Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin says he deliberately exposed his children to chickenpox so they would catch the highly contagious disease and become immune.

During a Tuesday interview on Bowling Green radio station WKCT, Bevin said his children were "miserable for a few days" after contracting chickenpox but said "they all turned out fine."

Bevin and his wife, Glenna, have nine children, four adopted.

The Republican governor said parents worried about chickenpox should have their children vaccinated. But he said government shouldn't mandate the vaccination.

A two-day workshop in Henderson, Kentucky on March 22 and 23 will offer education and training on how to reduce the impact of addiction on children.

The workshop is being hosted by marriage and family therapist Tamara James, who said the workshop is appropriate for family members, educators, foster parents and anyone who works with elementary, middle and high school youth.

"Day one of the workshop is going to be a discussion and education on how addiction impacts the family and the resulting childhood effects and trauma that can get passed down from one generation to the next if healing or intervention does not occur,” said James.

Uncertainty over the future of trade is causing some Kentucky auto manufacturers to hold back on investment. The United States Mexico Canada Agreement, which would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, still hasn’t been finalized.

Dave Tatman is the Executive Director of the Kentucky Automotive Industry Association. He said exports from Kentucky were down five percent in 2018 from the year before. Tatman disputes claims made by the Trump administration about U.S. auto manufacturers moving production to Mexico because of low labor costs.  

Communities across Kentucky will join a national event on March 20 aimed at discouraging the use of  e-cigarettes and tobacco.

National 'Kick Butts Day' is a day of activism organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

More than 1,000 events will be held across the U.S., with the main focus on getting young people to kick the e-cigarette habit, especially Juul, which looks like a computer flash drive and comes in appealing flavors like mango, fruit and mint.

In Bowling Green, Western Kentucky University will host a campus-wide 'Cigarette Butt Clean Up Day.'

Less than 30 percent of Kentucky adults would pass a test based on questions in the U.S. citizenship test.

In fact, a new survey shows a majority of adults in 49 states would fail the test.

The survey conducted by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation asked 41,000 U.S. adults 20 history-specific questions taken from the citizenship exam practice tests.

Questions include naming the U.S. President during World War One (Woodrow Wilson), and naming three of the original states.

Sales of Kentucky hemp products were up big in 2018, even before the federal government legalized the crop in last year’s farm bill.

According to Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, hemp sales rose $41 million in 2018, more than three and a half times higher than the year before.

In a release, Quarles said the amount that processors paid to Kentucky farmers more than doubled, rising from $7.5 million in 2017 to nearly $18 million last year.