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Three local organizations were among the recipients of grant funding announced last week in the fight against domestic violence.

Governor Andy Beshear announced that 30 organizations across the commonwealth would be receiving more than $2.1 million in funding from the federal Violence Against Women Act.

“These groups will use this funding to protect and support victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking,” said Governor Beshear during Thursday’s Team Kentucky Update.

The governor’s office says the funding is allocated to law enforcement, prosecutors, victim services, and state and local courts, and supports community and local projects serving adult and youth victims.

Among the recipients of the latest round of funding are Baptist Health Foundation Hardin ($77,716), Silverleaf Sexual Trauma Recovery Services, Inc. ($22,430), and SpringHaven, Inc. ($51,019).

Beshear said the funding goes along with other initiatives such as the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Safe at Home program and expanded legislation focused on strengthening statutes concerning abuse and exploitation of minors.

“No one should experience a violent crime,” Beshear said. “While there is a lot of work left to be done in my administration, we are doing everything we can day in and day out to make our community safer and to make sure our people feel safer.”

Kentucky domestic violence shelters and resources are available 24/7.

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College is continuing a multi-year streak of increasing the college’s graduation rate.

“You know, it’s certainly representative of the quality of the students and the community, but really indicative of a lot of hard work by our faculty and staff to keep pushing themselves to find new and better ways to engage with our students, get them involved in the teaching and learning process,” said ECTC President and CEO Dr. Juston Pate.

ECTC says its graduation rate for the 2023-2024 academic year was 59.5 percent, which is an increase of about 10 percent from the previous year and about 21.5 percent from the 2018-2019 academic year.

ECTC also saw growth with its retention rate, with 65.2 percent of first-time freshmen returning from 2023 to 2024. That’s up 2.6 percent from the previous year and 15.9 percent from five years ago.

Pate says the retention rate and the graduation rate go hand in hand.

“What it’s really talking about is fulfilling that mission of adding value to our students’ lives and then returning that value back out into the community,” Pate said. “We’re helping students connect with a goal and a dream and then helping them achieve that in a timely fashion, which puts them into this community and this workforce in a much more timely fashion, and we all need that.”

Spring semester classes begin January 13. Contact the ECTC admissions office for more information.

The Elizabethtown Police Department invites the public to participate in their annual Cram the Cruiser food drive now through December 2.

“A police cruiser is parked in the landscaping bed near the lobby entrance of the Elizabethtown Police Department, located at 300 South Mulberry Street, and is clearly marked for drop-offs,” said EPD Public Information Officer Chris Denham. “We welcome all non-perishable food donations, and every item collected will remain in Hardin County to benefit our local community. If you have a large donation and would like to schedule a pickup, you may contact me, Chris Denham, by email at chris.denham@elisabethtownky.gov.”

You can also call the EPD for more information at 270-765-4125.