2019, because he's been on TV, you know, all through the pandemic, all through the tornadoes, the flooding in eastern Kentucky.

But to speak to western Kentucky, I mean, the you know, the people know him.

I mean, as you know, his father being from Dawson Springs, the tornadoes that happened to Dawson Springs, what he's doing down there right now with housing, economic development announcement, he just made an announcement yesterday after that at a major in Murray.

So he's getting around.

And that's part of it is the power of incumbency, of being able to be out there and and the conversation not just being a rally, but being an announcement of money coming in, grants, broadband, go through all the list of everything, infrastructure, all these different projects that he gets to announce and be a part of present the big check.

All of those come with, you know, local officials and people coming to the event and clapping and hearing that.

But again, they've known him now and they've gotten to see him, you know, like we were talking about during the pandemic being on.

I think as far as being tested, I think that is the real test that he saw.

And I think that's where any any person, Daniel Cameron, now is not going to be able to affect his numbers and the likability factor because people know him.

There's nothing you can say about him because he's already answered every question.

There's another candidate and a different race who used on in this studio Monday night a question or phrase, why should Kentucky fire the guy that's doing X, Y, Z?

And we hear Governor Beshear saying, why take the coach out of the game and the quarterback when you're scoring victories?

Has Daniel Cameron answered that question of why Kentuckians should fire Andy Beshear?

Well, I think we're hearing him try to do that right now, I think, at the debate.

Right.

How many times did we hear Joe Biden's name?

Right.

And Daniel Beaver card.

Bingo card, Right.

And Daniel Cameron and his camp are sending out a message in a very calculated way to remind voters that a Beshear Biden agenda does not reflect the values of Kentuckians.

Right.

And so the race has been nationalized.

That's no surprise.

They typically are these days.

But I think we are going to continue to hear those messages because Biden's numbers are in the tank here in Kentucky.

They're not great nationally, Right.

I mean, they might be in the 25% mark here in Kentucky.

So so I think that's something that we're going to continue to hear as well.

And I think to back to the debate, too, I think debates are not just about the issues that we're talking about.

It's about how these candidates react.

And so watching how, you know, that person will react to challenges and adversity in those situations shows you what kind of a governor people are going to see.

And that's the.

Test moment, right?

It is.

So before we leave, we do want to tell our friends and who our beloved family members of the game of Frankfort, as she was known, Judy Taylor, who was government relations for Keeneland and has been around Frankfort as long as I can remember.

I know you all knew her very well, and we lost her this week.

Yes, Judy was.

And I'll try not to get choked up.

She was a trailblazer for women and Frankfort.

I think she was the very first paid female lobbyist in Frankfort.

And so for someone like me, you know, I owe I have so much gratitude towards her because she really forged a path when not many women were in that role.

If you had the chance to know, Judy, you learn something from her.

And I think that is what I hope her family and her close friends will always remember the impact that she's had on so many people and will continue to have on the people in Frankfurt.

She will be sorely missed.

Yeah, well.

Said.

Well said.

I mean, I think people immediately think of her with cookies.

Yeah.

You know.

And it's.

Yes.

And it's so much more than that.

I mean, as Amy said, I don't think I can say it any better.

Yeah, she's.

Well, it will be a very different session in 2024 without her presence.

And our thoughts and prayers go to Marissa, her daughter and family and the.

Her.

Our good girl band group.

Right.

Who will miss her.

And so.

Well, thank you all for sharing that time with us.

And we'll see you on Monday nigh Flu season is here.

Lexington wants to keep cases down and people healthy.

The health department hosted a flu shot clinic at Central Baptist Church yesterday.

More from there.

And tonight's look at medical news.

So this year, we have ten lab confirmed cases.

Last year, we had roughly around 3500 reported lab cases.

And so we really do not want to get to those numbers again this year.

So to prevent that from happening, we are really encouraging everyone to come and get their flu shot.

We are having our annual free flu clinic event.

We have this every year at this around this time.

It is important because we want to protect Lexington and help Lexington be well this flu season.

So anyone that is from the age of six months and older, we recommend that you come here and get your vaccination.

Do not be afraid of getting the vaccination.

It's just like getting any other shot that you will receive.

The only difference is, is this is going to help protect you, your loved ones, people around you from getting sick.

This will help lessen the effects from the flu virus.

After receiving your flu shot vaccination.

You can expect to have slight pain in the injection area, but that should be the only symptom that you have.

May have a little bit of tiredness.

Nothing abnormal.

You're unable to make it to the free flu clinic.

You can always go to our clinic at the Lexington County Health Department and make a same day appointment Monday through Thursday.

This will only be for uninsured individuals.

However, if you are an insured person, you can always reach out to your provider or a pharmacy to get your vaccination.

Doctors do want to remind people that it is safe to have the flu shot at the same time as the COVID 19 shot, but with one shot in each arm, sometimes our future can be informed by our past.

This Sunday, our Kelsey Starks sits down with two former Louisville mayors to discuss how Louisville has changed since their terms and how in some ways it's stayed the.

Same 40 years later.

As you mentioned, we are still talking about bussing.

It's still a controversial issue here.

We're still talking about bridging that ninth Street divide.

We're still talking about crime in neighborhoods.

What are your thoughts on some of these issues that continue to permeate the city?

40 years later, it's the same things you were dealing with when when you were here.

Well, we're not the only city that's facing this.

Many, many other cities.

It is a constant eternal vigilance in terms of people, the people, the leadership and the community, keeping close ties with the African-American community, as well as the general community of the police, obviously are a source of controversy in the the analysis by the Justice Department was pretty devastating, and that has to be worked out.

On the other hand, we've got to make sure we have enough police on the force because it's not become a very attractive job for many young men and women.

And you just got to keep working on it.

The bussing situation, violent crime, some of these things that our city today is still dealing with.

What are your thoughts on where our city stands now?

And would you have thought we'd come further by now?

Well, you know, the reality is, is that everything's up here.

I mean, if you believe in your hometown, then you get engaged to make it better.

We've gone through difficulties.

COVID was a really tough time.

The Breonna Taylor situation was a really tough time.

The whole guns issue has been a really difficult time in cities across the United States.

So those continue, but it takes people to engage, people to be willing to work on change.

You know, Tolstoy once said everybody wants change, but nobody wants to change themselves.

The reality is we have to change to engage and involve ourselves and be a part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

You can see Kelsey's full interview with the former Louisville mayors Harvey Sloane and Jerry Abramson on the next inside Louisville this Sunday at 12 noon, 11 a.m. Central right here on KCET Comedy and Ham.

Hmm.

Our Toby Gibbs has that potent combination and more in tonight's look at what's happening around the Commonwealth.

Tomorrow is the inaugural Franklin County International Festival.

Come to Lakeview Park and experience the diversity of Franklin County through music, vendors, booths, entertainment and delicious food.

It's time for Corbin's annual autumn celebration.

Tomorrow is October Fest.

This family event will have hay rides, petting zoos and inflatables.

Make sure you check out the main street merchants for some great fall shopping.

Come on down to Katie's this weekend for the annual ham festival.

Tom hungry to this event.

The food here is off the charts.

Delicious.

There's plenty to do after you eat.

Check out the car shows, carnival rides and live music.

Plus, this year, the beloved Ham Festival parade is back.

You won't want to miss it.

Contact the quarry in Lagrange tomorrow.

This fall festival will have yard sale items, homemade art and small businesses available to shop from.

Plus live music from Joe Robinson and a snack shack with lots of great food, including some new fall items.

If you're looking for a spooky evening at the theater this weekend, look no further than Gravestone Manor at the Spotlight Playhouse in Berea.

Inside a whimsical mansion, you'll follow the escapades of a supernatural cast of characters.

Werewolves having date night monsters on a game show.

The show will have you howling with laughter.

Their first show is tonight at 7 p.m. but they have shows tomorrow and Sunday as well.

The Savannah Sipping society opens at the Barn Lot Theater in Edmonton on Thursday.

This lively comedy follows four Southern women hoping to escape their day to day routine as they come together to learn how to live in the moment.

Come see this PG show for a good laugh and a great lesson about lasting friendship.

And that's what's happening around the Commonwealth.

I'm Toby Gibbs.

Thank you, as always, Toby Gibbs.

And don't forget the partial eclipse of the sun visible tomorrow in Kentucky.

Weather permitting, the moon will block between 40 and 60% of the sun.

The eclipse starts at 11:42 a.m. Eastern Time and ends at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time.

And be sure to protect your eyes.

We do hope that you'll lay your eyes on us again Monday night for Kentucky Edition at 630 Eastern, 530 Central, where we inform, Connect and Inspire.

We hope you'll subscribe to our weekly e-mail edition newsletters and watch full episodes and clips at Ket, Dawg.

You can find us on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV.

Send us a story idea the address on your screen.

And connect with us all the way as you see on your screen, on Facebook and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Thank you so much for watching.

Have a great weekend to come.

And I'll see you right back here again Monday night.

Take good care.