FRANKFORT, KY - On September 26, 2024, Gov. Andy Beshear provided an update on economic development; upcoming weather; an initiative to distribute free weather alert radios to deaf and hard-of-hearing Kentuckians; community wildfire defense grants; funding awards to support communities recovering from flooding and tornadoes; and medical cannabis. The Governor also named Kentucky Health Departments as this week’s Team Kentucky All-Stars.

Economic Development
Gov. Beshear highlighted continued momentum of the state’s manufacturing industry as Camco Chemical Co., a custom manufacturer of products for the industrial, commercial and consumer goods industries, announced plans to expand its current operation along the border of Boone and Kenton counties, a $3 million investment that will create 30 quality, Kentucky jobs.

The Governor announced further investment in Kentucky’s build-ready, job-ready site development efforts as Lyon County was approved for $2 million in state funding to spur future investment and job creation through the Kentucky Product Development Initiative.

This week, Gov. Beshear joined local officials and leadership from Commercial Specialty Truck Holdings to celebrate the groundbreaking of the company’s new manufacturing facility in Cynthiana, a $28 million project that will help the company meet increased consumer and industry demand, adding to the state’s growing manufacturing industry.

Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,000 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $32.5 billion in announced investments, creating more than 55,000 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history.

Upcoming Weather
Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia have all declared states of emergency due to Hurricane Helene, which is currently a Category 2 storm. It is expected to strengthen further, potentially reaching Category 3 or 4 before making landfall. The Governor said to expect the remnants of the hurricane to begin affecting Kentucky Thursday evening into Friday morning – bringing heavy rains, strong winds and the possibility of severe storms, especially across the eastern and southern regions of the state.

The Governor encouraged Kentuckians to have a weather radio on hand. As the commonwealth prepares for heavy rains, it’s important to remember the dangers of flooding. The Governor encouraged Kentuckians to:

- Visit floodsmart.gov to see flood risks;

- Have a plan for getting to higher ground quickly;

- Have multiple ways to receive flash flood warnings; and

- Never walk or drive through flooded roadways.

Moore Safe Nights
The Governor announced a new program, “Moore Safe Nights,” that will distribute free weather alert radios to deaf and hard-of-hearing Kentuckians for emergency alerts. This is a multistate agency collaboration honoring the late deaf and hard-of-hearing advocate Virginia Moore. The program has acquired 700 weather alert radios specifically adapted for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.

The adapted National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radios are equipped with pillow-shaker and strobe-light attachments to alert people who are deaf and hard of hearing of severe weather warnings issued by the National Weather Service. The radios also have text displays that light up, so users know the type of weather warning issued. While the radios alert people who are deaf or hard of hearing to dangerous weather situations 24 hours a day, the warnings are especially important when the person is asleep.

“Virginia was a tireless advocate for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community and was committed to making sure they have access to information just like any other Kentuckian,” said Gov. Beshear. “I am committed to carrying on her legacy by ensuring that all of our citizens have the resources they need to stay safe and informed during severe weather emergencies.”

Community Wildfire Defense Grants
The Governor announced that $748,440 has been awarded to Laurel County Fiscal Court, the city of Harlan and the Kentucky River Area Development District to assist their efforts to reduce wildfire risk.

“We hope to do great things in Laurel County with this money,” said Laurel County Judge/Executive David Westerfield. “Hopefully we can make our communities safer, with less fire hazards. We appreciate the Governor for everything he does.”

“Not only do we want to take away the risk of wildfires for our citizens and their homes, but we also want to reduce the risk to our firemen,” said Harlan City Fire Department Wildfire Management Director Kelly Michaels. “We want to thank the Governor, the city of Harlan and everyone who made this funding possible.”

“We have experienced quite a few disasters in Eastern Kentucky in our Area Development District,” said Kentucky River Area Development District regional disaster coordinator Chance Clair. “We are going to take this money and work with our eight counties to develop a great plan to mitigate wildfire risk and try our best to protect the citizens of our district.”

Awards to Assist with Flood and Tornado Recovery
The Governor announced three new awards from the East Kentucky State Aid Funding for Emergencies (SAFE) fund, and two new awards from the West Kentucky SAFE fund, totaling over $9.8 million to help communities recover from financial strains caused by devastating natural disasters. The award amounts are based on requests by each entity and verified by the Department for Local Government for cities and counties and by the Kentucky Department of Education for school districts.

The West Kentucky SAFE fund award is:

- $ 1,090,293 for the Muhlenberg County Fiscal Court.

The East Kentucky SAFE fund awards are:

- $500,000 for the city of Buckhorn;
- $1,500,000 for the city of Hazard;
- $ 1,523,879 for Perry County; and
- $ 5,228,175 for the Letcher County Board of Education.

“Two years ago, Governor Beshear stood in our emergency management center in Letcher County Central High School and promised me that we were in this together. And he has been in this with us ever since,” said Letcher County Schools Superintendent Denise Yonts. “This money will help us complete our renovations of the nine different facilities that were impacted greatly by the floods. Students in Letcher County are bright and talented, and since the flood we have seen their perseverance, resilience and grit. This funding will allow us to give them every opportunity to demonstrate that to Kentucky and all of the world.”

Gov. Beshear recommended establishing the West Kentucky SAFE fund, and the 2022 General Assembly supported the aid by passing Senate Bill 150, which the Governor signed in April 2022. In August 2022, Gov. Beshear and the General Assembly established the East Kentucky SAFE fund.

Medical Cannabis
The Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program received 4,998 applications for medical cannabis business licenses. The state is working to get through these applications as quick as possible. Today, the Governor issued Kentucky’s first medical cannabis business license to KCA Labs, a hemp testing lab currently operating in Nicholasville. KCA Labs is a Safety Compliance Facility. These facilities are responsible for testing every medical cannabis product before it gets to Kentucky cardholders.

“We are so excited about the opportunity to be part of Kentucky’s medical cannabis program, and we’re thrilled to accept the first license,” said Jonathan Thompson, CEO of KCA Labs. “I want to thank the Governor and the Office of Medical Cannabis for setting up this licensing process, which has been seamless. KCA’s vast knowledge and experience with testing hemp products will translate neatly into Kentucky’s new medical cannabis program. We look forward to helping ensure the program provides the highest-quality products to Kentucky’s cardholders.”

The Governor announced that the license lottery for medical cannabis cultivators and processors will take place Oct. 28, 2024. Applicants for cultivator Tiers I, II, III and applicants for processors will be informed the week prior whether they are approved to the license lottery. The lotteries will be held by the Kentucky Lottery Corp. in Louisville and will be live-streamed so Kentuckians can tune in and follow along.

“Our mission is to ensure Kentuckians with serious medical conditions have safe access to high quality, tested medical cannabis products,” said Gov. Beshear. “Today, we took two more big steps toward that goal.”

Team Kentucky All-Stars
Thursday morning, the Governor attended the Kentucky Health Departments Association annual retreat to speak with leaders from all of Kentucky’s health departments and proclaim Sept. 23 through 27, as Local Public Health Champions Week. The Governor also named Kentucky’s health departments as this week’s Team Kentucky All Stars.

“For decades, our health departments have been working together to tackle some of the most challenging threats that our families face,” said Gov. Beshear. “As Governor, I believe that access to quality health care is a basic human right. And these folks work to expand health care access for our people every day.”