>> The rest of this one getting our arms around it.

It's just so massive.

It's a widespread.

>> Kentuckians head to Florida to help after Hurricane Ian's destruction.

And that's what we want.

Great memories in nature.

I do.

It's an old school playground that helps kids connect with nature.

I'm pretty happy for most of what the cause, you know, last a country and a lot of news.

We're at a land left Kentucky, but Kentucky never left her.

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 Wednesday, October 5th, we thank you for joining us.

I'm your host Kelsey Starks in for Renee Shaab.

The Breathitt County coroner says a body found this weekend could be one of 2 women missing after the July floods.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports someone found the body along troublesome Creek.

This is video from Brevard County.

One of the counties hit hardest by the floods.

29 year-old Nancy Cundiff and 60 year-old Vanessa Baker were both last seen at their homes corner.

person says the body is now at the medical examiner's office.

If the person can be identified through dental records, it could take a matter of days.

If DNA is needed, that could take months.

As we told you here yesterday, crews from Kentucky are in Florida helping to restore power there as of last night, more than 400,000 homes were still without electricity.

CNN reports the death toll is 105 in Florida from Hurricane Ian.

4 more people died in North Carolina.

President Biden toured Fort Myers today by helicopter and vowed that federal state and local governments will do everything to help people rebuild their lives.

Yesterday Casey Parker Bell spoke to Misty Thomas of the Red Cross is Western Kentucky chapter Thomas is in Fort Myers, Florida, one of the hardest hit areas.

She says it's encouraging to help others after Kentucky received so much support over the last year.

>> What's the situation like in Florida where you're at right now?

>> You know, I I'm not sure that the words they say a word to the disaster is different and it really is.

the rest of this one getting our arms around it.

It's just so massive.

It's so widespread.

And it's interesting from my perspective, having worked to floods and tornadoes in Kentucky that this is like both of them are married.

One because you have tornadoes.

You had the working of the when you have the flooding waters.

So it's just devastating that widespread.

>> Over 20 people from Kentucky are working for the Red Cross in Florida after Hurricane Ian.

The Thomas says the Red Cross has served over 205,000 meals and provided shelter for more than 6100 people since the hurricane.

>> But I can tell you that some of the areas that were working are supporting us that the shelters were making sure that the mental health, the health needs are being met by the disaster, displaced and survivors.

We are setting up mobile units where people can access release and comfort KET, its items.

And then we're also able to help them with those health and mental health needs at those sites.

And then we're also making sure that >> we're partnering with other community partners if other needs are identified and were able to >> connect that with other resources in the community.

So we've been able to do quite a bit to grant us to be able to stay in the summer >> miss you talked about the devastation, comparing it to what happened in Eastern and western Kentucky.

But I was curious as someone who works and lives in Kentucky, what it means to be down in Florida helping someone else after Kentucky received so much support over the last year.

>> It feels really good to be able to get back.

I said, I don't know how many times that when the tornadoes came through much after that.

The most awesome thing I watched was the nation pour out their hearts and our communities we're getting with him.

And it's nice to be able to come down and gets back to.

I'm sure many of these people gate to us in Kentucky.

So it's nice to be able to be here to be that care and comfort and hope and help for them and their greatest need in their darkest hour.

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

>> An independent investigation of the National Women's Soccer League found systemic emotional abuse and sexual misconduct impacting multiple teams, including racing Louisville, the professional women's soccer team in Louisville.

The report released this week focused on 3 former coaches, including coach Christy Holly of racing.

Louisville.

Holly was fired with cause from the team last year.

But at the time the team declined to publicly state.

The reason for his termination.

No word yet on possible disciplinary measures for teams across the league.

Louisville wants to have 0 greenhouse emissions by the year 2040 Mayor Greg Fischer today signed an executive order setting that target for Louisville and Jefferson County.

This goes beyond an earlier goal set in 2018 when Louisville vowed to cut emissions by 80% by the year 2050.

It's more than a year until the 2023 election for governor.

But candidates are already raising money.

Candidates have to file fundraising information with the state and on the Republican side, Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles has raised the most with more than $875,000.

Kelly Kraft, the former United Nations ambassador, has raised 751,000.

It's 708,004 Attorney General Daniel Cameron, State Representative Savannah Maddox has taken in 210,000 and state Auditor.

Mike Harmon reports $64,989.

They all trail Governor Andy Beshear who reports having more than 4 million dollars.

More politics ahead as we check in with Rylan Barton of Kentucky Public Radio and Ohio Valley Resource.

Adult hoping to go back to school could be getting some help.

The state released a plan earlier this week to help remove barriers for adults wanting to go to college.

Our Casey Parker Bell spoke to the head of the Kentucky Council on post-secondary education about that new plan.

>> Kentucky has one of the lowest workforce participation rates in the nation at 56%.

The state hopes by raising the percentage of Kentuckians with a post-secondary degree will improve that rate and of set the goal for 60% of the state to hold a degree by 2030, the state's plan will target adults between the age of 25 39 who graduated high school but have not received a degree.

Doctor.

Aaron Thompson, president of the Council on Post-secondary Education, says the state needs to help provide adults with an education to help them find work and the knowledge based economy.

>> North Korea conducted have a thriving economy way into the future.

We're going to have to have an educated adult population that goes into the workforce and will be apartment workforce to do that.

We're going to have focus and Harriet, since we know that your direct correlation to how it could work, force pilot training workforce will have to council population.

We've been losing in the last many Last 50% of those 25 and older from the workforce.

>> Obviously, adult learners have a lot of barriers.

The traditional age students might not have whether it's worker families.

So what is part of the plan?

Help these adult learners get past these barriers and get into the post-secondary education system.

>> So our plan and we've had a lot of people working with us in the state.

A lot of partners as well as out of state experts to help us to design this plan.

So it includes 30 parts, basically ones around excess ability.

No words.

Are we make it easy for adults to go to work?

Force were craving a one-stop portal where they can go in and see all the financial options.

We are giving them or financial options and hopefully legislature help us to do that.

But we've got to create an access point to another part of that says mission is for them to understand the value of a post-secondary credential.

And this is that value proposition for me to talk about a lot already.

But we're going to get a return on investment.

How it is a huge return on investment.

As far as money goes, but also in the way they have a quality of watch.

So will best oppose Biden's access.

We have to let them know where their form and they have to be able to set.

The second part will be institutional innovation is too small change for so many years case that we have this line.

Higher education system are led to a population group that a team that went in for what right in that that they change.

I mean, even may have changed.

But Edward Snowden out that ball in that age group anymore.

So we'll have to do some institutional change.

War clay for by learning more military equipment were order a competency based education, more degrees.

And advise him when they can get it and not necessarily the way we do it on our campuses.

Thinking that we have a residential walkways.

You mentioned the importance of Kentuckyian to the people who would receive them to get degrees or certificates.

>> And I was curious if you could kind of make the pitch, why is this important to Kentucky and what type of benefits when people see by going back to school or perhaps for the first time to get a degree or certificate.

>> Sure.

Let me let me start with the return on investment for the state for every dollar the state puts in.

They get a 67 ball over time.

That's a strategic investor.

And the thing about it is the reason why is because the pope gets just may get jobs.

They get this very good are third-degree.

They have faced an untidy, their fan taxes.

They do all these other things.

And in many cases, they're they're not on the rolls back impact.

We spent a lot of money on, let's say Medicaid or prison.

See that.

So it's important to Kentucky for us to have a thriving economy.

And invite more businesses and were booming.

Right now we're going to provide them with the workforce.

We can't just bring businesses and we don't give them what they need to stay or they won't come.

>> In the past decade, Kentucky has increased educational attainment by nearly 19%.

According to this cpe.

But they say undergraduate enrollment for adults is on the decline, decreasing 50% since 2013.

Barron County is under a burn ban.

It's one of the counties you see here in yellow that are considered abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor Wbko in Bowling Green reports that the county declared the ban today because of excessive dryness and fire hazard conditions.

It's illegal to have an open fire anywhere except a campfire in an established campground.

♪ >> And it's time for midweek.

Check in on the biggest political news in Kentucky with Rylan Barton, the managing editor for Kentucky Public Radio and Ohio Valley Resource.

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

Our island on Monday, U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker made a solo appearance on KET Kentucky tonight in part because U.S.

Senator Rand Paul did not respond to KET tease invitation to join Booker on the show.

Sir, I want my question to you is, was Booker able to take advantage of this solo television appearance to make some noise for his campaign?

>> But certainly doesn't help that he you know, bunch of time to be, you know, be pushing for his campaign.

you know, this, this run that he's been trying to make to get into the Senate for the last couple years, really because remember, abuse trying for the chance to run against Mitch McConnell back in 2020.

But really it's a shame.

I think this is something that everyone was looking forward to, whether they're Republican or Democrat to have these 2 candidates up on the stage.

It's something that voters their candidates to appear at some point before the You know, traditionally, KET, he holds these of these candidate forms in that month before the election.

And so it's a bit of a shame to not get to see them interact to have this moment where you some of their ideas are are able to be weighed and considered against one I certainly think you a attempted to use that time to to promote his campaign of.

Meanwhile, a Rand Paul are released an ad instead saying that he you know, implying that he was not joining the debate because he was concerned that of former representative book or a spouse violent, a violent behavior, that he was a supporting people who had made violent behavior.

So is this big add that he released instead of of joining the debate?

But yeah, it comes down to it.

It would have been really nice to be able to see the 2 candidates.

Same time.

What was the Booker campaign's response to Senator Paul's ad?

>> They said that that it was a racist dog Really what this ad was doing was it was portraying a lot of incidents in which that Senator Paul is you know, violent incidents that Senator Paul's involved with back in 2017, when a man shot up the Congressional of Baseball seriously, injuring a of Republican Senator Steve poll was in attendance there as Then, of course, later that year, the incident where of Senator Paul's neighbor tackled him and broke several of of the senator's ribs.

He was kind of portraying some of these of some of these violent incidents and trying trying to tie them to book are saying that Booker was supporting people who also supported violence or violent rhetoric is this long, 3 minute ad and really trying to kind of portray some of these comments and very stark images and and also messaging.

But yeah, there was this.

This is this is kind of what always tried to the few times.

The polls really responded to anything that Booker has said throughout the campaign.

He's always brought it back to this.

You're talking about Black Lives matter, of course, are saying that a book or a spouse for of defunding the And he's always trying to kind of bring it back to the Z of 2020 protest issues.

And he was definitely trying to do that with this commercial that Roland, of course, we'll KET an eye on that race.

But Kentucky's other U.S.

Senator Mitch McConnell was also in the news last week because last Friday, former President Donald Trump.

>> Posted on social media, an additional attack on Senator McConnell and his wife, Elaine Chao.

He said, quote, He has a death wish Rylan.

How difficult is it for Republicans in Kentucky with this relationship between Senator McConnell and the former president?

It's apparently been very difficult for any Republicans to to say anything about this or to condemn the former president's remarks here.

>> The one Republican that I've seen come out and say anything Scott Jennings, a Republican strategist and also a McConnell content condemned it and said that it should be easy for Republicans can to condemn this kind of language.

Obviously a lot of the calculus that Republicans, other Republicans have been going through right now is that this is an election year and it's about time for especially ones who are running for office or those supporting Republicans running for office.

It's a bad time to go against the you know anything.

The former president says there is a pretty remarkable interview with Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott on face the nation over the weekend where he was having a lot of condemning the former president's remarks there and also saying, you know, the the former president has lots of nicknames for lots of people, including probably him.

There was also a racist, a racist trope against a Mitch McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao, the transportation secretary under the former president also including this.

you got it was a priest spree.

order.

That's where Republicans really weren't able to find the words to talk about this over the last few days.

Rylan looking toward the next year in the gubernatorial election.

Could this relationship make it difficult for messaging for the Republican candidates?

>> We're trying to unseat Governor Andy Beshear.

>> I mean, there are a lot of questions that these candidates are going to have to answer to granted, you know, the benefit for them is that the governor's races and is in this off year, right?

2023, there's no congressional races.

There's no presidential election going on.

Everybody gets to kind return to this corner of just focusing on state politics is one of the the benefits, but also one of the pitfalls of the of the off year elections.

So when you're talking about them or, you know, talking about how to what extent are You know, they're going to embrace the parts of the popular parts of the former president was the popular party, Kentuckyian they're going to your distance themselves from the other ones.

And they're not going to really have so many opportunities where they're going to have to.

We're going to have to do There's got to be a lot of questions, though, that and it will have to answer on whether or not they, you know, support the former president's ongoing claims that the 2020 election was that actually it still isn't settled.

And those are comments we haven't gotten for most of the candidates so far.

Rylan thanks for taking a few minutes to talk to us about the political news in Kentucky.

We appreciate you.

>> Thanks, Casey.

♪ >> Kentucky lost an icon yesterday with the death of country music superstar Loretta Lynn at the age of 90 Len was from Johnson County and her Kentucky roots helped shape her as a singer.

And as a songwriter, we talked to Loretta Lynn about Kentucky for Kentucky life piece right here on KET back in 2009.

♪ ♪ >> 3 >> We >> see ♪ >> That Johns on you all come >> You know, a lot credit, Kentucky for most of my work because, you know, last they country and I like country music some of the music today is just not country, you know, but people are making it to get number one songs.

Kentucky is for at all really planted my roots date when it comes to music.

>> I need to rings.

>> I can't we asked for a new man.

You're all a >> that's good.

He met.

>> One of my best childhood memories when we would see coal miner's daughter.

>> Oscar-winning role.

>> I >> there you have this stand in line forever to get into this movie.

Was the biggest hit ever in eastern Kentucky.

>> And my sister to me who I was to me to the movies since she was one thing, people much head are we stood in lines for ever wonder what the backline.

I was 10 years old and, >> you know, was Pabst.

And that's what that's why we have flights alone.

So this movie, you know, and cis removed the Winston from her mouth and then a u N. And as she exhaled smoke, you know, see some.

Well because she's one of the U.S..

But some may be about us.

There's so much amused about Kentucky.

I was just a kid.

Well, if they're, you know, got married.

And I don't think I was.

>> Through growing it.

And I think as always.

Had a bad feeling about leave in Kentucky and leave in that the heels.

And our was felt that left before a good at and it wasn't what I really wanted.

Fact, give it best to the young girls.

I would say what 2 year old enough to get married before you get might need the hills of Kentucky.

You need to be.

We'll have a little.

I do Miss Kentucky Asher do cause if I'm home and I met my mind, goes to one of his truck back in butcher, holler.

You know, it goes right back to butcher, holler.

The things I did then because that's that's I guess that's what really the money got me ready for everything.

♪ And his daughter.

>> Afternoon water.

♪ Was hard.

And I would sleep.

We work hard.

>> We have the ball on the left.

Put your holiday.

>> The Lin family has asked for privacy as they grieve.

A memorial service is planned, but the date for that has not yet been announced.

♪ ♪ >> Well, imagine this.

A playground with no plastic, a place where children can really get in touch with nature.

That is coming to Kentucky.

All thanks to a $741,000 grant.

>> From the James Graham Brown Foundation to the Burnham Arboretum and Research Forest, the 17 acre playground is known as a play co system and it's creating a buzz all over the world.

♪ >> We know that when children play outside and engage with natural materials and explore natural areas.

They have the possibility of building lifelong passion, sports, boring, and protecting and being stewards of the natural world.

So we wanted to create a play area that really supports early child development in a way that connects them with nature for additional playgrounds are environments where children play up on things.

We want to play coast system to be a place where children come and play with things.

So children, youngest children can interact in the zone.

One where it is about learning to climb and plans and and use a loose parts as we call them.

>> To build things.

And then as you go on some of these areas become more challenging and more unique.

And that's what zones 2, 3 will do.

As we go in his own to.

We're going to increase accessibility for this area.

So we want all people to be able to play all kids to be able to play.

>> And then zone 3 is a natural forest area that, again, we're going to work to have parts of it.

Accessible, including an accessible tree house, which is a really fun concept.

Well, imagine.

For a second being in a wheelchair and being able to get up 15 feet into that canopy of a tree and a playhouse.

>> That's not a standard type of experience that a child using a wheelchair might be able to find just anywhere.

So we're going to use ramping take advantage of existing topography so that we can create an experience, which is a journey from the ground level up in 2, the upper reaches of the tree and then they can look out over a forested landscape.

We're not only interested in helping people see the value of natural play.

Hepburn Haim, we're interested in helping people do that across the entire region.

In fact, we are now being looked at nationally and internationally as a an example of how a regional network focused on natural play.

Can really change the direction of a play for an entire community.

I think our team believes that the more natural elements we can provide for our guests.

The better the guest experience will be.

More natural elements that kids can interact with the most serious.

They will be.

>> The more natural elements that our unexpected like these huge boulders.

The more memories will be built.

And that's what we want.

Great memories in nature by children.

>> Zones, 2, 3, are projected to be finished in the next 18 to 24 months.

Pretty cool.

Well, as we've been reporting here, NASA is still trying to launch the Artemis one rocket with a Kentucky built satellite onboard.

Well, get this.

There's another Kentucky connection.

A NASA engineer working on that project is from Kentucky will talk to her tomorrow night right here on Kentucky EDITION.

We hope you do join us tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central for Kentucky edition where we inform connect and inspire.

You can subscribe to our weekly Kentucky Edition email newsletter and watch full episodes and clips at KET Dot Org.

>> And follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Have a great night.

♪ ♪