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

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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

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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

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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

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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.