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Summer Reading Program under way at Hardin County Public Library

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The Hardin County Public Library invites kids, teens, and adults alike to participate in their 2025 Summer Reading Program, which runs now through July 26.

The theme for this year’s Summer Reading Program is “Color Our World”, which focuses on the arts.

“I’m offering on Mondays a lot of artistic programs,” said HCPL Children’s Librarian Amy Rivera. “Some of them are going to use paint sticks, and so we’re going to paint a birch forest with a lot of colorful leaves. The following week we’ll be painting. It’s called Paint Like Monet. We’re going to paint one of his sunsets with a silhouette of a lot of buildings.”

That’s HCPL Children’s Librarian Amy Rivera. These activities supplement the goal of the Summer Reading Program, which Rivera says is “to encourage literacy and to keep kids thinking, to keep their minds thinking about subjects so that they don’t go back to school having at least completely forgotten everything they learned.”

Families can stop by the library to pick up reading logs for the program.

“They will complete sections of their reading log to get tickets for the weekly prize, which each week we’re having a giveaway of a nice big art set, so eight different art sets over the course of the summer,” Rivera said.

Kids who complete the reading log will be entered for the grand prize drawing. Separate logs are available for teens and adults, with prizes and entries in the grand prize drawing for those programs available.

Stop by the library, located at 100 Jim Owen Drive in Elizabethtown, or visit hcpl.info for more information.

Be safe around the grill when cooking out this summer

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Summertime is in full swing, so as the temperature gets hot make sure things don’t get too hot as you take steps to practice summer fire safety.

Radcliff Deputy Fire Marshal Tommy Crane said make sure to take precautions when you bring out the grill for a cookout.

“If you are going to use your grill, make sure you’re at least 10 feet away from your house, your overhangs, anything like that,” Crane said. “Do not use your grill in a garage or an enclosed area, whether it’s a gas or charcoal grill, because it will build up carbon monoxide.”

Similar to cooking in the kitchen, keep a safety area around your grill, and be mindful of children and pets.

Make sure everything is in working order before getting started.

“If it’s a gas grill, check for gas leaks,” Crane said. “You can take a soapy water solution and spray around the connections and the hoses. Make sure the hoses haven’t dried out. Make sure your connections are good. If you turn it on and you hear a loud hissing sound or any loud strange noises, go ahead and turn it off and just check and see what’s going on.”

And make sure you take the proper precautions when you are done.

“When you’re getting ready to put it up, just make sure that everything’s turned off, everything’s good,” Crane said. “Make sure you clean your grill periodically. Grease can build up on your grill and has the potential for a flash fire there.”

With charcoal grills, make sure you are using proper materials, and make sure you are disposing of ashes properly when they are fully cooled.

Deadline for Disaster Unemployment Assistance extended

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The deadline for Kentuckians impacted by April storms and flooding to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance has been extended. 

The registration deadline for disaster survivors in all counties designated for Individual Assistance has been extended to until July 25. This includes Kentuckians living or working in Breckinridge, Bullitt, Grayson, Hardin, Hart, LaRue, Meade, and Nelson counties.

According to a release from the governor’s office, “In order to qualify for DUA benefits, claimants in eligible counties must show that their employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted as a direct result of the disaster and that they are not otherwise eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits under state or federal law.” Farmers and self-employed individuals who are usually not eligible for unemployment may qualify for DUA benefits.

Affected individuals should visit the Kentucky Career Center’s website at kcc.ky.gov or call the career center at 502-564-2900 to file their initial claim. Benefits are available for up to 29 weeks, between April 6 and October 25.

The governor’s office said in the release that the state is still waiting for approval from the White House on its request for Public Assistance, which would make funding available for repairs to public infrastructure damaged by the storms and flooding such as roads and bridges.

‘Mother Goose on the Loose’ encourages families with young kids to work together on words

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Hardin County Schools and Elizabethtown Independent Schools are partnering this summer on “Mother Goose on the Loose,” a summer program for parents of children entering kindergarten or younger to help children recognize the sound, rhyme, and rhythm of words.

The school districts asked community leaders and local elected officials to record nursery rhymes to play on the districts’ social media pages. Families are invited to come find nursery rhymes attached to “porch geese” on display at Cecilia Valley, Creekside, G.C. Burkhead, and North Park elementary schools, Panther Academy, and the Hardin County Public Library, as well as find activity packs for families to complete together.

North Park Elementary Principal Laura Beth Hayes and Panther Academy Principal Carla Kuhn appeared with their respective superintendents, Terrie Morgan and Phil Mullins, at the Hardin County Public Library to kick off the program Thursday. Hayes said phonological awareness is crucial to a child’s literacy skills development.

“While a lot of the phonics skills may be there, we’re still really struggling with what we call PA,” Hayes said. “The PA skills are still really lacking at times. A child can actually learn to read, but they’ll be lacking some of the PA skills, and that affects them on down the road.”

Morgan said the project encourages families to reduce screen time for children and connect.

“The most important part is that connection,” Morgan said. “The fringe benefit is going to be that they learn these skills that are so valuable when they start school.”

Find more information on the Goose on the Loose in Hardin County Facebook page.

Fort Knox advises of more noise amidst training exercises

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Fort Knox is advising its neighbors that the cicadas are not the only thing making some noise this summer.

The installation is advising that military training set to take place now through June 19 may result in increased noise and vibrations. According to a post on the U.S. Army Fort Knox Facebook page, “Exercises involving aircraft, maneuvers, and weapons firing in daytime and nighttime hours are an important aspect of maintaining critical capabilities and readiness of all units.”

More noise comes on the heels of more people on the scene as the first regiment of cadets arrived for summer training last week.

“It is the biggest Army summer annual training event,” said Fort Knox Garrison Command Sergeant Major Alex Licea. “We have over 8,000 young cadets from colleges and universities across the country right here at Fort Knox. In addition to these amazing cadets, we have 5,000 soldiers from across the Army supporting that training, so we are really, really excited to house them at Fort Knox.”

Follow the U.S. Army Fort Knox Facebook page for more updates.