WQXE NEWS

Several area entities and organizations are among the 114 that received $27.2 million in funding to support victims of crime in kentucky.

According to a release from the governor’s office, federal Victims of Crime Act funding prioritizes services to victims of child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence, but funding also serves survivors of homicide and victims of burglary, theft, and drug and alochol-related crime, along with elderly victims and adult survivors of childhood abuse and assault.

Among the recipients is the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office. Hardin County Sheriff John Ward says the office will use the $64,662 it is receiving to hire a full-time victim’s advocate.

“You investigate a crime, and you help the victim get through the court process, but other than that there’s limited contact, and this gives us a victim’s advocate that’s going to be there to help a victim of a crime with a vast array of different things,” Ward said. “Getting them help, counseling, different things such as that.”

Michelle Kail is the executive director of CASA of the Heartland, which will receive $47,978. She says support from VOCA is critical for organizations that are maximizing all that they can in their budgets.

“It is very important because that is what allows our small, dedicated team to continue to guide, support, and serve up to 80 volunteers, which in turn allows us to serve the children that we serve in our community,” Kail said.

Funding from this cycle was also supported by funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. For more information on Victims of Crime Act funding or a full list of recipients, visit www.justice.ky.gov.

Don’t forget that this Friday is the September Free Shredding Day for Hardin County.

Hardin County residents can pick up their free shredding bag at the county Public Works Department, located in Room 223 at the Hardin County Government Building at 150 North Provident Way in Elizabethtown.

Drop the full shredding bag off at the Hardin County Road Department, located at 501 Bacon Creek Road, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. this Friday. The limit is one bag per household.

The next Free Shredding Day will be October 2.

For more information, visit www.hcky.org or call the Public Works Department at 270-360-9207.

Area hunters planning to hunt Canada geese in the month of September will want to make sure they do not run afoul of the new schedule.

In the past, the Canada geese hunting season for all of Kentucky has run September 16 through 30, but Lee McClellan with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife says changes were made to better accommodate hunters.

“Hunters approached their representatives on the Fish and Wildlife Commission,” McClellan said. “They felt that they would have more productive hunting in western Kentucky had the season opened earlier, so they split it and in west Kentucky now it is September 1st through the 15th, and in the eastern zone, which is a pretty big chunk of the state, it is the old date of September 16th through the 30th.”

Hardin, Meade, Breckinridge, Grayson, Hart, LaRue, and Nelson counties are all located in the western zone, while Bullitt County is located in the eastern zone.

McClellan says other than the September 1 through 15 dates for the western zone and the September 16 through 30 dates for the eastern zone, regulations for Canada geese season remain the same, including the daily limit of five per day.

Before hunting, all hunters must complete the Harvest Information Program survey available by clicking the “My Profile” link at www.fw.ky.gov.