He offered me a true path to recovery that I had never even imagined was possible.

Kentuckians speak out in support of a potential opioid addiction treatment.

We're an anomaly.

We're a tech company.

I have more certified technicians than anybody.

We're in Jenkins, an industrial park that's empty.

Mohawk Energy brings a piece of Silicon Valley to the mountains.

It's really a great opportunity to come together and talk about trends that we're seeing across Kentucky.

Law enforcement coming together to discuss gun crimes in the Commonwealth and best practices to keep Kentucky communities safe.

And now no Kentuckian has to leave the state to find outstanding clinical care and access to the latest clinical trials.

What a new distinction for UK's marquee cancer center means for Kentucky.

Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET Endowment for Kentucky Productions, the Leonard Press Endowment for Public Affairs and the KET Millennium Fund.

Good evening and welcome to Kentucky Edition on this Monday, September the 18th.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you so much for joining us this evening.

We begin tonight with some sad news.

Kentucky mourns the death of former governor of Britain Jones.

Governor, from 1991 to 1995, Governor Jones was 84.

Jones was born in Ohio and lived in West Virginia, where he served in the state legislature as a Republican.

He and his wife moved to Woodford County, Kentucky, in the 1970s.

He founded the Ardee Stud Horse Farm and switched to the Democratic Party.

Jones ran for and was elected lieutenant governor in 1987 under Governor Wallace Wilkinson.

He was elected governor in 1991.

At that time, governors could not run four consecutive terms.

After leaving office in 1995.

He never ran for public office again.

Late this afternoon, Governor Andy Beshear expressed his condolences on social media, saying, quote, I was sad to learn that former Governor and Lieutenant Governor Brereton Jones has passed away.

Governor Jones was a dedicated leader and a distinguished thoroughbred owner who worked to strengthen Kentucky for our families.

Please join Brittany and me and praying for Libby and his family and, quote, funeral plans for Governor Jones have not yet been announced.

Kentucky's Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission is considering spending $42 million to research a controversial psychedelic drug called ibogaine.

Ibogaine is believed to treat opioid addiction by curbing cravings and spurring spiritual and emotional experiences for patients.

It's also an illegal Schedule one drug in the United States.

The commission hosted a public forum and heard from supporters of Ibogaine treatment, including Kentucky Native and Medal of Honor recipient Dakota meyer.

He and others believe ibogaine can change the way Kentucky approaches addiction services.

We have not been able to solve the problem, in my judgment.

It continues on and it continues on because it is to a large extent intractable and a lot of it has to do with this addiction.

There's this deeply felt physical addiction that people had, and it needs to be broken.

And we have not yet come up with the tools necessary to break that addiction.

I'm hoping I'm hoping that ibogaine is part of the answer.

I found myself battling with the relentlessness demons of PTSD and depression.

It felt like an endless, agonizing struggle that no matter what amount of therapy or medications I could go to could alleviate.

And then it wasn't until 2019 years after leaving the service that I truly began to confront and treat my PTSD.

I learned about a promise, a promising method for treating PTSD symptoms known as ibogaine.

It offered me a true path to recovery that I had never even imagined was possible.

Ibogaine allowed me to confront the trauma as it haunted me to process and understand them in a profound way.

The experience was intense and transformative, helping me break free from the suffocating grip of PTSD and depression.

It provided me with renewed sense of purpose and strength to rebuild my life.

I beginnings potential to offer hope to help others facing similar struggles can truly not be overstated.

Kentucky stands at a very interesting time in terms of being able to pioneer ibogaine trials in the United States.

This effort could spotlight Kentucky's commitment, harnessing its world class universities and scientific research for its facilities and talent and our compassion the way that we care about individuals who are suffering in their families.

Considering the profound societal impact of this crisis on individuals, on their families, on our communities, and on this entire Commonwealth, it's incumbent upon us to explore every conceivable solution.

Investing in ibogaine research could potentially lead to a new form of treatment for everybody.

For Kentuckians, fellow Americans.

For everybody.

We have some treatments, but we have an opportunity to explore another one.

One that has shown much promise and needs the support to take it to the finish line.

The Commission did not hear from anyone who opposes ibogaine research and treatment in a 20 year period.

Police charged 300,000 Kentuckians with marijuana related offenses, according to a new report from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.

And more than half of those were convicted.

The center found as of March, there were 540 Kentuckians behind bars for marijuana convictions.

It also found black Kentuckians are ten times more likely to be arrested for marijuana related offenses.

The center also broke down the conviction rates by county and found some rural areas twice as likely to convict someone as Kentucky's biggest county in population.

Jefferson We spoke to Kaylee Ramer, the lead author of the report, about the findings.

She said even with changing attitudes and efforts to decriminalize marijuana, a weed related charge can still have life altering consequences.

So that's exactly what we kind of wanted to push back on.

That narrative that it's just a cannabis possession charge is not that big of a deal kind of idea.

So even if someone is charged with possession and they don't immediately get arrested, maybe they're cited by the police officer and then released and given a court date, that person could still end up having to pay fines and fees depending on the type of charge or that person's record, They might end up on probation and have to report to an officer.

They could face consequences while looking for a job if they have that conviction or even just that charge on the record could affect their ability to get housing.

And then, even though most people who are only charged with possession are immediately arrested in Kentucky, that doesn't mean that there are not people who find themselves in jail.

So if you miss your court date, there could be a bench warrant issued for you and then you find yourself incarcerated because a possession charge.

So we wanted to really highlight that there are a lot of consequences even when it comes to misdemeanor cannabis possession.

We would like to see our state not only decriminalize, regulate and tax cannabis, but also make sure that we have provisions in a bill that kind of mitigates the harms that we're seeing now.

So automatic expungement for people who who have these convictions on their records so that they don't continue to be harmed by past policy.

Kentucky lawmakers Reduce the Penalty for cannabis Possession in 2011, and this year, the Kentucky General Assembly legalized some kinds of medical marijuana use.

Starting in 2025.

Senator Rand Paul spoke this morning at a town hall in Bowling Green.

Americans for Prosperity hosted the event and a Q&A stage asking the senator several questions concerning the economy and government spending.

Senator Paul voiced his criticisms of COVID lockdown measures and his concerns over the rising national debt and government overreach.

Paul also says he'd like to see an amendment to the farm bill that would remove snack foods and sugary drinks from SNAP benefits.

I actually had COVID, but one of the biggest problems we have in our country is, you know, type two diabetes and like 90% of type two diabetics, it's related to diet and weight.

And so I think it would be a healthier America would be the first big change we've had so that it would be similar to the work program and which expecting mothers must purchase healthy foods.

We asked Senator Paul about the House GOP leading an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

Paul says he supports those efforts.

I think most people are appalled that the president's son was making $50,000 a month working for a company in Ukraine.

And then the Joe Biden flew to Ukraine and helped to fire the prosecutor that was investigating the company.

I know of no other instance in government where someone specifically got someone fired.

I've never heard of a senator flying to another country and saying you need to fire a person by name.

It seems really weird.

And that person was investigating the company that was paying Hunter Biden.

Paul also referred to banking documents that have been released and closed session.

He says the information should be made public and he says the more transparency, the better.

The first African-American woman to serve on the bench in Fayette County has announced she will run for a seat on the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Judge Pamela, good wine, says she filed a letter of intent to run for the seat currently held by Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawrence VanMeter.

Jr VanMeter announced he will not seek reelection.

He even announced that last week.

He represents the fifth appellate court district comprised of bourbon clerk fayette, Franklin, Jessamine, Madison, Scott and woodford counties.

The same county's good wine currently represents as a court of appeals judge.

Good wine served as both a district and circuit court judge in Fayette County, and if elected, would be the fourth person to have served as a judge at all four levels of the Kentucky judicial system.

Van Meter was the third justice to have that distinction.

Ford workers in Louisville remain on the job for now as the United Auto Workers strike against Detroit's Big Three automakers enters its fourth day.

UAW Local 862 represents around 12,500 workers at the two Ford plants in Jefferson County.

The UAW is asking or is using a, quote, stand up strike approach.

Start stating that the strike at a limited number of facilities.

In an interview with Louisville Public Media, UAW Local 862 President Todd Don said Louisville workers are waiting to join the strike and the Kentucky truck plant could be a strong UAW strike target.

UAW failed to reach New four year contract agreements with the automakers last week.

The union represents about 145,000 workers preventing and investigating.

Gun violence remains a top priority for law enforcement.

A recent crime gun summit and Bowling Green helped officers gain new resources and knowledge.

Our Laura Rogers talked to law enforcement leaders who said the public also plays a role in keeping our communities safe.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Louisville Division recently joined with the Bowling Green Police Department to host a crime gun intelligence training.

More than a dozen agencies and 50 police officers taking part to collaborate and learn more about the tools available to combat violent crime.

We want to make sure that we're able to solve cases and bring closure to families that are involved in or victims of gun violence.

So every case is important to us.

One is one too many think any time firearms are in the hands of someone that's not supposed to possess them, that's a problem.

The ATF focuses on the sources of crime guns using the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network Organization.

That's a system that helps us compare evidence from crime scenes and draw links and then helps investigators have investigative lead so that they can solve those crimes quickly.

The software traces shell casings to firearms offenses and helps get offenders off the street and behind bars.

It projects a better visual to people on a jury, and they understand that this gun was used in multiple crimes.

We asked the ATF about those crimes.

What did the numbers show?

When it comes to cases of gun violence in Kentucky?

I think Kentucky follows some national trends over the last couple of years.

We've seen high numbers of violent crime, in particular nonfatal shootings and homicides.

But in the last year or so, we've seen some reductions.

And both Morrow and Delaney say the public can take an active role in preventing gun violence by keeping your own weapons safe and secure.

We see a lot of stolen firearms.

A lot of the weapons that are stolen are from unlocked vehicles or they're in plain view and someone knocks a window out to steal the gun.

So just really being mindful of your firearms and taking good care of them.

Chief Delaney says collaboration and communication between local state and federal law enforcement agencies are also helpful.

That's how crimes get solved, is being able to talk to officers in other jurisdictions and be able to call somebody up and know him by name and say, Hey, this is Mike from Bowling Green.

Could you help me with this case?

I have a suspect in your jurisdiction.

So part of this class helps bring those officers together, all with the common goal of keeping guns out of the wrong hands.

You can guarantee that if you are using that gun to hurt other people, you're going to have the full attention of law enforcement all across Kentucky.

The meeting is part of a series of trainings ATF, Louisville Division is hosting with local police departments across Kentucky and West Virginia.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Laura Rogers.

Thank you, Laura.

The law enforcement leaders, Laura also spoke to encourage you to be part of the solution.

They say if you know of criminal activity, report it to the police.

Programing note tonight, higher education in Kentucky is the topic on Kentucky tonight.

A panel of university presidents and lawmakers will discuss everything from tuition to the US Supreme Court ruling ending race based admissions.

Join us for that.

And we want you to send us your questions and comments.

That's tonight on Kentucky tonight at eight Eastern, seven Central right here on KCET.

A new company focused on technology repair has opened its doors in Jenkins, Kentucky.

Mohawk Energy is training people to repair everything from iPads to Bitcoin mines.

Many of its employees are former coal miners or worked on surface mines for almost 17 years.

I worked on like mountaintop removal jobs.

I was a heavy equipment operator.

I actually started doing it when I was about 17.

But, I mean, I liked it.

It was a challenge I was interested in.

I made really good money doing it for a long time, but I just saw the industry decline over time.

You know, by the time I got laid off the last time, which I decided it would be the last time because I was tired of getting a job and getting laid off and getting a job and getting laid off.

It was kind of a boom bust cycle from North County.

I spent 12 and a half years in the National Guard and I was kind of lost when I first came home.

I had substance abuse issues and mental health issues.

And I've been clean for about six years in recovery and still was really lost in the world.

And I met Brandon during volunteering for deer in the flood recovery efforts.

We're an anomaly.

We're a tech company.

I have more certified technicians than anybody.

We're in Jenkins, an industrial park that's empty.

That doesn't cost you anything to get the mod we actually pay you.

And so when you go for your training, if you're which would you decide which particular company you're interested in?

So just let's say this would be a bitmain.

Then you will go through a 15 day glass and then that 15 days we actually pay you a salary to go through the class and we do room and board and we have a stipend for food.

And then when you graduate, now that's the most importantly, you have to pass that test.

But you graduate.

Then we assign you to an account with that company where you'll start doing that repair, and then your salary goes up to 40 to $46 an hour.

We could be the world leader in technology repair in a very short amount time and work that could do for our part of the state is amazing.

And that really means a lot to me.

You don't have to go in debt and spend and spend your whole life trying to pay back a college degree.

It's going to be a real amazing thing for people from Kentucky.

It's it's it's been good.

I've enjoyed it.

I think these people have really become like a family to me.

And they went out of their way to show me everything that, you know, everybody really shows everybody else each other's jobs.

And we've learned a lot.

I've learned a whole lot about how they treat me like we're all the same is universal here, just like the military was.

The expectations are the same, the results are the same.

So the training that I received already, the many different things I've learned since I've been here, is invaluable, really.

It's increased our quality of life.

I mean, my family's quality of life tremendously.

I'll make as much money now as I made in the coal industry and I was very comfortable working in the coal industry when, you know, I was kind of at my peak.

But, you know, every time I'd ever been laid off before, I always felt like this was the the high watermark.

You know, I've been laid off because that's par for the course with coal.

We've been burned so many more times before.

And even me as a leader, I've seen these companies come in, I've worked with them.

I stood at the ribbon cuttings and then I've watched them leave.

I would like to do something to restore that, to let people know that not everybody is like that, that there are companies that can come in that are from here, that have a mission that don't need your money.

They're not here for those reasons.

And that that if we could do anything to kind of put some of that back, this has not been success overnight.

This has been a lot of failure and a lot of years of just nobody thinking that it would work and we just never gave up.

Brandon Smith is also a state senator representing Kentucky's 30th district in Eastern Kentucky.

Kentucky has long been plagued by some of the highest cancer rates in the US.

Last week, the University of Kentucky announced a leap forward in combating cancer in the Commonwealth.

UK is marquee cancer center has been named by the National Cancer Institute as quote, a comprehensive care center, and that makes it one of the top centers in the country for providing cutting edge care.

The designation guarantees more funding and means most Kentuckians won't have to travel far for top tier cancer care.

More And today's health news.

Today, we make another down payment on our goal and on the mission that always remains firmly fixed in our minds to do everything we can do every day to advance Kentucky.

And here today, we're getting to celebrate the newest NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Folks, health care is a basic human right and the heroes who work here every day are making sure Kentuckians have the very best.

They're leading the way on scientific research and getting us closer to find a cure to something that takes far too many of our loved ones from us every single year.

Today, you've heard a lot about comprehensive status, but in the most basic, broad terms.

Here's what it means.

It means better care.

It means the best care.

Patients who receive treatment at NCI designated comprehensive cancer centers have better outcomes than patients who seek treatment elsewhere.

And now no Kentuckian has to leave the state to find outstanding clinical care and access to the latest clinical trials.

I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I would not be where I am today if it were not for Marquee Cancer Center.

My time with Markey began in 2018 when a retching abdominal pain sent me to the emergency department at the University of Kentucky.

Within 13 days of leaving the hospital, I had a diagnosis.

I had diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which was a blood cancer with a stage four diagnosis.

Naturally, I was scared of what was to come.

But my team at Marquee was with me every step of the way.

Fast forward to where I am now.

I'm proud to say I was accepted to the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Bowling Green Campus, where I'm currently a third year medical student.

This is where my story comes full circle.

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to reciprocate the excellent patient care that Markey gave to me.

My time at Markey Cancer Center changed my life.

What started as a what started with time as a cancer patient led me to innovative cancer research and then to medical school as a future physician, all at one institution.

This is what being a comprehensive cancer center is all about.

What a remarkable story.

The Markey Cancer Center has partnered with 19 hospitals around Kentucky to offer care outside of Lexington, a milestone event in Kentucky football history.

A key turning point for Kentucky during the Civil War and a duel involving Abraham Lincoln.

Our Toby Gibbs explains all of that and more.

And tonight's look at this week in Kentucky history.

Kentucky was initially neutral during the Civil War, but in early September of 1861, Confederate troops occupied the town of Columbus in Hickman County.

On September 18th, 1861, the Kentucky General Assembly called for the removal of Confederate troops from Kentucky soil, ending Kentucky's official position of neutrality.

Happy birthday to Steve Beshear, Kentucky's 61st governor who served from 2007 to 2015.

Born September 21st, 1944.

Two years later, September 21st, 1946, Paul Bear Bryant coached his first game as head coach at the University of Kentucky.

Kentucky beat Ole Miss 22 six.

He would coach for eight seasons, then move on to Texas A&M and after that, his legendary run as coach at Alabama.

America's only Kentucky born president, Abraham Lincoln, took part in a duel on September 22nd, 1842.

It was after Lincoln as a member of the Illinois state legislature, criticized state auditor James Shields.

The two men were supposed to fight with swords.

When Shields realized the taller Lincoln had a much longer reach, he agreed to a truce.

A dozen members of Congress and more than 100 reporters toured the Fort Knox Gold Vault on September 23rd, 1974.

Visitors wouldn't be allowed inside again until 2017.

Happy birthday to us.

Kentucky Educational Television signed on for the first time on September 23rd, 1968.

And that's a look back at this Week in Kentucky history.

I'm Toby Gibbs.

Thank you, Toby Gibbs.

Coming up tomorrow on Kentucky Edition, you are just there on your own, trying to come to terms with the fact that you are going to meet your baby just like everyone else.

But then you have to also plan a funeral.

Stillbirth is a lost almost too painful to talk about.

But one mother who experienced it says the conversation is needed to save lives.

She shares her remarkable story tomorrow.

And we hope you'll join us again tomorrow at 630 Eastern, seven 630 Eastern, 530 Central for Kentucky Edition, where we inform, Connect and Inspire.

Subscribe to our Kentucky Edition email newsletters and watch full episodes and clips at Ket dot org You can also find us on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV, and you can send us a story idea at Public Affairs at Ket dot org Of course you can follow us on Facebook.

X formerly known as Twitter and Instagram To stay in the loop, make sure you tune your tube to eat at 8:00 tonight because we'll be talking about higher education in Kentucky with officials who know this subject backwards and forwards.

You'll want to see that conversation at eight Eastern, seven Central right here on KET.

Kentucky tonight.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Until I see you in a bit, take good care.