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ECTC selected for Metallica Scholars Initiative for fifth straight year

94.3 The Wolf

Support for Elizabethtown Community and Technical College comes from many places, including one of rock music’s most legendary acts.

ECTC has once again been named to the Metallica Scholars Initiative, which was created through the band’s All Within My Hands nonprofit to support education efforts. ECTC will use the $75,000 grant to support scholarships for students in their Advanced Manufacturing Program.

“This is year five for ECTC, and we’re the only college in Kentucky to be included in the Metallica Scholars Initiative, which is grant funding that is provided for career and technical education to really make a difference for our students,” said ECTC Director of Marketing and Public Relations Sarah Berkshire. 

Berkshire said the college has applied the funds to a number of programs over the last five years.

“This funding has paid for things like scholarships especially, but also it helped us develop the Wherever I May Roam Truck Driving Academy,” Berkshire said. “It’s been used to enhance what we were doing with our Army Career Skills program, and then, again, this year we’re focusing on the scholarships for Advanced Manufacturing programs.”

Berkshire says the show of support from Metallica goes beyond funding.

“It really is amazing to see a name as great as Metallica take action to support career and technical education, and to see the pride that that’s bringing our students,” Berkshire said. “Of course the scholarship funds are important, but this past year when we used these funds for scholarships, being named a Metallica Scholar it was so awesome to see that affirmation that those students can be successful.”

There’s still time to enroll in classes for the fall 2024 semester. Visit ECTC’s website or contact the admissions office for more information.

EPD warns of social media sales scam

94.3 The Wolf

The Elizabethtown Police Department is warning residents to be wary of an ongoing social media scam.

“There’s a new scam circulating on Facebook where scammers post about free items available for pickup, enticing potential victims with attractive offers,” said EPD Public Information Officer Chris Denham. 

When the victim expresses interest, the scammer claims they moved, and offers to transport the item for a small fee. 

“They request the conversation continue on different apps like WhatsApp, making the transaction seem more personal and trustworthy,” Denham said. “After the victim pays for the supposed courier fee, the scammer disappears and the money and the promised items never arrive.”

Denham said the EPD strongly advises anyone who is completing transactions on social media to use extreme caution, never send money to strangers, or share any of your personal information. 

“If you encounter any suspicious posts or offers, report them immediately to Facebook or whatever social media platform you’re using,” Denham said.

As with other scam attempts, never disclose personal or financial information.

State partnership will allow for free document digitization

94.3 The Wolf

A new state partnership will help with preserving important documents and records for Kentuckians. 

The Commonwealth is partnering with FamilySearch in order to digitize “tens of thousands of primary records such as birth, death, and marriage certificates that are currently on microfilm reels.”

The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives along with volunteers with the Kentucky Genealogical Society will be reaching out to county clerks to notify them of the opportunity to have records digitized free of charge by FamilySearch. The county clerk offices will receive copies of the digitized records and FamilySearch will post copies to their free online database.

The KDLA says local records such as marriage licenses and land ownership records date back to each county’s establishment, resulting in some of the most continuous sources for families researching their histories. The KDLA also says the partnership with FamilySearch increases public access to the documents, which they hope will increase interest and awareness in the historic nature of these records.

Visit the KDLA on the web for more information.

SOS office launches poll worker registration portal

94.3 The Wolf

The Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office is making it easier for people looking to help with the state’s elections to get involved.

Secretary of State Michael Adams announced this week the launch of a new Poll Worker Recruitment Portal, which allows volunteers to sign up and get connected with their local county clerk.

Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith says working the polls is a great show of civic duty, and the county needs a strong team come Election Day.

“We’re going to need a little over 200 poll workers,” Smith said. “We need Republicans, Democrats, and independents. The easiest way for folks to sign up is govote.ky.gov or they can call our office at 270-765-6762.”

Smith says getting started on being a poll worker is an easy process.

“Any registered voter in Hardin County qualifies to serve as a poll worker,” Smith said. “If you’ve never served before, don’t worry, we train you, and we’d love to have you. We always have, every year, a few poll workers who sort of age out. They tell us they can’t keep up with the long, long day, so we’re looking to recruit not only poll workers for this election, but for the next generation of elections.”

Poll workers must be available to attend training and work all day on Election Day. Contact your county clerk’s office for more information. The deadline to register to vote is October 7.

Meade County Schools will serve free breakfast and lunch for all students; asst. superintendent recognized

94.3 The Wolf

As Meade County Schools gears up for the new school year, the district has announced an exciting way to support its families.

The district will once again be able to offer all students free breakfast and lunch, provided through the USDA’s National School Breakfast and Lunch Program.

Meade County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Martin says taking the financial burden off families gives students a better chance at success.

“You’ve got to take care of the basic needs first,” Martin said. “You’ve got to talk about safety, make sure kids are fed, loved, and it’s difficult being a parent. It always has been, but just with the recent years and the amount of inflation that we’ve experienced across the country and here locally, it definitely is removing a cost for our families so those dollars can be best used for their son or daughter in other ways.”

Martin says the numbers show how important making meals available to all students is.

“Last year alone, during the 2023-2024 school year, we served over 1.1 million meals, and we also continue that feeding throughout the summer, and just this recent summer that we’re concluding we served almost 100,000 meals to families across all of our communities in Meade County,” Martin said.

Meade County Schools is also celebrating recognition for one of its administrators as Assistant Superintendent Marc Adams was named District Level Administrator of the Year by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators.

“He’s been in Meade County Schools for 20 years,” Martin said. “He started out as an agricultural teacher. He’s been an elementary principal or high school principal and has been at the district office for a number of years now, and it couldn’t go to a better person. Yes, he’s helped us accomplish so much for students, but he leads with his heart and he is a fixture in our community.”

The first day of classes for Meade County Schools is August 7.

Public meeting on U.S. 62 improvements set for Aug. 13

94.3 The Wolf

Area residents will have the opportunity to provide feedback on upcoming road work in Elizabethtown.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will host a public meeting on Tuesday, August 13 to present design alternatives that will address congestion and safety within the U.S. 62 interstate interchange corridor with improvements for intersections and accommodations for pedestrians. 

The meeting will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on August 13 at the Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau, located at 1030 North Mulberry Street.

“With continued growth of the area, more traffic, more congestion, this public meeting is going to feature some ideas, alternatives to offset that, and we know it’s only going to increase,” said KYTC District Four Public Information Officer Chris Jessie. “We have to plan now, trying to stay ahead of that curve, and again we’re going to present some ideas for intersections and just the corridor as a whole out on the interstate end of U.S. 62 for improvements.”

The meeting will be an open-house format with no formal presentation. Residents can stop by any time to review displays, ask questions, and discuss the design alternatives with officials. Meeting accommodations can be made by reaching out to Kevin Blair at KYTC District Four (270-766-5066).

More information on the project and a survey link for anybody that wants to provide feedback but is unable to attend the meeting in person can be found at www.drive62.com.

Raft Up event at Nolin River Lake nets $60K for charity

94.3 The Wolf

Raft Up Nolin Lake Event Coordinator Brent Schaber says the annual Raft Up event at Nolin River Lake has turned into a strong annual fundraiser.

“Raft Up is a charity event that we host annually,” Schaber said. “We help support the local community down around the lake, covering Grayson County, Hart County, and Edmonson County, to try to help support the youth around the community.”

This year’s Raft Up event, which was held in late July, turned out to be one of the most successful editions yet.

“Our goal was set at $60,000 this year, and we’re finalizing the numbers and we should be able to hit our target number this year, $60,000,” Schaber said.

The event includes an auction and prizes for costumes and boat decorating, as well as a good time for friends and family to come together. Schaber says the funds raised at the Raft Up are able to go towards a variety of programs.

“The local sheriff’s department, they run a Behind the Badge Program,” Schaber said. “Edmonson County, they run a Christmas program. We help with the local schools. We’re branching out this year to create some more options with the amount of money we’ve raised. It keeps growing every year we’re branching out to help support more of the local communities.”

Visit the Nolin Lake Unofficial Raft Up Facebook page for more information.

Upton man killed in alleged hit and run

94.3 The Wolf

A 71-year-old man is dead and another man is in jail following an alleged hit and run incident in Upton Wednesday.

“At 11:53 a.m., a 911 call was received of a vehicle versus pedestrian accident on U.S. 31W in Upton,” said Hardin County Sheriff John Ward. “Upton Volunteer Fire Department personnel were on scene first and found a 71-year-old male from Upton had been struck by a vehicle. The vehicle was no longer at the scene. The vehicle left the scene.”

The victim was tended to by EMS, however he was later pronounced dead by the Hardin County Coroner’s Office.

Deputies began investigating the incident, and through cameras available at the scene the suspect vehicle was identified and later located about two miles into Hart County on 31W, where Ward said it appeared that the driver had attempted to put the vehicle into a barn.

“Our deputies and the Hart County Sheriff’s Office approached the vehicle and found a gentleman, and he was arrested for DUI and lodged in the Hart County Jail,” Ward said. “He also has pending charges coming from out of Hardin County.”

Ward later identified the victim as 71-year-old Pete Hawk of Upton and the accused driver as Matthew Bush. The crash remains under investigation.

Kiwanis Club pancake breakfast this Saturday

94.3 The Wolf

You can eat good food for a good cause this Saturday morning.

Kiwanis Club of Hardin County will be hosting their annual all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast Saturday, August 3 from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.

“We have a change of venue this year,” said Kiwanis Club President Hunter Hammer. “It’s at Memorial Methodist Church at 631 North Miles Street here in E-Town. It’s all you can eat pancakes, and that does include a side of eggs and sausage and a drink of your choice.”

Tickets are $5 for kids 10 and under, and $10 for everybody ages 11 and up.

Hammer says outside of their annual gala the pancake breakfast is the club’s largest fundraising effort each year.

“The portion of the pancake breakfast this year will be going to purchase an AmTryke for a child in Hardin County, and if you’re not familiar, AmTryke are adaptable bicycles for kids who have a variety of physical disabilities,” Hammer said.

Hammer says the Kiwanis Club is proud to offer this annual event both in order to support their mission and to connect with the community.

“We have a lot of veteran pancake flippers, pancake makers,” Hammer said. “They have special aprons. They’re great at what they do. Luckily, we have a lot of local vendors and partners that donate all the items that we need, so we’re very appreciative for that, and so it’s just a great time to sit and eat breakfast with some friends and bring your family, bring your kids.”

Kiwanis Club of Hardin County focuses on supporting area children through programming and partner organizations. Learn more about Kiwanis and find more details on Saturday’s pancake breakfast by finding the Kiwanis Club of Hardin County Facebook page.

Lane closures scheduled for I-65 over Salt River in Bullitt County

94.3 The Wolf

Daily lane closures will begin on Interstate 65 in Bullitt County today.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says KYTC engineers will be performing routine hands-on inspection of the I-65 bridge over Salt River near mile marker 116. The bridge deck will also be cleaned, requiring additional lane closures.

The right lane of I-65 South at the bridge will be closed from 9 to 11 a.m. today, then the northbound lane will be closed from 12 to 3 p.m. The right lane will then be closed Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and the northbound lane will be closed Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Motorists should always use caution when approaching a work zone and look for signage. Visit the KYTC on the web for more information.