Tagged: Kentucky

The Kentucky Secretary of State’s office says residents of the Commonwealth can vote in next month’s general election in honor of military veterans. Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes says voters can get lapel buttons, which can be personalized with a soldier’s name, to show that they voted in honor of a veteran. The program for honoring troops has been in place across the country since 2007. For more information about how to request a button go to http://www.sos.ky.gov/veterans.

Kentucky is following Colorado’s lead by starting a nonprofit education foundation to attract funding for innovative school programs. State Education Commissioner Terry Holliday is delivering paperwork today to the secretary of state’s office for the new Fund for Transforming Education. The nonprofit’s trustees will meet for the first time Thursday. The Department of Education worked with the Denver-based Colorado Legacy Foundation on the nonprofit. The Colorado group brings millions of dollars into the public school system with programs to improve students’ health and wellness.

Preliminary data presented to the Kentucky Board of Education shows just one in four children in the Commonwealth are ready for kindergarten. Next year all 174 school districts will be required to have kindergarten screening. Education Commissioner Terry Holliday says he expects the number of children not ready to start school will increase then. Associate Commissioner Felicia Smith says fewer than 110 districts participated in this year’s screening, representing 34,500 children. The tests assess the whole child, including social and emotional development.

Kentucky has a new license plate available for sale depicting a world record smallmouth bass. People can preorder the plate commemorating David Hayes’ catch from Dale Hollow Lake in 1955. Kentucky’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources says Hayes caught almost 12-pound fish while trolling near a new boat ramp. The plate will cost $25 and will be available in March. Preorders are being taken until Oct. 20.

Today is the deadline for Kentuckians and Illinoisans who need to register to vote in November’s presidential election.  Mail-in registrations in Kentucky must be postmarked by today to be accepted. Voters who’ve moved since the last election should update their registration today as well. Those who have moved to a different county who don’t update their registration won’t be permitted to vote. To register in Illinois, voters must have lived in their precinct for at least 30 days before the election.