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New app available to help Kentucky deer and elk hunters

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife has a new resource for the state’s deer and elk hunters.

The KFW, in collaboration with the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation, has launched the new KY Deer & Elk app. The KFW says this mobile tool “provides real-time hunting tools, planning support, and essential field information to enhance hunting experiences both in the field and during preparation at home.”

Among the app’s features are interactive maps, which provide hunters with detailed public property lines. The maps will be available even when cell service is unavailable. App users will also be able to build and save custom hunt plans that are tailored to specific counties.

The app provides a consolidated resource for information on local services including chronic wasting disease testing sites, processors, and taxidermists. Information on hunting licenses and telecheck information will also be available to reduce administrative hassles when hunters are in the field.

The KY Deer & Elk app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play store. More information is available at fw.ky.gov.

Rineyville senior’s Battle of Midway essay wins national contest

High school senior Karsten Ingalls of Rineyville says at the end of last school year his homeschool group came upon the American Battle Monuments Foundation’s Past is Prologue Essay Contest.

“It was a World War II essay either about the Battle of Midway or the attack on Pearl Harbor,” Ingalls said. “It was around 1800 words, I believe, and I looked into entering it and it worked out, so I entered for the Battle of Midway.”

The ABMF, which is a “non-profit that supports the federal agency responsible for all 26 American military cemeteries and 31 monuments overseas”, says more than 800 students submitted for the contest, so when he got the phone call telling him he had won the 16 to 18 year-old age group and the $10,000 prize that comes with it, Ingalls says it was a good day.

“When I first heard about the essay, it was $10,000, and I was kind of like ‘ooh, that’s a crazy amount of money,’” Ingalls said. “So I was like ‘I can’t be expecting anything. I’ll just submit it. It’s just school, so I’ll submit it and then forget about it because I don’t want to get my expectations up.’ So I did, and about two and a half months later, they called me up and caught me completely off guard, and it was just a really, really fun surprise.”

Ingalls has previously received recognition for his writing. Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith in April named Ingalls a Hardin County Election Ambassador after he won the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Statewide Essay Contest for the third time.

Ingalls says history and government are important topics, and writing on and researching the Battle of Midway gave him a deeper appreciation for what is considered a turning point in the Pacific Theater of World War II.

“The torpedo squadrons, there were about three torpedo squadrons who were almost completely destroyed, and because of their sacrifices, we won that battle, and because of that battle, we won the war, and it was just really cool, just researching that and learning about it, and it was one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had in writing an essay,” Ingalls said.

Ingalls says he hopes to study political economy in college and hopefully go onto law school.

You can find Ingalls’s essay, along with more information on the American Battle Monuments Foundation, by visiting www.abmf.org.

Catch spooky movies and search for pumpkins in E-Town

The Historic State Theater will kick off their annual Spooky Season movie series this Friday.

“We kick off this Friday with Frankenweenie at 7 p.m., and then Saturday we have Haunted Mansion,” said City of Elizabethtown Events Manager Beth Pyles. “The following weekend, on the 17th we’ll have Monster House and Saturday, October 18th is the beloved The Ghost and Mr. Chicken which is probably our most popular movie that we show here at The State Theater every year. The last weekend, Friday, October 24th we’ll have Little Shop of Horrors and then Saturday, October 25th we’ll have Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”

Tickets are $3 for each movie and are available at www.thestate270.org.

Meanwhile, today is the first day of the City of Elizabethtown’s Pumpkins in the Park scavenger hunt at Freeman Lake Park.

“Folks can stop by the park office and pick up the clue sheet and walk through the park,” Pyles said. “It is a self-guided tour and hunt for our pumpkins. There are 10 pumpkins that are strategically placed throughout the park. I won’t say they’re hidden, but they’re really cute. You will notice them right away.”

Once you complete your pumpkin guide, return it to the park office for a goody bag and to be entered in a drawing for a Freeman Lake Park fall fun basket. Find more information and a printable guide at www.etownevents.com.

KSP focusing on commercial vehicle enforcement during campaign

The Kentucky State Police is participating in a federal enforcement effort involving commercial vehicles.

The KSP’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division is participating in Operation SafeDRIVE, which began Tuesday and runs through Thursday.

The KSP says this Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration enforcement campaign targets unsafe driving behavior that often leads to passenger and commercial vehicle crashes. The KSP says: “Commercial trucks are essential to our way of life, moving goods that communities depend on every day, but because of their size and weight, crashes involving large trucks can have serious consequences.”

During Operation SafeDRIVE, KSP officers will patrol major highways, conduct commercial driver safety inspections at scale facilities, and ensure compliance with federal safety standards.

The KSP encourages drivers to maintain good driving habits on the roadway to assist commercial vehicle operators. Stay out of the blind spots of large trucks, signal early, pass safely, don’t cut off large vehicles, and avoid sudden stops and tailgating.

Operation SafeDRIVE is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s “Our Roads, Our Safety” campaign. Learn more by visiting the USDOT’s website.

LaRue County burn ban lifted; rain brings some improvement to drought conditions

The burn ban in effect for LaRue County has been lifted.

According to a Facebook post from LaRue County E-911, the ban that was issued on August 28 was lifted Monday. LaRue County E-911 notes, however, that restrictions for Kentucky’s Fall Forest Fire Hazard Season are in place now through December 15.

During Fall Forest Fire Hazard Season, burning is prohibited within 150 feet of woodland or brushland between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. If you plan to burn debris, only burn natural vegetation during evening hours when conditions are less windy, keep fire tools handy, and never leave a fire unattended.

The National Weather Service in Louisville said in their latest Drought Monitor update that swaths of 2 to 5 inches of rain in recent weeks led to improved drought conditions. Areas of Breckinridge, Grayson, Hardin, and Meade counties that were rated D-1 (moderate drought) were upgraded to D-0 (abnormally dry). Portions of LaRue and Nelson counties that were rated D-2 (severe drought) were upgraded to D-1.

The National Weather Service says drier conditions last week will likely impact the next Drought Monitor information. Check the NWS Louisville’s website for more information.