>> It's a sight that horrified the world.

A Halloween gathering turns deadly in South Korea and the University of Kentucky student is among the victims.

>> The most challenging time it's ever been for us to try to get people to the national >> They save lives and keyboard or why is Kentucky having trouble filling the ranks of your National Guard?

>> It's so important to focus on those early years birth to 3 in birth to 6 because that is when the foundation is laid for reading down the road.

>> A national literacy advocate encourages more than just baby talk.

>> Hopefully he will learn to love to read and then off to just I learned to interact with the baby's another kid.

>> And the wheels on the bus.

Brain toys, songs and stories to children in southern Kentucky.

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

The owner Press Endowment for Public Affairs and the KET Teen Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Halloween Monday, October 31st.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for spending some of your night with us.

A University of Kentucky nursing student is one of the 100 and feet.

50 people killed and a crowd surge during a Halloween gathering in Seoul, South Korea, UK President Eli Kappa Ludo says that and gay ski, a nursing junior from northern Kentucky was killed during the surge.

She was in South Korea as part of an education abroad program.

Capital calls the death a tragic loss for the community.

He says to other UK students and a faculty member are in South Korea as part of the same program.

But he says UK has verified that they are safe.

UK says it will provide support to Andy Skees family.

The people of London are mourning the death over the weekend of Officer Logan Med Lock.

Police say a suspected drunk driver hit and killed Officer Medlock Sunday morning.

He was 26 Medlock had been with the London Kentucky Police Department since August of 2019.

He was the son of assistant Chief Randy Matlock, chief Travis Dotson calls Medlock an outstanding police officer.

Police accuse Casey Byrd of Oneida, Tennessee with hitting med locks patrol car.

He's charged with murder of a police officer and operating a motor vehicle under the influence.

Kentucky political leaders are reacting to last Friday's attack on Paul Pelosi.

The husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Police say a man broke into the Pelosi's home in San Francisco last Friday.

Asked Where's Nancy and then started beating Paul Pelosi with a hammer.

Police later found and arrested the man.

Today the day after the attack U.S.

Senator Mitch McConnell tweeted, quote, horrified and disgusted by the reports that Paul Pelosi was assaulted in his and Speaker Pelosi's home last night.

Grateful to hear that Paul is on track to make a full recovery and that law enforcement, including our stellar Capitol Police are on the case, unquote.

Congressman Andy Barr of Central Kentucky's 6th district is also reacting to the attack on Paul Pelosi today in Lexington, he told KET his thoughts and prayers are with Mister Pelosi.

>> Violence of this sort has no place in our society.

Certainly doesn't have a place in the political arena and whether it's Gabby Giffords or my good friend Steve Scalise, who was shot on the baseball field it the case a poster.

And Paul, we've seen on both sides.

leaders in our country being attacked.

>> The suspect in the attack on Paul Pelosi, David Depape faces a federal charge of threatening violence against a U.S. official spouse.

According to court records to Pape said he wanted to take Nancy Pelosi hostage and break her kneecaps.

An education news recent test scores show a significant slide and student literacy skills due in large part to pandemic-related disruptions.

Erasing gains made over the last 2 decades in Kentucky.

National literacy advocate my up and Smith says more intentional focus on building vocabulary from birth to age 6 lays a strong foundation for reading proficiency when a child gets to school.

I spoke with her last Friday about how engaging young kids and more than just baby talk can make a real difference.

We know that many kids not just in Kentucky, but probably across the nation really don't have access to a home library.

>> They don't have books that they can grab off of the shelf.

How important is it to even just have that access at home?

>> I think it's critically important for all children have access to books, but more importantly for them to have access to a caregiver errant.

He can read with them it up with them even when there isn't a book in hand, there's so much work that parent can do to build children's vocabulary just the back and forth.

Nurturing conversational exchanges.

And there's a lot of research to support that the kids who have the most conversation back and forth with adults have larger vocabularies, higher accuse and just better language skills.

Years later that support literacy.

>> So sometimes parents, particularly young parents.

First time parents want to do the baby talk, right?

because that's just where you are.

Would you recommend that our dear met recommend that we speak in whole sentences and words?

Haha.

>> I recommend that you definitely use regular vocabulary and speak to children.

You can speak in a slower kind of higher pitch, more exaggerated tone.

But you definitely want to give them real words because they'll need also all the vocabulary they can get down the road.

And when they're older, when they're 3, 4 and started notice print and we should make letters a topic of conversation.

There's so many kids these days are entering schools without knowing any letters without knowing how to write their name or even the first letter of their name.

Any work that Aaronson grand parents and community members can due to give kids that foundation both in vocabulary, but also in knowledge of how it works, letters, how they work in the sounds with the N-word.

That's so interesting.

Talk to us about the talk method.

What is that?

>> So I wanted to come up with it.

Easy to remember afternoon parents these days are stressed their fatigues.

They're distracted by that says there's just a lot going on within homes in the world.

But every parent, regardless of their literacy skills has the ability to talk and nourishing ways with their child so that he is for taking turns because it's not just about talking at the child and narrating everything that's going on in their environment.

You really want it to be a conversation even before there's inwards and can reap by and sentences treat those keys and battles this conversation.

So the taking turns part is critical is asking questions.

Numerous studies show that when parents ask questions during the course of reading books and even just in the person read a life that again, it stimulates the child's thinking and helps develop their brains in important ways, Ellis, for labeling him pointing system times.

You're tired and you don't know what to talk about with it.

But remember that everything in your environment is a word that they'll need to learn.

So you can just label table Wall chair and those everyday things.

And of course, as they get older, the label get more sophisticated and the case just KET the conversation going.

Talk as much as you can.

Books are wonderful.

We took departure for conversation with kids and so read as well but have discussion about that, too.

>> So how do parents and caregivers know that they can advance their child to the next literacy level, right?

How do they know that they may be commanded certain things and need to move forward?

>> So parents, I always recommend that parents get familiar with that developmental guidelines.

So they're published by the CDC and other authoritative organizations.

And they'll give you a sense of what kids can tip we do are typically do.

Do I know it's certain ages and stages and then this kid's approach school.

The school years.

You look to your state learning standards to get insights into what the expectations are for that grade level and then you can do your part as a parent always to build the February to support their next level of literacy.

Learning and to seek out resources in your community.

Whether librarians are pediatricians, teachers and others to help support your child.

It really does take a village.

Sure.

Absolutely.

>> Is there a number of of words that a child should know before they enter kindergarten?

She is out that they should have mastered and understand not just can re side but understand the meaning of.

>> I don't know that there's a specific number of words.

competing research on that and also in the average number of words, kids know.

But I think the important thing for parents is just to talk more and know that there have been studies that show that more talkative parents have more talkative children and so that those conversations and word that the kids are using.

I really important their expressive, the February, their ability to communicate ideas supports their ability to understand for tonight is when they encounter them and it down the road.

>> So I just wanted to ask finally, so parental conversation that one-on-one is important.

But what about the engagement that children can get from devices and television where there's conversation taking place there now.

That's one way is that beneficial in any way?

>> It really is in for that for a little little children semi.

But reading for live salute or C action plan from birth, the sick, they have a strong emphasis on our youngest children.

And there's no research to support that.

Your one and 2 year-olds are learning from devices.

They really learn from contingent responses from real people and real life, though, tune into those these battles word their eye gaze, what they're pointing at, what they're interested in and take all of those opportunities.

Again to build their word banks.

And then when they get a little older, it's important that parents take those initial steps are teaching them about letters.

Letter names, letter sounds letter states because there's so much research showing that kids who enter kindergarten without knowing some letters are at it.

Significant disadvantage it hard to to catch up over time.

So whatever we can do in the years prior school makes teachers work a little easier in the classroom.

>> Smart >> says there are currently 43 million Americans between ages 16 to 65 who cannot read well enough to finish a job application.

Follow a bus schedule.

Understand a rental agreement or parse choices at the ballot box, low-income kids and children of color struggle.

The most.

To help some of those kids.

Lexington is getting a new head start center.

Officials announced a 3 million dollar federal grant to build the new center today.

Our Casey Parker Bell was in Lexington for the announcement.

>> This project has the potential to transform lives.

Elected officials want to make Kentucky students better prepared to start kindergarten.

>> Today Congressman Andy Barr announced a 3 million Dollar Grant that could help that process for one community.

By building a new head start center.

>> And we know that the young children of this neighborhood deserve that head start just like any other child throughout our community.

>> The new 9,000 Square foot facility is being built across from William Wells Brown Elementary School in Lexington.

It will have room to Sir 52 students and solar panels are being installed to reduce the building's carbon footprint.

>> The opportunity to create workforce development opportunities.

Enhance educational opportunity for students.

And then the help stabilize this neighborhood in the folks that live in this neighborhood.

I created more single family, affordable housing is tremendous.

>> The new facility will be run by the Community Action Council and will prioritize and rolling 3 year olds missed the cut-off age for preschool.

>> But they are building a childcare center on this very calm, helping to transform this blighted and vacant site as well as transforming opportunity is for young children to break the areas that otherwise may have hindered them.

>> For Kentucky edition, I'm Casey Parker Bell >> the new head Start Center will be named for Doctor 0 Palmer.

Palmer was a pharmacist with the only block own drugstore in Lexington during the 1960's.

His name will also be used on a new road running beside the head Start center.

Children in Warren County can climb aboard a special boss that takes them to school without leaving the parking lot.

The Warren County Little learners mobile classroom offers activities focused on school readiness.

>> Warren County little learners is a 0 to 5 parent child initiative to help parents realize and then to understand the importance of them being their child's first and most important educator in their lives.

3.

>> They do a story time.

They do play time.

>> And sometimes they do.

Just 1, one parent interactions like reading a book to them.

>> We're all about school preparing now from the time they're born until they are ready to enter kindergarten.

>> This is actually our first time here and it will he listen to this story that miss exit down and he right after What about that?

Yeah, I'm going to read right now.

>> Literacy is important because even just readings here into your child is building vocabulary skills and language, communication skills like Bob law.

Hopefully he will learn love to read.

>> And then also just learned to interact with other babies in the kid with So a lot of them are parents are just now hearing of social emotional learning that taking turns listening following directions being a good.

>> Not not.

Not not.

Not just just to learn to play with other littles and to sit and listen to directions being able to sit task that he needs to work on is being haha.

>> As part of our program, this also to help those 2 and then maybe need early interventions to get those resources and to get into public preschool.

If need be.

>> It does a great job.

She's that just a joyful and cheese.

Always singing songs and read to them and interacting with them on the bus, which I think is great.

>> We want to be able to go out the community and to be able to meet the needs of not having transportation for those and that we go into the apartment complex is in the neighborhoods, but also just to bring education a little bit closer to those that may not be an educational setting.

>> I'm always looking for opportunities just for him to socialize with other babies and 2, I'm just go to little classes and things like that out a little away.

He was walking in my eyes.

>> I want our carriers to have that independence scale.

Not only the numeracy and literacy.

>> So we really want to give them a solid foundation from early on until ad time hitting to kindergarten.

>> What a neat concept.

Little learners as a part of Warren County Public schools and receives funding support from the United Way of Southern Kentucky.

The boss is on the road 4 days a week.

They also have a special initiative for Warren counties, refugee population.

It is the biggest gift in the history of the Urban League of Lexington, philanthropist.

Mackenzie Scott has donated a million dollars to the organization.

The league says it will be able to expand its empowerment programs as a result.

BG Peoples is the president and CEO of the Urban League of Lexington.

He said, quote, by placing racial equity and social justice at the forefront of her philanthropic mission.

Ms Scott is shining a much-needed spotlight on the nation's structural and institutional limitations and helping to build a stronger, more resilient society for everyone in quote, Scott gave a million dollars to 25 different Urban League affiliates.

As we told you last week, Scott also gave the Jefferson County Public School system 20 million dollars to improve schools in Louisville's West End.

It will help pay for everything from playgrounds to musical instruments.

Scott is the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Fewer people are enlisting in the armed forces.

The United States Army announced earlier this year that it missed its recruitment goal by 25% or that amounts to 15,000 soldiers.

The Kentucky National Guard also fell short.

We asked a local recruiter about the challenges facing the guard.

>> We did come up short of our recruiting goal for the year.

We came up 148 soldiers short of our in strength objective.

The biggest challenge is as the pandemic way that we usually work is that we become part of our communities.

And for the last 3 years we haven't been able to do that.

We are getting less applicants overall.

And a lot of that is because we haven't been out in the community because of the pandemic.

In addition to that this year the military went to electronic records checks, but we're enlisting people into the military and that goes all the way back to birth.

So many people are getting disqualified over things that they never do.

They even had, you know, example, is if you are prescribed an inhaler when you're 7?

Well, that's a disqualifying.

If it they have an IEP or 504, plan to get extended times on the test.

That's a disqualifying.

Think the standards are becoming higher right now.

Only 23% of our population is even eligible to serve.

It's the most challenging time it's ever been for us to try to put people into the National Guard.

We have a lot of incentives.

Some of them are still in the works.

I can't really yet, but our soldiers get try care.

We have in and bonuses.

We have student loan repayments, but a lot of the incentives that we've always relied on like state tuition assistance or student loan repayment.

A lot of businesses are now offering those.

A lot of companies are now offering those.

So it's less appealing to people.

So now it's it's our challenge to to go back to the table and say, well, what else can we do as far as deployments are concerned?

I don't think those addressing recruiting at all with conflict comes patriotism right after 9.11, I recruiting numbers with the best they've ever been.

And we still recruit very well or are well normally when we're not conflict, but really post 9.11, for that next 10 years, we did very, very well.

What I'm concerned about is if the trend of of recruiting keeps spiraling downward or just lessening.

You know, we have a commitment to the people of Kentucky that if there is a domestic issue, whether it's a flood or a tornado or a riot.

Earthquake or or anything that we will be there.

And we always have been there will continue to be there.

But so, you know, it's imperative that we have a great applicant pool of citizen soldiers to choose from when those times come.

It's not just a Kentucky issue.

It's a national issue among all components of the military.

We just started a new fiscal year and our numbers for this fiscal year started out very strong.

We're doing significantly better than we were this time 12 months ago.

And we're going to continue to carry that over.

>> Approximately 7500 soldiers and airmen make up the Kentucky National Guard with the Army National Guard and our Air National Guard serving as components of the U.S. Army and Air Force respectively.

Kentucky will spend 200 million dollars on 408 water projects across the commonwealth.

It will mean clean drinking water and improve water and sewer infrastructure and 102 counties.

The state says water and sewer line projects will help almost 40,000 homes.

An Italian company Campari Group is buying a majority interest and wilderness trail.

Distillery in Danville, Campari will buy 70% of the company which makes bourbon and rye whiskey.

The company will buy the remaining 30% and 2031, according to the deal, the entire purchases for 600 million dollars wilderness trail has been around since 2012.

Its sales are expected to reach 57 million dollars this year up.

39% from last year.

8 days before Election Day.

And polls show voters care the most about inflation and the economy.

And those are the topics on Kentucky tonight.

We're joined by 4 distinguished economists who will talk to us about why prices have gone up and when and we should expect some relief in the future.

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

♪ The ACLU is asking Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw to make sure all ballots are complete.

That's after a report Friday that one mail-in ballot didn't have constitutional amendment.

2, the amendment dealing with abortion, according to the Courier Journal, the Clerk's office is only aware of one flawed ballot among the 15,000 sent out.

The ACLU wants the clerk's office to provide a full accounting of the miss printing error that led to the problem.

The ACLU also wants to know if the clerk's office will notify any voter whose ballot is deemed effective.

As you know, October is b***** Cancer Awareness Month.

The American Cancer Society says the chance of a woman in the U.S. developing b***** cancer is one in 8, one type of this disease is called triple negative b***** cancer.

That's when the cancer does not have any of the receptors that are commonly found in b***** cancer.

As doctor Rachel Saunders, an OBGYN at UK Health Care explains.

This type of cancer is more common and deadly and black women.

>> So when we kind of break down the incident to b***** cancer based on racial groups, we find that African-American women.

We are the second most common group to get get b***** cancer outside of white women.

>> However, when were diagnosed is usually a more aggressive form of cancer like the triple negative.

We just And it usually diagnosed at a later stage so that there's usually distant.

metastases when you're diagnosed right?

>> So just not getting screened when we should are one of the reasons why it is so advanced.

So the triple negative b***** cancer portion is likely probably due to some form of genetics that we're still exploring.

But >> there is a large portion of the social determinants of health.

That effect our health care.

And a large per population of African American people don't have easy access to doctors don't have easy access to insurance.

There's also health care discrimination that's been kind of in the forefront of the news and all of those things play a role and make entry to healthcare later.

And so when you are diagnosed, it's usually later.

Of course, early detection is key.

The American Cancer Society says annual screening should be available to women, ages 40 to 44.

>> Annual screenings are encouraged for women aged 45 to 54.

Starting at age, 55 screening should be transitioned to every other year.

According to the American Cancer Society.

♪ >> A Super Bowl quarterbacks birthday, a famous Kentucky couple's wedding and some important milestones for the Kentucky General Assembly.

Our Toby Gibbs has the details.

And this look at this weekend, Kentucky history.

♪ >> Kentucky's General Assembly met for the first time in Frankfort on November.

First, 17, 93 as 47 lawmakers gathered in a farmhouse owned by Major James Love.

About a year later on November.

3rd, 17 94, the General Assembly would move to a permanent Capitol building.

The first floor contain the offices of the auditor, treasurer, registrar and printer.

The state house met on the second floor with the state Senate on the 3rd.

A fire destroyed the building in November of 18, 13.

Happy birthday to these Kentuckyian some parents will cut was born October 31st.

1949 in Russellville.

He was a U.S. Marine Corps officer, an astronaut who flew on 4 shuttle missions.

Phil Sams, pro football quarterback, broadcaster and Morehead Alarm was born in Springfield in Washington County, November.

3rd, 1955.

Kentucky's most famous couple, Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd tied the knot on November.

4th, 18.

42 in Springfield, Illinois.

He was born in Hodgenville.

She was born in Lexington.

Lincoln was elected America's 16th president on November 6, 18, 60 defeating 3 other candidates including Kentuckyian John see Breckenridge.

The incumbent vice president of the United States.

That would side with the Confederacy during the Civil War.

>> And that's a look at what was happening this week in Kentucky history, I'm told, begins.

>> Thank you, Toby.

When you think of Halloween traditions, chances are trick or treating is one of the first festivities that comes to mind.

But unfortunately for some kids, their Halloween is spent in the hospital today.

UK Healthcare hosted a reverse trick or treating event to make sure these families don't have to miss out on a night of fun.

>> Yeah.

We like to bring trick or treat to these families.

A lot of these families obviously are stuck in the hospital.

We know it's not ideally how they want to spend Halloween.

We do the best we can to be able to vote a little bit of Halloween home to the ♪ >> Physicians, nurses, students and volunteers work together to make this event possible each year.

That's awesome.

>> Student journalists, it started a new education based media service.

>> I think that the new the EU is doing an amazing job kind of destroying this policy that you can't do or make the changes that you want to see in the world until you're an adult, we're kind of shifting students for thinking that they are an expert in their own educational experience.

>> The new publication called the new ad you launched earlier this month and will introduce you to some of the students involved in the project.

That's tomorrow night on Kentucky EDITION, which we hope you'll join you for after this Halloween at 6.30, eastern by 30 central where we inform connect and inspire subscribe to our weekly Kentucky Edition email newsletter and watch clips.

>> At KET Dot Org.

And you can also find Kentucky Edition on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV.

Happy Halloween to you.

We hope we see you at 8 o'clock after your trick or treat for Kentucky tonight.

Take good care.

♪