♪ ♪ >> We have some of the best technology we have some of the best trained individuals out there.

>> The governor praises police for their work as a Laurel County manhunt continues.

You'll find it's a little funky and one northern Kentucky town art is everywhere.

You look.

♪ ♪ >> And these seniors are harmoniously proving that age is just a number.

>> Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ ♪ Good Evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Thursday, September, the 12th, I'm Renee Shaw.

Good to be back in our Lexington Studio and thank you so much for joining us this evening.

>> We continue our on the road series today as we wind down our week in northern Kentucky today, a conversation with northern Kentucky university's new president.

A look at the varied opinions when it comes to medical marijuana in the region.

And we explore a northern Kentucky city that's betting big on outdoor art.

But first, today's important news.

Police continue their search for Joseph Couch.

The man wanted in Saturday's Laurel County.

Interstate 75 shooting that left.

5 people hurt 4 of the 5 people shot are now out of the hospital and the 5th is expected to survive.

Governor Andy Beshear met with state police today for an update on the man hot.

>> Very grateful everyone from the sheriff's office to to the city of London, police to ksp to the FBI to fish and wildlife and so many others that are there and we have some of the best technology.

We have some of the best trained individuals out there.

We have bloodhounds that are in from Illinois.

Truly everybody doing everything they can to assure that community that we're gonna bring this individual to justice, but also ensure their safety in the in the coming days.

>> Today was the 5th full day of the manhunt while American citizens in Kentucky will vote on whether only American citizens can vote in Kentucky.

>> Now, if that sounds confusing here, explain only U.S. citizens can vote and federal and statewide elections but state Republican lawmakers say there's nothing to stop cities from allowing refugees and other undocumented immigrants from voting in local elections, the statewide and national campaign wants to close that gap.

>> And I do think that most people think that this is not an issue because it hasn't happened here yet again.

We can Port San Francisco.

We can point to municipalities and Vermont and Maryland and Washington, D.C., now where it has happened under similar language to what we have.

I'm not here to say that it would absolutely happened under our constitutional language that would as senator, how articulate it come down to how our courts here in the state interpret that issue or if it was to take it up through the federal court process, it might be interpreted differently than it was in California.

It was in Maryland are a lot.

However, this just clarifies and make sure that it's not an issue and it doesn't go to the courts.

It tabled by the people of the commonwealth.

>> Its really gonna make the sector states life easier in election as traitors lives easier because you're taking away the ability for localities, municipalities to create bifurcated systems that would just further complicate the administration of elections.

>> The national group, Americans for Citizens Voting just released this digital ad in Kentucky.

>> I think you, Piers, that is and then you should be.

>> Able to vote.

But if you're not, I feel fairly strongly that you should not be.

>> Defying a committee meeting of state lawmakers earlier this summer, Kentucky secretary of State Michael Adams, Kentucky's chief election official said in his tenure his office has, quote, seeing no evidence that noncitizens have voted or attempted to vote in our elections in, quote.

We continue to get reaction to this week's presidential debate.

A college student from Kentucky was right in the middle of the action Tuesday night in Philadelphia.

Caleb Neitzel is a business economics major at western Kentucky University.

He has a strong interest in politics and writes commentary for the College Heights Herald.

The Barron County native was in the SPIN ROOM Tuesday night covering the debate for the student newspaper.

>> It was really funny because I'm up there trying to get my clips for the college paper here for the Herald and I'm standing next to big name reporters, Iran in the Martha Raddatz.

I got to speak Sean Hannity briefly, which was really interesting is really cool to be kind of the young and inexperienced college kid but be in there with some of those season.

The big name reporters.

>> Neitzel says with the race so close young voters will be an important demographic this November.

If they go to the polls, he says issues like abortion, gun violence and the economy are important to young Americans at 18 years old.

This will be a night souls.

First time voting in a general election.

He also has future plans to run for public office.

♪ All this week we brought you stories about Northern Kentucky.

That's home to 400,000 people.

The higher Education institution that helps drive the region of northern Kentucky is northern Kentucky University.

It serves more than 15,000 students.

Many of them first generation college goers and of non-traditional age.

I caught up with NK use 7th President KET Short Thompson about the mission of Nku and the recent decision to dissolve the diversity office as we go on the road.

Northern Kentucky University's a 56 year-old regional comprehensive university.

>> And we have all levels of degrees, undergraduate and graduate, including doctoral degrees and they range the gamut in the focus and the whole purpose of the university is really to provide access to quality education that's affordable, as well as to prepare our students for the workforce demands of our region.

And we have over 15,000 students about 15,324 to be precise.

And frankly, we have been just growing and changing over the last couple of decades to meet the needs of our region.

We've grown more online in the last 5 years.

We've grown more graduate in the last 5 years.

And a lot of that has to do with the demands of the region and the student body that we serve.

What do you love about NK?

Yeah.

So I started my career.

Here is a faculty member.

I spent 14 years on faculty at the very, very beginning of my career.

I was very young and essentially this university raise me as a professional and the university's values are in me.

And as I lead as president, I certainly harking back to those days of all that I learned in all that I know about being in higher education.

Thanks to Nku.

They will say it's those relationships.

That's that it's that good care that we provide its thinking about the students and how we can really work to transform their lives and to it impacts or should rectory of their life.

Because it is remarkable the power of education they come in unsure of themselves, not quite certain what they want to study or who they might want to be calm as professionals.

And we just see it happen before us.

And we're there with them along the way and provide all sorts of advice and touches and it's really moving to be a part of the work that we do here and it never gets old.

And it happens in every field of study.

We're all just so invested in their success.

It's quite inspiring Frankfort during this previous session, there was lots of conversation about Dei and we anticipate that diversity, equity inclusion, conversations when it comes to.

>> Not just higher education, but possibly even K through 12 that that will reemerge next year.

It's right.

And it seems that in KU and University of Kentucky have been proactive and in doing what you're doing is you're lying to us what you've done and how do you still stay true to the commitment to serve all students without a particular office that many people associate with, you know, exacting that mission, of course.

>> So as you know, in 2 different bills, most well, bills were proposed but not approved, but almost past right.

And so we are certain that that the legislature, when they resume will actually propose a bill that will pass in this session.

It's been pretty clear in conversations and in the previous bills.

But the real focus have been in terms of, you know, what sorts of things have legislators really paid attention to whether it's diversity statements or both.

Sir, preferential hire hiring practices or frankly centralized office is over for whether it's a dei officer, a chief diversity officer.

There have been certain themes not just in Kentucky, but frankly across the country, 30 different states have been working through lots of legislature across the country.

And so even paying attention and certainly have been involved in advocating for the needs of the university.

The priorities in the values of the university.

And I can say that, you know, I testified in July about the importance of being able to talk key ideas around inclusion in our curriculum for so, for example, there are a number of accrediting bodies.

We have 45 outside external accrediting bodies for our different programs.

So, for example, if you want to be a nurse going to be really important that you learn about the social determinants of health, I going to be a teacher.

It's really important that you learn about teaching different populations and the different learning styles and all sorts of different things that refer to different populations.

So in my mind, those are the most important for us to protect and to make sure that our educations, high-quality, reflective of the world that we're serving and also preparing our students to be a part of a diverse workforce because that's what we're preparing them to do.

That's our job.

And at the same time, it's also exceptionally important for us to serve our students in a way that they feel welcome that they belong and that they feel a part of something special if they that they have clubs and organizations and programs and services that support them and that they feel, you know, just a home here.

And so those are all really critical pieces.

Now, the decision to dissolve the inclusive excellence office came actually following the resignation of our chief diversity officer.

And that was a small office, an office of one leader and a title 9 investigator.

And so a title 9 investigator role can be found in any number of offices and our thinking had been that essentially if if the the legislature is already focused upon and at central offices in the kinds of trainings and activities that were held in that office.

It didn't make sense to continue it at this time in in this context, the work continues of serving our students of making sure that our colleagues have the great place to work with.

Everyone is welcome where everyone can do their best work can be valued.

That work continues to work to support our students every single time.

Make sure that they have different programs and clouds and initiatives that really feel like home to them.

Then make sure that they can thrive and be their best selves.

Where I think everybody should have a place on campus where they can find their people.

And sometimes as we were like you sometimes is people are not like you students choose different kinds of programs and services are humans, not robots.

And so I do think it's important to set of the whole range of opportunities for them.

>> But frankly, this decision was one that I believe was responsible given the contacts and given where we are in this climate.

And so I really look forward to traveling through this time and working as we go to make sure that any adjustments that we make maintain the values that we have at the university.

Those include being mindful of inclusion and be mindful of preparing our students for a diverse workforce.

So it's not a simple decision.

Not a simple situation.

And yet at the heart of this place or its people and more than that, people who care about students and their success.

>> And KU has regained its financial footing after experiencing a 24 million dollar deficit.

The doctor short Thompson inherited from the previous administration and kill you.

It resulted in a loss of 120 employees through resignations or retirements.

Kentucky's medical cannabis rollout begins in January of 2025, but not every Kentucky town or county would allow cultivators or dispensaries to set up shop, creating a patchwork of rules that will determine whether Kentuckians and where Kentuckians can get.

Medical cannabis.

Our June Leffler has more on how this is all playing out in northern Kentucky.

>> Medical cannabis is about to roll out in the Commonwealth.

Kentuckians are already using it like Gabriel, Dion of Florence.

>> This is cannabis flower.

>> And and >> this is called a watermelon cake, this train.

And it really does smell like watermelon.

And I use it every day.

I use it mindfully in a way allows me to be present and focused during the day I use things like edibles that I have a slower on Saturday night.

I had a little different products in order to help me get to sleep.

>> Dion bought these products legally in Ohio with her Ohio medical card.

She and her partner, a veteran diagnosed with PTSD who also uses medical cannabis.

Go back and forth from both states in 2022.

Governor Andy Beshear issued executive orders that said the medical marijuana, you get elsewhere, you can use legally in Kentucky to here is our reality.

>> That you can purchase cannabis to treat a medical condition in Illinois.

And you can use that medical cannabis in West Virginia.

But while you're traveling through Kentucky.

Your criminal.

>> Dion credits medical cannabis for helping her kick an addiction to pain pills.

>> I have to generate this disease.

>> And I had gone through too painful surgeries.

>> And I have been able to utilize it as a daily medicine to replace.

Not only opioids, but also the them so that I was on.

I had been >> A nerve medicine called Lyrica.

All of those are not no longer necessary for me now.

But I've been using cannabis.

>> Dion advocates for medical cannabis as a patient and writer, she publishes Medicaid, Kentucky.

A website to help would be medical marijuana.

Patients navigate the Kentucky system.

How easy it will be for Kentuckians to get medical cannabis close to home is up in the air.

Dion lives in Boone County, one of 3 northern Kentucky counties that decided they don't want dispensaries or other cannabis businesses nearby.

>> And we didn't want companies applying to this day.

Until we KET exactly what our local Reds, we're going to be as far as things like distance from the school or distance from a church or even distant from one dispensary to another.

And this isn't something that's kept them down.

That would be that difficult to change.

But we feel like it's the responsible thing to do for now.

>> But cities can override these county bans locally cities like Covington and Newport will welcome.

Cannabis businesses while cities like Florence and Ludlow will put the question to the voters.

>> One thing that you hear from time to time from the visitors is and they don't feel like they have enough of them say so to be able to take any issue to them and let them be heard, especially on something where I don't council felt super strong where the other.

>> He's leaving it up to the community to decide, but he knows how he'll be voting so into many small towns in Kentucky, ours included Townsend to lose their pharmacies, even if they're only going a few miles to Fort writer for Mitchell to the pharmacy up there.

>> It's a little bit of a struggle to get there and get their medical care.

So to me that that's the biggest pro.

And that's the biggest reason to do this.

>> Availability will also depend on where the market needs.

State regulations.

More than 4,000 dispensaries are buying for just 48 state allocated spot to be chosen by lottery this year for Kentucky edition.

I'm Jen Leffler.

>> Those 48 dispensaries will be spread out across the state with at least 4 in each of the regions you see here.

Watt do an alien.

Carlos Colonel Sanders and graffiti have in common.

They're all part of a vibrant public art scene in Covington.

This northern Kentucky River town has become a national model for the power of creative placemaking.

Our friends at Kentucky Life went to Covington to check it out.

♪ Covington, Kentucky.

>> A sleepy river town in the shadow of Cincinnati or how about the best kept secret in public art since the Trojan Horse from internationally recognized murals to a friendly 30 foot alien to a flood wall.

Graffiti Park covington's public art scene is out of this world.

>> We had this amazing historic architecture.

We have these beautiful murals on top of some of these buildings.

It's something that gives us a sense of identity and a sense of community pride.

>> As you travel around and look at the different murals and installations and sculptures here in Covington, you'll find it's a little funky and maybe left of center.

This is place where people can express themselves in many, many different ways.

Be that through Murals street art sculpture, you name it and we've got it.

>> It seems like public art is everywhere in Covington.

And that's not by chance.

A combination of civic leaders and local artists have embraced the concept of creative placemaking.

>> Creative Placemaking is simple and its description.

It's taking a physical space.

>> And making art one of the identifier, something area.

>> When you see an art installation, whether year-old, whether it's something done with lighting the you know that people are paying attention to that environment in their eyes on that place.

And eyes on a place make a play safe.

>> One of the first public art installation site did was to install the 6 chandelier years and then under past.

So I got a grant to put some art in an underpass and also elevate the lighting if she and Ali years are good for a dingy underpass.

How about a muffler shop?

Once the ball is rolling, it really picks up speed and one of the major effects of public art is economic development.

>> The impact of public art on economic development is kind of misunderstood.

It should not be underestimated as creative.

We love living here because we live in a community that supports the arts.

>> And it's going to attract more creatives.

It's going to attract more entrepreneurs for business.

>> Jobs follow people now as opposed to in the past when people follow jobs.

So they want to go where the talent is.

And if we can attract that talent, then we can attract those jobs.

In addition to attracting jobs, public art can have a dramatic impact on tourism and amazing example of this is Blake.

The largest white and public art festival in the country.

>> So blink started in 2017 right here and the Cincinnati region attracting almost 2 million people.

And the economic impact is over 126 million in the last plane.

>> High profile public art is nothing new to Covington.

The London police created this magnificent work at the corner of 4th and Scott Streets and the Brooklyn Collective known us fail is responsible for an amazing trip tech that has become a centerpiece of downtown.

>> We also have local artists, too.

Our in the same gallery, if you will.

We have a 2 story.

Ailing and three-dimensional alien hanging out of a parking garage and we have a stained glass bench that represents on 19 neighborhoods of the City of Covington.

>> And then there's scribble park.

A graffiti park on the flood wall.

That's becoming a hot spot for coming tons up and coming artist.

It's a unique gallery that welcomes everyone.

These are folks that may never get an opportunity to be exhibited at the Cincinnati Art Museum that we're giving them an opportunity.

And it's great for the public to because when they come down, it's constantly changing.

I feel like I'm home in a community with public art.

>> I feel like I am in a place that accepts who I am and except to my creative friends are.

And that's a beautiful thing.

I mean, artist Candy Misfits in wildly creative in Corky.

The Covington is that also were creative in corky.

And we have great ideas coming out of the city.

>> Pretty cold.

You can see more from Covington and a lot of other great cities across the state when season 30 of Kentucky life premieres next month right here on KET.

♪ The Lexington Opera House is known for the impressive talent that has graced its stage over the years Tuesday night.

The legendary venue continued the trend with 12 acts all competing for top prize in the annual Morning Point Foundation's seniors got Talent showcase the competition, gives local seniors 60 years and older the chance to show off lifelong or newly discovered talents.

We have the highlights as part of Katie's next chapter initiative that focuses on the challenges and rewards of growing older.

>> Morning >> point foundation.

Seniors got talent is our version of America's Got Talent that the age requirement to 60.

We have said auditions statewide and we took the top 12 out of 45 auditions to compete live tonight at the Lexington Opera House.

♪ >> It can show people that even though you're over 60 or 65, that you still have energy and life left.

I compare that to the fact that I do a lot of benefit shows that senior citizen centers.

And when you first walk into a senior facility, you think you know why you hear these people are our age but get when you sing songs you can see life come back to.

And that's very important.

So if I can share that life with people to bring happiness and joy and I'm all for it.

>> I'm of that commuter actor in a nursing home and music has just just changed the lives of and the needs of my clients.

And it's it's been a blessing and it's just been it's been a service.

It's it's been great.

They actually picked the ♪ So a lot of is making dreams come true.

>> And that's one thing I love about this event is that people underestimate seniors.

People underestimate their talents and I love this because when people leave, not only will they see seniors that always wanted to compete on this stage or performer become the star.

They always want to be as a child.

We're making dreams come true, making there.

And we're witnessing it.

But also all the proceeds from this event field, nursing scholarships, Occupational Therapy, scholarship, physical therapy, social work.

So right now with, you know, with inflation rates being as high as ever.

We're making students lives a little bit easier to pay for their tuition.

We need more people to stay in nursing and we need more people to stay.

>> In health care as as people are getting older and living longer and medications is, you know, the longevity of people's lives.

We need more health care workers.

And this is opportunity for some of these individuals to get scholarships and to get the support that they need to continue their education and pursue their careers.

It's a wonderful career to be in.

>> It's hard to do.

Take it all in right now.

But we're related.

How can you not do?

>> we've worked really hard.

When we've been able to work in the midst of moving in during vacations and everything else.

it really has paid off.

And the work that we've done has been done in We want them to feel like the stars that they are in again age is just a number and they have the opportunity to come out here and show it.

>> And show their family and their loved ones about what they're good at and create new memories with their families.

The you know And so it sounds the morning Point foundation host seniors got talent come competitions and 3 other cities.

>> All in Tennessee, the winner of last year's competition in Knoxville.

63 year-old stand-up comedian Corky Miller ended up appearing on America's Got Talent show.

Producers saw her routine and the net debt.

So you saw there singing got the People's Choice Award for that.

Seniors got talent event.

Earlier in the program.

We said undocumented immigrants would be blocked from voting by the proposed amendment one or for the proposed amendment.

One we met documented immigrants.

We apologize for that error.

Thanks for watching and we'll see you here tomorrow night.

♪