Eastern Standard

Some of the most troubled children in the Kentucky foster care system are being housed in state office buildings. We find out why and about a proposed remedy in a conversation with Terry Brooks of Kentucky Youth Advocates. Listen to the arguments for and against a proposal to end state anti-pollution protection of groundwater. Also: the author of a new book about Harlan and Anna Hubbard; Lexington folk-country artist Charlie Overman; Japan's KODO Drums to perform in Lexington.

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It’s early 2025, but plans are already underway for the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 presidential election. Joining Josh Douglas, host of this Eastern Standard series to discuss the inner workings of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission is EAC Chair, Ben Hovland. And offering an international perspective on elections and democracy is Dr. Fernanda Buril, the Deputy Director of the Center for Applied Research and Learning at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems. She’s an expert on sustaining democracy.

** WEKU is working hard to be a leading source for public service, and fact-based journalism. Monthly supporters are the top funding source for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation.

Her memoir, Composed, has been described by the Chicago Tribune as “one of the best accounts of an American life you'll likely ever read.” Rosanne Cash, daughter of Johnny, star in her own right, survivor of brain surgery, on tour and coming to Kentucky. We also feature a promising rising star, Bee Taylor, whose latest album, Twenty Seven, was recorded with Lexington musicians at the studio of Grammy-nominated producer/mixer Duane Lundy.
Plus, a report card on our report card: the latest on Kentucky's national ranking for education from education series host Brigitte Blom, this time as our guest in her role as President and CEO of the Prichard Committee for Academic Exellence.

** WEKU is working hard to be a leading source for public service, and fact-based journalism. Monthly supporters are the top funding source for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation.

As Lexington begins celebrating its 250th anniversary, the story of one of its early movers and shakers: Benjamin Gratz. Also, an account of the Cholera Epidemic of 1833. Reggie Van Stockum is out on the back roads of Kentucky exploring the history of the Fort Knox area and southern Indiana. And, the latest in our dog and cat cognition series asks why cats do that head-butting thing.

The Kentucky realities and consequences of President Trump’s deportation plan. Students sue the state alleging violation of the educational guarantees of the Kentucky Constitution. And what the data tells us about teacher pay in Kentucky.

When state inspections of nursing homes fall behind, residents suffer. We get the details from John Cheves, Government Accountability Reporter at the Lexington Herald-Leader. How Fleming Co. Schools are benefiting by including parents and the community in decision-making. We hear about a public-private partnership to take mental health care into schools. And a program to help girls of color learn important life skills and gain self-esteem and confidence.

As one portion of the nation celebrates the inauguration of Donald Trump for a second term in the Oval Office on January 20th, another segment of American society will honor the birth of civil rights leader Martin Luther King. Our guest: Reverend David Peoples, President of the Progressive National Baptist Convention. Psychoanalyst Orna Guralnik shares how her couples therapy mirrors the national political divide. And author Deirdre Scaggs discusses her book “Simplicity and Excellence: Elizabeth Kremer from Beaten Biscuits to Shaker Lemon Pie.”

On this special edition of Eastern Standard:

A conversation with Eddie Mensore, Director of “HAZARD," starring Alex Roe and Sosie Bacon as a central Appalachian couple caught up in opioid addiction and fighting to overcome it. Then, from depiction to reality: “On the Rebound: Stories from Recovery Court,” a podcast from the Daily Yonder about an Appalachian town’s working solution to devastating addiction.

Guest: Eddie Mensore, Director of “HAZARD," starring Alex Roe and Sosie Bacon as a central Appalachian couple caught up in opioid addiction and fighting to overcome it. Guest: Sara June Jo-Sæbo, host of “On the Rebound: Stories from Recovery Court.” A conversation about the inspiration and aims of this compelling podcast from the Daily Yonder, airing in full during our Sunday evening broadcast. Guest: Stuart Horodner, Director, UK Art Museum. In this interview with Art Shechet from our arts partner Undermainarts.org, Horodner takes us into the life and eccentric multi-media art forms of Jay Bolotin. Guests: Dog and cat cognition researchers Ellen Furlong and Rebecca Singer launch a new series taking listener questions about the behaviors of our furred, four-legged pals.

Has the social and political polarization we hear about become a self-fulfilling prophecy? Contributing host Carolyn Dupont, in conversation with Rich Harwood, founder of the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation. Also this week: what a legendary UK football star has in common with a pair of sibling scholars from West Liberty, Kentucky.