10.31.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning everybody, Happy Halloween, and welcome to the reading
of the Lexington Herald Leader. Today is Friday, October thirty first,
and your reader is Rod Brotherton. As reminder, Radio I
is a reading service intended for people who are blind
or have other disabilities that make it difficult to read

(00:21):
printed material. November is on the horizon. Here's our seven
day forecast. Today mostly sunny and breezy with a high
of fifty four. Tonight becoming cloudy with a low of forty.
Saturday mostly cloudy, high fifty seven, low forty one. Sunday
mostly cloudy, high fifty six, low thirty eight. Monday mostly cloudy,

(00:45):
hi sixty one, low forty two. Tuesday we get a
little break. It's partly Sunday with a high of fifty nine.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
And low forty two.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
Wednesday again partly sunny, high sixty one, low forty seven,
and Thursday mostly sunny, high of sixty.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Two and a low of forty four.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
Looking at the almanac, Yesterday's high and low fifty and
forty seven, with a normal of sixty three and forty two.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
Last year it was.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
Seventy nine as a high and fifty nine as a low.
The record high in twenty sixteen was eighty two degrees
and the record low was a bone chilling twenty one
in nineteen twenty five. Precipitation on Wednesday one point two inches.
Month to date we had seven point eight six with

(01:31):
a normal of three point four to three, giving us
a yearly total of fifty four point two seven compared
to a normal of forty two point oh four and
last year we'd only had forty one point three two
And yesterday's date of one point two inches was the
record on the books for the sun and the moon.

(01:53):
The sun rose today at eight oh three, it will
set tonight at six forty. The moon will come up
at one minute before four clove this afternoon and set
at two eleven tomorrow morning. And our weather trivia, when
did the last ice age end? Oh? About ten thousand
years ago? Well, let's take a look at the headlines now.

(02:16):
Lawmakers urge parole board to revoke the release of Xantis.
More than two dozen Kentucky state representatives signed a letter
Wednesday urging the Kentucky Parole Board to return a man
to prison who was released early from a twenty year
sentence this month despite killing a child in the letter,

(02:40):
lawmakers asked the Parole Board to deem Ronald Xantis, forty two,
ineligible for re release and consider any good behavior credit
previously granted toward early release. Lawmakers wrote that Xantis's history
and recent arrest in Florida made him a threat to

(03:00):
the community. While this request marks the departure from our
usual policy of refraining from engaging in specific cases before
the Board and instead focused solely on broad policy reforms,
it underscorges the extraordinary nature of this situation.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Lawmakers wrote in a letter.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
The decision to engage directly speaks to the severity and
the egregiousness of the crime and highlights just how critical
it is to acknowledge its impact. The letter comes after
Exantus forty two is extradited to Kentucky on Tuesday, following
his October ninth rest for failing to register as a

(03:42):
felon in Florida. Exantas had been released from prison eight
days earlier after serving less than half of a twenty
year prison sentence for twenty fifteen fatal break in and
attack in Woodford County. He was found not guilty by
the reason of insanity in the stabbing death of six

(04:05):
year old Logan Tipton and guilty but mentally ill in
the assaults on Logan's sisters and father. Exantas had an
expected release date of twenty thirty five, but a combination
of good behavior credits and completed educational and work programs
significantly reduced a sentence. He qualified for mandatory supervised release,

(04:29):
a Kentucky law that frees eligible inmates who are within
six months of their estimated sentence completion date. Inmates on
mandatory supervised release are considered to be on parole and
can be sent back to prison for violating the terms
of the release. His release prompted national outcry, including from

(04:53):
the White House. Exantas has a right to a revocation
hearing in Kentucky, said Morgan Hall, spokesperson for the Kentucky
Department of Corrections. If he opts to have the hearing,
an administrative law judge will hold a public hearing and
send their findings to the Parole Board, which will determine

(05:13):
whether his release should be revoked. If the board votes
to revoke Exantus' release, he will remain incarcerated in a
Kentucky state prison. Hall said the parole board previously denied
Exantus' parole on several occasions, including most recently on September thirtieth,

(05:35):
but the state law supporting mandatory supervised release supersedes the
Parole Board's recommendation. Twenty six state representatives sign the letter
asking the Parole Board to revoke Exantus' release, including House
Majority Whip James Neames, the thirty ninth district Representative Maclockhart,

(05:57):
and the eighty eighth district representative of Vanessa. Grossel Representative TJ.
Roberts also signed the letter after previously announcing intentions to
file a bill to abolish mandatory supervised release in the
upcoming legislative session. Mister Exantus' actions in Florida represent a

(06:18):
direct violation of his re entry, including failure to abide
by the law in another jurisdiction and an apparent attempt
to conceal his violent criminal history from the community in
which he moved. Lawmakers wrote in the letter, this deliberate
concealment demonstrates a disregard for the safety of others and

(06:40):
an ongoing risk to the public. The state representatives also
asked the Parole Board to consider lifelong incarceration and mental
health treatment after Exantus completes his sentence. Mister Exantus's history,
combined with his recent violations, remonstrates that he remains a

(07:01):
serious and ongoing threat. Lawmakers wrote public safety demands that
the board act decisively to prevent further harm. And the
next story, Nearly one hundred thousand in Kentucky face steep
health premium increases. Nearly one hundred thousand people in Kentucky

(07:26):
who buy insurance on an online exchange could see their
premium spike come November one, when enrollment begins. Governor Basher
and US Representative Morgan McGarvey, both Democrats, said during a
news conference Tuesday that without an extension of Affordable Care
Act tax credits, some estimated premiums could on average increase

(07:51):
by more than thirty seven percent. American family should never
have to choose between affording groceries, paying the rent, and
being able to afford healthcare coverage. Not extending these credits
is going to force many of our neighbors to make
very hard choices, But Sheer said, McGarvey caution that all

(08:11):
insurance premiums, not just those who buy on the online exchange,
will see an increase because fewer people overall will be insured.
Every single person, whether you're on the Affordable Care Act,
whether you have employer based insurance, you're going to see

(08:32):
your health care insurance premium rise dramatically. McGarvey said. When
their health insurance costs more than their mortgage, how are
you going to live? For those who buy insurance on
ky Neckt and receive those tax credits, a family of
four making one hundred and thirty thousand dollars in Kentucky,

(08:53):
the cost of the annual premiums alone would increase by
more than twelve thousand. A sixty year old couple making
eighty five thousand dollars would pay nearly twenty four thousand
dollars more annually, according to the Kentucky Center for Economic
Policy and Pipes, a real estate appraiser in Louisville who

(09:17):
has purchased insurance through Kentucky Neckt, said the online exchange's
current premium is three hundred and fifty dollars a month
for basic but high deductible plans with a tax credit,
that same health plan will now cost her twelve hundred
and seventy five dollars a month. A nine hundred dollars
a month increase, she said during Tuesday's news conference.

Speaker 2 (09:41):
That's money she doesn't have.

Speaker 1 (09:43):
Pipe said she has already picked up a second job
to help pay other expenses. She's already rationing her health
care and expectation that she may not be able to
afford healthcare come January. This is the first time in
my adult life I will be at without health insurance,
Pipe said. The online marketplace covers small businesses owners like Pipes,

(10:10):
older Americans not yet eligible for Medicare, and others who
make too much for Medicaid, the state federal program for
the poor and disabled, but don't have workplace insurance. A
KFF study found the vast majority of people who buy
insurance on state run exchanges are small business owners or

(10:33):
independent contractors. The federal government shut down October first after
Democrats refused to negotiate with Republicans on other spending measures
without an extension of those tax credits. In July, McGarvey
argued Republicans made permanent, temporary tax cuts that predominantly favor

(10:55):
well the Americans, but did not want to extend tax
credit that make health insurance more affordable for working Americans.
Republicans have countered that those tax credits were meant to
expire after the COVID pandemic. Some, including US House Speaker
Mike Johnson, have said the tax credits have become subsidies

(11:20):
to for profit insurance companies. The move comes after the
Big Beautiful Bill passed by Congress on July fourth, made
dramatic changes to Medicaid. Those changes, including stiffer work requirements,
could mean thousands of Kentuckians will lose Medicaid health coverage,
further driving up the number of uninsured people in Kentucky.

(11:41):
Basher Sid, there is no excuse for action not to
be taken. Either you believe that healthcare costs should be
held down for the American people, or you don't. This
is not a political issue and the American people should
not be used as a negotiating tool.

Speaker 2 (11:57):
Baser Sid.

Speaker 1 (11:59):
Next, Trump and Ji, hoping to ease trade war, call
a one year truce. After a series of failed attempts
to de escalate an acrimonious trade war, President Trump and
China's leader Xijinping agreed to a year long truce that
rolls back many of the contentious tariffs and retaliatory measures

(12:22):
that deepen the feud between the world's two biggest economies.
The two leaders gathered at an airport in Busan, on
South Korea's southeastern coast for their first in person meeting
of Trump's second term.

Speaker 2 (12:37):
With a lot at stake.

Speaker 1 (12:39):
An economic feud that has simmered for several months was
threatening to boil over. Earlier this month, Trump threatened to
levy an additional one hundred percent tariff on Chinese goods
after China imposed its most stringent restrictions ever on important
rare earth minerals, but ruler heads prevailed. The two leaders,

(13:03):
after meeting for about ninety minutes, settled on a series
of agreements that broke little new ground but unwound thorny
issues that had been plaguing negotiations for the last trade deal.
Trump and g agreed to a one year truce, extending
a pause they had put in place after tit for

(13:25):
tat escalations drove up tariffs on each other's imports to.

Speaker 2 (13:31):
More than one hundred percent.

Speaker 1 (13:33):
They had initially decided to limit additional tariffs in May,
and that was extended by three months in August. The
current agreement was set to expire on November tenth.

Speaker 2 (13:44):
In addition, Trump told.

Speaker 1 (13:46):
Reporters aboard Air Force one, returning to Washington shortly after
meeting with g that he had agreed to have a
punitive twenty percent import duty he had placed on China
this year. He had imposed the tariffs after accusing China
of failing to prevent fentanyl and the chemicals used in

(14:06):
making the powerful synthetic opioid from entering the United States.
He said Thursday that he agreed to lower the important
duty because he believed China was serious about taking the
necessary steps to stop the flow of so called chemical precursors.
The reduced tariff would be effective immediately and bring down

(14:28):
the overall tariff on many Chinese goods to around forty
five percent from about fifty five percent. In addition, Trump
said China had agreed to suspend for a year a
series of new measures that threatened to curb further the
supply of rare earth metals, which are crucial for a

(14:49):
wide range of advanced manufacturing industries. Trump said his summit
with the Chinese leader was a great meeting and that
a lot of finalization had been accomplished. He said he
expected a trade deal with China pretty soon. We have
not too many stumbling blocks. Trump said all of the

(15:09):
rare earth has been settled. The Chinese government, in its
official summary of the meeting, was more measured. It said
the countries had reached consensus on resolving important economic and
trade issues, and that officials should finalize follow work up
work soon as soon as possible. In a concession, Trump

(15:32):
said he would postpone plans to impose steep fees on
Chinese built or Chinese own ships arriving in US ports.
China in turn said it would hand down on its
own high fees imposed on retaliation on ships built in
the United States, although few of these ships remain.

Speaker 2 (15:51):
On their international routes.

Speaker 1 (15:54):
Julian Evans Pritchard, head of the China economics for the
research Capital Economics, said the reduced tariff takes the immediate
threat of large tariff hikes off the table, even though
it will not have a major impact on China. The
underlying forces driving the US and China apart remain unsolved, however,

(16:18):
so tensions could easily flare up again, he wrote in.

Speaker 2 (16:21):
A note to clients.

Speaker 1 (16:23):
The last trade scuffle between the United States and China
began September twenty ninth, when the Commerce Department in Washington
expanded its regulations on overseas companies that are barred from
doing business with American companies and individuals. The Department said
the same restrictions would also apply to subsidiaries in which

(16:46):
a banned company has a stake of fifty percent or more,
expanding more than tenfold the number of banned companies, including
many Chinese firms. China retaliated this month with orders re
acquiring export licenses for any overseas sale of a long
list of products for which China is the sole or

(17:08):
dominant supplier. These rules covered processing equipment and technology for
rare earth minds, rare earth refineries, and rare earth magnet factories,
and finally, on the front page suit a Kentucky man
at jail was stunned about forty times before death. The

(17:33):
wife of a Richmond man who died last year at
the Madison County Jail is suing the facility, claiming jail
officials used stun guns on her husband more than forty times,
causing cardiac arrest that led to his death. Rebecca Mansfield's husband,
forty three year old Jonathan Mansfield, died October tenth, twenty

(17:56):
twenty four, about two weeks after the incident at the j.

Speaker 2 (18:01):
In the two hours he was at the facility.

Speaker 1 (18:04):
He was placed in a full body restraint, a hood
to stop him from spitting on officials, and stunned about
forty times with two devices before entering cardiac arrest. According
to the suit, he was arrested for public intoxication. According
to the suit filed Monday in Madison County Circuit Court,

(18:24):
doctors at the University of Kentucky determined Jonathan Mansfield's cardiac
arrest was caused by officer's repeated use of a stun gun,
but the Fayette County Coroner's office ruled his death was
caused by an accidental overdose. Fayette County Corner Gary Jen
said his office spoke with police and reviewed all medical

(18:47):
records before they presented their findings of an overdose as.

Speaker 2 (18:50):
The cause of death.

Speaker 1 (18:52):
Jen told The Hair Leader Wednesday that Mansfield tested positive
for several drugs, including methamphetamine. However, a state medical examiner
performed an autopsy and found no evidence that a cardiac
arrest took place.

Speaker 2 (19:08):
The lawsuit accusedes.

Speaker 1 (19:09):
Former county jail jailer Steve Tussey, The county MS director,
a jail health care provider, and several county employees, of
gross negligence, wrongful death, battery, and negligent training. It marks
at least the fourth wrongful death lawsuit filed against the
Madison County Detention Center since the beginning of twenty twenty three.

(19:35):
In all, officers shot Mansfield twice with stun gun nodes,
and they used thirteen drive stunts, when the stun gun
is applied directly to a person skin, each for one
to three seconds, according to an independent investigation by the
Madison County Sheriff's office. The same report found officers used

(19:57):
a shock glove twenty.

Speaker 2 (19:59):
Three times on on Mansfield.

Speaker 1 (20:01):
The glove amidst shocks that are lower voltage than stun
guns like tasers. According to the jail's use of force policy,
the glove should not be applied more than fifteen seconds,
as extended exposure can cause impaired breathing, sudden cardiac arrest,
increased blood pressure, and altered blood chemistry. On two occasions,

(20:26):
officers applied the glove to Mansfield for forty and ninety
nine seconds, according to the lawsuit. Rebecca Mansfield's lawyer, Noel Caldwell,
described Jonathan Mansfield as a devoted husband, loving father, talented musician,
and hard worker as a commercial electrician and member of

(20:47):
the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Jonathan was arrested on
public intoxication charge and sadly ended up dead. Caldwell said
in an interview with the hair Leader, there is no
justification for tasing for anyone individual in some form or
fashion approximately forty times in the span of approximately one

(21:10):
hour and twenty minutes, and then placing him in a
full body restraint. Missus Mansfield is bringing this action on
behalf of her deceased husband to illuminate the truth behind
this tragic and unnecessary death and to obtain some measure
of justice. Mansfield arrived at the jail in Richmond on

(21:31):
September twenty seventh, twenty twenty four, with his hands cuffed
behind his back. Two correctional officers, Captain James Hollands and
Michael Burns, had Mansfield at each side with their arms
locked in his According to the lawsuit, Mansfield fell to
the floor with Burns and Hollands holding him. He was

(21:52):
placed in a restraint chair and moved toward the booking
area and the jail's lobby. Holland's pulled out a taser,
showing it to Mansfield and threatened to use it unless
he complied. Hollins then shocked Mansfield and the lower stomach
are growing. According to the lawsuit, A spit hood, which
is a mesh hood to prevent biting or spitting, was

(22:14):
placed over Mansfield's head, though the lawsuit claims he did
not spit or threatened to spit on any of the
staff members.

Speaker 2 (22:23):
According to the autopsy.

Speaker 1 (22:24):
Report from the Fayette County Coroner's office, Mansfield tried to
bite officers.

Speaker 2 (22:31):
Mansfield was strapped in.

Speaker 1 (22:32):
A restraint chair for fifty five minutes before he was
placed in an isolation cell, where Hollins and Burns repeatedly
used the taser and shock glove. Mansfield lay in the
isolation cell and appeared to go to sleep. Several jail
guards and sheriff's deputies rushed into his cell and pounced

(22:53):
on him with their shield. According to the lawsuit, while
Mansfield was subduedne cauards put him in a wrap restraint
system similar to a full body straight jacket. The Montgomery
County Detention Center faces a wrongful death lawsuit over its
use of the same rap restraint.

Speaker 2 (23:14):
The lawsuit was.

Speaker 1 (23:14):
Paused in July while the FBI investigates the jailed deputies.
The deputies placed the spi hood back over Mansfield's head
and face and moved him to the booking area, where
bloodstains began to form around his mouth. Emergency services and
medical staff did not evaluate Mansfield even as the blood

(23:35):
stain continued to grow around the spit mask. According to
the lawsuit, video footage shows Manfield motionless and unresponsive for
almost nine minutes before EMS checked.

Speaker 2 (23:48):
Him for a pulse.

Speaker 1 (23:49):
According to the lawsuit, emergency responders determined Mansfield was in
cardiac arrest and tried to administer life saving measures. Mansfield
was transferred to Baptist Health in Richmond and then the
University of Kentucky Hospital, where he died two weeks later.
Almost immediately after the incident, the Madison County Sheriff's office

(24:13):
launched an internal investigation of the deputies of the jail.
According to the lawsuit, Sergeant Donovan Nolan of the Sheriff's
department spoke with Mansfield's doctors, who said she and the
other UK doctors believed Mansfield's cardiac arrest was caused by
multiple shocks at the jail. Major Dwight Hall, one of
the officers who conducted the internal investigation, also determined Mansfield's

(24:38):
cardiac arrest was caused by Hollins and Burns excessive force.

Speaker 2 (24:42):
According to the.

Speaker 1 (24:43):
Lawsuit, the use of Taser drive stunt and shot glove
on mister Mansfield did not achieve the desired effect of
pain compliance, making the subsequent exposures unreasonable. Hall wrote in
his investigation these actions not only inflicted unnecessary pain, but
also heightened the risk of serious health complications. Hollins, who

(25:08):
had at least three previous write ups for excessive force,
was fired after the investigation.

Speaker 2 (25:15):
Burns was suspended for five days.

Speaker 1 (25:17):
Madison County Jailer Larry Brock said Tuesday he had not
been employed at the jail for at least the past
ten months, but it was not clear if he'd been fired.
Despite the findings of internal investigations, the Fayette County Corner's
Office ruled mansfields death was an accidental overdose according to
the autopsy report. The autopsy reports of the death was

(25:40):
caused by delayed complications of methamphetamine intoxication. According to the
report of the Deputy coroner Greg Haley conducted interviews with
Mansfield's family and reviewed his medical records. It was unclear
if Haley spoke with Manfield's doctors. According to Haley's report,
Mansfield overdosed on methamphetamine and left the hospital against medical

(26:03):
advice before he was arrested for public intoxication. Mansfield was
one of at least thirty four people to die in
a Kentucky jail last year. He was one of at
least twelve deaths in the past five years at the
Madison County Jail between twenty twenty and twenty twenty four.

(26:25):
Brock took over the position of Madison County Jailer in
January of twenty twenty five, after Tussy announced he was
retiring with two years still left on his elected term.
Brock said in an interview Tuesday with The Harrow Leader
that when he took over the jail, a lot of

(26:46):
changes needed to be made.

Speaker 2 (26:48):
I had heard some.

Speaker 1 (26:49):
Of the stories of what went on, and I couldn't
believe it, Brock said. Things are getting better. We are
diligent about medical care, and if there is a serious
service someone needs that we can't provide, we take them
to the hospital we send them to get medical care.
We are not getting stuck in what we did in

(27:11):
the past. And next, Kentucky woman charged with murder and
death of a man who overdosed on fentanyl. A woman
is charged with murder and the death of a man
who died in an overdose in Laurel County.

Speaker 2 (27:23):
Earlier this year.

Speaker 1 (27:24):
Courtney Boone, thirty seven, of East Bernstad is accused of
providing Sheldon Lockby, twenty six with a fatal dose of
fentanyl through the form of methamphetamine in a pipe on
July thirteenth.

Speaker 2 (27:36):
According to the Laurel.

Speaker 1 (27:37):
County Sheriff's Office, Boone was arrested on Kentucky one ninety
two in London Monday and charged with murder. The Laurel
County Coroner's Office has verified the fatal dose of fentanyl.
The Sheriff's office sit and Boone was being held in

(27:57):
the Laurel County Correctional Center. And now, after a short pause,
I hope you'll rejoin us for a continuation of the
reading of the Lexington Hair Leader for today. Thank you
for listening, and now please stay tuned for more news
right here on Radio I. Now we will continue reading

(28:18):
from the Lexington Hair Leader for this Halloween, which is Friday,
October thirty. First, 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 the weekdays at eight five nine

(28:40):
four two two sixty three ninety and we will be
glad to read the entire obituary for you, and I
will repeat the number at the end of the listings.
Today's obituary in dex starts with Joyce Carneal eighty of Nicholasville,
Lewis Paisley eighty of Lexington, and Paul Quinn Junior eighty nine,

(29:03):
also of Lexington. If you would like any further information
about the listings today, please visit the website Legacy dot
com slash obituary slash Kentucky. Again, the site is Legacy
dot com slash obituary slash Kentucky and you can also
call us at our RADIOI studios at eight five nine

(29:23):
four two two sixty three ninety and we will try
to read the obituary of your choice over the phone.

Speaker 2 (29:32):
Now we'll return to the news.

Speaker 1 (29:35):
Our next story is Kentucky mother sues gaming platform Roblocks
after her teen daughter dies by suicide. A Northern Kentucky
mother is suing a popular gaming company after her teen
daughter died by suicide, claiming it allowed violent behavior to
flourish on its platform. The wrongful death complaint was filed

(29:57):
October twentieth by Boone County woman Jamie Sits, the mother
of Audrey Heiney, who died by suicide in December of
twenty twenty four, a week after her thirteenth birthday. Roblocks
is an online gaming platform in a game creation system
that establishes a virtual universe and allows participants to create

(30:19):
avatars and play games of their own or with others.
Nearly two thirds of all US children between ages nine
and twelve play games on the platform. Sides claims her
daughter was pushed to suicide by a Roblocks community that
glorifies and emulates violence and mass shootings. Sites's lawsuit is

(30:40):
the latest against the embattled platform. Earlier this month, Kentucky
Attorney General Russell Coleman also sued rob Blocks, becoming the
second state in the US to do so after Louisiana
Coleman claimed the company knowingly allowed its platform to be
used for child grooming and sexual abuse. In all, more

(31:00):
than twenty federal lawsuits have been filed nationwide accusing rob
Blocks of allowing child exploitation. According to online court records,
Florida's Attorney General has also opened a child safety investigation
into the company. The ninety seven page lawsuit filed by
Sites argues that adults, often disguised as children, used platforms

(31:24):
like Roblocks and Discord to target children for sexual exploitation
and violence. The adults thrive on Roblocks, the lawsuit says,
because it lacks an effective moderation or age verification system,
despite repeated assurances that the platform is safe for kids.

(31:44):
Audrey began playing Roblocks when she was eight. According to
the suit, she was creative and loved art and sports.
While on Roblocks, Audrey was exposed to the true crime
true crime community, where she was bullied and witnessed demonstrations
of self harm. According to the lawsuit, grooming and violence

(32:07):
continued to another app, Discord, where she continued to be
targeted with violent rhetoric, manipulation, and social pressure despite the
parental controls put in place by her mother, predators were
still able to contact Audrey. According to the suit, this
is not about a minor lapse in safety. It's about

(32:29):
a company that gives pedophiles powerful tools to prey on
innocent and unsuspecting kids, said SITES lawyer Alexandra Walsh. The
trauma that results is horrific, from grooming to exploitation to
actual assault. In this case, the child lost her life
and this needs to stop. SITES claims fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation,

(32:57):
failure to warn, unreasonable design, and wrongfull death the next story.
The CBO estimates shutdown costs at up to fourteen billion dollars.
The longer the federal government shutdown lasts, the more it
will cost the US economy, which the Congressional Budget Office

(33:19):
estimates it up to fourteen billion dollars. The current CBO estimate,
release Wednesday, says the four weeks shutdown will cost seven
billion dollars in lost economic activity if the shutdown were
to end this week. If the shutdown extends to eleven weeks,
the CBO's estimate costs rise to eleven billion dollars and

(33:39):
tops out at fourteen billion dollars. If the shutdown lasts
for eight weeks. CNBC reported the estimated cost would rise
further if the shutdown were continue beyond the end of November.
Senate Majority leader John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, has
said it appears Senate Democrats are more open to ending

(34:01):
the shutdown. The Senate has failed thirteen times to approve
a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through November
twenty first, while negotiating a bipartisan twenty twenty six fiscal
your budget. A Senate vote on enacting a clean continuing
resolution on Tuesday failed by a vote of fifty four

(34:21):
to forty five, with one Peace senator not participating in
the vote. If the federal government is not funded by
November one, tomorrow, families dependent on the federal Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance program will lose access to their food stamps. The

(34:42):
Trump administration also is seeking ways to pay military personnel,
and several airlines have begun feeding air traffic controllers and
other essential staff who lack paychecks while the shutdown continues.
Once the federal government is funded and reopened, federal workers
will receive back pay. Republicans have a slim majority in

(35:05):
the Senate, with fifty three seats to forty seven for
the Democrats, including two independents who usually caucus with the Democrats.
Senate rules require sixty votes to pass spending resolution bills,
and Senate Republicans need five more Senate Democrats to join
with three other caucus members to pass the continuing Resolution

(35:28):
and reopen the federal government. Senate Republicans overwhelmingly have voted
to fund the federal government, while Senate Democrats overwhelmingly have
voted against a House approved continuing resolution. Senators John Fetterman
of Pennsylvania and Catherine Cortes Masteau of Nevada are the

(35:51):
only two Senate Democrats who have voted consistently to fund
the government, along with independent Senators Angus King of Maine,
who caucuses with Senate Democrats. Senator Ran Paul of Kentucky
is the loan GOP member to consistently vote against the
continuing Resolution. The continuing Resolution would extend the twenty twenty

(36:14):
five fiscal year budget long enough to finish negotiating a
bipartisan twenty twenty six fiscal year budget. The twenty twenty
six fiscal year began October first, but the lack of
an interim funding bill has closed the federal government for
the past four weeks with no end in sight. Amid
the Senate impass, Senate Democrats are demanding an extension of

(36:40):
the tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, which initially
were enacted as a temporary measure during the COVID nineteen
pandemic lockdowns and expire at the end of the year.
Senate Democrats also want to expand excess to MADICKID. The
GOP lawmakers say what enabled states to provide taxpayer funded

(37:03):
health care for those who were not legal residents, which
Democrats deny. The estimated cost for ACA tax credits and
increased access to Medicaid would cost an estimated one point
five trillion dollars over the next ten years, which GOP

(37:23):
lawmakers say is excessive, especially for a temporary funding measure.
Sate Republicans have said such managers should be negotiated in
the final budget bill and not a continuing resolution. And
the next story, a lawsuit is filed against Kentucky jail

(37:43):
on behalf of a stillborn baby. A Central Kentucky jail
already facing a lawsuit overclaims they caused a woman to
go into labor early by failing to give her prescribed medication.
Now faces the second lawsuit filed on behalf of the
stillborn baby. Valentina Freemeyer, twenty nine, gave birth just five

(38:04):
days after ending the Richmond jail in twenty twenty three.
A separate lawsuit, A federal lawsuit filed by Freemeyer in
October twenty twenty four, claims the jail's lack of medical
care caused withdrawals, pushing her into early labor and causing.

Speaker 2 (38:22):
The unborn baby's death.

Speaker 1 (38:24):
Now the jail faces a new state civil suit filed
on behalf of baby Girl Freemeyer, the infant who died
at thirty eight.

Speaker 2 (38:32):
Weeks and two days.

Speaker 1 (38:35):
It's the second wrongful death lawsuit filed against the detention
center this month. Between twenty twenty and twenty twenty four,
twelve people died in the jail, the second most of
any jail statewide. Corey Isaacs, the administrator of baby Fremeyer's estate,
file suit against the former jailer, Steve Tussey, twelve jail deputies,

(38:58):
and the jail's health care provider for claims of wrongful death,
gross negligence, and negligent training. In Kentucky, a wrongful death
lawsuit can be filed for the death of a viable fetus.
Every person in custody is entitled to appropriate medical care,
especially those who are pregnant, said Noel Caldwell, the attorney

(39:20):
for Babygirl Frimere. Every life is precious, especially Babygirl frime Iers.
Through this legal action, we hope to ensure that this
kind of tragedy never happens again. Isaac's claims the jail
intentionally refused to prescribe Valentina Fremeer's methadone, which she was

(39:41):
prescribed for substance use disorder. Methodone is a synthetic opioid
used to treat substance abuse. It's an approved treatment for
addiction and is safe for women who are taking while pregnant,
but abruptly stopping it can be fatal for the fetus.
Tree Fremeier was living at a Lexington Rehabilitation Center for

(40:04):
pregnant women, where she was prescribed methodone. On October twelfth
that year, Fremeier was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty
to three narcotics related crimes. She was sent to the
Madison County Detention Center and was slated to return to
the rehab center as part of the woman's medical release,

(40:26):
a state program that provides an alternative to jail for
incarcerated pregnant women who have substance use disorder, but that
never happened. The jail knew Fremeier had been prescribed methodone
by a doctor, but the lawsuit claims she was denied
the medication for five days anyway. The detention center claimed

(40:49):
there were issues regarding the availability of methodone in the
jail and whether someone would be able to prescribe it
to her. According to the doctor's notes included in the lawsuit,
on October seventeenth, Fremeyer was taken to the University of
Kentucky Hospital for methadone withdrawal, strong uterine contractions, and decreased

(41:10):
fetal movement. The doctors were unable to detect the heartbeat,
and she delivered a stillborn baby thirty eight weeks into
her pregnancy. Defendant's failure to provide methadone to Frimeyer caused
her to suffer forced withdrawal from the methadone, which in
turn caused the fetal demise and death of baby girl.

(41:33):
Fremere The lawsuit reads, because Frimere was no longer pregnant,
she was not a candidate for the woman's medical release
or to return to rehab. When Frimeer was released from
the hospital and placed back in custody in the Richmond Jail,
medical staff gave her the prescribed dosage of methadone. The

(41:55):
next story, Kentucky has billions of dollars in Rainy Day Fund?
Can the state use it to pay SNAP benefits? About
six hundred thousand people could start to go hungry after
November one if the shuttered federal government doesn't provide the
one hundred and six million dollars it owes for next

(42:17):
month SNAP benefits to help low income Kentuckians by grocery.
At the same time, the state of Kentucky is setting
on three point seven billion dollars at the close of
fiscal year twenty twenty five and its Budget Reserve Trust
known account and formally known as the state's Rainy Day Fund.

Speaker 2 (42:38):
So is it raining?

Speaker 1 (42:41):
Some people worry about the loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program benefits say Kentucky should break into its piggyback to
cover what Uncle Sam apparently won't.

Speaker 2 (42:53):
There's no point in.

Speaker 1 (42:54):
Having emergency savings if you don't use them during an emergency,
said Jason Bailey, execut Keative director of the Kentucky Center
for Economic Policy in Berea. If the roof is leaking
on your house, you don't leave a bunch of money
in the mattress. You pull it out and you fix
the roof, Bailey said. But what would it take for

(43:15):
Kentucky to do that? Hopefully, Bailey said, Republican President Trump
will reverse himself and agree to find the eight billion
dollars in the federal budget necessary to cover November's SNAP benefits.
Because SNAP is a federal program operated by the US
Department of Agriculture, Kentucky Governor Basheer, the Democrat, signed into

(43:37):
a lawsuit with the two dozen other states Tuesday to
force the president to provide those federal funds. About one
in every eight Americans received food stamps through SNAP, for
an average of one hundred and eighty seven dollars in
benefits every month. Basher has not previously said the state
does not have the money to fund SNAP fits for November,

(44:01):
which would cost about one hundred and five million dollars.
But if the federal government doesn't provide the money, Bailey said,
and the alternative is people staring into empty refrigerators.

Speaker 2 (44:14):
Then Kentucky should.

Speaker 1 (44:16):
Use its Rainy Day Fund to provide November Snap benefits.
That needs to be on the list of options, Bailey said,
because it's a downpour for the six hundred thousand Kentuckians
who are not going to have enough food on the
table if their benefits are cut off.

Speaker 2 (44:33):
I believe that the.

Speaker 1 (44:35):
Primary purpose of the Rainy Day Fund is for emergencies,
and this is one. The Republican dominated Kentucky legislature has
fattened the state's Rainy Day Fund in recent years as
a self imposed frugality written into law that allows it
to gradually lower the state's income tax rate. However, budget

(44:58):
documents show the legislature has allocated billions of dollars from
the Rainy Day Fund for spending it considers a priority,
such as road projects, including infrastructure for the Blue Oval
sk Battery park in Hardin County, water and sewer lines,
university construction projects, and extra money to raise the funding

(45:21):
levels in the ailing state pension systems. For Bashir to
use the Rainy Day Fund to cover November Snap benefits,
he would need to call a special session of the
General Assembly and get lawmakers approval. Since the next regular
session won't begin until January, the governor only has limited

(45:42):
authority to take money from the fund on his own,
and that's only to pay for emergency responses to disasters.
It's not clear what would happen if Bashir called lawmakers
back to Frankfort about SNAP benefits. Senate Republican leader ship
offices declined through a spokesman to comment on the.

Speaker 2 (46:04):
Subject this week.

Speaker 1 (46:06):
House GOP leadership offices did not respond to a request
for comment. The governor's office says his hands appeared to
be tied. The Trump administration has prohibited the federal government
from paying out SNAP benefits for November, and has also
prohibited states from flowing state funds through the SNAP system

(46:27):
to pay out benefits. This leaves Kentucky with few options,
but Spears spokeswoman Scottie Ellis told the Hair Leader on Wednesday,
and because of this, Governor Bashir joined a lawsuit yesterday
challenging the Trump administration's suspension of SNAP benefits, demanding funding

(46:48):
be restored for the six hundred thousand Kentuckians who rely
on SNAP. Ellis said, as soon as the federal government reopens,
Kentucky will begin processing benefits. The governor is willing to
meet with any legislator on possible ways to help Kentucky
families during this time. She added, as always, a special

(47:11):
session would require agreement on any and all legislation beforehand.
And with today Halloween, the next story is startling flavors,
high prices lurk in trick or treat bags despite soaring
chocolate prices and inflation pressures. Twenty twenty five, it is

(47:34):
expected to be a record year for candy sales in
the United States, with about three point nine billion dollars
spent on Halloween candy alone, according to the National Retail Federation.
So perhaps the most timely measure of the American psyche
isn't in a polling booth or a therapist's office, but

(47:56):
in the trick or treat bag. A lot of times,
what we get out of Halloween is a reflection of ourselves,
said Shannon Wiener, the senior director of consumer Insights for
the Ferrara Candy Company, which sells popular handouts like Nerds,
gummy clusters, and trolley sour bite crawlers. Candy has social

(48:19):
currency for people. This year, Reese's Peanut buttercups dominate as
the top Halloween candy choice, and gummies continue to climb
in popularity, especially among the Generation Z and A, but
new favorites are beginning to emerge. We ask analysts who

(48:39):
study food and retail trends, as well as the confectioners themselves,
to peer into the collective candy hall and tell us
what our choices might be saying about ourselves.

Speaker 2 (48:51):
Here's what they see.

Speaker 1 (48:53):
It's about flavor maximalism. It's all about amped up flavors
and textures. This year, extreme sour is the coin of
the realm. Freeze dried candy, which first appeared in the
nineteen eighties, is the most popular kid at the Halloween party.
Sweet Tarts, Lemonheads, those stalwarts of the trick or treat circuit,

(49:16):
are debuting freeze dried versions. Skittles introduce a freeze dried
version last year, and chili coated gummies fuego.

Speaker 2 (49:26):
This fall.

Speaker 1 (49:28):
Ferrara has pushed its mouth puckering Nerds franchise into new
textural territory with Nerds juicy gummy clusters, chewy goo filled
gummy balls coated in crunchy little nerd pieces. Why the
appetite for sensory overlord. One theory is that young people

(49:48):
want antidotes to increasingly virtual, repetitive, and isolated daily lies,
said Jenny Zegler, director of Food and Drink at the
market research company Minte. Her colleague Kelsey Girard elaborated, You're
always swiping to the next video or scrolling on your phone,

(50:10):
so you need a flavor or texture that's going to
stop you in your tracks, and it's dark chimes for chocolate.
A drop in the sale of chocolate Halloween candy is
one barometer of the how a segment of America is
coping with inflation. Chocolate prices have jumped so high that

(50:31):
some people are threatening on social media to keep the
porch lights off this year. Figures from Circana, which analyzes
consumer behavior, show that the price of chocolate candy has
risen almost twenty nine percent over the start of the
Halloween season last year. A recent survey by personal finance

(50:55):
site finance Buzz has prices of Halloween candy up seventy
eight percent from five years ago. The price of cacao,
which is more than doubled from twenty three to twenty
four is taking much of the blame, but consumers are
also complaining about inflation and the new tariffs. Nearly eighty

(51:18):
percent of Halloween shoppers expect to pay more because of
the tariffs, according to the National Retail Federation survey, and yes,
shrink flation is still a factor. Last year, some reports
showed that Halloween candies were sometimes ten percent smaller than.

Speaker 2 (51:37):
They were a year earlier, or.

Speaker 1 (51:40):
That bags contained fewer pieces even though the price hadn't dropped.
The shrinkage continues compared to last year. We are seeing
smaller sized Halloween chocolate items, said Sally Lyons Wyatt, the
global executive vice president and chief Advisor for Consumer good,

(52:00):
Food and Good Services at CIRCANA. The move toward treats
with fewer problematic ingredients like artificial dyes continues to grow,
thanks in part this year to a list of Halloween
candy approved by Make America Healthy Again Moms. While overall
sales of gummies have increased less than two percent this year,

(52:23):
sales of better for You versions that are lower in
sugar and free of artificial colors are of fifty four percent,
said Scott Dickler, Senior director of Market insights for the
research company Spins. Still, most shoppers don't appear to be
looking for health and their Halloween candy, it will remain

(52:47):
a relatively niche space, Gerard said, but we will definitely
be keeping our eye on what happens with colorings and dies.
Americans seeing seeking lower risks to wait to have some
fun this year, which is why an element of surprise
comes built into a number of new and popular candies.

(53:11):
We want to have an exciting experience, but if we
think about all the uncertainty in the world in general,
you don't want your candy adding to it.

Speaker 2 (53:20):
Gerard said.

Speaker 1 (53:22):
Dots, which you've been around for eighty years, has come
out with a ghost addition, the drops, which are usually multicolored,
are all tended the same light green, so you don't
know which flavor you're about to pop in your mouth.
Jolly Rancher jumped into the mystery get gray game with

(53:44):
Trickyes gummies, which are jumble colors and flavors, so a
green one tastes like cherry. And then there's the thrill
of not knowing whether you're about to eat one of
the extra spicy pieces hidden in packages of some sour
punch ghost pepper roulette, wacky Halloween candies are thriving even

(54:06):
in a year when consumers don't want to shell out
money for something.

Speaker 2 (54:10):
They aren't sure will be good.

Speaker 1 (54:12):
Lions Wyatt added, But we're talking about a piece of candy,
which is the big scheme of things. Is the sort
of affordable luxury people indeed are looking for. And finally,
pal says the December cut is far from a foregone conclusion.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerown pal cautioned investors against assuming the

(54:36):
US Central Bank would follow its second straight interest rate
cut with another in December. A further reduction in the
policy rated the December meeting is not a foregone conclusion,
far from it, Palell said in the opening comments of
his post meeting press conference. The remark seemed aimed at
reinforcing the expectations in financial markets for the probability of

(54:57):
another quarter point cut in December. Was firmly above ninety
percent before he spoke. Treasury yields and the dollar jumped,
while the stocks turned negative. After Palell's comments, Interest rate
swaps showed traders see about a sixty percent probability for
a quarter cut point in December. Prior to the meeting,

(55:19):
a move in December was almost fully priced in. The
Federal Open Market Committee voted ten to two to lower
the target rate for the federal funds rate by a
quarter percentage point to three point seventy five to four percent.
In their post meeting statement, federal policymakers on Wednesday repeated
their assessment that job gains have slowed and said risks

(55:40):
to employment rose in recent months. Officials also characterized economic
growth as moderate and said inflation has moved up since
earlier in the year and remained somewhat elevated. FED officials
on both ends of the policy spectrum opposed the decision.
Governor Stephen Murran, who joined the Central Bank last month

(56:01):
is on unpaid leave from his chair's post of the
White House Economic Council of Advisors, descended again in favor
of a larger half point reduction, and Kansas City FED
President Jeff Schmidt said he preferred not the cut rates
at all after supporting last month's rate reduction. For some

(56:22):
part of the committee, it's time to maybe stick take
a step back and see whether there are really downside
risks to the labor market, or see whether in fact,
the stronger growth that we're.

Speaker 2 (56:33):
Seeing is real, he said.

Speaker 1 (56:38):
And this concludes the reading of the Lexington Hair Leader
for today, Halloween Friday, October thirty. First your reader has
been Rod Brotherton and as always thank you for listening.
Have a great weekend and now please stay tuned for
sports news right here on RADIOI