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Local law enforcement officers among those recognized with Occupant Protection Award

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More than 100 law enforcement officers from across Kentucky were recognized this week for their efforts to protect drivers and passengers.

“Annually, a member from each agency across the commonwealth is recognized for their efforts in seat belt enforcement by way of the governor’s Occupant Protection Award,” said Elizabethtown Police Department Public Information Officer Chris Denham.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Office of Highway Safety presents the award to officers with the most occupant protection citations in each agency from July 1 to June 30. Officers from 91 agencies were recognized, including officers from local agencies.

“This year’s recipient from the Elizabethtown Police Department is Officer Gary Mark,” Denham said. “Gary is a stellar officer and a tremendous asset, not only to the EPD but to the entire community.”

Other area officers recognized include Deputy Chad Edward Simpson from the Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office, Trooper Eric Hines with Kentucky State Police Post Four, Chief Deputy Jamie Ferrie with the Larue County Sheriff’s Office, Sergeant Thomas Blair with the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office, and Lieutenant Mark Kirkpatrick with the Radcliff Police Department.

The KYTC says Kentucky’s current seat belt usage rate is 86.9 percent, and more than half of those killed in Kentucky roadway accidents are not properly restrained.

Enrollment up at ECTC as fall semester begins

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The semester is off to a good start at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College. 

“We are excited to kick off the Fall 2023 semester at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, and our welcome activities have been a blast this week,” says ECTC Chief Student Officer Dr. Corina Langford. “We are having a ‘Wild Week’ which is a week where all of the students can come collaborate, learn about our resources, and kind of create that sense of belonging and community at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.”

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System says enrollment is up statewide about 5.8 percent, with 78,245 students attending the system’s 16 campuses. Langford says enrollment is also up a bit at ECTC.

“Enrollment at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College has thrived,” Langford said. “Last Friday, we counted around 4,700 students, which is a 3.7 percent increase compared to last year. How amazing is that? Now remember: the start of the semester can cause enrollment to change, plus we are still enrolling students for the second half term.”

ECTC offers several programs to support students, and one of the college’s partners is looking for volunteers. 

Family Scholar House is in need of volunteers with a variety of skills and interests for several opportunities including stocking and managing the student food pantry, writing notes of encouragement, staffing activities such as Pop-In and Mystery Day, and other projects.

If you are interested in volunteering, contact Mary Jo King at maryjo.king@kctcs.edu or call 270-706-8835.

For more information on ECTC, visit www.elizabethtown.kctcs.edu.

HCS asks parents to help protect funding by filling out Meal Participation Form

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Hardin County Schools is asking all parents to fill out the district’s Meal Participation Form for their students. 

“This is formerly the document known as the Free/Reduced Lunch form, and even though every child in all of our schools receives a free breakfast and a free lunch the district still asks all parents to share the information that we gathered on that form on this Meal Participation Form” said HCS Community Relations Specialist John Wright.

Wright says the district needs all parents to fill out the form. 

“All parents, no matter income level, need to fill out this form,” Wright said. “We truly appreciate if they would do that because the fact is the data that’s collected on that form is used by the Kentucky Department of Education, the United States Department of Education, and other agencies to provide critically-important grant dollars to the district.”

Those grants support curriculum, staff, and school initiatives, and HCS says schools run the risk of losing essential funding if the form is not submitted. 

The form can be found under the Parents tab at www.Hardin.kyschools.us. Parents with questions can call the district’s Child Nutrition Department at 270-769-8877.

Easing appliance use can help ease burden on electric grid during summer heat

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Summer heat means increased use of air conditioners, and increased air conditioner use means increased strain on the electric grid. 

Sarah Fellows with Nolin RECC says the typical peak hours for energy demand in the summer are from 3 to 7 p.m., but increased temperatures can change that.

“Home cooling systems are having to work overtime, and because home cooling systems are one of the biggest users of energy in our home, that results in a higher peak demand than normal,” Fellows says.

Fellows says there are several ways residents can help their electric provider “beat the peak.” 

“Running appliances later in the evening, maybe setting them to run overnight, washing your dishes later, maybe not running a load of laundry as often and doing that after dark when the cooling system is not working quite so hard, and if possible raising the thermostat a few degrees,” Fellows says. “That can actually make a really big difference.”

More energy saving tips are available at www.nolinrecc.com.

Sheriff’s office investigating after body found in creek bed

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Law enforcement is investigating after a body was found just outside Radcliff city limits Tuesday.

“We received a call of a possible dead body (Tuesday) morning on Homestead Avenue,” said Hardin County Sheriff John Ward. “Deputies responded to the area. It was a somewhat remote area. It wasn’t really close to a house. They found what appears to be a deceased male in a creek bed. At this time, it’s a death investigation, pending the results of an autopsy.”

The sheriff’s office is conducting the investigation with the assistance of the Hardin County Coroner’s Office. Anybody with possible information on the incident may contact the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office at 270-765-5133.