♪ >> Most everybody was was viscerally this point.

>> How the government shutdown is affecting Mammoth Cave National Park and what's being done to help travelers with interrupted vacation plans.

Kentucky's Lieutenant Governor talks about her political plans for 2027.

>> Treatment is very focused on the individual on the case on the type of cancer in on the stage.

And so we really have very personalized breast cancer treatment.

Now.

>> And there is an all new approach to fighting breast cancer.

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

♪ ♪ Good Evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION for this Tuesday, October, 21st, I'm Renee Shaw, me thank you for winding down your Tuesday with us.

Kentucky is facing a housing crisis, as we've told you before, the state is more than 200,000 housing units short, new affordable housing is headed to Lexington on a baseball field previously owned by Transylvania University today in Frankfort, the Kentucky General Assembly's Legislative Housing Task Force talked about it details as we kick off our legislative update.

♪ The project is a mix of detached units, single-family townhomes garden style units and senior housing.

In addition to the 180 rental units, homes will be available to buy through Habitat for Humanity, the House and will serve.

People making 30 to 80% of the area's median income.

The developers say they expect the units to fill up quickly.

Lexington's High Rental demands?

>> So once that process starts, what are you envisioning the timeline of filling all 242 units.

We can absorb.

It's quickly as we can.

The rental market in Lexington, 12 to 15 minutes a month with staff on site to lease these up.

So we think within 6 months of completion, all the rental units will be filled.

That's based on previous projects past knowledge.

We could do more than that with more staff.

But there's really no.

We're so deep in the hole in terms of number of rental units in the in Fayette County, pretty much across the state from the other.

Things that you seen that.

Well, how's he released them as fast as possible?

>> Construction on the infrastructure will be completed this winter and full construction will be underway by the fall of 2026. members of the housing Task Force also heard from leaders in northern Kentucky about their housing blueprint.

The blueprint has 4 different priorities, including building middle level housing for young families and seniors and asking employers to step in and assist with housing programs.

A big concern having enough construction workers, which some said could be eased with additional support for high schoolers interested in construction work.

>> If we invest in trades, how do we make sure that those folks stay in Kentucky have successful jobs and that investment goes toward building housing units in our state, the communities in the United States to figure out the key is saw this housing crisis are going to be economic development.

Winners in the future.

We're able to build more housing.

It will just in actually stand to reason that people have more of a chance to stay here.

If the jobs are not here.

>> Your children and your grandchildren will not stay >> Regarding Senator Mills said the task force will hold one final meeting this year to discuss their findings and report back to the Kentucky General Assembly.

And we'll have more from today's meeting tomorrow night on Kentucky edition.

Kentucky state lawmakers are once again debating the pros and cons of fluoride in drinking water with some arguing it all boils down to local control as our June Leffler reports, some Republicans thing cities, not the state should decide if fluoride is a necessary public health measure.

>> This northern Kentucky Republican says it's his 9th time proposing Kentucky eliminate a state mandate on fluoride.

>> Our emphasis is undoing the unfunded mandate and allowing people to have the freedom of choice when it comes to in this case.

treatment.

We're not promoting fluoride one way or the other.

>> The northern Kentucky Democrat pushes back on that argument.

Do you KET saying this is not a fluoride anti fluoride discussion but we have to have your colleagues to your left.

We're telling us that fluoride is terrible for us.

These 2 lawmakers testified alongside a nurse in a dentist's skeptical of fluoride.

>> Federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health say adequate fluoride intake reduces the risk of cavities, but >> this is like at the highest level of government.

These are researchers in PhD scientist looked at all the literature being published over the years and we're not talking about one or 2 studies were talking, 64 studies identified 18 of which were very high quality.

These are studies funded by the National Institutes of Health grants.

And conclusions that there is a moderate confidence and the body of evidence that estimated for an exposure is inversely associated with IQ in children.

So more fluoride exposure means drop in IQ.

>> The current NIH fact sheet on Floyd does highlight these findings, but also says, quote, the review did not address lower concentrations of chloride such as the 0.7 milligrams per liter concentration recommended by the U.S.

public health service for community drinking water, Kentucky's Dental Association offered this testimony.

>> That we have 79 years of quality signs showing that this is effective.

And, you know, it's no different.

Then the Biden in the salt, which was last time you saw somebody with a goiter you know where the vitamin D in the milk.

So I think, you know, there's different ways to look at a lot of different things.

This is considered one of the top public health campaigns in history of the United States.

America's the fluoridation of water.

>> The water company representative says this bill would create a patchwork of fluoridated and non fluoridated communities.

That would be difficult to served.

>> So I think it's highly probable throughout the commonwealth that you're going to have conflicting positions that different governing boards are making.

And so even if for the example say Shelbyville, if they determined to remove fluoride.

If an and by contrast, Louisville water makes a determination to continue adding fluoride fluoride is still going to be provided to those those communities, even though the governing by body of Shelbyville took a position to remove fluoride because there's no way to effectively remove fluoride once it's in the drinking water.

Water source.

>> This year, similar legislation passed out of the House, though more than 10 Republicans voted alongside most Democrats in opposing the measure for Kentucky edition.

I'm Jeanne Leffler.

>> Thank you.

June the Trump administration announced in April that it will review potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water.

A state lawmaker is under house arrest for 10 days.

A judge sentenced State Representative Beverly Chester Burton, a Democrat from Louisville after a DUI incident last year.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that in August of 2024 police saw Chester Burton's vehicle drive into an oncoming lane.

Then stop an idol there, which forced an oncoming vehicle to drive around her Chester burden entered an Alford plea made in she maintained her innocence but admitted there was enough evidence to convict her.

She is required to receive alcohol treatment.

Chester Burton also faced a DUI arrest in 2020, the Home Incarceration Program began or property home incarceration began last Wednesday and ends this Friday under Kentucky law.

She's allowed to leave her home for approved work.

She was in Frankfort for committee meetings today.

The Republicans now have their candidate for a special state Senate election December 16th.

The party has chosen Calvin Leach, a U.S.

Army veteran, the county chairman praises Leach has, quote, patriotic community oriented and disciplined.

This is a special election to replace Senator David Yates who resigned to become interim Jefferson County clerk.

We told you yesterday the Democrats have picked Gary Clemens as their candidate.

Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman is considering the state's top job.

Coleman told WLKY TV in Louisville that she's thinking about running for governor and 2027 and a one-on-one interview with the TV station.

She said she hasn't made a decision yet, but as she travels the state, she's having conversations with people.

The federal government shutdown is in its 21st Day.

Democrats oppose the Republican budget plan because they say it doesn't continue some subsidies for people who get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.

This week, the only Democrat in Kentucky's congressional delegation, Congressman Morgan McGarvey discussed how some of his constituents would suffer without those subsidies.

>> The Kaiser Family Foundation says that half of adults who on the Affordable Care Act right now they're going to small businesses.

We're going to small businesses.

This reflects exactly what I'm seeing moving just this week, I talked to a woman named Mary 63 years old.

She owned her own business for 23 years.

And now she works in a small business.

She's also a cancer survivor says she has health insurance to get the check comes in the care she needs right now on the silver plan that calls for $72 a month.

It would go up to $935 per month with how the tax credits the calmest place solely I talked to Navy in she still a small business owner.

She suffers from the autoimmune disease and asthma.

Should these $350 a month for her silver plan on the Affordable Care Act that will go to $1275.69 per month.

That is the year.

>> Some GOP folks also opposed the Republican plan.

U.S.

Senator Rand Paul is against it because he says it would add too much to the national debt.

We're learning more about how the shutdown is impacting tourism in Kentucky's Kalen region.

Mammoth Cave National Park is closed, which creates both hardship and opportunity for other attractions in the area.

Our Laura Rodgers takes us to Hart County.

>> It's like to work a lot of people in the world, especially in the United States, make their vacation plans around national parks.

But those plans have been disrupted for travelers this October hate to lose a major attraction for a long period of time.

Other tourist attractions are making the best of it.

This has been probably the best October we've ever had.

>> Couldn't have come at a better time for Hidden River Cave, which was closed due to flooding nearly 50 days back in the spring.

Hard part was we lost all of spring break.

When you've got a long winter, we're not a lot of jurors.

Spring breaks.

When you finally start paying the bills, they're one of several show caves in the area.

Hosting guests looking for alternate plans when they realized Mammoth Cave.

>> Is close to getting a lot of customers that we would normally be getting.

We said that if they are to Cairo Scherzer's Bayer's.

Andrew Wilson is executive director, of course, Capehart County Tourism, which has a presence on the grounds at Mammoth Cave.

We were as far as we know, the first in the nation group of are kind to be able to sign a contract with the federal government to have a traveler info center inside a visitor center in a national park.

>> That's been especially helpful in times such as these to assist her wrist, disappointed to learn their case to or has been canceled thousands every day from all over the United States and outside the country.

>> I would say probably 90% of them walked up with no clue.

They're not able to even put on their website that tours have been canceled.

The good news is as of Saturday, there are some self-guided tours now open.

It was actually wrapped around the building for people getting into the visitor center to get tickets to go.

Friends of Mammoth Cave is raising private donations and budgeting some of their own funds to make those tours happened there.

So many people coming from out of the state.

>> That are unaware that it is been affected by the shutdown because other national parks are wide open.

Jake Lingle Smith says parks like Yellowstone and the Great Smoky Mountains are open with local and state funding and support from friends and other fundraising groups.

Even though our friends organization has been around for 24 years, we do not have the budget that they have roots fall break.

So people traveling through David Foster says he recently traveled out west for the National Cave and Karst Management symposium usually there's representation from U.S.

government agencies, people that are managing case on federal lands and they come to interact with a scientist in the in the private cave owners.

>> And it's a great synergy that we lost a lot of that this year because those folks could be the cause.

>> We're not sure how long the shutdown lasts, but until it reopens the community is pulling together to show support.

However it can.

We just try to give them and that's good tours and get in.

>> I think they go away feeling like Kentucky's your friendly place and where we take care of them.

For Kentucky edition.

>> I'm Laura Rogers.

Thank you, Laura.

We did reach out to the National Park Service about current operations.

They tell us critical services pertaining to law enforcement.

>> Emergency response, fire management and visitor safety continue to be staffed.

Most trails and rivers at Mammoth Cave are also still open.

While we were at a Hidden River cave.

We also asked them about a recent article in The New York Times.

The Times is featuring an environmental success story in each of the 50 states and Hidden River cave in hard counties for skate community is in the prop.

Is the project chosen in Kentucky.

They tell us it was watch the most polluted cave in America.

Horse Cave had no sewer system prior to the 1960's meeting.

Sewage, we're going to sink holes and then flow into the cave.

>> It's taken this close to 40 years to turn the cave around.

We've been successful at that and turning the cave around.

Not only do we get the pollution problems fixed.

Well, we've turned around the industrial base in the town because in the old days we didn't have a sewer system and you couldn't get any more factories in the town today.

We have almost 3,000 factory jobs in a town, a 3,000 people because we have the sewage infrastructure.

To take care that industrial waste.

That's a pretty incredible story.

>> And you can read more about that incredible story on The New York Times Web site in the climate section under 50 states, 50 fixes.

>> A Fort Campbell soldier has died during a training accident in Germany.

The army says Sergeant Terrell Sales of New Jersey died after a vehicle accident over the weekend.

He was just 34 years old.

The commander of the second mobile brigade combat team says Sergeant Seals was an exceptional leader and soldier who inspired others to give their very best.

In medical news flu cases were up last year and the state wants you to take action this year.

And Kentucky could change its laws about how paramedics handle snakebite victims.

Our Toby Gibbs tells us more and this look at headlines around Kentucky.

♪ >> Flu Spike is prompting new calls for Kentuckians to get flu shots.

The CDC says flu cases during the 2020 for 2025.

Flu season.

We're the highest in a decade.

The Paducah Sun, quote, Health officials as saying during the COVID pandemic, people were focused on getting COVID shots and sometimes overlook the need for flu shots.

Its case dismissed for 2 Powell County paramedics who gave anti Venom serum to a snake bite victim earlier in the year.

gave the serum to Jim Harrison, a snake expert who's been bitten by a black Mamba.

Paramedics in Kentucky are not authorized to give anti-venom serum and the 2 could have lost their licenses.

But according to the baby Bill Enterprise, the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services dismissed the case citing unique circumstances.

State Senator Brandon Smith says this could lead to changes in the law to protect first responders acting in similar situations.

The Arrow reports Judge Executive David Vogel is asking the Oldham County Fiscal Court by 225 acres of land off Stewart Lane in LaGrange for Conservation and Recreation.

The land is worth more than 5 million dollars.

Vogel says this is a rare opportunity to preserve a large undeveloped tract of land.

Carroll County is borrowing up to 10 million dollars from the Kentucky Association of counties for for Major Projects.

The Madison Courier says they are a new communications tower courthouse renovations and energy-saving project for county buildings.

In an update to Carroll counties, early warning siren system.

The Murray Ledger says progress is steady on a new training facility where people plumbing and electrical work.

The facility is known as the Marie Calloway Industrial Training Center.

It could be finished next February.

With headlines around Kentucky.

I'm told he gives.

♪ >> October is breast Cancer Awareness Month Unknown.

Best Buy its pink paint color.

It's a time dedicated to raising awareness, supporting those affected and promoting early detection.

Our Christy Dot and speaks with a leading breast cancer surgeon about prevention treatment options.

And groundbreaking advancements in breast cancer care.

That and tonight's medical News.

>> We have with us here today.

Dr.

A listed off from Norton Healthcare.

She's a breast surgeon.

Dr Doll is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

So what are the most important things you wish everyone KET about breast cancer?

Yeah, I think first and foremost, most importantly, screenings.

So screenings are very important.

We recommend yearly mammograms for patients.

>> Any women above the age of 40 should have yearly mammogram to detect for any signs of breast cancer.

We know that screening mammograms helped to detect cancer at the early stages.

Okay.

>> Over the last 10, 20 years, how has breast cancer research and treatment evolved?

Yes, there have been just explosive growth in breast cancer treatment.

Research changes the treatment.

I think every year we're constantly learning more and one of the benefits I think of working at a place like Non-healthcare being a part of the breast program is is being up today and working with teams that are constantly growing and staying up to date with that research.

>> OK, well, what something new and exciting that's on the horizon that we need to be on the lookout for.

>> Yeah, I think the biggest thing in breast cancer right now is this idea of personalize ation of their breast cancer treatment.

And so.

Breast cancer used to be treated the same in every patient had breast cancer.

But now treatment is very focused on the individual on the case on the type of cancer and on the stage.

And so we really have very personalized breast cancer treatment.

Now, OK, what are some of the treatment options?

And nays is one more common than another.

Yeah.

So in general breast cancer is treated with 3.

I call them 3 pillars of treatment are basically 3 specialist.

One is surgery, which is what I do to is radiation.

And then 3 is medicines.

So a surgical oncologist, radiation oncologist in a medical oncologist.

There are different options kind of within each specialty and for surgery.

You know, the 2 surgical options are breast conserving surgery and mastectomy.

The other thing we evaluate or the lymph nodes so that's one example.

Another example is medical therapy.

So some people think that when you're diagnosed with cancer, everybody needs chemotherapy, which used to be the case.

But now we know that not all women would benefit from chemotherapy.

And so there's a very personalized approach to.

>> Who?

>> Chemotherapy would be beneficial in versus maybe there's another approach I medication or an estrogen blocking medication that would be more appropriate in certain select case.

Okay.

>> So walk me through this that say you have a patient come in and May who has been diagnosed recently diagnosed.

What can they expect?

What are going to be the next steps?

Yeah.

So with in Norton.

Once they have their biopsy, they're usually called informed of the results.

And then pretty quickly we get patients and to see different specialists.

>> The surgeon, sometimes radiation oncologist in the medical oncologist as well to talk about next steps.

When I meet with patients, the first thing I do is discuss the biopsy results and kind of explain what's going on what this means and break down all the details of the report from the biopsy.

The next thing I talk about during that initial appointment is what are in general the treatment steps and then specific to that patient?

What are the next steps?

Okay.

Let's talk about prevention for a minute because, you know, and prevention will KET a mini from having to go through this at all.

>> So what are the best ways to prevent one thing we that increases somebody is risk of breast cancer is increased alcohol consumption, increased weight or lack of exercise.

So those are things that women can do to positively affect their risk of breast cancer.

Okay.

What advice do you have for somebody who is going through breast cancer treatment right now?

It's a very difficult time.

And the first thing I would say to patients as you are not alone, breast cancer is one of the most, if not the most common cancer in women.

One in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

And I think knowing that you are surrounded by people who have been through this before as well as trust in your healthcare team.

Knowing that.

You have very qualified people that are going take care of you and get you to the other side.

So the other thing that I remind patients is our goal for treatment of breast cancer and the vast majority of cases is cure is to treat the disease and put it behind you so that you can continue to live your life.

Yeah, that's great advice.

Dr listed out.

Thank you so much for your time and expertise in helping to raise awareness.

Thank you so much.

♪ ♪ ♪ >> The home of the Louisville slugger has reason to celebrate the 120 foot replica of Babe Ruth's bat towering outside the Louisville Slugger Museum and factory turned 30 years old today the museum marked the occasion with a special cake and a giant 7 foot card for guests to sign inside.

You can find more than 3,000 original bats used by legends like Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson and Derek Jeter.

We learn much more about the museum during an episode of inside Louisville.

>> We're a 5th generation family owned business.

Which is very unique to be working with the family owned company with such a legacy in regards to Americana in baseball.

It's just it's really, really cool.

Some people think about baseball.

They think about Louisville slugger.

That name is just synonymous.

It is an American icon as representative of a Coca-Cola, for example.

Will slug.

It has a name that transcends baseball.

>> It sure dies.

And you can learn a whole lot more about the museum online on demand by going on KET DOT Org and looking for inside Louisville.

Speaking of which Louisville has a new one stop shop for those in need, especially those experiencing homelessness.

Not only the 24 we serve now, but and another.

29 in the goal really is that?

>> At some point, there is not a waiting list and went to families experiencing a crisis that call and they're told yes, has a bed for you tonight.

>> Here an update on the new community Care Center in Louisville tomorrow on Kentucky EDITION, which we hope you'll tune in for again at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central where we inform connect and inspire.

We hope that you'll connect with us all the ways you see on your screen, the social media channels, Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter.

We thank you for joining us tonight.

I'm Renee Shaw and I hope to tomorrow night, take good care.

♪ ♪