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Multiple agencies assisted with a fire in Sonora Thursday evening.
According to a Facebook post from Upton Fire and Rescue, shortly before 11 p.m. on February 6 firefighters were dispatched to a residence on Ford Road in Sonora to assist the Sonora Fire Department with a reported structure fire. The Glendale Fire Department was also dispatched to the scene for mutual aid.
Upton crews arrived 12 minutes after dispatch and found the structure had heavy smoke and visible flames coming from the kitchen. Crews began an interior attack on the kitchen, and were then alerted to an extension of the fire in the back of the residence spreading upstairs.
Command requested the Elizabethtown Fire Department respond as they have the only mobile cascade system in the area, which was used to fill breathing apparatuses while crews still fought to gain control of the fire. The Valley Creek Fire Department responded as well with a tanker and additional manpower.
The fire was called under control a little after 12:30 a.m. after crews chased the fire through multiple void spots. Units cleared the scene at 2:31 a.m. “with a fully intact structure still remaining.”
Upton Fire and Rescue says they made the post to dispel rumors and false information spreading on social media regarding the fire and response, and thanked each of the responding crews for their efforts and teamwork.
The Kentucky Department for Public Health on Friday announced the first pediatric death from influenza in the current respiratory virus season. The death comes a month after the first pediatric death from COVID-19 of the season.
The KDPH says most influenza and COVID-19 infections result in mild illnesses, but hospitalizations and emergency department visits related to flu have been increasing across the state. Serious symptoms such as difficult or fast breathing, seizures, bluish lips or face, fever above 104 degrees, fever or cough that improves but then returns or gets worse, or the worsening of other medical conditions require medical attention.
The KDPH says influenza vaccination rates in the state have been declining, with less than 17 percent of Kentucky children receiving a flu shot this season and 2 percent receiving the updated COVID-19 vaccine. Lincoln Trail District Health Department Public Relations Officer Melissa Philips said last week when talking about the impact respiratory virus season has had on area school districts that vaccination is one of the main defenses against illness.
“If you haven’t gotten your COVID vaccination or your flu vaccination, it’s not too late to do that,” Phillips said. “If you are somebody who qualifies for RSV, that is also a disease that’s spread through respiratory means, so all of those vaccinations are a good means of prevention.”
Health officials also encourage good health habits to help prevent the spread of illness, including staying home when sick and proper and frequent hand washing.
“I know you hear that a lot, but it is the number one way to prevent illness, so if you are ill or someone else is in the home is ill, it’s that frequent hand washing anytime you blow your nose or sneeze or use the bathroom or prepare food, any of those ways that germs are spread,” Phillips said.
Contact your healthcare provider or your local health department office for vaccination information. The most current data on respiratory virus activity in Kentucky can be found on the Cabinet for Health and Family Services website.
Kentuckians have a new tool to help them follow along with the 2025 General Assembly session.
“It’s important for everyone to know how much any bill cuts or impacts the state budget, so in our commitment to transparency and making sure you know how much legislation costs, today we’re announcing a new website where we will post fiscal notes on proposed legislation to make sure that the public can stay aware of what proposed changes could cost you,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear during last Thursday’s Team Kentucky Update.
The 2025 Facts and Fiscal Notes web page includes a breakdown of each bill with a financial impact on Kentuckians, along with estimates based on information from the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission.
“Visit governor.ky.gov to see each fiscal note produced, and we will update it regularly,” Beshear said. “Stay involved, stay informed, and let’s keep moving our commonwealth forward.”
The governor discussed the web page when discussing his signing of House Bill One, which reduces the state’s income tax next year to 3.5 percent.
Kentuckians will see a reduction in their income tax rate next year after Governor Andy Beshear on Thursday signed House Bill One into law.
“The bill lowers the income tax to 3.5 percent next January without cutting any of the state programs that Kentuckians are dependent on,” said Kentucky House District 25 Representative Steve Bratcher. “Economists estimate the cut will leave $718 million in paychecks and pocketbooks in the first year alone. We’ve seen previous tax cuts translate into more spending in our local communities, investments, and helping Kentuckians deal with national inflation.”
During his Team Kentucky Update Thursday, Governor Beshear said he supported the bill because it saves Kentuckians money at a time where prices are high.
“This is a bill that’s been supported by Republicans,” Beshear said. “It’s been supported by Democrats. In the end, I support it because it’s going to help you, and that’s where the analysis should always focus.”
Beshear said he believed growth across the state will offset the loss of tax revenue, and noted that Kentuckians can view information on the financial impact of such bills on the 2025 Facts and Fiscal Notes webpage on the governor’s website. The text of House Bill One can be found on the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission website.