- 2 years ago
Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) holds an administrative update briefing.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Uh, good afternoon, everyone. I'm Andy and welcome to this week's teen
00:04Kentucky update. We have some great news on the economic development front
00:09to start today. We continue to be on the biggest, best economic development
00:13win streak in our state's history. The last 4.5 years now over 1000 new
00:20location or expansion projects, $30.6 billion in new private sector
00:25investment and 52,700 new jobs. It's exciting here to live here and to be a
00:33Kentuckian, but it's also exciting the national recognition that we are
00:37receiving, and we got some new news on that today. Site Selection magazine
00:43just announced its 2024 Prosperity Cup rankings, which celebrate each state's
00:48economic development success. Once again, Kentucky had a strong showing.
00:54These rankings showcase what we already know. The Commonwealth is the best
00:58place to do business. I'm proud to say that we have maintained a top 10
01:02ranking and site selections Prosperity Cup every year that I've been governor.
01:08This year, site selection ranked Kentucky number two in the south
01:13central region and number eight nationally. Site selection had
01:19recently announced the Governor's Cup rankings. We came in third nationally
01:24in economic development per capita in those rankings, as well as first in the
01:29south central region. Kentucky has placed top three nationally atop the
01:34south central region in those Governor's Cup rankings. Every year
01:38I've been in office, and these rankings follow 180 private sector new location
01:44and expansion projects in the year 2023, which is what this ranking looks
01:49back on those projects. The 180 private sector new location and expansion
01:55projects from 2023 totaled over $4.6 billion in announced investments than
02:028500 new jobs. They included announcements like North American
02:06Stainless, which in January announced a $244 million expansion to its facility,
02:12creating 70 new full time jobs. That's a new stainless steel line that is now
02:17already in production, serving G. E. Appliances in Louisville Toyota, which
02:23last May committed to retaining 700 full time jobs and investing $591
02:28million. In fact, North America, which last June broke ground on a $53
02:34million expansion in Campbellsville. They're gonna have 220 Kentucky jobs.
02:39Toyota Boshoko, which was in Hopkinsville, where we joined leaders
02:44$225 million investment, 157 new jobs. Stellar Snacks, which we announced in
02:50October, the largest single economic development project in West Louisville
02:56in over 20 years, $137 million investment, 350 full time jobs to make
03:03very delicious pretzels. These rankings highlight the success we've had
03:07statewide and the major investment and job creation that continues. And that
03:12success is due to tremendous work of everyone on Team Kentucky.
03:18Additionally, just yesterday, Toyota continued its progress towards
03:22electrification as the 1st 2025 Camry rolled off the assembly line built by
03:28our great workforce at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky in Georgetown.
03:33Remember, that facility was the very 1st U. S. Facility for Toyota, and it
03:38remains their largest manufacturing facility worldwide. The latest model of
03:44Toyota's top selling car in North America is powered exclusively with the
03:48company's fifth generation hybrid system. To date, more than 11 million
03:54Camrys have been assembled in Kentucky, backed by over $10 billion of
03:58investment by Toyota in the plant and in local communities. Toyota has been a
04:04game changer for Scott County and for the entire Commonwealth for more than
04:0840 years. This continued investment and transition towards electrification
04:13provides assurance that the company hasn't just been a major part of the
04:16last 40 years, but will be a major part of the coming 40 years. Thank you to
04:21Toyota for continuing to prove that Kentucky is the perfect place to
04:25innovate and to thrive. And thank you to all the Kentucky workers at the
04:29plant. You were helping us to continue to lead the automotive industry of the
04:33future. Yesterday, we also got to celebrate another special milestone for
04:38Kentucky as the electric vehicle battery capital of the United States of
04:43America. Yesterday, we opened the E. C. T. C. Blue Oval S. K. Training Center
04:49in Glendale, where Kentucky ins will train for the 5000 new jobs on site
04:55at Blue Oval S. K. Battery Park. In 2021, I worked with the General Assembly to
05:01approve $25 million to help build this facility. Uh, this training center and
05:07in November of last year, I presented another $10 million in grant funding
05:11for this transformational project. I want to thank Elizabeth Town Community
05:16and Technical College, Blue Oval S. K. And Trace Creek Construction for their
05:20tireless efforts to open this facility ahead of schedule. This project is
05:26gonna make a difference for Kentucky families for generations to come. Blue
05:31Oval has already hired more than 700 Kentucky ins at all levels of
05:35experience. You can see current job openings at Blue Oval S. K. Dot com. At
05:41yesterday's event, I also got to meet 10 of the company's newest hires, and
05:47they're all E. C. T. C. Graduates. And I think one photo ago, there is also a
05:53robotics team from E. C. T. C. That just had a really incredible placing, if not
06:00winning a national competition. It's these gentlemen. I think they were all
06:05for jobs on site. But this training center will build momentum that we're
06:10already seeing in the state's electric vehicle industry. Since just June of
06:142020, E. V. Companies have announced $11.7 billion of private sector
06:20investment in Kentucky, which is going to create approximately 10,250 full
06:26time jobs. Congratulations again to E. C. T. C. And Blue Oval S. K.
06:33All right. Ah, quick weather update. The worst is past us. We had two days
06:40where the National Weather Service described it as as the worst forecast
06:45that they see during the entire course of a year. And all in all, we in
06:50Kentucky got off pretty lucky. While we did see some damage from the storm,
06:55there were no reports of injuries or fatalities, which is great news. It's
07:00one of the reasons we we sent people home early the last two days. It's one
07:05of the reasons that we ask everybody to stay so weather aware because we made
07:09it through a lot of tough weather in the last year. And while we lost one
07:14life in the round of 24 22 to 24 tornadoes in that first week of April,
07:21it could have been a lot worse than it could have been a lot worse last night.
07:24So thank you to Kentucky and for being weather aware. Thank you to all our
07:28meteorologist and weather teams and news teams that are out there on the
07:32television, on the radio and any way helping to keep people safe. Seven
07:38counties did sustain rainfall over three inches. Those air Grayson, Logan,
07:44Marshall, Simpson, Todd, Trig and Union counties with reported damage that we
07:52are confirming include Davis Davies, Grayson,
07:57um, Powell and Powell County. Certainly we have confirmed Powell County's.
08:02That's it. Natural Bridge State Park. There has not been at least the last
08:08update. I got a tornado confirmed there at the moment. They think it was
08:12significant wind. We had three counties that had water rescues. All of them were
08:18completed with local resources. That's local fire and rescue who do a great
08:23job. There was one in Marion, where a local fire swift water team rescued a
08:29homeowner. There was one in Logan, uh, specifically in a devil, where a family
08:33was trapped in a home surrounded by water on all sides. And there was one
08:37in Simpson, where the county E. M. Reported two separate water rescues of
08:42vehicles that had been washed out from the roadway. We want to thank all our
08:46first responders for their work for rescuing these Kentuckians and for
08:50always being vigilant and ready to help us in our time of need, uh, of
08:55significant damage and hazards. City of Litchfield, uh, main a water main
09:02washed out in the flash flood that has impacted water service to about 7000
09:08customers. One hospital that currently has 25 patients to assisted living
09:13facilities that serve 30 individuals and two nursing homes. The state is
09:19assisting locals with transportation and aiding with the transport of a
09:23truckload of bottled water. Public health is helping to relocate the
09:27patients, and we're also assessing the water main to determine the next steps.
09:32Emergency declarations. Only one. That's Grayson County, where Litchfield
09:37is the county seat. That was a written declaration. Upcoming weather. We have
09:42a marginal risk of thunderstorms across central Kentucky and into eastern
09:46Kentucky this afternoon and evening. But this forecast isn't nearly as
09:50concerning as what we got through in the last two days. I would always
09:55rather be careful with everything that we have been through when we have these
09:59really concerning forecasts. And I want to thank all Kentuckians for being
10:03careful as well.
10:05All right. A reminder that we have a primary election coming up Tuesday, May
10:1021st. I want to remind everyone that they need to make a plan to vote. This
10:16is your I mean, the fundamental right of Americans, the bedrock of our
10:22democracy. And I want everybody to get out and vote this primary in person
10:28excused absentee voting. That is when you know you're not gonna be here on
10:32Election Day or early voting days. You can go in. It opened yesterday. You can
10:38go in now on. It's gonna run weekdays from now until the 15th and cast your
10:44vote. So you have May 8th, 9th, 10th and then the 13th, 14th and 15th. If
10:49you know you're gonna be out of town on Election Day or those early voting
10:54days, you can go in. You've got to sign a form and you can cast your vote.
10:59Early voting will take place Thursday, May 16th, Friday, May 17th and Saturday,
11:05May 18th. In person voting on Election Day, May 21st will take place from six
11:11a.m. To six p.m. Local time to find out where to vote. Voters should visit the
11:16state Board of Elections website at go vote dot k y dot gov. Uh, next, an
11:23update on awards to support victims of crime. Providing support for victims of
11:28crime in Kentucky has been a top priority of mine as attorney general
11:32and now as governor. It was a part of our core mission each and every day.
11:38Those that have been harmed. We ought to be providing every service that we
11:42can. Every crime victim deserves justice, but also the chance to
11:46rebuild their life after experiencing an unimaginable trauma. That's why
11:52today I'm proud to announce that we're awarding $750,000 in federal grant
11:57funding to 15 organizations to support victims of crime. This funding allows
12:02us to continue to be with survivors every step of the journey, just as we
12:07pledged. One organization that's been awarded funding is the Barron River
12:11Area Safe Space or Brass. Brass helps victims of domestic violence in the
12:17Bowling Green area, and they're receiving $29,200 to provide emergency
12:22housing assistance to domestic violence survivors. We will have a short video
12:27message from Brass on how they're going to use the funds. Covid inflicted deep
12:32wounds on countless individuals, families and businesses, testing our
12:35resilience in ways we never imagined. We came together, and sometimes we fell
12:40apart. But one thing is certain, the strength of survivors never left. Day
12:45in and day out, advocates across our 10 counties, across the Commonwealth and
12:50across the nation answered crisis lines and helped provide stability in the
12:53chaos. Every day, some of the bravest individuals took the scariest step,
12:59reaching out for help, trying to find a beacon of light to help them navigate
13:03through the storm. Our services have historically had to change to meet
13:07demands, such as the addition of advocacy in courtrooms during DBO
13:10hearings or housing assistance to help survivors gain stability. But the most
13:15immediate needs continue. Emergency shelter, a place for individuals to flee
13:21from abusive homes.
13:24Since the start of the pandemic, crisis calls requesting emergency shelter far
13:29outnumbered our shelter capacity at Brass. Our answer to this critical need
13:34was opening a block of hotel rooms so that we could attempt to shelter more
13:37victims who needed to escape domestic violence they were experiencing at home.
13:42Without ARPA funding, our current shelter occupancy would be cut by 29%,
13:47prohibiting an estimated 106 victims per year from seeking safety and
13:51beginning their journey towards healing from the abuse they experienced at the
13:54hands of their partner. If you or someone you know needs help, Kentucky
13:58offers 15 domestic violence shelters ready to answer the call of our fellow
14:02Kentuckians with available 24 7 crisis line just like ours. Our number is 1
14:08800 9281183 or you can call our state coalition zero being at 1 800 7997233.
14:18Crisis line advocates will help connect you with resources in your area and
14:22will be honored to be any part of your path to becoming a survivor.
14:29To the great folks at brass and the 14 other organizations receiving funds to
14:34help victims of crime. Thank you. Thank you for what you do. Please keep
14:40helping our people.
14:43We also have in addition to all these updates today, I wanted to take a minute
14:48to recognize a few important groups that is a nation we are thanking and
14:53recognizing this week. I'm not sure it's really fair, but this week is
14:57dedicated to many important groups. It is Teacher Appreciation Week. It is
15:03National Nurses Week and it's Public Employee Service Recognition Week. This
15:09has always been an education first administration and we believe health
15:14care is a basic human right when it comes to carrying out that work on
15:17behalf of Kentucky's families. We depend an awful lot on our public servants and
15:22employees. So if you are a nurse, a teacher or a public employee, thank you
15:28for everything you do. Virtually all of you are underpaid and don't do it for
15:34the money. The work you do is so critical and it helps people and we
15:38would not be at this exciting time in the Commonwealth with this amazing
15:43economic development, creating opportunities and prosperity for our
15:47people at such an incredible pace without what you do every day for all
15:52of us from helping us through a once in a century pandemic to providing
15:58lifesaving care each day to educating our Children and being a mentor to
16:03caring for and keeping our community safe and providing the vital services
16:08our families rely on. Team Kentucky appreciates each and every one of you.
16:13All right. 14 Kentucky all stars. One staffing note. My deputy chief of staff,
16:19uh, Jonathan Smith has advised us that he'll be stepping down from that
16:24position and going back to the private sector late summer, early fall. Culture
16:30Minnix, who is currently our D. C. Liaison, is going to be moving back
16:34full time to Kentucky to take over that job. Jonathan's worked with me, um, for
16:40almost nine years, and he's been an incredible part of team Kentucky. We
16:47could not have accomplished what we've accomplished at the A. G. S. Office or
16:50here without him. He's gonna be missed, and they're gonna be big shoes to fill.
16:56But we appreciate him. And when you want talented people to come and work
17:00in state government, you've got to be happy for them when they have outside
17:04opportunities where they think that they can better the lives of their
17:07families. He's now also got three beautiful Children, uh, may want to
17:11spend a little bit more time at home than he can as a deputy chief of staff
17:15to a governor. So, Jonathan, thank you for all your service. But we know
17:19you're around for several more months. Okay, so finally, with our team
17:24Kentucky all stars, we have some exciting news for some very talented
17:28young Kentuckians. Just a few moments ago, U. S. Secretary of Education
17:32Miguel Cardona announced the 2024 U. S. Presidential Scholars. For 60 years,
17:39the U. S. Presidential Scholarship Program has recognized our nation's
17:42most distinguished graduating high school seniors. It's one of, if not the
17:47highest honor for graduating seniors. The White House Commission on
17:51Presidential Scholars selects scholars annually based on academic success,
17:57excellence in the arts and in technical education through essays through school
18:02evaluations and transcripts, as well as a demonstrated commitment to
18:06community service and leadership. This year, Kentucky has five incredible
18:11seniors named as 2024 U. S. Presidential Scholars. They are Owen
18:16Borden from Fort Thomas, who attends Highlands High School. Congratulations,
18:21Owen. Jennifer Wynn from Grayson, who attends the school at the Craft Academy
18:26for Excellence in Science and Mathematics at Moorhead State
18:29University. Congratulations, Jennifer Joshua Zizek from Lakeside Park, who
18:37attends Beachwood High School in Fort Mischel. Congratulations. Congratulations,
18:41Joshua Chase Phillips from Louisville, who attends DuPont Manual Magnet High
18:47School and is a presidential scholar in the arts. Congratulations, Chase and
18:51Sarah Cawley from Murray, who attends Murray High School. Congratulations,
18:57Sarah. Secretary Cardona said. These scholars represent the best of our
19:02nation's schools and inspire hope in the bright future in this country. And I
19:06couldn't agree more. It is a huge honor. It's gonna look great on their resume.
19:11And today, if they want to put it right underneath there, they're becoming our
19:16team Kentucky all stars. Congratulations to each of you. Okay,
19:21we just have a one journalist with us live today and two on the phone. So
19:26we'll start with Carolina.
19:30In Washington,
19:32saying that it appears the marijuana classification is going to be happening
19:37soon. Does that impact Kentucky's medical marijuana program in any way as
19:44we launch? So the rescheduling of marijuana shouldn't impact the dates,
19:50the times or really the content of our medical marijuana program. If done what
19:56it will allow is medical research into marijuana, which right now is
20:01prohibited because of how it's scheduled. So I do think in the longer
20:06term it can make an impact, uh, maybe providing us what we need on some
20:10conditions that we believe should be included in the program, but currently
20:15are are not. I think Crohn's disease is one that many states include. And so if
20:21this this rescheduling happens and if it opens up research, my hope is that
20:27we can use that to to further open this program where it will provide a medical
20:32or or a therapeutic purpose that will help people. All right, Karen czar from
20:37W. K. Y.
20:41Good afternoon, Governor. Thanks. Do we know the economic impact yet of online
20:47betting from the Derby? Thank you.
20:50Oh, I believe the handle has come out on that. Let us get you the numbers on
20:58that. The predicted economic impact of the Kentucky Derby, I think, was around
21:04$400 million that I saw. I will say that we saw more online betting and
21:11sports betting the Derby on the Derby this year than ever before. So let me
21:15see what type of quantifiable data we already have. Actually, I think I'm
21:19meeting with the Horse Racing Commission and about an hour. So let
21:22me let me get that for you, Karen. But let me just say the Kentucky Derby this
21:26year was incredible. Viewership was up. We had a huge attendance at the track.
21:34We had an amazing race, uh, so close between three horses. My friend Kenny
21:40McPeak, uh, won his first Derby as a trainer, won the Oaks two. It's the
21:44first time in, I think, 57 years the same trainer has has won both. So
21:49congratulations to Kenny and the whole team. Uh, just a great way to show off
21:56Kentucky. We had a big economic development group. I believe we will
22:00see more jobs come out of that. So a really good Derby for the Commonwealth.
22:06Sarah Ladd with the Kentucky Lantern.
22:10Yeah, thank you. I have a couple now, if that's okay. The first one is just a
22:14clarification point on the storm update, which is which hospital is
22:18having to relocate patients and where are they going? And then the second
22:22point I'm looking for a bit of a covid update, specifically the new flirt
22:26variant. Do we have that in Kentucky now? And are there any public health
22:31concerns about that variant? Since I I'm hearing it's a bit more resistant
22:35to vaccines than maybe previous strains. Thank you.
22:39Yeah, let me let me get you direct information on both. It is the hospital
22:44and Litchfield. I don't have its name uh in front of me. It's it's fed by the
22:49same water meter and and water system that went out. So we're really dealing
22:54with one water system in that town uh that that we need to find a fix for.
23:01We'll get from from public health exactly where they're relocating
23:05though. I believe in the same general area we had some relocations uh in the
23:11past on covid. We'll get a direct update from dr stack on the new
23:17variant. I don't have information about how many cases or whether we have the
23:23new variant. And certainly an uptick hasn't been reported to me yet. But
23:28remember, we can't compare numbers the same way we used to because they're not
23:32collected the same way that they were before. So we'll get both those for you
23:38directly. Sarah, thank you for asking the question. All right. That is this
23:42week's team Kentucky update 25 minutes. Remember life short, be kind to each
23:48other and do good things.
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