Speaker 1: Now we turn to the Kentucky Standard for news in
Speaker 1: Bardstown and Nelson County. Your reader today is Brian Hunt.
Speaker 1: As a reminder, Radio Eye is a reading service intended
Speaker 1: for people who are blind or have other disabilities that
Speaker 1: make it difficult to read printed material. We will begin
Speaker 1: with the edition dated April fifth. Democrats hold candidate meet
Speaker 1: and Greet. Change on the mind for many running and
Speaker 1: the editor's note the article. This article contains a portion
Speaker 1: of the candidate's topics from the Tuesday event. The remaining
Speaker 1: candidates will be featured in the April eighth edition. Tuesday
Speaker 1: Democratic candidates came together to speak with community members and
Speaker 1: talk about their vision, goals and action heading into the primaries.
Speaker 1: The Nelson County Democratic Party hosted candidates at Spooney's earlier
Speaker 1: this week, bringing together those for federal, state, and local
Speaker 1: elections positions. Several candidates were able to attend Tuesdays meet
Speaker 1: and greet, including Shamika Ashby, J. T Roby, Benjamin Corter,
Speaker 1: Ramon Pina Arroa A. J. Lewis, Carrie Truett, Malcolm Jones,
Speaker 1: Dale Romans, Vincent Thompson, Melissa Strange, Jesse Brewer, J. D. Nels, Netherton,
Speaker 1: Cameron Richards, Keith Metcalfe, and Frankie Cameron. Charles Booker, who
Speaker 1: is running for US Senate, and Dakota Compton, who is
Speaker 1: running for US House Representatives second Congressional District, sent in
Speaker 1: brief video messages for those in attendance evening. Some of
Speaker 1: the evening candidates are running in the May primaries, while
Speaker 1: others remain uncontested and will be on the ballot in November.
Speaker 1: The Nelson County Judge executive race has three candidates from
Speaker 1: the Democratic Party on the ticket for the primaries, Ashby,
Speaker 1: Ruby and Quarter. During Tuesday's event, each spoke about their
Speaker 1: why behind their campaign and their goals if they were elected.
Speaker 1: Quarters spoke passionately about environmental concerns in Boston, relating to
Speaker 1: local distilleries and rick houses in the area, discussing polluted
Speaker 1: waterways and the black mold fungus. He said he knows
Speaker 1: the county's zoning laws are some of the strictest, but
Speaker 1: said from personal experience, he has watched the Joint City
Speaker 1: Plenty Joint City County Planning and Zoning Board disregard community
Speaker 1: members' concerns and comments. He said, as judge executive, reforming
Speaker 1: the board would be a top priority. Additionally, Corridors said
Speaker 1: he would love to work on the local property tax
Speaker 1: and getting it down. He suggested several options to redistribute
Speaker 1: how the county is taxed in a way that wouldn't
Speaker 1: take away from essential services. Barstown has a restaurant tax
Speaker 1: that we don't have as a county. We could use
Speaker 1: it to bring in more money to the county. He suggested.
Speaker 1: We can implement a hotel tax for visitors when we
Speaker 1: have the Bourbon Festival and visitors throughout the year come
Speaker 1: in to hit those who come in to visit rather
Speaker 1: than us individuals. We are also one of the only
Speaker 1: counties that has a fixed occupational tax. Ashby said she's
Speaker 1: decided to take a chance at the judge executive post
Speaker 1: because she is upset with the direction of the county.
Speaker 1: She said she would want to implement mandates that limit
Speaker 1: increases on rent and to bring back codes and enforcement
Speaker 1: to aid renters. She said current Nelson County Judge Executive
Speaker 1: Tim Hutchins brags about destroying policies, changing zoning, among a
Speaker 1: myriad of actions she said have not helped the people
Speaker 1: of the county. She said she wants to make Nelson
Speaker 1: County a place her daughter will want to come back
Speaker 1: to when she's grown up. Ashby said she would take
Speaker 1: on this role hold opting to not have a deputy
Speaker 1: judge executive. Additionally, she said she would search for funds
Speaker 1: and use grand hunding to create programs and places for
Speaker 1: community members to enjoy. I call myself a researcher, she said.
Speaker 1: I am always curious. I want to get things better
Speaker 1: and show me how you want to work, and I
Speaker 1: will be there to help you work. If you've got
Speaker 1: an idea, I want to hear from you. I want
Speaker 1: to know what my neighbor, the lowest person that might
Speaker 1: not have a job, is out there struggling. What do
Speaker 1: you need? We definitely need more resource searches, sources, research
Speaker 1: sources in this county. Roby is the final judge executive
Speaker 1: who spoke on Tuesday and said he has four pillars
Speaker 1: going into this race. First, Roby said transparency is a
Speaker 1: big deal for him. If elected, he would want to
Speaker 1: create a website or some platform to show community members
Speaker 1: where dollars are coming from and where they're being spent. Secondly,
Speaker 1: Roby said he would look at improving repairing and reforming
Speaker 1: infrastructure so it is good for the next generation. Thirdly,
Speaker 1: he said smart growth and presenting the area's heritage is
Speaker 1: important to him. He noted that it is good to
Speaker 1: have industries coming into Nelson County, but he cautioned that
Speaker 1: preserving the county's roots would be precedent. Lastly, he said
Speaker 1: safety is a top priority. This means providing mental health
Speaker 1: services to first responders and dispatch workers. We need to
Speaker 1: protect our routes, he said. We need to ensure that
Speaker 1: our industrial growth will ever exceed what our infrastructure can handle.
Speaker 1: Our water, our roadways. We need to make sure that
Speaker 1: what we're bringing in can be supported in an efficient
Speaker 1: manner and not take away from our residents. We need
Speaker 1: to make sure that all can thrive in bringing industry
Speaker 1: into Barstown. Over the last eight years, he said, in
Speaker 1: the several years, the crime rate in Nelson County has
Speaker 1: gone down thanks to the implementation of flock cameras. Pena
Speaker 1: Arroa said they've been able to increase the number of
Speaker 1: deputies on parole patrol this year, and the office is
Speaker 1: due to bring in one hundred and seventy five thousand
Speaker 1: dollars paper services. The sheriff also spoke about being indicted
Speaker 1: last year all charges were dropped against Pena Earroa and
Speaker 1: how it created hell in his life over the last
Speaker 1: twelve months. He said, anyone who has questions for him
Speaker 1: about this is welcome to call him and discuss. However,
Speaker 1: he emphasized it has not kept him down. I still
Speaker 1: have a lot of things to do, he said. We're
Speaker 1: still working our tails off. That didn't stop me, put
Speaker 1: me down a little bit, but we're bouncing right back.
Speaker 1: We're moving on and we're keeping the public safe. Lewis
Speaker 1: is the challenger in the primary and currently is an
Speaker 1: officer with the Bargetown Police Department. He also used to
Speaker 1: work as a deputy at NCSO. He said he loves
Speaker 1: contributing to his community, both as an officer and through service.
Speaker 1: Lewis said he believes in transparency, fairness, and treating everyone
Speaker 1: with dignity and respect, no matter who they are. He
Speaker 1: said he loves being able to give back to the community,
Speaker 1: whether it's through the annual toy drive he hosts or
Speaker 1: his time spent coaching I plan of building that trust
Speaker 1: back with the community and the Sheriff's office. Lewis said
Speaker 1: that's a big thing. I think it works better with
Speaker 1: the community and the sheriff's office and we can work together.
Speaker 1: Fourth District State Senate Malcolm Jones and Carrie Truett are
Speaker 1: the two Democrats running for the Kentucky's fourth District Senate seat.
Speaker 1: The seat is currently occupied by Senator Jimmy Heaton, who
Speaker 1: is not running for reelection. Trurett said education has played
Speaker 1: a pivotal role in her life in the last decade.
Speaker 1: Her position on the Marion County School Board of Education
Speaker 1: has given her a look into the lives of the
Speaker 1: students and their families. She said it is given a
Speaker 1: chance to see the child challenges their families face from
Speaker 1: food insecurity, housing instability, and lack of access to healthcare.
Speaker 1: Healthcare is also important for Truett. She said she wants
Speaker 1: to fight for rural hospitals, keeping places like Lebanon, Bardstown,
Speaker 1: and Springfield in close proximity to health and wellness. I
Speaker 1: know what it means to stand up and say our
Speaker 1: constituents want better, our constituents want more. Truett said that
Speaker 1: something I've consistently done throughout my board service is to
Speaker 1: truly represent the needs and wants of the people. As
Speaker 1: I continue down this path and I get to talk
Speaker 1: to more of you, and I get to more importantly
Speaker 1: listen to more of you, I hope that I'll have
Speaker 1: the opportunity to take your voices and your stories to
Speaker 1: Frankfort with me in November, Jones said, focusing on affordability,
Speaker 1: he is his number one priority. In conjunction with affordability,
Speaker 1: Jones said he also wants to aid job growth. He
Speaker 1: said this includes protecting the state's farmers and protecting the
Speaker 1: urban industries. Health Care and education are also top priorities
Speaker 1: for Jones. He said it's a heartbreaking thing to hear
Speaker 1: of others who must choose between vital medication and or
Speaker 1: paying for a month's worth of groceries. On the education front,
Speaker 1: Jones said he wants to fight for pre K for all. Last,
Speaker 1: but not least certainly are my pillars of focus. I'm
Speaker 1: fighting against the GOP and holding them accountable, Jones said,
Speaker 1: hold them accountable to the reckless policies and actions they
Speaker 1: are taking that are really beating folks down. Next flags
Speaker 1: flown half massed in honor of Pruitt funeral possession set
Speaker 1: for Thursday, in recognizing the sacrifice of Air Force tex
Speaker 1: Sergeant Ashley B. Of Pruitt. Nelson County Government and City
Speaker 1: of Barstown has ordered all flags to half staff as
Speaker 1: of Wednesday, and that order will continue through Pruit's interment.
Speaker 1: In honor of the life and service of Technical Sergeant
Speaker 1: Ashley Brooke Young Pruitt, and in recognizing of her sacrifice
Speaker 1: in defense of our country, all flags that Nelson County
Speaker 1: Government buildings shall be lowered to half staff, effective immediately,
Speaker 1: and shall remain half staff until the time of interment.
Speaker 1: And executive order from April second from Judge Executive Tim
Speaker 1: Hutchins office reads. Barstown Mayor d Keaton issued a similar
Speaker 1: order at April second, in honor of the life and
Speaker 1: dedicated service of Technical Sergeant Ashley Brooke Young Pruit, and
Speaker 1: in solemn recognition of her profound sacrifice in the defense
Speaker 1: of our nation. The City of Bardstown stands a tribute
Speaker 1: to her memory. The order reads, Technical Sergeant Pruit represented
Speaker 1: the very best of our community through her bravery, commitment,
Speaker 1: and selfless duty to the United States. The US Department
Speaker 1: of War announced that Pruitt, thirty four, of Bartstown, died
Speaker 1: March twelfth in the crash of a KC one th
Speaker 1: five refueling tanker in Western Rock. She was assigned to
Speaker 1: sixth Air Refueling Wing McDill Air Force based Florida. Pruit
Speaker 1: was the second service member from central Kentucky to be
Speaker 1: killed in action in the current war with Iran, in
Speaker 1: addition to Army Sergeant Benjamin Pennington of Glendale, who died
Speaker 1: March eighth following an attack the week prior on Prince
Speaker 1: Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Since Sergeant Benjamin Pennington
Speaker 1: and Technical Sergeant Ashley Prewitt, our two American hebroes called
Speaker 1: our commonwealth, who called our Commonwealth home, and we must
Speaker 1: stand together as Kentuckians to honor their sacrifice, Governor Andy
Speaker 1: Basheer said, please joined Brittany and me as we continued
Speaker 1: to pray for their families, our fellow Americans in mourning,
Speaker 1: and our brave service members. The governor ordered the flags
Speaker 1: that all state office buildings be lowered to half staff
Speaker 1: from sunrise to sunset on the days of Pennington's and
Speaker 1: Pruit's interment. Hutchins also declared that all county offices will
Speaker 1: be closed Thursday, April ninth, during the memorial procession for Pruitt,
Speaker 1: allowing county employees to pay their respects to Pruit. Prewit's
Speaker 1: remains are being transported to Samuel's Field for the dignified
Speaker 1: transfer on April ninth, and from there the funeral procession
Speaker 1: will make its way from the airport through downtown Bardstown
Speaker 1: and eventually to Hoffland Greenwell Funeral Hall. Local government is
Speaker 1: encouraging citizens to lie in the streets to pay respects
Speaker 1: to Pruit along the route. Following the dignified transfer, the
Speaker 1: procession will leave the airport at eleven a m and
Speaker 1: travel east on Boston Road to Stephen Foster Avenue. The
Speaker 1: procession will round the Old Court House and continue north
Speaker 1: on North Third Street before turning on West John Rowan
Speaker 1: Boulevard on the way to Hoffland Greenwell Funeral Home. Visitation
Speaker 1: for Pruit will be ten a m. To eight pm Friday,
Speaker 1: April tenth at the funeral home. Pruitt's funeral is set
Speaker 1: for eleven a m. Saturday, April eleventh at New Salem
Speaker 1: Baptist Church Cemetery. Next local church to host five hundred
Speaker 1: years of Bible's history. Barstown United Methodists to display private collection.
Speaker 1: Barstown United Methodist Church will host a new exhibit showcasing
Speaker 1: five hundred years of English Bible translations April tenth or twelfth.
Speaker 1: The local church will be displaying rare and historical Bibles
Speaker 1: from across five centuries. Five hundred years of the Bible
Speaker 1: in English will feature full books and leaves, several on
Speaker 1: display in Barstown for the first time time. The event
Speaker 1: is free and open to the public. It will be
Speaker 1: open from ten am to six pm at the Bargstown
Speaker 1: Methodist Church at one sixteen East Flage Avenue. Church organizers
Speaker 1: say the exhibit offers a rare opportunity for the Bardstown
Speaker 1: community to experience materials that shake religious, cultural, and linguistic history.
Speaker 1: The collection includes two leaves or pages from the fourteen
Speaker 1: fifty five Gutenberg Bible, the first major book printed was
Speaker 1: Movable Tight, and pages from the fifteen sixty English Geneva Bible.
Speaker 1: It also includes early printing leaves from the fifteen eighty
Speaker 1: two Reem New Testament and the sixteen oh nine sixteen
Speaker 1: ten Doni Rheim's Complete Bible. Attendees can also be viewed
Speaker 1: some of the earliest examples of Bibles printed in the Americas.
Speaker 1: The exhibit will trace the history of English translations of
Speaker 1: on the Bible from the twelve hundreds to modern day.
Speaker 1: Cindy m, one of the events organizers, says she saw
Speaker 1: the exhibit last August at Campbellsville University. The large and
Speaker 1: robust collection is owned by a private collector. Cindy said
Speaker 1: her interest in the collection was sparked upon seeing the
Speaker 1: dozens of Bibles, leaves and more as a part of
Speaker 1: the exhibit at the university. There will be leaves from
Speaker 1: all types of Bibles, but the Arabic Coptic Bible was
Speaker 1: crafted in Ethiopia. She said, I'm showing the world there
Speaker 1: are several leaves there from the world's oldest Bibles. I
Speaker 1: happen to like the gorgeous Latin Venetian Bible because it
Speaker 1: was printed during the heart of the Renaissance in Venice.
Speaker 1: It has a bit more beauty and it combines beauty
Speaker 1: with theology. Cindy said. One piece from the collection that
Speaker 1: amazed her was a complete Torah scroll dating back to
Speaker 1: the sixteen hundredth She said. The scroll is composed of
Speaker 1: vellum and deer skin as inscribed in Arabic Hebrew, and
Speaker 1: opens with Genesis One on whether you're interested in history, theology,
Speaker 1: or simply curious. The exhibit is going to enlighten everyone.
Speaker 1: She said last summer, I had no idea the trouble,
Speaker 1: all the death, all the sacrifice that it took for
Speaker 1: me to be able to sit down at home and
Speaker 1: read my very own Bible in England. I feel really
Speaker 1: privileged now that I can do that, now that I
Speaker 1: know what the world went through to guess here. Next
Speaker 1: General Assembly finalizes a fully funded road plan. Legislation represents
Speaker 1: the final road plan. Under the leadership of Senator Higdon
Speaker 1: Kentucky lawmakers have finalized a comprehensive Tradition transportation package consisting
Speaker 1: of multiple legislative measures that combines a fully funded road
Speaker 1: plan with a strategic operating budget, delivering billions of dollars
Speaker 1: in infrastructure investment while prioritizing accountability, efficiency, and real progress
Speaker 1: on projects across the Commonwealth the project. The plan includes
Speaker 1: a four point six billion dollars by any road plan
Speaker 1: alongside a seven billion dollar transportation operating budget, ensuring that
Speaker 1: projects can move forward without delays or over promising state resources. Together,
Speaker 1: the measures reflect a discipline approach focused on delivering projects
Speaker 1: ready for construction. And improving infrastructure across communities statewide. This
Speaker 1: road plan is about being honest with taxpayers and making
Speaker 1: sure every dollar delivers results, especially during a time when
Speaker 1: our road revenues are not going as far as they
Speaker 1: used to. Senate Transportation Committee Chair Jimmy Higden said, we
Speaker 1: are prioritizing projects that can move forward now and make
Speaker 1: meaningful investments in communities across Commonwealth. This year's road plan
Speaker 1: will be the final crafted under the careful guidance of Higdon,
Speaker 1: who will retire from legislature at the conclusion of the
Speaker 1: calendar year. This responsible road plan is one crafted in
Speaker 1: no small part because of the great work of our
Speaker 1: friend Jimmy Higdon, said Senate President Robert Steivers. We simply
Speaker 1: would not have the quality of product we were half
Speaker 1: were it not for the work of Jimmy and the incredible,
Speaker 1: credible legislative staff who support the effort. When Kentuckians are
Speaker 1: on roadways, highways and bridges and they see the moving
Speaker 1: of earth and construction that are improving infrastructure and safety,
Speaker 1: Senator Higdon is one of the most notable people we
Speaker 1: can thank for that on behalf of the entire Senate.
Speaker 1: I want to commend him on another sound road plan
Speaker 1: and thank him for his tireless efforts on behalf of
Speaker 1: all of Kentucky. A key component of the plan is
Speaker 1: a two hundred and thirty million dollar investment from the
Speaker 1: Budget Reserve Trust Fund, which helps establish the highway construction
Speaker 1: program and accelerate shovel ready products. By aligning funding with
Speaker 1: project readiness, lawmakers are reducing delays related to right of
Speaker 1: way utilities and external approvals while improving overall project delivery
Speaker 1: timelines delivering a fully funded road plan. The biennial Road
Speaker 1: Plan is fully funded with no overprogramming of state dollars,
Speaker 1: ensuring that projects included in the plan can be completed
Speaker 1: within the budget cycle. The road plan proposed by the
Speaker 1: governor overprogram the budget by more than four hundred percent,
Speaker 1: which Hagdon and lawmakers called unacceptable and unmanageable. An overprogrammed
Speaker 1: road plan means that more projects are listed than there
Speaker 1: is existing revenue to support. The legislature's final road plan
Speaker 1: ensures aims to ensure that projects that receive funding support
Speaker 1: are ready to move forward to do so as intended.
Speaker 1: Kentucky continues to use about one point one billion dollars
Speaker 1: in federal transportation funding matched with state dollars to maximize
Speaker 1: investment while staying fiscally responsible. The plan also continues funding
Speaker 1: for major infrastructure priorities, including Interstate sixty nine Ohio River
Speaker 1: crossing in Henderson, the Brent Spent Bridge in northern Kentucky,
Speaker 1: and Mountain Parkway expansion, each supported by significant General Fund investments.
Speaker 1: The legislation makes substantial investments in local roads, bridges, and infrastructure,
Speaker 1: including one hundred and ninety million dollars for county and
Speaker 1: CEAS twenty road projects over the biennium, twenty five million
Speaker 1: dollars annually for local bridge improvements, Expanded funding six hundred
Speaker 1: and fifty seventy million dollars in fiscal year twenty twenty
Speaker 1: seven for resurfacing through Local Assistance Road program ensuring all
Speaker 1: high priority routes rated eight nine to ten on a
Speaker 1: scale of one to ten designating severity of need are addressed.
Speaker 1: Additional funds are set aside to be determined for specific
Speaker 1: projects next legislative session. For fiscal year twenty twenty eight,
Speaker 1: two million dollars to support county projects that have associated
Speaker 1: costs of less than fifteen thousand dollars. Additional funding distributed
Speaker 1: directly to counties and cities support local transportation needs. These
Speaker 1: targeted investments will help improve row conditions, enhance safety, and
Speaker 1: support economic development in both rural and urban service areas.
Speaker 1: By focusing combining strategic funding with policy improvements, lawmakers have
Speaker 1: crafted a plan that emphasizes results, moving projects forward now
Speaker 1: rather than years down the road. This plan reflects years
Speaker 1: of work to build a system that delivers. Hegden said,
Speaker 1: its focus, its responsible, It puts Kentucky in a strong
Speaker 1: position for the future. Transportation funding legislation now moves forward
Speaker 1: in the final stages of the legislative process before heading
Speaker 1: to the Governor's desk. Respective bill and resolution numbers related
Speaker 1: to the Road planner as follows House Bill five oh one,
Speaker 1: KYTC Operating Budget, HB five two Road Plan, HJR Road
Speaker 1: Plan out ears, and hj R seven six l R
Speaker 1: LA RP Projects. This is all the time we have
Speaker 1: for reading of recent editions of the Kentucky Standard. If
Speaker 1: you've enjoyed hearing this, please call us at eight five
Speaker 1: nine four two two six three nine zero and let
Speaker 1: us know on behalf of everyone here at RADIOI. This
Speaker 1: is Bryan Hunt. Thank you for joining me, and now
Speaker 1: please stay tuned for continued programming here on Radio I