Connections With Renee Shaw

Renee Shaw talks with chefs Sam Fore, owner of Tuk Tuk Sri Lankan Bites in Lexington, Kentucky, and Isaiah Screetch of Spark Community Café in Versailles, Kentucky. Both are semifinalists for the prestigious 2023 James Beard Awards in the Best Chef, Southeast category. The awards celebrate and support the people behind America’s food culture.

Affrilachian poet Frank X Walker discusses his first children's book, "A Is for Affrilachia," and other upcoming projects.

Aaron Thompson, president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, talks about proposed legislation on college tuition before the Kentucky General Assembly, strategies to help college kids cope with mental wellness challenges, addressing food and housing insecurity and more.

Dr. Monalisa Tailor, president of the Kentucky Medical Association, talks about the state of COVID, declining immunization rates and how she is seeking to rejuvenate medical care.

While youth violence is on the rise across the nation, Lexington is experiencing a decline in deadly gun violence involving kids. Renee Shaw sits down with Devine Carama, director of the city's ONE Lexington program to learn more about the approach to keep kids and communities safer.

Renee speaks with retired Congressman John Yarmuth (D-KY3) about his accomplishments.

Former Kentucky House Minority Leader Joni Jenkins retired from the Kentucky General Assembly after serving more than 25 years. Renee Shaw talks with Jenkins about her accomplishments, political dynamics in Frankfort and her next chapter.

Renee Shaw sits down with Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton to discuss the plans she has for her second term.

U.S. Congressman James Comer, of Kentucky's 1st District, talks about his future role as chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee and the investigations he is planning into the origins of COVID, Hunter Biden and fraudulent unemployment insurance claims. Next, Renee Shaw talks with Kentucky 3rd District Congressman-elect Morgan McGarvey about what he hopes to accomplish in Washington.

Renee Shaw talks with poet, playwright and civic journalist Constance Alexander about end-of-life issues and her new spoken word opera "The Way Home."

Kentucky's state anthem, "My Old Kentucky Home," is both a celebratory ballad evoking a sentimental feeling while, for others, outrage for its glorification of chattel slavery in the pre-Civil war south. Author Emily Bingham explores how the melody about America's original sin has evolved to become quote "a living symbol of a happy past," which was never just a song.

Renee Shaw talks to Bill Goodman, executive director of Kentucky Humanities, an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C., that partners with Kentucky's cultural, heritage, arts and tourism agencies.

Carolyn Lukensmeyer and Stephen B. Heintz of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship talk about the organization's bipartisan report, Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century, which includes six strategies and 31 recommendations to help the country emerge a more resilient democracy by 2026, the nation's 250th anniversary.

Renee Shaw talks with UK HealthCare obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Rachel Saunders about early detection of breast cancer, treatment options and higher mortality rates in African American women. The program also features two breast cancer survivors: a young Bowling Green woman diagnosed with the disease in her 30s and a male survivor of breast cancer.

Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams runs down the list of election-related dates and ballot items, discusses how baseless claims of election fraud are impacting county clerks, creative recruiting techniques for poll workers and more.

Darlene Thomas, executive director of GreenHouse17, an advocacy agency committed to ending intimate partner abuse in families and the community, talks about services provided by the agency, including a 24-hour hotline, 42-bed emergency shelter, legal advocacy and more.

Renee Shaw talks with University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto about his vision for the flagship university and the billions of dollars invested in improving the campus.

Murray State University is celebrating its centennial birthday this year. Renee Shaw talks to the president of MSU, Bob Jackson, about his presidency, career, and a new book he has co-authored, entitled "The Finest Place We Know: A Centennial History of Murray State University, 1922-2022."

Renee's guest is Melynda Jamison of Court Appointed Special Advocates of Lexington.

Renee Shaw speaks with retiring Berea College President Lyle Roelofs about his 11-year tenure at the college.