music >> Our model ordinance also requires public notice and hearings, access to this data. So we'll get more transparency around these projects. [MUSIC] >> Local governments looking to get in front of data center development have a new tool to craft rules. When could Kentucky's senior U.S. senator leave the hospital and return to work? [MUSIC] >> It was a happening spot. It was featured in Billboard magazine. [MUSIC] >> And a nightclub in a cave.
It happened in Kentucky. Find out what else was happening beneath the surface. [MUSIC] >> Production of Kentucky edition is made possible in part by the KET Millennium Fund. >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky Edition for this Wednesday, June the 17th. I'm Renee Shaw. We thank you for winding down your Wednesday with us. Kentucky is suing the prediction market giants Kelsey
and Polymarket. The platforms are known for allowing users to bet on the outcomes of world events, but Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman says most of what they do looks like traditional sports betting and should be regulated that way. Under Kentucky law, sportsbooks have to partner with a racetrack and offer some gambling addiction resources. Kentucky state lawmakers passed a tax on those markets this year, but those companies are arguing against that tax in
their own lawsuits. Plans appear to be on hold for a Texas based data center company looking to operate in Lexington. The Herald-Leader reports dart points didn't apply for the necessary permits before the Urban County Council voted to put a moratorium on data center projects. That pause on reviewing or approving plans runs through October. The moratorium was approved earlier this month, just days after the community learned dart points. Bought two buildings on Lexmark property with the goal of
increasing power capacity. As local governments are weighing guardrails for data centers. The environmental public interest group, called Kentucky Resources Council, has created model ordinances, so local governments have a starting point on how to regulate these large scale developments. >> Most local zoning codes and ordinances never envisioned this new type of energy and water hungry facility. That's part warehouse and part computer, part energy
production facility. So data centers don't really fit into county's current regulatory frameworks. So for counties with zoning, the model ordinance requires a conditional use permit. In addition to limiting the location of data centers to a new industrial classification for data centers, so they can't be built next to a school or in the middle of a neighborhood.
And this allows local governments to craft case specific conditions to really integrate a proposed data center into the existing environment, but still protect the rights of neighboring landowners. So both of our model ordinances address everything from setting sound frequency limits to mitigate noise impacts to standards on backup generators and cooling systems to limit off site impacts. The ordinances include everything from setbacks to stormwater management, fire
safety. They require a utility and infrastructure plan. So you can collect documentation from all utility providers showing that the proposed project can be accommodated without impacting local government or local infrastructure or water resources, or other customers utility bills. We know that the data center on Campground Road in Louisville originally requested more wastewater flow than the sewer district had the
capacity for. So all of these things should be presented long before a project is approved and cited. Our model ordinance also requires public notice and hearings access to this data. So we'll get more transparency around these projects, which is an issue we've seen in some of these cases where companies come in and ask local leaders to sign non-disclosure agreements, and then residents are finding out about these things at the 11th hour.
>> The Kentucky General Assembly approved tax incentives for data centers last year. A leading voice on energy in the state House, Senate Majority Caucus Chair Robbie Mills has said, quote, the goal is simple welcome new investment, create jobs and ensure existing customers are not left paying the bill for infrastructure built to serve private development, end quote. State lawmakers did not pass a ratepayer protection bill this
year. Make Rural America Healthy Again is the motto for a new funding source created within last year's so-called Big Beautiful Bill by Congress that the bill sought to reduce Medicaid spending and the number of people on the program. It's offered billions of dollars to transform rural health care. $213 million was earmarked for Kentucky last fall. That's the 11th largest grant for all 50 states. But state officials say that money is not guaranteed.
>> For only nine months into this, from the time they announced the opportunity. And we had to design a whole plan for a whole state, and we had to get it launched. And our first reporting period is imminent. It's within weeks, and if we don't demonstrate that we've obligated the funds and gotten them deployed, then we are at risk for losing the funds. Every state is in this boat. It's been really, really lightning fast. I think the team is doing a wonderful job.
Let me assure you, there will be some opportunity where we break some eggs or we cause something we didn't intend to, as far as our best intentions may not come to fruition. We may dream big and fall a little short, but if we don't dream big, we're never going to reach high. And so we're going to really try to make this an opportunity to positively transform health care, specifically in rural Kentucky. >> Kentucky's plan is to enhance dental, chronic disease, maternal and recovery care
through brand new models. That includes using more community health workers, mobile clinics, telehealth tools, and expanding accredited dental hygiene programs. It's day four for U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell's hospital stay. Kentucky's senior senator went to George Washington Hospital in Washington, D.C. Sunday morning. In a statement late Monday, a spokesperson said he was in touch with his staff and eager
to return to work. Senator John Thune, the Senate majority leader, said he's spoken to McConnell and he hopes he will return this week. Thune says he does not expect McConnell to miss a step when he does resume work. McConnell is 84 years old. He is not seeking reelection after serving seven terms in the U.S. Senate. Senator McConnell wasn't on the floor to vote on a War Powers Resolution yesterday. This was another attempt to demand an end to the U.S. war with Iran.
The resolution failed 48 to 47. U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was one of four Republicans to vote yes. One Democrat voted no. McConnell was one of five senators not present for that vote. Louisville is celebrating the completion of seven affordable housing projects funded by the American Rescue Plan in Congress, which they passed this rescue plan back in 2021. It provided $40. Million to Louisville, which was then distributed by the Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Politicians and Louisville housing leaders gathered today at the site of one of the last of those projects at the Iroquois Senior Living Community. Congressman Moore Morgan McGarvey, the Democrat who serves the third district, praised his predecessor, Congressman John Yarmuth, for his role in passing the American Rescue Plan against stiff opposition. >> Politicians can talk all they want to about what they value, but until they put money behind it, those words are
empty. The budget is more than a policy document. It's a moral document. Who and what do you value? Now, of course, as we stand here and it's successful, you forget the forces pushing against him in this fight. In fact, there were lots of people saying we cannot afford this, even though those same people now can find $1 billion for a ballroom or $500 billion for a war, or trillions of dollars in tax cuts for those who don't need it. They were saying, we
can't afford this. And John Yarmuth looked back at them and very simply said, no, we can't afford not to do it. >> There are a lot of people over the last few years who were in Congress who are taking credit for projects like this, and other ones who didn't even vote for the bill that we had. We won't make any Partizan
comments, but. I think that is indicative of the fact that so much good happened from the American Rescue Plan and and so much good will happen from from this project and all the work that's done. Affordable housing is clearly one of the biggest challenges facing our country, particularly urban areas. And I'm glad that both Mayor Fisher and now Mayor Greenburg are responding appropriately to the challenges that we face.
>> The Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund says it's involved in the building of 6400 affordable housing units. [MUSIC] A Kentucky nonprofit has launched a program aimed at supporting community leaders and professionals as they work to make their communities healthier thrive. Kentucky is hosting in-person meetings to keep communities informed about policy decisions that may affect them.
>> Health is as important to your ability to thrive as housing, as access to food, as your economic prospects, your ability to get mental health support if you need it, and affordable housing, all of those things are all very intertwined, and they provide they're essential to providing a safety net for for Kentuckians. So we're really trying to make sure that we distill a lot of really complicated policy information, right? A lot of these policies are really technical. They're
really wheezy. And the way that we talk about them is often very siloed off. So we're talking about health care in one area, and we don't talk about SNAP or we talk about Snap, but we don't talk about housing, we talk about housing, but we don't talk about. And all of those things are so intertwined. So we really tried to come together and coalesce this into here is a 90 minute virtual session where we'll give you all of the policy updates with the in-person
programing. It's a little bit because there's a little bit more space. It's 1 to 4:30 p.m. this year, so it's 3.5 hours of both advocacy training. We do like civic engagement. And then we also have conversations. We're hearing a lot of confusion and concern about the changes related to the one big, beautiful Bill act. And like I said, we're trying to come in and provide some clarity around what is changing and what you
can do about it. We're really tracking Medicaid changes and the ACA marketplace changes. Those big changes are coming in October and January, but they're going to be significant program changes that impact up to 400,000 Kentuckians directly. So we break down, you know, eligibility for SNAP, for Medicaid, for child care assistance. All of that has
changed quite a bit. And so a lot of what we like to do from our roadshows and from our virtual programs, is distill some of those big questions and those big policy changes into one page explainers as simple as we can get it into just a handout. The handout explaining exactly what is changing, what's coming, what you need to know about it, and what to do about it, and that it's one of our most popular things that we
put together. And those resources, I think, are a very tangible thing that you can walk away from our ritual with. Collectively, we're in this together, learning this together, and that also builds the capacity to be able to advocate together. We know how these policies are going to impact our folks on the ground better than anyone else. And part of our road show is really leaning into empowering that you are an expert in your experience, you are an expert in your community, you in your
own right. You do not need to rely on us for, you know, for to be an advocate, but we can give you the information that you need to help you feel more confident to reach out to your legislator. >> Their next in-person session is July 14th in Corbin, followed by three more events across the state. [MUSIC] Louisville may be a foodie town with a vibrant restaurant scene, but it also struggles with 1 in 7 people experiencing hunger
and food insecurity. The nonprofit organization Feed Louisville is trying to bridge the gap by using surplus food from restaurants and catering companies to feed the hungry population. Our Kristy Dutton takes us inside the Feed Louisville Kitchen on the next inside Louisville. >> In a city where food insecurity continues to affect thousands of families, one Louisville kitchen is making a powerful impact. One meal at a time.
>> People always think the reason people are going hungry is because there's just not enough to go around, and that is absolutely not true. >> Chef Kelly is one of the Louisville secret ingredients. >> We've cooked down some greens and some onions in our handy dandy. >> Preventing food from being wasted. >> About 200 pounds of chicken tenders donated yesterday. >> And getting it into the hands of those who need it most. [MUSIC]
>> 40% of all perfectly viable food ends up in the landfill every year. Makes absolutely no sense for anyone to go hungry, because there's not a shortage of food. There's a shortage of access to food feed. >> Louisville bridges that gap, operating as both a food rescue center and hunger relief kitchen. >> We're here to rescue as much food as we can. The more food we rescue, the more people we feed each day.
>> Up to 1000 meals a day are prepared, packed and delivered to shelters, outreach programs, and community centers. >> They have about 30 residents right now, so we send them 60 meals each day. >> Most ingredients are donated by retail partners and grocery stores, along with surplus food from several local restaurants and caterers. >> Everyone hates having leftover food and not knowing what to do with it. We fill that gap. We'll take it all in.
If you bring me a pan of mac and cheese, a pan of mashed potatoes, I can easily turn that around and send it back out to the community. We're reinvesting all of this into the people that we serve. >> Inside the kitchen, volunteers work alongside professional chefs, transforming donated food into fresh, high quality meals for people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity. [MUSIC] >> Today, we're prepping 28 cases of cauliflower. It's
about 400 pounds worth. All of that would have gone in the landfill. It's all perfectly good. It's just surplus. >> And they rise to the challenge of turning bulk donations into delicious creations. [MUSIC] >> You know, the thing about having classically trained chefs in the kitchen, you know, we're used to doing scratch cooking. We can make just about anything. >> But feed. Louisville's impact doesn't stop with rescued food inside the same
kitchen. Another program called zest, helps fund that mission in a different way. >> We have a little closet called the Zest Closet, where we keep all our stuff. >> Unlike Mills made from rescued ingredients, zest head chef Emily is part of a team that creates fresh Plant-Based packaged Dishes using produce from local farms. [MUSIC] >> We make everything from
scratch. We're recipe developing, like collaboratively and just keeping a really tight eye on everything to make sure that it kind of meets the parameters and the ideals that we have for zest, about the kind of food we want to make. >> Which are carefully crafted vegetarian or vegan cuisine free of dairy, soy, and gluten. [MUSIC] Those meals pull inspiration from around the world while staying rooted in what's fresh and local.
>> And then just like processing a lot of vegetables, making spice blends, making sauces, we make our in-house. [MUSIC] We make a harissa paste, which is like a Moroccan chili paste. >> Seasonality drives the menu of zest with an emphasis on produce from Kentucky farmers. >> It's really based on that, like what's in season in Kentucky right now, because
that's where we are. You know, we want to use the vegetables that are at their peak in a given time and that our farmers are producing so that we can support them. >> Zest meals are sold at local businesses, and proceeds from every purchase goes right back into feed. Louisville's work covering costs and expanding the number of meals they can provide to neighbors in need.
>> Everything that they make and that they sell all the proceeds come back to help me purchase things like butter or oil or pasta, things that we don't commonly get donated. >> So whether it's rescuing surplus food or creating something entirely new, it all comes back to the same goal. From chopping vegetables to packing meals, every action inside the feed Louisville kitchen reflects one shared commitment, making sure nobody in Louisville goes hungry for
inside Louisville. I'm Christy Dutton. >> Thank you, Christy, and you can learn more about the mission and hear from its founder on the next Inside Louisville with host Kelsey Starks that Sunday at 12 noon 11 a.m. central, right here on KET. [MUSIC] Lost River cave and Bowling Green boasts a rich and varied history, having served as shelter to Native Americans, a grist mill, a Civil War encampment, a lively nightclub
and even a dumping ground. The area now has been restored to its former glory, and our Chip Polston checks it out in this Kentucky Life extra chip. Over to you. >> Thanks so much and it's good to be with you again. Back in 1990, the nonprofit Friends of Lost River was formed with the mission to preserve and restore this remarkable site for future generations. Thanks to their efforts, the cave reopened to
the public in 1997. Come along as we explore lost River cave and discover the inspiring conservation efforts that continue to protect this unique landmark. >> Lost River cave is a 72 acre park in the heart of Bowling Green. It's literally right in the middle of the city. What you'll find is two miles of trails through our closed cast valley. It's one of the largest karst valleys in the world, and it's home to several different
ecosystems. We have vernal pools, we have mesic meadows, we have blue holes, caves, and, you know, our barrens prairie as well as the wetlands. So there's a lot of different fragile ecosystems on our park. >> The cave is still fairly young. It is still forming. We still have, of course, the river flowing through. So during high water events, the water can rise as high as the ceiling, which can knock off some of the stalactite formations that are in there. So you don't see a ton of
formations. But we do have some beautiful flowstone. We also have drapery and those types of formations in the cave. We don't want anybody to get so excited that they fall out of the boat. But what you're about to see is the largest stalactite on our tour. This is known as the Praying Hands. It looks like upside down praying hands.
>> If you go into the cave and you immediately hear the rushing of the water, and this sense of awe just kind of comes over you as you really embrace the history that you're immersed in. >> A lot of the history here at lost River cave, of course, began with those paleo Native Americans back 9000 to 10,000 years ago. [MUSIC]
So paleo Native Americans would have been traveling through the area, and this would have been more of a stop for them, an area where they could probably do some bartering and trading. And they would also do a lot of hunting throughout the cliff drop. We've actually found piles of arrowheads and shards of arrowheads, where they would continuously go back to these same points to hunt over and over again. [MUSIC] So it was a great spot as they're traveling for to refresh on their water, their
food source. Of course, the shelter in the cave kept them warm or cool depending on what time of year they were here in the area. [MUSIC] It was also used during the Civil War. Civil war soldiers in the cave were actually using their candles to leave behind their signatures. So we have names and dates and companies that they were with, and we've been able to actually go back and find military records and pension records that match up with the names that we have in our cave. [MUSIC]
Early settlers using the cave used it as a milling operation. There were different types of mills. One of the original mills was located on the inside of the cave, and of course, the farmers would pull across the top, hoist down their product. They would send it in for the milling process. It was brought back out, sent back up to the farmers over time, with the water being that we are that drainage basin, the mill would actually flood, so they would constantly be rebuilding the mill. [MUSIC]
They eventually built one on top, drilling through around 50ft of bedrock to run their shaft and their undershot water wheel. And that waterwheel would power the mill up on top. There's a lot of history about it being used for some of the prohibition era, where there was a little bit of that alcohol smuggling going on in and out of the cave. At one point, one of the mills here was actually a Peach and Brandywine distillery, so they already probably had this set up here for them to do that.
Then, of course, you move into the 1930s and that is when prohibition ended, and that's when the nightclub opened up. [MUSIC] It was a happening spot. It was featured in Billboard magazine. It was considered to be one of the only air conditioned nightclubs in the country, because, of course, the cave stays 57 degrees. It blew out cool gusts of air that will cool off the patrons. They would trek down around 200 stairs, down to the mouth of the cave, where they would
enjoy the music. There was famous bands Don, a Shaw NBC orchestra, Francis Craig. They raced across the country. Once we were featured in that billboard, which kind of put us on the map. >> After our nightclub closed down the city of Bowling Green, they just kind of started throwing all their trash down here. It was it was not a landfill. [MUSIC] It was an illegal dump site.
People would back up to the edge of the mouth of the cave behind me and toss whatever they didn't need over the edge, you know, out of sight, out of mind. >> It was a very dark time for lost River cave as a kid coming down when it was closed, it was kind of disheartening. You would see all of the trash and it's just a beautiful cave, and you wonder why your community had forgot that you had such a
wonder in your own backyard. A lot of the concrete had fallen in the walls along, you know, the valley walk here had gone, you know, unrepaired. And so it was kind of dismal at that point. [MUSIC] And so once the Friends of lost River came into play and, you know, the university donated it, and this whole program coming about, lost River cave has really grown and, and become such a beautiful place that it should have never been neglected as it was.
>> So the Friends of Lost Rivers are nonprofit 501 C three organization, and it is just members of Bowling Green that want to see this place flourish, be protected and conserved over the years. So the future of lost River cave
is bright. Of course, we're going to always make sure that we're maintaining and protecting this property, but we work very hard to restore all the ecosystems and nurture them and just make sure that Bowling Green always has this property as a source of, of reconnection with nature. >> Great stories like this one come your way on our show each Saturday night at eight eastern, seven central, right here on KET. As we continue to cherish this great Kentucky Life. Back to you.
>> Thank you chip and lost River cave is certainly worth keeping your eye on. It is the topic that gets people fired up data centers. There are plans for a big one in Boyd County, one that could become the
biggest in the state. Tonight, the company is hosting a town hall to talk to people about it, and Kentucky Edition's Emily Prince is there, and she will have full coverage of the meeting tomorrow on Kentucky edition, which we know you'll be back for at 630 eastern, 530 central, where we inform, connect and inspire. Connect with us all the ways that you see on your screen streaming. You can see us on the social media channels and send us a
story idea by email. I'm Renee Shaw, thanks for being with us and I'll see you tomorrow night. Take good care. [MUSIC]