12.5.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the reading of the Courier Journal for Friday,
December five, twenty twenty five, which is brought to our
local listeners via Losill Public Media. As a reminder, Radio
I is a reading service intended for people who are
blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
read printed material. Your reader for today is Mark Webster.

(00:25):
This reading will be in two twenty eight minutes segments
with a break. We'll start with the five day forecast,
brought to you by WHAS.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Eleven Weather Impact.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
Today, the high is expected to be thirty five, mostly
cloudy and cold. Tonight low twenty seven, low clouds and cold.
Saturday high forty one, low twenty eight, partly Sunday and
Chile Sunday high thirty eight, low twenty three, cloudy skies,
Monday high thirty five, low twenty four, cloudy, Tuesday high

(00:57):
forty low thirty three, sunshine and not as cold. Wednesday
high forty six, low thirty one, some showers. The general
local forecast of some sunshine is possible Friday, with highs
in the mid thirties. A few rounds of flurries wintry
mix will be possible Friday morning and Sunday night into

(01:21):
early next week. Rising temperatures are on the way. The
only thing I'll add will be the moon phases. The
last phase December eleventh, the new moon December nineteenth, first
phase December twenty seventh, the next full moon January third.

(01:41):
All right, we'll go to page one to read the articles.
There's always three articles. The major article is protecting Children
a year after Silence and secretes series on sexual abuse
by coaches. All eyes remain on the Entucky legislature. There's

(02:01):
a photograph with this caption. Ashley Nation, and Odham County
mother who was sexually abused by a Southern Indiana high
school teacher, helped advance Senate Bill one eighty one and
is now advocating for a legal definition of grooming.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Here's the article.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
The two letters on her gold necklace expressed more than
the initials of Ashley Nation's two daughters. They signify her
fight not just for her kids, but all kids, not
solely because of her past, but because of their futures.
Nation is a survivor of educator sexual misconduct that she
alleges began in two thousand and eight by her theater teacher.

(02:42):
Theater like sports happens outside school learning hours when few
other children, educators, and administrators are in the building, and
research shows one third of educators who have sexually abused
a child were a gym teacher or a coach. At
least a dozen child sex abuse experts, like Researcher.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
And John J.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
Collins of Criminal Law of Criminal Justice Professors Elizabeth Jeglig
told The Curry Journal that abuse often starts with boundary
crossing and grooming, often with a text or sexual media message.
In December twenty twenty four, following an extensive search of
legal and court records and with the help of nearly

(03:24):
nine hundred open records requests through Kentucky Open Records Law,
the Courrier Journal found at least eighty cases of alleged
child sexual misconduct by Kentucky middle and high school coaches
during the past fifteen years.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
Many of those cases.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
Involved court records involving text or social media messages between
only the.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
Coach and student. The four part.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
Series, Silence and Secrets, received national recognition and received the
Kentucky Justice Association's Award for Consumer Protection. During Kentucky's dated session,
two bills related to the project's reporting passed, including one,
spurred by Nation's advocacy Nation, who lives in Oldham County,

(04:11):
worked with Senator Lindsay Tischner, Republican in Smithfield, to pass
Center Bill one eighty one, which established traceable communication systems
within school districts between district employees and students. Some districts
told the cour Journal before this is continued on page five,

(04:34):
before the start of the school year that the law
was a burden on their districts. The series also highlighted
how previous efforts to curb the problem through better training
for students, as well as more accountability for coaches and
other school employees routinely failed at the hands of legislators
in Frankfurt, including a bill proposed three times to prohibit

(04:57):
educators from quote district hopping unquote before a sexual misconduct
allegation investigation was complete, or allowing educators commonly charged to
hide behind non disclosure agreements in their settlements with the
state's school districts. Now, a year after the series published
and just as new bills are being drafted, the nation's

(05:19):
leading experts released a national blueprint on educator's sexual misconduct,
including recommendations for legislatures and districts.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
Quote.

Speaker 1 (05:31):
I always say, this isn't a red issue, This isn't
a blue issue. This is a purple issue.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
Unquote.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
Nation said, quote this involves our children. This isn't an
issue that I think one side favors more than the other.
Everyone wants to protect children right close the quote. Sometimes
it starts as a reward of privilege or a compliment.
The person takes the child for an outing, like McCracken.

(05:57):
Fishing coach John Parks took his Fear Fishing team members
to dinner or to see a movie. Parks began testing
the fifteen year old in September twenty eighteen, trying to
convince him to spend the night at a cabin after
a bas Fish team camp.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
The teenager decline.

Speaker 1 (06:16):
Park's text increased, asking for nudes and calling the teenager pumpkin.
In less than four months, he sent at least sixty
seven texts telling the boy he needed a spanking and
fourteen more showing a Disney ferry being spanked. Then started
referring to the boy as tinker Bell. Jegulik told the

(06:36):
Curry Journal. Youth serving organizations including the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts,
why WMA, and wy WCA have seen a decline in child.

Speaker 2 (06:46):
Sex abuse reports. Quote.

Speaker 1 (06:49):
The hypothesis is because they now provide prevention education unquote,
Jaglik said. However, Jeggling and other experts research findings include
that sex abuse in schools is increasing. Quote understanding this
can happen at any school unquote, Jaglig said. Quote not
a day goes by. There's not a headline of educators

(07:12):
sexual misconduct and abuse clothes a quote. Child abuse prevention
education such as Aaron's Law or Jenna's Law have passed
in thirty nine of the states, but not Kentucky. Prohibiting
schools from hiding educator sexual misconduct through confidentiality settlements that

(07:33):
has passed in at least eighteen states but not Kentucky.
Legislation defined or criminalizing sexual grooming first passed in Nebraska
in twenty twenty and passed in ten more states, including Illinois, Ohio,
and Indiana, but not Kentucky. Quote it just feels like
Kentucky's behind unquote. Nation said, Nation testified in both Indiana

(07:56):
and Ohio regarding their laws on defining sexxual grooming, a
topic both Nation and the Current Journal were previously told
by other child advocates couldn't be declined in Kentucky because
legislators considered the term quote too difficult unquote. We had
quote we investigated in front of the Vermont legislature and

(08:17):
they incorporated it. We testified in front of the Vermont legislature,
and they incorporated into their legislation unquote, Jagulik said, when
asked about defining sexual grooming. Quote, We've shown that through
our research closed the quote. That research helped create a
red flag child sexual grooming behaviors flywhill, which outlines behaviors

(08:42):
and breaks them into three risk categories, Enhanced, moderate.

Speaker 2 (08:46):
And high.

Speaker 1 (08:47):
A recent study by Jaglik found that sexual grooming behaviors
were present in one percent of educators perpetrated child sexual
abuse across all states pages of the sexual grooming process,
including sixty seven percent who used quote accidental touching or

(09:07):
distraction by touching unquote. Ohio criminalized grooming in January with
House Bill three twenty two. The law allows prosecutors to
pursue criminal charges if a person demonstrates a pattern of
inappropriate behavior toward minors. Ohio State Representative Cindy Abrams, a
Republican from Cincinnati, Area told the Courry Journal the bill

(09:30):
was common sense, stating the legislature has a quote collective
responsibility to protect children unquote.

Speaker 2 (09:39):
Quote we know.

Speaker 1 (09:39):
When something is wrong unquote. Abrams said, quote we must
speak up for the sake of our children and the
safety of our communities unquote.

Speaker 2 (09:51):
The field's top.

Speaker 1 (09:52):
Researchers collaborated to create the National Blueprint for quote Understanding
and Preventing sexual misconduct and abuse by k through twelve
school employees, including Billy Joe Grant, a researcher at cal
Poly State University. Grant began collecting data through Google Alerts
alerts more than ten years ago to better understand the

(10:13):
problem in real time. Google Alerts aggregated Internet headlines with
certain keywords, allowing her to collect news stories news stories
about arrest of school employees related to sex abuse. When
Silence and Secrets published, she had nearly five thousand names
in her data. That's one of the recommendations of the

(10:36):
blueprint to state and federal legislators. Established a national database
to flag offenders and prevent.

Speaker 2 (10:43):
Hiring in schools.

Speaker 1 (10:45):
Other Blueprint recommendations for legislators include one criminal Criminalized Sexual
Groominy two extend the Statute of Limitations on Child Sex
Abuse and Sexual assault. Three enacts strict prohibitions on quote
passing the trash unquote. For strengthen and enforce criminal repercussions

(11:07):
for failure to report abusive behavior.

Speaker 2 (11:11):
All right.

Speaker 1 (11:12):
First, criminalize sexual grooming. Kentucky State Representative Mary Ann Procter,
Republican of Union, began talking to law enforcement, commonwealth attorneys,
and superintendents at the end of last session to draft
a bill that defines and criminalizes sexual grooming. Proctor said,
a mom brought her the issue. Quote this bill is

(11:33):
being carefully constructed unquote, Proctor told the Courage Journal, adding
that the Sheriff's Association and Commonwealth's Attorney Association are working
collaboratively collaboratively on the issue. Quote how do we do
this and craft good policy to give law enforcement a
tool in their toolbox? Unquote, Proctor said, quote because they

(11:55):
don't have anything right now to arrest and prosecute.

Speaker 2 (11:58):
Close the quote.

Speaker 1 (12:00):
Grooming for a person in the position of authority or
special trust, like a coach, teacher, or youth group leader,
would carry a heavier penalty, Proctor said. Second, extend the
Statute Limitations on Child sex abuse and sexual assault has
previously reported in Silence and Secrets. Kentucky Supreme Court denied

(12:22):
a quote revitalization window unquote or extending the statue limitations
on child sex abuse beyond ten years, despite receiving a
brief from advocacy group Child USA stating quote, a study
found that forty four point nine percent of male and
twenty five point four percent of female child sex abuse

(12:42):
victims delayed disclosure by more than twenty years. This translates
to a harsh reality. More victims first disclosed their abuse
between ages fifty and seventy, more than any other age
closed the quote, but it hasn't stopped attorneys like Tad
Thomas or Jonathan Holland from representing survivors. Both have high

(13:04):
profile child sex abuse claims against former Kentucky high school coaches.
Thomas told the Curry Journal last year he takes the
cases on because quote it helps prevent future victims by
taking abusers out of the system, by shining, by shedding
light on state on systematic problems unquote quote I take

(13:25):
them hoping they're going to prevent future abuse clothes quote
third enact strict prohibition on quote passing the trash unquote.
Kentucky State Representative James Tipton tried to push forward a
quote past the trash unquote related bill three times, which
included prohibiting confidentiality.

Speaker 2 (13:46):
Or NDA clauses. In twenty twenty four.

Speaker 1 (13:49):
The bill needed one final funds up from House members
to become state law. Instead, it languished. Tipton told the
Courage Journal last December he planned to bring the bill
forward again at House Education Committee chair in twenty twenty five. Instead,
the committee was split into K through twelve and post secondary.

Speaker 2 (14:10):
He was.

Speaker 1 (14:12):
Named chair of the post secondary committee. The twenty twenty
five version of the bill never got a committee hearing.

Speaker 2 (14:18):
Quote.

Speaker 1 (14:19):
The ultimate goal is to keep kids safe unquote, Jaggling said, quote,
I hope every adult can agree. We want to keep
our kids safe and free of sexual abuse. Having NDA's
is to keep it in silence and perpetuate kids at
risk unquote. Fourth strengthened and enforce criminal repercussions for failure

(14:39):
to report abusive behavior.

Speaker 2 (14:43):
In silence and secrets.

Speaker 1 (14:44):
The Curry Journal found that only half of the state's
public schools followed a basic provision of the federal Title
nine law, requiring them to display their title nine coordinators
and contact information on their website. That number hasn't improved
in the last year of The Curry Journal found in
the two years prior to publishing Silence and Secrets, at

(15:07):
least six former Kentucky high school coaches were indicted on
charges related to child sex abuse, for a total of
one hundred and twenty counts. First Round County High School
girls soccer coach Andrews Harry twenty three counts. This case
is still ongoing. The school district as to judge this
year to bring the parents into the civil lawsuit, claiming

(15:30):
the parents of a then seventeen year old student may
have committed child neglect when they left the girl home alone,
contributing to her alleged sexual abuse by the high school coach.
Second Jefferson County Public Schools No. And Conway Middle School
boys basketball coach Christopher Morris thirty seven counts. Morris originally

(15:51):
entered an Alfred plea, allowing him to plead guilty while
maintaining innocence in October twenty twenty four. On the day
of his sentencing in December twenty twenty four, Morris asked
Jefferson's Circuit Court Judge Eric hayn to consider a withdrawal
of his guilty plea, and March Haynter accepted to withdrawal,

(16:12):
citing quote religious overtone unquote used by the ex coach's
original lawyer in discussions with Morris regarding his guilty play plead.
Morris received a new trial date. Morris's case went to
trial in August for three days, and after more than
sixteen hours of court testimony, Hanter declared a mistrial. Morris's

(16:34):
new trial will begin in January. Third j CPS's Manual
high football coach Donnie Stoner twenty counts. The charges in
this case have been merged with a new case in
which Stoner was charged with thirty five counts of child
sex abuse. His brother, Ronnie, was also charged in the

(16:57):
same case. That trial is set for August twenty twenty six.

Speaker 2 (17:02):
Next.

Speaker 1 (17:03):
Christian Academy of Lousville's girls basketball coach Clarence Moore fifteen counts.
Moore was sentenced twice in twenty fifteen, once in Jefferson
County and a second time in Oldham County. His sentence
in Jefferson was for seven years, as well as to
register as a sex offender.

Speaker 2 (17:19):
For life.

Speaker 1 (17:20):
His sentence in Oldham County will run concurrently for a
total of ten years, and run concurrent with his Jefferson
County sentence. Next, Bartstown City School's football coach Jeremy Dale,
six counts. Dale was sentenced in June over his conduct
with four female students. He received sixty days and was

(17:41):
granted work release. Then last Floyd County School's girl basketball coach,
April Bradford, nineteen counts. Bradford was already sentenced to three
years and six months before the series published. Her good
time release date is August twenty seven, twenty twenty seven,
Pentucky Department of Corrections.

Speaker 2 (18:01):
Quote.

Speaker 1 (18:02):
Part of this is coming out of the shadows unquote,
Jaglik said. Quote it was maintained so long because of
the secrecy, the shame of abuse. We want survivors to
come forward. We believe them.

Speaker 2 (18:14):
Quote.

Speaker 1 (18:15):
We will make change, we will protect them. Close the quote,
and that's the end of the article. Will return to
the two remaining articles on page one. The next article
is on the right hand column side. Kentucky at risk
of losing snap benefits. Trump demands states share immigrant status.

(18:36):
Kentuckians could once again be at risk of losing Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program benefits after the US Department of Agriculture
issued a renewed request for states to share beneficiaries immigration statuses.
The Trump administration is threatening to withhold SNAP benefits from
Democratic led states if they decline to share the name

(19:00):
and immigration status information of recipients with the USDA. Twenty
one states, including Kentucky, sued administration.

Speaker 2 (19:08):
In an effort to block the request.

Speaker 1 (19:10):
In September, of federal judge temporarily blocked the USDA from
denying funding the states, but in November Kentucky received a
new letter requesting the data again, said Scottie Ellis, a
spokesperson for Governor Andy Basher's office. Now, states have until
December eighth to respond to the USDA's request. As of

(19:31):
December three, the USDA has not confirmed whether Kentucky's SNAP
funding will be withheld.

Speaker 2 (19:38):
Quote.

Speaker 1 (19:38):
Governor Bashir believes that government should be fighting hunger, not
causing it, and that the president should stop using the
American people as a bargaining tool for his political political agenda,

(20:00):
said in a statement. The new requirements are the latest
in a series of political hurdles for a long standing
food assistance program, which paused benefits for the first time
in its more than sixty year history in November amid
the nation's longest government shutdown. Agricultural Secretary Brook Rawlins has
also called for sweeping changes to the program, which helps

(20:23):
feed more than forty two million Americans per year. More
than six hundred thousand Kentuckians receive SNAP benefits, with thirty
to fifty seven percent of households in some southeastern counties
reliant on the program. Jefferson County alone has more than
forty eight thousand families receiving benefits. On average, Kentuckians receive

(20:45):
almost double the national national issuance. In October, the average
Kentucky household received three hundred and forty four dollars a month,
according to state data. In twenty twenty four, the average
household nationwide received one hundred and eighty seven dollars per month.
At the end of that article, we'll go back to
page one for the one remaining article on the front

(21:07):
page in the lower right hand column, headline Grosberg Ethics
case hearing set for January after another round of recent
deliberations in Frankfurt. A date for hearing and representative Daniel
Grosberg's ethics case has been tentatively set. The Kentucky Legislative

(21:30):
Ethics Commission, charged with determining whether the Democratic Louisville representative
violated the state legislator's ethics code in three instances during
his first term in office, has currently set to take
up that case early next year on January twenty sixth
and February two, the group determined after its December two

(21:50):
meeting from these, according Grosberg's attorney, Anna Whites, they'll likely
make a ruling with the following days. In a long
more than sixteen months since the Election and Herald Leader
reported the representative was under investigation over potentially inappropriate interactions
with women.

Speaker 2 (22:11):
This has continued on page eight.

Speaker 1 (22:19):
And withholding an winding road to get to this point.
The Commission previously found probable cause of three allegations of
misconduct to be taken up at the hearing, including first
acclaimed Grosberg attempted to obtain contributions in exchange for possible
state catering business or private company related to a subway

(22:42):
sandwich shop owner who inquired about state contracting services. Second,
a claim he made inappropriate comments to a transgender constituent
after consuming several alcoholic drinks during an after hours meeting
at his capital office in twenty twenty three, including remarks
about her genitals, third and an allegation he'd used his

(23:05):
position of power to intimidate a private business, a strip
club manager in Louisville who has claimed Grosberg threatened to
shut down the location after he was banned over inappropriate behavior.
According to the Election and Herald Leader, Grosberg has consistently
denied all allegations against him. At the December two meeting,

(23:27):
the State Ethics Commission denied a motion by Grosberg's lawyers
to dismiss the case, but granted their emotion to prevent
the Commission's attorneys from accessing his medical and mental health records.
It also moved to allow Grosberg's lawyers to present certain
evidence at the public hearing. Whites previously said Grosberg has
been diagnosed in his lifetime with a number of neuro

(23:51):
divergent conditions that have affected his interactions, and provided records
from providers that back up those claims, but at a
November eighteen meeting, she argued there is quote no need
unquote to provide more documents dating back decades for opposing.

Speaker 2 (24:08):
Counsel to examine.

Speaker 1 (24:10):
In a statement after the meeting, Grosberg characterized the push
to obtain his medical records as a quote fishing expedition unquote.
Commission attorney Robert Jenkins meanwhile argued at the meeting that
some documents he was given were from a doctor who
has not been licensed for six years, and that reports
provided over the course of the investigation have shown different

(24:33):
diagnoses and have been unclear as to when Grosberg was
undergoing treatment. While some of the allegations are sexual in nature,
both sides have noted the probe is not in the
violations of the Legislative Research Commission's sexual irrational policies. The
investigation and hearings are seeking to determine whether violations of

(24:55):
the state's Code of Ethics have occurred, including whether Grosberg
uses off the for personal gain or taken part in
inappropriate conduct. Violations can result in fines and written reprimands
or more severe penalties, including recommendation for censure or expulsion.

Speaker 2 (25:14):
During the twenty twenty.

Speaker 1 (25:15):
Five legislative session, a bipartisan group of lawmakers put forward
a bill that would define quote sexual harassment unquote among
legislators and legislative employees and agents, and prohibit such behavior.
The bill was assigned to a committee but did not
receive a hearing. In a statement, Grosberg said he was
pleased to have quote my chance to clear my name

(25:38):
quote at a public hearing, thanking his wife, family members,
and constituents, while describing the remaining allegations as one that
quote involved minor issues related to the interpretation of language.

Speaker 2 (25:50):
Quote.

Speaker 1 (25:51):
While discussions between commission members and lawyers for both sides
have been public at times, testimony and many other aspects
of the case have so far been discussed behind closed
doors while the Board has been in an executive session.
Grosberg has been alienated from his party amid to controversy.
Grosberg was suspended from the House Democratic Caucus during the

(26:14):
summer of twenty twenty four and has faced calls for
his resignation from Governor Andy Basher and a number of
other high profile Democrats. He'll be back in Frankfort in
January for the twenty twenty sixth legislative session, as he
won reelection in twenty twenty four after initial reports of
the investigation were published. After he won his House District

(26:36):
thirty primary race. Three other Democrats, Cassie Lyles, mix Morley
and Milcher Subdi, who he narrowly defeated in twenty twenty four,
are currently raising money to run against him in next
year's primary. Well close to the end, we'll try to
squeeze one other article in. That's all the articles for

(26:56):
page one. All the articles, by the way this point
on will be shortened in interest of saving time. On
page three, there are a number of photographs community shows,
Elementary shows support for King Elementary, and there are three photographs.
The gist of it is that King Elementary, parents, teachers,
and some students walk December three from their beloved school

(27:20):
to Shawnee Academy, nearly a mile away to attend and
speak at JCPS public forum on the proposed closing. King
is one of three schools to be closed in a
new proposal, and along with Zachary Taylor Elementary.

Speaker 2 (27:33):
And Liberty High.

Speaker 1 (27:34):
All right, This concludes readings for the first half or
first segment of the Curry Journal for Friday, December five,
twenty twenty five. Please stay tuned for more news to
follow the break immediately. Your reader has been and will
remain Mark Webster. Now to continue reading from the Curve
Journal for Friday, December five, twenty twenty five. Your reader

(27:57):
is Mark Webster. We will start with the bitch ruaries.
We read only the name, age, and location. If you
would lack further information on any of the obituaries, please
call us during the weekdays at eight five, nine, four
to two to two, six, three nine zero, and we
will be glad to read the entire obituary for you.

(28:18):
If I don't forget, I'll repeat this number at the
end of this dictation. There are four obituaries that I see.
The first one, Molly Denny, aged seventy eight, of Louisville,
passed away on October twenty eight, twenty twenty five.

Speaker 2 (28:36):
Catherine G.

Speaker 1 (28:38):
Egan eighty seven, passed away on Tuesday, December two, twenty
twenty five. Suzanne Grant McCarthy, seventy five, of Louisville passed
away unexpectedly on December one, twenty twenty five, at the
University of Lowill Hospital. Then fourth and last, a famous golfer,

(29:00):
Frank Urban Fuzzy Zeller Junior, passed away on November twenty
seven to twenty twenty five at the age of seventy four.
Fuzzy was born on November eleventh, nineteen fifty one, in
New Auburny, Indiana, to the late Frank and Almah Cummings
Zalar Senior. He was a professional golfer locally and played

(29:23):
in many world tournaments. His professional accomplishments speak for themselves.
A Master's champion, a US Open champion, and a competitor
who left an indelible mark on the game of golf.
And that's all I'll say right there. But he was
quite a guy, all right. We'll go back to page two.

(29:43):
There are two articles on page two, and as I
mentioned before, all the articles from this point on will be.

Speaker 2 (29:48):
Shortened in interest in saving time.

Speaker 1 (29:51):
Record lows loom as frosty air sweeps in December is
off to a chillier than typical start for much of
the country.

Speaker 2 (30:00):
More frosty temperatures.

Speaker 1 (30:01):
Hit parts of the north central United States on December fourth,
and were expected to blanket much of the northern and
eastern regions of the country December five, potentially with some
record breaking lows. It's all thanks to another of the
Arctic blast forecasters have been talking about, and it's not
likely to be the last. Meteorologists with the National Weather

(30:25):
Service and ACI Weather said the polar air could linger,
keeping things colder than typical for early to mid December
for many locations outside the southwest. One arctic front moved
across the Great Lakes on December three, triggering advisories for
snow squalls in New England on December fourth. Then over

(30:46):
December six and seven, daytime highs and morning lows could
be ten to fifteen degrees below normal in the northern
plains upper Midwest. The Weather Prediction Center said that cold
air mass also.

Speaker 2 (31:00):
Will move eastward.

Speaker 1 (31:02):
The Weather Prediction Center said additional winter weather advisories may
be needed in coming days and advised paying attention.

Speaker 2 (31:10):
To the weather forecasts.

Speaker 1 (31:11):
Polar air swooping into the northern Plains could send temperatures
across a large swath of the country into single digits,
according to the Weather Service. By the morning of December five,
that's today, overnight low temperatures could drop into the single
digits in locations across ten or more states, stretching.

Speaker 2 (31:31):
From Iowood to Maine.

Speaker 1 (31:33):
More than two dozen daily record lows could be broken,
according to the Weather Prediction Center, with possible sub zero
temperatures expected in central Illinois. I'll cut the article in
half there and stop.

Speaker 2 (31:46):
The other remaining article on page two.

Speaker 1 (31:49):
Watchdog signal chats violated Pentagon policy. A Pentagon watchdog found
that Secretary of War Pete Hexath risked the safety of
American troops and their mission when he discussed the covert
military operation in Yemen over the commercial messaging app Signal,
but that he had the right to declassify the information.

(32:11):
According to a person who had seen the report, the
investigation by the Pentagons Inspector General was launched after Hegsith,
whose formal title is Secretary of Defense, shared plans for
a US attack on Huti forces in Yemen on a
signal chat with other administrative officials. The messages, which include

(32:32):
the times that bombs will be dropped, were published after
the fact by The Atlantic, whose editors Jeffrey Goldberg was
mistakenly added to the group chat. Hegxath has denied that
the information he texted.

Speaker 2 (32:46):
Was quote war plans unquote.

Speaker 1 (32:48):
And said he had the authority to declassify the messages.

Speaker 2 (32:53):
Reuters reported.

Speaker 1 (32:55):
The Pentagons said in a statement that the review cleared
the Defense Secretary comments echoed by hexath himself later on
social media.

Speaker 2 (33:05):
I'll stop the article there.

Speaker 1 (33:07):
On page three, there are several articles. First one, LMPD
investigating fatal shooting in Shelby Park. A man is dead
after a shooting in Louisville Shelby Park neighborhood December three,
losll Metro Police confirmed in a news release LMPD spokesperson
Dwight Mitchell set officers from lmpd's fourth Division responded to

(33:30):
a report of a person down inside of an apartment
in the six hundred block of East Oak Street at
around five fifty six pm. When they arrived, officers located
a man who had been shot multiple times. He was
pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. We'll cut
off there right above that moments before altercation revealed.

Speaker 2 (33:51):
Teacher accused of shoving student.

Speaker 1 (33:54):
The events leading up to the moment when a former
Jeffersonville High School teacher is seen shoving a student, placing
him in a headlocked over him in twenty four appear
in a new video provided to The Courier Journal. In
the video, the encounter begins with an argument in a
bathroom stall between then teacher Casey Ritter and the student

(34:14):
As Ritter orders the student to exit the stall, the
student refuses and appears to take issue with Ritter, opening
the door to confront him. Attorney Larry Wilder said he
received the video from an anonymous email address after he
began representing ridd and appears to have been taken by
the student. Ritter is seen standing in front of the
stall while the student can be heard arguing behind the camera. Ritter,

(34:37):
who was quote on bathroom duty unquote at the time
of the altercation, suspect that the student was vaping behind
the door.

Speaker 2 (34:44):
Wilder said, I'll stop there and at the top of
page three.

Speaker 1 (34:49):
Greenberg raises over one point two million dollars for bid.
Louisville mayor running for second term In twenty twenty six.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, who is running to stay in
office for a second term, has raised more than one
point two million dollars for his re election effort, his
campaign announced December three. Quote over the past year, so
many Louvillians have stepped up to support my reelection campaign,

(35:13):
and I am very thankful unquote, Greenberg said in a
news release. Quote Like me, our supporters know we have
more work to do to make Louisville a safer, stronger,
and more affordable city. And they believe I'm the best
leader to get the job done. I'm eager to continue
reducing crime, building more housing, and creating more jobs in

(35:33):
a second term.

Speaker 2 (35:35):
Let's go Louisville. Close the quote.

Speaker 1 (35:37):
The announcement comes the same day candidates running for state
and local elected offices are required to submit annual fundraising
reports to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. In less
than six months before May's primary election, Greenberg raised about
one point four to six million dollars for his twenty
twenty two primary election campaign, according to Kentucky Registry of

(36:00):
Election Finance online records. Greenberg's full twenty twenty five annual report,
including information on donors to his campaign, was not available
online as of the afternoon of December three. A fundraising
report for Stephen Tatillo, who, according to Kentucky Registration Kentucky
Registry of Election Finance records, has indicated an intent to

(36:23):
raise money for a mayoral campaign, was also not yet available.
Jeffrey Yoakum, the only person to file as a mayoral
candidate with the Jefferson County Clerk's office as of December three,
filed a finance report with the state, but has not
raised any money. Records show Greenberg formally kicked off his
election campaign in late October with a rally hosted at

(36:46):
the International Brotherhood of.

Speaker 2 (36:48):
Electrical Workers three sixty nine Union Hall.

Speaker 1 (36:51):
The labor union is one of several to offer the
incumbent their support, including the Teamster's Local eighty nine and
Local seven eighty three, Louisville Professional Firefighters IUE CWA Local
seven sixty one and UAW Local eight sixty two. I'll
stop there, We'll go down to page four. The headlines

(37:13):
are shredded cheese sold in Kentucky stores recalled products may
have metal fragments in them. More than one million bags
of cheese sold at popular stores like Walmart, Target, and
Aldi have been recalled due to potential contamination. According to
an update Food and Drug Administration report, Ohio based Great

(37:38):
Lakes Cheese.

Speaker 2 (37:41):
Co.

Speaker 1 (37:41):
Initiated the ongoing recall in October three, stating the affected
cheese may be contaminated with metal fragments that could cause
injury of consume.

Speaker 2 (37:50):
The FDA also reclassified.

Speaker 1 (37:52):
The recall to a quote Class one unquote on December one,
according to an enforcement report by Wait, this is a
thank the article that identifies the cheese products that were
called they were numerous, and then what to do with
the recalled cheeses. I'm not going to read that on
the next page. Trump planning reset of fuel economy standards.

(38:16):
President Donald Trump announced at the White House on December
three that he's rolling back fuel efficiency standard for cars
and trucks set by the Biden administration, a move that
makes it easier for automakers to sell gas powered vehicles.
Signed into law in nineteen seventy five, the Corporate Average
Fuel Academy. The Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards regulate how

(38:41):
far vehicles must travel.

Speaker 2 (38:43):
On a gallon of fuel.

Speaker 1 (38:44):
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expected to propose
reducing the fuel economy requirements from model years twenty twenty
two to twenty thirty one, a move that will save
Americans one hundred and nine billion dollars, a White House
official told USA Today. The Biden administration in twenty twenty
two announced new standards which required an industry wide fleet

(39:08):
average of approximately forty nine miles per gallon for passenger
cars and light trucks In model year twenty twenty six.
The news standards the Department of Transportation set in twenty
twenty two would increase fuel efficiency eight percent annually for

(39:29):
model years twenty twenty four to twenty twenty five and
ten percent annually for model years twenty twenty six. That
would also have increased the estimated fleetwide average by nearly
ten miles per gallon for model year twenty twenty six
compared with model year.

Speaker 2 (39:44):
Twenty twenty one.

Speaker 1 (39:46):
In June twenty twenty four, the Biden administration announced that
fuel economy will increase two percent per year from model
years twenty twenty seven to twenty thirty one for passenger cars,
while light trucks will increase two percent per year for
model years twenty twenty nine to twenty twenty three. The
increases would have brought fuel economy up to approximately fifty

(40:06):
point four miles per gallon by model year twenty thirty one.
That would have saved passengers. That would have saved passenger
car and light truck owners more than six hundred dollars
in fuel over the lifetime of their vehicles. The Biden
administration said, and I'm going to cut the article off
there to the left of that, there are nation and

(40:28):
world briefs. I'm gonna just read the the bullet points.
US Institute of Peace renamed after Trump. Senators want airlines
to pay passengers cash for long delays. Seven more children
returned to Ukraine Milania. Trump says my Pillow founder considering

(40:50):
a run for a Minnesota governor. All right, we'll go
to the next page. The next article is part of
that sex abuse series which I just missed because it
was on a different page. It says twelve things experts
say districts could do. National Blueprint addresses sex abuse in schools.

(41:17):
The nation's leading child sex abuse experts released a national
blueprint on educator sexual misconduct, including recommendations for legislators and
school districts. The blueprint lists twelve recommendations for schools beyond
mandatory reporting and sexual harassment policies which are already required
under state law. Here are their twelve recommendations. First, foster

(41:42):
a culture of safety and accountability. Second, fulfilled mandated reporting laws. Third,
established and enforce clear codes of conduct. Fourth, mandate comprehensive
ongoing in person training. Fifth, create accessible and transparent reporting procedures.
Take every concern seriously. And document all reports. Seven, conduct

(42:05):
timely and professional investigations. Eight, track disciplinary actions and share
information appropriately.

Speaker 2 (42:12):
Nine.

Speaker 1 (42:13):
Strengthen hiring and screening practices. Ten, supervise and monitor high
risk situations. Eleven, consider environmental protections twelve and last, develop
policies surrounding online communications.

Speaker 2 (42:27):
I'm going to stop here.

Speaker 1 (42:28):
The article goes on to discuss each of those twelve items,
moving on.

Speaker 2 (42:34):
To page eight.

Speaker 1 (42:38):
A Tennessee sends warning signs for GOP. Analyst points point
to signs a blue wave for twenty twenty six. Alarm
bells already were blaring for President Donald Trump and the Republicans.
Now the outcome of a December TWI special election in
Tennessee is providing further evidence that Democratic voters are energized

(43:03):
heading into the next crucial election cycle after seeing their
leaders in twenty twenty four.

Speaker 2 (43:08):
Get booted from power. In Washington, the volunteer state race
for an open.

Speaker 1 (43:13):
US House seat ended with the Democrat nominee Afton Ben
losing by nine percentage points in a district Trump carried
in twenty twenty four by twenty two points. That thirteen
point swing away from the GOP is one of a
series of recent races in which Democrats overperformed against historic

(43:34):
ballot results.

Speaker 2 (43:35):
It has their party.

Speaker 1 (43:36):
Leaders sounding increasingly optimistic about next year, while Republicans are
the ones expressing concerns. I'll cut the article off there
right below that lawmaker video shows survivor of US attack
on vote in clear distress. There's a photograph of Navy
Admiral Frank Bradley arriving for a classified briefing on Capitol

(44:00):
Hill in Washington yesterday December four.

Speaker 2 (44:03):
Here's part of the article.

Speaker 1 (44:05):
A senior US lawmaker set a video shown the lawmakers
on December four of a military strike against a suspected
drug vessel was quote one of the most troubling things
unquote he had seen, as it showed survivors in clear
distress when they were killed. The remarks by Representative Jim Hins,

(44:25):
the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, ratchets up
pressure on officials involved in a September two US military
attack on a suspent suspected drug boat in the Caribbean
Sea that killed eleven people.

Speaker 2 (44:41):
The Trump administration has accused of being traffickers.

Speaker 1 (44:44):
Officials have said the operation included a follow on strike
against the vessel after an initial attack when there were
still survivors, raising questions about the legality of the operation
and Secretary of War Pete Heca's role in it. This
has already come under fire this year after a Pentagon
investigation faulted him for using the signal LAP on his

(45:07):
personal device to send sensitive information about planned strikes to Yemen.
Admiral Frank Bradley, who was the board, who was the
head of the Joint Special Operations Command at the time,
and top US General Dan Caine on December fourth, brief lawmakers,
including Hymes, on the operation and showed an unedited video

(45:29):
of the second strike. Quote what I saw in that
room was one of the most troubling things that I've
seen in my time in public service unquote, Hymes told
reporters after the briefing.

Speaker 2 (45:40):
Quote you have two.

Speaker 1 (45:41):
Individuals in clear distress without any means of locomotion, with
a destroyed vessel, who were.

Speaker 2 (45:47):
Killed by the United States unquote.

Speaker 1 (45:49):
But he also said that Bradley and Kane quote did
the right thing unquote, and that he suspected the admiral
who is now the head of the US and that
he respected the admiral who is now the head of
the US Special Operatives Command. Before the briefing, a US
official said Bradley would tell lawmakers that the survivors were
legitimate targets for a second attack because their vessel was

(46:12):
still believed to contain illegal narcotics. The Pentagon did not
respond to a request for comment, and I'll stop there.
Going to page eleven, there are three lengthy articles. I'm
going to cut them off.

Speaker 2 (46:30):
The first one deal.

Speaker 1 (46:31):
Could alter church's political roles. Texas Court considers case on restrictions.
Arguments were heard on November twenty five in a case
that could overturn decades of First Amendment president that bar's
churches from endorsing political candidates, potentially reshaping the role of
religion and politics. In a Texas courtroom, lawyers for American

(46:52):
United for the Separation of Church and State, who were
seeking to intervene in the case, asked the judge to
reject a proposed settlement between the Internal Revenue Service and
a group of high profile religious groups that would effectively.

Speaker 2 (47:07):
Gut the Johnson Amendment.

Speaker 1 (47:09):
The hearing ended with the judge allowing all parties to
file short letter briefs by December five. The Johnson Amendment
was introduced by former President Lyndon Johnson in nineteen fifty
four when he was serving as a US Senate majority leader.
It bans all tax exempt organizations from quote directly or
indirectly unquote participating in politics, specifically from endorsing or opposing candidates.

Speaker 2 (47:35):
The proposed settlement is the.

Speaker 1 (47:36):
Result of a lawsuit that was filed in September twenty
twenty four by the National Religious Broadcasters and International Association
of Evangelical Conservative Communicators, as well as Intercession Intercessors for America,
a conservative Christian prayer advocacy group, and two Texas churches.
The groups argued that the Johnson Amendment unfairly restricted therefore

(48:00):
Tomment rights the free speech and free exercise of religion.
In a statement issued when the lawsuit was filed, the
NRB stated that the groups felt that their speech had
quote been wrongfully silenced.

Speaker 2 (48:12):
Quote.

Speaker 1 (48:13):
This is a lengthy article, but i'll stop there. Below
that VA resident accused of planning pipe bomb ahead of
January sixth riot, and there's a photograph of the bomber
placing a bomb. The captain says. Five years after pipe
bombs were left at the Republican National Committee and Democrat
National Committee headquarters. A suspect has been taken into custody.

(48:38):
After a nearly five year investigation, a suspect has been
arrested for allegedly planning pipe bombs and watching DC ahead
of the January sixth, twenty twenty one attack on the capital,
Federal authorities announced. Attorney General Pam Bondi identified the suspect
December four as Brian Cole Junior, thirty, of Woodbridge, George, Woodbridge, Virginia.

(49:00):
She said he was charged with use of an explosive
device and the search warrants were still being executed. Quote
there could be more charges to come unquote, Bondy toad reporters,
adding quote there was no new tip, there were no
new witnesses, just good diligent police work and prosecutorial work
clothes the quote. Bondi did not disclose Cale's motive, saying

(49:26):
the investigation is ongoing. Quote You're not going to walk
into our capital city, put down two explosive devices and
walk off in the sunset unquote, said FBID Debuty director
Dan Bongino. Quote We're going to track that person to
the end of the earth.

Speaker 2 (49:41):
Unquote.

Speaker 1 (49:43):
Representative Barry Laudermoul called Republican of Georgia. The head of
a House committee reviewing the January sixth investigation, called the
arrest quote a tremendous breakthrough closed the quote. The explosives
were placed near the offices of the Democratic Republican National
Committee between seven thirty and eight thirty pm January five,
twenty twenty twenty one. According to the FBI, they were

(50:06):
discovered on the same day supporters of President Donald Trump
stormed the Capitol Building in an attempt to stop lawmakers
from certifying Joe Biden's twenty to twenty presidential election victory.
Kamala Harris, who was then Vice president elect, was inside
the Democratic National Committee office when the.

Speaker 2 (50:25):
First bomb was found.

Speaker 1 (50:27):
Authorities deactivated the bombs and neither exploded.

Speaker 2 (50:30):
The identity the.

Speaker 1 (50:31):
Person who placed the pipe bombs has been one of
the lingering mysteries of the January sixth insurrection, with dozens
of FBI agents tasked with tasking them down in the
weeks after the FBI had offered a five hundred thousand
dollars reward and received hundreds of tips in the search
for the suspect. The focus was meant in part to

(50:55):
determine how much of the January sixth pilots had been
planned to to Details of the investigation first fully outlined
in a report released in January by a House Judiciary subcommittee.

Speaker 2 (51:12):
I'll stop there. The other remaining article on this page.

Speaker 1 (51:16):
Panel again delays vote on hepatitis B vaccine. Health and
Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior's influential vaccine Advisory
Panel on December four delayed to vote for a second
time on whether to change the timing of the first
dose of the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns. Public health

(51:36):
experts have been critical of the committee's decision to potentially
change the hepatitis B immunization schedule in place for more
than three decades.

Speaker 2 (51:46):
Since the current.

Speaker 1 (51:47):
Three dose regimen was adopted in nineteen ninety one, hepatitis
B infections among children and teens have dropped ninety nine percent,
preventing thousands of chronic hepatitis cases that could lead to
s rosis and liver cancer, according to a twenty twenty
three study in the Official Journal of the US Surgeon General.

(52:10):
I'm going to stop there. The article is maybe about
four times that length. That basically ends the first section.
We're not going to read the sports section.

Speaker 2 (52:25):
There's some headlines.

Speaker 1 (52:28):
In high school football, Christian Academy of Louisville is seeking
this fourth straight Class A championship. There's a note that
the Senex football star Carston Bush has signed with Miami
of Florida of the Atlantic Coast. There's a lengthy article

(52:49):
about UK's new football coach, Will Stein, and there's a
note that the UFL Cardinal.

Speaker 2 (52:57):
Boys lost to Arkansas to eighty on.

Speaker 1 (53:01):
Louisville, the Collins High school coach was reinstated after an
internal football review. There's a note of the championship games
in high school football. Class A Country Day is playing Raceland,
and it looks like the pick is Country Day. In
Class two A Lexington Christian is playing Oorinsboro Catholic.

Speaker 2 (53:23):
Looks like the pick is Onsborroo Catholic.

Speaker 1 (53:25):
Class three A Murray is playing Christian Academy. The pick
is Christian Academy. Class four A Franklin County is playing
Bowl County. The pick is Boyle County. Five A Onorinsboro
is playing Pulaski County. The pick is Oninsboro. And then
in six A, which is four pm tomorrow, Trinity plays

(53:45):
South one, and there's a unanimous.

Speaker 2 (53:49):
Pick for Trinity to win that game. I'm going to
skip the rest of these sports and.

Speaker 1 (53:58):
Just looking briefly at the third article, which is Louisville
Life Holiday Magic on the Stage. And then there's an
article eight charming Christmas towns to visit in Kentucky. I
won't read the article, but i'll list the towns are
are Bartstown, Kentucky, Berea, Kentucky, Bowling Green, Kentucky, Covington, Kentucky, Georgetown, Kentucky,

(54:21):
Grand Rivers, Kentucky, Maysville, Kentucky, and I guess all of
Oldham County Christmas.

Speaker 2 (54:29):
Going back to that article that I started.

Speaker 1 (54:30):
To read, they are here are twenty nine Christmas concerts
shows to see this year in Louisville. The first one
is Elf the Musical at Derby Dinner Playhouse. And see
where this goes. Continue on page six. The Louisville Orchestra's

(54:58):
hand on Messigah is coming. It's on multiple dates, December
five and December sixth, and December seventh. White Christmas at
Shelby County Community Theater December five, six seven, and fourteen.
The Gift of the MAJORI and Misfit Christmas at the
Henry Clay on Third Street from December five to December

(55:19):
twenty one. Christmas Carol at the Actors Theater December five
through the twenty first Voices of Kentucky, Anda, Comfort and
Joy at the Comstock Concert Hall at the U OFL
School of Music on December five, seven thirty and December seventh,
three pm.

Speaker 2 (55:38):
Every Christmas Story Ever.

Speaker 1 (55:39):
Told and then Some is at the Robinson Theater at
IU Southeastern New Albaney on December five and December seventh.
The Season for Giving is at the Little Colonel Playoffs
in Peewee Valley December five, six, seven, fourteen. The velveteen
Rabbit Christmass at the Derby Dinner Playhoffs December sixth, thirteen

(56:04):
and twenty. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at the Bombhart
Theater in the Center for the Arts December sixth, thirteenth,
and twenty. The Twelve Murders of Christmas at the Bristol
Bar and Grill on Maine and thirteen twenty one Barchtown
Road from December sixth to the twentieth and January three.

(56:25):
I U Southeast Holiday Pops at stem Concert Hall at
Paul Ogle Cultural and Community Center into Albney December sixth,
and Louisville Courus Christmas at the Movies at Saint Matthew
Baptist Church December sixth, Sarah Evans at Louisville Palace December seventh,

(56:50):
Nutcracker Magical Christmas Ballet Ballet at the Louisville Palace December nine.
Preservation Hall Jazz band Creole Christmas is going to be
at the bomb Heeart Theater December tenth at seven thirty.

Speaker 2 (57:05):
And Acoustic Christmas.

Speaker 1 (57:06):
With Over the Run is going to be at the
bomb Heeart Theater on December eleventh at seven thirty. The
Brown Foreman Nutcracker at Whitney Hall, Kentucky Center will run
from December twelfth to twenty second at very times. The
Kentucky Opera all Is Calm is at the Opera Center
for Cultural Health on Magazine Street December twelfth, December fourteenth, sixteenth, eighteenth,

(57:29):
and twenty. John McLaughlan and Friends Home for the Holidays
is going to be at the Bombheart Theater December twelfth
at eight pm.

Speaker 2 (57:39):
Circ Musica Holiday.

Speaker 1 (57:41):
Wonderland is going to be at the Louisville Palace December twelfth,
under the Street Lamp, Hip to the Holidays, Brown Theater
December fourteenth, Louisville Youth Orchestra December fourteenth, evening with Peter
Billingsing Billingsley December seventeenth, and Louisville Court Chemical for Christmas,

(58:01):
December nineteenth.

Speaker 2 (58:02):
I apologize I've gone over time.

Speaker 1 (58:06):
This concludes excerpt from the Curry Journal for December twenty
December the fifth.

Speaker 2 (58:10):
Your reader's ben Mark Webster.

Speaker 1 (58:12):
That phone number for the obituaries eight five nine four
two two sixty three nine zero. Please stay tuned for
continuing programming on radio.

Speaker 2 (58:19):
I have a good weekend and a good week