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CASA of the Heartland expanding to cover three more counties

94.3 The Wolf

CASA of the Heartland will be taking over for the dissolved Tri-County CASA organization and expanding to cover Breckinridge, Grayson, and Meade counties.

“I think the biggest thing for us was just seeing that there was a potential for children to go unserved in terms of having court-appointed special advocates, and we definitely did not want to see that happen, so we saw a need and decided that it would be in our best interest and the best interest of the children in our surrounding communities if we stepped up and expanded our service area to now be serving a five county region,” said CASA of the Heartland Executive Director Michelle Kail. 

The organization, which focuses on recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers that act as court-appointed special advocates for area children navigating foster care and family court, will need support from more volunteers.

“The biggest challenge I would say is making sure that we have the people power in terms of volunteers to continue to support Hardin County and LaRue County, while also adding Meade, Breckinridge, and Grayson counties,” Kail said.
Learn more about how you can support CASA of the Heartland, or about how to become a CASA volunteer, at www.casaheartland.org or by calling 270-982-2274.

Meeting to discuss U.S. 62 interstate interchange corridor Tuesday night

94.3 The Wolf

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is hosting a public meeting Tuesday night to discuss congestion and safety within the U.S. 62 interstate interchange corridor.

The meeting will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. 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. In addition to feedback on alternatives, the KYTC says they want to hear from anyone with pedestrian or bike usage input regarding the U.S. 62 underpass at the railroad tracks between Ring Road and the interchange.

More information on the project and a survey link for anybody that is unable to attend the meeting in person can be found at www.Drive62.com.

ECTC celebrating renovation of Occupational Technical Building

94.3 The Wolf

Area officials were on hand at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College Friday as State Senator Matt Deneen presented ECTC President and CEO Dr. Juston Pate with the $44 million that was allocated to the college by the Kentucky General Assembly for phase two of renovations of ECTC’s Occupational Technical Building.

Pate said the renovations are not only important for keeping up with developing technology, but also for providing the best experience for both students and staff.

“Knowing what we have with our ECTC family here in this building, and knowing that the equipment, the technologies are cutting edge and up to date, but that these faculty and staff who work in this building are the best, absolutely the best at what they do, and to now be able to provide them a home that will reflect that,” Pate said.

Students attending classes in the OTB receive education and training for a wide range of careers involving speciality degrees and licenses. Pate said the only thing holding the college back to this point has been infrastructure.

“They put many round pegs into a lot of square holes to make this training work, and they’re not going to have to do that anymore, and the investment from this legislature will not only allow us to truly reach our potential as a training provider, but I think will allow us a much better path of recruiting future workforce into this field,” Pate said.

Deneen talked about how ECTC played a role in his own education, and said ensuring quality opportunities in education is critical.

“What we’re doing here, the changes and the upgrades, it will change lives,” Deneen said. “It will change generations. It will move people from poverty to success, And it’s all at the hands of you, the staff and the instructors.”

ECTC previously received about $15 million for work on the OTB. More information on development at the college can be found in the master plan available on ECTC’s website.

Kentucky’s Safe At home Program sees increased use after expansion

94.3 The Wolf

The Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office is highlighting the success of expanding the state’s Safe at Home Program.

Secretary of State Michael Adams says since the Kentucky General Assembly passed legislation at his request to expand the commonwealth’s Address Confidentiality Program, use in the program increased by 460 percent in the first year.

“We know that government is supposed to be transparent, and it should be, but we can’t allow abusers to use the transparency of government to stalk and harass and further abuse their victims,” said Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith. 

Smith said the program is an added layer of protection for victims of abuse.

“It provides them an opportunity to hide their residency from public view on documents up to and including their voting record, and so someone would be able to register to vote here in Hardin County but we would obscure their address from any potential abuser who would use Kentucky’s open record laws to try and track that person down,” Smith said.

The expansion of the program also allowed for expanded interstate reciprocity, meaning neighboring states also help to mask records.

“I certainly agree with Secretary Adams that protecting abuse victims is worthwhile,” Smith said. “It’s worth the effort. His staff has put a lot of time and effort into this. He put a lot of passion behind it, and I applaud him for that.”

Victims can apply for the Safe at Home Program on the Secretary of State’s website.

Kentucky Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan open for comments this week

94.3 The Wolf

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s draft of the federally-required Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan is available for public view, and will be open for comments later this week. 

The KYTC will allow for public inspection and comment on the plan for 30 days from August 15 through September 14. Any individual, agency, or organization may provide comments.

The plan includes all federally-funded projects scheduled for fiscal years 2025 through 2028, including all of the federally-funded and scheduled projects in the 2024 State Highway Plan that was enacted by the Kentucky General Assembly and Governor Andy Beshear. The plan contains links to Kentucky’s nine Metropolitan Planning Organizations, including Radcliff-Elizabethtown.

All residents of Kentucky who use the state’s roadways are invited to provide feedback. The draft plan can be found at transportation.KY.gov, and is available at each of the 12 KYTC district offices, including District Four in Elizabethtown.

Food insecurity up more than 35,000 people in Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland service area

94.3 The Wolf

Feeding America says the latest data from their Map the Meal Gap study shows that more than 176,000 people in Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland’s 42-county service area are struggling with food insecurity, an increase of more than 35,000 people from last year.

“In Hardin County alone, we have over 15,000 individuals, including children, that are food insecure,” said FAKH Marketing and Communications Manager Kaitlyn Jackson. “For the number of individuals, Hardin County ranks among the top five in the state of Kentucky for food insecure individuals, both as overall numbers but also for kids specifically.”

The USDA defines food insecurity as “the lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.” Food insecurity is a struggle that is not always visible, and Jackson says 30 percent of food insecure individuals in Hardin County make more money than is permitted for SNAP or other government assistance.

“They’re working,” Jackson said. “They’re trying to better their families, and yet there is a problem putting food on the table, whether that’s having to choose to pay for utilities, having to choose to pay for transportation, the roof over your head, all of these other issues that then leave food the last thing you put your paycheck towards. It is an ongoing issue.”

The impact of food insecurity goes beyond hunger.

“It is a barrier to living an active and healthy life for so many people, and it can be related to a lot of critical public health issues such as depression, high blood pressure, and cardiac issues,” Jackson said. “As individuals, especially children, grow up in food insecure environments, they can deal with a lot of consequences from those environments as they get older.”

Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland and their partner organizations continue to focus on addressing issues with food insecurity despite reduced funding and resources. Visit their website to learn more about volunteer and donation opportunities, and visit Feeding America’s website for more information on the Map the Meal Gap study.

Bullitt County Schools Superintendent Bacon selected to lead KASA

94.3 The Wolf

The Kentucky Association of School Administrators will be led by an area superintendent. 

Bullitt County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jesse Bacon was selected by the KASA as its new president during the association’s annual meeting on July 26. Bacon has been a member of the KASA since 2008 and has served as the head of Bullitt County Schools since 2018.

The association says as president Bacon will “guide the board of directors in advocating for critical legislation aimed at sustaining the education profession.” Leadership will focus on securing competitive salaries, benefits, and support systems for educators while ensuring quality education for the more than 640,000 students in the commonwealth as they advance legislative priorities with the 2025 Kentucky General Assembly.

Joining Bacon as KASA officers will be Meade County Schools Assistant Superintendent Marc Adams, who will serve as vice president, and Breckinridge County Schools Superintendent Dr. Nick Carter, who will serve as immediate past president.

Learn more about the Kentucky Association of School Administrators at www.kasa.org.

Crystal Rogers investigation suspect Steven Lawson dismisses attorney

94.3 The Wolf

A hearing in Nelson Circuit Court Thursday that was supposed to involve Crystal Rogers investigation suspect Steven Lawson giving an answer on whether or not he was waving evidentiary protection ended with Lawson dismissing his attorney.

Judge Charles Simms III called the hearing to order and was calling on defense attorney Ted Lavit to discuss his motion filed Wednesday not to waive the protection, which would mean the prosecution could not use footage of Lawson’s interviews with police. Lawson then raised his hand and asked to speak to the judge, and after Simms cautioned that anything he said was being recorded into record Lawson said he did not believe Lavit was properly representing him and wanted a new attorney.

Special Prosecutor Teresa Young said she supported Lawson’s request because the prosecution had “serious concerns about whether Mr. Lawson has had conflict-free counsel in his representation.” Young said on August 4 Lawson said in a call from jail that he had fired Lavit because he said the attorney had a meeting with attorneys for Brooks Houck “behind his back,” so the prosecution was surprised Lavit made another motion in the case when they were expecting him to withdraw. Young also said the prosecution has noticed peculiarities dating back to March in the similarities of Lawson and Houck’s filings with the court including quotes, misquotes, and paraphrasing. Young said “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I know that it’s something that I think the court needs to inquire about. It’s disturbing.”

Lavit said he was never personally told that he had been dismissed, and said “I have done my best at this point in time without any conflict whatsoever concerning my client, and I believe Mr. Lawson has been aware of what I’ve been doing on his behalf since he engaged.”

Lawson said he could not afford an attorney at this time, and Simms ordered for a public defender to be appointed within the next two weeks. Lavit said he would turn over his file to the new attorney.

Support the Hardin County Animal Shelter while you shop

94.3 The Wolf

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

94.3 The Wolf

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.