by Michael Meredith:
We are now halfway through the 2023 Regular Session, and several pieces of House legislation have passed the chamber and are now in the Senate for further consideration. With the deadline to file new bills behind us, I look forward to the opportunity to catch my breath and spend time reviewing the bills that will be up for debate in committee and before the full House of Representatives. In the meantime, I want to remind you that you can keep up with legislative news by watching livestream coverage of House proceedings provided by Kentucky Educational Television, and live and archived footage of our committee meetings on YouTube @KYLRCCommitteeMeetings. Another great resource is the House Majority’s YouTube page, @KYHouseGOP. This week, I thought I might take some time to focus on some of the bills that passed the House this week.
 
HB 153: This bill would make Kentucky a Second Amendment sanctuary state and prohibit law enforcement agencies and officers, public agencies, public officials, or employees of a local government from enforcing federal firearm bans. It would also prevent any federal firearm regulations enacted after January 1, 2022, from being enforced with Kentucky tax dollars or tax-payer dollars.
 
HB 180: This bill would require health benefit plans to cover biomarker and pharmacogenetic screenings for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer as well as other diseases. Genetic information allows for targeted treatment specific to the diagnosis.
 
HB 125: This measure would require the Department for Aging and Independent Living to work with the Department of Public Health and the Alzheimer's Association to provide up-to-date information on Alzheimer’s disease and the risk of cognitive decline in educational materials they distribute to the public.
 
HJR 39: This resolution directs the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) to review and implement programs to address the benefits cliff in Kentucky. These recommendations are a result of the 2022 Interim Benefits Cliff Task Force. Some of those include creating a benefits cliff calculator, looking at ways to tier benefits or gradually phase out benefits, and implementing an outreach program to increase awareness of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit.
 
As I mentioned, the last day to file bills for the 2023 session has come and gone, so I also wanted to explain a couple of those that were filed this week. A total of 594 bills were filed, but only a fraction will make it through the legislative process to become law.
 
HB 319 is aimed at helping bring qualified individuals into Kentucky classrooms by adopting the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, expanding the Teacher Scholarship Program, and establishing an online statewide job posting system. The mobility compact allows educators who hold a license in any eligible state to be granted an equivalent license in Kentucky. Regarding the Teacher Scholarship Program, HB 319 would eliminate the cap on awards available to individuals, allowing students the ability to receive more money towards their education. It also directs the Kentucky Department of Education to establish an online statewide job posting system for vacancies which streamlines the existing hiring process.
 
HB 538 would protect students and teachers and provide more authority in maintaining the educational process as well as improve the student well-being and safety for students, educators, and school staff. The measure gives schools more guidance and tools to combat disruption in the classroom, as well as giving the student who chronically misbehaves an opportunity to reassess his or her behavior.
 
As always, I can be reached here at home anytime, or through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. Feel free to contact me via email at Michael.Meredith@lrc.ky.gov. If you would like more information, please visit the legislature’s website at www.legislature.ky.gov.

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Edmonson Voice Report:
The Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce welcomed one of their newest members, PJ's Cafe in Brownsville, with a celebratory ribbon cutting today at the restaurant with staff, friends, and family.

The cafe is located in the former dentistry building located in the Riverhill area, next to Ace Hardware on HWY 259 N.

The cafe is owned and operated by Gary and Jackie Snelling, and Phillip and Carol Coleman, and they offer a large number of choices for breakfast and lunch from their extensive menu.

Mrs. Snelling says their most popular menu item so far is "The Brownsville." It's a breakfast platter that contains two eggs, bacon or sausage, hash browns, and biscuit and gravy for $7.99. They offer a wide variety of breakfast items and platters.

They are open 7 days a week from 6AM until 2PM daily.

"We offer soups, sandwiches, salads, and a lot of our own recipes," said Mrs. Snelling. "And we leave the classics the way they're supposed to be."

Some of those classic items are burgers, Philly cheese steaks (ribeye), patty melts, and other savory dishes.

In addition, they also serve an area favorite, Chaney's Ice Cream, along with their own brand of sweet treats like homemade scones, cookies, cinnamon rolls, and other desserts.

"We also offer to-go orders and we're working hard to make them flawless," she said.

PJ's is already talking about some new menu items with more options, perhaps this summer. They are also considering possibilities of staying open throughout dinner hours soon.

The cafe can be reached at 270-975-2248 or you can visit their Facebook Page by clicking here.

Click here for more information on how to join the Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce.

The Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon cutting for PJ's Cafe this Thursday, Feb. 23rd at 10AM on site at the restaurant.

The cafe, located in the former dentist office next to Ace Hardware, opened in December of last year and serves breakfast and lunch.

For more info on joining the Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce, please visit edmonsonchamber.com.

Darren Doyle, story:
ECHS Engineering recently received a grant from Tennessee Valley Robotics in the amount of $3000. The purpose of the program is to support robotics in education while teaching students the STEM skills needed to prepare them for the future job market.  These funds are available to the TVA/WRECC covered areas of Tennessee and Kentucky.

"ECHS Engineering applied for the funds and was granted the $3000 to assist in building their robotics program within the engineering pathway," said Mr. Shane Wilson, Engineering teacher at ECHS. The engineering program at the high school was created during the 21-22 school year and has several needs that go beyond normal classroom necessities.

"The program is in need of adding equipment, robots, and other items to help ECHS students learn robotics maintenance skills and programming, similar to what is used in factories and industrial settings," he added. "ECHS Engineering has also recently purchased an industrial robot used in the classroom and students will be able to become industry certified in the near future.  The TN Valley Robotics grant will be used to purchase even more equipment that will simulate a conveyor belt and robotics system used in an industrial setting.  These are skills needed in today's workforce that will give ECHS an advantage in the workforce."

ECHS Principal Jonathan Williams gave tribute to the superintendent and the school board for allowing new career pathways to serve local students, as well as Wilson's role as head of ECHS Engineering.

"We’re really excited at ECHS about Mr. Wilson’s pathway and what they’re doing with it," he said. "He’s done a great job identifying quality grants, writing for them, and of course, winning them. His students love the robotics, programming, manufacturing, and renewal energy projects they’re doing and we look forward to what lies ahead."

Mr. Wilson also said that the TN Valley Robotics program was able to contribute over $40,000 overall in robotics funds throughout KY with the initiative.

by Lilly Parsley, ECHS FFA Chapter Reporter:
On Tuesday, January 24th, 12 Edmonson County High School FFA members and officers met with Judge/Executive Scott Lindsey to declare National FFA Week In Edmonson County from February 18-25, 2023.

National FFA Week is dedicated to sharing and celebrating what FFA offers to members all over the country. ECHS celebrates National FFA Week by encouraging members to participate in FFA themed dress up days throughout the school week.

These students also met with County Clerk Kevin Alexander to promote the Ag Tag Program in Edmonson County. When licensing your vehicle consider donating $10 towards the local Ag Tag Program to support your local FFA Chapter. Thank you to the ones who have donated and supported us!

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MAMMOTH CAVE, KY – Mammoth Cave National Park and will host two special musical performances by the Louisville Orchestra featuring famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma inside Mammoth Cave on Saturday, April 29, 2023 at 11 am and 3 pm CDT. The performances will be led by the Musical Director of the Louisville Orchestra, Teddy Abrams, and celebrate the history and culture of Mammoth Cave and how natural environments can provide artistic inspiration. Tickets for the event will be distributed by a lottery process through Recreation.gov beginning Monday, January 30.  
 
“We are thrilled to offer this amazing opportunity to experience the sounds of Yo-Yo Ma and the Louisville Orchestra inside Mammoth Cave,” said Park Superintendent Barclay Trimble. “Music is universally loved and recognized as a way to connect and bring people together. Mammoth Cave has been a source of artistic inspiration for thousands of years and now through a composition created by Teddy Abrams and a historic performance by Yo-Yo Ma, we can add another fantastic musical moment to the cave’s history.” 
 
The music performed during this special event is being created especially for Mammoth Cave by Teddy Abrams. Abrams spent the last year exploring Mammoth Cave National Park and immersing himself into the cave’s geology and human history to gain inspiration from the sights and sounds of the park. He composed his work with featured performer Yo-Yo Ma in mind. 
 
“Visitors have always been drawn to Mammoth Cave to experience its ancient stillness and expansiveness,” explained Abrams. “It’s no surprise that this otherworldly treasure has inspired art in all forms, some of which can still be seen in the cave. Performing music in a cave where untold generations of people before us have created their own music connects us in a vital way to our past.” 
 

The musical performances will take place inside Mammoth Cave in a large open room known as Rafinesque Hall and may not be like what is typically experienced in a concert hall. The audience will be asked to participate and move around the performance space at various points during the piece. The cave area is a natural environment, with low lighting and a temperature of around 54ºF (12ºC). There are no seating options, and the performance time is estimated at 45 min – 1 hour. Audience members must walk 0.75 miles (1.2 km), round trip, to reach the performance area. The access trail includes a steep outdoor hillside to and from the cave’s natural entrance with a total of 130 stairs. Inside the cave, the trail will travel along broad walkways in some of the largest rooms inside Mammoth Cave. The trail is mostly level, but some hilly and uneven areas exist. 
 

Due to the expected popularity of the event, tickets are being distributed via a lottery system through Recreation.gov. The lottery system will provide an equitable opportunity for all interested visitors to attend this limited, yet high-demand event. The lottery will be open from 11 am CST, Monday, January 30 to 11 am Monday, February 6 at Recreation.gov. Only one application per email address is accepted, and each application may request up to 4 tickets. The performance is open to all ages, but youths under the age of 16 years, must be accompanied by an adult 18 years or older. All lottery applicants will be charged a $1.00 application fee, but there is no fee for tickets to the actual event. 
 
For more information about this special musical event and for ticket information visit Mammoth Cave Presents Teddy Abrams and the Louisville Orchestra with Yo-Yo Ma. 

Photos courtesy of Mammoth Cave National Park.

Alford's Pharmacy and Drive-Thru is addressing a potential issue with Anthem Insurance patients.

"A lot of our patients/customers with Anthem insurance received a letter stating there was a change within their pharmacy network and they referred them to other pharmacies that are all miles away," said the pharmacy in a statement. "But what they don't tell them is they can call their insurance and opt out of this."

The pharmacy also stated that sometimes these letters may seem scary or intimidating but anyone with questions can call the pharmacy at 270-597-1044, or simply follow the instructions on the attached flyer.