♪ >> What you may not have seen the crew making those repairs, but it was impacting your service.

Customer questions about power outages.

Answer.

>> Here comes the U.S.. >> Right along with us as we put you in the shoes of non drivers in Lexington.

Photography is a way of bringing people together and always has been and always will be.

>> Plus, it's a golden opportunity to see rare photos of the world's best athletes competing in the Summer Olympics.

>> Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ Good Evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Wednesday.

It's Mid week.

>> October the second.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for winding down your Wednesday with us.

President Joe Biden toured some of the areas hardest hit by Lane today to get a firsthand look at the devastation.

>> Biden landed and Greenville, South Carolina and then left again to tour affected parts of North Carolina by air.

The president has frequently been called on to survey damage, including right here in Kentucky.

The White House says his trip was meant to demonstrate the federal government's commitment to help in communities rebuild.

Back here in Kentucky, power has finally been restored to hundreds of thousands of customers following Friday's landfall and part 2 of my interview with the communications director for LG any and KU Energy.

Liz Pratt response to some frequently asked questions from customers in the dark during weather-related power outages.

One of the rumored claims is that the power company sent workers out of state to storm ravaged areas.

And we're left with the in sufficient manpower to deal with the electric outages in Kentucky.

Pratt had this to say.

So that was a a bit of a misconception in this storm event.

So there, you know, we are part of mutual assistance, partnerships that we work with year round.

>> Those were some of our regional business partners who came in and utility partners.

And likewise, there are times where we may send crews elsewhere.

However, for this event, as part of as I mentioned, that monitoring the forecast and working with our utility partners.

We held back all of our crews because as we were looking at that forecast, the potential for the remnants of Hurricane Helene to come to Kentucky.

We want to make sure that we have ample resources here for our customers and protect our customers needs.

So in this case, we held back all of our crews to be prepared and be a mobilizing because the forecast is showing there is the potential for Hurricane Helene to make it into Kentucky.

And then final question is LG E and KU prepared when it comes to all call it the hardware.

>> That the infrastructure is in place, the technologies that you're using our firm and solid to deal with these types of weather related tragedies in incidents.

Yeah.

So we are continually enhancing our systems.

We are implementing automated technologies and new controls hardening our system.

So in in-store, seen installing stronger poles to all of this is being done to help protect our system and harness system again.

Storms.

So what will be the experience in the past couple years, for instance, since March of last year, we've now experienced 3 of the of the largest storms to impact our system over 20 years.

So the remnants of Hurricane Helene is now the 4th largest event to impact our service territory in over 4 in over 20 years.

And so we're continually investing in our system for some customers during the storm.

They may have noticed that their lights blinked or flickr door.

They had to reset devices, right?

That's actually our automated technologies doing what they're what they're supposed to do and actually helping limit the number of customers who've been affected.

So as we're doing that restoration process, we also through those automated technologies, we're able to reroute power where we can to limit the number of customers who are affected and that's also being done through support from our control center.

So in case is like a storm that we experienced here, the level of damage that needed to be repaired.

That really impacted our customers.

But to to technologies, we're actually starting reducing and preventing outages on our system right?

Underground power lines, right?

Is there.

What can you tell any companies do to convince?

>> City government officials or whomever that that should be a priority or is that even a case that utility company should be making?

You know, there are pros and cons to overhead and underground mines.

>> Soon as something that's not often considered is when lines are underground, it can actually be take a little bit longer to pinpoint the outage location.

So sometimes if you do have underground power lines, the restoration process can take a little bit longer because we have to be able to pinpoint that outage location.

So that's something to consider you know, in the in the pros and cons.

And certainly that's something that's always being evaluated.

But, you know, that's that is a consideration.

And that's part of our restoration process because people think if they live in neighborhoods where there are underground power lines, somehow that they are.

>> Shielded from these power outages.

But we did know that that happened in some communities where even if they had underground power lines, they did experience an outage of a day or so.

And that's a great point to in that.

You know, that outage, the location of the outage may not be directly in front of your home or business.

So the cause of that outage, maybe in another location.

So you may not see that crew working, but that cause.

>> They're working to make those repairs.

Yeah.

And finally, I know I've taken a lot of your time because we also have heard I didn't see any crews in my neighborhood at all.

Not even across the street down the street, a few streets over when they're not visible.

Maybe that's the point you just made.

It doesn't mean that they're absent and not working.

That is absolutely true.

They are working across our system and that doesn't necessarily mean our system is running along street level or running past your home and that outage may be located somewhere else, but it's affecting a larger number of customers.

And so going back to her, our restoration prioritization process.

We're working through that process.

And so your outage may have been part of a lot of our larger outage impacting more customers.

But you may not have seen the crew making those repairs, but it was impacting your service Willis, thank you so much for helping to educate us about how all of restoration process comes together.

And we thank you for making the time and the drive here to inform our viewers.

>> Thank you.

This is such an important topic.

I appreciate appreciate being here.

Yeah.

♪ ♪ ♪ >> In other news, 2 former Louisville officers accused of falsifying a warrant that led to the death of Breonna Taylor have been indicted again.

Federal prosecutors filed a new indictment against Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany.

It comes weeks after a federal judge threw out the felony charges against the ex cops.

This indictment includes new allegations about how the former officers allegedly falsified the affidavit for the search warrant that led police to Breonna Taylor's door before she was shot and killed by police in 2020.

It's as if the judge who signed the warrant new key statements were false and misleading.

She would not have approved it and quote, there or may not have been a search at Taylor's home.

The 2024 general election is now less than 5 weeks away in Kentucky.

The deadline to register to vote is Monday.

You can register online or by mail excused in-person voting will be available on weekdays from October.

The 23rd to the 30th 3 days of no excuse in-person voting begins October 31st.

And of course, you could vote in person on Election Day, which is Tuesday, November.

The 5th to find your polling location or to view a sample ballot, go online and visit, go vote DOT K Y dot Gov.

Governor Andy Beshear has been named one of Time magazine's rising stars.

He was listed as one of the time 100 next, which spotlights people thought to be shaping the future.

The magazine says Beshear a Democrat in a deeply red state, won reelection with his, quote, convincing portrayal of post partisan leadership, end quote on social media.

Beshear called it an honor to be included, saying it's a quote, testament to the great work we're doing in Kentucky and the rest of the world is noticing in quotes.

And today's education news, a Western Kentucky school serving a large number of military families is getting a leg off on future math and science careers.

South Christian Elementary is receiving a $500,000 Grant.

The school is located in the heart and in community near Fort Campbell.

The grant comes from the Department of Defense Education activity.

It'll be used to buy equipment and supplies that explore stem subjects.

Those items include drones, robotics and 3 D printing materials and coding programs.

Hundreds of soldiers are now back home in Kentucky after a deployment to the Middle East.

The Kentucky National Guard welcome home.

More than 300 soldiers from the first battalion 620rd Field Artillery regiment last week.

The troops spent the last 10 months supporting the U.S. Army Central Command.

They served in 8 different countries, contributing to key military operations by carrying out a wide range of missions.

♪ For most of us hopping in the car is a routine part of life.

But many Kentuckians don't drive because of medical or even financial reasons.

Lexington's a week without driving as part of a national initiative to encourage drivers to walk and use public transit in order to experience firsthand the obstacles and rewards of being a non driver in Fayette County.

>> Nothing beats that first hand experience of actually.

Getting out of your car and trying something new and see why allow its.

A lot of positives like the ones really nice not to have to find a parking spot another and it's like, wow.

Warsi summit downsides like in gaps in the transportation system where on safe sidewalks.

So there's good old-fashioned walking.

I would say Waukee isn't always feasible.

So in an ideal situation, public transit way to cover all of the non walking gaps.

It comes >> Is we are going to get on the South Broadway route.

There's a little stop right here.

And so we will board the bus and we will this ride it all the way to the transit center.

All of like thing where not be down percent of like strands bus routes converge at the Downtown Transit center.

So we will ride it all the way there will stop let everyone off.

And then we will walk to the office.

>> I've actually never taken the bus before before this week.

So and it was a really good like reason for me to take the bus.

I did have one of the cards that you can stand, that I didn't have a dollar bill.

And that was super easy to just go in there.

It was just it was very smooth, very easy.

I KET when when to get off at the transit center and yeah, no, no, which is I loved.

It was great.

It is about the same length taking the bus from here to the trade center and walking to my office as it is driving and parking and then walk into an office.

>> There are some like accessibility issues.

I think the bus up that's across the street from Broadway here and crossing.

It's a very dangerous cross walk in.

There's not a protected crosswalk right there.

So I would love to see more like protected bus stops more accessibility to them.

>> So I've lived in this neighborhood across Broadway and crossing at the red light down there.

Gibson is always a stressful experience because cars run would love to break the last moment.

This rap here again, our audit for the offense.

I know very well stops every hour is how often a bus comes to this stop and all the stops along the route.

>> And that is not very convenient.

You know, I have a fairly flexible and their other outside can use as well if I need to.

But but for people who, you know, have to for most people who have to be at work like at 08:00AM if they miss the bus by minute, they're just completely out of luck.

It's all built for cars.

It's all power dot for cars.

Everyone else, the sort of side won.

So for people who drive most of the time, I think this week is a good way to experience.

You know, the downsides of that.

But also the good sides, again of us seem to be the of your city connecting with people who know regularly throughout your commute is something most people just don't ever do.

I think is pretty beautiful.

Think the experience that will definitely be using public transit moving forward.

>> And it just makes it so much easier for me.

And I just love.

I love the accessibility of it.

>> In the week is primarily reflect the experience I we have on our Instagram in our e-mail that people can sign up for.

Some props to spur on our watch strike.

Think about your experience.

What was good?

What was bad?

What could be improved?

And then the improvements could lead to some action items like what policy changes?

Can I have a kid for mostly just a chance to see and experience what life is like for not drivers.

>> The week without driving is organized by residents, but several city officials are participating and there is growing interest for next year's event.

♪ Time now for a midweek check in on some major political developments so far this week with Rylan Barden who is a Kentucky based editor with NPR National Public Radio.

Good to see your island.

It seemed to run it.

So let's start with the news that we've learned about how there is an alliance between Kentucky's senior and junior U.S.

Senator, a Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell on an issue that's related to President Trump's economic plan when it comes to tariffs on foreign imports.

Tell us about how these 2 are coming together against this particular effort.

>> Yeah, well, first off, you know, Senator Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell are very different kind of Republicans.

But there's there's also kind of like a 3rd type of Republican these days, which more totally Trump ally and a Republican.

But and Rand Paul and McConnell have distanced themselves from former President Trump's position on instituting especially from China.

The Trump wants to institute a 60% tariff on goods from China.

200% on Mexican auto imports and 10% on all other foreign goods.

And, you know, this is this is something that it is it in line with a lot of Trump's got a more isolationist economic policies, but I think it's just it's been a step too far for some more traditional politicians.

The United States to recognize a lot of this international trade actually ends up benefiting the United States a lot.

And to institute such drastic tariffs could really but outside down whole lot of work at the moment.

But it just an interesting little a political trip, especially because Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell do disagree on a lot of issues, especially when it comes to the former president.

And, you know, we're only a little bit over a month out before the election.

And this is such a central position for the former president is running for re-election.

So, you know, it's this is it to the forefront.

Also been a little over the place on these issues.

So we'll see exactly if this gets more specific or even if this would ever be able to be implemented.

If we were to be back in >> And we didn't get a lot of clarification on that during last night's vice presidential debate either.

So a lot of not a lot it shared about how that would work.

So let's move on and talk about a former Republican nominee for governor in the former attorney general of Kentucky, Republican Daniel Cameron is back in the news again.

And this time it's a story about how he was possibly launching a criminal investigation into 2 abortion providers connected to the University of Louisville.

What do we know about this?

>> Right.

So I'm a former attorney General Daniel Cameron had a camel to a grand jury and it sought to get a subpoena for records of doctors who work at University of Louisville Hospital, but who also back when there were abortion providers in Kentucky PRE summer 2022 who are also performing abortions, apparently arguing that this was either a misuse of public funds because they were employees of State University or that this would was actually there that this would actually be an illegal use of funds.

It is a little unclear exactly what he was seeking here.

But those doctors of the EU.

So part of what we know about this is that Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd, ordered this case to be unsealed, which has been going on since 2023 when the when former Attorney General Cameron was launching this apparent investigation.

But we and so we do you see the court's original ruling and also the appeals court's ruling.

It's, you know, to some of launching a fishing expedition in front of the apparently to seeking out that is part of his anti-abortion agenda.

But just being part of a of a pro-life or anti-abortion candidate here those doctors sued to quash that subpoena and were ultimately successful.

And and yeah, and and just recently this week, though, the judge finally ordered those records unsealed so we could see a little bit of what was going on there in the wild.

You know, the attorney general is running for governor about all right.

So who knows where that would have ended up if those records have come out.

>> Has Daniel Cameron made a comment about this news development yet.

>> I have not seen response from from Cameron on this.

I mean, obviously he's not really in the zone public office anymore, yeah, I would be a beach in knowing more about exactly how is how his office was operating at the time, especially on this issue, right?

Yeah.

A lot more to learn about that.

>> And will and with the current governor who had faced a challenge from Daniel Cameron just last year, the governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear keeps on making the list, right?

lists.

And we learned that he's also an illustrious less this time by Time magazine.

What's this all about?

>> Yeah, the governor Andy Beshear is on the time 100 next list, which it's it's highlighting potential rising political stars.

You know, we've heard a lot of this over the last year.

His name being mentioned in these national circle, certainly after his re-election we saw on the launches on National Park and then you currently being in the veepstakes mean vetted as a potential vice presidential candidate alongside Vice President Kamala Harris as she runs for the presidency this year.

You know, his name to spend a lot out.

There are a whole lot more this year comes pretty high profile in his first term, you know, really be going around the country talking about Kentucky during natural disasters, but also during the Coronavirus pandemic.

So it may think, you know, this is I think more than anything reflective of the Democrats really trying to build up their bench over these in recent years, which it didn't really gotten depleted before about.

So there's there's a lot more of these characters that we're seeing in national headlines saying and then just in conversation right now and then even shares one of them.

You know, we'll see.

we'll see where he ends up next.

He's he's committed one where the other 2 finishing out his term as governor.

But if he has kind of what they can remember where he got counties left the door open on.

If if you're ever called up for an appointment in some future administration, if you're ever run for any higher office, but we'll see, you know, promises change of a lot of these politicians have said no, they won't run for office again or they won't only seek certain term limits, but yeah, it can't legislate the future.

That's right.

When he's leaving the door open and I had some conversation with folks, he said.

>> Wonder how Andy Beshear would have done against JD Vance last night and the debate as there's been some criticism of how Governor Walz did were underwhelmed by his performance and wondered if Andy Beshear or Josh Shapiro, the Governor, Pennsylvania, could have done better in that situation.

>> It was interesting in and also noted, too, that Governor Waltz you're brought up a story Governor Richards told a lot of a young woman from Western Kentucky who have sought an abortion when she was a child after being raped by her stepfather.

And how should that was really a central part towards of the ending of of Governor Beshear's successful re-election campaign last year.

It's it's something the Democrats are really trying to hammer home in this year's election when abortions on the ballot in so many states.

Yes.

>> Only 30 something odd days to go before November.

5th, we thank you so much for island for keeping your eyes on all the developments.

We appreciate you.

♪ >> From Simone Biles is staats to viral break dancing.

There are lots of memorable moments from this summer's the this summer's Olympics.

If you want to see some of them up close, you can just head to the Paris photo gallery.

But don't worry, you don't need a plane ticket.

This week's Tapestry segment takes us to the Olympics.

Photography, exhibition and Paris Bourbon County, Kentucky.

>> The concept for the Bears, the parents.

Olympic photo Gallery exhibition really came after the last few days of covering the Olympics for USA Today.

And I realized there were 15, 2030, people who are friends and colleagues that you see every 2 to 4 years at an Olympics.

And I thought to be great to get all their images together in one place.

>> And do it specifically at the Paris gallery in Paris, Kentucky.

>> We have 21 starfish represent in this gallery from institutions like Gabby and Reuters and the AP and USA Today.

A lot of these images can only be seen here in Paris, Kentucky.

>> We have about 50 framed photos showcasing.

You know, a lot of the highlights that we all saw while watching the Olympics and then some intimate moments that, you know, weren't able to be seen by those of us just watching from home.

>> Hughley towns host the Olympics.

But Harris, this go around was the Olympics.

Every event was really underneath the shadow of something like the Eiffel Tower or the palace is or the river.

I think that energy really came to a point where probably will never be replicated in any other town at any other Olympics because I don't know how you could possibly do it.

Paris is a really special place.

>> There's really high highs and really low lows.

And that's in, you know, sports across the board from high school to the Olympics.

And that's really what assist that hard freeze are looking for.

Those iconic moments in time is iconic moments in history that again, you maybe see on the TV for a fleeting moment.

But then a still photographer can capture it for eternity.

>> It's really need to have this group of people together because these photographs don't usually show up in a gallery.

Our next edition, they show up in newspapers.

They show up on Web sites.

>> I think one of the problems that we face and today societies that we view everything on the screen having it here in calorie, lousy to get up and close and step back farther away.

Look at something, you know, it.

It's something that it's an actual material item.

It's tactile.

I think people appreciate that.

I think they're so huge gap with fine art and and great card fee work and small communities.

And so, you know, being able to kind of protect captains is a goal of ours.

>> This gallery isn't just about showing.

>> Work on the wall.

It's about bringing people from the community into the doors.

We really hope this place would become that place where people have that opportunity come and chat and talk and photography is a way of bringing people together and always has been and always will be.

>> From Paris to Paris, the exhibition is free.

>> But you can buy the photos right off the wall and all proceeds benefit.

Boyd Station, a nonprofit photography residency.

>> For students in Harrison County.

Well, the results are in on how Kentucky students and public schools are doing tomorrow on Kentucky Edition, new data from the state school report card and what Kentucky's education commissioner is saying about the results.

We'll have all of that for you and much more tomorrow night on Kentucky edition at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central when we inform connect and inspire, you can subscribe to Kentucky Edition, e-mail newsletters and watch full episodes and clips at KET Dot Org.

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

And of course, we always welcome you to send a story idea to us at public affairs at KET Dot Org and of course, know what's happening on KET not just on Kentucky edition, but Kentucky life and so many more of our programs.

>> If you follow us on Facebook X, formerly known as Twitter and Instagram that help you all stay in the loop.

And thank you for staying in the loop with us on today's developments and we'll bring you much more news tomorrow.

I'm Renee Shaw, thank you for your time tonight.

Have a great night now.

See you back here tomorrow.

♪ ♪ ♪