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Details have been announced on the arrival, procession, and funeral services for Staff Sergeant Benjamin Pennington, the 26-year-old Glendale soldier who died on March 8 from wounds sustained in an attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 1.

According to a release from the Fort Knox Public Affairs Office, Staff Sgt. Pennington will arrive at the Godman Army Airfield at Fort Knox at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 20. Following planeside honors and a dignified transfer, a procession will transport Staff Sgt. Pennington to Trowbridge Funeral Home in Elizabethtown.

Fort Knox says the procession will proceed from the Chaffee Gate along the following roads: Knox Avenue, Joe Prather Highway, Patriot Parkway, Ring Road, Bacon Creek Road, Glendale Hodgenville Road West, and Dixie Highway to the funeral home, located at 234 West Dixie Avenue.

Fort Knox says all members of the post community are invited to line the on-post procession route. On-post participants should assemble along Bullion Boulevard by Lindsey Golf Course no later than 1 p.m. Parking is available at the golf course, but due to limited space carpooling is encouraged.

Community members are invited to safely gather along the public procession route. While residents and visitors are welcome to stand anywhere safely along the route, Fort Knox says suitable areas for gathering include the vicinity of Severns Valley Baptist Church, the area around Cecilian Bank near Ring Road and U.S. 62, Downtown Glendale along East Main Street, and the Downtown Elizabethtown Public Square area.

Fort Knox says the procession is expected to last approximately one hour. A post regarding the procession on the U.S. Army Fort Knox Facebook page will be updated Friday when the procession departs.

Funeral services for Staff Sgt. Pennington will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at Central Hardin High School, with inturnment in the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery – Central to be held privately at a later date. Visitation for Staff Sgt. Pennington will be Saturday from 10 a.m. until the time of services at the high school. The Trowbridge Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said in a release that flags at all state office buildings will ordered to half-staff the day of Staff Sgt. Pennington’s inturnment.

Breckinridge County Schools Superintendent Dr. Nick Carter said seeing the groundbreaking for the new Breckinridge County Middle School earlier this month was an exciting moment.

“You know, we’ve been working for almost six years to get to this day, and it’s been great to see it all come together, so we’re really excited to break ground, and progress is moving, so we’re very hopeful for good weather and to keep moving along and have that building ready to open for students in August of 2028,” Carter said.

The new middle school building will replace the current facility, the former high school building, which is now more than 60 years old. The district discussed renovations previously, but it was found that the cost would exceed 75 percent of new construction.

“Now that we’re there, we think about how wonderful this new building is going to be, and it will set up our students for years and years and years in Breckinridge County to have that new middle school,” Carter said. “It’ll be designed with modern learning spaces. It’s just truly exciting.”

Carter said the new building was made possible by a generous and supportive community.

“Things like this don’t happen in a rural community without the support of incredible people, and I’m very thankful to our state legislators, Senator Steve Meredith and Representative Josh Calloway, our Breckinridge County Board of Education, and everyone who has supported this work, supported this project,” Carter said. “It’s a great day to be a Tiger.”

Follow the Breckinridge County School District Facebook page for updates.

March is Women’s History Month, and state officials this month published updated numbers on women’s health in Kentucky.

Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman, the Kentucky Commission on Women, and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services released a new report on the status of women’s health in the commonwealth.

According to a release from the lieutenant governor’s office, the report was developed in partnership with the Division of Women’s Health at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to highlight public health data indicators related to women including rates of insurance coverage, chronic disease prevalence, mental health data, and maternal health indicators, among other data points.

The data shows that eight percent of women in Kentucky are uninsured, which is on par with the national average, but Kentucky has the highest cancer mortality rate in the country. About 22 percent of Kentucky women ages 18 to 44 say their mental health is “not good” and about 1 in 10 Kentucky high school girls attempt suicide. Nearly half of Kentucky women have experienced domestic violence or stalking during their lifetime. 

Coleman said in the release: “As someone whose life was saved by early detection through screenings, we should celebrate the advances that have been made for women’s health while also admitting there are severe deficits and far too many women cannot access the care they need and deserve.”

The full report and more statistics can be found at women.ky.gov.