Hello from Frankfort!

The unemployment office will open to fix claims at 9 a.m.

The line stretches up around towards behind the Capitol Annex.

Yesterday, a small protest sparked the UI folks to make 10 people available to fix claims in-person.

Hundreds had months of issues fixed in minutes and should get their money at the end of the week.

Folks started lining up before 7 a.m.

I talked to a woman named Sierra who worked third shift and drove straight here to resolve her claim from April.

She got here right after 7 and is solidly a few dozen deep in line.

The line is easily a few hundred deep and wraps around the back of the Capitol Annex.

“Ha, I thought I was early!” one woman joked.

Just to show the scale of the line — that building to my left is the back of the Capitol Annex. – bei Kentucky State Capitol

It is 9 a.m. and the doors to the Capitol Education Center are open to address unemployment issues.

I’m told the first ten or so in line got here between 3 and 6 a.m.

There are easily 500+ in line right now, waiting for help with unemployment claims.

I’m hearing rumors they’ve already cut off the line and started to turn people away because they think the max they can process is 600.

And the first person in line has made it through.

“I’m just so excited to put this nightmare behind,” one person walking out says.

“Me too,” first person says.

Scratch the rumor that they’re cutting off the line — police at the end of the line are just directing traffic, it looks like.

The line is nearly wrapped around the Capitol Annex now.

A look at the line to talk to someone about unemployment issues. – bei Kentucky State Capitol

I was too slow on the camera, but Rocky Adkins walked out of the Capitol and into where the claims are being handled.

He is somewhere in this photo.

People who got here from 7:30 to 8 are now towards the front of the line.

They were about 100 people deep when they first got here.

One person drove nearly two hours to resolve her claim.

Reminder: This is happening at the Kentucky Capitol Education Center. It opened at 9 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m.

I estimate over 100 folks have been helped in the first hour or so.

And it looks like they’ve cut off the line to see someone in-person about their unemployment claim, 90 minutes after they opened.

A line of several dozen are giving their contact info in hopes of being called to sort things out over the phone.

I talked to a few people who came to talk to someone. Instead, they’ll give contact info and hope for the best.

One man borrowed gas money to drive here from NKY. He worries he won’t get his unemployment in time to pay rent or other bills.

I do not know if they’re doing this again tomorrow.

I’ve asked multiple agencies and have not heard back.

I just talked to a handful of folks towards the end of the line to talk to someone about unemployment.

They’ve been told that they’ll hopefully talk to someone at 5 p.m.

After getting here at 9 a.m. That’s an eight hour wait, y’all.