FRANKFORT, KY - On Nov. 21, 2024, Gov. Andy Beshear provided an update on economic development, funding to help communities recover from floods and tornadoes, Violence Against Women Act grant funding, Kentucky State Police’s annual food drive and medical cannabis. The Governor also provided an update on upcoming weather and named snow crews preparing the roads as this week’s Team Kentucky All-Stars.

Economic Development
Last week, Gov. Beshear was joined by local leaders and executives from Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing, a subsidiary of e-Storage, to announce the largest economic development project in Shelby County’s history and the largest jobs announcement in the commonwealth in more than two years. The nearly $712 million project creating 1,572 skilled, high-tech jobs represents the third-largest project for job creation and the fourth-largest investment during the administration.

On Tuesday, the Governor highlighted continued investment in the commonwealth’s soaring economy as he joined local officials in Madison County to cut the ribbon on the state’s latest site development project, which will attract even more jobs to the Richmond area.

Disaster Recovery Program
Today, Gov. Beshear announced that $29.6 million will help three communities recover from the tornado and flooding disasters of 2021 and 2022. The funding will come from Kentucky’s Disaster Recovery Program.

- The city of Bowling Green will receive $3.8 million to replace a failing stormwater line on Chestnut Street, helping to prevent flooding during heavy rains.

- The Perry County Fiscal Court will receive $2.8 million to extend sewer service along Kentucky Highway 28 from Haddock Fork to Kentucky Highway 15 in Hazard. This area was hit hard by flooding, which caused severe damage to the septic systems.

- The Perry County Fiscal Court will also receive $9.8 million to provide first-time sewer service to 213 existing homes in the Wendell Ford Airport area.

- The city of Jackson will receive $13 million to build a new wastewater treatment plant. The current plant was damaged by flooding. The new plant will be built outside of the floodplain.

Violence Against Women Act Awards
Today, Gov. Beshear awarded $2,118,743 to 30 organizations across the commonwealth through the federal Violence Against Women Act grant program. The program awards funding to organizations focused on stopping sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. Funds are allocated for law enforcement, prosecutors, victim services and state and local courts. It also supports community and local projects serving adult and youth victims.

The Governor highlighted one of the awards: $62,720 for SAFE Services at UofL Health. Amanda Corzine, director of the program, joined the Team Kentucky Update to talk about how SAFE Services will use this funding to provide support for a new hospital-based advocacy program and to hire a full-time domestic violence advocate position.

Kentucky State Police Annual Food Drive
Gov. Beshear and the Kentucky State Police (KSP) are encouraging Kentuckians to participate in the annual statewide “Cram the Cruiser” food drive to combat hunger?throughout the commonwealth starting today through Dec. 9. The food drive, hosted by all 16 KSP posts, aims to collect essential food items to brighten the holiday season for those in need. Troopers will be stationed at various grocery and retail stores across the state, ready to accept donations of nonperishable food items.

Medical Cannabis
The Governor provided an update on medical cannabis in the commonwealth. The Office of Medical Cannabis has issued 29 licenses to cultivators, safety compliance facilities and processors. The office will be holding lotteries on two dates for dispensary licenses. The first will be held Monday, Nov. 25, at 2 p.m. at the Kentucky Lottery Corp. in Louisville. That lottery will be for 9 of the 11 medical cannabis dispensary licensing regions. The selectees for the remaining 2 regions will be drawn Monday, Dec. 16.

On July 1, 2024, Kentucky-licensed doctors and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) began applying to their licensing boards to become authorized medical cannabis practitioners. To date, 154 Kentucky doctors and APRNs have become authorized medical cannabis practitioners, and that number is growing steadily each week.

To help Kentuckians find authorized practitioners, Team Kentucky is launching the Kentucky Medical Cannabis Practitioner Directory. This online directory will allow Kentucky patients to find the practitioner nearest them, search within a specific city or county, or search by a specific specialty. This directory will be available beginning Dec. 1 at kymedcan.ky.gov.

Also beginning Dec. 1, authorized medical cannabis practitioners will be able to begin issuing valid written certifications to Kentucky patients. To receive a written certification, patients will need to find an authorized practitioner, set up an initial appointment, receive a diagnosis or confirmation of a qualifying condition, and retrieve the written certification when applying for a medical cannabis card. All valid certifications must be entered by the authorized practitioner through the Office of Medical Cannabis’ online portal.

The Governor also announced that Team Kentucky will be hosting a monthly webinar series for any Kentuckian interested in becoming a medical cannabis cardholder. The webinar dates are posted at kymedcan.ky.gov.

“When we launched this program, our mission was to ensure Kentuckians suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis and other serious conditions have safe, affordable access to medical cannabis,” said Gov. Beshear. “And with these announcements today we are taking big steps toward that goal.”

Team Kentucky All-Stars
The Governor provided an update on upcoming weather. Kentuckians should expect accumulating snow this evening. This is the first snow of the season, and 1 to 2 inches are expected across the Bluegrass region of Central Kentucky. Snow crews are already preparing the roads and responding to winter weather, and the Governor named these hard-working Kentuckians as this week’s Team Kentucky All-Stars.

“Our crews are working hard to make sure every Kentucky family is driving on safe roads,” said Gov. Beshear. “They’re there for your safety, so be sure to ensure their safety. Slow down on the roads and be careful when passing this equipment. Thank you to all our snow crews for their work to keep us safe.”