WQXE News
Baptist Health Hardin Obstetrician and Gynecologist Dr. Shannon Holt says one of her motivations to pitch the PinkDot Project to the Central Kentucky Community Foundation’s Heels Together initiative was when one of her patients asked her to stop her periods because she couldn’t afford the cost of menstrual supplies. After finding other patients were dealing with similar issues, she did more research on how deep the struggle really was.
“Of the 71 million women currently in the United States actively menstruating, 17 million live below the poverty line, and they are decimated by period poverty,” Holt said. “It affects one in four students who don’t have the ability to go to school or they use their products for so much longer than they’re intended to, risking infection and other problems.”
The PinkDot Project will allow area residents to donate period products for women and girls who cannot afford them. Period products can be dropped off at the first two donation locations, Gathering Bakery in Radcliff and HubHaus in Elizabethtown.
During a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday morning, Gathering Bakery owner Deb Suratt said when the project was first brought to her attention she was reminded of her own experiences growing up, and it was the first time she heard the phrase “period poverty” and learned she wasn’t the only one who struggled.
“I would steal,” Suratt said. “I stole feminine products, and I had a boyfriend and he stole contact lens solution, and that was a Friday night. It’s embarrassing, and until this happened, nobody knew. My daughters didn’t know.”
In addition to donating products, area residents looking to support the PinkDot project can make a donation via the Community Foundation’s website www.ckcf4people.org. Schools and non-profits who serve women and girls in need of products can also sign up for support on the website.
A Jefferson County man is in custody after a robbery investigation in Hardin County.
Charles Austin of Louisville faces multiple charges including Receiving Stolen Property, Robbery, and Fleeing or Evading Police, among other charges, following his arrest Friday.
According to the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office, at around 2:29 p.m. on October 24 deputies were dispatched to the 700 block of Star Mills Road after a report came in of a robbery and stolen vehicle. Deputies made contact with the victim, who told officers he had been robbed by an individual he knew. The victim said the suspect had been armed with a handgun and the victim’s vehicle, which had a firearm in it, was stolen in the incident.
A BOLO was issued and the stolen vehicle was detected on an Elizabethtown FLOCK camera. Officers with the Elizabethtown Police Department located the vehicle and initiated a pursuit on Interstate 65 South. The vehicle crashed just north of the Sonora exit and the suspect, identified as Austin, fled on foot but was apprehended a short time later.
Austin was lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center. He is set to appear for a video arraignment in Hardin District Court Monday morning.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Four will be hosting a public hearing in two weeks regarding the updated environmental assessment of the proposed extension of KY 3005/Ring Road from the Western Kentucky Parkway to U.S. 31W.
The KYTC and Federal Highway Administration will be “offering review of the environmental assessment and updated project information regarding the proposed extension” at 5:30 p.m. on November 18 at the Hardin County Extension Office, located at 111 Opportunity Way in Elizabethtown.
“This project was really designed and ready to go about a decade ago but never ultimately got funded, so in that timeframe when it’s sat on the shelf, so to speak, some federal approvals and guidelines we have to follow for any project just weren’t current anymore, so we’re having to kind of go back and revisit some of these things, and that’s part of this process now with the environmental assessment,” said KYTC District Four Public Information Officer Chris Jessie.
The proposed extension would be about 2 miles in length, going from the current Ring Road/WKP interchange east with a new at-grade intersection with KY 1136, a new interchange with I-65, and a new intersection with U.S. 31W.
Public comments on the environmental assessment will be accepted until December 3. A hard copy of the assessment is available for review at the Hardin County Public Library and KYTC District Four’s office. If you are unable to attend in person, find more information and the link to submit comments on the KYTC District Four Facebook page.
The United Way of Central Kentucky invites area nonprofits to an upcoming training event.
The United Way is hosting a grant application training session for area nonprofit organizations to help them access funding for programs that will benefit the region. The session will be held at the United Way’s office, located at 604 North Main Street in Elizabethtown, this Thursday at 2 p.m.
According to a release from the United Way, nonprofits focused on education, health, financial stability, or helping families meet basic needs are encouraged to attend. The organization “seeks partners who are committed to making measurable improvements in these core areas of community well-being.” Attendees will be trained on the grant application process, best practices, and insights into how the United Eay selects and supports initiatives.
Attending organizations must be a 501(c)3 nonprofit, school district, or coalition of agencies with a nonprofit fiscal agent. The organization must be concentrated on the United Way of Central Kentucky’s service area, which includes Breckinridge, Grayson, Hardin, LaRue, and Meade counties.
RSVP for the training by emailing Andrea Hill at ahill@unitedwayck.org. Visit the UWCK website for more information.