First Lady Britainy Beshear, Kentucky Pediatric Cancer Research Trust Fund Present $500,000 For Childhood Cancer Patients
First Lady Beshear also recognized Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 24, 2025) – Today, at the UK Chandler Hospital, First Lady Britainy Beshear joined leaders from the Kentucky Pediatric Cancer Research Trust Fund (KPCRTF) Board to present $500,000 to the University of Kentucky (UK) Markey Cancer Foundation for the Care Advancing Treatment Succession (CATS) Financial Assistance Fund for pediatric cancer patients and their families. The First Lady also recognized September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
“In Kentucky, we prioritize our kids and our families,” said First Lady Beshear. “To every child battling cancer, please know you are not alone. You are loved, and this month and all months, we celebrate you and your loved ones.”
“Kentucky remains a national leader with our commitment to supporting childhood cancer families through our continued investment in funding research to ensure our families receive the best care,” said KPCRTF President Elizabeth Turner. “We are extremely grateful for the continued support.”
The CATS Financial Assistance Fund supports UK HealthCare pediatric cancer patients from birth to age 29 by covering essential family expenses to improve treatment adherence and overall well-being. The CATS Fund provides families with funding for housing and utility assistance, transportation assistance, medical equipment, nutritional supplements and an emergency fund for natural disasters based on social work-identified needs.
This $500,000 investment in the CATS Fund is in addition to another $500,000 announced in May of this year. In total, in May, Gov. Beshear announced $1.9 million from the Kentucky Pediatric Cancer Research Trust Fund (KPCRTF) in financial and psychosocial support grants to organizations across Kentucky supporting children living with cancer and their families.
“Markey Cancer Center clinicians and researchers work closely with Kentucky Children’s Hospital as they deliver exceptional care for our youngest patients,” said B. Mark Evers, director of the UK Markey Cancer Center. “We share expertise, research capabilities – and, most importantly, a commitment to ensuring that Kentucky families receive world-class cancer treatments and research right here at home. This funding supports that mission by helping families focus on what matters most – their child’s healing and recovery.”
In 2024, Gov. Beshear worked with legislators to secure a record $14 million to fight childhood cancer over the biennium: $10 million for research funding through House Bill 6 and $4 million to support the families of Kentucky’s pediatric cancer patients through House Bill 1.
Team Kentucky Leads Fight Against Childhood Cancer
In 2015, the commonwealth became one of the first states in the nation to dedicate funding for childhood cancer research. That year, the KPCRTF was established by Senate Bill 82 and was funded with $2.5 million each year of the biennium as part of the 2018 budget. In 2022, the budget bill included $2.5 million in base funding per fiscal year, as well as an additional one-time allocation of $3.75 million per fiscal year.
Gov. Beshear has supported childhood cancer research since his first days in office. In February 2020, he and First Lady Beshear met David Turner Jr., who was battling DIPG, an aggressive form of brain cancer. That day, David Jr. said he wanted to use the Governor’s proclamation pen to declare National Ice Cream Day.
During the last year of his life, David Jr. visited the state Capitol many times to advocate for other children with cancer and for all Kentuckians who were at higher risk for COVID-19 complications. He even joined one of the Governor’s press briefings and shared a message on his social media pages.
On May 21, 2021, David Jr. passed away from DIPG at age 9. Just a few hours later, Gov. Beshear proclaimed May 21, 2021, as the first David Turner Jr. Ice Cream Day in the commonwealth, a tradition he will continue every year he is Governor.
David Jr.’s mother, Liz, is now the president of the Kentucky Pediatric Cancer Research Trust Fund Board.
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For official news and updates from the Beshear/Coleman administration, visit governor.ky.gov/news.
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Gov Beshear: Kentucky State Police SAKI Team Delivers Justice in 20-Year-Old Jefferson County Rape Case
Beshear-Coleman Administration launched Sexual Assault Kit Initiative to deliver more tools in fight against violent crime and sexual assault
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 25, 2025) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that justice has been delivered in a 20-year-old Jefferson County rape case thanks to the partnership between the Kentucky State Police (KSP) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) team, the Lexington Police Department, the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, and the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General.
“We launched the SAKI team in 2021 with the important goal of delivering justice for victims and holding offenders accountable,” said Gov. Beshear. “This recent breakthrough is the latest reminder of why this program is so impactful, and I want to thank this incredible team for their hard work in creating a better, safer Kentucky.”
On Sept. 11, 2025, George Wayne Aldridge was convicted of rape in the first degree and sentenced to 15 years in prison, where he must serve 85% of the sentence before he is eligible for parole. Aldridge will also be required to register as a lifetime offender on the sex offender registry.
The conviction comes following a significant breakthrough by the SAKI investigative team in August 2023, when DNA testing enabled the team to link Aldridge, who had been indicted for three sexual assaults earlier that year, to a sexual assault case in Louisville in 2005.
The KSP SAKI investigative team was formed in July 2021 after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) awarded $1.5 million to the commonwealth to leverage existing investigative resources within the KSP Crime Lab by transitioning investigators and a criminal intelligence analyst from the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General to KSP. The team works with victims, law enforcement partners, prosecutors and community partners to provide enhanced investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases.
In October 2023, Gov. Beshear announced that an additional $2.5 million from the DOJ had been awarded to the KSP SAKI investigative team to enhance its critical work by hiring additional personnel dedicated to testing sexual assault kits and improving sexual assault data collection to better identify predators. This funding was the second-largest award in the history of the commonwealth from the department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance.
The KSP SAKI investigative team is a critical part of the Beshear-Coleman administration’s broader efforts to combat violent crime and sexual assault. Those efforts also include the awarding of more than $160 million in grant funding to victim service agencies, the signing of Senate Bill 73, which makes sexual extortion a felony, and the enactment of House Bill 207, which strengthens protections that keep our kids free from abuse and sexual exploitation.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual violence, no matter when the violence took place, please contact one of Kentucky’s 13 programs supporting all survivors of sexual assault. For more information please visit, Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs or contact one of KSP’s post locations.
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Gov. Beshear: Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice Enhances Safety, Boosts Successful Outcomes
Governor signs emergency regulations updating restrictive housing policies and increasing juvenile access to mental health care
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 25, 2025) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear provided an update on his administration’s aggressive plan to implement system-wide improvements in Kentucky’s juvenile justice system, including two emergency regulations signed today focused on enhanced mental health outcomes through proper use of restrictive housing policies. The Beshear administration’s updates are the first in 20 years, with strategies focused on enhancing safety at Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) facilities and producing positive outcomes for second chances.
“For years, the juvenile justice system was overlooked, and now we’re making sweeping changes to overhaul the system to enhance safety and help more kids reach the second chance they deserve,” said Gov. Beshear. “From supporting the hardworking DJJ staff who show up every day to offering more opportunities for youth and addressing needs like mental health, I am proud of the progress we’re making.”
Emergency Regulations
The two emergency regulations filed today require updates to restrictive housing, formerly known as isolation, to prioritize the safety and mental health of juveniles. The regulations mandate DJJ leadership reviews, approves time limits and requires all DJJ staff who interact with youth to be trained on the new regulation. The changes will help provide clearer guidelines to ensure the measure is being used safely and effectively.
Today’s regulations are the latest step in a wide range of sweeping changes the Beshear administration has implemented since taking office. Changes made have been focused on enhancing safety, recruiting and retaining more skilled staff and updating facilities to meet the needs of today’s challenges.
Safety Updates
In 2022, to better protect youth and staff, Gov. Beshear announced a new system where DJJ operates three high-security detention centers to separate male violent offenders. In addition, the administration opened a female only detention center, separating males and females for the first time in Kentucky history.
Following this step, Gov. Beshear and DJJ also implemented the following changes:
- Upgraded protective equipment, training and protocols.
- Worked with the Kentucky State Police and Department of Corrections to enhance security.
- Created a Compliance Division to ensure best practices are identified and followed.
- Contracted with Eastern Kentucky University to conduct a training needs assessment for all positions, with steps to implement changes recommended and revamp training.
- Signed legislation and began work to redesign and reopen the Jefferson County Youth Detention Center as a high-security facility in downtown Louisville.
Support and Services
The Governor and his administration have also made it a priority to better support youth housed in DJJ facilities by implementing new services and programs ranging from enhanced mental health support to new education opportunities. This includes, for the first time, the employment of a mental health treatment director at every DJJ facility.
Other key services and support include:
- The amendment of contracts allowing two psychiatric nurse practitioners to treat youth on a regular basis at every facility.
- The implementation of the new crisis intervention system Handle with Care, which focused on de-escalation and mental health support.
- More vocational programs to help with future employment, including virtual classes and GED offerings.
As part of the education offerings, the Governor was proud to announce the 2024-2025 academic year saw 72 juveniles earn their high school diploma; four earn their GED; 250 receive vocational certifications; and seven complete college courses.
Recruitment and Retention of Skilled Staff
Upon entering office, one of the biggest challenges the Governor set to address was the critical staffing shortages at DJJ facilities. Through pay increases, signing legislation to boost salaries and enhancing safety protocols, DJJ has increased frontline correctional officers by more than 60% – the highest number the department has ever employed.
Additionally, salary increases for qualified mental health professionals, psychologists, social workers and medical specialties have helped fill vacancies and now most medical related positions are filled.
The Governor also shared DJJ now employes 44 in the transportation division, which did not exist prior to the Beshear administration. The division transports juveniles, removing the burden from local law enforcement who previously handled these transportation needs.
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