Fort Knox is announcing gate closures ahead of Labor Day weekend.
According to the U.S. Army Fort Knox Facebook page, while the Chaffee Gate will remain open 24/7, the Brandenburg Gate will be closed Friday through Monday and the Wilson Gate will be closed Saturday through Monday. Additionally, the Chaffee Avenue on-ramps to U.S. 31W will be closed Saturday through Monday.
As Fort Knox celebrates Labor Day, an experience typically reserved for Memorial Day weekend will take place Sunday.
“The installation’s long-standing tradition of opening the post’s 121 cemeteries to the public annually has been rescheduled for Sunday, September 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” said Fort Knox Garrison Commander Colonel Chris Ricci. “Fort Knox is going to open several access points around the installation perimeter, welcoming visitors who wish to pay their respects to friends and family members that are interred here.”
Inclement weather Memorial Day canceled the usual cemetery visit day in May. Visitors are encouraged to pre-register online for their required pass onto Fort Knox. A cultural resources representative will be available at the Fort Knox visitors center to provide cemetery and access point information.
Hardin County Schools has announced this year’s recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes five HCS alums who have excelled in their chosen profession or made outstanding contributions to their communities.
The 2024 class of recipients are Central Hardin class of 1994 grad Donna Preston Dennis, North Hardin class of 1985 grad Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Holt, North Hardin class of 1993 grad Lieutenant Colonel Jenohn Leshea Smith, East Hardin class of 1985 grad Gary Valentine, and North Hardin class of 1988 grad Mary (Cooper) Young.
“These five people are a true representation of how our graduates use their curricular, their co-curricular, and their extracurricular experiences to excel in their chosen career fields and in their communities,” said Hardin County Schools Community Relations Specialist John Wright.. “We look forward to honoring them next month. It’s going to be a great celebration.”
The distinguished alumni will be honored at a luncheon on September 26 at the Hardin County Schools Early College and Career Center. Contact HCS for more information.
State officials say Kentucky schools are continuing to make progress towards statewide school safety goals.
The Kentucky Office of the State School Security Marshal on Wednesday released the annual School Safety Risk Assessment Report. According to the report, 1,325 schools across the commonwealth are in compliance with the School Safety and Resiliency Act, a compliance rate of 99.81 percent.
State School Security Marshal Ben Wilcox said in the report that the number of school resource officers assigned to school campuses is 790, a 28 percent increase from last year and a 61 percent increase since House Bill 63 which requires every public school to have a SRO was signed into law.
The State School Security Marshal’s Office compiles the report based on unannounced visits to public schools. This year’s report indicates schools are complying with “mandated access control requirements regarding electronic-locking front doors, surveillance, locked classroom doors, classroom-window coverings, and a threat-assessment team.” Recommendations in the report include education of school staff on social media safety, ensuing up-to-date emergency operations plans, and ensuring training for front office staff on security measures.
Assessments for individual schools are not made public due to safety concerns. Kentuckians are encouraged to report possible threats against school safety to the STOP! Tipline at 1-866-393-6659 or online at safeschools.ky.gov.
The fiscal court approved a resolution to set the county’s property tax levies for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
“The recommendation is to adopt the real property tax rate at the 4 percent increase, and this results in a tax rate of 11.1 cents per $100 valuation for real property,” said Hardin County Judge/Executive Keith Taul. “This actually ended up lowering our current real property rate and our current personal property rates of 11.3 down to 11.1 cents per $100 valuation.”
In his presentation proposing the tax levy, Taul noted the 4 percent increase keeps the county more in line with the 2024-2025 budget than the compensating rate option.
“Our 4 percent revenue, if we take that option, then we’ll end up with about $172,000 estimated that we would have above our budget, so pretty close, really, and then if we take the compensating then we would come out about the same amount under budget,” Taul said.
Taul said property tax revenue is the fiscal court’s largest funding mechanism, and said resident property taxes will largely be the same as last year.
“If you have $100,000 worth of property, our tax rate is already pretty low at 11.3 and $113 is what you would pay, and at 11.1, which is the proposed new rate, slightly lower, we save $2,” Taul said.
The Hardin County Soil Conservation District reduced its tax levy to .015 percent from the .02 percent rate last year, while the Lincoln Trail District Health Department rate saw no change at .022 percent.
In other meeting news, Hardin County Coroner Pat Elmore said his office investigated 165 cases in June and July. Hardin County Sheriff John Ward said in June and July his office made 214 arrests, issued 182 citations, served 117 warrants, and opened 34 criminal cases.
County Attorney Jenny Oldham, who Taul and several magistrates congratulated for being named by the state attorney general’s office the 2024 Outstanding County Attorney, thanked the fiscal court for expanded security funding for her office, which she said proved its worth during last Monday’s shooting in downtown Elizabethtown.
“I can’t imagine what Monday would have been like without Deputy Hawkins, who not only got us locked down but was the first one on the scene for the three victims, and so thank you for that funding,” Oldham said. “I hope it will continue. That is a day that I don’t ever want to repeat.”
The Hardin County Fiscal Court will next meet September 10.
