Well, turning now to northern Kentucky, regional leaders are making an effort to advance the health and education standards for the northern most part of the state.

As our Emily Sisk reports, one group is looking to unify the region and propel it toward success.

With 37 cities across three counties.

Northern Kentucky has a unique challenge finding unity beyond its county lines and distinct cultures.

Karen Finan, president and CEO of the one Nky Alliance, said the question became how could the region speak with one voice?

You have the urban core, the suburban core, the rural core.

You think about that and how do you bring that all together under one voice?

That's where the one Nky alliance comes in.

The group focuses on Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties advancing unity, health and education standards across the region.

Over the years, there are a few key initiatives the group has helped bring to life from a regional news organization to smoke free ordinance efforts.

When you think of things that we've incubated and launched as a community, Lincoln, KY, which is a multimedia platform that covers Boone, Kenton, Campbell counties.

That's been very important to our community.

Our Breathe Easy efforts, which is really pushing for a smoke free ordinance across all our cities.

Extremely important as we look at the health of our community.

The one Nky Alliance also pushes for advancements in early childhood education and kindergarten readiness.

Educate k y is another group that works throughout the region to see growth in the next generation of leaders.

Educator and K y is a group that we incubated and launched into, has successfully working through and with the existing public school system to bring innovation, new ideas and just cooperation so that our student outcomes are better and improved as the years go on.

So how do all of these organizations and initiatives stay on the same page?

One way is by having a physical meeting place that serves the whole region.

The 1NKY center, located in the heart of Covington and at the foot of the Roebling Bridge, has been open to the community for just over seven months.

Although the idea for such a place was decades in the making.

40 years ago there was a vision that was identified to have what was called a multi association building for the benefit of the community.

The groundbreaking for the center took place in 2023 and thanks to $15 million of state funding, the building opened last September.

This building is a tangible example of how we all come together.

The one in Keys Center is the front door to Northern Kentucky sign.

And said, it's no secret that Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati are in a symbiotic relationship.

She said one side of the river can't succeed without its counterpart.

There's also a competitive rivalry, which is very healthy.

You know, as one area of the region grows, so does the other.

So there's no need to ignore that.

Let's embrace that.

But as part of the Bluegrass State, finance said she wants the one Nky alliance to set the standard for regional growth.

Northern Kentucky has to stand on its own and be its best version of itself.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Emily Sisk.

Data shows that in 2025, Northern Kentucky welcomed 26 million visitors and generated $3 billion in tourism revenue.