November 4, 2025

Governor Andy Beshear's "Pre-K for All" initiative is drawing support from some leaders across the state, an outgoing state lawmaker makes distracted driving his priority, and Kentucky leaders react to the death of former Vice President Dick Cheney. 

Episode Transcript

(00:09):
>> I'm a personal example of
what it can do, how it can
change. A whole generation.
>> Should Kentucky adopt
universal preschool? This
school superintendent says yes.
>> The next thing I remember is
someone saying your daughter's
gone.
>> How one state lawmaker wants

(00:30):
to prevent distracted driving
deaths in Kentucky.
>> There's a 1 in 4 chance that
the cashier who is helping you
purchase your groceries, or the
cook who is making your food at
a restaurant, is using SNAP to
feed their own family.
>> Our Kentucky Tonight panel
separates Food Stamp fact from

(00:51):
food stamp fiction.
>> This is a symposium to honor
doctor Will William Marksberry.
>> Plus, researchers gathered
at the University of Kentucky
to discuss dementia and aging.
>> Production of Kentucky
edition is made possible in
part by the KET Millennium Fund.

(01:19):
>> Good evening and welcome to
Kentucky edition for Tuesday,
November the 4th. I'm Renee
Shaw. We thank you for spending
some of your Tuesday night with
us. Governor Andy Beshear pre-K
for all initiative is drawing
support from some leaders
across the state. The
initiative would expand access
to preschool education to all

(01:39):
four year olds in Kentucky,
according to Beshear. More than
60,000 Kentuckians have written
letters in support of universal
pre-K. Our Emily Sisk sat down
with two Northern Kentucky
leaders to hear why they
support the initiative.
>> In my opinion, this would be
a great equalizer in a sense.
>> Covington Independent

(02:01):
Schools Superintendent Alvin
Garrison is a staunch supporter
of the pre-K for all initiative.
He believes it will set a firm
foundation for all Kentucky
children.
>> For us, we are a low income
district. I think we're about
90% free and reduced lunch. Our
kids are more than likely less
prepared compared to their

(02:22):
wealthier peers.
>> Garrison, who is a member of
the pre-K for all advisory
committee, pointed to the data
of kids who attend preschool.
>> When you look at graduation
rates, they improve with
students that attend preschool
and college. The more
successful in college are less
likely by attending preschool,

(02:43):
less likely to be incarcerated
to be on special ed.
>> Currently in the Covington
Independent School System,
preschool is available for
families who live up to 160%
below the federal poverty line.
It's also available to any 3 or
4 year old with a disability.
>> We cannot serve all the kids
out there that probably need it

(03:05):
because of the requirements to
be eligible.
>> Some critics of pre-K for
all initiative wonder if the
state has enough teachers to
expand its preschool offering.
11% of Kentucky teachers left
the profession at the end of
the 2023 school year, and
almost 50% of principals and

(03:25):
superintendents said they
regularly used long term
substitute teachers to cover
vacant positions. I asked
Superintendent Garrison about
the teacher shortage, he said.
The pre-K advisory committee is
recommending school districts
expand their preschool offering
when they are ready, which
should allow them to prepare
enough teachers.

(03:46):
>> It's not like it's a mandate
next year, so that gives us
plenty of time to develop more
teachers. I think changing some
of the certifications. So maybe
teachers that are elementary
certified or primary certified
could now teach in the
preschool.
>> And educators aren't the
only ones showing their support

(04:08):
for universal pre-K. 63 county
judge executives signed a
letter to the Kentucky General
Assembly in support of the
initiative. One of those was
Steve Pendrey of Campbell
County. The Republican leader
said universal pre-K will allow
more parents to return to work
and boost the local economy.
>> Everybody that you can
convince to be in the workforce

(04:30):
needs to be there.
>> Judge Pendrey believes it
may take time to secure a
preschool program that delivers
financial results for the state.
>> It's going to be difficult
to come up with a program that
meets needs is affordable
enough to gain support out of

(04:50):
the legislature.
>> But he believes it's
something that can happen.
>> I do know that it's
something that that we need. If
Kentucky could get ahead of the
rest of the world in something
like this, it would provide us
an advantage.
>> And Superintendent Garrison,
who grew up in Louisville, gave
his own testimony on why he
believes in preschool for all.
>> I was a student of poverty,
inner city student of poverty,

(05:13):
and I have preschool
opportunities. I'm a personal
example of what it can do, how
it can change a whole
generation. That was because I
got a strong foundation early
on from preschool.
>> It will be up to the
Kentucky General Assembly to
provide the funds needed to
establish universal pre-K for
Kentucky edition. I'm Emily
Sisk.

(05:35):
>> Thank you Emily. The
Campbell County judge executive
said he hopes public preschools
can work with private child
care centers to ensure they
stay in business. Preschool
education was also the topic of
a legislative committee meeting
and Frankfort today. Kentucky
Department of Education
officials told lawmakers
they've not yet fleshed out all
the details for what universal

(05:56):
pre-K might look like in the
state. State Senator Danny
Carroll, a Republican from
Paducah, says that's in part
because of a disconnect in the
governor's messaging.
>> The governor keeps touting
pre-K for all universal pre-K,
but he doesn't define what that
means. If it's public pre-K for

(06:16):
all, there is a problem with
that. There are substantial
costs for infrastructure, for
teachers, for transportation,
you name it. Not to mention if
it's full day pre-K. The fact
that center, private center,
childcare centers all across
the state would close their
doors because it is the

(06:38):
preschool and school age kids
are the only ages that early
childhood education providers
generate any revenue with, and
these people are jumping on
board. Governor judges, mayors
without knowing what they're
jumping on board for and what
the cost might be associated
with that. And if if we're
really going to get serious

(06:59):
about this, we need to all get
on the same page.
>> Senator Carroll said he's a
strong proponent of early
childhood education. In 2024,
he introduced a bill dubbed the
Horizons Act. The ambitious
$300 million plan was intended
to support Kentucky's child
care industry. Today, he said
he's discussed the possibility

(07:20):
of reintroducing the bill
during the next legislative
session. The 2026 Kentucky
General Assembly begins January
6th. Now, the heartbreaking
story of a young child, the
victim of a crash caused by
distracted driving, is the
motivation behind a policy idea
of an outgoing state lawmaker.
Senator Jimmy Higdon presented

(07:41):
his draft of legislation
requiring hands free technology
for cell phones while driving.
Our June Leffler has more in
this legislative update.
>> Alyssa Byrne's daughter was
killed on the highway in 2022.
A truck ran into her vehicle
during standstill traffic.
>> I look back at her and she

(08:03):
is definitely on her way to
sleep. She's got her binky in
her mouth, her cover up to her
face and her eyes are slow and
steady, and I turn back around
and black eye the. The next
thing I remember is someone
saying, your daughter's gone.
I'm sorry. And I remember
nothing else for the next few

(08:25):
days or even a week. I don't
remember anything else from a
brain injury. So for 1086 days
I had an angel on earth. And
that seems like a long time.
But it's not. It's nowhere near
long enough.
>> In 2024, there were 5000 car
accidents involving distracted
driving. Someone was injured,

(08:46):
and more than 1300 of those
accidents and 26 people died.
>> Every time I hear a traffic
fatality, either a head on
collision, road departure,
motorcycle hit by a vehicle,
pedestrian hit by a vehicle, or
bicyclist hit by a vehicle, I
ask myself the question, could

(09:06):
this been caused by distracted
driver? And I believe a
majority of the times that's
what caused the accident is the
driver was distracted.
>> A Republican from Lebanon
proposed an update to
Kentucky's ban on texting while
driving, which state lawmakers
approved in 2010.

(09:27):
>> Basically, what it does it
it makes it unlawful to have a
handheld, handheld
communication device in your
hand. It does not include a
citizen band radio and while
operating a, a a vehicle on a

(09:47):
public highway in the
Commonwealth, that person shall
not hold or support with any
part of his body. A mobile
electronic device. He should
not read, compose or transmit
any text messages. They can't
watch. Moving images, including,
but not limited to, limited to

(10:09):
videos, movies and games. The
fines for this violation are
$100.
>> The state senator presented
the draft legislation to
colleagues on a transportation
committee Tuesday.
>> But I'm very happy to lend
my support to this bill in
honor of all the the children
and young people and families
and mothers and fathers and

(10:30):
aunts that we've lost over
something so silly. So God
bless you. And thank you.
>> Senator Jimmy Higdon is
approaching his final
legislative session in January.
He announced he will not run
for reelection next year for
Kentucky edition. I'm June
Leffler.
>> Thank you. Joan. There is
some research that bans on

(10:50):
texting while driving do make
roads safer. A 2015 study from
the American Journal of Public
Health found states had a 7%
reduction in crash related
hospitalizations after passing
such laws. Dick Cheney, vice
president of the United States
under President George W Bush,
is dead at the age of 84.

(11:11):
Cheney was from Wyoming, but he
was no stranger to Kentucky. He
debated Senator Joseph
Lieberman and a vice
presidential debate held at
Center College in Danville in
the fall of 2000. Cheney was a
strong but controversial vice
president from playing an
important role in the U.S.
policy in the post 911 War on
Terrorism and the U.S. war in

(11:32):
Iraq. Governor Andy Beshear has
ordered flags lowered to half
staff, though they've already
been lowered after the death of
former Kentucky Governor Martha
Layne Collins. U.S. Senator
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
commented on Vice President
Cheney's passing, saying, quote,
America's 46th vice president
and president of the Senate
will be remembered for decades
of deeply patriotic and highly

(11:54):
capable service to our Republic
from the highest reaches of
power in Washington, Dick
Cheney served with a profound
and humble appreciation for the
rules, principles, and
institutions that sustain
America's experiment in
self-governance. End quote. We
are on the verge of the longest
federal government shutdown

(12:15):
ever. The government shut down
on October 1st, and today is
the 35th day that ties the
record set during the first
Trump administration, when the
government was shut down for
part of December 2018 and
January of 2019. If the
government is still closed
tomorrow, which seems very
likely, it would be day 36 and
that will break the record. The

(12:35):
Associated Press reports
increased talks behind the
scenes involving senators in
both parties about resolving
the dispute about health
insurance subsidies at the
heart of the deadlock. Last
Friday, Governor Andy Beshear
declared a state of emergency
as the federal government
stopped funding for the SNAP
program, better known as food

(12:56):
stamps. It's a program that
helps about 600,000 Kentuckians
put food on the table. Last
Friday, two judges ordered
President Donald Trump to fund
the program. First, he said his
administration would partially
fund SNAP in November. Today,
he posted something to social
media saying he would only
release Snap funds when quoting

(13:16):
radical left Democrats reopen
the government, end quote. Now,
we heard from all sides on this
on last night's Kentucky
Tonight program, among our
guests, there seemed to be a
consensus that Snap was a
necessary program to help
people who need it. One of our
guests, economist Eric
Schansberg, questioned whether
it needs to be a federal

(13:37):
program, though.
>> We're really talking bigger
picture about the role of
government, and if the
government is going to be
involved in these kind of
things, why is it the federal
government? That's really a
bigger question. Why is this
not something that state and
local governments handle along
with nonprofits? Federal
government has got its own
problems and it's already
sending the money here. Why
don't we divorce the federal

(13:58):
government from that and let
state and locals handle that?
And we don't have these
problems going forward.
>> So that's very interesting
perspective. You say the state
should just handle this money
altogether. Get the federal
government out of it entirely.
>> Yeah. What's the
philosophical, ethical,
practical reason of the federal
government providing it? I mean,
it's an artifact of what we did
60 years ago and the origins of

(14:20):
the federal efforts here are to
keep USDA bureaucrats with jobs.
That was the main reason we did
this federal back in the day.
But what's the reason today to
have it a federal program?
Maybe you do block grants and
send us the money and let us
run it. But we I think the
ideal thing would be for each
state to run 50 different
Democratic experiments, to see

(14:41):
how best to handle poverty, and
having the federal government
just sending money to states
risks the sort of problems
we're seeing today.
>> Some of the other panelists
questioned whether Kentucky
state government could take on
a program of that scope.
Another guest, Dustin Pugel of
the progressive leaning
Kentucky Center for Economic
Policy, discussed the myths
about the Snap program. He says

(15:03):
despite what many people may
think, illegal immigrants do
not get Snap benefits. And he
talked about some other myths.
>> The other, I think common
misconception is that adults
who participate in the Snap
program are not working. You
know, you hear this a lot when
there's debate around, you know,
who should a work reporting

(15:24):
requirement applied to, you
know, who is using these
programs? The fact of the
matter is, you know, there are
about 190,000 workers in Snap
participating households.
There's a 1 in 4 chance that
the cashier who is helping you
purchase your groceries, or the
cook who is making your food at
a restaurant, is using snap to
feed their own families while

(15:46):
they're helping feed yours. So,
you know, I think it's really
important to recognize the role
that snap plays among working
Kentuckians. The remainder are
are folks who are disabled.
They're seniors who need help
with their groceries or their
children in those households.
So, you know, Snap really is an
important program that supports
working Kentuckians. I think
the other thing to recognize is

(16:07):
that Snap, besides being the
most powerful anti-hunger tool
we have, it's a pretty powerful
economic tool. So we spent
about $1.1 billion through
federal dollars in Kentucky at
4700 retailers across the state.
That money is generated right
in their broader economy. So,
you know, grocery store workers

(16:28):
and truck drivers and farmers
then use those dollars to pay
their own bills. And so it
really ends up being an
important economic engine,
particularly during downturns.
>> You can see more of last
night's informative snap
discussion online on demand at
ket.org. Tonight, a program
designed to get fresh food to

(16:49):
more people in Lexington is
celebrating a milestone. The
city's mobile market just
turned two years old. It's a
collaboration between the city
of Lexington, Kroger and God's
Pantry Food Bank to get food to
people in areas with very few
grocery stores. Leaders say EBT
and Snap benefits account for
more than 36% of the

(17:09):
transactions at the mobile
market.
>> Over a third of all
transactions used to purchase
groceries here. Are you paid
for using EBT and Snap benefits?
As you know, the government is
still in shutdown. Nearly
600,000 Kentuckians receive
Snap benefits and rely on Snap
benefits to purchase groceries.
That is especially true here

(17:31):
with the mobile market. For
many, Snap benefits are a
lifeline to be able to afford
groceries and provide for their
families. We're hopeful that
the disruption of Snap benefits
is temporary and can be fully
restored.
>> And it is more than just a
single aisle grocery store on
wheels, really. For people, it
offers hope. It offers

(17:54):
opportunity, and I am so
thankful to our partners for
helping us address food
insecurity in areas where there
may not be much in the way of
access to fresh food.
>> The mobile market is stocked
with 300 different items. You
can find out where it will be

(18:15):
next at God's pantry.org. A
sheriff says his deputies are
underpaid and leaving as a
result. Our Toby Gibbs tells us
more in this look at headlines

(18:37):
around Kentucky.
>> The McCracken County sheriff
says he's losing deputies over
pay. Sheriff Ryan Norman is
urging the fiscal court to
support higher wages. According
to The Sun, Norman made a case
for raises at Monday's fiscal
court meeting. He says two
deputies just left the

(18:57):
department for higher paying
jobs in other counties. Norman
says a deputy starting pay in
McCracken County is $48,000 a
year, while it's 49,000 in
Graves County and higher on
some city police departments.
Nine Head Start centers will
stay open past November 1st,
despite the federal government

(19:19):
shutdown. The nine are run by
the Central Kentucky Community
Action Council. Some are in
Radcliff and Elizabethtown. The
News Enterprise says the board
of directors is using $1
million line of credit from
people's Bank to keep the
centers open. The Bowling Green
Daily News reports. Western

(19:40):
Kentucky University is
eliminating some so-called
living learning communities on
campus in order to comply with
the Kentucky General Assembly's
House bill for. Under the
program, students with similar
interests could live on the
same floor of a residence hall.
But after the passage of the
law, LGBTQ plus students will
no longer be able to live in an

(20:02):
area known as Stonewall. Suites
and Western will also remove
its Intercultural Student
Engagement Center. A one man
show Coming to Pikeville will
tell the story of one of
Eastern Kentucky's best known
public advocates, stumbling
Stones. The John Rosenberg
Story is an 80 minute play that
describes the Floyd County

(20:23):
native's escape from Nazi
Germany and his support for
civil rights workers in
Mississippi, the News Express
reports. The play is written by
and stars Jeff Sher. With
headlines around Kentucky. I'm
Toby Gibbs.

(20:50):
>> Some of the top minds in
dementia and Alzheimer's
research gathered in Lexington
recently for the 15th annual
Markesbery Symposium on Aging
and Dementia. We caught up with
some of the speakers to find
out more about their work and
the findings they shared with
other researchers. More on that
in our next chapter series that
explores the rewards and

(21:11):
challenges of growing older.
>> This is a symposium to honor
doctor Will William Markesbery,
who was the founder of the
Sanders Brown Center on Aging.
And it's a scientific symposium
to discuss Alzheimer's disease
and related dementias. Sanders
Brown center really is this
positioned center who enables

(21:32):
us to get information and give
information to the surrounding
world. So the world of experts
out there, they give us so much,
they give us expertise, they
give us diagnostic tests, they
give us therapies, and we can
give that to the community.
>> A lot of the risk factors
for Alzheimer's disease are
known. There is a genetic
component. So it runs in

(21:53):
families. There's specific
genes that we know of that can
be predictive. History of
concussion and head injury may
be contributory. Basically
anything that's bad for the
brain enhances risk of
cognitive decline of aging.
That may be due to Alzheimer's
pathology, or it may be due to

(22:14):
other age related risk factors
and disorders.
>> What it was previously
thought of is it was one
disease caused all that
dementia, but it turns out that
it's actually much more
complicated than that. There's
differences between individuals
and there's differences, even
in individual, for how many
different pathologies can be
going on.
>> So we've learned a lot since

(22:36):
Alois Alzheimer described it
over 100 years ago, where all
he saw were the plaques and
tangles. We see more proteins
now, we see more vascular
disease. So we know a lot more
about what's happening in the
brains of older people and
their different trajectories of
either stability or decline.
>> So there's a lot of work
going on in prevention right

(22:57):
now. What there's two tracks
here. One is lifestyle
modifications. So that's a
healthy diet like the mind diet
or other diets that have been
optimized for healthy aging.
Another is exercise, which is
incredibly beneficial for just

(23:17):
about everything. Healthy sleep
hygiene and also social and
cognitive stimulation. Right
now, we don't have therapies
that are approved for
preclinical stages of disease
before people have symptoms,
but that may be coming in the
future.
>> There's a lot of work going

(23:37):
on in the field in multiple
different realms. So in
prevention and therapy, in
mechanism, in the biology
underlying this impairment. And
there's still research being
done in how to care for people.
What's great about today really
covered the full spectrum of
what can we do to prevent, what
can we do to diagnose, what can

(23:59):
we do to treat.
>> The Marksbury Symposium on
Aging and Dementia was a two
day event. Saturday was the
community event where speakers
shared current findings, trends,
and the latest updates on
dementia and healthy brain
aging with the public. The Los

(24:25):
Angeles Dodgers are once again
World Series champs, and
there's a cool Kentucky
connection you just might not
know about. More in tonight's
sports news. The Dodgers beat
the Toronto Blue Jays 5 to 4 in
game seven last Saturday night,
making them the first team in
25 years to win back to back
World Series titles. The

(24:45):
winning run, an 11th inning
homer by Kentucky native Will
Smith. Smith is from Louisville
and played college ball for the
Cardinals. Go, Cardinals! The
champ gets a stamp. The U.S.
Postal Service will honor
heavyweight champion Muhammad
Ali, a Louisville native with
two different forever postage

(25:07):
stamps to be released next year.
Both of them are based on
Associated Press photos of Ali
from 1974. In a statement,
Ali's wife, Lonnie Ali, who is
also the co-founder and interim
CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center,
said, quote, these stamps are a
beautiful reminder of his
courage, his compassion and the
values that continue to guide
our work at the Muhammad Ali

(25:28):
Center. End quote. We have
talked a lot about SNAP, better
known as the Food Stamp Program,
in recent weeks. Well, tomorrow
on Kentucky edition, we'll take
an in-depth look at what SNAP
is, how it works, who is
eligible, and who uses the
program. A closer look at SNAP
that's coming up tomorrow,
Wednesday on Kentucky edition,
which we hope you'll tune in

(25:49):
again for at 630 eastern, 530
central, where we inform,
connect and inspire. We hope
that you'll connect with us all
the ways you see on your screen,
on the social media channels
Facebook, Instagram and X. We
encourage you to send us a
story idea by email to Public
Affairs at ket.org, and look
for us on the PBS app that you
can download on your mobile

(26:10):
phone and other smart devices.
And of course, you can stream a
lot of our programs online on
demand at ket.org. I'll be
joining you tomorrow from the
Louisville studio, and I sure
hope I will see you right back
here again tomorrow night. In
the meantime, take really good
care. Have a good night.