WULF News

The Hardin County Fiscal Court met for their first meeting of the month Tuesday.

A public hearing was held for a request to close a portion of a roadway.

“A request has been made by property owner Stephen Bush to close a platted undeveloped 60-foot right of way for a future street at the end of Christine Way in Concord Heights between Lots 11 and 12,” said Hardin County Attorney Jenny Oldham as she conducted the public hearing.

The request received a favorable recommendation from the county’s plan commision, and the fiscal court approved a resolution granting the closing.

Brandon Thompson with the Hardin County Extension Office presented the office’s proposed property tax rate for the new fiscal year. The extension office elected to adopt the compensating rate, which will see a personal property rate at 2.43 cents per $100 assessed value (down slightly from 2023), while the real property rate of 1.8 cents and the motor vehicle and watercraft rate of 1.46 cents per $100 assessed value remain the same from last year.

Hardin County Public Works Director Stephanie Givens reported that to date 352 bags from 324 vehicles have been collected at the county’s shredding events, an increase of 100 more bags and 86 more vehicles from this point last year. The next shredding event is October 1. Givens said 524 cars brought materials to the county’s household hazardous waste disposal event on August 17.

Hardin County Judge/Executive Keith Taul issued a proclamation recognizing September 10 as Meighan Cable Day in recognition of Cable’s efforts at the Mrs. America 2024 pageant. Cable said she was proud to represent Hardin County and serve as Mrs. Kentucky, and to work with Baptist Health Hardin on support for grieving mothers.

“As a mother to miscarriages and our sweet daughter, Ellie, who passed in July of 2019, it’s very important for me as a person and for other women in this county to be cared for, to be seen, and to be honoring a space for them as they go back for postpartum care,” Cable said.

The Hardin County Fiscal court will next meet September 24.

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College celebrated the ribbon cutting for the Robbins University Center during their Pancakes with the Provost event Tuesday.

According to ECTC, the Robbins Center will allow “four-year colleges and universities to offer high-demand bachelor’s and master’s degrees locally.” Students will complete the first two years of a bachelor’s degree at ECTC and then transfer to a four-year partner that offers classes and support services at the Robbins Center.

ECTC President and CEO Dr. Juston Pate said several recent projects have focused on supporting a strong workforce, but this focuses on allowing local students to thrive closer to home.

“What we’ve really got is a population problem,” Pate said. “If we had more people who lived here, we wouldn’t have a workforce problem, so this university center concept really became more of an effort to keep local talent local, to support not just our community but our places of employment.”

The center is named for Dr. Robert and Rita Robbins, who made a $1 million donation to ECTC in 2018. Rita Robbins said the center will support area students and the need for continuing education.

“We hope this center will be an inviting place for people to gather, develop relationships, and pay it forward,” Robbins said. “When you walk through these doors, change happens. You don’t walk out the same way.”

ECTC has partnerships for the Robbins Center with Western Kentucky University, Lindsey Wilson College, and Campbellsville University, and plans to announce additional partnerships “as early as this fall.”

The Radcliff City Council met for a work session Monday evening.

The council discussed the city’s ad valorem taxes for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Radcliff CFO Chance Fox said the city saw a jump in new property on the tax rolls, along with a significant increase in property values.

“Radcliff has $1.418 billion of assessed real property value,” Fox said. “Last year in 2023, it was $1.16 billion, so that’s an increase of $250 million in assessed value.”

Because of this increase, the city’s tax rate for real and personal property will decrease from last year’s rate of $1.47 per $1,000 assessed value to either the compensating rate of $1.23 per $1,000 assessed value or the 4 percent increase rate of $1.29 per $1,000 assessed value. Members of the council expressed support for the 4 percent increase in order to generate revenue for the city without impacting taxpayers. The 4 percent increase requires advertising and a public hearing, which the city will prepare.

In other meeting news, the council discussed the pursuit of a grant program through GameTime Playgrounds for a new playground at Dawley Park, and Council Member Terry Owens proposed an ordinance establishing a youth council for the city. Members of the council expressed support for both measures and will discuss them further.

The Radcliff City Council will next meet September 17.

Quicksie and The Wolf, in partnership with the Swope Family of Dealerships and Central Kentucky Race Management, invite the community to participate in the inaugural Step Out Against Domestic Violence Walk/Run 5k.

“Our stations are always looking for opportunities to try to get involved and help the community where we can,and we knew that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and really we were just brainstorming on a way we could do something to help and the idea of having this 5K run/walk just came about and was born that way,” WQXE/WULF Co-General Manager Todd Bush said.

The 5K will be held Saturday, October 6 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Freeman Lake Park. Get registered by September 20 for a special bonus.

“There are free t-shirts available to those that register early, so that’s a plus, but even if you can’t register early, even if you show up at the site and register, that’s fine as well,” Bush said. “Any and all participants are welcome no matter when you sign up or even if you just show up that day.”

All proceeds from the 5K will benefit SpringHaven Inc.

“They offer solutions,” Bush said. “They offer hope for survivors of domestic violence, essential services, support to individuals and their families really across this region, and by participating in this event people in the community can make a direct impact in helping survivors rebuild their lives in a safe and supportive environment.”

Visit wqxe.com or wolf943.com to find the link to runsignup.com to register. A donation link can also be found on RunSignUp if you are unable to participate in the run/walk.

Hardin County Schools says there is no threat to student safety after a student at North Hardin High School brought a toy gun to the building this morning.

“A student arrived at school this morning and told a fellow student that they were in possession of a weapon,” said Hardin County Schools Community Relations Specialist John Wright. “The second student acted extremely responsibly and notified a staff member. That staff member and the administration immediately reached out to our school resource officer, and the SRO found a toy gun in that student’s possession.”

Wright stressed that the student was not in possession of a weapon.

“Obviously, we want to applaud the student who acted responsibly and told an adult and the school administration about what they had heard,” Wright said. “We also want to thank our SRO and the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office for always protecting our students and our staff, and this student will, in fact, endure the fullest extent of the law and will be dealt with in accordance with the Hardin County Schools Student Code of Acceptable Behavior and Discipline.”

Wright says parents should make sure to talk to their kids about making smart choices.

“Please continue to reinforce with your students that if they see something or hear something to say something to an adult, or see something or hear something, anything that would cause them to feel uncomfortable or they feel that would cause them or anyone else harm,” Wright said.

Classes at North Hardin are running on their regular schedules.