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Support the Hardin County Animal Shelter while you shop

Pet Supplies Plus in Elizabethtown is once again raising support for the Hardin County Animal Shelter.

“Science Diet is again sponsoring a contest where the top 10 shelters in the country with the most monetary donations will win 500 pounds of Science Diet pet food,” said Pet Supplies Plus co-owner Renee Otjen. “We won it last year for the shelter and we’re hoping that we can win it again.”

All funds raised from customers as they check out will benefit the shelter.

“As they’re checking out, customers just let the cashier know that they’d like to make a monetary donation to the shelter and they will include it with their purchase, and it’s as simple as that,” Otjen said. “At the end of the month, we’ll be giving all those monetary donations in the form of a Pet Supplies Plus gift card to the shelter for them to use.”

Otjen says Pet Supplies Plus‘s support for the animal shelter is part of the store’s efforts to support animal adoption in the area.

“We partner with the Hardin County Animal Shelter,” Otjen said. “We always have a cat that we’re fostering for them for adoption, and then in addition to having them come monthly with dogs for adoption from the shelter we also partner with the Bun Bun Brigade rabbit rescue, we partner with the Hardin County Community Cat Rescue, and then Forever Homes for PAWS also holds adoption events.”

The fundraiser runs through August 31.

A Plus Family Healthcare set for Elizabethtown grand opening

The public is invited to the grand opening of A Plus Family Healthcare’s new Elizabethtown office Friday.

“Our grand opening will be this Friday, August 9 at our Dolphin Hills location right here in Elizabethtown from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.,” said A Plus Family Healthcare Marketing Director Meighan Cable. “We’ll have our Chamber of Commerce friends there, friends from the KPCA and all of our A Plus locations, and it is open to the public. We would love to give people tours of our new facility so that they can feel comfortable as new patients and welcome us into Elizabethtown.”

The new A Plus clinic took on the clients from the Community Health Clinic as well as the Dolphin Health Family Practice. Cable says A Plus is focused on serving those patients and reaching out to new ones.

“We’re seeing so many new patients as well, on top of those two merger companies coming over to us, and it’s really been an incredible sight to see the people from Hardin County getting that quality and affordable healthcare from us,” Cable said.

Cable says A Plus Family Healthcare offers an affordable general family practice for all ages “from birth all the way to your grave.”

“When it comes to our affordability, we do have our sliding fee scale, which is based off of the federal poverty guidelines., and so we’re able to make sure that we take care of the constituents of Harding County as well as Brownville and Sonora, where our two other locations are,” Cable said.

The Elizabethtown clinic is located at 3046 Dolphin Drive. Find A Plus Family Healthcare on Facebook or the web for more information.

Lawsons in court Thursday to talk joint trial, admission of police testimony

Steven Lawson and Joseph Lawson are scheduled to make appearances in court Thursday, with Steven Lawson’s attorney submitting an additional filing ahead of the hearing. 

The Lawsons and their attorneys will appear before Nelson Circuit Court Judge Charles Simms III for a status hearing regarding separate trials for the Lawsons and fellow suspect Brooks Houck

Special Prosecutor Shane Young filed a motion to join the trials of the three suspects in order to best present the argument to the jury that the three worked together to cover up crimes committed in the disappearance of Crystal Rogers. Attorneys for Houck objected to the motion to join as they say it would take away Houck’s ability to cross-examine Steven Lawson, and they say Lawson’s testimony was given in exchange for a promise of immunity.

At a previous hearing, Judge Simms said prior to ruling on the motion to join he wanted to know if Steven Lawson planned to waive evidentiary protection, which would allow the prosecution to include Lawson’s statements made during police interviews in the trial. In a response filed Wednesday, Lawson’s attorney Ted Lavit questions the need for Lawson to make a decision on waiving the protection this far ahead of trial and asks the judge to postpone the request. Lavit says if the judge wants an answer now, Lawson is not willing to waive the protection at this time.

Thursday’s hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in Nelson Circuit Court.

Area parents and drivers reminded to help keep school kids safe

As area schools begin the 2024-2025 school year, area drivers are reminded to help keep area kids safe.

“I just wanted to offer a friendly reminder that additional traffic should be expected on our roadways as local students are returning to the classroom,” said Elizabethtown Police Department Public Information Officer Chris Denham. “Please be especially vigilant for increased pedestrian traffic around schools and bus stops. Additionally, be mindful of crosswalks and yield to the students that occupy them. It should go without saying, but remember when a school bus has a stop arm extended, you must stop. I hope students and staff alike have a wonderful start to the school year.”

Additionally, parents should be mindful of the information they make available on social media. A popular trend is to have a student hold a chalkboard with details about the upcoming school year. Parents are advised to keep the information vague and avoid specifics about the child’s location when making such posts.

American Red Cross calls asks for donations amid national blood shortage

The American Red Cross says urgent action is needed as the nation deals with an ongoing blood shortage. 

According to the Red Cross, the national blood supply has fallen by more than 25 percent since July 1. The Red Cross says nearly 50 percent of Americans in July experienced heat alerts, which hurt blood donation numbers.

Heat alerts discouraging blood drive turnout, combined with traditional summer blood drive obstacles such as travel and summer vacation, contributed to a shortfall of more than 19,000 expected donations. The July shortfall compounds a blood supply that was already struggling to keep up at the start of the summer.

The Red Cross says blood products are being sent to hospitals faster than donations are coming in, with Type O inventory so low distributions have been reduced to below what hospitals depend on.

You can help fight the blood shortage by organizing a blood drive in your community. All donors through the end of August will receive a $20 Amazon.com e-gift card as a thank you for donating, and any blood drive organizer that hits their patient commitment will receive a $100 gift card.

Blood drives are being hosted across the Quicksie and The Wolf listening areas. Download the Red Cross Blood Donor app, visit www.redcrossblood.org, or call 1-800-RED-CROSS to schedule an appointment near you.

HCS excited to help students progress on first day of school

It’s the first day of classes for several area school districts, including Hardin County Schools.

“We are tremendously excited to welcome our more than 14,000 students into our school buildings this year,” said HCS Community Relations Specialist John Wright. “It’s going to be a fun year, a year full of opportunities for our students to excel at every level – elementary and preschool through middle school to high school. Our students will receive lots of dual credit hours, they’ll receive extracurricular opportunities, and opportunities to learn in new and exciting ways.”

The district is encouraging students to be a #HCSDifferenceMaker, based on the five competencies in the district’s portrait of a learner.

“We look at things like being a responsible citizen, a personal champion, an engaged learner, an effective communicator, and an active collaborator,” Wright said. “Those are the things that we are really focusing on for our students this year, and really hoping that they understand it. It takes all those things, all those competencies, to succeed not only in school, but in life.”

Wright says the ultimate goal is to help students succeed.

“We want our students to be the best they can be when they walk across that graduation stage at the end of their senior year,” Wright said.

Follow Hardin County Schools on Facebook for information and updates.

ECTC hosting Express Enrollment ahead of fall semester

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College is looking to help students hit the ground running for the Fall 2024 semester with their Express Enrollment Days.

“Express Enrollment will take place at ECTC on August 12 and 13 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and then we’ll be back August 14 and 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” said ECTC Director of Marketing and Public Relations Sarah Berkshire. 

Multiple options are available for incoming students.

“We have in-person or virtual appointments available,” Berkshire said. “We are welcoming walk-ins, but it is preferred that you sign up for those in advance. It’s very simple to do. You can just head over to ectc.us/express-enrollment and get signed up.”

Express Enrollment is a one-stop-shop for students, beginning with scheduling classes for the semester.

“Fall classes start August 19 and October 21,” Berkshire said. “We’ve got the two eight-week sessions, so you can pick your classes for both of those. You can also get any questions answered about financial aid or your starting class, getting acquainted on campus. We can take care of all of that Express Enrollment.”

Students do not have to wait for Express Enrollment to get started on registering for the Fall semester. Students are welcome to schedule appointments with an academic advisor, and walk-ins are welcome.

August Lawn Party at the Lake concert Wednesday evening

The City of Elizabethtown August Lawn Party at the Lake event will be happening Wednesday evening.

The August event, which is part of a summer-long series hosted by the city, will get under way at the bandstand at Freeman Lake Park at 6:30 p.m.

This month’s concert will feature the Northern Kentucky-based Kentucky Symphony Orchestra’s 10-piece subsidiary group the Devou-Doo Daddies. Their performance is titled “Get Movin’ (Feet Don’t Fail Me Now) Millennial Versus Gen Z Swing.” The orchestra says 1990s swing revival takes on 2020s hip-hop infused swing during the show.

Elizabethtown Events Manager Beth Pyles says each Lawn Party event offers food vendors, and while outside alcohol is not permitted alcoholic beverages will be on sale at the lake.

“The concert series is totally free and family friendly,” Pyles said. “The gates will open at 5.30 p.m. and the acts will take the stage around 6.30, so it gives you a little bit of time to come in and get seated. It is festival style seating, so we ask that people bring lawn chairs, you can bring blankets. We will have picnic tables, but it’s very, very casual.”

Pyles said the first year for the concert series was a successful one, and in 2024 there’s nowhere to go but up.

“We had such a wonderful turnout last year after we got through the rain, but we’re very, very excited,” Pyles said. “The bandstand at Freeman Lake is such a beautiful fixture in our community. If you haven’t been out to see it, it is the perfect place to relax after a hard day, and we’re really excited.”

Follow the Elizabethtown City Events Facebook page for more information and updates.