Eastern Standard

This week on Eastern Standard:

• As ICE continues to sign support agreements with Kentucky law enforcement agencies we get an update on the atmosphere among international communities across the Commonwealth from Nima Kulkarni, state representative, immigration employment attorney and founder of the New Americans Initiative. 

• Javier Hernandez came to the states from Mexico in the late 90s and has worked his way up to manager of a Fayette County’s horse farm. He tells us about his journey from becoming a legal resident and a naturalized citizen, to managing migrant employees who fear encounters with ICE.

• Lexington journalist, writer, poet and photographer Kevin Nance is releasing a new book of poetry that stands as a memoir of a life begun on a small tobacco farm in eastern North Carolina. He joins us in the studio to share some readings from the collection.

• Max Puchalsky is a co-founder of ArtFarm, a new shared workspace for artists and organizers in Lexington. 

This week on Eastern Standard:

• Substantiated incidents of abuse and neglect in Kentucky child care centers are up 73% from 2022. Herald-Leader Government Accountability reporter John Cheves documents this and other troubling statistics in a three-part series on a vital service stretched thin by staff shortages.
  
• What do Nicholasville, the Kentucky Constitution, and Thomas Jefferson have in common? Denis Fleming connects the dots in a new book.
  
• The concerns and anxieties of patients need an outlet as we hear in Judy Flavell’s conversation with Dr. Robert Slocum, coordinator of the Narrative Medicine program at UK Health Care.
  
• Traditional Appalachian dishes are reimagined in a Modern Mountain Cookbook: A Plant-Based Celebration of Appalachia. Author Jan Brandenberg joins us.

“Are we really just going to decide that we are going to be a divided country, and there’s going to be half of the population that we choose not to associate with?” This in-the-moment question is raised in this week’s Independence Day edition by Karissa Raskin, CEO of the Listen First Project. She is one of two guests interviewed for this episode by Eastern Standard contributor Carolyn Dupont. Also joining us is Dana Goldthwaite Young, who suggests that in reality, we're not as divided over major policy issues as many believe. She is the author of “Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive Our Appetite For Misinformation.”

Celebrating a century: Herrington Lake, a source of hydroelectric power and a central Kentucky destination for recreation and relaxation. Tom Martin interviews Mike Holdren, author of a new book about the creation and history of the lake.

Cliff Drouet is on a mission to restore forests destroyed by surface mining across Appalachia. The US Forester discusses ARRI, the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative

Kathleen Driskell begins her two-year appointment as Kentucky Poet Laureate, succeeding Silas House. How will she use the opportunity? Find out in this conversation with Eastern Standard contributor Tom Eblen.

Leslie Stematis is co-founder of M'Power Rhythm, created to teach collaboration through drumming. She talks with Tom Martin about upcoming events.

Are we living through a major era of change in America? For perspective, we turn to renowned professor of History Heather Cox Richardson. And we ask Mediba Dennie, Deputy Editor and Senior Contributor at the critical legal commentary outlet Balls and Strikes, what drives the Supreme Court to embrace Originalism in the Court's interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.

These questions are the focus of Episode 20 of the Eastern Standard series, “Democracy Optimist,” hosted by Joshua Douglas, Acting Associate Dean for Research at the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law.

When it comes to reporting on the workings of city government, there are so many immediate issues demanding attention that it can be very easy to lose a broader perspective — what local ordinances, for example, the city council is considering, and how the council itself has gone through important changes in recent years. Eastern Standard contributor Gerald Smith gets the perspective of long-time Council Member James Brown.

• Join a club, save democracy? That’s the advice of Rebecca Davis, co-producer of “Join or Die”, a film about why you should join a club and why the fate of America depends on it. She is the guest of ES contributor Carolyn Dupont.

• What happened to Major Jack Wells in Vietnam on September 27th, 1965 is a question that has plagued his son, James, for decades. James Wells’ search for answers culminates in the book, Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew. Wells discusses his story with Tom Martin.

• The 1956 arrival in Lexington of IBM was a genuine game-changer for the city. Find out how and why in Tom Martin’s conversation with Mandy Higgins, executive director of the Lexington History Museum.

The art — and challenges — of raising backyard chickens in an urban setting. Natalie Voss interviews Jackie Jacob, Ag Extension Project Manager at the University of Kentucky.

In a conversation with with Art Shechet from our partner arts pub, undermainarts.org, Lexington architects Clive and Graham Pohl discuss architecture as public art.

The Lexington Children’s Theatre has new leadership. Jeff Sachs arrives from Chicago where he served as founding managing director of Kerfuffle, a theatre for the very young.

Greg Lynd and Matt Page unveil a new album of original rock — with a touch of Irish.

Choreographer Lakshmi Sriraman and Greenroom Exchange co-founder Lee Carroll fill us in on a mid-June concert at the Lyric Theater that will blend the classical music of India with other forms of World Music styles.

This week on Eastern Standard:

Research projects hit with Trump administration funding cuts include two major government reports that tell us where things stand with nature and climate here in the US, and how any changes that are happening could impact people and the economy. But writing in Inside Climate News, Kiley Price reports that scientists, themselves, are taking on these efforts to keep us informed, without the government’s help.

It’s challenging to keep track, day by day, of the Executive Orders coming out of the White House, and the actions of the administration’s “Department of Government Efficiency” or “DOGE,” .. and how these actions are affecting Kentucky. But somebody has stepped into the role of making those connections. Joining us is Jason Bailey, executive director of the Ky Council for Economic Policy

If you have young kids, and you have a job, you want the peace of mind from knowing that your kids are getting safe, quality care while you’re at work. Not just warehousing them with a babysitter, but making sure they’re getting what they need for their growth and development. How many ways could child care in Kentucky better deliver that peace of mind? Dozens of ways, according to a new policy report developed with the input of an array of advocacy and business organizations across the Commonwealth and published by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. The report is titled “A Foundation for Action: Shared Solutions to Child Care Challenges in Kentucky.” The Chamber’s policy chief, Charles Aull, is our guest.

Opening on June 6th at the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center: An ActOut Theatre Group production of Angels in America, Part One, Millennium Approaches. Kevin Nance sits down with director Drew Barr.

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Part One

Democracy must have at least two robust parties that both agree on certain core values—in particular, the importance of democratic institutions and accepting election outcomes. From 2021 to early 2025, Stephen Richer served as the County Recorder, administering elections, in Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix. After strongly defending the integrity of the 2020 election, he lost the 2024 Republican primary election for his office but continued to serve voters admirably in running the 2024 election in the nation’s second-largest voting jurisdiction. Richer is currently a senior practice fellow in American democracy at the Ash Center of Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Part Two:

American democracy requires both major political parties to embrace the core idea of democracy. And young people are the key to sustaining a democracy movement that can endure. Scott Warren has spent his career working on both issues—creating a culture of youth engagement and fostering a democracy movement for all sides of the political spectrum. Scott co-founded the organization “Generation Citizen,” which empowers young people by improving local civics education across the country. He also launched Democracy Moves, an international network of youth activists pushing for democratic change. Now he is a visiting fellow at Johns Hopkins University, where he is focused on building a pro-democracy conservative movement in the United States.

**Public Media funding is under threat. You can help! Join WEKU's 1850 campaign for the future! 1,850 new supporters, each giving $10 monthly to keep WEKU strong. Donate today!

This week on Eastern Standard,

• Q&A with Inside Climate News reporter Kiley Price on the intersection of climate change, tariffs, and homeowner insurance
• Clear and consistent research has found that parents and families play an important role in student success. Education contributor Brigitte Blom has a conversation with April Draine, a Kentucky mom, a Commonwealth Institute of Parent Leadership fellow, and a substitute teacher. 
• Newly minted Kentucky Supreme Court justice Pamela Goodwine talks with contributor Gerald Smith about her rise to the state’s highest court and her firm opposition to capital punishment.
• What do the Cats and French jazz violinist Jean Luc Ponty have in common? Find out as music contributor Zach Brock launches a new ES series of interviews with some of the world’s great working musicians.