♪ >> I put a stop to this to have these 2.

We will not them.

Bay is we're going to get it to you.

>> See who's pitching in to help Letcher County students affected by the floods.

With the way the stress from the spouse from the veteran and that's where they can focus on getting better.

Construction will soon wrap up on a new project that will make life a little easier for our military families.

>> You cannot get drunk on beer cheese.

You probably would be sick before you ingested enough beer, cheese or beer to to get >> Kentucky claims credit for beer cheese.

But what's the whole story?

>> Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET Endowment for Kentucky Productions.

Leonard Press Endowment for Public Affairs and the KET Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION for this Friday, September.

The 23rd, I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you so much for spending part of your Friday night with OSS.

>> Kentucky is looking less red and more green and yellow tonight.

Well, we're talking about the new COVID map just out from the CDC.

22 counties remain high.

Almost all of them in eastern Kentucky.

But that's down from 45 counties a week ago and 70 counties the week before that the counties in yellow or medium, the counties and Greene have low COVID activity and that includes Jefferson County, the county with the biggest population.

Governor Andy Beshear says there are other signs.

COVID is on the decline.

>> As we look over the last several weeks, we are at the very least and a plateau, if not, and that the client now remember, cases have always been a lagging indicator while positivity rate has been the leading indicator.

So the next slide is one that looks pretty exciting.

That will need to wait until next week.

But that drop in the positivity rate is pretty significant.

That's now been least 3 weeks.

And so we certainly helped.

And we're probably a week away from being able to say that we are seeing less spread of COVID throughout the Commonwealth.

>> Well, that's good news.

Governor Beshear also says the number of COVID patients in hospitals is also going down.

Family resource and youth service centers and to break down barriers to student success.

But how to natural disasters affect those goals?

We spoke with Chad Bates, a family resource center operator from Letcher County about his experience and how the center is working to support students after the Eastern Kentucky floods.

>> Never in my life and saving that much water and I-40.

But you know that morning, the flood, my sister and came over and what Mia and so me that the water was getting have around my house.

So I got up and I looked at from a back porch.

You can see the river and that's it's lacking.

The other fled have got time and we'll take a shower and then go on and the work that morning and time I got out the shower.

It was that to my sick.

Stay it coming that my front door.

>> First thing on my mind when the water was our ready around my home was at need to get to my kids how I went and got them up.

and that told their mother said, you know, we get to that and get them out.

This the most water, abstain and >> I went on down and that with my principle acid and water is getting in their school and we rode down a little bit.

Then it was already taking on water best save and 15, 7, 30.

So at that time we lift their separate ways.

She said she was going to check on the people around where she lived and then >> I open meeting families out of their homes and stuff.

It was the day that no was that we had our back to school bash.

A week before the flood here.

And that's where we gave away book bags, paper, pencils, everything you would need.

And it was one of our biggest back to school bash is that we've had.

And then that makes Thursday.

The flood here.

>> There's a family resource and never school and I can't.

>> We're here to heal and to make sure that with child abuse.

Quit with it this time.

So the child needs.

So when they come to, well, a lot of surprise got what that.

But we've had general sale get supplies, even they its 2 children and just outpouring of people from around the state.

It's been a blessing.

So where kids is, we have moved in on that.

But we've been out on the ground, find them and help and they need to.

That's why we can't.

The flooding will stop us.

The police to it we want and not them.

Bay is we want to do what we've got to do to you.

>> Let your county school superintendent been easy on says they don't yet have a timeline for when students of West Whitesburg Elementary would be back in their own building.

The county hopes to have repairs made to other school buildings by December.

Well, talk about the Eastern Kentucky floods and their impact on education next Monday night on Kentucky tonight, the state education commissioner and some superintendents from the area will join us again.

That's Monday night at 8 Eastern 7 central right here on KET.

A 5th of Kentucky's child care centers could be at risk of closure without additional help.

That's according to a new survey released called a fragile ecosystem conducted by the Prichard Committee and other youth advocates.

The survey showed how funding from the American rescue plan help stabilize childcare centers during the most intense parts of the pandemic and how it's still helping today.

Our Casey Parker Bell reports on the survey's findings.

>> Simply put a strong Kentucky workforce and economy depend on child care, access and quality for working families.

>> But once relief money from the American rescue plan runs out and make it harder for Kentucky families to find child care.

One in 5 early child care centers are at risk of closing once payments.

Stop according to the new survey, a fragile ecosystem were surveyed over 500 of Kentucky's child care providers.

The survey also laid out the difficulty hiring and retaining employees for those child care centers.

>> In childcare where the median annual income for a teacher is just north of 22,000, $600, which cannot compete with hospitality and retail today in childcare providers are unable to provide access to health insurance retirement benefits.

Sometimes even paid time off as they are working to KET the cost of tuition low and affordable for the families that they serve.

>> According to the survey, almost 60% of providers say their center isn't fully staffed.

6 Senator Danny Carroll operates a child Care Center as part of a nonprofit.

He runs.

He says struggles felt by child care centers are nothing new.

So I live this every day and I had seen the struggles of live the struggles every day.

>> And again, even before COVID hit struggles.

>> The stabilization payments provided by the American Rescue Plan.

Act have helped KET centers on their feet over 50% of center surveyed say they would have closed during the pandemic without assistance.

Another 40% say their child care center benefited from the stabilization payments, even with the impacts from the pandemic waning childcare centers across Kentucky say losing federal help could prove fatal.

22% of senators say they'll close without it.

>> Now we have to think about what happens when the stabilization payments right now when providers no longer have access to those funds.

What are the centers and family childcare homes going to do?

Almost 72% said that they're going to have to raise tuition another 39% said that they're going to have to cut staff wages.

Well, let's say that the center was able to increase wages to $12 an hour, which is still very small.

But now they're going to have to reduce it may be closer back to minimum wage.

Would you want to stay in the workforce and that that particular job?

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

>> According to the survey, more than 80% of providers said they used the stabilization dollars to increase worker pay.

The Kentucky Supreme Court says a 5 to 10 year prison term is too much for shoplifting.

$80 worth of merchandise.

The cases from Somerset.

Police say a woman switched barcodes on some items that Walmart's self-checkout and saved $80 as a result.

Ordinarily that would be a misdemeanor.

But a prosecutor charged her with, quote, unlawful access to a computer.

And a jury found her guilty.

The charge carries a punishment of 5 to 10 years in prison.

But an appeals court reversed it.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron appeal to the Kentucky Supreme Court.

But the court agreed that punishment was too steep.

Money is on the way to help Kentucky victims of child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence and other crimes.

Kentucky is getting almost 23 million dollars from a federal grant program that supports crime victims.

The money will benefit 120 different programs that help everyone from victims of violent crimes to burglaries and thefts.

The Lexington VA medical centers serve some 90,000 veterans from more than 40 Kentucky counties.

Many of them traveling far eastern Kentucky for treatment.

Their families will soon have a free place to stay.

While the veterans are in the hospital.

>> So I stepped on an I D January 2007 5 months later when I got to San Antonio, Brooke Army Medical Center.

Right outside of the the rehab facility, the Center for the Intrepid.

They had to Brandon Fisher Houses and and that's where they put me in my mom.

Fisher Houses where military families and veterans families stay for free while their loved one is in a VA hospital.

>> We stayed there for 8 months and that was my first experience of the Fisher House and and all the good that it does.

We think a family's love is good medicine.

We want them to only worry about being at their loved one's bedside, helping their family member get better.

It was that home away from home environment.

You didn't have to worry about, you know, hotel bills.

Think about your own personal budget.

Could you afford to stay in a hotel long term?

The cost of meals.

That's a huge burden for families who are already dealing with the burden of a medical crisis.

You have to drive, you know, a long distance to get me to rehab and robbed by cuts.

You know, 5 minute out the back door, walk to the Fisher House.

You have your bedroom.

You can kind of escape from everything around you.

Are you going on in the community room and, you know, living room and you couldn't you interact with other spouses and other parents.

There will be 16 private suites.

And then a common kitchen, living room and dining room of the importance of that is you're staying in the house with other families of veterans.

Who are facing similar challenges and in some cases a crises with their loved one being hospitalized in the VA hospital.

So it's like having a built-in support group.

During 2007, there were so many soldiers and Marines coming back from overseas that wound it.

We use the Fisher House a lot to kind of.

The fellowship, the camaraderie.

I have volunteered at the VA for decades.

And in that time I have seen far too many families of veterans sleeping in their cars in the parking lot because they couldn't afford a hotel that's just not acceptable.

That's not how we treat veterans and their families for what they've done for our country with their service and sacrifice.

We've got take care of our veterans, you know, and the Fisher House provides them the a stress-free environment so they can focus on rehab and therapy and surgery so they could be better when they get back home.

>> This is the first Fisher House in Kentucky that's being built on VA property.

There is another one in the state at Fort Campbell.

Families never receive a bill for staying at a Fisher House.

Bobby Flan has died at the age of 95.

Flynn was a Republican member of the Kentucky state Senate from 1968 to 1972. and later served on the Lexington, Fayette, Urban County Council.

He played basketball and baseball and was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports he was manager of press row at Rupp Arena and also worked for Keeneland and the Lexington Legends.

He was the father of former Major League Baseball player Doug Flynn.

Take a look at the future town Branch Park headed to downtown Lexington next to the new Central Bank Center.

The park released this video yesterday.

The Park's 10 acres will include a permanent stage and after theater play areas for kids, a dog park art and places to buy food and drinks should be spectacular.

>> Time now to review the week's biggest political developments in Kentucky with a pair of partisan pundits screen left as Matt Erwin a Louisville-based Democratic strategist and political consultant and screen right is try Watson, former spokesperson for the Republican Party of Kentuckyian founder of Capitol reins PR.

Good to see you, gentlemen.

Thanks for joining us.

Let's talk first about the worst kept secret and Kentuckyian in Frankfort, politics, Kentucky politics.

And that does Max Wise, the Senate chair of the Education Committee being picked as the running mate for Kelly Knight Craft.

I want to go to you first, Ray Watson, the timing on ambassador Craft didn't have to announce, but as I said, everybody KET it.

They were just waiting for it to be announced.

>> Yeah, you know, just say this.

The first jury with these new rules for us for bundling made swear, you don't have that locked in nothing to do with the second week of August and was made so that you can.

>> You know, maybe pick somebody that you're reading is the primaries, your position, governor, candidate?

a best practice taking early.

It's an interesting you know, I think that we're going to see some different things happened this this year just because of the rules, people filling them out.

I think one thing to remember is she's named Max was his name will be anywhere on the ballot.

So you have people from his Senate issued on a vote expected to see the name was about to be there.

So it's potentially move the timing, isn't she being?

So I don't think we'll see any of the candidates do this.

And it's still to be seen if it's going to be a positive or negative for.

>> Well, this is that nothing really that the governor Andy Beshear has to worry about, right?

I Jacqueline Coleman is going to be his Lieutenant Governor running mate as he she is now his Lieutenant Governor.

So this is really nothing the governor's paying that much attention to right.

>> I think that the this is his choice.

Kelly Knight craft choices, piqued the interest of the Kentucky Democratic Party.

Seems like really a short-term gain and a long-term risk.

I mean, it's very much a primary player.

She was looking for the general.

She would pick somebody more well-known Ord somewhere from where the governor tends to.

It is most important side of Lexington are local.

I to me she couldn't have picked a worse running mate because she pick somebody who embodies the winning message that the governor Beshear had in 2019, which was Republican.

The Republican nominee is a is an enemy of public education.

And then next was I mean, Jack's a good pick one.

So it to me.

It's along that that's not going to pay off.

>> I'll let you try.

Watch and follow up on that.

>> Yeah, all says at the end of the day nobody is going on based on the Lieutenant Governor and again, Max was a name will be on the ballot in the primary.

So, you know, it's an interesting twist.

The one thing that I would be concerned about 1000 Senate campaign is will this be seen by voters?

As for first-time candidate that despite how?

Well, no, she's not running for office is seen by voters as a sign of weakness that she needs somebody who's more season on the campaign Along alongside or I just again, we don't know how he's going to play because the first year of this new there's just yeah.

>> So let's move quickly were 6 and a half weeks out from the 22 that November election that we're not talking a whole lot about.

23 is upstaging it.

But there are some interesting judicial races.

There will be on ballots.

The Kentucky Supreme Court race up there in the 6th district.

That's northern Kentucky, Phillip Shepherd, the Franklin Circuit Court judges got a good contest on his hands.

So the you matter when you talk about she want to talk about current justice to the color up against a Republican State lawmaker Joe Fisher who was responsible for the trigger law and the constitutional amendment that appearing on the ballot in November.

>> Right.

I think that race is that definition of what we're not supposed to have a Kentucky, which partisan judicial race.

I think the one that's going to be more interesting to watch is Judge Shepard race in a Franklin County.

I mean.

So this year fact that it might shatter fund rate is probably already has shattered and raising records or a judicial circuit judicial race in Kentucky.

And I got a feeling that one key Judge Shepard, has run some really good, really creative ads he's done a good job of organizing Franklin County feels to me like that.

Race is at the tipping point where things are about to get messy and will be very interesting to watch.

Try.

>> And I think, you know, talk about spending, you see huge fundraising numbers, more.

For both job will be in for Phil Shepard.

And we haven't even seen the outsiders coming in.

And I know that there's several groups of there that are looking at spending money in there now, these judicial races, because the way that they're that they're the longer terms and they all run the same time as the state's gone more Republican.

This is the one place has been kind of lagging on on flipping over to more Elections and have more conservative sir candidates win.

So I think that this might be the year we start to see that time to turn.

It said the federal state and local election levels.

>> So when it comes to that Kentucky Supreme Court race with a justice Michelle collar up against a state representative Joe Fisher having that ballot question.

Could that be a buoy for representative Fisher to become the next Kentucky.

The Supreme Court Justice Tre Watson.

Real quickly about 30 seconds.

>> I think it's all how how just as the representative Fisher and the and then campaign people run the campaign and it's got to be an efficient well run campaign and really get their voters out.

And we saw Kansas, you know, you can lose it if you don't have a well run well on the campaign.

So I think it's incumbent on those people who run the right race to get their voters to the polls.

>> Matter when I'll give you a few seconds to respond.

>> I mean, I think that.

This year we use that to his advantage of its sad to say because he was so instrumental in getting this terrible piece of legislation asked.

But yeah, he's it to manage.

>> All right, gentlemen, thank you so very much.

We always have more to talk about that.

We have time, but I thank you both for giving us your time this afternoon.

Take good care.

Have a great weekend.

>> If you're not always a pleasure.

♪ >> Clark County brags about being the birthplace of beer cheese.

A popular dish in Kentucky that has a few simple ingredients.

Add an interesting history.

A look at how beer cheese is made and the story behind it.

And tonight's Kentucky Life.

>> Well, as traditional Kentucky beer cheese should be orange in color due to the type of cheese that you use.

Beer cheese has 4 ingredients in there.

Well, packed cheddar.

Your spices, which is garlic and cayenne.

And beer, whatever type of beer you why you cannot get drunk on beer cheese.

You probably would be sick before you ingested enough beer, cheese or beer to to get drunk.

And I.

>> Things are a lot of links to German and to German bar owners and German immigrants.

In southern Germany.

A lot of bar owners and vehicles will serve.

This dish called about STA.

And that is made from cheese and a little bit of stale Bay area's way of using up some of the bay and some spices.

The bison as the sultan us makes people thirsty and therefore makes them drink will be I have to be really careful because I don't want to offend anyone.

Johnny Allman is named as the originator, the inventor of beer cheese.

And I think it's a lot more complicated than that.

The story is that he then brother.

I think it was came back from Phoenix, Arizona, who'd been living out that and talk about this cheese dip that he had.

He missed the feistiness, the food.

And so they made this beer cheese dip.

This snappy cheese, the cayenne pepper to really give it that bite and that that was the first beer cheese.

I think without insulting them.

I think the origin was probably a little broader than that.

I know Marion Flexner in her book out of Kentucky Kitchens.

She mentions you the days.

The olden days of when you could go into a pub our ball and just find.

Both of cheese on sale for $0.5 alongside your B a I can drink marks.

That was a tradition that she didn't see as much anymore.

And she wrote that in 1949, which is kind of around the same time.

But Johnny Allman came up with his recipe.

And so I think it was less a case that he we invented it.

You know, this completely unknown dish.

But I think they definitely.

Well, the kings of marketing think it's the kind of thing that when people try they like and it is very versatile.

So who knows?

I'd like to think that in a few years time more people will be eating the 18th and enjoying it.

>> In 2013, the Kentucky General Assembly to create Clark County as the birthplace of beer cheese.

♪ >> You can enjoy some beer cheese.

Other foods, music and archeology this weekend.

So begins.

Has tonight's look at what's going on around the Commonwealth.

>> Celebrate all things corn at the annual Corn Festival in Morganfield this weekend.

The festival has numerous activities including a parade pageants, CrossFit competitions as well as traditional and new carnival food.

Grab your friends and family for this amazing event.

From vegetables to fruit.

The Casey County Apple Festival is also happening this weekend from music to Agree Z Pig contest to the world's largest apple pie.

This festival in downtown Liberty has something for everyone.

Bringing together local merchants with nationally acclaimed musicians, the annual Merchants and Music Festival is back in Fort Thomas this weekend.

This fun Free festival includes live music shopping with local merchants, food vendors and a kids zone.

It's fun for the whole family.

Celebrate the legacy of Colonel Sanders and his Kentucky Fried Chicken at the World Chicken Festival this weekend.

And Morrow County see the world's largest stainless steel skillet.

Join in different crazy contests.

Jam out to the musical entertainment and munch on delicious foods from vendors across the country.

Shut down down debating a bill this Saturday for the 16th annual old engine Tractor show and pressed right view the display of old tractors and engines chow down on fried fish.

Hush puppies, baked beans and more and browse the different farm.

An artist vendors all while helping support the 3 forks Historical Center.

Release your inner Indiana Jones this Saturday with Wickliffe Mounds.

Archeology Day.

Now is your chance to become a junior archaeologist as you participate in mock excavation digs and identify artifacts, you even get a chance to try your hand at Speer, throw it.

The 36th annual Bowling Green International Festival is this weekend at Circus Square Park.

This event brings together nationalities from around the world to share their culture and heritage through music, dance demonstrations, food and more.

Won't you be our neighbor, KET 6th annual Daniel.

Tiger's be my neighbor days in Louisville this Saturday.

Enjoy arts and crafts, nature activities, live music and a meet and greet with Daniel Tiger and self all while learning what it means to be a caring neighbor and the importance of giving back to your community.

And that's what's going on around the commonwealth.

I'm Tony Gittens.

>> Thanks to be a lot of great stuff this weekend.

Some make it a good one.

We could have a decision Monday about Michael Carr.

Nails parole request.

25 years after the deadly heat high school shootings in West Paducah.

We'll have that update for you on Monday on Kentucky edition.

Monday night on KET on Kentucky tonight.

We'll talk about education and how it's been impacted by the Eastern Kentucky floods.

The education commissioner will be with us along with area superintendents.

We hope you'll join us for that discussion.

At 08:00PM Monday night.

Before then, though, Monday night at 6.30, the right here for Kentucky Edition, where we inform connect and inspire.

We hope you'll subscribe to our weekly Kentucky Edition, e-mail news letter and watch full episodes at KET Dot Org.

You can also find Kentucky Edition on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV.

>> And of course, Follow K UT on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Follow me on Twitter at Renee.

Take it.

Thank you so very much for watching this week.

Have a great weekend.

The common we'll see you right back here Monday night.

♪ ♪