Here they are, the robots in Congress.

Congress is considering a new spending bill.

Why a Kentucky congressman doesn't like the timing.

It's really awesome that the start of what we did turned into something really this amazing.

How one Kentucky University's space science program is taking off.

It's an interesting phrase.

Go boldly, go boldly.

And Katie talks to the one and only William Shatner.

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

Good evening and welcome to Kentucky Edition for this Tuesday, September the 24th.

I'm Kelsey Starks filling in for Renee Shaw this evening.

We begin tonight with a state weather warning.

Thunderstorms have already hit parts of Kentucky and more severe storms are possible into the early evening hours.

The storm Prediction Center says there's a slight risk for severe weather in parts of central Kentucky, including damaging winds, hail and even the possibility of tornadoes.

Well, they've put their lives on the line working for us.

But Kentucky's firefighters say their state retirement and health care plans are not working for them.

That includes current firefighters, volunteers, retirees and recruits.

The Kentucky General Assembly slashed defined pension benefits for employees hired in the past decade, opting for a cash balance plan typical in the private sector.

Today, lawmakers heard from fire And so when I look at what the state of Kentucky offers its firefighters, if it was a 45 year career, that would be a good that would be a good pension.

But it's not a 45 year career.

And you don't want your front line first responders, by and large to look like me.

I'm 56 years old.

I'm not kicking doors anymore.

So, you know, we've got to do a better job to get those younger people in.

Use them because we're going to send them out different than than we got them.

And, you know, let them move on with with life and enjoy some type of retirement with dignity.

The Kentucky Public Pension Authority testified to lawmakers today that the primary pension fund is on track to be in the black by 2049.

State Representative Daniel Grossberg, facing calls for his resignation from the General Assembly, has now stepped down from the Kentucky anti-Semitism Task Force.

The Lexington Herald-Leader says he resigned from that task force last week.

The chair of the task force, Jonathan Miller, says Grossberg didn't want to be a distraction.

Grossberg is accused of sending women inappropriate texts.

Friday, the Herald-Leader reported a Louisville strip club banned Grossberg for inappropriate touching and also claimed he'd offered a dancer $5,000 for sex.

Grossberg, through his attorneys, denies those allegations and says he will not resign as a state representative.

But there's more.

According to the Kentucky Lantern, Grossberg told radio host Terry Meiners on Friday he was in treatment to reduce his impulsive behavior.

He said he will keep his head down and continue working to serve his constituents.

A satirical video about a school's system's transportation and spending is being interpreted as real by some people, and that includes a Kentucky state senator.

According to Louisville Public Media, the video showed a man claiming the Letcher County Board of Education bought two Lincoln Navigators for use by the school district's sports teams.

At the same time that the school district is asking for school supplies.

Here's part of that video.

I just wanted to thank the Letcher County Public Schools for taking home not just one, but two Lincoln Navigators.

Busses will be a little easier to take, though, and you can turn on your heated seat and that massage feature.

Nothing relaxes me better than a great massage.

I just wanted to mention that due to certain budget cuts, the schools are having a hard time coming up with school supplies.

State Senator Lindsey Tickner of Smithfield RI posted that, saying it wasn't satire.

Then the creator of the video posted that it was, in fact satire.

Today, Ted Turner said the video was believable and she cited numerous times when school systems in Kentucky did buy expensive vehicles.

Turning to national politics now, the federal government has one week to pass a spending bill and avoid a government shutdown.

A new plan from Speaker Mike Johnson would fund the government for about three months into December.

Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky's fourth District is a longtime critic of Speaker Johnson.

He says there's a reason the spending plan would expire right before Christmas.

Now, why have we picked December 20th?

Because it's the same reason we always have December 20th.

Everybody up here is human.

There are no eyes or robots in Congress.

And when you get to December 20th, you're five days from Christmas, you're four days from Christmas Eve, and you desperately want to be there with your family.

So this is when the leadership here has the maximum influence.

And again, I'm talking to the Democrats and the Republicans, because you've seen it on the Democrat side of the aisle.

They love to pick the week before Christmas for this showdown because you can smell the jet fuel fumes over DCA.

It smells like Christmas that you're going to get to go home in open presents.

I've been in HD five when literally the speaker of the House not to speak, we have now walks in and says, if you vote for this, you can go home and unwrap presents with your kids.

And if you don't vote for this, you're going to spend Christmas here with Nancy Pelosi.

Lawmakers announced the current spending plan last Sunday.

It keeps spending at its current level.

Action is expected this week.

Turning to the Middle East, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified in recent days on the U.S. Senate floor.

Yesterday, U.S.

Senator Mitch McConnell said the Biden administration is being too evenhanded in its approach to this crisis and is not providing the proper support to Israel.

If the president and the vice president want to see an end to the war in Gaza and prevent greater hostilities in Lebanon, then it's time to switch the focus of their diplomatic pressure.

Every time the administration officials try to tie Israel hand in public comments, and every time a U.S. senator threatens to hold critical security assistance hostage amounts, Hezbollah and their patrons in Iran are emboldened.

If our colleagues want peace, it's time to show support for a nation founded on peace and resolve toward terrorists who reason for existence is chaos and violence.

Senator McConnell is also critical of the news media's coverage of Hezbollah, saying too many are treating it like a political group instead of a terrorist organization.

Toyota in Georgetown is partnering with Scott County High School to give juniors and seniors hands on educational experience in manufacturing.

Here's how it works in today's Education Matters report.

From Toyota's perspective, it was it was to provide an opportunity in the community to get engaged with the school system.

The 40 Academy is is not new.

It's just new to Kentucky.

And so seeing the benefits that Indiana and West Virginia have have gained in their community and at their at their facility was something we definitely were interested in here.

It's like a completely different world for classes like math or English or science.

A lot of it is you just pay attention, write stuff down, memorize it.

But here you really have to develop your skills instead of just, you know, taking something at face value.

You really have to think about it how you can apply it.

They learn a lot through this program.

You know, one thing we do almost daily is we get up and we do public speaking right in front of the class to where they get to, you know, feel comfortable talking in front of in front of their classmates.

And that way, when they when they go to the manufacturing setting, you know, they're they're they're able to communicate effectively.

And I think that's an important trait for for all these students to have going forward.

So, you know, just to enable them to be successful.

This is a what we call a dojo for manufacturing, for assembly.

To get practice at some of the skills shooting about shooting and not handling an impact ranch, they're going to get training on how to do all that safely, have good quality and do it efficiently.

Technology is becoming more and more important.

Certainly when I started 25 years ago, it was vastly different than what it is now.

And preparing those students to be successful in that environment is critical.

Toyota We talk about having a capable processor and a capable operator, and this this program will help our future employees be a more capable operator from the start.

It's my belief that maybe college isn't for everybody.

They're unsure of exactly what they want to do.

This gives them an opportunity to go into the workforce.

You know, test it out.

And the great thing about this Toyota partnership is if they do decide that they want to, you know, further their education.

Toyota has a program, you know, on site that can help them, you know, further their education at that point.

So really, it's a win win for for these students just being able to get a head start on working there.

I had already intended to work at Toyota previously because my mother has been working there for like I think 25 years now, something around around there.

So she's been working there for quite a while and she's a little bit of an inspiration.

She's super involved there.

She speaks highly, highly of it.

You know, I think she loves working there.

I think all of it, too.

So second year students can earn $18 an hour during their 40 class time.

The 40 Academy has also been implemented at schools in West Virginia, Indiana and Mississippi.

A dog was the surprise guest in a Kentucky courtroom.

Our Toby Gibbs explains that and more in tonight's look at headlines around Kentucky.

A Louisa based addiction recovery center is cutting employees and reorganizing services due to cuts in Medicaid reimbursement.

Officials with addiction recovery care didn't say how many of its 1350 employees would lose their jobs.

Appalachian news reports the staff changes come amid an FBI investigation into addiction recovery, care for possible health care fraud.

According to the newspaper last year, addiction recovery care took in $130 million in state Medicaid funds and has expanded from a single halfway house to a statewide network of recovery programs and residential centers.

In 24 counties across Kentucky.

A Benton man charged under Kentucky's newly expanded animal torture law pleaded not guilty in front of the dog.

The law is named after the Paducah Sun reports.

David Morris is one of the first people to be prosecuted under Ethan's law, which went into effect this year and allows a person to be charged with a felony the first time they torture a dog or cat.

Ethan the dog and his owner, Jeff Callaway, attended Morris's arraignment hearing in Marshall County.

Morris is accused of shooting his dog, fidget with a pellet gun.

Investigators say a video of the incident was posted on Facebook.

He faces a Class D felony.

He has pleaded not guilty.

21 businesses in Lexington have been awarded for their sustainability efforts.

And the eco reports, this is the green check program's largest class.

12 of the businesses were newly recognized and nine of them were recertified.

The award program is through Lexington's Environmental Quality and Public Works Division.

Flora Clif Nature Sanctuary and a designer jewelry store in Lexington were among the winners.

It's a new record for a Bardstown distillery.

The Kentucky Standards reports Bardstown Bourbon Company won the men's team title at the 2024 World Championship barrel relay and did it in a record time of 50.2 8 seconds.

Independent State Company has hosted the relay for more than 30 years.

Ten distilleries from around the state participated with headlines around Kentucky.

I believe in September is National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month.

AFib is the most common form of an irregular heartbeat affecting more than 37 million people worldwide.

Dr. Kevin Thomas, A cardiac electrophysiologist with Norton Heart and Vascular Institute, talked to us about some of the symptoms of AFib and what you can do about it.

More on that in tonight's look at medical news.

So atrial fibrillation is an abnormal heart rhythm that originates from the upper chambers of the heart.

The upper chambers can go very fast and irregular, and that can drive the bottom chamber to go fast and irregular as well.

It is the most common abnormal heart rhythm that we encounter.

It affects currently probably around somewhere between 4 to 6 million Americans, and that's expected to double by the year 2030 and triple by the year 2050.

We talked about the overall risk factors like getting older or carrying too much weight, having high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea.

But there are certain things that can trigger atrial fibrillation occurrences, even in the absence of those risk factors infections, surgical procedures, acute alcohol intoxication are things that can do that.

Other medications that patients may be taking for other disorders are the vast majority of people do have symptoms from it.

Those symptoms can range from palpitations, feeling of irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, dizziness, excess fatigue.

There are some patients who are completely asymptomatic, which sometimes make the diagnosis of AFib more difficult.

You know, atrial fibrillation is not a life threatening condition.

However, it does have many consequences, the foremost of which is it increases the risk of having a stroke.

And so the primary treatment goal for atrial fibrillation is to reduce the stroke risk.

We do that primarily with medications which thin the blood and reduce the risk of stroke.

People who have atrial fibrillation are at a 5 to 6 times increased risk of stroke over the general population.

So while we will, you know, frequently treat people for the A-fib symptoms of medications and surgical procedures, stroke prevention remains our primary treatment goal.

As far as treatment of A-fib itself, that's guided primarily by how symptomatic the person is and other risk factors that they have.

In some patients who don't feel their A-fib.

They may just need certain medications to control their heart rate.

Most of our patients, though, who do feel their A-fib feel better in normal rhythm.

And so the treatment for them is either a combination of medication use to restore and keep them in normal rhythm.

And surgical procedures that are minimally invasive.

And if you are feeling any cardiac center symptoms like palpitations, racing heartbeats, irregular beats, skip beats, please seek medical attention from your primary care provider, immediate care, or even the emergency room.

Even if it's not atrial fibrillation or symptoms could represent another cardiac condition that might need evaluation and treatment.

Outer space, once considered the final frontier, is now the focus of a booming private industry.

Beyond the confines of Nassau alone.

And one Kentucky college is preparing its students to find careers in the fast growing aerospace field.

Morehead State University recently hosted its second annual space conference, where students got the chance to meet with industry experts and learn more about cosmic career opportunities.

We are here at the Space Center at Morehead State University for the Astrakhan event.

It's the Appalachian Space Technology Research Conference, and it's the second year that we've run it.

It's a small conference, 150, 200 people, but with very extraordinary presenters, deep expertise from Nassau and from the private aerospace sector.

So the idea is to bring all of our research partners in, to meet our students, our undergraduate students, so they can understand what we do with the research partners and think about career pathways.

I graduated in 1998, 25 years ago.

There was nothing here.

There was no Space Science Center left.

You could see that there was something really special going on at Morehead, like there was a start of it, but it wasn't there.

And as you watch it and saw it from a distance and engaged some, it's really awesome that the start of what we did turned into something really this amazing and has grown into something really, you know, nationwide and almost you know people are global working for Morehead State in our space.

So we train students in space systems, design in these small spacecraft the size of a loaf of bread or maybe a small microwave oven.

And then we also train them in mission operations.

So how do you conduct a space mission?

How do you use the ground assets like the big dish at Morehead State to send commands and a full data and telemetry down?

So it's really all about research and development and student training and training students with hands on experiences in space missions.

I think this is great to get students to start, not waiting for people to come to them, but to reach out and network and go after the job they want.

Right?

Students, I think a lot of times worry that they're just going to it's going to come to me and I think we're trying to tell them, go out and get it.

Be inquisitive, take this experience, take the hardware and all the things you've done.

Hands on and go after the jobs and be more proactive and go get it.

And I think these kids are good at that because they they learn a little bit of hustle here.

As you can see, most people don't get this much hands on experience.

Most people don't realize this.

But Kentucky is an aerospace state.

Most people, when you think about Kentucky and the industries in Kentucky, you think distillation industry, you think thoroughbred, you think automotive, coal or agriculture.

Those are great industries and very important.

But the most important industry in the state of Kentucky, if you measure it by the volume of exports.

Aerospace is the number one industry in that respect.

It's a $13 billion industry in the state of Kentucky.

So it's significantly bigger industry than most people even imagine.

Universities in Kentucky are not producing engineers and technicians at the rate that the aerospace industry needs to even maintain the aerospace industry as it is.

And the aerospace industry in Kentucky has experienced about 30% growth over the past two years.

So it's an extraordinary growth mode, but we're just not produce.

And the skills, the graduates, the skills that are that are needed to support the industry so that that's our role is to try to take these very bright young people from eastern Kentucky and from all over the state.

Actually, kids come from all over the country to us because it's very unique.

Degree program and provide them the skills in the background that are needed to support the aerospace and defense industries in Kentucky and beyond.

How about that?

Morehead State University is the only college in Kentucky and one of only five in the country that offers a degree in space sciences engineering.

Well, one person who has a real affinity for space exploration, legendary actor William Shatner, most known for his role as Captain James T Kirk in the iconic television series Star Trek.

Shatner also traveled to space in real life in 2021 at the age of 90.

On board, Jeff Bezos is Blue Origin's space shuttle, even by Hollywood standards.

Shatner has led an extraordinary life.

Now a new acclaimed documentary, William Shatner You Can Call Me Bill is exploring the life, career and musings of the entertainment legend.

Katie recently spoke to Shatner about doing the documentary on his life and why he wanted to share it in person with his fans right here in Kentucky.

It's an interesting phrase.

Go boldly, go boldly, go with courage.

Go fully go with commitment.

That's what it means.

Don't do it halfheartedly.

Whatever it is you do, do it fully.

Do it passionately.

Do it with your whole being.

This is what I believe in.

For the next 5 minutes, and then I'll believe in something else.

I thought it was time to do it.

I'd been asked so many times to do a biographical film, and I chose Legion M, the production company whose unique way of financing a film, which was Give me some money, and your money buys you that share in the film.

You want to be a part of.

And as this film makes money, you'll make money on that share of the film that you're out.

So that's that appealed to me.

I thought that was really innovative and good and constructive.

And Alexander is a great film maker and I thought it'd be great to be with him.

So it all worked out because we've been lauded to the skies.

We got these, you know, these rotten tomatoes.

That is really good.

The more rotten tomatoes you got, the better.

They like the film At every film festival we went in, we were we were just the the critique was wonderful.

I've only heard and I suppose it's only polite to say I've only heard people talking about.

They said they've really liked it, but other reviewers who you've written reviews that and I don't know who they are, they've all been incredible.

There's something that this film touches on a general basis, not just me, but maybe it's the ideas I express or the way it's dramatized with film and music and all.

Whatever is happening inside this hour and a half, people come out of the theater filled with joy.

The film is is out there now where we're sending it out.

It's being released, it's playing somewhere.

I buy a home in Kentucky and I'm there a lot.

Not so much this past year, but in the past and in the future.

A lot.

So Kentucky is kind of home and these personal appearances are the important ones to tell an audience.

And in this case in the Lexington area that I'll be there in person on stage after the film and we'll have a great discussion and all the other things that are planned.

The audience can be a part of.

There's an after party and then there's a party.

After the party, it goes on.

It's going to be quite an evening.

I hope that they'll walk away with a feeling of of happiness, of of joy, of.

Maybe there's something they will have learned.

Maybe they will have had a laugh, but they will have been gainfully entertained for a good period of time.

You know, a couple of hours at least, and had a moment in the theater.

And that's fairly rare.

And and so I think you'll get your money's worth.

That special screening of William Shatner, you can call me Bill, happens next Friday, October 4th, at the Kentucky Theater in Lexington.

You can find out more at Kentucky Theater dot org.

There you can also find ticket information and a schedule of all of the evening's events.

We are six weeks away from Election Day and you can see commercials everywhere for and against amendment to the school choice amendment.

But we're seeing more than just TV ads.

Supporters and critics are also hitting the campaign trail.

We'll catch up with both sides of the amendment to debate right here tomorrow on Kentucky Edition.

We do hope you'll join us here again tomorrow night at 630 Eastern, 530 Central for Kentucky Edition, where we inform, Connect and Inspire.

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Thanks so much for joining us.

Have a great night.