#WolfCountry

A deadline for folks looking to run for local office is coming up quickly.

“Tuesday, June 4 at 4 p.m. is the deadline to file for several local elected offices,” said Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith. “If someone has been thinking about running for local office, they need to make sure they get their paperwork in on time.”

Candidates looking to run for Elizabethtown City Council, West Point City Council, Sonora City Commissioner, Upton City Commissioner, the Elizabethtown Independent School Board, Soil and Water Conservation Supervisor, and Hardin County School Board Divisions One, Four, and Five will need to get their paperwork and fees to the Hardin County Clerk’s Office by the deadline.

“Interested candidates should start at the Secretary of State’s Office’s website,” Smith said. “There they can download instructions and the paperwork that is applicable to the office they’re filing for.”

Smith and the Hardin County Board of Elections will host the public ballot position drawing in the fiscal courtroom on Thursday, June 6 at 2 p.m. after the 1 p.m. election board meeting.

“This is a lottery drawing to determine which candidates come first, second, third, fourth, etc. for those races where we have multiple candidates,” Smith said. “The candidates are welcome. The public’s invited to attend. If you’ve never been to something like that, it’s worth checking out to learn a little bit about how elections work in the background.”

Contact the Hardin County Clerk’s Office for more information.

Several school districts will be offering summer meal programs, but additional resources are available on the statewide level.

Kentucky has been approved to provide about 450,000 eligible school-age children with a one-time, federally-funded benefit for food purchases.

Governor Andy Beashear’s office says the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program “will automatically enroll students ages 6 to 18 who currently receive benefits through programs offered by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services” such as SNAP, Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program, and Kinship Care.

About 80 percent of eligible students will receive $120 by June 30. Students not automatically enrolled who attended schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program with household incomes at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level may qualify. Those families may apply at kysebt.ky.gov or visit their local Department for Community Based Services office.

Additional resources for Kentuckians facing hunger can be found on the state website or by contacting the United Way Helpline at 211.

Hardin County Engineer Mark Absher presented to the Hardin County Fiscal Court Tuesday on the county’s efforts to improve safety on Springfield Road.

Absher said the county looked at crash data from the Kentucky State Police and drove the length of the road several times to identify areas that needed improvement. The Hardin County Road Department also conducted speed studies in two locations which showed average speeds well over the posted 35 miles-per-hour speed limit.

“We consider about 15 percent of the people are going to do whatever they want to do,” Absher said. “It doesn’t matter what you do, it doesn’t matter what you sign, they’re just going to do it, and so we try to look at whatever all the speeds were below that point, so the highest of that group is 53, and it’s 30 miles an hour posted. A couple of speeds were over 60 miles an hour.”

Absher said the county is looking at improved signage for the road, and the county will bring in the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for additional support.

“What they will do is provide us with more information on safety improvements they recommend for that same corridor for Springfield Road,” Absher said. “It also provides us with funding for that improvement because if they do the review and they make recommendations then they can grant us money to cover the cost.”

Springfield Road is just one of the roads the county is focused on.

“We’re not going to just stop at Springfield,” Absher said. “We’re going to continue to look at the different roadways and look at any kind of crash information, stuff like that that we’ve got, and so we’re taking a pretty proactive action on this to kind of move forward.”

You can report an issue to the county Engineering Department via the Hardin County website.

Lithium-ion batteries supply power to a range of items such as smartphones and tablets, toys, and cars, but Radcliff Deputy Fire Marshal Tommy Crane says with that power comes a few things to remember in order to stay safe.

“Make sure you’re using the charger that comes with that device or with that battery,” Crane said. “Make sure that you’re using them in the right way. If you’re charging it or even if you’ve got it in your device, if you notice that it’s changing shape like it’s swelling, if you notice any odd smells or any leakage or anything like that, then go ahead and take it out of service.”

If you purchase a replacement battery, be mindful of the quality of third-party replacements. Crane says the easiest thing to do with any device is check the manual.

“Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions,” Crane said. “Use the batteries designed for that device. Make sure that when you’re charging the device or the batteries, make sure you don’t put them under a pillow, on your bed, or under anything where they’re not going to be able to dissipate that heat really well.”

When the time comes to dispose of the battery, do so properly.

“Don’t put them in the trash,” Crane said. “Find a recycling spot. There are several locations that will take used batteries, so make sure you recycle them, and then just make sure you’re putting them in an area where they can dissipate the heat.”

Find more fire safety tips on the Kentucky State Fire Marshal’s website.