>> We ran Paul and Charles Booker are crisscrossing the state to try to win your vote.

What they're saying with just 2 weeks left in the campaign.

So we want people to understand that your choices have consequences.

>> And oftentimes those consequences are for other innocent people.

They're walking like mad to prevent drunk driving.

>> Whatever dreams you have, you can get, you know, like and especially when you work with your friends and get together, people.

>> And a popular musician help students learn confidence through music.

Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part.

But okay.

Etn down for Kentucky Productions.

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

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Tuesday, October, the TWENTY-FIFTH, I'm Renee Shaw.

>> Thank you for spending some of your Tuesday night with us.

Doctors are sounding the alarm about a dramatic spike in cases of RSV.

>> It's a common respiratory virus that almost all children contract by the age of 2.

Here's a look at how many cases have been reported to the CDC in Kentucky.

You can see a big job earlier this month.

And doctors say this is likely only a fraction of the real number of cases in the community.

The concern is this spike is earlier than usual.

And doctor Scott Bickal with Norton.

Healthcare says the virus is showing no signs of slowing down >> 2 years ago in 2020, we had a season where we saw.

>> No RSV, which was just unheard of.

Everyone was.

I'm taking special precautions and avoiding large gatherings.

And so what we did, CRC circulate last actually during the summer, which was abnormal.

It still says it was it that maybe you've got more people who have not been exposed to RSV is you would have had it pre-covid seasons.

And so that larger number of susceptible people is creating some of some of the surges that were out there.

We're seeing, unfortunately, it's it's a difficult control virus its brands rapidly through your day cares and schools and other places where there's public gatherings.

And so what we always advise, you know, people to wash their hands.

Cough into into their arm you know, stay away from people who are sick and if you're sick, stay away from others.

I it's it's difficult to stop the spread of the virus despite some of those precautions.

If you look at previous spikes, you know, when we reach the levels that we have currently reached, you do start to see a down which we not >> seen yet.

And so I think will we'll have to see.

There's also concern that, you know, there's other respiratory viruses either are circulating now where that might start to circulate as we go into winter, for example, were already seen some signals that influenza starting to spread in the community.

And so.

You know, certainly that can cause the symptoms and respiratory illnesses to our city.

And so people need to be aware that get their flu shots early and try to protect themselves against these viral illnesses.

Initials on might just be that of a common cold Sometimes be real, but not children may not want to eat or drink as much, especially if there really congested more serious cases.

My progress to labored breathing rewatch.

It looks like they're breathing with their belly or their skin might be tugging kind of under between the ribs when it comes to our as we begin most jury to be exposed to this.

Most children will do fine.

It would just be like a bad cold, but do know the signs and symptoms to look out for be in touch with your pediatrician.

If you think your child is getting sick, make sure that you're vaccinated, you know, against all the other respiratory viruses such as flu and COVID.

If you're eligible for you know, just just continue to be aware of what's going on in the community.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> There's some good news in Kentucky about COVID.

Kentucky's positivity rate is down again.

It's now 7.0.

64, according to the CDC, that's down 8 and a half or from 8 and a half last week and 7.9, the week before that.

A reminder, this is the last day to sign up for an absentee ballot before the midterm elections.

If you're doing it by mail, it has to be postmarked today.

And if you're doing it online, you have until midnight.

2 weeks to go before the midterm elections.

Senator Rand Paul stop by Elizabeth Town yesterday to meet with the local chapter of disabled American Veterans.

He presented one man with a Purple Heart and another man with World War, 2 medals at the event, Paul shared his perspective on war and discussed his office's efforts to help veterans.

>> We consider that well, the most important things that the federal government does that's written into the Constitution.

Most news defend the country.

That's what all of you are part of.

>> from my perspective, my job is to understand how important it is to make the decisions to go to that.

We're talking about individuals and what the you know, the pain and suffering yet to come from the air service in the military.

And so I don't really like the way we think about it.

When we talk about whether we're going to go to war considered to be, we have good friends who is a judge found bullet in their I guess a second lieutenant to a new Marine just out of college.

I don't we're waiting like a chess game.

I think of it.

I would be voting to send his son world.

There are times for there are times we have to fight.

They're often times when it's not always or fight.

And we have to make that determination.

I think it's too early to tell what you all to know that I take it very, very seriously.

We also take seriously our veterans and their care.

I worked in 4 different veterans hospitals.

When I was doing my medical training add only involved a great experience.

Bob asked the mayor has been doing for 20 years.

And so whenever there's a problem and veterans trying to get onto to the process, we do know the phone numbers.

We know how to get to the red tape and we will do our best word to anybody has any problems.

Please let us know once again.

Congratulations and thank you for ships.

Use it.

>> Senator Paul also made some remarks about the Russian invasion into Ukraine and explained why he's apprehensive about providing support for the country.

>> I'm not for sending troops to you to Ukraine for out right now.

I think there has to be something has to change will be different.

So I would not vote to go to war in Ukraine.

Now I'm sympathetic to Ukraine, but I think our country is a lot of problems and that were a trillion dollars in the hole every year.

We need to take care of a lot of problems we have here at home.

Before we go.

>> Paul gets back on the campaign trail tonight with a stop in Somerset meeting with voters at the Pulaski GOP bluegrass boots, boots, bluegrass and BBQ event.

Paul's opponent, Democrat Charles Booker, also meeting voters all across the state.

He's made a few stops recently in Bowling Green where he was hosted by the Bosnian community and an organization working to reform marijuana laws.

>> Folks are ready for real change.

The tired of division.

>> We can do a lot I had a event some leaves in Boston community in big part of my campaign is lifting up the voices of those who have been ignored, which is so many of us.

We've had really don't care about our lives.

My opponent is one of them.

And so I've made it a focus, too, go to communities that have been marginalized and felt like no one cared about them in to say I'm here for you to fight for.

You may want my platform.

>> Dealing with health care is a human right.

Make sure everyone has quality health care, investing in our infrastructure, bringing jobs back, doing the work to end poverty, to address the social determinants of health and or toss Kentucky is allowing us to build this really historic coalition of people that voted for Trump.

One of the Bernie Sanders never voted before.

A lot of people that have voted for Trump or never voted before that or get involved in our campaign are doing it because they realize we're speaking to I'm calling up the fact that the system is broken and is ignoring a lot of regular people.

And you know what?

Trump was exploiting their but he called out suit.

And to be able to meet people where they are not demonize, focus on differences but really lift up common bond to say, look, I love you, you, my family.

There is absolutely a path forward for Kentucky to legalize cannabis because the coalition is growing there's bipartisan support we realize is past time to take this type of leadership and I'm going to want to watch them very specifically to say we do need to need to legalize cannabis.

We need to be scheduled.

We need to do the work to invest in communities that have been ignored and marginalized and on defying expectations will prove every doubter wrong.

We're going to be Rand Paul in a resounding way because this victory is for Kentucky.

It's not about party.

It's not about division.

It's about humanity.

Us coming together as family and saying that all lives matter.

Kentucky gets it not be at the bottom in all the measure, but in the season to turn the body life and should be one of the 4 states, the response has really been incredible.

A lot of folks that may not vote, you know, bar deeply invested in our communities are saying, OK, Charles, almost am with you because I do want things to change.

We've just been waiting for a leader to be accountable to us.

I'm going to be accountable to the people of Kentucky.

All of us in.

That's part of why women win this.

>> And other political developments, a federal court just ruled against a man who wants to be on the state's highest court.

Joe Fisher, Republican state representative is running for the Kentucky Supreme Court in the 6th district.

Fisher filed suit against the Judicial Conduct Commission earlier this month.

He says he was concerned the commission was about to sanction him for being too partisan as he runs for the state's highest court.

He's called himself the conservative Republican in the race.

The Courier Journal reports federal Judge Karen Caldwell has rejected Fishers request to block action by the commission.

Caldwell says so far there's no credible threat that the commission is about to take action.

Fisher is running against Justice.

Michelle Keller.

Last night on Kentucky.

Tonight we discussed the 2 constitutional amendments on the Kentucky ballot November 8th Amendment one would let the Kentucky General Assembly call itself in a special session and it would let lawmakers extend the session past the usual deadline.

>> This provides us very limited powers.

The speaker said to come back in special session in the last couple of years.

We've seen around the governor's exercise of emergency authority.

Lots of questions from citizens about the governor's ability to do that.

Unfettered.

We have no ability as a legislature to come back and constrain or extend power to the governor.

A lot of folks are saying, well, this is political.

It's not political.

This is something that would be able to be used by Democratic majorities.

Right now we have Republican majorities with a Democratic governor that that power is going to reside in the legislature itself.

And I argue that this goes to the basis of checks and balances.

I respectfully we I find colleague.

>> City Givens.

This is clearly political.

Renee, let me begin by saying this is what I'm in custody from minute.

One does is that it disrupts our entire system of government.

Let's not forget that are sparse in the gum is based on 3 Cole, equal branches of government.

The legislative, the executive and the judiciary.

What custom in one minute one dies.

Dist.

Totally quit.

That imbalance there gives more power a great deal, more positive legislature.

It we can see executive.

>> Speaker of the House David Osborne disagreed about the amendment being political.

He pointed out that 2 prominent Democrats, states, Senate minority floor Leader Morgan McGarvey and House Minority floor leader Joni Jenkins both voted for it.

Amendment 2 would add language to the Kentucky Constitution stating that nothing in the Constitution should be construed as a right to an abortion or funding for one.

We heard last night from tomorrow, we'd or a Planned Parenthood Alliance advocates and a deal was center of Kentucky right to life.

>> So it keeps that right of abortion out of the Constitution.

Makes it clear so that allows the lawmakers to Kentucky who duly are elected to make the laws around abortion and those services and those restrictions that a company, abortion laws are the lawmakers are making those laws and policies and that the Constitution is a drug in 2 years of court battles, unnecessary, where judges are trying to and then to a right to abortion, which is happening since the row over turn.

And even with that her long, we've already had that experience right away after June 24th decision.

But what we know that, you know, the majority of Kentuckians do not want to lose access to health care, including abortion.

>> Abortion is popular.

And as I have been traveling across the commonwealth this summer, actually for the last 18 months since we've been working on this, I found abortion actually very uniting issue.

ADN.

I have sat here before and it can seem polarizing.

But when you're actually talking to Kentucky ends, they all experience is a complicated pregnancies and abortion.

And this is bringing people together in more ways than I ever thought was possible.

>> You can see more from last night's Kentucky tonight online on demand at KU Team DOT Org.

Slash K why tonight next week.

Our topics are inflation and the economy.

Voters.

Top concerns heading into the midterm elections.

According to recent polls, you can see that live Monday night at 8 Eastern 7 central right here on KET.

One of the guests next Monday is Janet Hara, an economics professor at Northern Kentucky University will talk about the high cost of food, gas and housing.

I talked to her last week about the prospects for a recession.

She told us that even if inflation cools off next year, consumers could still have sticker shock at the grocery store.

>> Well, inflation levels are high.

It higher than they have been in 40 years.

We haven't seen levels is high for such a sustained period since the 1970's, though, fortunately, we're not we're not sea levels anywhere near what we saw in the 1970's.

I do think it's a how soon we get back to put no formal, not the Federal Reserve.

It finds no was that 2% range.

That's going take a while right now.

Part of the challenges we the federal government is real.

I D. Working against what the Federal Reserve is trying to do.

So you have the 2 branches that are kind of working against each other across purposes.

>> So I want to ask you about that.

Why are they at opposite ends here and how become aligned?

And you said that the ideal inflationary rate is 2% and we're at 8.2%.

That's a wide Gulf there.

>> Yes, that's the Federal Reserve's target rate.

Just 2%.

And right now that the reserve is trying to slow the economy by raising interest rates to reduce the demand for goods and services, which brings prices down, which would reduce inflation.

Unfortunate that often is a company by job losses.

The federal government, on the other hand is been priming the pump, so to speak.

They've been pouring money into the economy.

It started in the Trump administration is going to continue unabated through the Biden administration.

So they're putting money into the economy, trying to get people to spend money to prop economy up.

He was the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates too, and to slow the economy down.

>> Does the Federal Reserve risk in moving too fast?

Raising rates too much and then really harming the economy?

Of course, the short answer is yes.

It probably did.

Wait a little too long.

Start raising interest rates.

Now, the question is it moving too aggressively and will they cause the help?

But because of severe recession, but they stated they want to slow women.

They want to raise the unemployment.

The rate bring on a recession of some sort.

But they're looking for that's off lady with a short recession.

That's not to date.

The risk is that they cut too fast, too, too much.

Their interest rates.

And we in a severe recession.

So one of the things we here in the characterization about inflation is that currently at 8.2%.

>> Yet there are reports that tell us that food is up.

11.2% health insurance costs are 28.2%.

Why isn't the a flake inflationary rates?

The same across the board, whether that's food, health insurance, gas.

Why is there a discrepancy?

Probably pretty elementary question.

But I think Yuri us minds what I understand it better.

What's driving the price increases are not the same for all goods and services.

It a good example of this is.

>> How we measure inflation for housing prices.

So we hear the housing prices have been soaring.

Only counts, houses that are involved in the transaction of I really bought or sold the vast majority of homes and never sold in a given month.

And so when you look at the consumer price index, what we call the official inflation rate for housing, it's much, much slower because most people are not moving any given month and therefore their price housing remains unchanged.

Thank you for sorting it all out and explaining it to us in terms we can understand.

I appreciate it.

>> Thank you.

Some good business news today for Breckenridge County Atlas.

Machine and Supply is building a 32,500 square-foot facility in Hardinsburg.

>> The company will spend almost 3 and a half million dollars and hire 78 people.

The groundbreaking was today.

Atlas does repair work for manufacturers throughout the U.S.. Kentucky State.

Fair packed and the crowd is the final numbers show 525,000 people move through the turnstiles.

That's up from a year ago, according to State AG Commissioner Ryan Quarles.

He also says in Trieste top 22,000 and the fair reach Pre-covid numbers and other areas.

And commissioner Quarles says the number of deep fried foods was also up.

This picture is getting a lot of attention from UK basketball fans.

It's a picture from last Saturday's blue White game in Pike full according to a tweet from coach John Calipari, the man you see here when from his job mining coal straight to the gang with us on Coach Cal was so impressed.

He range tickets for the family so they could see a game at Rupp Arena in Lexington and be treated as be eyed Peas.

♪ ♪ More than 11,000 people died nationally in 2020 and alcohol related crashes.

That's according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to raise awareness and prevent drunk driving.

People gathered this Saturday at the Kentucky State Capitol grounds.

They were there for the walk like MADD event sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Our Casey Parker Bell was there and he spoke to the Lexington Base, national president of MADD, Alex Audi and others at the event.

>> I'm walking for a loved one.

With each step.

>> There's one goal in mind.

>> I lost my mother when I was 17 years old to our repeat drunk driver.

>> Put the brakes on drunk driving.

>> A mother was a nurse missionary a Sunday school teacher.

And because of the actions of someone else, her life was taken.

>> For 7 laps around Kentucky's Capitol family members and friends remember and step toward a common goal?

>> Well, I hope that going for him but ties with what we've been through and realize that this is no light matter that drunk driving is a completely preventable, a form of death.

>> In 2020, Kentucky reported almost 200 drunk-driving related deaths that number's up over 30% since 2019.

>> Drinking and driving is 100% preventable crime.

And it's a choice.

It's not an accident.

It's not a mistake.

So we want people to understand that your choices have consequences.

And oftentimes those consequences are for other innocent people.

>> At Kentucky walked past its goal and raised over $40,000 for its cause.

But the race is not over.

>> Make a plan.

Make a plan before that first rank of higher going to get home safely.

>> And for those that walked in someone's memory Saturday, the goal is clear, prevent others from feeling similar paying.

>> I think about my mom and how proud should be for me to be here today.

>> For Kentucky edition, I'm Casey Parker Bell.

Thank you, Casey.

Over a quarter of all traffic deaths in 2020 involved alcohol.

According to the N H T S a >> deaths from speeding also increase from 2019 to 2020.

The state lost 162 people in speeding-related crashes.

♪ >> Some young writers in Louisville are finding their voice with the help of a well-known Louisville musician, students from the young authors Greenhouse a nonprofit organization for Young writers, got the opportunity to work with Jim James, the lead singer of the Grammy-nominated band.

My Morning jacket along with other musicians, the collaboration tune, the students, poetry or turn it and their poetry into a musical celebration.

♪ >> Let's see on with the DEA.

When the real one.

>> It's pretty You know, at first we tell them what the processes.

And sometimes it doesn't quite.

Act like, OK, musicians are going to come in our lyrics, need it.

But then you really start to see them get into it because musicians don't come in with a set idea how the song is going to go.

They really asked the students for their feedback.

So it's the students kind of guiding the musicians to create melodies that reflect their words.

And the musicians really are just.

>> Cheerleaders encouraging the students to be brave, become an instrument sing-along.

So it's really a collaborative >> I really love being a part of trying to get a music education to kids and young authors.

Greenhouses been done this amazing creative writing program, the students and we were talking and we started 5 years ago and we wanted to do a program where students can take their creative writing and adapted into songs.

So we started this thing really is to come in and help the students.

Turn their poems into lyrics, you know, showing as the first work as the coursework.

A lot of students already know quite a bit about music or our musicians themselves.

So it's really cool process of like us learning from them and then learning from us and trying to come up with a saw >> I think he a level of gravitas.

It says it become suddenly more real when you have somebody who's name draws the media, whose name draws attention, the the students stand up a little bit taller.

He also brings that he brings the artist who, as he helps recruit them.

He helps, you know, if you you look and see he's running the sound board today.

He's rolling up his sleeves and being real part of this.

And so it's nice to have that that kind of level of commitment and support from somebody who could really, you know, the doing whatever it was.

They wanted to.

>> Takes a lot of courage for young people to get up and share.

Their voices are not going to get to work with someone who already has a great reputation also gives them there that those words of encouragement.

It's just another way to get to.

Take themselves seriously here.

>> It's really beautiful because they they come in with some ideas and thoughts and things that we would have never thought of that that we like find that we all end up sharing some of the emotions and comment through the words that they write.

So it's really interesting to try to take what they're thinking about what they're feeling and shape it into a music that like we're feeling as musicians as well.

That's kind of our main job here is to show them like whatever dreams you have it you can get, you know, like an especially when you work with your friends and get together you can create anything you want to create.

>> I >> the young authors Gray now says worked with more than 2,500 students and just celebrated its 5 year anniversary.

Congratulations to them tomorrow on Kentucky Edition, this week's political news with Rylan Barton of Kentucky Public Radio and Ohio Valley resource and talk with coach Scott Davenport of the Bellman basketball team.

We do sure hope you'll tune in tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central for Kentucky Edition we inform connect and inspire subscribe to our weekly Kentucky Edition email newsletter and watch full episodes at KET Dot Org.

>> You can also find Kentucky Edition on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV and you can follow KET on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop.

And you're more than welcome to follow me on Twitter at Renee KTVT.

Thank you so very much for watching tonight.

I hope we'll see you right back here again tomorrow.

Not in the meantime, take really good care.

♪ ♪