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Radcliff Fire Department and Radcliff Police Department offering free car seat checks Tuesday

94.3 The Wolf

The Radcliff Fire Department, in partnership with the Radcliff Police Department, is hosting a free child car seat event Tuesday at the Radcliff Walmart.

“From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., we’re doing a car seat check where you can come and get your car seat checked,” said Radcliff Deputy Fire Marshal Tommy Crane. “So if you’re a grandparent or whether you’re a mom or dad that you just want somebody to double check it, or maybe you got a new car seat and you’re just trying to make sure that you put it in correctly, we just want to make sure everybody’s riding safely.”

All are welcome to attend, and it is as simple as just driving up.

“There’s no charge,” Crane said. “It’s free to the public. We just want to make sure to get the information out, get the opportunity out there for people that are stopping in to do their shopping. Just give us about 20 minutes of your time and we will go over everything with you and double check everything and you’ll be good to go.”

Crane said following all of the proper instructions for installing a car seat is critical for child safety.

“One of the things that we find a lot is that the car seat itself is not supposed to move very much when it’s in the seated position there, when it’s strapped down, and a lot of times we find that they’re loose,” Crane said. “That extra movement could cause extra injury to the child in the event of an accident, and also the correct seating direction. Make sure that the child should be rear facing until at least about two years old.”

All are welcome to attend this free event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Radcliff Walmart parking lot.

Hardin County animal shelter and library partner for read to dogs event

94.3 The Wolf

The Hardin County Animal Shelter and the Hardin County Public Library are partnering on an event that benefits animals and kids alike.

Registration is available for Waggin’ Tales, a chance for kids to practice their reading with dogs at the animal shelter. Slots are available on July 11 and July 18.

The shelter says many of the dogs housed there are nervous and worried, and reading to them helps calm them down and show them that people can be trusted. The dogs then offer great moral support for the readers.

Find the Waggin’ Tales flier on facebook to access the registration link.

Hardin County Animal Care and Control Director Mike McNutt previously told Quicksie and The Wolf that the animal shelter is in dire need of adopters.

“If you’re ready to make a commitment to an animal, please come see us,” McNutt said. “We have zero space on the adoption floor. Animals are coming in at an alarming rate, and it’s this way across the nation.”

The Hardin County Animal Shelter is open Mondays through Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. at 220 Peterson Drive in Elizabethtown. Contact the shelter or visit their Facebook page for more information.

Tuition increases approved for Kentucky colleges

94.3 The Wolf

Tuition at colleges across Kentucky will see a slight increase this school year.

The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education approved tuition and mandatory fee proposals submitted by six public universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System during their June business meeting Friday.

The approved tuition increases are:

-KCTCS: 1.6 percent
-Eastern Kentucky University, Morehead State University, and Western Kentucky University: 1.9 percent
-Murray State University and Northern Kentucky University: 2 percent
-University of Kentucky: 2.2 percent.

The council says the University of Louisville was granted a delegation of authority, which allows the council president to approve a tuition increase submitted by the university under council parameters, as Louisville’s board meeting to discuss tuition was scheduled for after the council’s meeting.

Undergraduate tuition increases at public four-year institutions are capped at no more than 5 percent over two years or no more than 3 percent in any one year.

Materials and other information from the June business meeting can be found on the Council on Postsecondary Educations’ website.

Make the choice between macaroni and ravioli while supporting FAKH’s efforts during second annual Pasta Bowl

94.3 The Wolf

You can help support the 1 in 5 children (55,710)  within the Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland service area that are facing food insecurity while enjoying great food from two area eateries as the organization participates in the second annual Pasta Bowl campaign.

“We surveyed our kids that are in some of our programs, and two of the favorite foods that rose to the top were macaroni and ravioli,” said FAKH Marketing and Communications Manager Kaitlyn Jackson. “Both are pastas, and so we decided to have some fun with our campaign and to call it the Pasta Bowl to pit these two teams of kid-friendly choices against each other, to raise funds to feed kids in our service area.”

You can participate in the Pasta Bowl by visiting Impellizzeri’s Pizza or J.R. Neighbors in Downtown Elizabethtown.

“Impellizzeri’s has a wonderful ravioli that they are doing for this summer,” Jackson said. “J.R. Neighbors has a fantastic four-cheese macaroni that they are also having this summer, and by ordering those two dishes, part of the proceeds from those dishes are coming back to support our Feeding Kids campaign.”

Jackson says the data shows additional efforts like the Pasta Bowl are needed throughout the region.

“Last year we had four counties that had childhood food insecurity rates above 20 percent,” Jackson said. “This year we have 36 counties above 20 percent, and so we are seeing a massive surge in food insecurity for children in our region, and so it’s all the more important this year for the Pasta Bowl to do well so that we can feed kids in our region.”

Visit Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland on Facebook or their website for more information.

Magnolia Bank hosting free seminar on business succession plans Tuesday

94.3 The Wolf

Area business owners and executives are invited to attend Tuesday as Magnolia Bank hosts their Business Succession and Transition Seminar.

“We see a lot of businesses, whether you’re talking about just a mom and pop shop, a big business, a farm, any of the business aspects, getting that game plan set aside of what happens next,” said Magnolia Bank Vice President and Relationship Manager Dustin Hayes. “Are you going to pass this down to the next generation? Is your plan to build it to a certain point and sell it? We’re seeing a lot of the businesses recently that got to a point where they’re ready to transition, but they don’t have someone who is next in line to take over it, and then they might have a very valuable business based off of income, but sometimes you get into some of the businesses that don’t have that hard asset like real estate that it’s hard to actually sell because it’s harder to take a lien on.”

Hayes said as the bank reached out to businesses to speak at the seminar several said they did not have such a plan in place, which he said makes the topic an important one to discuss.

Magnolia Bank is partnering with Cerity Partners in Elizabethtown and Dean Durbin with Professional EOS Implementer in Louisville to host the seminar.

“The main topics they’re talking about are: why session planning is important for business owners, structuring the sale of a business, how to determine the value of a business, and the mechanics of the sale process and how you can create a market to increase that value that you’re looking to sell,” Hayes said.

The seminar will be held at Magnolia Bank’s Elizabethtown office Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. and all are welcome to attend this free event. While no registration is required, Magnolia Bank asks participants to RSVP with either Dustin Hayes (270-777-5348) or Amanda Heady (270-234-6097) sometime Monday.

EPD’s Kuklinski graduates from FBI National Academy

94.3 The Wolf

An officer with the Elizabethtown Police Department is being recognized for her efforts.

“Lieutenant Madison Kuklinski recently graduated from the FBI National Academy,” said EPD Public Information Officer Chris Denham. “This is a renowned training environment for law enforcement leaders from all over the world. We are proud of her and excited to have her back within our ranks.”

Kuklinski graduated from the 290th session of the FBI National Academy, which included officers from 46 states and the District of Columbia and members of law enforcement representing 24 countries, five military organizations, and six federal civilian organizations.

According to the FBI Louisville field office, the academy offers ten weeks of advanced communication, leadership and fitness training, with participating officers having proven records as professionals within their agencies. The academy is held at the FBI Training Academy in Quantico, which is where the FBI trains new agents and intelligence analysts.

The FBI says 55,186 graduates have completed the National Academy since its founding in 1935.

Kentucky unemployment holds steady from April to May

94.3 The Wolf

Unemployment in Kentucky remained steady going from April into May. 

The Kentucky Center for Statistics says the May 2024 unemployment rate was 4.6 percent. That rate is the same as what was reported for April 2024, and is .5 percent higher than the rate reported for May 2023.

The commonwealth’s civilian labor force saw an increase in May, with 6,621 individuals joining the labor force from April. While the number of unemployed people increased by a little less than 1,400, the number of employed people increased by about 5,200, the fourth consecutive month the labor force has seen an increase. The total civilian labor force for Kentucky was reported at about 2,040,000 people.

Kentucky’s unemployment rate trends a little higher than the national average, which for May 2024 was reported at 4 percent. A Bureau of Labor Statistics survey reported that eight of Kentucky’s major non-farm job sectors increased in May while employment decreased in three sectors.

More information on the Kentucky labor market can be found at kystats.ky.gov. County unemployment rates for May should be released by the end of this month.

Nolin RECC says costs are up but co-op still working for members

94.3 The Wolf

Nolin RECC officials recapped the electric co-ops activities and business figures from 2023 during their annual membership meeting Thursday afternoon.

Nolin District 3 Director Rick Thomas said the co-op ended 2023 with 36,814 active accounts.

“If you’ve kept up with that the last few years, that number’s been going up and it’s pretty obvious,” Thomas said. “Part of it, you’ll see new houses and things going up, but right now the biggest surge is in apartments, and you’re probably seeing them go up in a lot of places too, so we expect that to continue. I don’t know where we have a guess on when we’re going to get to 40,000, but we’re getting pretty close to it.”

Operating revenue was reported at about $85.3 million while operating expenses were reported at about $84.8 million. Thomas said the operating margin of about $497,000 is down from years past in part because inflation has increased the cost of materials and impacted supply chains, but the co-op’s staff has worked hard to limit the impact.

“We’re very fortunate that we have the staff that we have that have taken it in their hands to keep an eye on that, trying to keep those costs down, and also there’s an issue with just getting materials now and they’ve had to work through that, so I hope you appreciate their efforts on that,” Thomas said.

Nolin RECC President and CEO Greg Lee said the focus of operations continues to be what is best for the co-op’s members.

“In 2023, we found ourselves in the fortunate position to be able to retire just over $2.7 million in capital credits,” Lee said. “That was the fifth straight year we had been able to make a general retirement and the cumulative total over those five years is now over $20 million.”

The annual meeting can be viewed on Nolin RECC’s YouTube channel. The annual report was included in the items distributed in the buckets members received during meeting registration.