♪ >> A >> Kentucky school shooter says he still hearing voices as he tries to make his case for parole.

>> We have somehow we get these some assist college.

>> The home-schooled can always get scholarships.

Is that about to change?

Enlist teachers to help other teachers to learn.

And the campaign to make sure everyone understands the full story about the Holocaust.

Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET and down the Kentucky productions.

Leonard Preston down from Public Affairs and a K E Team Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION for this Tuesday, September 20th, I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for spending some of your Tuesday night with us.

A Kentucky man who killed 3 students and injured 5 more in a school shooting 25 years ago will have to wait until next week to learn if he'll be granted parole.

>> Michael Carr, Neil was 14 when he opened fire on students inside Heat High School in West Paducah, this morning.

Car Neal tried to convince members of the Kentucky Parole Board that he should be released from prison.

He said his mental health played a role in the shooting.

>> just I don't know.

Though.

>> Excuse for it all.

And the reason it happened.

It was a combination of factors.

And why?

But I is because I was in power.

>> Carney also told today's panel that he continues to hear voices telling him to hurt himself, asked how the board could be assured that he would not act on those thoughts.

He said that he has learned to ignore them and hasn't acted on them for many years.

>> I know now that.

>> That's not something that I do and I'm able to not do it.

And price that is not.

Something that I do.

And what I'm hearing is not.

Not >> today's to person panel did not reach a consensus, meaning Cardinals case will go in front of the full parole board on Monday.

Only the full board can order Karnal to serve out his full sentence without another chance of parole.

Yesterday the parole board heard from some of cardinals victims and their families all but one of them said they thought Karnal should remain in prison.

The city of Lexington reported 37 homicides in 2021. on September.

12th.

That's just over.

A week ago, Lexington reported its 30th homicide with only 3 months left in the year last night on the lawn of the Fayette County courthouse, city officials and local faith leaders held a prayer vigil for those affected by gun violence.

>> Violence is a spiritual problem.

>> And we as faith leaders need to.

Be there on the front line.

To address to support.

To provide solutions to the spiritual problems.

This is a collective disaster.

It is so communal disaster.

It's a nationwide disaster is not a me thing.

And I you thing it's an U.S. thing.

>> If it impacts this community in any way, it impacts on us as a church.

Because we care.

We care for the city.

We care for the people of the city.

Anyway, we can help.

We're here to do that.

>> It's a call to action in our community.

It will take all of us working together to end this violence that is infecting our city.

Our state and our nation.

>> We didn't get here overnight and we're not going to get out of here overnight.

They could have fixed this problem.

They would have done it by now.

They need all of us to lock arms with them.

Join together in this effort.

But we need to begin in prayer.

So we're still in an outright tonight in prayer.

Because it's going to take the Powell of Almighty God.

It we had to be successful in this effort and it's not a short-term.

If it is going take a while, we owe it to our community to work together, to help to establish peace.

We do realize that there will always be some contention, but it does not have to be to this degree.

>> You have to recognize we are one community.

It is our city.

It is our community each and every one of us are a part of it.

We are unified in that community.

And only then can we bring peace.

>> And other news Attorney General Daniel Cameron has filed a brief backing Kentucky's new anti-abortion laws.

Cameron's brief to the Kentucky Supreme Court supports the Human Life Protection Act and the heartbeat law.

Cameron argues the Kentucky General Assembly has the right to pass those laws and ban all abortions in Kentucky after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Roe v Wade decision.

The filing comes after the Kentucky Supreme Court agreed to consider a challenge to the new laws.

Arguments on that are scheduled for November.

The 15th.

Other political news, Congressman Andy Barr of the 6 district of Kentucky says he backs Republican Russell Coleman's bid to become the next Kentucky attorney General Coleman is a former U.S. attorney and secretary of state Michael Adams is launching an effort with the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide information on voter registration help to veterans and their dependents through VA facilities and Kentucky.

There are more than 60,000 Kentucky students in homeschool.

That number has increased over the past 4 years, including a job during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the state's homeschool students aren't eligible for the full range of KET money, scholarships available to students in traditional schools.

Our Casey Parker Bell reports on potential legislation to open the door for scholarship money to Kentucky students learning at home.

>> What a great investment would be if somehow and were not tied to any bill right now.

But if somehow we could get the students, some assistance for college.

Kentucky's homeschool students aren't eligible for the key scholarship money earned in relation to their GPA and high school classes.

>> And in turn, legislative committee is looking at ways to change that the scholarships are awarded by the government to Kentucky High School students, 10 college in state.

Laura Edwards daughter was home schooled.

She says she was a high achiever but didn't get as much money as other students from K scholarships.

>> Even though she was a high achiever, there is no path forward for her to earn the case.

Scholarship.

>> Key scholarship money is awarded based on a student's GPA and a seat.

He scores students earning over 2.5 GPA are eligible for scholarships, students in traditional Kentucky schools can earn up to $10,000 over the course of their college careers.

Home-schooled students can only earn money for their A C T scores up to $2000 in total, Laura Edwards, the parent of homeschool students presented legislators with a number of potential options to our home school students earn KET money.

>> The first one with detailed in Senate Bill 12, which is taking the GPA from dual credit classes multiplying it by 4 for the 4 years of high school.

And then the students have the ward.

The second one is taking that You see it for the first year of college $2000 scholarship using the first year of college.

She pa and using that for years, 2 to 4.

>> These are taxpayer dollars.

The flow through the KET program.

And these dollars are for any there for the education of Kentucky students.

And in my way of looking at this, this is this is any Kentucky student.

And those those in the students include home school.

>> Edwards says that other states have similar models to solve some water problems.

But for students currently being home schooled, they spoke positively about their experience.

What it would mean to earn money for college.

>> On behalf of the home school is the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

I humbly request the extension of the hand of justice so that we, too may have an equal opportunity to further education through the ending of the full key scholarship that is available to traditional students.

>> For Kentucky edition, I'm Casey Parker Bell.

>> Thank you, Casey students in Jefferson County, Public Schools can attend 2 years of community college for free.

Thanks to a scholarship program called Evolve 502, and applications open October 4th, Kentucky Edition contributor Kelsey Starks sat down with the program's executive director in Louisville to find out more about the promise scholarship.

Kelsey.

Well, Renay, this program is one of more than 400 similar programs popping up around the country.

>> All in an effort to help students realize their dream of attending college 2 Ishan free and executive Director Marlin Cole joins me now to tell us what is evolve.

502.

And why is the scholarship program so important right now?

>> Well, thank you for having me.

We appreciate the opportunity.

All 502, it's really a public private partnership in the Louisville community that it's focused on growing the educational attainment of our community.

That is so important for a multitude of reasons having an educated workforce that can compete and welcome in new business, which helps all of us.

But then even just from an individual standpoint, helping individuals be able to reach their full potential.

We know having some level of education past high school is very critical to that.

So we really focus in on kind of 2 faces of work.

Actually, 3, I'm looking at systems change to try to help eliminate those barriers that KET kids from persisting.

We also asked, as you mentioned, offering this scholarship opportunity, providing free tuition to kids going and allowing them to go to community college anywhere in the state.

Up in Kentucky, we're going to Simmons College and again, this is for JCPS eligible students apply starting with the class of 2021.

That was our first class.

And then on the other side of our work looking at services, I'm really working with community partners to lift up issues again in community and find ways it from a community perspective to help eliminate barriers to learning for our young people.

So that is that's the scope of our Wonderful.

And the scholarship is not just a small part of the broad work that you all to you.

>> As far as college, though, you know, a lot of people think of it four-year degree and where you have to go talk about why a two-year degrees, trade certifications and things like that are so important and critical really right now, right?

Right.

And we're really trying to change the thinking around what this post secondary name in trying to find even are there better words to use to describe?

Because when we talk about college, we're really talking about any level of education past high school.

Like you critical trains that are needed in our community.

I'm getting at work for certificate.

You know, it's achieving an associate's degree and also being a jump start for kids that do want to push, pursue a four-year degree, but really thinking about post-secondary in that those terms.

And so I think it's critically important for young people to really find what they're passionate about, what their interest is.

We know a lot of young people have to work while they're going to school.

And so going to a community college might be that better opportunity for them to be able to do that.

And I think to really when kids haven't really figured out what they want to do, I'm taking advantage of the Technical college education and really kind of figuring that out be advancing to a four-year degree.

How is it funded public and private partnership?

He said definitely.

So.

We've been very blessed to have many of our local found patients, individuals, corporations and metro government really step up and support this effort.

So we're raising 50 million to make this available for a generation.

We say of students.

So anyone that was a kindergartner through seniors starting in 2021, it is our goal to raise enough money to be able to make that possible for them.

So we've been very blessed to have many an individual Major corporations Humana, the CNS Foundation, James Graham, Brown Foundation of those young brands, many others that have really stepped up and we're really excited right now because Metro government to his support supported us last year with a 3 million dollar gift is providing this year, 3 million dollar match.

So when we raise 3 million, they will match that.

So this is a wonderful opportunity for donors to really double their efforts in in their their funding support in contributing to miss time frame.

So we're We believe, you know, the full community is coming together in support of our young people.

And so we're excited about the opportunity.

Well, thank you so much for this opportunity for you to explain this to us and really takes a village.

thanks so much for being here.

We appreciate it.

Thank you, Renay, back to you.

Thank you.

Can say, you know, finding a job is an important step toward creating a better life.

The life learning Center in Northern Kentucky helps act.

>> Wrist citizens get that job so they can begin to get their lives back on track.

KET.

He's Brandon Roberts was in northern Kentucky this week to find out how the program helps people become healthier, happier and more productive.

>> Most of what one needs to know about Life Learning Center in Covington is right there in the name but asked the head of the program about its importance to the people participating and the community and the answers are nearly endless.

>> We provide an education coupled with that of the care continuum that serves the at-risk population here in our region.

We are not limited to Kent County.

We actually serve people in the greater Cincinnati Metropolitan area.

But as we spoke earlier, what we do is we teach people how to live life and to do that coming out of incarceration or coming out of the drug treatment facility.

Or just reentering life because of some particular issue or barrier that they've suffered.

This curriculum.

Is built on 5 pillars of life, physical financial, emotional, relational and spiritual.

We are not ideological and spiritual.

We do ask people look to their higher power.

Individuals that come to us had significant number of barriers and before they can really cognitively change.

We've got to do some barrier removal to get them on track.

>> When agent and says there are hundreds of success stories about people in the program who they call candidates for change, who finished become full-fledged productive members of the community.

>> And I can just KET going on and on about individuals.

They come here because they recognize they want to do something different.

It is a cognitive approach to change versus emotional.

People are referred here from their treatment facilities.

Partners, judicial partners, probation and parole churches.

Graduates of our program refer their friends here.

So it's a variety.

>> The program isn't limited to those that battle substance abuse or have a criminal conviction, whatever the barrier may be with agent and said the goal of Life Learning Center simply getting people back on track.

>> Change leads to dignity, dignity leads to sustainability and sustainability leads to contribution.

Turn what now?

What is sustainability?

Sustainability is about getting a job.

At a living wage and going back to work and being a contributor.

>> If she had her way, there will be similar programs across the Commonwealth.

And the reason there isn't, she said is one heard all too often.

>> You know, obviously gets funding.

And we are nonprofit.

But if I could wave a magic wand that put 16 of these facilities across the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

>> A lot of learning center's funding from a variety of sources, including some state and local mental health funding.

It is one of 11 recovery centers in the Commonwealth and will soon become a pilot project for Senate Bill.

90 Senate Bill.

90. piece of legislation President Stivers initiated in and speaker of the House Osborne.

It brought together collectively to look at diversionary programs for individuals that suffer substance use disorder and low level property crimes.

>> We had an inconsistent to stick show individuals who complete the program are more employable and there are more than 250 felony friendly employer partners in northern Kentucky.

>> When they go in to be employed and they're going in with a life learning center.

Certificate.

It means something here.

Our graduates earn a $1.50.

more on the hour than average individual.

>> When can said the bottom line is Life Learning Center is building an entire workforce out of individuals who have been marginalized for Kentucky edition.

I'm Brandon wrote.

>> Thank you.

Brandon Webb Edgington said people who can't find a job within one year being released from jail are 3 times more likely to return to jail.

She said of those that participate in the program.

95% have a criminal background and 97% have a history of substance abuse.

♪ An important landmark in western Kentucky will get millions and funding for improvements.

>> The Rockport Rail Bridge carries for 8 over the Green River between Ohio and milling Burg County's the Green River Area Development District applied for the grant made possible by the infrastructure Bill.

Congress passed last year.

>> Ever since I've been in office have been hearing which has been 12 years been getting reports that the the bridge was in desperate need of some repair.

>> This bridge is over 100 years old.

So it's been an ongoing maintenance issue.

We probably spend $10200,000 a year >> maintaining bridge.

We were ask on the grad board as well.

>> To secure the money and apply for a grant, if you will, are appropriation from the >> federal infrastructure money.

And we've got it was very excited about that.

It's the lower 17 million dollars, which how county for huge flakes.

>> This bridge is on the main line to get a little railway.

We operate between the Duke and Louisville.

We have a branch line to Lisbon.

>> Town virtually every significant customer on our rail line.

>> It is affected by this bridge there for 8 will go over this bridge.

It's the only East crossing the railroad in this part of the state.

We do Fort Knox.

>> Louisville Gas and Electric's Mill Creek plant.

>> we serve the rivertown area in Louisville.

We're going to >> replace the day.

Flow or the rails and all the wood part of the structure on the on the arm, the iron part will stay.

all the mechanical sick causes, a bridge to rise that it raises up and down to barges through.

That will all be rebuilt.

All the electrical components were bay rebuild.

And hopefully some beautification projects on the bridge.

>> It has timber approaches.

So we will have totally replacing the approaches to the bridge steel and concrete.

And then we will refurbish the steal, a structure that spans the Green River.

>> It's been here all my life and longer.

It's the thank a Rockport you think of the railroad bridge.

>> And so if it's a landmark in the area.

>> Work is expected to begin in the middle of next year.

Garrett says the total cost of the project is 38 to 39 million dollars.

The grant will cover just less than half of that.

It will probably take about a year to complete.

♪ Ken Burns's documentary series, The U.S. and the Holocaust airs this week on K E T Kentucky law requires all public middle and high schools to teach students about the Holocaust.

But little guidance exists for how educators should approach the sensitive topic.

That's something the University of Kentucky's Jewish studies program is hoping to change.

>> The and Klein and Fred grows Holocaust Education Act requires every public middle and high school in Kentucky to incorporate Holocaust and genocide, education.

>> Requires teachers to teach about the Holocaust.

But there's no funding for education or professional development and training.

That's where we come in.

We enlist teachers to help other teachers to learn to teach about the Holocaust.

We began with a teacher workshop.

>> For 20 teachers from across the state, we call teacher leaders.

We had a number of really important sessions.

I'm talking about how to address things in the classroom.

How to you make the topics which are challenging and tough accessible to students without re engaging in the same kinds of trauma that they that content actually represents and the teachers to think about how they might move.

>> From one specific genocide to the understanding of how genocides happen broadly.

Some is also part of what we've done.

A teacher leaders are working with the steering committee and each other to develop >> model lessons available for teachers who might just be coming into the responsibilities of having to teach this town to material were being trained to go out in the state to help teachers who are currently teaching Holocaust to supply them with information and lessons and support so that they will be able to incorporate it in their classrooms.

>> They'll be developing this materials and those materials will be vetted by the teacher leaders and our steering committee before they become kind of imprinted with a the U K J attack the Holocaust initiative stamp of approval to be by teachers across the state.

When you're facing the challenges of a very limited time, you have to figure out which part of the picture you're going to show the scope and where you're going to begin and we're going to end the story often times the Holocaust gets you deserve boil down to the concentration camps.

But that's only a piece of what led to their.

And it's also only a piece of the suffering that occurred.

Right?

So.

>> Understanding the scope of of what happened and understanding it is or how it happened in the steps of how it happened.

Requires a lot of time and sometimes the the the schools don't have that.

>> It almost feels like you just can't do it.

Justice.

And that's what we hope to help them with us with the initiative like these are these are some key things that you can discuss here.

Some activities.

These are the most important things we think that students should learn about the Holocaust in this perhaps short amount of time.

This is something that I have always wanted to do.

You share ideas, help others teach.

It gives them support be available for questions.

Be able to discuss when those tough issues come up, how to handle what?

So I'm really hopeful that the initiative will be something that's permanent so that lots of teachers will be able to participate for years.

We're hoping that we will be able to run the program again and train even more teachers.

So this year, our teacher leaders hope to recruit 250 other teachers to participate in the workshops that they'll run in the spring.

>> With what we've got for that number to grow so that, you know, we've got 500,000 teachers across the state who have >> been engaged in this kind of intensive training and feel really equipped and confident about their abilities in the classroom handling this kind of counting material in the challenging circumstances that they're being asked to to engage with it.

>> Such important work you can see part 3 of the U.S. in the Holocaust tonight at 8 Eastern 7 central right here on KET.

♪ >> Kentucky has its 2023 teacher of the year.

Valvoline help sponsor the competition.

The state recognized 24 teachers today at the state Capitol in Frankfort of those.

24, there were 3 teacher of the year finalists, Kelly Pride Elementary in Hopkins County Mandie Perez of Crittendon Middle School in Crittendon County and Amber Sargeant of Woodford County High School.

That teacher of the year is Mandy Perez.

>> Teaching is the best profession in the world.

Then if your teacher, you know it's time and there are a lot of days where you don't know if you can go back in and do it But we do every single day.

What we do matters every single day.

♪ >> Indeed, it does matter.

Congrats to her and to the other teachers of the year.

>> We do hope that you'll tune in again tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central for Kentucky edition where we inform connect and insist and inspire subscribe to our weekly Kentucky Edition email newsletter and watch full clips at KET Dot Org can also find us on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV.

>> Once again, watch the part 3 of the Ken Burns documentary about the Holocaust.

And we'll see you right back here again tomorrow night.

Take good care.

♪