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Veterans, their friends and families, and community members are invited to learn more about suicide prevention at the Lethal Means Safety Summit, hosted on behalf of the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs and Commissioner Whitney Allen on Wednesday, May 20, in Louisville.
“We teach things like ‘Military Culture 101,’” said KDVA Director for State Programs Millie Dee Stevens. “We also have someone coming that’s going to teach on CALM. It’s on firearms safety, how you can prevent suicides by participating in firearm safety procedures and methods.”
The summit will also feature discussions on “post-vention.”
“How to help families once there has been a death by suicide in their family, then how to manage to get through the most severe part of grieving,” Stevens said.
The AMVETS One bus, which travels the country to educate on suicide awareness for veterans, will also be appearing at the event.
Stevens said veterans often have a difficult time asking for help after leaving the service, and the summit is part of efforts to fight stigma.
“It’s a very hard transition, and it’s something not to be ashamed of,” Stevens said. “it’s something that every military veteran will go through in some form or other, and learning the signals, learning to watch for them, learning to notice when things change, it’s very critical toward preventing suicide among our veterans.”
The event is free and open to all. The summit will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1650 Lyndon Farm Court in Lyndon. Contact Stevens or visit the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs Facebook page for more information.
Central Kentucky Community Foundation Communications and Projects Coordinator Erin Hahn said Kentucky Gives Day 2026 went “really well” for local participating organizations.
“We raised nearly $194,000 locally for Kentucky Give’s Day this year, and that included 933 individual gifts to 26 nonprofits in our service area,” Hahn said.
The Community Foundation said statewide more than $853,000 from nearly 5,000 gifts supported nonprofits from across the commonwealth. Bernheim Forest raised the most money in the CKCF service area followed by St. James Catholic School and Sisters of Charity of Nazreth.
Hahn said the donations are about more than just funding. It’s a rallying cry.
“To have 933 individuals coming out to support, whether it’s $5, $50, $500, coming out and supporting these nonprofits that do so much for our community, it reaches far greater,” Hahn said. “I think it’s more emotional than really fiscal in the sense of just dollar amounts.”
Gives Day may have come and gone, but there are still plenty of ways to support these organizations.
“It isn’t so much about necessarily giving money,” Hahn said. “You can also give some of your time. Many of these organizations are in desperate need of volunteers, so maybe it might not be necessarily someone writing a check, but it could be that you might give two hours once a week over the summer or something of that nature.”
Visit www.kygives.org to see the full results from this year’s KY Gives Day, and visit www.ckcf4people.org for more information on participating nonprofits.
The summer closure of Interstate 65 through downtown Louisville begins in just over two weeks, and more closures are in effect this weekend as crews prepare for the work and the detour.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Five says one lane of southbound I-65 at the I-65/I-264 interchange and lanes on the off-ramp from eastbound I-264 to southbound I-65 will be closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The five-mile stretch of I-65 between the I-264 interchange and Jefferson Street is set to close June 1, with traffic detoured on I-264 on the city’s west side. Learn more at www.i65centralcorridor.com.
Meanwhile, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Four says traffic in LaRue County will be impacted by a partial bridge replacement project next week. Beginning Monday, the westbound side of the KY 210/North Lincoln Boulevard bridge over the north fork of Nolin River will be closed with the setting of barrier walls. Traffic heading towards Elizabethtown will have to follow the marked detour via Lincoln Parkway. Eastbound traffic should slow down, pay attention to signs, and anticipate work zone delays.
KYTC District Four says demolition work will take approximately three weeks, with construction through the summer and early fall. The westbound lane is expected to reopen to traffic by the first weekend of October. Follow KYTC District Four on social media for updates.