FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear highlighted Kentucky's economic momentum and advances in public safety during a Team Kentucky update Thursday, even as the state grapples with budget cuts affecting social services and healthcare programs.

Beshear announced several economic development projects, including U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co.'s plan to build a new production facility in Hopkinsville and Abastos Wholesale's $10.3 million expansion in Louisville that will create 20 new Kentucky jobs. The state also approved $750,000 to support future investment in Floyd County through the Kentucky Product Development Initiative.

On the public safety front, Beshear signed the annual drug interdiction plan alongside members of the Kentucky National Guard and Kentucky State Police to combat dangerous drugs in communities. The governor also announced a statewide transition to Next Generation 911 technology, which will modernize emergency response capabilities across Kentucky's 117 call centers. The system allows voice, text, photos and video calls from any compatible device and provides precise caller location mapping. Nineteen call centers have already implemented the technology.

The update comes as the administration confronts significant budget pressures. Beshear expressed concern over cuts to programs serving vulnerable Kentuckians, including Community Based Services, Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, and Medicaid Services. Dr. Steven Stack, secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, joined the governor to discuss the agency's challenges and the Our Healthy Kentucky Home initiative.

Recent public safety successes underscore the state's investment in cold case investigations. In June, Kentucky State Police announced the arrest of a Texas man in connection with a 36-year-old sexual assault case in Hardin County, thanks to DNA testing through the state's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. The case represents the ongoing impact of Kentucky's commitment to testing backlogged sexual assault kits and using forensic technology to bring justice to long-overlooked victims.