10.5.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the reading of the Lexington Herald Leader. Today
is Sunday, October fifth, twenty twenty five, and your reader
is Roger Hamperion. As a reminder, RADIOI is a reading
service intended for people who are blind or have other
disabilities that make it difficult to read printed material. We'll

(00:21):
start with the seven day forecast, brought to you by
ACI Weather. Sunday's weather will be sunny and very warm,
with a high of eighty four degrees and a low
of sixty one. Monday will be warm with some sun
with a high of eighty one and a low of
sixty four. Tuesday we'll see a pm thunderstorm with a

(00:44):
high of seventy four and a low of sixty two.
Wednesday will have a couple of showers and the high
of seventy two and a low of fifty four. Thursday
will be sunny with a high of seventy three and
a low of fifty eight. Fe will be partly sunny
with a stray thunderstorm with a high of seventy three

(01:05):
and a low of fifty seven. Saturday we'll see a
thunderstorm in spots in the morning, with a high of
seventy two. And a low of fifty five. In the
Weather Almanac, the high temperature is eighty four degrees and
a low fifty four, normal high seventy four normal low
fifty two. Last year's high seventy four, last year's low

(01:30):
fifty four, record high was ninety six, and twenty nineteen
record low thirty one in nineteen seventy four. Thursday's precipitation
was zero month to date zero normal month to date
point two four. Year to date forty six point four

(01:51):
to one normal year to date thirty eight point eight
five last year to date forty one point one five
record for the date two point three eight in nineteen
sixty two. Pollen count is in the very high range,
the main offender being weeds. Sunrise today is at seven

(02:14):
thirty eight am, sunset seven seventeen pm. Moonrise today six pm,
moon set today four thirty one am. The full moon
will be on October sixth, last quarter October thirteenth, new
moon October twenty first, and first quarter October twenty ninth.

(02:38):
Now we will read the front page headline from today's edition,
how FCPS staff spent two point six million dollars in
six months. Cash strapped Fayette County Public Schools, mired in
financial duress throughout twenty twenty five, racked up significant credit
card debt in the six month period from August twenty

(03:00):
twenty four to January twenty twenty five. According to financial
records reviewed by The Herald Leader, tens of thousands were
spent on travel to conferences across the country, plus a
trip to Helsinki, and at restaurants. It comes as legislators
say they have lost trust in the district's leadership team.

(03:20):
The first article from today's edition is titled three thousand
dollars on meals, two thousand dollars on chocolates. A look
at six months of credit cards spending by FCPS employees
by Beth Musgrave and Valerie Honeycutt Spears. Faette County Public
Schools employees racked up more than two point five million

(03:42):
dollars in charges on school issued credit cards from August
twenty twenty four to January twenty twenty five, according to
the district's financial records. A Herald Leader review of two
hundred and fifteen pages of credit card statements shows about
one hundred thirty five high ranking Fayette County School administrators
two million five hundred seventy thousand, six hundred and eleven

(04:05):
dollars on district issued fifty third Bank credit cards during
those six months. Among those charges were thirty four meals
that cost between five hundred and one thousand dollars and
twenty three meals that cost more than one thousand dollars.
Almost all the meals were in Lexington, according to credit
card statements. One out of state meal was for nine

(04:28):
hundred forty eight dollars at Ellen's Stardust Diner in New
York City. District officials said some of the charges, including
thirty two thousand dollars at Crank and Boom ice cream,
were paid for through donations. Others, such as the meals
three thousand, three hundred dollars at an axe throwing entertainment

(04:48):
complex and thousands of dollars in specialty chocolates, were approved
and paid for by school officials. There were also thousands
of dollars in hotel stays during that time period, including
a trip to Finland. The Herald Leader's analysis of six
months of credit card spending comes amid months of growing

(05:08):
frustration from some county public school board members, taxpayers, parents,
and some state legislators on how the eight hundred twenty
seven million dollar school district is managing its finances. Questions
about the district's spending heightened in May after it was
revealed Kentucky's second largest district had a sixteen million dollar

(05:30):
projected budget shortfall. A school finance officer has also claimed
she was suspended for sounding the alarm about rising costs
and a shrinking contingency fund. The latest analysis comes on
the heels of The Herald Leader reporting on travel related
expenses by FCPS staffers. In December, the newspaper reported the

(05:53):
district had spent three point six million dollars on more
than two hundred trips for administrators and teachers during the
twenty twenty three twenty four school year. That's more than
Kentucky's other large school districts, including Louisville's Jefferson County Public Schools,
which spent two point three million dollars during the same
time frame. After months of questions about travel expenses from

(06:17):
the media and board members, Superintendent Demetrius Liggins agreed in
August to put some limits on travel funded by the
general Fund, the district's main checking account, only mandatory or
necessary travel will be allowed, Ligans said. He said he
was restricting overnight trips and when no longer purchased staff

(06:37):
appreciation gifts. Liggins also told legislators during a September sixteenth
legislative hearing he was limiting professional development trips to those
conducted on site. It's not clear if Fade County School
board members see high dollar meal charges on school issued
credit cards. The Herald Leader asked the five member board

(06:59):
about those credit card charges and if they had reviewed them.
No board member returned the newspaper's emails. Miranda Scully, a
spokeswoman for FCPS, said there are controls and reviews on
credit card purchases. She also said some of the expenses
charged to cards were repaid by donors. Other charges were

(07:21):
for school related events. Controls on the cards restrict the
merchant categories where they can be used, as well as
spending limits per transaction, spending limits per billing cycle, and
camps on a number of transactions allowed per day or
per billing cycle. Scully said. The credit card statements were
released by Senator Lindsay Titchener, Republican of Smithfield, who, along

(07:45):
with other legislators, questioned Liggans about FCPS spending during a
September sixteenth General Assembly Interim Joint Committee on Education hotel
stays in Helsinki Louisville. In addition to spending at local restaurants,
district officials also charged taxpayers for stays in hotels. In

(08:07):
November alone, district staff spent eighty six thousand, two hundred
forty six dollars for hotel stays at education conferences across
the country. Credit card statements show there were one hundred
eight charges for hotels in November. The credit card statements
do not say how many rooms were charged or for
how many people, and not all of those hotel stays

(08:30):
were in the US. Houston Barber, a Deputy Superintendent over Finance,
traveled to Helsinki, Finland in November. He charged eight hundred
eighty two dollars for a hotel stay there. November statements show.
Scully said the trip was part of Global Cities Education
Network annual Symposium, which in twenty twenty four was held

(08:53):
in Helsinki. In October of twenty twenty three, FCPS hosted
this event in partnership with Commerce Lexington in Central Kentucky.
Liggins traveled to Australia in twenty twenty two as part
of the same Global Cities Education Network, which is run
by the Asia Society and encourages best practices for school

(09:15):
districts in larger cities across the world. According to its website,
the receipts for that trip totaled at least six eight
hundred sixty nine dollars, the bulk of it for airline tickets.
According to the receipts for Liggins's expenses, which were obtained
through the Kentucky Open Records Act. During the September sixteenth

(09:36):
legislative hearing about FCPS spending, Liggins told state legislative leaders
he had to rebook the trip due to an emergency,
which drove up the cost. Liggans said there were workshops
offered on best practices for social and emotional issues that
were putting county children into crisis. School administrators also charged

(09:58):
taxpayers for overnight state in Louisville and Cincinnati. Credit card
record show in August twenty twenty four, one administrator charged
fifty two thousand, six hundred seventy three dollars for the
Gauldhouse in Louisville. Scully said the bill paid for one
hundred twelve principles to attend a conference for the Kentucky

(10:18):
Association of School Administrators which focused on local and state issues.
This was an opportunity for our campus principles to avail
themselves of the national speakers at the KASA conference and
familiarize themselves with statewide changes for the upcoming year, while
also attending FCPS specific sessions addressing district wide initiatives and expectations.

(10:44):
She added a total of one hundred twelve campus principles
and district leaders attended the four day event at the Gauldhouse,
with thirteen individuals staying one night, nine individuals staying two nights,
and seventy one staying all three nights. School travel policy
allows administrators to stay in hotels if the distance is

(11:05):
more than sixty miles, Scully said, Lexington to the Gauld
House is seventy five miles. In November twenty twenty four,
there were fifteen charges for hotel stays in Louisville and Newport,
totaling eighty two thousand, eight hundred thirty five dollars. An
analysis of credit card statements show Lexington to Newport is

(11:26):
eighty three miles. Eating out at Malone's, Wild Eggs, and
Cracker Barrel. FCPS administrators also spent sixty thousand, seven hundred
eighty one dollars on fifty seven meals that were more
than five hundred dollars. Credit card records from August twenty
twenty four to January show the statements do not identify

(11:49):
how many people attended each meal. Some favorite restaurants for
Fayette County top administrators include Ap, Suggins, Bar and Grill,
Cracker Barrel, and k Malones. Each restaurant appeared on credit
card receipts more than three times. Some of the priceiest
meals and food purchases from August twenty twenty four to

(12:10):
January include thirty three hundred dollars at Sedona Tap House
in December, nine hundred forty nine dollars at Wild Eggs
in August two, eight hundred sixty four dollars at Cracker
Barrel in December twenty, five hundred dollars at Malone's in December,
nineteen hundred seventy nine dollars at Old Kentucky Chocolates in August,

(12:34):
nineteen hundred sixty seven dollars at Olive Garden in November
seventeen hundred twenty three dollars at Texas Roadhouse in December,
sixteen hundred fifty dollars at Papa John's in September, fifteen
hundred eighty eight dollars at Panera Bread in October, and
fifteen hundred eighty six dollars at Cracker Barrel in October.

(12:57):
The following are some of the cities outside of Kentucky
t school administrators traveled to in November twenty twenty four.
According to credit card statements, it's not clear how many
people were included in each hotel charge. For example, teachers
typically do not have credit cards per school policy. When
teachers travel, hotel and airplane flights are often charged by

(13:20):
school administrators. Some of the conference's school officials attended in
these cities include the Aurora Institute Symposium in New Orleans,
Innovative Schools Summit in Chicago, the American Council on the
Teaching of Foreign Languages in Philadelphia, and the National Black
Educator's Conference in Atlanta. According to board meeting minutes, the

(13:43):
school board must approve all travel to conferences. Some of
the city's school officials traveled to include Des Moines, Iowa, Tampa, Florida, Philadelphia,
New York, New York, Aurora, Colorado, Memphis, Tennessee, Seattle, New Orleans, Chicago, Athens, Georgia, Murphreysboro, Tennessee, Anaheim, California, Houston,

(14:09):
West Palm Beach, Florida, and Baltimore. FCPS defends some travel
expenses mum on others. The vast majority of credit card
charges were too familiar retailers Amazon, Sam's Club, Kroger, and Walmart.
The Herald Leer analysis reveals only administrators, including directors and

(14:32):
school principles, are allowed to have credit cards. According to
district policy, which FCPS provided to The Herald Leader, that
translate to roughly one hundred and thirty five people with
credit cards. School officials said in its travel policy, the
district limits the amount an employee can charge for food
at out of state conferences up to sixty five dollars

(14:54):
per day. For in state conferences, it's fifty dollars per day,
but its on food and restaurant expenses in Fayette County
or for school events is broad. Food refreshments may be
purchased with district funds for FCPS employees and volunteers engaged
in official school district business in the following situations, total

(15:17):
school level faculty or district level department staff and or
committee meetings, professional development activities, district wide recognition events, and
district level recruitment seminars. To policy states. The policy states
purchases cannot go over the state published meal per diem
for non high rate areas or more expensive cities. According

(15:40):
to a July twenty twenty four memo from the State
financi and Administration Cabinet, meal limits for non high rate
areas are twelve dollars for breakfast, fifteen dollars for lunch,
and twenty three dollars for dinner. The credit card statements
do not list the purpose of the meals topping one
thousand dollars, or the number of attendees. The statements also

(16:03):
did not make it clear what food was consumed. Still,
FCPS officials did defend and explain some of the spending.
The nineteen hundred seventy nine dollars spent at Old Kentucky
Chocolates in August were gifts for first time principles. Scully said.
The twenty five hundred dollars charge at Malone's, a popular
at Lexington Steakhouse, was for a middle school volleyball banquet.

(16:28):
The Bryan Station Middle School principle put the charge on
their credit card. The parents and boosters later repaid the school.
She said. The thirty three hundred dollars charge to Sedona
tap House was for a principal's luncheon, according to a
receipt Liggins turned in for the event. It is not
clear how many people attended the event. The Herald Leader

(16:48):
obtained the receipt through a Kentucky Open Records Act request.
The more than thirty three hundred dollars spent at Battle Axes,
a popular Lexington entertainment venue that includes ax throwing, was
for eighty school employees from Deep Springs Elementary School. Scully
said the expense was approved by the school's site based
Decision Making Council, which helps decide how school funds are spent.

(17:13):
Food and beverage costs were paid personally by those in attendance,
and no alcohol was consumed. Scully said. The next article
from the day's edition is titled Jack Daniel's parent. Brown
Foreman announces four hundred million dollar stock buy back plan
by Janet Patten, Kentucky based spirits giant Brown Foreman announced

(17:36):
Thursday its board of directors has approved buying back up
to four hundred million dollars in shares, the parent of
Jack Daniels. Tennessee Whiskey has struggled this year with slipping
sales and falling stock prices, but the buyback could help
shore up the price, which has lost a lot of
its value in the last year. The announcement comes two

(17:57):
weeks before a planned investors Day in Tennessee. Despite an
increasingly competitive environment, we remain confident in our ability to
generate strong cash flow, Brown Foreman, President and chief executive
Officer Laws and Whiting, said in a news release announcing
the buy back. This repurchase is aligned with our broader

(18:18):
capital deployment priorities and reflects our commitment to returning capital
to shareholders while maintaining flexibility to invest in growth. Companies
typically buy back shares to return value to investors by
making remaining shares more valuable, but it also can be
a move to make a potential takeover more difficult. A

(18:39):
takeover would be considered unlikely in this case because the
company is still largely family owned, with descendants on the
board and in corporate roles. In addition to Jack Daniels.
Brown Foreman is the parent of Premium Bourbons, Woodford Reserve
and Old Forrester, Alhimidor and Harodura tequilas the Glendrina, Glanlisov

(19:02):
and Benrake, Scotch's Diplomatico, Rum Gin Mayor, Ford's gin Chambord,
and slain Iris whiskey. In January, Brown Foreman announced it
was laying off twelve percent of its global workforce and
selling its historic Lobull Coupridge after four consecutive quarters of
declining sales, Facing the possibility of new tariffs, and with

(19:26):
an ongoing boycott in Canada, the company has seen sales
slump throughout the year and the stock price has erased
a decade of steady growth. In August, the company reported
whiskey sales to Canada have plummeted sixty percent due to
the boycott, contributing to a three percent sales drop for
the first quarter. Just under a year ago, Brown Foreman

(19:48):
shares were trading at forty nine dollars and fifty four cents,
well above the current share price just under twenty eight dollars.
The buyback began October first, and its scheduled to end
in October first, twenty twenty six, but the company said
it could close it at any time. The next article
from today's edition is titled LaBelle will headline free military

(20:11):
concert from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Patti LaBelle will headline a
free Victory at Sea concert October twelfth at Independence Mall
to mark the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the
US Navy and Marine Corps. The Philly sole legend known
for hits like New Attitude and Lady Marmalade, will perform

(20:33):
alongside the US Navy Band and US Marine Corps Drum
and Bugle Corps. Also on the bill Doylestown native Justin Guarini,
who was the runner up to Kelly Clarkson on American
Idol's debut season in two thousand and two, and the
top notch bluegrass band Ronda Vincent and The Rage Actor

(20:53):
comedian Rob Riggle, a former Daily Show contributor, will host.
In a statement, Philadelphia Mayor CHERRELLL. Parker said, as we
look ahead to our nation's two hundred and fiftieth birthday
next July, Philadelphia will first honor two hundred and fifty
years of bravery and service from the US Navy and
Marine Corps. The Victory at Sea Concert on October twelfth

(21:16):
will feature the Navy Band, Marine Corps, Drum and Bugle Corps,
and Philly Legend Patty LaBelle. This free, worldwide broadcast is
more than a concert. It's the city's tribute to generations
who have protected our freedom. Parker added. The Victory at
Sea Concert will be shown on c SPAN in its entirety,
with other partners expected to air portions of the show.

(21:39):
The next article from today's edition is titled The Jobs
Report that Wasn't leaves economists guessing by Lydia de Pilis.
Every month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics produces the most
reliable gauge of US employment, but close watchers of the
economy were left rudderless when the Bureau withheld the day

(22:00):
Friday because of the federal government shutdown. The agency's measurements
of wage growth, unemployment, and job creation guide investors allocating
capital and monetary policymakers deciding whether the economy needs a boost.
Without the data, the outlook is foggy as hazards abound,
so businesses could be even less willing to make decisions

(22:22):
about the future. In this environment. The risk of slower
growth stems from reduced visibility into the economy in an
already uncertain period, and less so from the shutdown itself,
wrote might read a US economist at RBC Capital Markets
and a note to clients. The numbers are not likely

(22:42):
to be released until the government reopens, but right now
the forecast for employment growth is muted. Economists polled by
Bloomberg expected that employers added fifty three thousand jobs last month,
fewer than the sixty four thousand added on average over
the six precious months before revisions. The Federal Reserve Bank

(23:03):
of Chicago estimated that the unemployment rate remained at four
point three percent. Other labor market indicators generated by the
private sector have been downbeat. Payroll processor ADP estimated that
non governmental employees shed thirty two thousand jobs in September,
while outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas found that companies

(23:27):
announced hiring plans so far this year were at the
lowest level since two thousand and nine. Labor market weakness
is evident and its accelerating, and what counts as a
good job's report is going to increasingly get revised down,
said Andrew Flowers, chief economist at Aptcast, a recruiting technology firm.

(23:48):
The main driver of that is labour supply contracting, particularly
with immigration restrictions, but there's also evidence that demand is
also weakening. Senator Elizabeth wid Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, sent
a letter Thursday calling on the Labor Department to release
the data despite the shutdown. According to William Beach, a

(24:09):
former commissioner of the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the monthly
survey was collected and processed this week. Shutdown or not,
the government has already canceled some data collection, such as
annual survey of food security and another on farm worker wages,
that will obscure understanding of America's economic health. The next

(24:31):
article from today's edition is titled Supreme Court starts term
full of consequential cases by Michael mckanone. The Supreme Court
begins a new term Monday that could shape the power
of the presidency, determine the role of race and federal
control of elections, and curtail LGBT rights nationwide. With more

(24:52):
cases on the horizon on contentious policy and political issues,
the six to three Conservative controlled Court has agreed to
decide cases on more than half a dozen major issues,
including President Donald Trump's tariffs affecting trillions of dollars in
international trade, the use of race in redistricting, and whether

(25:13):
a ban on so called conversion therapy violates free speech rights.
Aziz Huck, a law professor at the University of Chicago
who focuses on constitutional law, is among experts who said
the Justices have set up for themselves a blockbuster term.
What's really striking is how aggressively the Justices have inserted

(25:35):
themselves into not just hot button issues of the culture wars,
but into questions about basic terms and even the health
of American democracy, and particularly through its emergency docket, Huck said,
by the time the term concludes at the end of June,
the Supreme Court also could add to its docket of
cases set for oral arguments across the nation States, interest

(25:59):
groups and companies have challenged Trump administration moves to reshape
the federal government, any of which could end up at
the Court by the end of this term. Along the way,
the Justices are poised to make consequential decisions through its
emergency docket, where the Justices have made preliminary decisions on
issues such as immigration enforcement, firing of officials at independent agencies,

(26:23):
and government spending with sweeping consequences for policy. In the
past nine months, the Court has issued dozens of those
preliminary decisions in favor of the Trump administration, frequently overruling
lower courts that found he likely broke the law. Trump's power.
The justices will hear arguments in November about the legality

(26:45):
of Trump's so called Liberation Day tariffs on most countries worldwide,
as well as additional ones on China, Mexico, and Canada,
and they will hear arguments in December over the power
of the president to fire a federal affair at independent
agencies after Trump has cleared out dozens of Democratic appointees

(27:05):
to boards ranging from the National Labor Relations Board to
the Consumer Product Safety Commission. In the tariff's case, the
administration has argued that in emergency situations, such as facing
large imports of illegal drugs or massive trade deficits, the
president has the power to regulate imports, which includes setting tariffs.

(27:28):
Both the US Court of International Trade and US Court
of Appeals for the Federal Circuit disagreed, finding that Congress
did not give the president the authority to set tariff
rates with the law. The Supreme Court has allowed the
Trump administration to keep the tariffs in place as it
decides the issue. While the case hinges on the meaning

(27:49):
of the word regulate. In a nineteen seventy seven trade
law experts said the case could ripple across presidential power
more broadly, redefining how much power presidents can read into
a law passed by Congress. Due to time constraints, we'll
need to end this article at this time, and now,
after a short pause, I hope you'll rejoin us for

(28:11):
a continuation of the reading of the Lexington Herald Leader
for today. Thank you for listening, and now please stay
tuned for more news right here on RADIOI. Now we
will continue reading from the Lexington Herald Leader for Sunday,
October fifth, twenty twenty five. Your reader is Roger Hamperion.

(28:32):
We will start with the obituaries. We read only the name,
age and location. If you would like further information on
any of the obituaries, please see their website or call
us during the weekdays at eight five nine four two
two six three nine zero, and we will be glad
to read the entire obituary for you. I will repeat

(28:54):
that number at the end of the listings. Today's obituaries
are as follows. Patricia Dalton ninety of Lexington, Edward Thompson
Elliott ninety of Wilmore, Sulpicia Marca ninety one of Lexington,
Lucy Rhodes ninety one of Roswell. If you would like

(29:15):
any further information about any of the listings today, please
visit the following website www dot legacy dot com slash
obituaries slash Kentucky. Again, that site is Legacy dot com
slash obituaries slash Kentucky. You can also call us at
our RADIOI studios at eight five nine four two two

(29:40):
six three nine zero and we will try to read
them to you over the phone. Now, at the request
of our listeners, we'll read Paul Prather's biweekly column. It
is entitled My latest health adventure raised more spiritual questions
than it solved. Here's a tip. If you ever have
to take a trip to the emergency room, just say

(30:02):
these four words, I'm having trouble breathing. I showed up
at an er a few weeks ago thinking i'd either
picked up COVID nineteen or else pneumonia, both of which
I've had before. In my experience, those two illnesses feel similar.
My wife Liz insisted on driving me. I had a fever,

(30:22):
a cough, and couldn't catch a deep breath. I'd tested
my oxygen on an oxymeter. It was in the low eighties,
not good. I figured I needed pax loavid or an antibiotic.
When Liz and I reached the er, the intake clerk
gave me a clipboard of paperwork to fill out. Then
I said, there's four magical words, and instantly the whole

(30:44):
plot changed. The clerk snatched the clipboard out of my hand.
She called out something over her left shoulder that I
couldn't hear through the glass barrier between us. The doors
to the ER's enterts swung open, and a woman in
scrubs appeared. Then I was on a gurney in my
own private triage room. I'd guessed less than two minutes

(31:06):
had elapsed since Liz and I entered the hospital. Soon
I had an IV in my arm, a tangle of
wires stuck to my torso, and the prongs of an
oxygen hose in my nose. I had two doctors, a
physician's assistant, a squad of nurses, and an assortment of texts,
all hurrying in and out of monitoring vital signs and

(31:27):
asking questions, Gee, this could be serious. I thought this
could be for real. It was like starring in a
real life episode of the Pit. Except I wasn't the
heroic doctor about to save the day with a brilliant
off the wall diagnosis. I was the poor sap about
the code. Long story, I spent the next twenty four

(31:49):
hours undergoing every test known to medical science. I was
X rayed, ultrasounded, stressed, tested, shot full of radioactive dye,
and scanned. The medical folks tossed around terms like heart
failure and blockages and whatnot. In the end, it turned
out I had none of those things. Neither did I

(32:09):
have COVID nor pneumonia. What I do have, the doctor's determined,
is atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat. In my case, its
symptoms were exacerbated by a petulant sleep apnea that my
sea pat machine wasn't touching. I've since received a new machine,
which is supposed to be better. Also, I already knew

(32:30):
my thyroid had sprouted several benign nodules, but I learned
the nodules were pressing on my windpipe and restricting my airflow.
I'm back home again, feeling almost normal, looking forward to Okay,
dreading probable surgery on that thyroid, and an autumn now
booked full of appointments with specialists. Still, there was a

(32:51):
significant period in my hospital visit that Liz and I
both thought this might be it the big one. As
Fred Sandford used to say, from a spiritual standpoint, my
experiences on that front were disappointing, troubling. Even I believe
in telling the truth when faith comes rushing in to
redeem a dark situation and brings with it a piece

(33:13):
that surpasses understanding. I've seen such things happen to others
and to myself. But if you're going to tell the
truth about those times, you also have to tell the
truth about all the other times when faith seems to
have no effect. Whatever my er visit was one of
those latter times during that ordeal, thinking I might be

(33:35):
on my last legs, I never had any sense of
God's presence, no epiphany, no reassurance, no still small voice.
There wasn't much fear either, for some reason, just a
big silent nothing. In fact, about eighteen or twenty hours
into my stay, I was lying beneath a machine that
was taking pictures of the die coursing through my innards.

(33:58):
I was in the room by myself. The technicians watched
from an adjacent room as I tried not to move,
and my mind darted from here to there. It occurred
to me I hadn't prayed once since arriving at the
er the day before. I can't remember exactly what I said,
but my prayer started with something along the lines of

(34:18):
I don't know why I'm in this situation. I don't
know if there's any purpose to this. I don't even
know if you're there. If you are there, I don't
know if you're listening. But if you are there and
you're listening, i'd appreciate some help. The response stone silence.
If you're of a skeptical turn, you might be thinking, well,

(34:39):
of course, there was nothing but a big, yawning silence
in response to your prayer. That's all. There is nothingness.
A void doesn't have a voice. Someone else might say, Hey,
you weren't dying, after all, so you didn't need a
word from God. But I have heard from the other
side in tough moments, big and small. Not often, but

(35:00):
but clearly enough. It's changed my life. What's more, I've
sat by the bedsides of ailing friends and family as
God spoke to them and changed them. There's something real there.
Yet sometimes, for no discernible reason, that same God is
so silent he might as well not exist. That's part
of the story too. During my time in the hospital,

(35:21):
all I felt was my own humanity. I thought about
the next test I was scheduled for. I thought about
the uncomfortable hospital bed. I thought about Liz, my son,
the grandchildren, but not about God. As nearly as I
could discern, he wasn't thinking of me either. It's all
a mystery. It's all untelling. The next article from today's

(35:43):
edition of The Herald Leader is titled Alvarado, Donson, and
Gordon jockey for college GOP support in Congressional forum by
Austin Horne. The three declared GOP candidates for Central Kentucky's
sixth congressional district trying to differentiate themselves from the pack.
In their first public form appearance Wednesday, GOP state representatives

(36:07):
Dianna Gordon and Ryan Dotson, as well as former state
Senator Ralph Alvarado, made their pitches to a candidate forum
hosted by University of Kentucky and Transylvania University College Republicans.
Alvarado played the informed favorite, Dotson pitched himself as the toughest,
most conservative of the bunch, and Gordon reminded attendees she

(36:29):
was a Christian business owner unafraid to throw a punch.
The sixth Congressional District seat has been held by Representative
Andy Barr since he flipped it red in twenty twelve.
It is the lone district in the state not considered
locke for one party, with Democrats hoping the open seat
affords them a chance to flip it back. Several Democrats

(36:51):
have thrown their hats in the ring. All three GOP
candidates at the forum praised President Donald Trump, who won
Kentucky by thirty percentage points and the district dumped by
double digits in the twenty twenty four election, but there
were many areas where they differed. How they talked about
engaging in politics was one. Dodson framed political fights with

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Democrats as us versus them. Politics has changed, he said,
it's not normal anymore. It's us versus them, and we
need to square our shoulders, stand tall, and really put
up the fight because if we don't, we're going to
lose our country. He used example of his bills to
push transgender girls out of girls' sports and to block

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Lexington from requiring landlords to take Section eight housing vouchers
as fights he's won. Alvarado took much of his time
to highlight his breadth of knowledge, both in the political
realm and through life experience as a medical doctor and
son of immigrants. The former state senator from Winchester, who
recently departed a role leading the State of Tennessee's health department,

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said he was best suited to carry on Barr's work.
Politics isn't about power, it's not about status, it's not
about trophies. It's about taking care of people and responding
to people. Those interacting with the federal government needs somebody
to help them navigate a very complicated system. And I've
done that as a state senator, as a physician in healthcare,

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and I'm looking forward to that opportunity to do the
same thing in Congress. Alvarado said, transparency, something's going on
or something's not right. The more transparent you can be,
it helps to build that trust. So that's kind of
where I find myself. It depends on the issue where
I will land. But again, I'm very conservative and I'm

(38:44):
a Christian and I want us to be strong. Gordon
emphasized her electability in the general and primary races, as
well as our support for Trump, but she said she'd
be able to bring in some voters who may not
have supported Trump. I would definitely be able to approach
things with a different tone and different tenor, especially as
being a woman. But I stand with President Trump and

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what he's doing to turn his country around is the
right thing to do. Sometimes people are uncomfortable with hearing
it bluntly, but some of these things there's no sugarcoating
it and it just needs to be said. Gordon said
how they'd work in Washington. When asked how she would
operate in Washington if elected, Gordon mentioned the powerful House

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Committee on Energy and Commerce, which is chaired by second
Congressional District Representative Brett Guthrie. As an audiologist and owner
of an audiology clinic in Richmond, Gordon said she'd be
particularly keyed into the issues from that committee affecting the
medical community and small businesses. She also said she'd like

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to get involved in agriculture to help farmers of all kinds,
given the district's signature horse and bourbon industries. As for
her modus apparandi, Gordon said transparency and Christian values would
be key when something's going on or something's not right.
The more transparent you can be, it helps to build
that trust. It depends on the issue where i will land.

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But again, I'm very conservative and I'm a Christian. I
want us to be strong and i want us to
be prosperous, Gordon said. Alvarado stressed his own relationship with Barr,
suggesting that he'd tried to recreate much of what he's
done over the last decade plus. The separating factor for him,
he said, is his experience as a doctor. He said

(40:35):
he's met with most of the other seventeen doctors currently
serving in Congress. They tell me that most physicians, because
they're so specialized in their knowledge base, are put typically
on three committees, Energy and Commerce, funding for healthcare, for Medicare,
Appropriations and Revenue, or you get put on Ways and Means,

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which is another one that's actually becoming more front and
center with the continuing resolutions, Alvarado said. Dotson, a Pike
County native who lives in Clark County, said he'd work
to be like Representative how Rogers, the fifth District representative,
but for Central Kentucky. Rogers, a stalwart of the congressional

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appropriations process, is the longest serving member of the US
House and is known for directing funds to his Eastern
Kentucky district. The analogy isn't a perfect one, though, Dotson
said after the event. I fully respect how Rogers and
what he's accomplished, but I'm cut from a little different
cloth in the sense that I've got a lot of

(41:37):
fire in my belly and i have a little youth
on my side. Dotson said he's been there for many
years and he's done a great job for Kentucky, but
now things have changed and shifted so much. We need
a voice, not an echo. Still, pointing to his budget
work in the legislature, Dotson framed himself as a veteran
of the back room. I get in there, I fight

(42:00):
in the rooms that matter. What you see on ket
is not really what takes place. It's what goes on
behind the scenes. It's what goes on behind closed doors.
You have to develop relationships, Dotson said Israel AIPAC discussion,
there was some tension on stage over Israel, and in
particular the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, also known as AIPAC.

(42:26):
The group has come under more scrutiny as Israel's campaign
in Gaza in retaliation for Homas's October seventh, twenty twenty
three attack on Israel has resulted in the deaths of
many thousands of Palestinians. Politicians on the left and right
have criticized the US's support for the country. In the
months since the October seventh attacks, American support for Israel

(42:51):
in the conflict has faded. Recent polling has found Dotson
had committed to not taking any money from AIPAC because
he does not want to accept money tied to a
foreign entity or a foreign country. I love Israel, I
support Israel, Dotson said, I want to make it clear
that if we're truly going to be America first, then

(43:12):
we need to make sure that those influences don't influence
our American elections. Alvarado did not like Dotson's framing of
the group as tied to foreign entities, and said he
supports AIPAC. It's Americans, Jews and Americans who want to
see better relationships between the United States and Israel, and
so I do support that. It's the only Western democracy

(43:35):
in the Middle East and has been an ally for
a very, very long time. I'm supportive of Israel, Alvarado said.
Gordon also expressed strong support for Israel and AIPAC. They're
an organization for education for Israel and our alliance with them.
We need a friend in the Middle East. Israel is

(43:56):
surrounded by enemies and it's good to have friends Gordon's,
said Pete Lynch, an attendee who seriously considering a run
for the district as a member of the third party group,
the Kentucky Party, said he was disappointed the candidates weren't
more critical of Israel. It's a very big problem that
two of these three people were just absolutely on board

(44:19):
with Israel. That's a huge problem. It's a moral failing
in our partisan country that we are financially supporting genocide.
They're perfectly willing to go along with that, Lynch said. Lynch, however,
said he thought the candidate's takes on free speech, all
were bullish on debate and ensuring free speech on campus
were better than I expected. He added that he expects

(44:42):
Alvarado to be the GOP candidate. Also in attendance at
the event was Jeff Young, a perennial candidate and former
Democratic nominee for the sixth Congressional district. Young, holding an
Andy Barr supports genocide in Gaza sign, told The Herald
Leader he was running for them the state House district
held by Representative Lindsay Burke, Democrat of Lexington. How to win.

(45:07):
When I asked a question about how to keep the
district Republican, Alvarado said that elections are usually decided on
two factors, name id and cash. We're going to see
our financial reports very shortly for all the candidates that
are up here, and one of them will have a
very large amount of donors and people across the state,

(45:27):
across the district. I think I'm front runner in that regard,
Alvarado said. He also said he's the front runner in
terms of name recognition. He represented a large swath of
central Kentucky during his time in the Senate. He was
the only Latina who gave a speech supporting Trump at
the twenty sixteen Republican National Convention, and he ran statewide

(45:49):
as the lieutenant governor candidate with former Governor Matt Bevin.
Gordon brought up Bevern and Alvarado's narrow loss to Democratic
Governor Andy Basheer in twenty nineteen as far as electability,
your failed campaign is the reason we have Andy Basheer.
I feel like I'm the one that can carry the
district and relate most to the people in this district,

(46:12):
Gordon said. Dotson said a Republican will win the general
election given recent election results. Here's the thing. I'm a fighter,
I'm a warrior. I'll pull out the sword and I'll
put up a good fight. The thing is that Donald
Trump won this district by fifteen points and bar won
it by twenty five. Republicans are going to keep it.

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One of us three is going to win that seat,
Dodson said. The next article from today's edition of The
Herald Leader is titled Democratic State Senator appointed Clerk of
Kentucky's largest county by Austin Horn. David Yates, one of
the few Democrats in the Kentucky State Senate, will replace
the recently deceased Jefferson County Clerk ouvll Mayor Greenberg announced Friday.

(47:00):
Greenberg appointed Yates to start the new role next week.
David is a proven leader from the South End who
has served this community in various capacities for more than
a decade, said Greenberg in a statement. I know from
personal experience that he's focused on doing the right thing
for this community every single day. Yates will have to

(47:21):
resign his post serving Senate District thirty seven, a state
law forbids General Assembly members from serving as an officer
of any local government. He had been running for the
clerk's office, which was held by Republican Bobby Holskaw for
more than twenty five years until her September death. Since
may thank you, Mayor Greenberg for the faith and trust

(47:43):
you've placed in me with this appointment. At the heart
of the County Clerk's office is one of the most
sacred responsibilities we have in a democracy running free, fair
and transparent elections. I promise to safeguard that trust with
everything I have, Yates wrote in a statement. Yates is
the minority whip of the Senate Democratic Caucus, which shrunk

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to just six after Senator Robin Webb of Grayson switched
parties to GOP earlier this year, six of thirty eight
state senators, marked a historically low number not seen by
any major parties since the late eighteen hundreds. That will
leave just one Democrat from Lexington Caucus Chair Reggie Thomas,

(48:26):
and four from Louisville in the state senator. There are
signs Republicans may seek to flip Yates District in a
special election, sinking the Democrats even further. Though the current
state Senate map largely silos deep blue urban districts from
bright red rural and suburban ones, Yates South Louisville District
is the lightest shade of blue of any of them.

(48:48):
Elections analysis website Dave's Redistricting calculated that Democrats had a
roughly fifteen point advantage there over the course of the
twenty sixteen through twenty twenty one elections. Over the past
few election cycles, multiple House Democrats from that region have
either lost their seats or come within a tiny margin

(49:09):
of losing them. Yates, who served on Louisville Metro Council
before election to the Senate in twenty twenty, won his
first race unopposed. In the general election in twenty twenty four,
he defeated Republican Calvin Leech by about twenty points. He
told The Herald Leader in an interview earlier this year,
he believes the seat will stay blue. Since Yates will

(49:32):
have to resign before the General Assembly kicks off at
the start of the year, Democratic Governor Andy Basheer will
issue a writ of special election to replace him, meaning
Basher can pick the day on which a special election
is held to replace Yates. The regular elections for Jefferson
County Clerk will be held in twenty twenty six, with

(49:52):
a primary in May and a general election in November.
Ross Welch, a Louisville resident with Democratic tie had like Yates,
also announced a bid for the office. The next article
from today's edition of The Herald Leader is titled WKU
Pride Center no longer university affiliated. Because of Kentucky's anti

(50:14):
DEI law by Monica Caste, the Pride Center at Western
Kentucky University will no longer be affiliated with the university,
instead switching to a student run organization to comply with
the Kentucky law aimed at banning diversity, equity and inclusion
programs on college campuses. WKU's general counsel Andrea Anderson, announced

(50:38):
the change at Tuesday's Student Government Association meeting. The College
Heights Herald first reported the anti DEI law. House Bill four,
passed by Kentucky lawmakers earlier this year, required public universities
and the Kentucky Community and Technical College system to dismantle
and defund all DEI efforts in including those for the

(51:01):
LGBTQ plus community. The law includes offices, policies, and practices
designed or implemented to promote or provide preferential treatment or
benefits to individuals on the basis of religion, sex, color,
or national origin. The Pride Center will no longer have
an office in the Downing Student Union, where it has

(51:23):
been located since twenty eighteen. The Pride Center opened in
twenty seventeen. The university cannot provide any resource, whether that's
human capital or any type of monetary contribution or money
that comes from the foundation or other sources, to fund
a DEI initiative, Anderson said. According to the Herald report,

(51:45):
WQU will no longer provide support resources such as dedicated
meeting space or financial assistance to the Pride Center spokesperson J. C.
Lux told The Herald Leader, while identity based student organizations
may contain to exist under this legislation, they must now
operate independent of university support. Lux said. The WKU Sisterhood,

(52:08):
a group of women who raise money for student and
university organizations, was also impacted by House Bill four. The group,
which has raised more than nine hundred thousand dollars since
it was founded in two thousand and nine, was told
they would need to diversify or disaffiliate, The Herald reported
earlier this year. Initially, the university presented two options for

(52:31):
WKU Sisterhood become inclusive to all genders or operate independently
of the university. According to an email sent to the
organization in August, inclusivity meant the Sisterhood would have to
diversify membership, change its name, and no longer award funding
based on race, religion, sex, color, or national origin of

(52:54):
the beneficiaries. The university is currently awaiting additional guidance from
the Kentucky Attney Gail General's Office about the Sisterhood and
similar affiliated alumni groups. Lux said. The next article from
today's edition of The Herald Leader is titled man killed,
woman injured in Kentucky shooting. Police say a shooter is cooperating.

(53:16):
By Christopher Leech. A man was killed and a woman
was injured in a shooting Thursday morning in Nicholasville. Police
say the shooting happened around nine thirty am at an
apartment building on Edgewood Drive. Nicholasville Police Major Matt Marshall
said officers were originally told one person was shot, but

(53:36):
they found two people with gunshot wounds at the scene.
A man was shot twice in the abdomen and a
woman was shot in the arm. Marshall said the man
was taken to a hospital, where he later died. Marshall
said the woman was also taken to a hospitals and
is expected to recover. The shooter remained at the apartment

(53:57):
building and is cooperating with authority. Marshall said the shooter
has been interviewed and officers are executing a search warrant
at the apartment building, and an investigation is ongoing. Marshall
said it's too soon to tell if the shooter could
face charges. This article from today's edition of The Herald
Leaders titled Kentucky man faces nineteen counts of attempted murder.

(54:21):
Accused of setting apartment on fire by Christopher Leech, A
Kentucky man faces nineteen counts of attempted murder after police
say he intentionally set fire to an apartment building. According
to the Harrisburg Police Department, the fire happened around eight
thirty pm Monday at Parkview Guesthouse in Harrisburg. First responders

(54:44):
quickly extinguished a fire inside one of the apartments, and
no one was injured. Investigators say they soon determined Ryan Tinney,
forty four, set the fire. In addition to attempted murder,
he was charged with one count of second degree arson,
being held in the Jessamine County Detention Center according to
jail records. Police said an investigation is ongoing and more

(55:07):
charges are pending. No other details were immediately available Thursday afternoon.
The next article from today's edition of The Herald Leader
is titled how Washington became testing ground for ice by
Ahmed Ali Aziz, Brent MacDonald, and amag Vas. A man
from l Salvador was stopped for allegedly driving a landscaping

(55:29):
truck through federal parkland. A Honduran man was pulled over
when police said he ran a stop sign as his
family left a local park. A Jordanian man was detained
while working in a food truck on the National Mall
during a crackdown on unlicensed vendors. President Donald Trump's deployment
of federal law enforcement officers in August across Washington, attendant

(55:53):
officials said to lower crime, transformed what was one of
the largest sanctuary cities in the country into a test
case for immigration and customs enforcement as it expands its
efforts in major urban centers. The agency sharply increased its
arrests in the city by working alongside local police and

(56:14):
other federal agencies to identify immigrants during stops for minor
traffic violations. According to law enforcement officials, lawyers for detained migrants,
internal immigration records, and witness accounts, ICE had made eighty
five arrests in Washington from January twentieth through the end
of July, according to data obtained by the Deportation Data Project,

(56:38):
but from early August until mid September, ICE made around
twelve hundred arrests, according to officials with knowledge of the data.
Due to time constraints, we'll need to end this article
at this time. This concludes the reading of the Lexington
Herald Leader for today, October fifth, twenty twenty five. Your
reader has been Roger Hampiri. Thank you for listening and

(57:02):
please stay tuned for sports news here on Radio I