10.22.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We now turn to The Ashland Independent to bring you
news from inn and around Ashland and Boyd County. Your
reader today is Jane. We begin with the addition dated
October twentieth, twenty twenty five, as a reminder RADIOI as
a reading service intended for people who are blind or

(00:22):
have other disabilities that make it difficult to read printed material.
Our first article. Johnson remembered as Icon Jim by Aaron
Snyder of The Daily Independent. A prolific and inspiring artist
and business owner has died. Jerry Johnson passed away on

(00:44):
Saturday morning, October eighteenth. He was seventy five years old.
Johnson and his wife Doris opened the Heritage Art Gallery
at fifteen twenty Winchester Avenue in October of twenty twenty.
It was the first black owned gallery in Ashland's history.

(01:06):
Johnson churned out professional art work for more than a
half century. The self taught painter did canvass art, window painting, murals,
signs and more. A great deal of his eye catching
creations are on display at the C. B. Knuckles Community
Center and Black History Museum. His art has also been

(01:30):
shown in the Highlands Museum. When I started the Black
History Museum. He was right there for me before I started,
said Darryl Smith, who co founded the museum along with
his aunt Bernice Henry. That man did everything for me
to help me with the art in the museum. Smith

(01:53):
said Johnson's passing will leave a forever void. He called
him black excellence, just a wonderful, humble man. Smith said
this town has lost an icon. He did beautiful work
all around the country. Johnson previously said he's painted for
numerous people and organizations, such as lots of area car dealerships.

(02:20):
Johnson painted flo floodwall murals featuring historic Black churches and
the Booker T. Washington School class of nineteen forty seven
marching Band, basketball team, alumni and teachers. When Johnson opened
the Heritage Art Gallery, his goal was to bring Black

(02:43):
history every day to downtown Ashland, not just in February
which is Black History Month. I'm really proud of him,
Doris Johnson told the newspaper at the time. I think
Ashland has lost a gym with Jerry, said Ashland Mayer
Chuck Charles. His work has become a fabric of our

(03:06):
community and you can see it everywhere. He's definitely left
his mark in our community. He'll be sadly missed. Dwayne Sweeney,
who owns Bluegrass sports cards and memorabilia in the Cameo Arcade,
became a close friend of Johnson's. Mister Jerry was small

(03:27):
in stature, but an absolute giant in talent. Sweeney said
he could light up any room with his presence alone.
His works extend nationwide, and his legacy will carry on
through his talents. Keep the Heritage Art Gallery family in
your prayers. Our next article, Chamber surpasses four hundred members.

(03:52):
Annual dinner honors progress by Matt Jones of The Daily Independent.
With a little help from my friends, Scott Martin told
the crowd gathered at the Northeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce's
annual meeting at the Venue at the Edge on Thursday. Martin,
CEO and President, praised the hard work of his friends

(04:17):
and co workers over the last year, as the chamber
surpassed four hundred members this year. We are here to
celebrate the growth. Sidney Pierce, COO, said, we have four
hundred and three members. It's a milestone for us. Jeremy Holbrook,
who was the group's Volunteer of the Year, said Martin's

(04:40):
tireless work has turned the chamber around and led to
the historic levels of members. It's the hard work of
the Stellar Board that has made the chamber better, Martin said.
Martin said highlighting local businesses, both large and small, was
key in having a successful, bribe, vibrant and growing chamber.

(05:03):
We have to shine a light on our people, Martin said.
Martin said the food was provided by the train Depot
and Ghostly Gourmet local beer from Sawstone Brewery was served.
Corduroy Brown entertained with music. I love this guy, Martin said,
I want you to enjoy his art. Hunter Boyd, who

(05:27):
works with economic development in Boyd and Greenop Counties, gave
an update of progress seen in the region. Next year,
we will have a sports complex in Boyd County, Boyd said.
Boyd said final plans for the sports complex at Camp
Landing we're nearing completion. Boyd said South Shore and East

(05:49):
Park are two of the top three requested development areas
in eastern Kentucky. Boyd spoke on new businesses moving into
the area as well as others expanding. He said the
leadership of Judges Executive Eric Cheney and Bobby Hall of
Boyd and Greenook Counties have enabled growth in the region.

(06:14):
Both counties are working very, very well together, Martin said.
We are much better together than we were a part.
Martin said, to stay up to date with chamber events,
sign up for their newsletter, The Forge. While being honored,
board of Director's chairman Scott Rigsby took a moment to

(06:35):
honor Martin. Martin's brother, Dickie, the voice of the Tomcats,
died Wednesday. To your brother, Rigsby said, raising his glass
to my brother. Martin responded as he raised his head
and looked up. Martin was setting up for the event
on Wednesday before being called to go to hospice. Holbrook said,

(06:59):
it's been a hell of a week. Martin said, I
turned on my car radio and the Beatles started playing,
and I get by with a little help from my friends.
After honoring several members for their hard work, Martin turned
the evening over to Brown in other news. Area woman

(07:20):
recognized for working to fulfill unmet health needs. A local
woman is one of ten winners of the statewide twenty
twenty five Healthy Kentucky Champions. Elaine Fields, director of a
Diction Medicine at fresh Start Health Centers in Ashland was

(07:41):
recognized for her innovative ways of fulfilling her organization's mission.
The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which awards the status,
said her work has helped fill in major gaps in
healthcare for rural Kentuckians living with substance use disorders and
mental health needs. She has expanded services into some of

(08:05):
the state's most underserved regions, bringing medication assisted treatment, counseling,
and much more to people who previously had little or
no access, the organization set in a media release. Field's
also championed telehealth options of flexible scheduling and outreach programs

(08:29):
that make care possible for patients facing transportation barriers, stigma,
or financial hardship. She has built strong partnerships with local
health departments, nonprofits, and law enforcement to expand resources through
cross sector approaches. Fields also volunteers during her personal time

(08:53):
at public health events and community education sessions to reach
even more Kentucky in need. Those named Healthy Champions have
stepped up to meet a critical need in their community,
often going far beyond what was expected of them. Alison Adams,

(09:13):
president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky,
said their creativity, compassion, and commitment are making lasting changes
to improve health across the Commonwealth. We are honored to
recognize their leadership and to shine a light on the
difference one dedicated person can make in the lives of

(09:35):
so many Kentuckians. Moving on trail upgrades, announced, the Huntington
Museum of Art will host a dedication and celebration at
five pm November fourth for the recently completed improvement project
to its nature trail system. The improvement project, titled This

(09:59):
Land Is Your Our Land, included extending the Talbert Foundation
Sensory Trail at HMA, which received a one hundred and
forty thousand, five hundred and fifty dollars grant from the
Institute of Museum and Library Services in August twenty twenty one.

(10:20):
The grant was matched with the gift of one hundred
and forty five thousand dollars from Brad and Ayles Smith
Wing two Wing Foundation, in addition to a fifteen thousand
dollars grant from the Talbert Foundation. Anyone who has visited
the Hontington Museum of Art in the past year or

(10:40):
so has seen the work taking place on our Talbert
Foundation Sensory trail, which offers those using wheelchairs or walkers
and others a chance to enjoy a visit to the woods.
HMA Executive director Elizabeth Liz Simmons said, now that the
project is complet fleet, we want to encourage members of

(11:02):
the public to enjoy the improvements to the trail system.
Goals of the This Land is Your Land project included
for HMA to expand and enhance its current nature trail
system and provide opportunities for families and individuals to interact

(11:22):
with and learn about nature. This project was made possible
in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services
grant number MA DASH two four nine two nine MS
DASH twenty one. For more information, you can call area

(11:45):
code three oh four five two nine two seven zero one.
Moving on, MU International Fest slated West Virginia's oldest and
longest running international festival, will return to Marshall University from
four to eight pm October twenty fifth in the Dawn

(12:09):
Morris Room of the Memorial Student Center. The sixty second
annual International Festival celebrates global cultures through food, music, and
community connection. The free event will feature interactive cultural exhibits,
live performances, traditional attire, International cuisine and the signature parade

(12:34):
of countries. Each participating group will showcase the customs, history,
and artistry of their country or region, offering an immersive
and educational experience for attendees. Participants include student organizations, academic departments,

(12:55):
SODEXO Dining Services, the Office of International Student Services, in
local cultural groups, and performers from across the Tri State area.
The festival is coordinated by Marshall's ACEE office within the
Division of Student Affairs, in collaboration with students, faculty, staff,

(13:19):
and community partners. In other news, local broadcast legend dies
Martin's passing leaves an irreplaceable void in Tomcat Sports by
Mark Maynard for The Daily Independent. Martin's passing leaves an
irreplaceable void in Tomcat Sports. The sound coming from the

(13:43):
radio was more static than voice, unrecognizable, unfamiliar. It wasn't
what it should have been. Driving home to Northern Kentucky
after watching the first quarter of Ashland's game with Rowan
County two weeks ago, on the night the famous Jaws

(14:03):
team was being honored, I searched the dial for the
Tomcats broadcast and finally landed on it.

Speaker 2 (14:11):
Or did I.

Speaker 1 (14:13):
The announcers were doing a fine job, especially considering Ashlan
was up forty eight zero by halftime. But it wasn't
the same because it wasn't Dicky Martin, the unmistakable voice
of the Tomcats calling the game from the Putnam Stadium
press box that bears his and his father's name. Dickie

(14:38):
wasn't there because he was in the hospital, locked in
the fight of his life, a fight he sadly lost
to cancer Wednesday night. Even knowing he wouldn't be on
the air, instinctively turning the dial to find him felt
like something that should still work for half a century.

(14:59):
It always had. Entering his fiftieth season as the Ashland's
play black paved man, he had missed only two games.
I tried to listen, my mind wouldn't let me. I
turned it off. Ashland is a place steeped in tradition,
and Dickie Martin was part of that tradition's fabric. The

(15:21):
Martin family. Dickie and his father Dick gave Ashland seventy
three years of Tomcat broadcast between them. People like to
say no one is irreplaceable, but when it comes to
Ashland Tomcat Sports, Dicky Martin proved that saying wrong born
with a silver microphone, some people are born with a

(15:45):
silver spoon. Dickie was born with a silver microphone. His father,
Dick Martin, moved the family from Huntington to Ashland in
nineteen fifty two and started broadcasting Tomcat game Eames on
WSCMI the next year. He was a sharp businessman who

(16:06):
understood that community radio needed sports and that Ashland needed
its voice. Both Martin's had a similar style, blunt, passionate,
fiercely loyal. They never hesitated to call out poor play
or questionable officiating, all through maroon tinted glasses. Dickie often said,

(16:31):
there's an on and off switch on your radio if
you don't like what you hear. He could be heard
on the Tomcats, but no one else better be criticize
his team, and you were taking on family. Dick Martin
became as much an icon as his son would later be.

(16:52):
He even served as Ashland's mayor, but it was his
radio work and his love for the Tomcats that defined him.
Dickie once laughed recalling a moment from his childhood when
his dad waved a handkerchief at a referee. The ref
came over and said, you got something to say? Dad said, here,

(17:14):
talk right into the microphone. The referee rolled his eyes
and went back to the game. Soon enough, the calls
even out. That was dick Martin, unfiltered, bold, and impossible
to ignore. Learning the craft, Dicky learned early that preparation mattered.

(17:35):
His parents made him listen to recordings of his voice
and work on his diction I had that Ashland twang,
he told me once. They made me pronounce and enunciate
until I got it right. Few were ever more prepared
behind a mic than Dickie Martin. He could deliver a
sharp one liner at just the right moment, often unrehearsed,

(17:59):
sometimes regretted, but always memorable. It's humbling. He said that
people bring radios to the games just to listen. In
his early days, his passion sometimes got him in trouble.
He was banned once from the Boy County Middle School gym.
Some Tomcat fans didn't always agree with his takes, but

(18:24):
they still listened off and through headsets in the stands,
wanting his voice to accompany what they were seeing. His
first broadcast came in nineteen seventy three, when his father
pretended to lose his voice and handed the mic to
Dicky during a Raceland Holy Family game. Dicky had just

(18:46):
graduated from Ashland the year before. By nineteen seventy five,
he was the full time voice of the Tomcats. The rest,
as they say, was history. A voice shaped by la legends.
Dickie often said he learned from three of the best,
his father U K Legend, Kwood Ledford, and Hall of

(19:09):
Fame broadcaster Marty Brenneman. My dad was the best, he said.
I learned from him from Kwood, and I love to
listen to Marty. He's the best one living. Patterned after Grates, yes,
but Dickie was one of a kind. I've mellowed a lot,
he told me a few years ago. I'm kind of

(19:32):
like a faan in a way. When a guy misses
a call, the fans go ooh, I just get to
do it over the air. The three d's lasting friendships.
This story is incomplete without mentioning his longtime sidekick David
Dirk Payne, who passed away a few years ago. Dickie

(19:54):
loved him deeply. There aren't many men I love more
than him, he said. When my dad died. Dirk thought
it was me. He had a stroke that day. One
day I lost my father and damn near lost Dirk too.
Dirk and Dickie on the air were Ashland's equivalent to

(20:14):
Marty and Joe with the Reds. You never wanted to
miss a second. Longtime fan, Donna Subtle was another dear friend.
She called them the three D's Dickie, Dirk and Donna.
Her heart is broken now that trio is down to one.
He had many more friends in Ashland. Everybody knew of

(20:36):
Dicky Martin and his love for the Tomcats. Beyond the Tomcats,
Dicky's voice wasn't confined to Ashland. His career took him
to Soldier Field, the Gator Bawl Ohio State Shoe and
r f K Stadium while calling games for the semi
pro West Virginia Rockets. He worked more had state basketball

(21:01):
games during Wayne Martin's coaching era, which took him to Madison,
Square Garden and two and C Double A tournaments, but
his heart was always at home. My two favorite places
are Putnam Stadium and Anderson Jim, he said, I love
those places. He had been to every state basketball tournament

(21:23):
since nineteen seventy six. And his father took him to
his first in nineteen sixty one when Ashland won it all.
He was just seven years old then, but he never
forgot football was his true passion. I never dreamed I'd
be doing this as long as I have, he said,

(21:43):
But I loved every second of it. So did we, Dicky,
So did we. Moving on, Hospice Plans membership event. A
Friend of Hospice membership event will be from eleven a m.
To one one pm October twenty fourth at the Community

(22:03):
Hospice main office at fourteen eighty Carter Avenue. The event
will share information about the group and its fundraising mission.
Salads and desserts will be served to RSVP. Call Kathy E.
Lamb at area code seven four zero five two five

(22:26):
two seven four one. Our next article Building the Future
Mill Rights Carpenter's Union host students at open house by
Matt Jones of The Daily Independent. The Next Generation of
Carpenters and mill Rights toured the Grayson campus of the

(22:48):
Central Midwest Carpenters Union. This week is our annual open house,
Clinton Young Area Coordinator of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio Regional Council
of Carpenter's Joint Apprenticeship and Training Funds said, We're going
to have about fourteen hundred students come through and show

(23:10):
them what options we offer here. The program offers students
on the job training while focusing on one or more
aspects of carpentry or mill work. There are so many options,
Young said, Your carpenters are going to be your builders,
mill rights are position mechanics. Students take part in a

(23:32):
four year apprenticeship where during those four years, a student
has a job, learns on the job as well at
the training facility, and gets an associate's degree. I've never
seen an industry where you can come into not knowing
anything and they're going to teach you everything you need

(23:53):
to be successful. Brad Matthews with the Central Midwest Regional
Council of Carpenter said, and you're going to get paid
really good money in return. I never thought coming into
a first year apprenticeship that I can make the amount
of money I did. Matthew said, it isn't just the money,

(24:14):
it's the opportunities and benefits working in the trades provided him.
Becoming a carpenter changed my whole life, and not just
the money, but the benefits. I had health insurance for
me and my family. Matthew said, I had a double
retirement plan, a pension and an annuity. Matthew said the

(24:37):
chance to advance in the trades is high. We are
building the next generation of leaders, Matthews said. Young said
the trades are preparing for the future. We're facing the
same issues that most of the industry is. Young said,
we have our baby boomers all retiring, so there's a

(24:57):
big void inside the trades. It's not going to be filled.
That starts with events like the open house, as well
as getting into schools. Young added, he said there has
been a shift in education showcasing the trades as well
as college for post high school education. When I was

(25:18):
in school, it was college, college, college. Now schools are
allowing us to come talk to the students, Young said.
In addition, schools are bringing students to the open house.
Over the two day open house, more than fourteen hundred
students from more than twenty school districts toward the facility

(25:39):
and learned about working the trades, not only from career
professionals like Young Matthews, but also from apprentice's In the program,
mill Wride apprentice Jesse Brown was showing students some of
the tools the program offers, including a virtual MI I
G welder. I'm a fourth year apprentice, Brown said, really great.

(26:01):
They've taught me the trade and the tools. For more information,
visit CMW Carpenters dot com or Iko r CC training
dot com. Moving on, East Greenup, Kawanas donates to Partners
in Pride. The Kawana's Club of East Greenop County has

(26:24):
donated five hundred dollars to Partners in Pride to purchase
clothing and shoes for students in need in the Russell
Independent School District. The check was presented to Partners in
Pride Treasure Sheila Williams by Kawana's President Don Golightly during
a recent meeting at Giovanni's Pizza in Flatwoods. The program

(26:47):
fits well with the Kowana's mission of serving children of
the world. In the past, Kawanas has provided shoes for
hundreds of Greenop County, Russell and Raceland High School students
and can use that effort through this program and the
school resource centers. This concludes excerpts from recent editions of

(27:08):
The Ashland Daily Independent. Your reader has been Jane on
behalf of everyone here at Radio I thank you for listening,
keep on listening and have a good day.

Speaker 2 (27:19):
Now we will continue reading from the Lexington Herald Leader
for this Wednesday, October twenty second. Your reader is Rod Brotherton,
and as always, we start with the obituaries and read
only the name, age, and location if given. If you
would like further information on any of the obituaries, please
see the website or call us during weekdays at eight

(27:41):
five nine four two two sixty three ninety and we
will be glad to read the entire obituary for you.
I'll repeat the number at the end of the listings,
and today's obituary index starts with Tracy Cox sixty two
of Lexington, Charles Ezelle fifty nine of Lexington, William Howell

(28:02):
eighty five of Lexington, Joan Merriman ninety four of Lexington,
and Linda Sullivan Leahey seventy seven of Louisville. If you
would like any further information about the listings, please visit
legacy dot com, slash obituary, slash Kentucky, or as I said,

(28:24):
you can call us at Radio I at eight five
nine four two two sixty three ninety and we will
certainly try to read them to you over the phone. Now,
let's continue with the news. The next story. Wealthy people
in the US are spending and those with less are struggling.
By the time the Pilsen Food Pantry opened on a

(28:46):
recent morning, Ulesses Moreno had been there for two hours,
with a line of people behind him that snaked around
the corner. This is a lifeline for me, said Marino,
thirty nine. He had lost his construction job a few
days earlier, and with three teenagers at home, he wanted
to make sure he could stock up. Our food budget

(29:10):
doesn't stretch as far as it used to. A few
miles away on Chicago's Magnificent Mile, luxury hotels are burstling.
Jewelry stores and designer boutiques do brisk business. The restaurants
are packed with diners sipping twenty dollars cocktails as they
wait for tables. Du Evelyn Figueroa, a family physician who

(29:33):
founded and runs the Pilson Pantry. The dichotomy is striking
for people like me, who are homeowners who are employed.
The economy is great, she said, How is the economy?
It depends on who you're looking at. The divide between
rich and poor is hardly new in Chicago or the

(29:54):
rest of the country, but it has become more pronounced
in recent months. Americans, buoyed by a stock market that
keeps setting records, have continued to spend freely. Lower income
households stung by persistent inflation and navigating a labor market
that is losing momentum or pulling back. The top ten

(30:16):
percent of US households now account for nearly half of
all spending. Moody's Analytics recently estimated that the highest share
since the late nineteen eighties. Consumer sentiment has risen among
high earners but steadily fallen for other groups. This isn't
just an inequity story, It's a macro economics story, said

(30:38):
Lindsay Owens, executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive
policy group. As the wealthy continue to consume, that's masking
more and more insecurity and instability in the economy under
the hood. Even executives at companies that project mass market
appeal are seeing the trend and in some cases worry

(31:02):
about its implications. Visits across the industry by low income
consumers once again declined by double digits versus the prior
year period. Christopher J. Kim Pizinski, the CEO of McDonald's,
sit on an earnings call. This bifurcated consumer base is
why we remained cautious about the overall near term health

(31:24):
of the US. Consumer inequality narrowed by many measures during
the pandemic when trillions of dollars of government aid flowed
the households and businesses, and many companies provided extra pay
to employees who could not work from home. When the
economy began to reopen, intense competition for workers led to

(31:46):
rapid wage growth, particularly in low paying sectors, were demand
for labor for outstripped supply. But as the labor market
is cooled, low wage workers have lost much of that leverage.
Wages are rising most slowly for the lowest paid workers,
reversing the pandemic trend. According to data from the Federal

(32:08):
Reserve Bank of Atlanta, slower wage growth, combined with persistent inflation,
is straining many family finances. Americans are increasingly relying on
credit cards and other types of borrowing to pay their bills,
and more are falling behind on car loans and credit
card payments. Those strains have not resulted in widespread defaults, bankruptcies,

(32:34):
or foreclosures, but high debt balances mean that even people
who are keeping up with payments have little room to
borrow more if their costs rise or their incomes fall.
And data on spending from Numerator, a consumer research firm,
shows that lower income households have cut back on discretionary purchases,

(32:58):
leaving them little buffer. People are still consuming the basics,
but they're cutting back on all this extra stuff they
were able to do coming out of the pandemic, said
Leo Feller, chief economist at Enumerator. It's just more precarious
because if we've already trimmed all the fat, the only

(33:18):
thing left to trim are the essentials. Pressure on lower
income families was building long before President Trump returned to office,
but some of the administration's policies have worsened the challenges,
particularly for certain communities. Farmers have been hard hit by
Trump's trade war with China. Cuts to the federal workforce

(33:42):
have taken a toll in Northern Virginia and other parts
of the country that depend heavily on government employment. Effects
aggravated by the government shutdown and immigration rates are weighing
on the industries that rely on foreign born workers and
on the business that count them as customers. The hardship

(34:03):
has been largely hidden by the macroeconomic data. However, consumer
spending continues to outpace inflation. Household debt levels have risen,
but are manageable relative to Americans' incomes. Broad measures like
gross domestic product point to an economy that has slowed
but remains fundamentally healthy, surprising many forecasters, but that resilience

(34:29):
increasingly rests on a relatively relative handful of well off households.
Economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston recently found
that growth in consumer spending since twenty twenty two has
been propelled by the highest income consumers. By contrast, the
researchers noted trending growth for low income consumers has been

(34:53):
much weaker. The divergence creates two sources of fragility, warn
darn Pocti, an author of the Boston Fed study. With
so much writing on high earners, the economy could suffer
if stock prices fall or some other shock leads them
to pair their spending, and lower income households are already

(35:16):
stressed financially, leaving them vulnerable if the labor market weakens further.
The unemployment rate has inched up recently, but remain relatively low,
at four point three percent in August, the most recent
data available because the federal government shut down delay the
release of the September figures. Hiring has slowed drastically in

(35:38):
recent months, but companies are mostly holding on to workers.
If companies begin making widespread cuts, the consumer picture could
darken quickly, warn Michelle Meyer, chief economist at MasterCard. If
we actually see an increase in firing rates, if you
see an increase in the unemployment rate, if you see

(36:01):
wages really starts to slow in a meaningful way, and
I think that even if household balance sheets are still supported,
the storyline changes very rapidly, she said. Four people who
are out of work finding a job has already gotten
much harder. Nearly two million Americans are considered long term unemployed,

(36:23):
the highest since the pandemic, and joblessness has rigens sharply
for black workers, recent graduates, and other groups that are
often the first to feel the effects of a weakening
labor market. This month, dozens of job seekers packed into
a nondescript conference room in the Pilsen neighborhood for a

(36:46):
career fair hosted by the National Able Workforce, a workforce
development nonprofit based in Chicago and next. Two men killed
in shooting near Lexington Park. Police say two men were
killed in a midday shooting Monday in Lexington. According to
city police, the double homicide happened around ten fifty am

(37:10):
in the area of Village Drive and Cambridge Drive near
Valley Park. Police say they received a report of a
shooting with a victim, and when officers arrived at the scene,
they found two men shot. The men were pronounced dead
at the scene. The Fayette County Coroner's Office is expected
to release the victim's identities after immediate family members are notified.

(37:33):
No information about a suspect was released. Police say personal
crime detectives continue to investigate. Anyone with information about the
shooting is asked to contact Lexington Police at eight five
nine two five eight thirty six hundred. Anonymous tips can
be submitted to Bluegrass Crime Stoppers by calling eight five

(37:54):
nine two five three twenty twenty or by filling out
a form on its website. The fatal shooting marks the
eighteenth and nineteenth homicides of twenty twenty five in Lexington,
according to police data. It is also the first homicide
in nearly a month of A nineteen year old man
was shot and killed in a home near downtown Lexington

(38:16):
on September thirtieth. As of this time last year, there
were nineteen homicides in Lexington, according to police data. And Next.
Democrats investigate arrests of Americans during raids. The ranking Democratic
members of two congressional oversight committees announced Monday that they

(38:38):
had started an investigation into reports of misconduct by federal
agents during immigration arrests across the country, focusing on the
detainment of American citizens. The investigation, a joint effort between
the House Oversight Committee and the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations,

(38:59):
will inquire how long American citizens have been held and
whether they were allowed to call a lawyer. Representative Robert Garcia,
a Democrat who represents a portion of Los Angeles County
and is the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee,
said Monday that the inquiry would review evidence reports of

(39:20):
brutal misconduct committed by immigration officials in Los Angeles. The
start of the investigation comes as immigration raids continue across
the United States, with a focus on democratic led cities
with sanctuary policies, such as the Los Angeles and Chicago areas.

(39:41):
The raids have drawn criticism and prompted demonstrations from protesters,
who have said that some of the arrests have been
overly aggressive. Garcia and Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democratic Connecticut, who
serves as the ranking member of the Senate subcommittee, can
begin an on their own, but cannot subpoena anyone without

(40:04):
the support of a majority of Republicans. They sent a
letter Monday to Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noom asking for
several pieces of information, including how many American citizens were
detained by agencies under her control this year. Mayor Karen
Bass of Los Angeles, who led a news conference Monday

(40:25):
to support the investigation, said she was alarmed by reports
that citizens had been detained by federal immigration officials. She
was likewise concerned about reports that immigrants with legal status
had also been detained. What is happening to undocumented immigrants
is also happening to US citizens, which means that this

(40:48):
can happen to anyone, to all of us, at any
period of time. Bass, a Democrat, said. Civil rights groups
and Americans who have been detained have filed lawsuits against
the federal government that accuse immigration agents of targeting people
during raids based on the color of their skin. Why

(41:10):
because they look like me, Garcia said, because they are
of Latino origin, or because they are suspected to not
be a US citizen, or because they're suspected of crimes
they may have not committed. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for
the Department of Homeland Security, set in a statement that
claims that the Department engages in racial profiling are disgusting, reckless,

(41:36):
and categorically false. The Supreme Court recently vindicated us on
this question, whether Mayor Bass or Representative Garcia like it
or not, she added. Republican leaders of the House Oversight
Committee and the Senate Subcommittee were not immediately available for comment.

(41:57):
Since immigration operations began in the lad Los Angeles area
in June, more than seven thousand, one hundred immigrants who
lack legal status have been arrested, according to the Department,
and at least fifteen hundred immigrants lacking federal status have
been arrested in the Chicago area. Since a large scale
immigration operation began there in September and next Nearly six

(42:24):
hundred thousand in Kentucky could lose food assistance in November.
State officials have found money to fund senior meal programs,
but Kentucky is scrambling to decide what to do if
the federal government runs out of funds come November for
a program that nearly six hundred thousand Kentuckians depend on
to pay for groceries. Governor but Sheer said Monday. Butsher

(42:46):
said the state will not have money to pay for
the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP if the
federal program runs out of funding at the end of
this month due to the government shutdown, which started on
October first. Basher also said Monday the state will cover
the costs for another key program, the Temporary Assistance for

(43:08):
Needy Families or tan F, for November, after the federal
government notified states recently it did not have the money
to cover those costs. That program, which provides assistance for
lower income families under certain circumstances, will be funded by
the state only for November. The state will have to

(43:30):
front twelve million dollars for that program. The state hopes
to be reimbursed by the federal government for those costs,
but Sheer said the state cannot afford to pay those
benefits for December, he said. Basher said the state is
currently facing more than a three hundred and five million
dollar budget shortfall and is scrambling to find funds to

(43:51):
cover critical program families depend on to help with daily
household expenses. The SNAP program alone helps feed one in
eight Kentuckians. Basher sid, my hope is that the folks
in DC will understand the American people are not a
negotiating tool. Basher said, Please hope the federal government can

(44:13):
come to a solution. In September, the Basher administration told
the state's fifteen Area Development districts, which oversee senior feeding programs,
it would not have enough money to fully fund the program.
The Senior Feeding program helps provide meals at sites across Kentucky,

(44:36):
including at the Lexington Senior Center. The Basher administration had
expanded the program during COVID and had used the American
Rescue Plan Act money or COVID relief funding to do so,
but that money has been tapped out, Basher said during
a September news conference. Without a new influx of new cash,

(44:56):
the senior meal programs were looking to curtail the number
of meal provided to make other cuts. According to w
k d Z in Cadiz, most of what has been
cut back on can be restored, Basheer said, and many
legislatures had urged Bashir to find money to keep the
program going without further cuts. Last week, Budget director John

(45:19):
Hicks said in a letter to state legislative leaders the
state had tapped nine point one million dollars in medicaid
funding to keep the senior meal program going. That Medicaid
funding came from a study that was funded but not completed,
Basher said. Basheer said he spoke with state legislative leaders
who have agreed to retroactively approved the funding change. Basheer

(45:43):
said the state has been able to tap other funds
in prior years for those senior meal programs, but those
funds are now exhausted. It's the next budget that's going
to be the concern, Basher said. US Agriculture Secretary Brooke
Raw told reporters on October sixteenth the SNAP program, formerly

(46:04):
known as food stamps, would be out of money by
the end of the month due to the federal shutdown,
SNAP benefits helped more than forty two million people across
the country pay for groceries. So you're talking about millions
and millions of vulnerable families, of hungry families that are
not going to have access to these programs because of

(46:26):
the shutdown, she said. The United States Agriculture Department released
in October tenth letter to regional SNAP directors directing them
to stop work on November benefits. In Kentucky. SNAP data
from May twenty twenty five shows that five hundred and
ninety five thousand, one hundred and fifty five people in

(46:48):
Kentucky received SNAP benefits, or two hundred and forty two
thy four hundred and five households. That's roughly thirteen percent
of Kentucky's households. In total, Nationally, benefits averaged one hundred
and eighty seven and one hundred and eighty seven dollars
and twenty cents per participant per month. Federal data shows

(47:11):
Kentucky SNAP benefits total more than one hundred and three
million dollars per month. Kentucky does not have that money,
but sheher said during the Monday news conference, the state
has been directed by the federal government not to process
payments for November. Basher said people who receive SNAP benefits

(47:32):
will continue to receive those benefits through the end of October,
though he said President Trump's administration has said money from
new tariffs would likely be used to fund other key
food assistance programs. Also in danger of running out of
money the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children,

(47:53):
commonly called WICIC, which is a special program for low income, pregnant, breastfeeding,
and postpartum women and children up to the age of five.
That leaves the federal government with few funding options if
Congress does not resume negotiations on key budget issues so
it can restart the government. Basheer said he hopes the

(48:15):
federal government will find a temporary funding solutions soon or
will restart negotiations to reopen the government so those SNAP
benefits can be paid come November. That's really gonna hurt,
and I hope the federal government can resolve it and
ultimately put our people first, said Basher. And next, Senate

(48:40):
Democrats reject bill to end the shutdown for the eleventh time.
Senate Democrats on Monday blocked a Republican led funding bill
for the eleventh time that would have ended the government
shut down, currently in its third week. The vote on
the US Senate was fifty to forty three on the
House pass stop gap measure, which needed sixty votes to

(49:02):
pass and would have funded the government through November twenty first.
Senators Catherine Cortes Mastow, Democrat of Nevada, and Angus King,
the Independent of Maine voted with the Republicans, while Senator
John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, who had previously voted in
favor of the measure, did not vote. On Monday. Republican

(49:23):
Senator Ran Paul of Kentucky was the only GOP senator
to vote no. The White House officials speculated at earlier
Monday that the twenty day federal shutdown could end this week.
With over seven hundred thousand US government workers currently furloughed,
President Trump's top economic advisor, Kevin Hassett, predicted the government

(49:43):
shutdown was likely to end sometime this week. Hasset added
the administration could impose stronger measures if Democrats don't come
to the negotiating table. Now there's a shot that this
week things will come together and very quickly, Hassett said,
a House approved continuing resolution that would fund the government

(50:04):
through November twenty first, did not include an extension of
the Affordable Tax Care credits set to expire at the
end of the year that could impact up to twenty
two million Americans. Senate Democrats have demanded a measure to
extend the subsidies to be added to the stop gap
funding legislation. Three senators who caucus as Democrats have voted

(50:28):
with the Republicans to reopen Senator Angus King, the Independent
of Maine, Senator Catherine Cortes Mastow, Democrat of Nevada, and
Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania. On Thursday, Senator Jean Shaheen,
the Democrat of New Hampshire, voted with Republicans to advance
an eight hundred and fifty two billion dollar defense funding bill,

(50:51):
indicating she might come become the fourth join the Republicans
on the stop gap funding measure. Fetterman, who is facing
backland among Pennsylvania Democrats for his willingness to side with
Trump and the Republicans on select issues, has reiterated his
commitment to extend the ACA tax credit, but says the

(51:12):
government must reopen food insecurity is real for many Pennsylvania families.
It's one of the many reasons why I could never
vote for shutting our government down. The Freshman Fetterman posted
on Sunday on Blue Sky. The moderate Democrats will move
forward and get us an open government, at which point

(51:32):
we could negotiate whatever policies they want to negotiate with
regular order, Hassett said, and in appearance on CNBC's squawk Box,
Monday will be the first vote after the weekends no
King's protest across the United States and oppositioned Trump. Hasset
accused Democrats of saying it would have been bad optics

(51:52):
to reopen the federal government before the demonstrations. Hassett said
the President has been very active throughout the process, but
it's also his position that this is a thing that
the Senate needs to work out. Buddy stated, stronger punitive
actions could be pending. I think that the White House
is going to have to look very closely along with

(52:14):
Trump's budget Chief Russell vought at stronger measures that we
could take to the table, hast said. Meanwhile, around fourteen
hundred federal workers overseeing the nation's nuclear stockpile or to
be furloughed on Monday, as the shutdown and the Republican
control federal government lingers on The New York Times on

(52:35):
Monday reported that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that air
traffic controllers should expect to stop getting a paycheck next
week as the shutdown continues, despite the White House's top
budget official hinting earlier that the Trump administration was looking
for ways to pay them. Speaking on Fox News, Duffy

(52:57):
was unequivocal and warning there will be dollars in controllers
next paychecks, which are expected to be issued a week
from Tuesday, stating they don't get paid. Air traffic controllers
are one of several groups of federal workers required to
work without pay through a government shutdown because their jobs

(53:18):
are considered essential to public safety. Under a twenty nineteen law,
They are entitled to back pay once Congress agrees on
a bill to fund the federal government again, but administration
officials and lawmakers have expressed deep concerns about forcing them
to work without pay until then. Controllers have already received

(53:40):
one reduced check because the shutdown began in the middle
of a pay period. The next payday October twenty eighth
will be the first fully missed paycheck. Trump is expected
to host Senate Republicans for a Rose Garden lunch on Tuesday.
A GOP source confirmed the plan for the White House visit,
which comes as the Senate majority will also try this

(54:04):
week to call up a bill that would pay federal
workers who are on the job during the shutdown. The
Senate this week is also expected to continue to confirm
Trump's judicial nominees and next. Two people are cited for
parachuting off the clays Ferry Bridge. Two people were sighted

(54:30):
Monday for jumping off the Clay's Ferry Bridge with a parachute.
According to the Lexington Police Department, officers were dispatched just
after three pm to the nine thousand block of Old
Richmond Road after witnesses reported seeing two people parachuting from
the bridge. Police said the jumpers were gone when the

(54:53):
officers arrived at the scene, but they were later found
at a hospital. One of the jumpers was treated for
non life threatening injuries. The police said the jumpers were
cited for second degree criminal trespassing and police did not
release their identities. And this concludes the reading of the

(55:16):
Lexington Herald Leader for today, Wednesday, October twenty second, your
reader has been Rod Brotherton. As always, thank you for
listening and now please stay tuned for sports news right
here on Radio I