Kentucky Tonight host Renee Shaw recently spent time learning about many facets of Owensboro. Speaking at Rooster Booster on Thursday, she said the city is working toward what is best for the community at large.
Shaw and Kentucky Edition host Kelsey Starks spent the last week exploring the different parts of Owensboro and will continue to unlock what budding stories the community has ahead, they said.
During the duo’s time here, Shaw said, she has seen how Owensboro differs from cities such as Louisville and Lexington, where many groups may work toward the same mission without a collaborative effort.
“You all really kind of put that pride and authorship aside and do what is best for the community of Owensboro. As (Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Candance Brake) said, you all might fight like a family, but in the end, what does a family do? They kiss, and they make up,” Shaw said.
With that approach, Shaw said she sees the city as successfully moving forward. Citing Smother’s Park as an example, she said the City has a strong connection with state legislators through Representative DJ Johnson, Majority Caucus Chair Representative Suzanne Miles, and Senator Gary Boswell.
Shaw, who has a journalism background in policy news, said that working policy and getting funding to support the community are major factors in how communities move forward. With the development downtown, many communities can look to Owensboro for some success.
“It may not be the exact roadmap for them, but it can certainly trigger an idea of how do we scale that to where we are. That’s another goal of what we’re trying to do, is to say it doesn’t matter how large or how small you are, there are lessons to be learned from all these different cities that are doing great work and are doing it together,” Shaw said.
In previous reporting, Starks noted that the different cultural aspects of Owensboro — including bluegrass, BBQ, and bourbon — are often highlighted, but said there are many other elements in the city.
“I never had the chance to work professionally in Owensboro, so this has given me the opportunity to shine a light on this incredible community in a way that’s very personal to me,” Starks said. “I just can’t wait for our KET viewers to learn more about the great city of Owensboro.”
Kentucky Edition airs on weekday evenings at 5:30 p.m. CT on KET and at 10:30 p.m. CT on KET2. The program is also available on-demand at KET.org/KentuckyEdition or via the PBS app.
