Sept. 27, 2024

Gov. Beshear: Kentuckians should prepare for serious weather related to Hurricane Helene

Gov. Andy Beshear held a news conference Friday morning at the state Capitol to ask Kentuckians to prepare for serious weather related to Hurricane Helene.

According to the National Weather Service, the remnants of Helene will bring widespread rain and strong winds. Three-to-five inches of rain is possible through Sunday night, with locally higher amounts possible. Wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph are likely. A few higher gusts are possible, especially in Eastern Kentucky. Flooding is possible with the arrival of tropical rains, with a slight risk for flash flooding in areas with the most intense rainfall.

2024 I Love My KY County Art Contest deadline is Sept. 30

We invite all students from kindergarten through 8th grade to express their love for their Kentucky county through creative artwork.



The winning artworks will be proudly featured in the 2025 KACo calendar, and the top three artists will have the honor of being recognized at the 2024 KACo Conference.

Reminder: Opioid settlement certification due Sept. 30

The next deadline for Kentucky counties to submit their opioid settlement certification form to the state is Monday, Sept. 30.

Local governments are required to submit a quarterly certification form to the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission. This form, available on the Commission’s website, must be completed and submitted by an authorized official.

KBEMS files emergency regulation to help with paramedic shortage

The Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services (KBEMS) has filed an emergency regulation to prevent Class I agencies from downgrading from an advanced life support (ALS) license to a basic life support (BLS) license due to the current paramedic shortage.  

Class I ALS agencies are required to have at least one paramedic on duty at all times. Many agencies have struggled to find paramedics to fulfill this requirement and are faced with either voluntarily downgrading to BLS service or receiving disciplinary action for violating the requirement.

Study links drowsy driving to nearly 30,000 deaths over five years

Drowsy drivers were involved in 18% of all fatal crashes over a recent five-year period, leading to nearly 30,000 deaths, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates.

Researchers looked at 2017-21 data on in-depth crash investigations from the Crash Investigation Sampling System and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System. The sample encompassed more than 229,000 drivers of passenger vehicles involved in more than 163,000 unique crashes.

Counties in the News: Week of Sept. 23, 2024

Counties in the News highlights stories and developments about Kentucky's counties. From county government initiatives to economic progress and community events, here's a roundup of counties making headlines this week.

This week's roundup features stories about a new build-ready site, recognizing local firefighters, swearing-in a new sheriff, and a judge/executive will be in the hot seat for a Kiwanis Club event. Our latest counties in the news are Anderson, Casey, Clark, Lyon, Pulaski, Scott and Shelby.

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This week in pictures

At Thursday's KACo Board of Director's meeting, Rep. Jonathan Dixon was recognized as a County Advocate for his efforts as co-chair of the annexation task force, which led to significant compromise legislation. From left are KACo Executive Director Jim Henderson, Government Affairs Director Shellie Hampton, Rep. Dixon, President-Elect Dan Mosley, 1st Vice President Adam O'Nan and 2nd Vice President Michael Logsdon.

Commonwealth's Attorney and new KACo board member Louis Kelly looks over the finance report at the quarterly Board of Directors Meeting Thursday.

Woodford County Judge/Executive and Magistrate William Downey welcomed second graders from Southside Elementary to the courthouse to learn about county government.

Laurel County Judge/Executive David Westerfield and Whitley County Judge/Executive Pat White, Jr. have merged their emergency management programs. Through this merger of the two counties, the current Whitley County Emergency Management Director Jerry L. Rains will become the Laurel/Whitley County Emergency Management Director.

KACo's BJ White and Lonnie Campbell attended a Lincoln County fiscal court meeting recently. From left are: Judge/Executive J. Woods Adams, BJ White, magistrates Joseph Stanley, David Faulkner, Bobby King and Dan Gutenson and Lonnie Campbell.

Kentucky DockDogs presented an honorary gavel to Daviess County Judge/Executive Charlie Castlen for bringing a DockDogs event to Panther Creek Park. 

Magoffin County Judge/Executive Matt Wireman and fellow members of the local chapter of Disabled American Veterans welcomed home Petty Officer James Daniel Smith. "This homecoming stands out as a significant highlight of my tenure as judge/executive," Wireman said.

After more than a year of deployment, Petty Officer James Daniel Smith surprised his sons, Raylan and Rhett, prior to the start of a football game in Magoffin County.

The Henderson County Clerk's Office is ready for some football after dressing up in school colors for an upcoming game.

The Jefferson County Clerk’s Office communications team visited Eisenhower Elementary School recently to help the school with its student council election. 

The Owen County Clerk’s office helped Owen County Elementary School host a mock election for second grade students, who learned how to sign-in to vote, cast a vote from the ballot and place it in the box to receive a sticker for voting.

Shelby County Judge/Executive Dan Ison joined other community leaders to celebrate the remodeled German American Bank Main Street location. 

Sen. Jimmy Higdon (right) and Sen. Chris McDaniel visited with Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann to learn more about the county's key transportation priorities for the coming years.

Hardin County Sheriff John Ward helped promote Sergeant Travis Cook to lieutenant. He also will be assigned to the patrol division.

Franklin County Judge/Executive Michael Mueller and magistrates Kelly Dycus and Mike Harrod attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Substance Abuse Program at the Franklin County Regional Jail, led by Jailer Tracy Hopper. 

The Boyd County Coroner’s Office participated in Truth or Consequences, a school program sponsored by the extension office. It covers real scenarios that high schoolers face every day and what happens when wrong choices are made. 

Judge/Executive Steve Mays and Lee County Fiscal Court celebrated this 2024 Mack MD Single Action Dump truck acquisition. The truck will be more accessible to narrow roads in Lee County. This purchase was made possible by the EK-SAFE Grant funds. Pictured with Mays are County Road Foreman Kevin McIntosh and his son, Kolby McIntosh.

KACo's Lonnie Campbell and BJ White also made a recent visit to an Owen County fiscal court meeting. From left are: magistrates Wayne Harris and Travis Fitzgerald, Campbell, White, Judge/Executive Todd Woodyard, and magistrates Dane Perkins and Tom Slayback.