>> So you have 718 million dollars can go for tax cuts through 3 rounds now been surely one round of the same amount of money.

It could go into our schools.

>> We hear arguments for and against more education spending in Kentucky.

There's no reason we're not allowed to do it here.

That's what I like to say.

Live science labs are in New York, Boston and now Kentucky.

We'll go under the microscope to explore just growing industry.

>> There is a rule that a lot of us can play really every adult can play in Kentucky to make sure that kids stay free of abuse and neglect.

>> And the newest tools in the fight to end child abuse and neglect in Kentucky.

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

♪ ♪ Good Evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION for this Monday, September, the 15th, a brand new week.

I'm Renee Shaw and we thank you for joining us this evening.

Tributes were held across the country over the weekend following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the conservative political activists was shot and killed last week while speaking on a college campus in Utah.

The 22 year-old suspect is expected to be formally charged when he makes his first court appearance tomorrow.

Last night.

Republican Congressman Andy Barr of Kentucky, 6 district join students on the University of Kentucky campus for what was described as a vigil to honor Kirk's life.

>> I'm not just on you often.

We must not back down.

We must not be intimidated.

We must be We must be people with problems.

You're just being true.

>> Democratic Governor Andy Beshear was also asked about Kirk's death while speaking to a group of reporters this morning.

He said the focus should be on ending political violence.

>> What we have seen is violence and political violence directed against just about anyone.

Everyone satellite.

You look back at the former Minnesota speaker of the House who was assassinated Charlie Kirk.

It was assassinated.

2 attempts at the president of the United States, an attack on Nancy Pelosi is has been a firebombing.

My friend Josh Shapiro's home a plot against Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

What we're seeing is is is is political violence that's that's directed at everyone.

So it needs to be condemned by everyone.

We don't get anywhere and lowering the temperature in getting to that better.

America by by evaluating violence about who it's directed towards.

We get somewhere by condemning it entirely every time no matter what and condemning the type of words that might give rise to it.

This ought to be an enough is enough moment and being from somebody is bins personally impacted by by a mass shooting.

Anger doesn't get us where we need to go.

But a resolution to making it to that making sure it doesn't happen again as is what we ought to be focused on.

>> We'll talk about the political discourse that the Charlie Kirk shooting has ignited on Kentucky tonight along with a conversation about state and national politics.

And of course, we want your questions and comments comments.

That's tonight on Kentucky tonight at 8 Eastern 7 central right here on KET.

In other news, a judge has dismissed a lawsuit by state auditor Allison Ball against the Beshear administration.

Honor to ball sued Governor Beshear and the Cabinet for Health and family services for their failure to enact Senate Bill.

151.

Now, that's the so-called kinship care bill that's meant to help people who care for relatives child by allowing them access to financial aid.

The bill passed unanimously last year became law in July with the governor's signature.

But the Beshear administration argued the law couldn't be implemented because the Kentucky General Assembly failed to appropriate money for it.

The bill was estimated to cost roughly 20 million dollars.

The auditors office said the lawsuit was necessary climbing the Beshear administration refused to provide relevant information.

And today's ruling Franklin Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wingate said the Cabinet has complied and that the auditor lack standing.

Governor Beshear says he will include money for SB 151, and his next budget request.

U.S.

District judge says he will allow a new state law prohibiting taxpayer funded gender affirming care for inmates to continue while a legal challenge plays out the ACLU of Kentucky is suing the state's Department of Corrections for denying it in the inmate hormone therapy in accordance with Senate Bill.

2 passed during the 2025 Kentucky General Assembly.

The Federal class action lawsuit claims the bill violates the U.S.

Constitution's 8th amendment prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment and the 14th Amendment guaranteeing equal protections.

But on Friday, a Kentucky judge said the ACLU has, quote, not shown at this preliminary stage, a constitutional violation that warrants and joining the enforcement.

The ACLU called the decision disappointing, adding, quote, We will continue to demonstrate to the court how the school policy violates our clients right to receive medically necessary health care end quote.

A recent report from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy says state education funding has not kept pace with inflation.

Teacher unions and superintendents echoed the report last week publicly asking for 718 million dollars more.

But other policy groups say more money alone won't improve education outcomes.

Our dew Leffler explains in this report.

>> State lawmakers cut public spending in the 2008 recession hit public education funding has not rebounded since then says Jason Bailey.

>> It will cost about 1.3 billion dollars to get back to the level of funding we had even back then.

So we need to figure out where we can start and the General Assembly has clearly identify that you can spend 718 million dollars on reducing the income tax.

In fact, they've done it 3 times now, just in the last few years.

So if 718 million dollars can go for tax cuts through 3 rounds now been surely one round of the same amount of money could go into our schools, barely points to specific funding that disappeared in recent years and their specific earmarked items like >> funding for textbooks and hunting for professional development that just got easier.

Now.

>> And he says the state is not meeting its statutory obligation to fully fund transportation.

The cost of transportation has gone way up.

It's a lot more bus now than it was 10 years ago.

>> And it's harder to attract and retain bus drivers who don't like a lot of money and they can make more driving for ups for doing something in the private sector.

So if we can't get kids to and from school that we can't have schools that much of the money districts receive is flexible and its local superintendents and elected school boards to set their priorities says Jim Waters of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions.

>> The local districts have gotten.

Pretty much what sums of funding to do what they wish to do with stand.

>> That's I think an attempt by lawmakers to say the local districts, your the best, the term and there what he's needed in your district year.

The best.

Once that its side do you need to give teachers a raise?

Do you need capital projects?

The you need other programs?

>> The recent Kyi policy report calls for funding to hire more staff specifically teachers bus drivers in school counselors.

Watters worries districts spend too much on positions outside the classroom.

>> We've had a tremendous increase in the central office.

Bureaucracy and pain on teaching personnel.

Were you what kind of return on investment?

The most taxpayers think that is?

Waters also calls for more district level of transparency and accountability.

>> He plans to Fayette County Public Schools which has depleted its essential contingency account for reasons, not yet known to the public.

>> Before we spend more dollars on K 12 education in Kentucky.

We need more accountability on where the dollars have gone for Kentucky edition.

I'm Jen Leffler.

>> Thank you.

June Kentucky lawmakers will hammer out their two-year budget in the 2026 legislative session.

One Republican that chairs the Senate Budget Committee called the recent spending request partisan and not worth consideration.

Education is just one issues state lawmakers will address during the upcoming Kentucky General Assembly session that begins in January.

They'll also be faced with cuts to federal programs, including Medicaid and the supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program called SNAP for short, that was one of the topics discussed on Friday's episode of Katie's comment on Kentucky >> ahead of the 2026 legislative session here in Kentucky.

Now a good just a few months away.

Some of the issues are starting to emerge.

Federal cuts to the slap nutritional program will shift a lot of calls to the state to Hannah.

Our Kentucky lawmakers trying to figure out how to handle it even before they start crafting that two-year state budget.

>> They definitely are.

I mean, they heard about these new costs during an interim committee meeting and what they do know right now is that they will have to account for an increase in administrative costs, which is expect to cost millions of dollars in both the fiscal year.

2027 in fiscal year 2028, I had spoken to McDaniel about those who is chair of the Senate appropriations and Revenue Committee.

And you told me, you know, those administrative costs can be absorbed in the state budget from that general fund and it will be impactful.

But it will be it's something that they can do on the second part of this.

And what we do know is that they Kentucky could have to pay for some of snaps benefits based on its payment error rate.

And that was also a new provision passed in the budget bill that focuses on what is an error rate.

>> Itself re trying to play its simplest terms is when household either receives more or less than the benefit amount.

So right now that tolerance level is Seth.

57 dollars.

And if the rate is greater than 6% for a state, then they will have to pay for a percentage of the benefit costs.

>> Are there other areas that the state government is going to have to in terms of cuts that have are coming from the federal government.

>> Yeah, I mean, obviously one of the biggest cuts that we saw was to Medicaid, the Medicaid is a huge pot of money that Kentucky gets every year to pay for a lot of people's health insurance in the state.

And essentially what what could start affecting Kentucky is really quickly is additional eligibility checks.

That will be a really big administrative burden for the state.

We don't have estimates on that yet.

I think the state is putting that together.

At last.

I heard, but that could be a lot of extra staff they need for the administration to just do the track.

>> But even if are just ignoring some of the other cuts to Medicaid just in making sure we have enough people to do twice the number of eligibility checks prices frequently.

So we don't have a summit on that yet, but I'm sure they're going to have to grapple with that.

You can see the rest of the conversation and stream the entire episode of comment on Kentucky online on demand by logging on to KET DOT.

>> Org.

♪ It's a key has one of the highest rates of child abuse and neglect in the United States.

2 child advocacy groups are working to change that according to a 2023 child Maltreatment report by the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, Kentucky ranked 4th in the nation for child maltreatment.

14 out of every 1000 children in the state face maltreatment double the national average and for enfants.

The rate is particularly high with 34 out of every 1000 infants in Kentucky experiencing abuse and neglect nationally.

The rate is 22 out of every 1000 neglect ranked as the highest maltreatment type for children in Kentucky followed by physical abuse and sexual abuse.

Co-chair for Kids and Kentucky.

You've advocates are trying to bring those numbers down with the launch of a new educational training video and a series of them created to raise awareness about child maltreatment and abuse.

>> It's an adult responsibility to make sure that kids stay safe.

And there is a rule that a lot of us can play really every adult can play in Kentucky to make sure that kids stay free of abuse and neglect.

The overall goal of the committee cause they're for kids face it.

Misspent videos that have been released is to ensure that anyone who engages with children in some capacity understands what the signs and symptoms are of yours, child abuse and neglect.

And also understands the opportunities that are there for preventing abuse and neglect because there's a lot that we can do on the front end before abuse ever occurs to KET kids safe and to KET parents connected to resources that will make our cities entire community a better place for kids to private in 2, the experts that are part of the videos are folks who work on intervention when it comes to child abuse, neglect or recognition, such as our friends at pediatricians or those individuals who work at the children's advocacy centers across Kentucky are those who work directly with kids and parents in different parts of the state.

So they really understand what child abuse neglect prevention recognition looks like on the ground and are bringing that insight and expertise into these videos.

So the topics that you can expect to see on the videos include recognition in the signs and symptoms of physical abuse.

I'm sure of especially for babies in younger children all the way up through teenage years.

The specific signs of symptoms for children experiencing sexual abuse as well as psychological abuse.

And then some information about staying safe online and cyber safety and the potential exploitation that can happen there for kids as well as a lot of information about what it looks like to prevent abuse and neglect, whether that's helping kids build resilience or helping parents and caregivers get connected to supports to reduce some of the stress that they experience that could lead to that not treatment later on, we've got information for general community members.

If you're in the community interacting with kids in some capacity, we would encourage you to wash and especially if you're working at a church with kids or if you're working at Summer Camp, Gore after-school time type of organization.

There's also specific information for individuals who are in the medical profession and individuals who are in school settings or educational settings.

So we have information that is built for specific professionals as well as just general community members for those who are interacting with kids in any capacity in Kentucky.

We are mandatory reporting Any adult that suspect's abuse or neglect is happening is required to call child Protective services or the police.

That information is included in the video ends, including what to expect when making report and the different avenues to do that in the information about reporting helps too about you had, especially if an individual has never had the maker report before and now helps plan of walks through what it might look like.

But information you might need and if you're unsure or it does not.

Seems like there's an imminent risk of abuse and neglect that may be a family is struggling alternatives for what that might look like as far as getting them connected to resources.

>> That will says the world's largest and most advanced smartphone, glass production line is right here in Kentucky.

Last month, the company announced it's investing 2 and a half billion dollars into Corning.

The manufacturing plant in Harrisburg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and CNBC's Jim Cramer recently visited the Mercer County facility to talk about how the Kentucky company is helping the tech giant invest in America.

>> What we're doing here is we're dedicating 100% of this facility to Apple.

It produced 100% of the common blast for all the iPhone's made in the world will now be made in Harrodsburg Kentucky full.

It's kind of amazing because I think people might have thought at one time or another they can't make this stuff in America.

This is the kind of thing that I think we got away from.

>> It ended and people just say, you know what, let's just south sources to some place across a lot less.

And they're all the same quality anyway.

What we do is we look at a lot of things we decided to work with them.

One of the most important one is innovation.

>> Warning brings so much innovation to the table.

The phone that you're holding.

Others say is SOS.

And and so why in that we wanted to be the most durable phone number.

And so the ceramic shield that window really brings to the table here with our home, allows that it's in one of the neighbors of that.

And and so we look at a lot of times when we decided to partner with.

>> I do agree with me.

You're talking about putting a 2.5 million dollar commitment.

Yeah.

What are these the kind of things to where we have no idea right now in our brains to take on where what could come from Europe because the ingenuity of this place and then your innovation center.

We're going to see things that we just can't even see one right now.

That's absolutely true.

Mean, we have our engineering teams work together and are already working on future generations.

>> But today we're talking about the surrender chill to and we couldn't be prouder of the accomplishment from that same poll where we put real love and last was the most powerful, strongest thing won't tell us when or why we one this because it's first of all.

I mean, I just like that doesn't take a genius.

But there's something about this.

That is what I guess you could say.

Almost indestructible.

We asked was about 50% stronger than this for ceramics shield and then.

Wanted that so that they can do is create is as stunning design because when you're trying to make something that basically is a glass cell and at the same time, super life, what people's this case is the same they want.

They came to us as this is something more durable.

>> The investment in Corning continues a long partnership with Apple.

The 2 companies have worked together since the first iPhone was launched back in 20.

0, 7, while in Kentucky, CEO Tim Cook also paid a visit to the Apple Store at the summit in Lexington and pose for a picture that he later posted on social media.

On Friday, we told you about the opening of the one Nky Center in Covington.

The new building is home to many northern Kentucky organizations like life's I K Y our Emily Sisk sat down with the executive director to learn what the new life science space is all about and how it could benefit Kentuckians.

>> Imagine what we can do if we were actually coordinated and the Commonwealth.

>> Dr.

Kristin Go.

Dale is trying to turn that imagination into reality through life's I k Y. It's a nonprofit life sciences in curator that welcomes companies to conduct a research here in the Commonwealth.

>> People come to life psyche.

Why to solve problems or to test problems.

That could mean anything from pay.

I want to create a cure for cancer.

I want to make someone else's life easier by developing a device for them or simply I want to be healthier and I want to go into the supplement industry to solve that problem.

>> Go, Dale said this research which focuses on human health takes time.

Researchers are constantly testing solutions to learn what does and doesn't work.

The executive director said Life's I K Y provides the resources most entrepreneurs can't afford.

We provide equipment for you and other items that are really, really expenses.

So you don't have to buy that.

>> And has an early-stage business state.

Senator Chris McDaniel has been a strong supporter of life's I K Y in 2022.

The state provided 15 million dollars to help Covington secure the new lab.

There will be a tremendous amount of research that occurs right here in northern cutting edge entry level research that will that will be happening here.

It's >> not happening in San Francisco.

Not in Boston, not in Riley, but right here in downtown Covington.

>> So what does the lab in Covington have in common with similar facilities in New York?

Everything you see in our facility is equal.

>> To what they have and these bigger markets go.

They'll say, well, Kentucky is now competing with large markets in New York and Boston.

>> They're not forgetting that the research is meant to benefit the entire state.

If we want to do something like this in Hazard, Kentucky.

>> We need to first build the foundation and that's what we're doing right now.

Senator McDaniel agreed to saying wife's, okay.

Why is a win for all of Kentucky?

Not just Covington.

>> Jurors that are found the products that are invented, the developments that occur.

>> It will overall improved the length and the quality of life for Kentucky.

>> To some expanding the life sciences industry seemed farfetched for a mostly rural state like Kentucky.

But to go, Dale, there was no better place than the Bluegrass State.

>> There's no reason we're not allowed to do it here.

That's what I like to say.

No one stopping us from operating at a high level of it.

Lets.

>> And no one should for Kentucky edition.

I'm Emily >> Thank you much.

Emily Life Psych a why is now working to fill the lab with research companies from Kentucky and all across the country.

♪ Learn about a civil War street fight in Florence, a plumber turned heavyweight champ from Louisville and an ostrich race involving a governor.

Our Toby Gibbs has a nice mix of stories.

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

♪ >> And as the Civil War began, Kentucky was officially a neutral state that ended on September 18th 18.

61 win the Kentucky General Assembly declared the state's loyalty to the union.

Legislators also called for Confederate troops to leave Kentucky.

Union and Confederate forces fought in the streets of Florence on September.

17th 18.

62 after rebel forces move north from Lexington, the 53 man Union scouting party ran into 101 Confederate soldiers.

One union soldier and 5 Confederates were killed.

Happy birthday to boxer Marvin Heart.

On September.

16th 18?

76 in Fern Creek neighborhood in Louisville.

He was heavyweight boxing champion from 19.

0, 5, to 19.

0, 6, His past career inspired the nickname.

The Louisville Plumber.

Louisville native Muhammad Ali beat Leon Spinks on September 15, 1978 becoming the first boxer to reign as heavyweight champ 3 times.

7,000 spectators cheered as Governor Lawrence, whether they took part in an ostrich race during the Kentucky State.

Fair on September, 17th 1953.

>> Mammoth Cave became a national park on September.

18th 1946, there were plans to make Mammoth Cave National Park 5 years earlier.

But World War 2 interfered.

And that's what was happening this week in Kentucky history.

I'm Joe begins.

>> Thank you so much, Toby for that.

And do it for us tonight on Kentucky EDITION.

But we hope you'll join us again tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central where we inform connect and inspire.

And we hope that you tune in a little bit more than an hour from now.

KET it right here on KET for the NewsHour to join us for Kentucky.

A dish for Kentucky tonight we talk about the aftermath of the Kirk shooting.

We also hope that you'll subscribe to Kentucky Edition email newsletters and watch full episodes and clips at KET Dot Org.

Look for us on the PBS video app that you can download on your mobile device and smart TV and follow us on social media channels, Facebook, X and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Thank you so much for watching.

I'm Renee Shaw and I hope to see you again.

Real soon taken care.

♪