It's live sports.

It's a great thing for the brand.

It's a signature industry in Kentucky.

But this experience is a bit different for the athletes and the spectators, because when our workers win, we all win.

Louisville's congressman praises auto workers hours before they could go on strike.

The intent of the bipartisan safer communities Act is a great one.

I think the wording was a little odd.

Could last year's gun safety law affect the future of archery in schools, or is this concern missing the mark?

What a great job.

Getting to learn from watching pools of ten year olds.

How cool is that?

And they're the head of the class.

Meet Kentucky's top teachers.

As the Kentucky Department of Education names the 2024 teachers of the year.

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 Thursday, September the 14th.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for winding down your Thursday with us.

The Kentucky Board of Education has announced a temporary replacement for outgoing education commissioner Jason Glass.

More in today's education news.

The board named Robin Fields Kenny as interim state commissioner of education during a special meeting today.

Kenny has served as an associate commissioner for the State Department of Education, overseeing the Office of Finance and Operations.

This will be her second time serving as interim commissioner.

Kenny is not eligible to become commissioner permanently, according to the Education Department.

She will take over the role on September 30th, one day after Glass leaves the Post.

Before announcing Kenny his appointment as interim commissioner at the meeting, board members voted unanimously to adopt a resolution honoring Glass for his service.

Therefore, be it resolved that the Kentucky Board of Education does hereby adopt this resolution.

September 14, 2023, expressing its sincerest gratitude and appreciation for the dedication and efforts of Commissioner Glass and wishes him all the very best in his next role as he continues his lifelong career in education leadership.

Glass announced last month he was resigning his post a year early over Senate Bill 150, which he called, quote, a sweeping and harmful piece of anti LGBTQ plus legislation.

Glass came under fire from Republican lawmakers for issuing guidance to districts that were inclusive of LGBT Q Plus students.

That led to two two lawmakers to file resolutions urging the Kentucky Board of Education to dismiss him from his role.

A new face is headed to Northern Kentucky University on Wednesday.

The university's Board of Regents voted unanimously to hire Katie Short Thompson as the university's new president.

She's a former professor and chair of the university's communications department.

Short Thompson is currently CEO of Breakthrough Cincinnati, a nonprofit focused on educational equity.

She has also served as provost at Hope College and Dean at the University of Cincinnati.

Blue Ash College Short Thompson takes over as president on October the second.

We're not done talking about education in just a few minutes here on Kentucky Edition.

The future of archery in Kentucky.

Some are concerned about what a new federal law could mean for the sport.

Now turning to politics.

Former President Donald Trump is headed to Lexington Fray.

And Anderson, chair of the Fayette County Republican Party, tells the Lexington Herald-Leader the former president will host a fund raiser for his presidential campaign on Friday, September the 22nd.

That's a week from tomorrow.

Tickets start at 30 $300 apiece.

The Republican Party is not saying why the fundraiser is being held in Lexington.

Trump is not the only national Republican looking to Kentucky for fund raising help.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, another Republican presidential hopeful, was also in Lexington for a fundraiser on Tuesday.

The Herald-Leader reports Joe and Kelly Craft hosted the DeSantis event.

Kelly Craft, who ran for governor in the May Republican primary, served as Trump's ambassador to Canada and later United Nations ambassador.

Construction is moving along on an electric vehicle battery plant in Bowling Green.

A special program was held onsite today as the final beam was installed on ABC.

Several of the workers and construction crews signed the beam before it went up.

City, county and state leaders gave remarks, including Governor Andy Beshear and State Senator David Givens.

The automotive battery maker is headquartered in Japan.

The Bowling Green operation is one of the largest economic development projects in state history.

This location provide us many, many good opportunities like the strong workforce and the transport powering and also this infrastructure.

They are very good skills and also the fruit from the government now very, very big support.

This is a game changing, state changing project here in Bowling Green, Kentucky, combined with a couple other projects that makes us the electric vehicle battery production capital of the United States of America.

What's behind us is going to provide 2000 good jobs for our Kentucky families and cement us as an automotive leader for decades to come.

Once production is up and running, the Gigafactory will create batteries to power up to 300,000 vehicles a year.

The company says their technology has less charging time and increased range and efficiency for electric vehicles.

This is the single largest investment project ever for Bowling Green, Warren County.

Vertical farming has arrived in Boone County.

80 Acres Farms has just started a $95 million operation.

80 acres operates indoor farms that grow food using 100% renewable energy without pesticides.

The company's main location in Hamilton, Ohio, can grow 10 million servings of fruits and vegetables every year.

It's been providing food to Kroger since 2019.

Governor Andy Beshear was on hand for the farm's opening.

He said, quote, Kentucky's growth in the agritech or agritech sector is a key part of our Commonwealth's surging and versatile economy, which is creating quality job opportunities for all Kentuckians, end quote.

The 80 acres operation in Boone County will mean 125 jobs at Churchill Downs and Louisville jockeys are back in the saddle again this fall.

Meat is more significant than usual.

This is the first time horses have raced at Churchill since 12 horses died at the track last spring, and the spring meat moved to Alice Park in Henderson.

Racing today comes two days after the horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority, also known as hisA, released a report saying the Churchill Downs track was not a factor in the horses deaths.

There was nothing in the horse's medical histories to suggest a pattern, and there were no rules violations involving medication as the fall meat at Churchill Downs gets under way.

Another live racing meet comes to a close in southern Kentucky.

Every year, Kentucky Downs and Franklin hosts seven days of live horse racing.

Our Laura Rogers takes us to the track.

And a horse.

Tyler Garfield is one of horse racing's rising stars.

He won this year's Kentucky Oaks aboard.

Pretty mischievous.

And in 2019, the Preakness Stakes.

Aboard War of Will is great.

Coming home from Saratoga.

Coming here is a little more laid back and it's just a lot of fun riding it and a sturdy horse off riding here at Kentucky Downs isn't typical of other race tracks, but the layout is nothing else we have here in the United States.

It is a European style course.

It's surface is old turf, and it is described as being shaped like a kidney bean as opposed to an oval with some ups and downs.

It's definitely challenging, but that's what makes it so interesting.

The horses get down here, they seem to do well.

It's a big open environment.

You know, it's more natural, kind of brings it back to the basis for the horses.

Our guys, like in here, they offer great money.

The past couple of years that race have been getting more competitive, better quality of horses.

We have some European imports coming over, so that's always exciting.

Gaff Leone spent the summer at Saratoga race course before returning to Kentucky Downs and Franklin, where he won 12 races this meet and his third Kentucky Downs riding title.

Average daily purses were the largest in America, so people race for the money.

They have to feed those horses and run their operation.

Even a second or third place at our track is is a good value for them.

The horsemen are getting some of their investment back.

Kentucky racetracks are also home to historical horse racing machines, which supporters say helped draw bigger crowds and more money in pursuit of coastal breaking.

We predicted two years ago that at the full implementation of the HHR machines that Kentucky would have the best year round purses in North America.

Here we are two years later and that prediction is coming true.

And with the passage of House Bill 551 horse racing tracks can now also operate as sports betting facilities.

Event Gaming Hall, Cumberland Run and Corbett has partnered with a mobile app for online sports betting.

We look at the sports betting as an important partnership, and so we're happy to be on with DraftKings.

Number two, sports betting is an amenity.

It's another thing at the end of the stretch.

We live in a sports crazy state, and I've never seen such positive reaction to a bill that we passed in Frankfort as I have.

The reaction to sports betting, Jack crews off slowly live racing now coming to a close for this meet at Kentucky Downs.

But for Galion, there's no time for a break.

It'll be exciting.

Getting back to Churchill.

We had a little bit of an issue early in the spring, but they addressed everything they could and we're all very excited.

I've worked out where the track is great, so our systems go.

For Kentucky Edition.

I'm Laura Rogers.

Online Sports Wagering in Kentucky began September 28.

Kentucky's unemployment rate was 4% in August.

That's up a 10th of a percent from July, and it's unchanged from one year ago.

Nationally, unemployment was 3.8% in August.

Kentucky has a civilian workforce of around 2 million people.

And we're following a shooting tonight in Louisville after a fight on a school bus.

Louisville Public Media says someone shot a student and an adult as students were getting off the bus.

The student is from Eastern High School.

The shooting was on the corner of 24th Street and Magazine Street.

Police say the victims wounds are not life threatening.

We'll follow this and update you tomorrow night.

U.S.

Senator Mitch McConnell took to the Senate floor this week blaming liberals for continue to add violent crime in many of America's major cities.

Violent crime in some American cities has grown so rampant, even the local media are struggling to keep up.

Last month, a Chicago news crew was filming a story about armed robbery when they themselves became the victims of armed robbery.

This is a city where Democrats recently swapped out a mayor who famously refused to let law enforcement do their job.

For one who called defunding the police a, quote, real political goal.

Unfortunate, like millions of Americans live under liberal local leaders who would rather bend to solve on crime, radicalism and keep their street fight.

Senator McConnell also criticized the crime response in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and urged President Biden to take action nationwide to fight crime.

Kentucky is one of 42 states settling a lawsuit with tempo for misleading and overcharging customers.

Tempo is a leasing company.

The lawsuit accused Tempo of telling customers they were buying items on an installment plan when they were actually leasing those items.

And the suit says Tempo ended up charging people more than double or triple what the items should have cost.

As part of the agreement.

Existing leases will be canceled and customers can keep their merchandise without paying any more for it.

That amounts to about $33 million.

The states involved in the lawsuit, including Kentucky, will each get $1 million.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron says, quote, For our free market system to work, everyone must play by the same rules and follow the law.

End quote.

The United Auto Workers could go on strike at midnight if the union and America's Big Three automakers can't reach a deal.

And the union says it doesn't expect a deal before the deadline.

The UAW has 146,000 members nationwide.

Louisville is home to about 12,000 Ford jobs.

And yesterday, the congressman for the Louisville area, Democrat, Morgan McGarvie, took to the House floor to praise the UAW and Ford workers in Louisville.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solidarity with the United Auto Workers.

Louisville, Kentucky, is a Ford town.

Since 1969, we've been making Ford trucks every Ford Escape, Ford F-250, F-350.

That 450 is made in Louisville, Kentucky, with Union labor from our brothers and sisters and local 862 providing solid middle class jobs and a good life for so many Louisville families.

We make Ford trucks and we're proud of Ford's success.

Ford made billions in profits last year, and Local 862 was responsible for 54% of Ford's North American profits.

That's more than enough to go around and make sure every worker earns a good wage, has good benefits, and operates in a safe working environment.

We must have a fair contract for the men and women of Local 862 and the UAW.

It's real simple.

The people who build Fords should be able to buy Fords.

I'm proud that Louisville is a union town with a thriving middle class built on union labor.

Let's keep it that way, because when our workers win, we all win.

I yield back.

The union is unhappy about a system where newer workers work for lower pay and fewer benefits, and the UAW doesn't like the car companies use of temporary workers.

The state is urging small business owners to apply for a tax credit of up to $25,000.

Now the earlier business owners apply, the more likely they are to get approval in time for this year's tax filings.

The tax credit is open to any business that added at least one new full time employee and invested at least $5,000 in certain kinds of equipment or technology.

The tax credit could range from 30 $500 to 25,000, depending on the number of jobs created and the amount invested in new equipment.

A Hopkins County family who lost their home after our tornado destroyed it received the keys to a new home on Wednesday.

The family has been living in a camper since the tornado hit their town of Dawson Springs in 2021.

The home is one of over 125 building projects funded by the team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund.

Several nonprofits have been involved in rebuilding efforts.

There are plans to build or significantly repair 300 homes for tornado survivors, according to the governor's office.

Last year, Congress passed the bipartisan Safe, Safer Communities Act in order to curb gun violence.

Part of the law, though, bans funding for, quote, training in the use of a dangerous weapon.

Language the US Department of Education said directed it to withhold funds from schools with archery programs, and that had politicians on both sides of the aisle up in arms.

But leaders of the largest youth archery program in the US started here in Kentucky, say archery isn't going anywhere.

I think that the intent of the bipartisan Safer Communities Act is a great one.

I think the wording was a little odd.

It has everything to do with funding.

We don't use any federal funding to fund our archery programs and we have 225 plus students and all 11 schools who their passions are archery.

The reality is most schools, especially in Kentucky, don't use federal funds to purchase their archery equipment.

Archery equipment is used through local funding, local grants.

A lot of fund raising within the school itself.

Archery is the same for only below one other sport.

Other sport is ping pong.

When we teach archery, safety is number one.

As far as the weapons way that goes.

These kids are taught the right way what to do, what not to do.

And I do not consider our two programs using the weapon.

They're using a piece of equipment the same as you would use on a football team.

Any time that we call any any business or anyone for a sponsorship or to see if they'd be willing to help out any way, we almost never get turned down because they see what the program does and how many kids that it supports.

All students, no matter what size, gender, athletic ability, economic status students find, maybe sometimes for the first time that are they feel like they're a part of the school, they feel successful in something.

They need to have a reason to come to school.

For some kids, it's archery.

Archery has been like my number one thing since I've started because it's just been the most fun thing that I've been a part of.

It's a great community.

It's I mean, a lot of friends.

It gets you out of your comfort zone in a sense.

It helps you calm down and it's helped me a lot with anger issues in the past to be able to control and be able to shoot straight.

You know, there's so many skills developed through archery, the focus, the concentration that is needed and the focus for students to be successful in archery and then helping them translate that over to the classroom when they're solving a problem.

All of those reasons is why, you know, we have 225 plus students in archery and why we support archery here for our students and our coaches, and the community loves it.

We get really excited about archery.

It's the president of the National Archery.

And the school's program tells us the groundswell of support for school archery programs leads him to believe federal funding will not be cut.

A new endowment will help Eastern Kentucky University students attend EKU satellite campus in Manchester, W Wymt and Hazard says it's a $1.5 million endowment Interest from the endowment would pay 50000 to $60000 for students to attend the school.

State Senator Robert Stivers says so far the community has donated about $890,000 for Easton, Kentucky students.

The Kentucky Department of Education honored teachers yesterday at the 2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year ceremony.

Ten semifinalists were chosen from more than 1300 nominations.

We showed you the overall winner yesterday, but there is more than one winner.

Hear from them as we look at yesterday's ceremony.

Today's ceremony recognizes and celebrates the most important profession there is the profession that makes other professions possible.

Teaching.

I think it's really important to remember that our teachers cultivate the future of Kentucky one get at a time when classroom at a time, when community at a time.

You don't get to choose your students.

You don't get to choose their circumstances.

You love every child that walks through your door.

You have proven that you are always ready, even in the face of adversity.

You strive daily to meet the needs of your students, and you do so with grace, compassion and love.

Thank you for your commitment to excellence.

It does not go unnoticed.

While student and family needs always come first to us, please don't forget that you are important to.

We experienced trauma and then we show up to work the very next day because it's who we are.

We have one of the toughest spirits to break.

You are never alone.

My precious sweet granddaughters Jade and Emma are Pop's pride and joy, but I'm equally proud of and find joy each day in 63 grand kids.

My wonderful students.

What a great job.

Getting to learn from room pools of ten year olds.

How cool is that?

Getting paid to tell and listen to stories.

Dress up in crazy costumes, talk politics, and just have fun sharing unique foods and artifacts.

And that's the message upon which we must focus the pride and joy of teaching.

I don't have a long speech about what I do every day because I do what everyone in this room does every day.

I care about.

And I love my students.

I make them feel welcome every single day.

I support them no matter who they are.

And I make sure that whatever their dream is, no matter how big or small astronaut medically ridiculous, they know that it's possible for them if they put in hard work and they do the right thing.

I always preach in my classroom that kindness and respect are the two values that are the most important for any human being.

And that's what I teach.

I teach little human beings.

I don't teach social studies.

I don't teach history.

That's a vehicle.

But I teach young kids.

We get rewarded by the work that we do.

So to have a public forum where we're being recognized as leaders means the world to me.

I'll deal with a population of at risk students who many of them are, are our product of the criminal justice system.

And so people have given up on these students.

But I don't give up only one because most of those students look like me.

And most of those students are me when I was younger and some sort of sense.

So it's incumbent upon me to give back.

Give back.

And this is my best way to give back.

And now I have the honor of introducing the Kentucky Teacher of the Year.

So please join me in congratulating Mr. Kevin Daley.

Today's a celebration about things.

Tomorrow is the business of making sure that everyone in our state recognizes that all of our children, no matter who they are, deserve to be seen, heard, welcomed and safe in every space that they exist in.

My goal is to help advocate for those kids.

Along with the title, Kevin Daley won $10,000 and was named as a Kentucky Department of Education and Basata nominations for the 2025 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Open and November.

The Marines have landed.

It's not an invasion.

A U.S. Marine Corps movie to be also known as an Osprey landed today on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington.

The Osprey combines the up and down mobility of a helicopter with the speed and range of an airplane.

It's become one of the cornerstones of the Marines fighting arsenal.

While on campus today, the Marines talked to students about careers in the Corps.

We'll have much more on the Osprey and the Marines visit to UK tomorrow, which we hope you'll join us for Kentucky Edition.

Again, a Friday edition, 630 Eastern, 530 Central will be informed, connect and Inspire.

We hope that you connect with us all the way as you see on the screen.

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Thank you so much for watching.

Take really good care and I'll we'll see you Friday right here for Kentucky Edition.

Have a good night.