Menu Close

WQXE News

Your source for local community news, weekdays at 6, 6:30, 7, 7:30, 8, 9 and Noon.

Silverleaf hosting fifth annual Survive to Thrive Art Auction

WQXE News 0 Comments

Support Silverleaf Sexual Trauma Recovery Services and bring home a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork at the 2025 Survive to Thrive Art Auction.

“This is our fifth year we’ve done this art auction, and we ask local artists to donate their artwork to us and as our annual fundraiser we auction off that artwork,” said Silverleaf Executive Director Dr. Jillian Carden. 

There are multiple ways to participate in the auction.

“We offer an online auction where a large chunk of the art pieces are done in an online auction format, so anybody in the community can sign up to be a bidder for those, and then on April 12 this year we have a live event where we hold off some of the pieces and we will live auction off those pieces at the event along with some other fun stuff we’re doing,” Carden said.

The in-person event on April 12 will feature beverage tastings, complementary food pairings, exclusive bidding on the in-person art auction, and new for 2025 a local artist is offering flash tattoo specials. All proceeds benefit Silverleaf and their cause.

“It could be overhead, it could be for staff, it could be for projects, and it can be for costs that we have associated with direct services with the clients that we serve,” Carden said.

The online auction opens on March 22. Find the link to bid, and the link to purchase tickets to the April 12 event, on Silverleaf’s website or Facebook page.

KFW conducting controlled burns at state WMAs

WQXE News 0 Comments

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife will be conducting controlled burns as part of their regular management of the state’s wildlife management areas. 

KFW will be working with local officials in a number of Kentucky counties on prescribed fires at wildlife management areas in March and April. These controlled burns are part of regular habitat management efforts and help restore the health of local ecosystems that depend on fire.

KFW says the burns will take place over one or two-day periods as local activity and weather conditions permit. Fire officials will take wind, air temperature, relative humidity, soil moisture, and other factors into consideration when conducting the burns. Signs will be posted and gates will be closed at sites, and adjacent landowners will be notified.

Nearby properties where prescribed fires are expected to be conducted include Barren River Lake, Yellowbank, Green River Lake, and Rolling Fork WMAs.

KFW says the management goals of the fires are to increase nut and soft fruit production and to enhance the regeneration of oaks. Learn more about KFW land management at fw.ky.gov.

Rineyville man found guilty of Manslaughter for shooting death of wife

WQXE News 0 Comments

A Hardin County man was convicted for the shooting death of his wife Thursday.

The Hardin County Circuit Court jury found Jordan Henning of Rineyville guilty of First Degree Manslaughter. Henning was arrested in June 2023 after police say he shot his wife Ashley Henning five times following a birthday party at their home. Both Jordan and Ashley Henning were active duty service members stationed at Fort Knox at the time of the shooting.

Henning’s attorneys argued in their closing arguments Thursday that the shooting took place while he was under “extreme emotional disturbance” and after multiple issues had festered for some time he had snapped after multiple triggers. The prosecution argued in their closing arguments that the evidence in the case, including home surveillance video, shows Henning acted with malicious purpose.

The jury recommended a sentence of 20 years. A date for sentencing was not immediately set. Henning remains incarcerated at the Hardin County Detention Center.

(Photo Credit: Hardin County Detention Center)

State officials kick off Ad Education Week at Creekside Elementary School

WQXE News 0 Comments

Kentucky state officials joined students and staff at Creekside Elementary School Monday to kick off the inaugural Ag Education Week, which runs now through March 21.

According to the Kentucky Department of agriculture, Ag Education Week “delivers an all-encompassing learning experience for students, equips educators with ready-to-use resources and lessons, and fosters community involvement to create dynamic, hands-on learning focused on the diverse world of Kentucky agriculture.”

Hardin County Schools says Creekside’s Agstream initiative, which launched in 2021, is one of the first, if not the first, elementary agriculture curriculum programs in the state, so Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman said it was appropriate to launch Ag Education Week there.

“We’ve got a public school system that has been underfunded and undervalued for far too long and we have a farming population that feels the same way, and so knowing how dependent we are on education for the future of Kentucky and knowing how dependent the entire world is on agriculture and growing this sector, there’s no better way to make sure that we value both by bringing them together and highlighting them and the work that’s being done,” Coleman said.

Creekside Elementary School Principal Brooke Custis said the Agstream initiative was born out of conversations with parents, staff, and students following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After listening to all those things from families and staff and the community, it seemed that what seemed to resonate the most was that they wanted their children to have less screen time and more social interaction,” Custis said. “They wanted them to have fresh air and sunshine and feel their hands in the dirt and the sun on their face.”

Kentucky Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher said the Agstream initiative fits well into the three main pillars of the Department of Education’s decision making: innovation, collaboration with community, and vibrant learning.

“How much more relevant can your learning in the classroom be than if you’re going straight out of your classroom into your community and applying what you’re learning in the classroom?” Fletcher said. “And that’s what you’re doing with agriculture. There is so much learning that’s going on day to day that is vibrant, that is relevant as it relates to agriculture.”

Learn more about resources being promoted during Ag Education Week at kyagr.com.

E-Town council holds first reading on outdoor music venue bond ordinance

WQXE News 0 Comments

The Elizabethtown City Council met for their second meeting of the month Monday.

The first reading was held on an ordinance approving a general obligations bond for the Buffalo Lake outdoor music venue. The bond is not to exceed $47 million to be paid over a term not to exceed 30 years. Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory asked City Attorney Ken Howard to clarify that no additional taxes are being created to pay for the bond.

“It is not anticipated that any additional taxes will have to be imposed,” Howard said. “We’ve done the analysis, your financial advisors are here today as well and believe that the current sources of revenue available to the city and to tourism will be sufficient to pay the bonds.”

An ordinance establishing new sewer rates for the city also had its first reading. In addition to establishing new connection, industrial, and commercial fees, the ordinance sets gradual increases in the minimum residential bill, with a rate for the first 2,000 gallons beginning at $14.46 in 2025 and increasing to $19.52 by 2028. Gregory said the city is very careful when considering any increases to fees or taxes, and the fees and rates are still among the lowest in the state.

“We are very cognizant of the fact that with inflation and the economy the way it is right now that people don’t have a ton of extra money and we still want to keep our fees as low as we possibly can, but like I said we have not changed since 2012 on the rate change, and the connection fee since 1999,” Gregory said.

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet March 24.