♪ >> I would like to know how many students on student assaults have happened.

Responding to disruptive students and the state's largest school district.

>> My goal is for LMPD to being the best police department in America.

The most trusted the best rate to train the most transparent.

>> The new chief Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg says will help him meet his goals for the city's police department.

We need to increase the number of productions specialty crop producers.

Farmers growers.

>> Plus, how a Lexington based organization is working to bolster block farming operations.

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

♪ ♪ >> Good Evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this brand new week.

It is Monday, September.

The 16th.

I'm Renee Shaw and we thank you for spending some of your Monday night with us.

>> A state lawmaker is recovering from serious injuries after a mowing accident.

Kentucky State police say state Senator Johnny Turner crashed a riding lawnmower into the deep end of an empty swimming pool yesterday at his home in Harlan this morning, Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers said Senator Turner was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center where he remains in critical condition.

Turner has served in the state Senate since 2021.

Prior to that, he was a state representative for 3 years beginning in 1999, the 76 year-old attorney represents Bell Floyd Harlan, not in Letcher counties.

He defeated 2 challengers in the Republican primary in May and is being challenged by an independent candidate and this year's November election.

Kentucky state lawmakers want to know what disciplinary issues are happening in Jefferson County Public schools.

These questions come from a state committee that's expected to file a report and possibly make recommendations on whether and how the district should be reconstructed more about that.

And tonight's legislative update.

>> I would like to know how many students on student assaults have happened.

Just one year would be great.

How many student on staff assaults?

How many result in suspension or expulsion?

Because I look, I I listen to all of this and I read through this handbook.

And I've pulled up our debt, the data for JCPS all the back to 2011.

There have been 2 explosions since 2011.

I'm certain there have been incidents.

Is that would warrant an expulsion within the school, but it's not happening.

And that's something that concerns me.

I think the issues that a lot of teachers will report, whether they will write a referral or not.

>> Could have been solved.

If you know, we were able to fill all the open positions that we have.

You know, the number of open positions early childhood has that are, you know, both teacher and support staff.

We were able to fill all of the bus monitor postings that we have for buses.

I think we'd see a significant difference in the behavior incidents.

The teachers are writing referrals on or not.

>> There's always going to be conflict in schools.

They're always going to be issues in situations that arise in schools, some of which are more impactful, a more severe than others.

We do our best to address them.

We know things in advance.

We are highly proactive in talking to students in including other stakeholders, parents, even for conferences in conversations to try to dissuade poor decisions.

We're not always successful.

And when those things do occur, we respond to them.

And we tell our administrators to respond to them as well.

>> The district says starting this school year, it's installed AI powered weapons detection systems at all.

High schools.

It's planning to do the same with its middle schools.

The district also runs to alternative schools for students with a history of disciplinary issues, including involvement in the criminal justice system.

Education is the focus of tonight's Kentucky tonight.

Specifically we're going to talk about amendment 2 and school choice that is on the ballot in November for Kentuckians, you'll see education leaders from both sides of that issue and will take your questions.

Of course, tonight at 8 Eastern 7 central right here on KET.

Another Democratic state lawmaker is under the microscope.

Louisville, public media reports an ethics complaint has been filed against Representative Cheryl Lane Stephenson.

The complaint alleges the Lexington lawmakers benefited from Co owning a Frankfort condo with a lobbyist.

Representative Stevenson is dismissing the complaint.

She says the executive director of the Ethics Commission signed off on the deal ahead of time saying that so long as both Stephenson and the lobbyist disclose the purchase it would not be a violation Stephenson who is the minority caucus chair is in a competitive race to hold onto her seat.

She is the only member of Democratic leadership in the House running for reelection this November.

Kentuckians struggling with drug or alcohol addiction will soon have access to more resources across the state during a recovery month celebration held at the Capitol this morning.

Governor Andy Beshear ceremoniously signed 3 bills supporting addiction recovery House Bill 462, which addresses gaps and certification requirements for recovery housing Senate Bill 71, which gives people in recovery housing more access to transportation services prohibits people from being compensated for referrals into addiction treatment facilities and protects a program allowing some criminal defendants to go to drug treatment rather than prison and House Bill 505, which establishes a criteria to be registered as a temporary alcohol and drug peer support.

Specialist the governor also announced today 4 counties, Fayette Callaway Davis in Pulaski have been certified as recovery ready communities that brings the total number of those communities in the state to 18 to be certified.

Communities need to show they are providing prevention, treatment and recovery support to those seeking help for drug or alcohol addiction.

The governor said that he's hopeful the state will soon see an end to the addiction crisis.

>> And we could eat.

It's out of that.

I contacted not want to leave it to like us.

was any other generation.

>> The state began taking applications for recovery, ready communities programs last year.

The FBI says former President Donald Trump was the target of what appeared to be an attempted assassination at his West Palm Beach Golf Club in Florida.

U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire Sunday after saying a man with a gun while the Republican presidential candidate was golfing.

Officials say the suspect Ryan, Ruth, was arrested after taking off and an SUV.

This comes 2 months after Trump was shot during an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally on social media.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said he was grateful the former president is safe.

Adding, quote, There is no place for political violence in our country.

And I hope and expect a thorough swift and transparent investigation and quote.

His colleague in junior senator from Kentucky is also responding in a radio interview this morning.

Senator Rand Paul cast some of the blame on left-leaning cable news.

>> You've been so many of the different networks claiming that Donald Trump is going to end the watch and he's going to end democracy.

That Donald Trump and Ted Barr, that kind of rhetoric and that kind of language is exciting, unstable and crazy and angry people around the country.

And so networks like CNN that broadcast nonstop that somehow we're not going to election to Donald Trump and they need to stop that this terrible language and that language it stirs up the worst in humanity.

>> Are, you know, ways to protect prop?

>> In 2017, Senator Paul was himself at the scene of political violence when a gunman opened fire at a congressional baseball game practice in Virginia, injuring 6 people.

More change today for the Louisville Metro Police Department.

>> He has earned my trust and he's earned the trust of our community.

And that is why I'm so proud to announce that effective immediately.

I am naming Paul Humphrey as chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department.

>> Mayor Craig Greenberg made the announcement official this morning.

As you just heard, Chief Humphrey began serving as the interim police chief in June following the resignation of former LMPD chief Jaclyn when Burrow.

Well for handling of a sexual harassment complaint.

Humphrey has been with LMPD since 20.

0, 6, was born and raised in Louisville and he says he's the right person to help the department move forward.

>> Improvement has been attempted to chastise meant.

That has never gotten has never gotten me to be better.

Incoming names all day long to tell me how warm Alam all day long.

>> But that's never calls me improve its people, having faith in me and knowing that I can do a good job, an LMPD and the city needs people to have faith in him.

And I've got faith in these officers of LMPD their outstanding.

They're very hard-working and they just need somebody to believe in him.

>> Humphrey is the 6th person to lead LMPD in the last 4 years.

♪ >> Kentucky's flagship university is breaking records more in tonight's look at Education News Education.

The University of Kentucky says more than 36,000 students are enrolled in the fall semester.

>> That's up 7% from last year.

UK also has the largest number of transfer students and more than a decade and a record number of first year, students from underrepresented backgrounds in a press release.

The university said, quote, more students succeeding at higher rates means a more skilled, healthy and educated workforce to meet Kentucky's needs other universities in the state are also seeing some change.

The Kentucky Council on post-secondary education has approved a new master's degree of social work at Morehead State University.

The Cpe as it's called for short, has also signed off on allowing Northern Kentucky University to offer in-state tuition to first-time freshman from Ohio and Indiana.

And the council is giving kctcs the green light to tear down the Somerset Community, Laurel, South campus and to replace it with a new building at the Laurel North campus.

The state's community college system is also bragging about enrollment growth, especially among those who'd pressed pause on higher Ed earlier in life.

Adult learners age.

25 or older now account for one-third of all kctcs students.

Overall enrollment grew with the state's community and technical colleges by 8.4% and a continuation of my conversation with Kctcs President Ryan corals from last week.

He explained that increase and how he's getting the 16 college system's house in order after some recent critical audits.

So let's talk about this enrollment growth because it is something to brag about an 8.4% increase over last year to what do you a credit that?

Well, we have programs that are relevant to employers and we have programs that.

>> That will get Kentuckians in and out of higher education in 2 years or less with a fantastic job offers.

Well, and so I think that the enrollment growth, which, by the way, is a 10 year high, we're welcoming 85,000 students into our classrooms this fall.

And when you add in our dual credit were well over 100,000 students.

44% of all undergraduates in the state of Kentucky.

All right.

Our community and technical colleges.

And so we are a big provider.

And yes, and the Roman is up because number one, I think that our programs are relevant.

A lot of young Kentuckians are are saying I want to become of that whole line worker that sets helping fix utility lines that's making $70,000 a year that they want to become that teacher.

They want to start that that four-year degree at a community college because not only are we affordable, we're also says the Bulls as well as 70 campus locations.

And look, there's a big narrative in higher education right now.

We're sadly a lot of door openly questioning the value of higher education and the student loan debt conversation is real, but our community and technical colleges dead.

A lot of our students graduate debt free, only one in 10 or so actually take out a loan and then we have lots of funding as well as whether the state grants are Pell Grant as well.

And so we want to make sure that we were my Kentucky ends that a college experiences in your own backyard that we service.

All Kentuckians are open admissions and that our programs are relevant.

Well, so being in everyone's backyard has been some of the conversation right in the last couple of years.

>> Conversation about whether or not talking about academic and administrative bloat.

That was one thing concerned about the two-year campuses having duplicative services, maybe the transfer pathways want really with these and the short term certificates were a quote of questionable value.

That's what was said.

And so there are some focus right on what Kctcs should be focusing on.

Is it too big?

16 colleges have many campuses.

77 us.

Is that too much for the state of Kentucky.

So one interesting things that I was challenged to do when I was hired is >> to look at the next 25 years of Kctcs know to celebrate it a quarter century when our technical colleges in our community colleges for merged together from House Bill won in 1997.

And so it's time for an appropriate review of our system, which I welcome.

And so there's a thing called Senate Joint Resolution.

One 79 were the General Assembly while working in my office as well, created an opportunity for us to self reflect and come back with an action plan.

And one of the things that we want to address is duplicative services typically 2 degrees and certificates.

The value of the programs that we offer.

But also the space utilization, which is a fancy way of saying how many buildings we have a right and were actually selling off some property right now.

And but we want to make sure we focus on 3 things.

Number one is that we should never waver on access to every day.

Kentuckians a lot of Kentuckians are not able to afford to move to say it like some tender Richmond.

They're able to afford that glamour.

And I don't want to take the time to be on the road to get an hour to attend college either.

They were a rule states of and that's my backgrounds.

Will even in our urban areas as well.

Transportation to be a barrier.

>> The starting a college degree.

And so we will make sure that we do not compromise on access.

So we do need a big footprint.

But with the rise of online education, perhaps we don't need as many as much infrastructures.

And he's one of the optimized that right now there's no formal process.

We are implementing and creating a policy to formal interview our space as well.

We also need to make sure that in the modern education environment, they were able to invest in the latest and greatest technology.

Well, the same time shutting off assets that may not be as productive as they used to be in the best way.

We can do that is to review our programs and some programs.

I had their time in the sun but may need to be taught out.

We're eliminating overtime because of lack of enrollment are declining enrollment.

And we know that no more know Henry.

So there are times in which no students are enrolled.

There are a handful that we are now.

>> Having a formal process through academic optimization tour.

We sunset programs are not as relevant that way.

We can be a little more elastic and have some flexibility and boost programs such as our health care programs, which we know there's strong demand for right now as well.

And so we're happy to take on this challenge.

You mentioned about you inherited a 25 year old system and that we've read and we've talked about some of the problems at a state audit found.

So tell us where that stands.

And on the correct the course correction that you're doing at this point.

>> Will there certainly some issues and one thing that I was hired to do was fix Kctcs.

And that's exactly what I'm doing.

We have 3 audits going on right now.

One was a state audit conducted last year by the say auditor and 2023.

And we're proud that we're almost done curing all the audit.

Finding some bodies were financial nature, including sums of money that are at the system office and making sure that that we know where they came from and how we for legally there was money that need to be returned to the 16 colleges, which I did my second week in office, there are some additional components that but the good news is I'm committed to transparency and fixing kctcs.

And so that audit we're almost done curing that.

The second OT is what's called a forensic audit, which was recommended and funded by the General Assembly.

That's going to help us legally determine how we can move for with the funds that we have for our system, which is a good thing.

And they're also going to pick up on some areas that need to be addressed.

We know that perhaps or some improvements that can be made with our foundations as well.

And so we welcome the auditors advice because they're our friends and they're going to help us set us on a course correction.

And then we also have the Kentucky Fire Commission, which is attached to us.

And so we're the major provider for firefighters across our state for continuing education.

And so we have an audit going on there as well.

Again, welcomed.

And so I feel like I'm juggling a lot of different balls right now, but we are focused on compliance and fixing.

And I think that's one reason why I was selected was help guide and shepherd us through this process.

Well, the same time reporting back to the General Assembly with a reset plan, which we will submit in December this year.

>> We'll have more with Kctcs.

President Ryan calls tomorrow night on Kentucky.

Addition when he talks about performance funding and if and how the institution will commit to inclusion efforts in the face of growing Anti Dei sentiment.

♪ It wasn't the State of the Union, but the state of the soil last week blocks oil K why a business working to reconnect black.

Kentuckians to their heritage and farming hosted a conference in Lexington, people from all over the country, discuss the future of black farming and its role in the health of local communities.

>> Wax, okay.

Why was established to reconnect black Kentuckians to their heritage and legacy in agriculture?

We are able to do that through and Richards and activities like from tours and farm to table dinners, anger, geisha and distribution similar to our pharmacy market.

Sprout behind us.

And more importantly, community building put it to a surgeon by trade him in practice over 35 years.

>> Specializing in amputation prevention in high-risk populations both domestically and globally internationally diabetic amputations are epidemic and some communities, particularly that can make money.

I have the good fortune of on and the largest black will form an LA County 0, 250 acres.

And so for me to grow food and that should be defined the pharmacy.

But pharmacy.

If they are, you may see why to really prove and demonstrate that food really is medicine.

I think in this country we're giving people a lot of mixed messages.

We don't have health care.

We actually have secure.

We're trying to figure out how can we take better care of more sick people, which is kind of to it.

No one's really talking about putting too so being a black soul.

And this conference amazing conference.

I'm hoping that we can as African-Americans be a part of that dialogue in addressing health disparities, particularly as it relates to food deserts in urban communities.

>> Here locally in Kentucky, we struggle deeply with food insecurity, hunger.

>> Malnourishment under a nurse Mont.

And so it is our philosophy and strategy.

Our approach to say.

>> We need to increase the number of productions specialty crop producers.

Farmers growers in order to combat.

We correlate that very, very strongly and directly.

And so we really want to help folks understand the abundance that can come from farming and how they can build a strong relationship with their local farmer.

>> Americans are disproportionately disengage from all the benefits for farming in this country.

So to be a part of this movement and taking my city just to the fission of being in medicine and a farmer to be able to actually provide maybe a different message and maybe encourage people, encourage farmers to be a part of the medical system in their local communities.

What about a former partner with the Clintons to actually ship to veterans to those patients?

>> We've been extremely fortunate and blessed to steward our partnership and participation in the.

>> The USDA is local food purchasing agreement.

This year.

We aim to have 16,000 families across the Commonwealth serve to this program which provides farmers, retail pricing for their goods and then turns right around and we go into communities and we provide 3 distributions.

It allows families who might want to try high quality fresh produce but think it might be out of their price range.

We challenge you to Billie One that you're worthy of good local food to farmers can see you.

They want to serve you and then 3 when you accept this, eat local, get around, challenge others around you want to be able to join in as >> Black soil founder Ashley Smith says she hopes to have more the soil conferences in the future.

A talented artist with Kentucky ties has passed away.

Patrick Mitchell was a photographer on actor a director and so much more.

He grew up in New York but went to high school in Lexington before attending Kentucky State University in 2022, he talked about his passion for photography and finding his niche.

>> And shoot pictures.

Cincy 6, great.

My mother bought me a camera.

She's selling that with my pictures and it just seemed like a.

>> Just kind of came naturally west.

And then at the top for professionally say over 20 years times to talk to my cell media.

Find your niche and to spur, just KET shooting, you know, because you get to practice in.

Learn your camera after a while, you'll find what you love to shoot.

And I think I loved the documenting time.

What's going on today?

It's 100 years from that.

Somebody could look at the pictures and say what we were doing.

Well.

>> I was.

>> A celebration of life for Mister Patrick Mitchell is scheduled for this Saturday at the Lyric Theater in Lexington.

He was 66 years old.

♪ >> The Sundance Film Festival sadly won't be in Louisville in 2027, the top 3 finalists cities were announced last week and although Louisville was in the top 6 didn't quite make the cut.

The finalists are Cincinnati, Boulder, Colorado, in Salt Lake City, Utah, which is hosted the festival in the past.

Although Louisville wasn't pick Stacy Yates, marketing director for Louisville tourism says even being a finalist can help boost to the city when it comes to other events.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said it's disappointing that we came up short this time, but we will continue to work hard.

And I remain incredibly optimistic that will bring more major events and film industry developments to our city, unquote.

Kentucky was home to a heavyweight boxing champ who wasn't named Muhammad Ali.

Our Toby Gibbs has that and more in tonight's look at this week in Kentucky, history.

♪ >> A civil war battle occurred as far north as Florence when Union and Confederate troops clashed on September 17, 18 62 101 Confederates battled 53 Union troops with one union soldier and 5 Confederates killed.

Mammoth Cave became a national park on September 18.

1946, it was America's 26 National Park.

Brent Spence died September 18, 1967, the longtime northern Kentucky congressman might be best known today is the namesake for the bridge connecting northern Kentucky to Cincinnati.

>> Wedge and airy coach Paul Bear Bryant coach his first game at the helm of the Kentucky football Wildcats on September.

21st 1946, Kentucky beat Ole Miss 20 to 6.

Sports fans.

You might not know the name Marvin Heart.

The boxing world heavyweight champion from 19.

0, 5, to 19.

0, 6, was born in Kentucky on September 16, 18?

76 Hart was nicknamed the Louisville Plumber because of his former profession.

September 17, 1953 will be forever remembered as the day.

And Governor Road Strange.

Governor Lawrence, whether be did the honors as a crowd of 7,000 shared at the Kentucky State Fair.

And that's a look at what's happening this week in Kentucky.

History.

I'm Joe begins.

>> Thank you as always.

To be Gibbs.

That'll do it for us tonight.

You will see you right back here again tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central for Kentucky Edition we inform connect and inspire and tune in at 8 tonight for a conversation about amendment number 2 and school choice until I see you then take really good care.

♪