Menu Close

WQXE News

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

Hardin County EMS revenue in February sees increase

WQXE News 0 Comments

The Hardin County Fiscal Court heard updates from department heads during their second meeting of the month Tuesday.

Hardin County EMS Director Mark Peterson reported on January and February activity, with 1,623 calls responded to in January. Peterson said data may change for county EMS as Baptist Health Hardin’s EMS service went live for transfers in February.

“We were kind of curious to see how that’s going to impact us,” Peterson said. “We don’t have a great picture of it, but you can see right away that our responses went down significantly in February. We made 1,213 responses in February, and only 32 of those were transfers.”

Peterson said county EMS made more than $1,004,000 in collections in February.

“As far as I know, that’s our best month in revenue ever, and there’s a lot of things to that,” Peterson said. “We had some increases to our monthly allotments for the House Bill 8 money. We had about a $34,000 increase in that money that comes into us every month, and we’ve also been working very diligently with Judge Taul on some process improvements as far as our patient care reporting and stuff like that.”

In other meeting news, Hardin County E-911 Director Mike Leo said county 911 answered 4,116 calls in February.

Hardin County Jailer Josh Lindblom said the Hardin County Detention Center took in 510 inmates in February and released 506, with the average total population for the month 580. Inmates worked 10,735 hours, including filling 2,280 bags of trash.

Hardin County Judge-Executive Keith Taul said county government is preparing for the next fiscal year.

“We are in the middle of a budget process for the next fiscal year, as painful as it is, but we will plan to present the budget at the next meeting in April, and that will be our first reading of that budget, so that’s our plan right now,” Taul said.

The Hardin County Fiscal Court will next meet April 9, and the next Town Hall Forum will be held in the fiscal courtroom at 5:30 p.m. on April 30.

KCTCS launches task force to assist with FAFSA delay issues

WQXE News 0 Comments

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System has established a FAFSA Rapid Response Task Force that is working on expanding communication with students as the college system deals with delays in getting FAFSA information.

The delay stems from an overhaul that was meant to simplify the FAFSA application process, but the rollout of the new system delayed the application opening date from the typical October 1 launch to a limited launch on December 31. The delayed launch along with submission issues has caused a delay in getting colleges information on students, which in turn means students are not getting info on financial aid options.

KCTCS President Ryan Quarles has established the task force and charged them with developing a communication plan with students, providing financial aid estimates ahead of the arrival of FAFSA data, and anticipating the short-term and long-term impact of the delays.

Colleges began receiving FAFSA information last week. In a typical year, the college system has received FAFSA information on 35,000 students by mid-March. This year they have received info on about 7,000.

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College students that need assistance with the FAFSA can contact the college’s financial aid office.

Nolin RECC accepting applications for Operation Round Up grants

WQXE News 0 Comments

Nolin RECC is accepting applications for the next round of grants from its Operation Round Up program.

The co-op says the program is a non-profit run by a local board of directors that accepts and reviews applications to determine which programs and organizations receive funding. Local dollars in the past have gone to organizations such as Family Scholar House, Helping Hand of Hope, and Shepherd’s Pie Food Pantry.

Nolin RECC Communications Manager Sarah Fellows says co-op members that participate in the program volunteer to round up their monthly electric bill to the nearest dollar.

“All those nickels and dimes and quarters for an average Nolin member only adds up to about $6 a year, but it makes such a big difference because thousands of Nolin members are choosing to do that, and since 2006 that money has turned around over $300,000 in grants to programs and organizations that are right here locally in our community,” Fellows said.

The application deadline is May 1. Applications may be picked up at the Nolin RECC office or can be found online at nolinrecc.com.

Kentucky hunters preparing for Spring Turkey Hunting Season

WQXE News 0 Comments

A heavy fall mast harvest of nuts and acorns combined with a mild winter means ample opportunities for hunters looking to take advantage of Kentucky’s spring wild turkey hunting season.

Kentucky’s youth-only turkey season open to hunters ages 15 and younger will run the weekend of April 6 and 7, with the general season running from April 13 through May 5.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife tracks the turkey population through summer brood surveys and hunting season data. KFW biologists are anticipating an average population consistent with numbers seen since a jump in 2021. This comes despite the second highest total turkey harvest on record in 2023, with hunters claiming more than 35,000 birds last spring.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife says they’re expecting reduced wildlife movement this spring. The heavy mast harvest and mild winter means food sources were amble in the winter and the turkeys are less likely to travel from those food sources.

Regular hunting laws and regulations including hunting license requirements, daily bird claim limits, and public land restrictions will be in effect. Hunters should consult the KFW’s Spring Turkey Hunting Guide and 2024 Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide before hunting season opens.

Graduation dates set for Hardin County Schools

WQXE News 0 Comments

The Hardin County Schools Board of Education announced a change to the school calendar and approved dates for the district’s high school graduation ceremonies during their board meeting last week.

Friday, May 24 will be the final day of school for K-12 students. The district says ending the year on the 24th allows the school year to finish on a Friday and before Memorial Day. The board is excusing three days of school that were missed due to inclement weather. The district says they traditionally schedule more school days than required by state law.

Graduation for John Hardin High School will be held at 7 p.m. on May 24 at Bulldog Stadium.

Central Hardin High School will hold graduation at 11 a.m. on May 25 at Bruin Gym.

North Hardin High School will hold graduation at 6 p.m. on May 25 at the North Hardin football field, Ray Story Stadium.

Hardin County High School families have appointments for graduates to walk across the stage and receive their diplomas beginning at 9 a.m. on May 18.

Contact Hardin County Schools for more information.