KENTUCKY — This week we are highlighting an area in our state that some consider a hidden gem as it relates to travel, tourism and Kentucky history. 

The city of Stearns in McCreary County was founded in 1902 by Justus S. Stearns, a businessman from Michigan, who bought 30,000 acres of timberland in southern Kentucky. Coal was discovered soon afterward and the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company was started.

During this segment, Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, joins host Mario Anderson for a sit-down conversation inside the Whistle Stop restaurant to talk about the history of Stearns and some of the top legislative priorities facing the state legislature when lawmakers return to Frankfort in January for the 60-day legislative session.

You can watch the full In Focus Kentucky segment in the player above.