Sports gambling is here, but not everyone thinks it's a winning bet for Kentucky.

When they use one of our headsets, they have an opportunity to see things, see career fields that are possible now going virtual is giving students some real on the job experience.

And as Congress debates a farm bill, what it means for Kentucky food banks and the Kentuckians who rely on them.

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 for Friday, September 8th.

I'm Cassie Parker Bell filling in for Renee Shaw.

Yesterday, we reported that Kentucky is now the 35th state to legalize sports betting.

Today, we're looking at how this decision might help people who become addicted to gambling.

Mike Stone is with the Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling.

He says Kentuckians most Kentuckians may be shocked to learn that up until now, the state has never funded gambling addiction.

This is the first public funds that will be available for problem gambling prevention and treatment that education and awareness prevention treatment.

There has been no dollars appropriated ever in Kentucky, by the way, by the state government for this service.

Thank you, sir.

House Bill 551 requires the state set aside 2.5% of proceeds from sports gambling to a gambling assistance fund.

Stone says that could mean about $500,000 for the first full year of the program.

And while that money will go a long way in helping problem gamblers, Stone says he thinks the fund will soon need more than double that amount.

That will be sufficient money to get the system operational, to get the foundation built.

It will allow for the establishment of prevention programs, education and awareness activities to get the word that gambling can be addictive.

Once the game number of people gambling increase is and the evidence is that when that happens, there will be more people that will surface with a gambling problem or a gambling addiction.

When that all takes place, then additional funds will be needed.

We would need 1.2 to $1.4 million a year to operate a an average adequate program.

It's by no means a Cadillac program.

That would be a just a program that would address immediate needs.

For now, it's only legal to place a sports wager at a limited number of approved racetracks.

Online bets can be made beginning September 28.

With the passage of Senate Bill 90 in 2022, lawmakers launched a pilot program that would allow participating counties to let low level offenders with mental health issues or substance use disorder into treatment rather than jail.

Pulaski County is among the newest counties to take part in that pilot.

This method of flagging people who have a behavioral problem, getting them plugged into care immediately or as soon as you can, immediately is immediately as you can do, and then their case sits on the shelf.

It's a deferred prosecution.

So as long as you're going through whatever behavioral health intervention the provider says you need, and as long as you're doing what they ask you to do and your client, your case continues to just sit on the shelf, deferred, no actions being taken.

It's just put on pause.

And if you complete the program, your charges can be dismissed and vacated expunged completely.

You're not only helping that conduct that human being, but you're helping their family and you're helping their community.

You're preventing another crime and another victim.

You're you're getting wins across the board.

I've been a prosecutor on the state or federal level for over 35 years, and I've seen that over time.

The system doesn't really offer help to anyone until they stand convicted and then oftentimes they have to do it through through probate, probation or a diversion program or even while they're incarcerated.

And it does oftentimes it doesn't target those low level offenders who are just kind of dipping their toe in the water.

We needed the ability in district court to capture these people who who might have mental health issues and or addiction issues and get them help at this at the lower level and not wait until they become a fail on the circuit court.

My request informally was to pick counties that want to do it, that have the stakeholders that want to drive this, that would be near a provider, to have a good provider network there, not just one or none.

And then third, that would be geographically, geographically diverse, that we not have this all in urban areas or all in rural areas, because at some point at the end of this Palm Pilot, we're going to be able to take this statewide and be able to put it into effect in all counts.

That's the hope.

The fact that it can get paid for if they can't afford it and it's voluntary on their part that I've always in my years in the criminal justice system, I've always felt like all we do is get people an opportunity to help themselves.

Then what they do with that opportunity is up to them.

This program provides that.

I want to commend the legislature for making this a pilot program, because oftentimes, you know, when things come out of the legislature, it applies to all of us across the state.

I think they were very forward thinking in approving this as a pilot program so we can feel our way along a little bit and tweak it as we go and and see see if it's going to be successful or not.

Westerfield authored Senate Bill 90, and he says he would like to see the pilot program extend to 30 or more counties before it ends roughly four years from now.

September is Hunger Action Month, and anti-hunger advocates in our state are hoping Congress will take action to help the almost 580,000 Kentuckians who are experiencing food insecurity.

They say increasing funds for food assistance programs in the upcoming 2023 farm bill could head off a hunger crisis in our state.

When people think of food insecure, people are like, Well, this is someone who just doesn't go to work.

Well, now that's not the case.

We have a lot of working families that are struggling right now.

Food pantries and soup kitchens all across the state of Kentucky is telling me they also are seeing increases right now.

All of us have had to purchase more food this past year in order to meet the need.

And so, yes, we're dealing with rising food prices as well.

But I tell people all the time, the charitable food system cannot do this alone.

It has to be a collaboration of government and policy and the charitable food system.

We work with the government on two particular programs, and the first one is called TAP.

So that particular program is meant to serve people in need.

It's the Emergency Food Assistance Program.

That program is really important, especially to food banks that are serving rural America.

And why that is, is because, you know, we also rely on a lot of donated food, all that product comes from U.S. farmers.

You know, all USDA products are common.

Nothing is important.

That program for us here at the food bank on a normal year is going to be about 35% of our inventory.

Last year that it literally fell off a list and it was down to 20%.

So you see why we had to purchase more food.

The other one is CSP, which is CSP serves seniors that are 60 and older.

And again, it's based on income.

We have a huge need there.

You know, in the state of Kentucky, one in 14 seniors over the age of 60 are food insecure as long as they qualify for forever and they receive a box of food each month that has around 20 plus items in it.

Plus, they receive the £2 blockages with that, which is perishable course, and then helps supplement their diet throughout the entire month.

And we have seniors tell us all the time they could make it the one thing that we're seeing also with the farm bill is snap.

73% of the households have children that are receiving SNAP benefits.

36% of the households have elderly or disabled recipients and 38% are working families.

SNAP gives families an opportunity to go into the grocery store and get what they really need.

And so it's important for every meal that the charitable food system provides to someone.

SNAP provides nine meals.

So you can see if we lose SNAP funding and that goes down even more.

What's going to happen?

The charitable food system is going to have to pick up that gap.

And what what Congress fails to remember is, is that somebody got to pick up that gap.

You know, it doesn't go away.

It does not go away.

The important thing is, is that we make sure our neighbors facing hunger are fed during Hunger Action month Feeding Kentucky said.

In addition to advocating for anti-hunger legislation, it's also encouraging people to volunteer at food banks.

Time now to go inside Kentucky politics to recap the state's big political news of the week.

And we have a dynamic pair of political operatives with us this time around.

On screen left is Kelsey KURTZ, who's a Democratic strategist, and she is principal of a Blue Dot Consulting.

And Republican Troy Watson is founder of Capital Range PR.

We're glad to have them both here.

Good to see you.

Kelsey remotely tries here in the studio with me.

So let's start with news this week about Leader McConnell.

And we've already talked about that quite a bit.

But in the days since junior senator, Kentucky's junior U.S.

Senator Rand Paul, has made some comments.

Trey Watson about the leader and whether or not he believes the physician's diagnosis of it not being a stroke and perhaps another neurological development there.

Look, Rand Paul's a physician by trade, graduated from Duke Medical, is he knows medicine.

But at the same time, you know, I think Leader McConnell, he's you know, let's face it, he's one of the top 100 most powerful people in the world.

I think he's probably getting pretty good medical care.

So, you know, I trust the leader and his his team of physicians to to make the right call and properly assess his his physical condition.

Well, and Senate Senator Rand Paul did not call for the leader to resign.

He's not questioning his ability to be a leader or to be in the Senate.

So we want to make sure that that's clearly understood.

Kelsey, to you, though, on the other side of it, the Democrats haven't really said a whole lot about the leader's condition.

And another step into this conversation is about whether Governor Andy Beshear, who is in in an election, as we'll talk about in a little bit.

Would he follow the state law that would require him to select a Republican from the list that's given to him?

Should there be a vacancy?

What can you tell us?

I think that on our side of the aisle, Democrats and the governor, we're laser focused on getting him reelected.

And that is what we're focused on now.

So obviously, the governor will get to a decision point.

Should Senator McConnell make some sort of announcement?

However, right now it is all eyes on November 7th and making sure that we get across the finish line there.

So I can't blame the governor for just sort of being tight lipped about that.

And we should say, too, that US Senate Majority Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has not said he would resign.

He said he will remain Republican leader and will remain in the Senate.

So that kind of puts that to rest for the time being.

So now, Kelsey, let's talk about the race for governor.

The ads are intensifying, the messages are intensifying, and we'll be getting in to debate and joint appearances.

And here very soon.

Talk to us about the poll that was released.

It was more of a Democratic leaning poll heart that shows that the governor has a nine point lead over the Republican challenger, Daniel Cameron.

Is that something to be overly proud of right now?

Can he put a lot of stock into that?

Yes, the two points that I think that are the most important for this poll, I believe this latest one, three or four that was released in September showed Bashir 51 and Cameron at 42.

Like he said, this same poll showed that Bashir led Cameron 48 to 45 in July.

So not only has the lead grown for Bashir, but I think it's important to note that he's over that sort of 50% threshold.

I mean, for me, what it boils down to really is that the governor as well, I teach trust that he's authentic and people can't figure out what Daniel Cameron is about.

Know Kentuckians want a governor that's of by and for Kentucky and not somebody that's of special interest or like they can't again figure out what he's about.

And so I think the polls are just quite frankly, reflecting that.

So what do you make of it, Terry Watson?

This particular poll Stratton got in the poll, it's like you write in about 20 years.

I put him up there with Peep and Survey USA for their inability to get the numbers right in Kentucky.

I do trust more of the public opinion strategies poll which came out know about a month or so ago that had a three point race.

I really don't see anything that would have strongly shifted or changed the race and in a dramatic way since then, I think we're probably still there.

When you look at the ads that are coming out now, they're all kind of intro beginning of the general election ad type ads.

So I think that we're probably still sitting at about where that Public Opinion Strategies poll had it, you know, three three points or so.

I just did the Fred Yang hard poll there.

They don't have a good track record.

Well, a lot of people don't trust polls anyway.

The only poll that really matters is when people go to the polls on November 7th.

Whether they early vote in Kentucky is traditionally very hard to poll.

Right.

So now let's talk about those ads that Trey just mentioned.

They are intensifying, whether it's covered abortion, which is not really sad, but it's alluded to in an ad and COVID restrictions.

Kelsey, I want to come to you.

The governor has also come out and said, take my daughter out of an ad that is being broug Talk to us about this ad and are any rules being broken here?

Absolutely.

I don't think you have to be a parent to understand that there are just some lines that you don't want to cross.

Kids are off limit, period.

And I think whether this was like intentionally included or by accident, someone, you know, someone just accidentally used the wrong photo whenever they cut the ad, there's now been enough time for it to be corrected.

And even if that photo was out there publicly, again, we're thinking about intent and impact for it to be used in an attack ad.

She's a minor.

Again, that's just the line that shouldn't be crossed.

How do you see it?

I think it's a piece of B-roll that they found with the governor at a mapping event.

And that state that masking, I think there was no there's no illusion made to his daughter that there's no attack made against his family.

It's against the policy that he had that did not actively hurt some families in Kentucky.

So, you know, I would I personally run and I probably would have been a little more careful.

Is there anything particularly wrong with it?

No, I think it's just it's not going to sway any votes.

Nobody's going to change their vote because of it.

And I think it's just something that the Beshear campaign can fill a day worth of what the press release is complaining about.

Because if there was an attack ad where Daniel Cameron's young son, Theodore, was used, there would be some uproar from the Republican Party, right?

Oh, I'm sure it'd be the same in the same direction.

It would be People would be.

It's it's a day's news story.

But, yeah, there there have been other issues where things like the leader of attack Daniel Cameron on some family issues.

But those are those are different because they had more of a racial component on it.

This is just somebody use a piece of B-roll and happened to have his daughter in it and, you know, probably should have been checked.

But there's not anything particularly wrong with it.

Yeah, there are messages, Kelsey.

It's really, really quickly here in about 20 seconds, the governor really sticking to the economy is going well.

And the achievements that he's been able to make over the last four years.

Is that enough?

I think so.

I think the choice couldn't be more clear in the election.

And voters know that.

It's, again, being reflected in the polls.

We got either an education first governor, a jobs governor, a health care governor, somebody who has our back or somebody who has outside of the mainstream and frankly, extreme views on abortion.

Somebody who wants to strip health care away from Kentuckians and is really just trying to figure out how they can undermine public education and or lean into some culture wars to divide our folks.

And so I think that if we remain laser focused on, you know, health care, jobs, education, the things that the governor has been doing well already on behalf of Kentuckians, then, you know, again, the polls will reflect that in the final goal, as you said, on Election Day, hopefully will reflect that as well.

I'll give you a quick word.

Troy Watson is a red state.

Kentuckians are voting for Republicans at every level of government.

Dana Cameron just sort of conservative that they want for the Senate, that they want for the General Assembly, they want for Congress.

There's no reason to not expect they wouldn't vote the same way for governor.

Well, thank you, Troy Watson.

Thank you, Kelsey.

It's good to see from the two seven avail.

We appreciate it.

Have a great weekend.

Republican members of the General Assembly from Louisville want an audit of the Jefferson County Public School system.

The group sent a letter to state auditor Mike Harmon.

The letter mentions recent school bus problems, violence in schools and academic performance by students.

The letter requests a financial and management audit of the school system.

More and more colleges are taking the virtual route when it comes to recruiting new students.

That includes the Kentucky community and technical College system.

It is rolling out new virtual reality simulators that give students a chance to explore career options on campus recently.

To see how it works when students use the VR headsets, they can really step into the shoes of the professionals.

We've been using the VR headsets and our recruitment efforts for a few weeks now, and we did that really for two reasons.

One, to help students get a little more engaged in their career exploration.

And secondly, to help increase awareness of the really high paying jobs that are really in demand in our region.

So when they use one of our headsets, they have an opportunity to see things, see career fields that are possible that they might not have thought about, but also see things that the jobs that are waiting for them as soon as they're ready to hit the workforce.

I think a lecture can only tell you so much.

You know, getting into the virtual reality where they can get that that almost hands on experience and see exactly what it is they are going to do.

I think that that really benefits them more because the lecture, like I said, it will tell you, it'll tell you the basics.

But but getting in there and getting your hands into it, that that's more beneficial to them.

It was interesting.

It was fairly realistic.

You're not afraid of it?

Oh, I am.

They're really cool.

I'll be fine.

The VR headset was definitely more engaging than just the normal classwork.

You find it in classes I've taken in high school.

It's kind of hard to do book work with it because it just doesn't apply that well.

But I feel like if you're a first time viewer of an oil change, that that would have helped you more than taking notes because it's not really hands on.

We want all students to understand their options.

Some students want to get into the workforce quicker and the trade and technical programs are a really great way for them to do that.

It's a great way for them to get quality training and get into the workforce and know how to do something that somebody wants to pay them to do.

Right.

And so this is a way to expose more students to that and to help students who are thinking about it get a better feel of what that really means and what that looks and feels like on the job.

VR and VR simulations can help people figure out where they want to go with their lives.

While it's not going to 100% sway someone in a direction, it can help make people think things along the lines of.

Well, this is interesting.

I might kind of like this and we'll give it a shot and see if they like it or not.

Using the VR headset, you can look into career paths, anything that can help kind of be a trial run to some careers.

And I think that will be helpful to a lot of high schoolers come and going into college and try and find their career path that they want to do.

Programs like these are so important for them because living in a smaller area, they don't have as much access to these resources as you'd expect.

So getting them out there into the schools, finding out what their dreams are and being able to see that up front, it's really beneficial to them because they finally get that that point where they can seal the deal and say, This is exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Students can explore 12 different career fields with the program.

Berkshire tells us welding and robotics are among the most popular with students.

There's plenty for everyone this weekend trains, barbecue and even an ugliest lamp contest.

Our Toby Gibbs has the particulars and our look at what's up around the Commonwealth.

Tonight, in Lexington, the annual Roots and Heritage Festival begins.

Come celebrate the city's diversity by eating delicious food, enjoying live music and shopping at the marketplace.

The parade starts at 10 a.m. tomorrow, but the festivities run all weekend.

Chug on down to Ravenna this weekend for the Ravenna Railroad Festival.

This event celebrates the industry that birthed the city by partying in the railyard where it all started.

Come enjoy many train rides, arts and crafts booths, great food and more bands and barbecue.

At the point is this weekend in Carrollton.

This event attracts barbecue teams from all over to compete for thousands of dollars in prize money.

There's also an air show, live bands, fireworks and even an amateur barbecue contest.

Come out to Carrollton for this smokin event in Bowling Green tomorrow as ample a fest, an event to help you amplify your creative spirit and showcase the talents of children in local art programs.

Enter the karaoke contest backed by a live band.

Or unleash your artist in the painting activities.

There's lots happening to help you explore your creative side while enjoying live music and great food.

Come check it out.

Fall is almost here and Middle Spring's farm in Paris is starting a fun weekly event this Saturday called Fall Farm Fun and Flower Fields.

To get us all in the autumn spirit, head to the farm for hay rides, flower fields, a unique Kentucky corn maze, pumpkin patches, and even more.

This event is every weekend from now through October 29th.

The Black Mountain Jamboree starts tonight in Monticello and runs all day tomorrow.

Camp Camp in the heart of Lake Cumberland and experience a great lineup of Americana rock and country music along with the music.

You can enjoy the fresh air, hiking trails and overall great vibes.

Starting this weekend in Union come uncover the supernatural secrets of the big Bone Lake State Historic site.

The Encounters of Supernatural Phenomena Team and the Park staff will help you become a paranormal investigator as you explore the park using a variety of investigative tools.

This spooky opportunity is Saturday evenings from now through November 11th.

Next Thursday kicks off the Black Gold Festival.

This festival has a bit of everything live music, great food, a parade, stunt show, and even an ugliest lamp contest.

Head to Hazard next week for all that and more at this awesome event.

And that's what's happening around the Commonwealth.

I'm Toby Gibbs.

Fun all over the state.

He's been called a lot of things, but boring isn't one of them.

Terry Meiners has been a fixture on Kentucky radio for almost 40 years and he isn't slowing down any time soon.

He sits down with Kelsey Starks on the next inside Louisville to talk about his personal life, his career on the air, and how he's navigated being in the spotlight for so long.

And I think you've told me this, too, is that being a part of a family like that has is really kind of where this career of yours started, because you had to stand out in a crowd and you started like telling jokes and just being crazy to get everybody's attention.

My brothers and sisters are all very funny.

It's really interesting.

And you're right.

That's exactly what it is.

It's a need to just be.

You ever been to a lake and you see all those fish up there and they got there because you're throwing popcorn and they're all trying to get up.

That's what it's like when you're in a family of 14 just trying to get attention.

You can see the full interview on inside Louisville this Sunday at noon 11 Central on KCET.

And join us Monday night as Renay Shaw and her guests discuss Kentucky's health care challenges.

You can send us your questions and comments.

That's Monday at eight Eastern.

Seven Central on Kentucky tonight here on KCET.

We hope you'll join us again Monday night at 630 Eastern, 530 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 Send us a story idea Public affairs at Ket dot org and follow us on Facebook.

X, formerly known as Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Thank you for joining us.

I'm Cassie Parker Bell.

Bernard Shaw will return on Monday.

Have a great weekend.