Kentucky's candidates for Governor Square off in their 3rd debate of the season.

>> We break down their responses as both men are preparing for another engagement night on KET.

>> Gun violence has increased and we see it every night on the news.

A Lexington group fights gun violence at all.

>> Just in my shelter alone, we're at our capacity about 99.9% of the year.

>> We take a look at the resources and support for those who don't feel safe in their own homes.

>> One of the things that makes an amazing is it's the one time people will really see evidence chair is a big deal in Kentucky.

>> More than 4 decades later, the Kentucky book Festival is still going strong.

Hear from those who turned out for this year's event.

>> 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.

Addition for Monday, October 23rd.

I'm Casey Parker Bell filling in for Renee Shaw.

We're down to just 15 days before Kentucky's general election Governor Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron for tonight's guests on Kentucky tonight, the Democratic incumbent is hoping for a second term.

All his challenger is looking to give the Republican Party control of both the Legislature and the governor's mansion.

Both candidates shared the stage over the weekend during a debate televised by WLKY in partnership with the League of Women Voters.

They discussed education workforce participation and the economy.

Each candidate was also asked what they consider to be the state's most pressing issue when it comes to the opioid epidemic.

>> The opioid epidemic is something that has impacted everyone.

We have all lost people, multiple people to to fatal overdoses.

We will not solve this problem by blaming each other for making it partisan.

Who's to blame are the big pharma companies, the big opioid companies that sent thousands of pills and a small counties for every man, woman and child.

They KET it was addictive.

Yet they counted their money while our people died.

What we have to do is to continue to support our law enforcement community that has secured A&M got enough fentanyl that killed about 28 million people this year under both President Trump and Biden sent National Guard to our border because border security is national security and we have to continue to work with our treatment community.

Since I become governor, we've increased our number of treatment beds by 50%.

And because of that and the hard work of so many, we are one of only 8 states in the country that had a significant decrease in overdose deaths last year.

We see some light.

We see some hope.

Let's stick to it.

But support those in treatment and recovery.

If you're trying, we're proud of you, Mister Cameron.

Well, look, when I ran for attorney general, I talked about the importance of making sure >> that we combat the drug epidemic and its larger than just opioids.

Fentanyl and other drugs as well.

And so I've been proud to be the attorney general that is in the process of bringing nearly 900 million dollars to the state to fight this drug epidemic.

In the reason that we're able to bring this money to the state is because I said that we don't need to just file lawsuits.

We need to hold these companies accountable.

And those companies came to the table bringing nearly 900 million dollars to the state.

One of the proudest moments I've had as attorney general is to work with our legislature in the county judge executives in so many mayors and county attorneys to bring that money into the state.

It's not a magic elixir.

It's not the end.

All be all.

But it is a significant down payment in removing in helping removing affliction that has plagued our people for far too long.

>> Another topic of the debate was COVID-19 Governor Beshear in General Cameron were each asked about what they learned from the pandemic.

>> This attorney general's refusal to to act like this pandemic was as deadly as it was, is a slap in the face of the heroism that they showed.

The fact that he claims that he would have even paused education would have sent thousands of teachers with many health issues into a classroom before vaccines were even available.

I was the first governor in the country to prioritize our educators for vaccines.

That's why we are one of the first states in the country that had all of our school systems, all of them back again in person learning I made decisions to save lives.

It's clear this attorney general would have played politics that would cause more death or destruction.

I'd rather save lives and win reelection.

>> Mister Cameron, would you like rebuttal again this year function more like Gavin Newsom than any red state governor that we saw in this country.

And the fact of the matter is we were the only state in the union that shut down the car printers.

Again, this governor, big winners and losers.

A lot of small businesses.

I have never recovered.

They are still shut down to this day.

It's because of the shortsighted decisions that Andy Beshear made.

You know, it's one thing for Gavin Newsom to tell you that he regrets some of the decisions that he may, but you'll never hear them from Andy Beshear because he's too proud and will never say that he made mistakes during the pandemic.

>> Stick around for Kentucky tonight as Renee Shaw sits down with Governor Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

And you'll be able to send in your questions by phone email and X, formerly known as Twitter.

That's tonight at 8 Eastern 7 central here on KET.

A group focused on gun violence prevention in Lexington met with community partners, including the University of Kentucky to identify solutions for keeping guns out of the hands of youth and young adults.

One Lexington hosted its first-ever symposium last week.

Leaders say they're still work to be done.

>> So one, Lexington is a youth and young adult gun ballot out of the Wind.

The mayor's in our main focuses is, of course, reducing gun But through doing that is finding out what resources are needed in that May let you know, certainly sources that, you know, don't receive enough attention.

And by doing that, we able to realize how we can help lower gun violence by looking at root causes.

>> So the purpose of the symposium is for one, lex, be able to connect with all of the community members with in Lexington to be able to bring everyone together to help prevent gun violence in youth ages.

17 to 29.

>> We want the EU to be informed about the effects of gun violence the the dangers of gun violence.

And as a community.

Well, the community know that there are a lot of the kids in the community that don't want to maybe go down that pathway.

But they just need somebody just to give them a lending hand.

Just to have a conversation with.

We have people were talking about in our session this morning.

Just seen kids and community support build a relationship.

Bill report with those kids so that they can feel comfortable to share with you in just to make that connection.

And I think help in the long run as we try to reduce gun violence.

>> Gun violence has increased and we see it every night on the news every night I sit home and I see the reports and I mean, a couple weekends ago, there was almost 10 gun violence incidents.

And so to me, it's it's an issue.

And if I worry about my safety and I know other people are and so I can't just be a bystander.

I need to be involved and clearly a lot of other people involved because we've had we have over 150 people registered.

But what we're seeing and that we're really excited about is the people engaging in talking amongst each other, figuring out how we're doing right now.

The session where we take a scenario from incident that happened in Lexington.

>> How would you respond?

How would your organization organization respond and how can you connect with maybe another organization that your table, how you all can collaborate to be more efficient and help in situations like this.

So this is that something that we're seeing really excited about that were taken away.

Is that engagement a month a month to different organizations?

There's all sorts of different people here today.

We've got trauma nurses, we've got moms against gun violence.

>> We've got a legal aid and cops the mayor.

We've got different nonprofits like one different Newport nonprofits are kind of like getting their feet on the ground to be involved with this.

And so to me, it's just a great opportunity for people in Lexington with that leadership ability to get together and start working on something to me personally, it just means that there is still good people left in this world that care about our youth with in Lexington as well as the state of Kentucky in general.

And they're working really hard to be able to combat the issue of gun violence and just bring attention to that.

So that way individuals are aware that there are programs out there to help protect our youth throughout the future.

>> One Lexington was created in 2017 as a part of the city's efforts to address a rise in violent crime.

My age is 13 to 29.

The Kentucky Supreme Court is being asked to limit the language firearms experts can use when testifying about a match between a bullet casing and a specific gun.

The request stems from a case involving Joshua Ward, a Boone County man who was convicted of a double murder.

The murder weapon was never found.

Bullet casings found at the scene were compared to bullet casings found at a farm award would practice shooting a ballistics expert testified the bullets came from the same gun representatives for Ward want the justices to limit the degree of certainty.

A ballistics expert can say a bullet matched a certain gun, arguing that ballistics analysis evidence was not reliable representatives for the Commonwealth said it's a sound scientific method.

>> The expert gets up and says these came from the same firearm.

A jury is more likely to think that is tracked in lead to a conviction, which is why we're asking for the cannot be excluded.

So in reference to Josh's case that would be the deal.

Casings in the crime scene casings cannot be excluded as being fired from the same which even though uses the word seen.

It's putting a hole fire in there that is consistent with the class same.

They could have come from this game.

But we're also saying we don't know because there's no database of all the markings that are consistent with all of the guns in the world and all of the guns in Kentucky, it has been tested over and over.

Those studies have been published in peer reviewed journals and study after study has shown that firearms and tool Mark examiner Israeli air want to find the to the controls and standards applicable to their methodology.

>> The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled in 2017.

The ballistics analysis evidence could be used in trials.

Many Kentucky jails are overcrowded keeping inmates from re-offending as one way to reduce jail populations in Pulaski County inmates can earn a paycheck even before they finish their sentences.

Today, the county jailer told Kentucky lawmakers just 2 of the 40 inmates that took part in this program have come back to jail.

>> Their entire paycheck goes to in their bank that they are when they're working for the factor, they get the same merrily re.

Does anyone else would and then once they are you know, the civility, you know, they've got the money to be able to for housing.

They get the money to before cars.

They've got to be able the money to be able to support themselves.

>> The program in plastic County started in 2019.

One lawmaker says the program sounds like a promising model for the rest of Kentucky.

Not every county jail has the same program.

>> What we have to decide at some point.

Are we going to continue?

With the warehouse model or are we going to start implementing rehabilitation programming similar to what you've done in my home county Rockcastle County.

If I'm convicted of, you know, DUI 4th or whatever, I don't have access to this opportunity.

So I am disadvantage because my jail doesn't offer the same programming that let that what you all done.

So so it is that's a little bit concerning to me that we don't have mandated standards across the state and we don't offer incentives for innovation like this.

The jail and Corrections reform task Force will meet next month after the election.

From around the county clerk Kim Davis could owe more than $300,000 for refusing to issue a marriage license to a gay couple.

>> The couple sued Davis and one she ordered to pay.

She was ordered to pay $100,000 in damages.

Now the attorneys representing the couple we're requesting Davis Pay $260,000 to cover fees and expenses.

Davis's attorneys are planning to appeal the judgment Davis game worldwide attention in 2015 when she refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same sex marriage.

Davis said it violated her religious beliefs.

A new war in the Middle East and ongoing search for Republican speaker of House and his health things.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell discussed over the weekend on 2 Sunday morning talk shows on CBS News Face the Nation.

Margaret Brennan asked Senator McConnell if there was something the public should know about his current medical condition.

I'm in good shape.

>> Completely recovered.

And back on the job.

>> So does that mean that you think you are able to continue serving and you want to continue serving here at a time when we're talking about incredible dysfunction in Washington.

>> We ought to be talking about what we're talking about earlier rather than a mile.

>> Over the summer, McConnell froze on 2 separate occasions while talking with reporters, the Capitol's attending physician later said there was no evidence the 81 year-old had a seizure disorder or stroke.

On FOX News Sunday, Shannon Bream asked McConnell to respond his Kentucky colleague U.S.

Senator Rand Paul who is requesting President Biden's request for 105 billion dollars to aid Ukraine and Israel and help secure the southern border.

>> He's certainly right that COVID and it frankly was expended during the previous administration as well.

So I think they decided to go in a very good job of doing.

However, you have to respond to conditions.

Actually exist that are a threat to the United States.

The Iranians.

First read to us as well.

And show this is your emergency.

It's an emergency that we step up.

Axis of evil.

Trying to Russia.

Iran.

Because it's an immediate threat.

United stage.

And so.

We'll see what the supplemental looks like.

We're going to take a good hard look at it.

>> On the search for Republican House, Speaker McConnell said he was hopeful a leader would be named soon.

Adding that the dysfunction since a poor message to our allies and enemies around the world.

The United Auto Workers Union has once again escalated its strikes against 3 automakers.

This time the union says 6800 members walked out of a factory in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

That makes Ram trucks for Stellantis.

The move came just 3 days after union President Trump fame reported progress in talks with General Motors and Stellantis but said the companies will have to make better offers.

No progress was reported with Ford, meaning 8700 workers and Louisville's Kentucky truck plant will remain on strike.

Nearly a quarter of a billion dollars has been wagered in Kentucky since sports betting became legal earlier this year today Governor Andy Beshear announced most of that money.

232 million dollars was wagered on mobile devices.

Nearly 500,000 online wagering accounts have been created online betting that can September 28th in-person wagering at approve sportsbooks began 3 weeks earlier.

Another sportsbook saying these gaming and racing in Ashland is scheduled to open on Thursday.

October is domestic Violence Awareness month.

Kentucky has 15 programs across the state but offer shelter and support services.

Rogers spoke with Barron River Area Safe Space Bres which covers 10 counties in South Central Kentucky.

>> Brass is one of 15 member programs designated by 0 V formally known as the Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

A continuation of a grassroots effort to support victims of intimate partner violence.

>> They provide so many base to protect you.

You will be really safe.

>> Nadia Glass men arrived at Barron River Area, safe Space or brass 10 years ago for support and safety.

A native of Ukraine.

She found herself in a new country with an abusive husband.

>> And the brass say from a lake second family as they help meant to steps like put baby, they take my hand and provide me and to >> That includes finding a place to live opening a bank account and buying her first car.

>> I got my diver license people too.

Oh, my goodness.

57 years old.

You know, something is in its best been.

Big, big day in my life.

>> I think the most important thing that we have to first do is to establish safety and security where the person feels confident roaming around the world without that feel of fear.

Having to look over your shoulder every time you step outside for Ian Injures says brass averages.

11 crisis calls a day.

I think we have a lot of resources.

I definitely don't think that we have enough.

Their shelter.

Has 31 beds that stay mostly full just in my shelter alone.

We're at our capacity about 99.9% of the year since the pandemic.

They've also had a hotel partner that's given them an extra 5 to 7 Night.

Domestic violence is rooted in power and control and injure says the perception has changed over the past 40 years and it's not just physical abuse, emotional and psychological abuse where we get the term gaslighting where a person no longer can trust their mind of what happened because they have been manipulated into a position that they cannot trust what they think.

She says.

An overwhelming majority of cases involves financial abuse.

When someone arrives at brass, they are offered emergency shelter and connected to resources and referrals to live independently.

>> Navigate those on the job skills, training, working with.

>> Our community partners on establishing assistance in budgeting, being able to navigate individuals into one of our housing programs where we can pay or short-term assistance, you know, deposits in start-up costs or for some individuals were able to provide them ongoing.

Long-term indefinite rental assistance.

I'm prepared now.

That was the case for Nadya and she hopes sharing her story will inspire others in unsafe situations to seek help.

>> I would like to say Bump page.

I think everything that we do here is rooted in hope.

Hope is so intent really important.

And so easy to lose.

I have hope.

And because of press.

>> Brass will host a community candlelight vigil on October.

26, they will honor the 23 people across Kentucky who have lost their lives to domestic violence this year, 15 of them to gun violence for Kentucky edition.

I'm Laura Rogers.

>> Learn more about shelter programs and support services at 0 V Dot Org.

♪ ♪ Eastern Kentucky University has landed on the list of best colleges in the U.S. the Richmond Base University ranked in 4 categories in the 2020 for Best Colleges by U.S. News and World Report those categories for nursing top public schools, national universities and social Mobility.

President David McFadden tells WKU Public Radio that the recognition is appreciated.

He says they want to be competitive, but it is important to remain focused on recruiting students from the region.

Avid readers and authors gathered in Lexington over the weekend to celebrate and share their love of literature at the 42nd annual Kentucky book Festival at Joseph Beth Booksellers, the event gave readers a chance to connect one-on-one with well known and upcoming.

Kentucky authors.

>> This is the longest running that any of runs and come This is its 42nd edition.

Recap coming in to Fry, said his community or for the the community the Ankeny that us and show the community But I think morning for defense, you book is not just the bulk of Locust connections.

One up.

teams.

One of the slogans is something for everyone no matter what to be.

No.

Make that a You like you will be able to find that fits the compact people.

Cristobal, we have 150 x Owens.

I thought it's Accomplished.

I sense an Alzheimer's all saw hours.

I thought is it like a child that and they know each other quite well.

And frantic small card.

One of our all to just say it's like family, the Union, Kentucky, >> The Hollywood the fall?

I mean, it's not really fall until.

We have a chance to come into this space and buy share books for me as a family unit to rescue my favorite authors.

One of the things that that makes an amazing is that >> It's the one time people will really see evidence chair is a big deal in Kentucky.

I really appreciated have a chance to contribute to Versiti.

I tell the story the true story of Kentuckyian Broadway, especially in the of it, energies that are trying to to ban books to control.

There are certain idea of what children should know and learn about.

>> I think Chris Petersen for And sometimes if you ban the book, only give us more flour because you cry like that saw.

I think brining backfires.

>> Then my words are just All of my fellow writers of who don't fit that, this, you else to will be left out of the store.

It I would be a complete story.

Well, the special help do that, correct.

>> The lineup of this year's event also included Kentucky Poet, Laureates and New York Times, best-selling authors, Silas House in Crystal Wilkinson.

♪ ♪ >> We're wishing a happy birthday to 3 interesting Kentucky Inc. >> And a hotel that inspired a popular sandwich are.

Toby Gibbs has details in this.

Look at this week in Kentucky history.

♪ >> We have an interesting trail of Kentucky birthdays this week.

Adelaide Stephenson.

The first was born October 23rd 18.

35 in Christian County.

He was a member of Congress and vice president under Grover Cleveland from 1993 to 18 97.

His grandson also named at least a dozen was the Democratic nominee for president in 1952.

1956.

>> Jim Bunning was born October 23rd 1931.

In Campbell County.

He became a major league baseball pitcher threw a perfect game for the Philadelphia Phillies and later served in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate from Kentucky.

And Jonathan Wald was born October 23rd 1958 in Louisville.

He composes music for television shows including the familiar Seinfeld fame.

Surgeons at Louisville's Jewish Hospital performed the first hand transplant in U.S. history on October, 25th 1999, the patient received a new left hand after an operation that took 15 hours.

Lobos Brown hotel open October, 25th 1923, former British Prime Minister David Lloyd.

George was the first person to sign the guest register Al Jolson.

Harry Truman.

Elizabeth Taylor and the Duke of Windsor are among the hotel's famous guests.

The famous hot Brown sandwich was invented there in 1926.

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

>> We hope you'll join us again tomorrow night at 6.30, East, earn 5.30, central for Kentucky Edition.

We inform connect and inspire and we hope you'll stick around for Kentucky tonight.

Renee Shaw will speak with the candidates for governor and also check us out on all of our social media, whether it's Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and you can watch us on the PBS video app on your smart television.

I'm Casey Parker Bell.

Thank you so much for watching Kentucky edition and have a great night.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪