October 31, 2025 • 26 mins
Gov. Beshear addresses SNAP crisis, KY soybean farmers react to new trade deal with China, lawmakers call for action in the Ronald Exantus case, and why a certain generation is skipping a once-common bedtime ritural with thier children.
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(00:11):
>> Kentucky. Farmers will be
able to sell soybeans to China.
But how does this deal compare
to sales numbers of the past?
>> If we're not reading to our
children, if the children
aren't reading a book, then
we're losing a great deal, and
that's going to be very
difficult to get back as they
grow older.
(00:32):
>> Why many parents are
skipping a once common bedtime
ritual with their children.
>> Fall in Kentucky is almost,
almost like a cult following.
>> And they're going hog wild
over fall in the town of Nancy.
>> Production of Kentucky
edition is made possible in
(00:53):
part by the KET Millennium Fund.
>> Good evening and welcome to
Kentucky edition for this
Thursday, October the 30th, I'm
Renee Shaw in our Louisville
studios downtown, and we thank
(01:15):
you so much for joining us this
evening. We could be two days
away from 40 million Americans
and close to 600,000
Kentuckians losing their SNAP
benefits. The program is better
known as food stamps. In Wolfe
County, 31% of people are on
snap. Nikki Stacy, founder of
the Hazel Green Food Project in
(01:36):
Wolfe County, is asking
Governor Andy Beshear to call a
special session to deal with
this crisis. This was her plea
on Facebook.
>> What we need you all to do
is we need you to call your
governor's office. This is this
is how we're going to. This is
the only way we can solve this.
If the governor calls a special
(01:56):
session, gets our people or our
state representatives, our
senators back in Frankfort,
they can call special session,
declare a state of emergency
for Kentucky, just like all the
other states have followed suit.
We have Virginia that's already
done that and a couple of
others. And this is what
Kentucky needs.
>> Some state lawmakers are
(02:17):
also calling for a special
session. The governor was asked
about that today.
>> What we're looking at our
options right now, and I think
a number of options are on the
table. I'm not sure a special
session would be necessary.
Just what we can't do, though,
is we can't use the existing
platform of Snap and simply put,
(02:39):
state dollars through it. We've
got some very clear instruction
from the federal government
that that is not allowed. And
so what that means is any
additional help that we may be
able to provide certainly isn't
going to be perfect and
certainly won't make up for
this this fall hit.
>> People across Kentucky are
taking action to deal with this.
This week, The Healing Place in
(03:00):
Louisville launched the
Neighbors Food Pantry. It's a
partnership with Dare to Care
to help distribute food to
those who need it. Our Kelsey
Starks has more on this new
initiative.
>> John Mark and Chandra Justus
are both with the Healing Place.
And here to talk a little bit
about this new initiative. Th
(03:20):
Neighbors Pantry. What spawned
this?
>> We have a commitment to
ensure that we're of West
Louisville, in addition to
being in West Louisville, where
we've been located for 35 years.
Nothing brings people together
like food. And we also know
that the zip codes in our
(03:40):
vicinity are classified as
overdose hot zones. So we have
people, we have neighbors
nearby who are in need of our
services that need to know that
we're there, and that our
recovery services are available
at no cost to client. So we had
the idea to partner with Dare
to Care, and they were
(04:01):
receptive to that idea. They've
provided us some support and
guidance, and we're really
excited to unveil and debut the
Neighbors Food Pantry.
>> And this just launched this
week. So tell us about the
experience there. Just being
there and seeing the people in
need.
>> So across both of our
(04:21):
campuses in Louisville, we
provide out of our kitchens
around just under 900,000 meals
per year. And so through that,
we also know that there is food
insecurity. Right? And Dare to
Care has helped us unveil that
too. They have a lot of a
wealth of information. So with
(04:42):
that, we kind of expanded and
partnered with them to just
step wider into our community,
provide some service in the way
that we can to our neighbors.
And the launch was amazing. We
had 60 individual families that
(05:03):
we served. They were very
grateful and had lots of
questions. Are you going to be
doing this again? Can we come
back? Absolutely. You can come
back.
>> Yeah. And the answer is yes.
This is something that's going
to be going on indefinitely.
>> It is. It's it's a permanent
commitment that we're making.
And our goal is to create
(05:25):
service opportunities for our
clients who are on site and
packing food boxes and loading
them into cars, interacting
with neighbors, and then
providing that additional bit
of food security to folks in
the neighborhood. And we want
to make that a permanent part
of our operation.
>> Yeah. And and now, right now,
(05:45):
specifically, I know with the
expiration potentially of the
Snap benefits that's affecting
so many people, how is all of
this affecting you all to as an
organization?
>> We we as Chandra mentioned,
we serve just under 900,000
meals a day, and we are reliant
(06:06):
on partnerships with our
clients through the
Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program, the food
stamp program, to be able to
serve those meals. And so the
the potential effect on us is
pretty significant. We haven't
experienced it yet, but the
clock is ticking and we're
really anxious for the folks in
Congress to do their jobs and
(06:28):
and get the government reopened.
>> Yeah. And a lot of people
may not understand exactly what
it is you all do. So explain
what that what that is.
>> So we offer hope to people
who need it. So people that are
suffering from substance abuse,
(06:48):
mental health issues and
disorders, even co-occurring
disorders and substance abuse
so they can come and don't have
to have a penny. They don't
have to have an ID, they just
show up and you can retain our
services for 6 to 9 months,
maybe even a year. Yeah, as
(07:09):
long as you need.
>> Yeah. And we we really
specialize in partnering with
our clients to restore
meaningful and productive lives
in the wake of alcoholism and
addiction. Oftentimes,
homelessness and our clients
come in the door, oftentimes
broken, distanced from their
(07:31):
families and their kids mired
in addiction and alcoholism.
And nine months later, they
leave completely transformed.
We get every day to witness
those miracles happen on a
daily basis, and it's really no
exaggeration. It's happening
every day.
>> Yeah, it's an incredible
services that you all offer
(07:52):
free of charge. And so this
neighbor's pantry is kind of a
continuation of that because
there are no requirements. It
is free for anyone who needs it.
That's incredible.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah. And tell me why that's
so important at this, this
particular moment in time when
we know there are a lot of
people who need it.
>> It's very important to us to
(08:15):
provide things that are not
difficult to attain. Right?
Everything tends to be, you
know, you have to have this or
that to get this back in back.
So just like our program, no
barriers, right. So we want
(08:35):
this to mirror that. We don't
want to try to help provide
this service to the community
and where there's a need for
food with barriers attached and
no strings. Right. We just want
to be no strings attached. If
you need help, come and we will
help.
>> Yeah.
>> And the disease of addiction
(08:57):
is exacerbated by economic
distress. We know that. The
data tells us that. Experience
tells us that. And the areas
where we're located in West
Louisville happened to be some
of the areas that are in most
chronic economic distress
because of long time
underinvestment and a whole
(09:17):
host of other reasons. And we
want to make sure that our
neighbors, first and foremost,
know of the services that are
available to them on a daily
basis. And there's nothing that
brings together people like
food.
>> Well, thank you all so much
for being here. We appreciate
it very much.
>> And Kelsey.
>> The THP is neighbors pantry
(09:39):
is open on Tuesdays and
Thursdays. Back to you.
>> Thank you so much, Kelsey.
You can find the neighbors Food
Pantry at the Healing Place
Women's Campus on South 15th
Street from 11
a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and
Thursdays, as they're also in
need of volunteers. And you can
find out more information on
(10:00):
how to get involved on their
website, which is the Healing
place.org. Some good news for
some Kentucky farmers. The
Trump administration says it's
reached a deal with China that
will allow U.S. soybean exports
to resume. China stopped buying
U.S. soybeans earlier in the
year because of new U.S.
tariffs against China that hurt
(10:23):
soybean farmers across America,
including right here in
Kentucky, according to the
Secretary of Treasury, Scott
Bessent. China will buy 12
million metric tons of soybeans
from the U.S. between now and
January and 25 million a year
after that, according to the
Reuters news service. The U.S.
exported about 27 million
metric tons of soybeans to
(10:45):
China in 2024. Caleb Ragland is
president of the American
Soybean Association and lives
in LaRue County in Kentucky. He
says while the U.S. and China
may not always agree
politically, the two countries
need each other economically.
>> It's very positive news. We
still are waiting on many
(11:08):
details that are still unknown,
but the initial reaction is we
have commitments to buy similar
amounts, tonnage wise, of
what's been used the last three
years by by the Chinese. And as
our biggest export partner,
(11:29):
them being gone from the market
the last few months has been a
major obstacle for our industry.
And news of them coming back is
exciting. We still have to get
the details figured out and we
have to have follow through.
This is a commitment. We don't
have cash on the Barrelhead yet
(11:50):
and we haven't made the
deliveries. So once those
things take place over the next
few weeks and months, it will
be even more excitement. But
it's very positive.
>> President Donald Trump said
he could formally sign a trade
deal with China, quote, pretty
soon, end quote. The man
sentenced after stabbing a six
(12:11):
year old boy to death in
Versailles, Kentucky, is back
behind bars in the Commonwealth.
Now, state lawmakers are
calling on the Kentucky Parole
Board to make sure he stays
there a while longer. Ronald
Exantus was found legally
insane in the 2015 murder of
six Year-Old Logan Tipton, but
he was found guilty of
(12:32):
assaulting members of Tipton's
family. Exantus was released
from prison earlier this month
after serving ten years of a 20
year sentence. The Kentucky
Parole Board says it voted to
keep Exantus in prison, but
that state law required he be
released through the Mandatory
Reentry Supervision program.
Exantus was on parole in
(12:53):
Florida, where he was arrested
for failing to register as a
convicted felon. He's now at
the Kentucky State Reformatory
in Lagrange. In a letter to the
parole Board, several members
of the Kentucky General
Assembly are asking that they
deem him ineligible for release.
Quote, it is critical for both
public safety and his own
(13:14):
well-being that the Parole
Board further consider whether
lifelong supervision and mental
health treatment, following
completion of his full sentence,
are appropriate and necessary
to prevent further harm, end
quote. In other news, a
Northern Kentucky mother is
suing the gaming platform
Roblox months after her teenage
(13:35):
daughter's suicide. According
to the Lexington Herald leader
Jamie Seitz of Boone County
says the violent images on
Roblox pushed her daughter, 13
year old Audrey Hine, to take
her own life last December.
Kentucky Attorney General
Russell Coleman sued Roblox
earlier this month. Louisiana
has also filed suit. Roblox is
an online platform that lets
(13:56):
participants play games in a
virtual universe. It's
estimated two thirds of
American children ages 9 to 12
take part. An appeals court is
siding with former Governor
Matt Bevin. 18 year old adopted
son, as he seeks child support
from Bevin and his ex-wife,
former First Lady Glenna Bevin.
(14:18):
Jonah Bevin says he's entitled
to money after spending time at
boarding schools for so-called
troubled teens. According to
the Courier-Journal, the issue
is whether he received a
legitimate education at those
boarding schools, including one
in Jamaica, raided by police
over abuse accusations. The
appeals court ruling means
Jonah Bevin's push for child
(14:39):
support can move forward. The
state is banning the use of
aircraft, including unmanned
drones, for hunting and fishing.
The Kentucky Lantern reports
the new regulation went into
effect earlier this month. It
makes it illegal to use any
kind of aircraft to fish or
hunt, to drive a herd for
purposes of hunting, and to
(14:59):
harass wildlife. The Interim
Joint Committee on Natural
Resources and Energy approved
the regulation mid-October.
There are some exceptions. The
law says Kentucky Fish and
Wildlife employees, contractors
acting on the agency's behalf,
and commercial fishermen can
still use aircraft in some
situations, like removing
(15:21):
invasive carp. The department
says the new regulation will
provide guidance and a
framework for game wardens to
use while investigating
potential violations. The
(15:41):
number of parents reading to
their children is at an all
time low. That's according to a
new study by book publisher
Harper Collins, who found that
41% of kids four years old and
younger are being read to
frequently. In 2012, that
number was 64%. The parents
least likely to read to their
(16:01):
children Gen Z. Bill Goodman,
executive director of Kentucky
Humanities, recently wrote an
op ed piece on this study, and
he spoke with us about it and
what it means for literacy
efforts. Our first question to
him, why are so few Gen Z
parents interested in reading
to their children?
>> One I think at times it's
challenging for the parent to
(16:22):
get fully involved in a child's
book if they don't have any
interest in it at all. It might
be boring to them. They might
think they are trying to force
a habit on their child. They're
not interested in in pursuing
that. But two, I think that
without question. And it
doesn't take a rocket scientist
(16:44):
to figure this out. We're all
so devoted to our devices these
days. Everyone has a phone, an
enormous number of children,
teenagers, young people, Gen
Z-ers all the way up to people
my age are relying on their
phones more than they ever have
(17:04):
before. There's an incredible
number of phones out there,
especially phones, tablets,
ways to interact with
technology, games. And along
with that comes the the fact
that Gen Z-ers and others too,
aren't reading as often and as
much as they used to. So it's a
(17:26):
it's a real challenge. But what
I think we at Kentucky
Humanities are trying to do,
along with a number of other
literacy organizations, is
bring people back to the book,
bring people back to a time
when a parent can have some
quiet time with a child,
whether it's after dinner or
before bedtime. Find something
(17:49):
that is of interest to the
adult and the child. It might
take a little bit of work. It
can probably Google an interest
that they have and find
something that's been written
about it that they want to
share with their child. So it's
a it's a challenging time for
(18:10):
publishers and for people who
want to bring people back into
libraries, back into literacy
organizations. And it's not
going to happen overnight
because, again, we are so
locked in and married to our
devices in the state of
Kentucky in just the the the
latest study, reading scores
(18:31):
for fourth graders, eighth
graders are up slightly. But at
one time, not too long ago, we
were at 36th in the nation. And
I don't think anybody wants to
be satisfied with with being 36.
When you read to a child,
you're helping that child with
critical thinking, with problem
solving. You're discussing
(18:51):
those things. You're you're
looking at the character in the
book and how that character
maneuvers through society and
civilization. They are learning
socialization. They're learning
how to to be a friend to
somebody, to relate to an adult.
There are a number of factors
that if we're not reading to
(19:12):
our children, if the children
aren't reading a book, then
we're losing a great deal. And
that's going to be very
difficult to get back as they
grow older. They need that now
as a base. There's a move afoot,
as you know, in the state of
Kentucky for preschool or pre-K,
getting those kids involved
before they go into
(19:32):
kindergarten or the first grade.
It's very important that we we
reintroduce these parents that
we're talking about. And I
don't want to to pick on the
Gen Z's. They are they just
need to be brought back into
the fold. And, and and given
the information that if they
read to their child before bed
(19:54):
each night or at a at a
particular time during the day,
on the weekends, get a habit
started. A good habit, not a
bad habit, but a good habit. I
think we'll see those test
scores improve even more.
>> Tomorrow night on Kentucky
Edition. More of our
conversation with our good
friend Bill Goodman, who shares
how programs like the Kentucky
(20:15):
Book Festival, presented by the
Kentucky Humanities, helps
encourage literacy and reading
in children, from pumpkin
patches to apple orchards,
hayrides to Halloween, there
are countless traditions that
go with the fall season. This
next story from the archives of
our friends at Kentucky Life,
touches on a few of those
(20:35):
traditions in Mansi, Kentucky,
where two local farms have
become yearly attractions.
>> Those are. There you go.
Here. Hold it.
(20:57):
>> Haney's Apple Farm has been
an apple orchard for around 150
years. I am the fifth
generation operating here in
Nancy, Kentucky. And we've been
trying to come up with as many
apples as we can for the public
as often as we can. It started
off as more of a traditional
farm with row crops and that
sort of thing. But there have
always been apples on the
(21:18):
orchard, probably about 75, 80
years ago, we really started
expanding the apples that we
actually planted on the farm.
My grandfather really grew it
into more of an apple orchard
than a traditional farm. My
father and my uncle are the
current owners. They have been
running it for a little over 50
years. They took it over from
my grandfather, and he he kind
(21:39):
of helped them out for about 20
years until he passed on. And
then they've been running it
ever since.
>> We've been here for since
1870. In our family, growing
fruit first trees were planted
in 1870. Our busy time is is in
the fall. I mean, we're busy
during the summer too, with
different varieties of apples
(22:00):
and and peaches. But fall is is
is where it's all at. I mean,
we just have the school tours
and the parents that come with
them and, and people come again
from a long distance to come
here. And it's sort of a
tradition with a lot of
families.
>> The things that we do in the
fall are geared primarily
(22:21):
towards you pick apples, but we
do have a playground, things
for the kids. And we do a lot
of tours through the week for
local school groups. We have
some of them that come from 2
or 3 counties away, and we have
a lot of adults who come in now
who say, the first time I came
here was on a tour with my
school. So that's really helped
(22:42):
us reach that population and
kind of start increasing it. Of
the people who want to come
back, who bring their children
back, and we hope to kind of
just keep that going. We want
those those kids that come in
today to bring their kids in 20
years from now. And we want to
make sure that we're here to be
able to do that. One of the
bigger fall traditions around
here, obviously, is people
(23:02):
taking a full day on a Saturday,
and they might go to to bear
wallow as a, as a starter for
the day and then come by us on
the way back or vice versa.
>> Barwala farm is a family
tradition farm. Pumpkin patch,
corn maze. Located in Nancy,
Kentucky Barwala has been here
since 1999. With that, I mean,
(23:23):
we've also I mean, we've
obviously we've become a family
tradition for a lot of people.
We're seeing a lot of a lot of
return visitors for from, from
the very beginning. And those,
those people are bringing their
kids back and even been here
long enough. Now that we're
starting to see some grandkids.
>> Fall in Kentucky is almost,
(23:44):
almost like a cult following. I
mean, it really is. As soon as
that first Christmas morning
hits, it's like, all right,
let's get our sweaters on and
our boots on. And it's family
picture time, and it's pumpkin
patch weather and it's hayride
weather. And let's do a bonfire.
I mean, it's almost like a
checklist in southern Kentucky
for like, fall.
(24:05):
>> I've been on the farm since
I was old enough to walk, so I
don't know any any life any
different. So a lot of our
passion behind barrel Wallow
and behind the fall traditions
and bringing people out to the
pumpkin patch and the corn maze
started in, started in
conversation between me and my
(24:26):
wife. That how important
agritourism and getting kids on
the farm and families on the
farm. We want the connection
back to agriculture from the
public. We don't want to hide
anything from the public. We're
proud of what we do. We're
proud of how we take care of
our land and and our animals.
And we want people to see that.
So. So it's really an honor to
get people back out here on the
(24:49):
farm and let them see. When you
take a hayride through Beruwala,
you see soybeans, you see corn,
you see whatever crops we've
got in the field that year. You
might even I mean, there's been
years in the past we've been
harvesting while we're open. So
you get the opportunity to see
those things. I want kids
picking a pumpkin from a five.
A lot of people that are in the
industry doing what we're doing
are bringing in pumpkins, and
(25:10):
they're picking them up out of
a grass field somewhere. I want
kids to to have the experience
of understanding that pumpkins
don't grow on trees. They grow
on vines in a in a field. And I
want them to see that when
people think about fall, they
think about pumpkins and they
think about the changing of the
leaves, and they think about,
you know, going and doing
something with your community,
(25:30):
you know, with their family
somewhere in the community. And
I think that's kind of what
Beruwala offers. And I think
that's kind of what you see in
our county and in our area, no
different than any other in the
state is that, you know, come
fall, people are looking for,
for to go outside and get that
capture, that one last little
bit of, of nice weather before
(25:52):
the snow starts flying.
>> Memories here I feel like
are a good thing and it really
ties our community together.
Memories that are memories that
I mean, even at the coffee shop,
Mill Springs, you know, we we
went to Beruwala and then we
learned about the Civil War. I
mean, there's so much here to
offer and so much here to
(26:14):
really bring families together,
I think is very important.
>> Enjoy more great stories
like that. On Kentucky life
with Chip Holston Saturday
nights at 8:00 eastern, seven
central, right here on KET. But
before that, we'll see you
tomorrow night right here on
>> Kentucky. Farmers will be
able to sell soybeans to China.
But how does this deal compare
to sales numbers of the past?
>> If we're not reading to our
children, if the children
aren't reading a book, then
we're losing a great deal, and
that's going to be very
difficult to get back as they
grow older.
(00:32):
>> Why many parents are
skipping a once common bedtime
ritual with their children.
>> Fall in Kentucky is almost,
almost like a cult following.
>> And they're going hog wild
over fall in the town of Nancy.
>> Production of Kentucky
edition is made possible in
(00:53):
part by the KET Millennium Fund.
>> Good evening and welcome to
Kentucky edition for this
Thursday, October the 30th, I'm
Renee Shaw in our Louisville
studios downtown, and we thank
(01:15):
you so much for joining us this
evening. We could be two days
away from 40 million Americans
and close to 600,000
Kentuckians losing their SNAP
benefits. The program is better
known as food stamps. In Wolfe
County, 31% of people are on
snap. Nikki Stacy, founder of
the Hazel Green Food Project in
(01:36):
Wolfe County, is asking
Governor Andy Beshear to call a
special session to deal with
this crisis. This was her plea
on Facebook.
>> What we need you all to do
is we need you to call your
governor's office. This is this
is how we're going to. This is
the only way we can solve this.
If the governor calls a special
(01:56):
session, gets our people or our
state representatives, our
senators back in Frankfort,
they can call special session,
declare a state of emergency
for Kentucky, just like all the
other states have followed suit.
We have Virginia that's already
done that and a couple of
others. And this is what
Kentucky needs.
>> Some state lawmakers are
(02:17):
also calling for a special
session. The governor was asked
about that today.
>> What we're looking at our
options right now, and I think
a number of options are on the
table. I'm not sure a special
session would be necessary.
Just what we can't do, though,
is we can't use the existing
platform of Snap and simply put,
(02:39):
state dollars through it. We've
got some very clear instruction
from the federal government
that that is not allowed. And
so what that means is any
additional help that we may be
able to provide certainly isn't
going to be perfect and
certainly won't make up for
this this fall hit.
>> People across Kentucky are
taking action to deal with this.
This week, The Healing Place in
(03:00):
Louisville launched the
Neighbors Food Pantry. It's a
partnership with Dare to Care
to help distribute food to
those who need it. Our Kelsey
Starks has more on this new
initiative.
>> John Mark and Chandra Justus
are both with the Healing Place.
And here to talk a little bit
about this new initiative. Th
(03:20):
Neighbors Pantry. What spawned
this?
>> We have a commitment to
ensure that we're of West
Louisville, in addition to
being in West Louisville, where
we've been located for 35 years.
Nothing brings people together
like food. And we also know
that the zip codes in our
(03:40):
vicinity are classified as
overdose hot zones. So we have
people, we have neighbors
nearby who are in need of our
services that need to know that
we're there, and that our
recovery services are available
at no cost to client. So we had
the idea to partner with Dare
to Care, and they were
(04:01):
receptive to that idea. They've
provided us some support and
guidance, and we're really
excited to unveil and debut the
Neighbors Food Pantry.
>> And this just launched this
week. So tell us about the
experience there. Just being
there and seeing the people in
need.
>> So across both of our
(04:21):
campuses in Louisville, we
provide out of our kitchens
around just under 900,000 meals
per year. And so through that,
we also know that there is food
insecurity. Right? And Dare to
Care has helped us unveil that
too. They have a lot of a
wealth of information. So with
(04:42):
that, we kind of expanded and
partnered with them to just
step wider into our community,
provide some service in the way
that we can to our neighbors.
And the launch was amazing. We
had 60 individual families that
(05:03):
we served. They were very
grateful and had lots of
questions. Are you going to be
doing this again? Can we come
back? Absolutely. You can come
back.
>> Yeah. And the answer is yes.
This is something that's going
to be going on indefinitely.
>> It is. It's it's a permanent
commitment that we're making.
And our goal is to create
(05:25):
service opportunities for our
clients who are on site and
packing food boxes and loading
them into cars, interacting
with neighbors, and then
providing that additional bit
of food security to folks in
the neighborhood. And we want
to make that a permanent part
of our operation.
>> Yeah. And and now, right now,
(05:45):
specifically, I know with the
expiration potentially of the
Snap benefits that's affecting
so many people, how is all of
this affecting you all to as an
organization?
>> We we as Chandra mentioned,
we serve just under 900,000
meals a day, and we are reliant
(06:06):
on partnerships with our
clients through the
Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program, the food
stamp program, to be able to
serve those meals. And so the
the potential effect on us is
pretty significant. We haven't
experienced it yet, but the
clock is ticking and we're
really anxious for the folks in
Congress to do their jobs and
(06:28):
and get the government reopened.
>> Yeah. And a lot of people
may not understand exactly what
it is you all do. So explain
what that what that is.
>> So we offer hope to people
who need it. So people that are
suffering from substance abuse,
(06:48):
mental health issues and
disorders, even co-occurring
disorders and substance abuse
so they can come and don't have
to have a penny. They don't
have to have an ID, they just
show up and you can retain our
services for 6 to 9 months,
maybe even a year. Yeah, as
(07:09):
long as you need.
>> Yeah. And we we really
specialize in partnering with
our clients to restore
meaningful and productive lives
in the wake of alcoholism and
addiction. Oftentimes,
homelessness and our clients
come in the door, oftentimes
broken, distanced from their
(07:31):
families and their kids mired
in addiction and alcoholism.
And nine months later, they
leave completely transformed.
We get every day to witness
those miracles happen on a
daily basis, and it's really no
exaggeration. It's happening
every day.
>> Yeah, it's an incredible
services that you all offer
(07:52):
free of charge. And so this
neighbor's pantry is kind of a
continuation of that because
there are no requirements. It
is free for anyone who needs it.
That's incredible.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah. And tell me why that's
so important at this, this
particular moment in time when
we know there are a lot of
people who need it.
>> It's very important to us to
(08:15):
provide things that are not
difficult to attain. Right?
Everything tends to be, you
know, you have to have this or
that to get this back in back.
So just like our program, no
barriers, right. So we want
(08:35):
this to mirror that. We don't
want to try to help provide
this service to the community
and where there's a need for
food with barriers attached and
no strings. Right. We just want
to be no strings attached. If
you need help, come and we will
help.
>> Yeah.
>> And the disease of addiction
(08:57):
is exacerbated by economic
distress. We know that. The
data tells us that. Experience
tells us that. And the areas
where we're located in West
Louisville happened to be some
of the areas that are in most
chronic economic distress
because of long time
underinvestment and a whole
(09:17):
host of other reasons. And we
want to make sure that our
neighbors, first and foremost,
know of the services that are
available to them on a daily
basis. And there's nothing that
brings together people like
food.
>> Well, thank you all so much
for being here. We appreciate
it very much.
>> And Kelsey.
>> The THP is neighbors pantry
(09:39):
is open on Tuesdays and
Thursdays. Back to you.
>> Thank you so much, Kelsey.
You can find the neighbors Food
Pantry at the Healing Place
Women's Campus on South 15th
Street from 11
a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and
Thursdays, as they're also in
need of volunteers. And you can
find out more information on
(10:00):
how to get involved on their
website, which is the Healing
place.org. Some good news for
some Kentucky farmers. The
Trump administration says it's
reached a deal with China that
will allow U.S. soybean exports
to resume. China stopped buying
U.S. soybeans earlier in the
year because of new U.S.
tariffs against China that hurt
(10:23):
soybean farmers across America,
including right here in
Kentucky, according to the
Secretary of Treasury, Scott
Bessent. China will buy 12
million metric tons of soybeans
from the U.S. between now and
January and 25 million a year
after that, according to the
Reuters news service. The U.S.
exported about 27 million
metric tons of soybeans to
(10:45):
China in 2024. Caleb Ragland is
president of the American
Soybean Association and lives
in LaRue County in Kentucky. He
says while the U.S. and China
may not always agree
politically, the two countries
need each other economically.
>> It's very positive news. We
still are waiting on many
(11:08):
details that are still unknown,
but the initial reaction is we
have commitments to buy similar
amounts, tonnage wise, of
what's been used the last three
years by by the Chinese. And as
our biggest export partner,
(11:29):
them being gone from the market
the last few months has been a
major obstacle for our industry.
And news of them coming back is
exciting. We still have to get
the details figured out and we
have to have follow through.
This is a commitment. We don't
have cash on the Barrelhead yet
(11:50):
and we haven't made the
deliveries. So once those
things take place over the next
few weeks and months, it will
be even more excitement. But
it's very positive.
>> President Donald Trump said
he could formally sign a trade
deal with China, quote, pretty
soon, end quote. The man
sentenced after stabbing a six
(12:11):
year old boy to death in
Versailles, Kentucky, is back
behind bars in the Commonwealth.
Now, state lawmakers are
calling on the Kentucky Parole
Board to make sure he stays
there a while longer. Ronald
Exantus was found legally
insane in the 2015 murder of
six Year-Old Logan Tipton, but
he was found guilty of
(12:32):
assaulting members of Tipton's
family. Exantus was released
from prison earlier this month
after serving ten years of a 20
year sentence. The Kentucky
Parole Board says it voted to
keep Exantus in prison, but
that state law required he be
released through the Mandatory
Reentry Supervision program.
Exantus was on parole in
(12:53):
Florida, where he was arrested
for failing to register as a
convicted felon. He's now at
the Kentucky State Reformatory
in Lagrange. In a letter to the
parole Board, several members
of the Kentucky General
Assembly are asking that they
deem him ineligible for release.
Quote, it is critical for both
public safety and his own
(13:14):
well-being that the Parole
Board further consider whether
lifelong supervision and mental
health treatment, following
completion of his full sentence,
are appropriate and necessary
to prevent further harm, end
quote. In other news, a
Northern Kentucky mother is
suing the gaming platform
Roblox months after her teenage
(13:35):
daughter's suicide. According
to the Lexington Herald leader
Jamie Seitz of Boone County
says the violent images on
Roblox pushed her daughter, 13
year old Audrey Hine, to take
her own life last December.
Kentucky Attorney General
Russell Coleman sued Roblox
earlier this month. Louisiana
has also filed suit. Roblox is
an online platform that lets
(13:56):
participants play games in a
virtual universe. It's
estimated two thirds of
American children ages 9 to 12
take part. An appeals court is
siding with former Governor
Matt Bevin. 18 year old adopted
son, as he seeks child support
from Bevin and his ex-wife,
former First Lady Glenna Bevin.
(14:18):
Jonah Bevin says he's entitled
to money after spending time at
boarding schools for so-called
troubled teens. According to
the Courier-Journal, the issue
is whether he received a
legitimate education at those
boarding schools, including one
in Jamaica, raided by police
over abuse accusations. The
appeals court ruling means
Jonah Bevin's push for child
(14:39):
support can move forward. The
state is banning the use of
aircraft, including unmanned
drones, for hunting and fishing.
The Kentucky Lantern reports
the new regulation went into
effect earlier this month. It
makes it illegal to use any
kind of aircraft to fish or
hunt, to drive a herd for
purposes of hunting, and to
(14:59):
harass wildlife. The Interim
Joint Committee on Natural
Resources and Energy approved
the regulation mid-October.
There are some exceptions. The
law says Kentucky Fish and
Wildlife employees, contractors
acting on the agency's behalf,
and commercial fishermen can
still use aircraft in some
situations, like removing
(15:21):
invasive carp. The department
says the new regulation will
provide guidance and a
framework for game wardens to
use while investigating
potential violations. The
(15:41):
number of parents reading to
their children is at an all
time low. That's according to a
new study by book publisher
Harper Collins, who found that
41% of kids four years old and
younger are being read to
frequently. In 2012, that
number was 64%. The parents
least likely to read to their
(16:01):
children Gen Z. Bill Goodman,
executive director of Kentucky
Humanities, recently wrote an
op ed piece on this study, and
he spoke with us about it and
what it means for literacy
efforts. Our first question to
him, why are so few Gen Z
parents interested in reading
to their children?
>> One I think at times it's
challenging for the parent to
(16:22):
get fully involved in a child's
book if they don't have any
interest in it at all. It might
be boring to them. They might
think they are trying to force
a habit on their child. They're
not interested in in pursuing
that. But two, I think that
without question. And it
doesn't take a rocket scientist
(16:44):
to figure this out. We're all
so devoted to our devices these
days. Everyone has a phone, an
enormous number of children,
teenagers, young people, Gen
Z-ers all the way up to people
my age are relying on their
phones more than they ever have
(17:04):
before. There's an incredible
number of phones out there,
especially phones, tablets,
ways to interact with
technology, games. And along
with that comes the the fact
that Gen Z-ers and others too,
aren't reading as often and as
much as they used to. So it's a
(17:26):
it's a real challenge. But what
I think we at Kentucky
Humanities are trying to do,
along with a number of other
literacy organizations, is
bring people back to the book,
bring people back to a time
when a parent can have some
quiet time with a child,
whether it's after dinner or
before bedtime. Find something
(17:49):
that is of interest to the
adult and the child. It might
take a little bit of work. It
can probably Google an interest
that they have and find
something that's been written
about it that they want to
share with their child. So it's
a it's a challenging time for
(18:10):
publishers and for people who
want to bring people back into
libraries, back into literacy
organizations. And it's not
going to happen overnight
because, again, we are so
locked in and married to our
devices in the state of
Kentucky in just the the the
latest study, reading scores
(18:31):
for fourth graders, eighth
graders are up slightly. But at
one time, not too long ago, we
were at 36th in the nation. And
I don't think anybody wants to
be satisfied with with being 36.
When you read to a child,
you're helping that child with
critical thinking, with problem
solving. You're discussing
(18:51):
those things. You're you're
looking at the character in the
book and how that character
maneuvers through society and
civilization. They are learning
socialization. They're learning
how to to be a friend to
somebody, to relate to an adult.
There are a number of factors
that if we're not reading to
(19:12):
our children, if the children
aren't reading a book, then
we're losing a great deal. And
that's going to be very
difficult to get back as they
grow older. They need that now
as a base. There's a move afoot,
as you know, in the state of
Kentucky for preschool or pre-K,
getting those kids involved
before they go into
(19:32):
kindergarten or the first grade.
It's very important that we we
reintroduce these parents that
we're talking about. And I
don't want to to pick on the
Gen Z's. They are they just
need to be brought back into
the fold. And, and and given
the information that if they
read to their child before bed
(19:54):
each night or at a at a
particular time during the day,
on the weekends, get a habit
started. A good habit, not a
bad habit, but a good habit. I
think we'll see those test
scores improve even more.
>> Tomorrow night on Kentucky
Edition. More of our
conversation with our good
friend Bill Goodman, who shares
how programs like the Kentucky
(20:15):
Book Festival, presented by the
Kentucky Humanities, helps
encourage literacy and reading
in children, from pumpkin
patches to apple orchards,
hayrides to Halloween, there
are countless traditions that
go with the fall season. This
next story from the archives of
our friends at Kentucky Life,
touches on a few of those
(20:35):
traditions in Mansi, Kentucky,
where two local farms have
become yearly attractions.
>> Those are. There you go.
Here. Hold it.
(20:57):
>> Haney's Apple Farm has been
an apple orchard for around 150
years. I am the fifth
generation operating here in
Nancy, Kentucky. And we've been
trying to come up with as many
apples as we can for the public
as often as we can. It started
off as more of a traditional
farm with row crops and that
sort of thing. But there have
always been apples on the
(21:18):
orchard, probably about 75, 80
years ago, we really started
expanding the apples that we
actually planted on the farm.
My grandfather really grew it
into more of an apple orchard
than a traditional farm. My
father and my uncle are the
current owners. They have been
running it for a little over 50
years. They took it over from
my grandfather, and he he kind
(21:39):
of helped them out for about 20
years until he passed on. And
then they've been running it
ever since.
>> We've been here for since
1870. In our family, growing
fruit first trees were planted
in 1870. Our busy time is is in
the fall. I mean, we're busy
during the summer too, with
different varieties of apples
(22:00):
and and peaches. But fall is is
is where it's all at. I mean,
we just have the school tours
and the parents that come with
them and, and people come again
from a long distance to come
here. And it's sort of a
tradition with a lot of
families.
>> The things that we do in the
fall are geared primarily
(22:21):
towards you pick apples, but we
do have a playground, things
for the kids. And we do a lot
of tours through the week for
local school groups. We have
some of them that come from 2
or 3 counties away, and we have
a lot of adults who come in now
who say, the first time I came
here was on a tour with my
school. So that's really helped
(22:42):
us reach that population and
kind of start increasing it. Of
the people who want to come
back, who bring their children
back, and we hope to kind of
just keep that going. We want
those those kids that come in
today to bring their kids in 20
years from now. And we want to
make sure that we're here to be
able to do that. One of the
bigger fall traditions around
here, obviously, is people
(23:02):
taking a full day on a Saturday,
and they might go to to bear
wallow as a, as a starter for
the day and then come by us on
the way back or vice versa.
>> Barwala farm is a family
tradition farm. Pumpkin patch,
corn maze. Located in Nancy,
Kentucky Barwala has been here
since 1999. With that, I mean,
(23:23):
we've also I mean, we've
obviously we've become a family
tradition for a lot of people.
We're seeing a lot of a lot of
return visitors for from, from
the very beginning. And those,
those people are bringing their
kids back and even been here
long enough. Now that we're
starting to see some grandkids.
>> Fall in Kentucky is almost,
(23:44):
almost like a cult following. I
mean, it really is. As soon as
that first Christmas morning
hits, it's like, all right,
let's get our sweaters on and
our boots on. And it's family
picture time, and it's pumpkin
patch weather and it's hayride
weather. And let's do a bonfire.
I mean, it's almost like a
checklist in southern Kentucky
for like, fall.
(24:05):
>> I've been on the farm since
I was old enough to walk, so I
don't know any any life any
different. So a lot of our
passion behind barrel Wallow
and behind the fall traditions
and bringing people out to the
pumpkin patch and the corn maze
started in, started in
conversation between me and my
(24:26):
wife. That how important
agritourism and getting kids on
the farm and families on the
farm. We want the connection
back to agriculture from the
public. We don't want to hide
anything from the public. We're
proud of what we do. We're
proud of how we take care of
our land and and our animals.
And we want people to see that.
So. So it's really an honor to
get people back out here on the
(24:49):
farm and let them see. When you
take a hayride through Beruwala,
you see soybeans, you see corn,
you see whatever crops we've
got in the field that year. You
might even I mean, there's been
years in the past we've been
harvesting while we're open. So
you get the opportunity to see
those things. I want kids
picking a pumpkin from a five.
A lot of people that are in the
industry doing what we're doing
are bringing in pumpkins, and
(25:10):
they're picking them up out of
a grass field somewhere. I want
kids to to have the experience
of understanding that pumpkins
don't grow on trees. They grow
on vines in a in a field. And I
want them to see that when
people think about fall, they
think about pumpkins and they
think about the changing of the
leaves, and they think about,
you know, going and doing
something with your community,
(25:30):
you know, with their family
somewhere in the community. And
I think that's kind of what
Beruwala offers. And I think
that's kind of what you see in
our county and in our area, no
different than any other in the
state is that, you know, come
fall, people are looking for,
for to go outside and get that
capture, that one last little
bit of, of nice weather before
(25:52):
the snow starts flying.
>> Memories here I feel like
are a good thing and it really
ties our community together.
Memories that are memories that
I mean, even at the coffee shop,
Mill Springs, you know, we we
went to Beruwala and then we
learned about the Civil War. I
mean, there's so much here to
offer and so much here to
(26:14):
really bring families together,
I think is very important.
>> Enjoy more great stories
like that. On Kentucky life
with Chip Holston Saturday
nights at 8:00 eastern, seven
central, right here on KET. But
before that, we'll see you
tomorrow night right here on
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