FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 30, 2016) - All publicly funded programs that serve young children in Kentucky – including licensed child care programs, state-funded preschools and Head Start programs – are now included in Kentucky All STARS, Kentucky’s expanded tiered quality rating and improvement system (TQRIS). With the goal of increasing learning outcomes and educational success for young children, Kentucky All STARS publicly recognizes a program’s strengths, creates systems of support and provides families with assurances of quality.

Each early learning and development program in Kentucky All STARS has met the standards of their respective regulatory authority, with a 1 STAR indicating that a program is performing at a basic level and 5 STARS being the highest designation a program can voluntarily achieve.

A majority of licensed child care programs have joined Kentucky All STARS at 1 STAR since that level aligns with the regulatory guidelines set forth by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) Division of Regulated Child Care (DRCC). All public preschool programs that are in compliance with regulatory guidelines set forth by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) have joined Kentucky All STARS at 3 STARS. It is projected that most programs of both types will move quickly to higher levels of Kentucky All STARS as they complete the required documentation to advance.

“Kentucky All STARS will keep our state-funded preschools on the cutting edge of offering the most effective programs for the children they serve,” Commissioner of Education Stephen Pruitt said. “It is vital that these students and all students have a strong foundation on which to build when they start kindergarten so that each and every student can maximize his or her potential and fully benefit from the learning opportunities offered. Quality early learning and development programs are a key strategy in closing the opportunity and achievement gaps that currently exist among our various student populations.”

Families will easily be able to find a quality early learning and development program for their children.  CHFS Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson said that Kentucky All STARS will give parents peace of mind in their child care provider search. “Kentucky All STARS gives parents looking for child care a reliable resource that measures quality and assesses areas like family engagement and staff qualifications,” she said.

Kentucky All STAR participants may choose to advance to a higher STARS rating at any point prior to June 30, 2017, regardless of their licensure or monitoring date. After this time, all programs will have migrated into Kentucky All STARS and will follow the new process for renewal that applies to their program.  

“Programs will have the opportunity to take part in professional development offered on a tiered basis,” explained Linda Hampton, acting director of the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood (GOEC). In addition, a variety of incentives are available to all participants who choose to advance to higher levels of Kentucky All STARS. Funding to support Kentucky All STARS comes from a Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge grant awarded to GOEC. Partnering agencies include the GOEC, CHFS, Head Start and KDE.

"Thanks to Race to the Top funding, we are able to bolster and strengthen the early childhood workforce to enable long term sustainability and grow quality early learning and development programs statewide,” Hampton said.
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Learn more about Kentucky All STARS at http://www.kentuckyallstars.org/

Fourth man to be sentenced March 7

FRANKFORT, KY. (Nov. 30, 2016) – Attorney General Andy Beshear and his Special Prosecution Division today announced that three Hopkinsville men have been given 45 years combined prison sentence for the sexual assault of a 15-year-old boy at an October 2014 party in Christian County.

Beshear’s prosecutors handled the case for the state and helped secure the three pleas entered in August 2016 before Christian Circuit Judge John Atkins, who handed down the sentences today.
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Those sentenced include:

• Colton Cavanaugh, 19, received a sentence of 20 years and must serve at least 12 years before he is eligible for parole. He was charged with first-degree sodomy, physically helpless, Class B felony; first-degree wanton endangerment, Class D felony; and tampering with physical evidence, Class D felony. He must register as a sex offender, as well as serve an additional five years of conditional release at the completion of his sentence. As part of his plea, Cavanaugh offer a public apology to the victim in August.
• Dayton Jones, 22, received a 15-year sentence on first-degree sodomy, Class B felony; first-degree wanton endangerment, Class D felony; and distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor, Class D felony. He must register as a lifetime sex offender. Jones must serve at least 8 1/2 years of his sentence before he is eligible for parole. He will serve an additional five years of conditional release at the completion of his sentence. Jones offered a public apology to the victim today at his sentencing.
• Tyler Perry, 21, received a 10-year sentence to serve 85 percent of his sentence on first-degree assault, Class B felony.

A fourth man, Samual Miller, 20, will be sentenced March 7.

Miller is charged with first-degree complicity to wanton endangerment, Class D felony; complicity to tampering with physical evidence, Class D felony; and distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor, Class D felony. His recommended sentence on all counts to run consecutively is 13 years. He must register as a sex offender.

The four defendants, whose combined sentencing totals nearly 60 years, sexually assaulted the minor while he was unconscious at a house party. In doing so, the defendants inflicted serious physical injury to the minor.

The AG’s special prosecution division is responsible for assisting local prosecutors in complex or sensitive cases, as well as, handle cases in which a local prosecutor disqualifies themselves.

One of Beshear’s core missions is to seek justice for victims of sexual assault.

Students at Adair County Elementary School recently hung almost 600 handmade Christmas tree ornaments they made in art class on a tree in the school’s lobby.  The massive tree boasts an ornament from every student in every grade level at the school.  

The Russell Springs Fire Department was dispatched out just after midnight Tuesday to 2423 West Highway 80, to a home belonging to Chad Pendleton. According to Fire Chief H.M. Bottom, smoke had filled the home and flames were coming from the roof when a neighbor discovered the blaze and called 911. According to Bottom the home was being remodeled and the Fire is thought to have started near the furnace.  The investigation into the blaze is still ongoing.

Firemen were on scene for around 3 hours.

​Story courtesy of lakercountry.com

Lady Indians
Date                           Opponent                                   Time
2016
11-29                @Cumberland County
12-2                      Green County                                  5:30 PM
12-6                      Marion County                                 5:30 PM
12-9                  @Taylor County                                   5:30 PM
12-10                    Warren Central                                5:00 PM
12-13                @Campbellsville                                  6:30 PM
12-17                    Lynn Camp                                       6:30 PM     McDonald Classic
12-21                 TBA@Campbellsville                                             Food Pantry Holiday Classic
12-22                          "
12-23                         "
12-28                 TBA@Carroll County                                             NAS Christmas Tournament
12-29                           "
12-30                           "
2017
1-3                        LaRue                                                7:00 PM
1-5                        Elizabethtown                                    7:00 PM
1-7                        Clinton Co. @ Russell County           4:15 PM     Hardwood Classic
1-9                     @Caverna                                            5:30 PM
1-13                       Metcalfe County                               5:30 PM
1-17                   @Marion County                                  6:30 PM
1-20                   @Nelson County                                  6:30 PM
1-21                      Central Hardin                                   5:30 PM
1-24                      Taylor County                                    5:30 PM
1-27                   @John Hardin                                      7:00 PM
1-31                   @Wayne County                                  5:00 PM
2-3                         Campbellsville                                  5:30 PM
2-7                     @Pulaski County                                  8:00 PM
2-10                       Russell County                                 6:00 PM
2-14                       Bardstown                                        7:00 PM
2-17                       Hart County                                      5:30 PM

All games in Red are Girl/Boy Double Headers

Indians
Date                Opponent                                Time
2016
11-29     @Cumberland County        
12-2           Green County                             7:00 PM
12-3       @Washington County                    7:30 PM
12-6           Marion County                           7:00 PM
12-9       @Taylor County                             8:00 PM
12-10         Caverna                                     6:30 PM      Lindsey Wilson College Classic
12-13     @Campbellsville                           7:30 PM
12-17     @Elizabethtown                            8:00 PM
12-19         Collins @ Warren East              3:00 PM       Warren East Holiday Hoop Classic 
12-20         TBA
12-21         TBA
12-28         Mercer Co. @ Campbellsville   8:30 PM        Campbellsville High School Holiday
12-29         TBA
12-30         TBA
2017
1-3          @Thomas Nelson                           7:30 PM
1-6              Barren County                            7:00 PM
1-7          @Allen County-Scottsville              6:30 PM
1-9          @Caverna                                      7:00 PM
1-10            Greenwood                                 7:30 PM
1-13            Metcalfe County                          7:00 PM
1-17         @Marion County                            8:00 PM
1-19             Glasgow                                     7:00 PM
1-20         @Nelson County                            8:00 PM
1-24             Taylor County                             7:00 PM
1-28             Bell County                                 2:30 PM
1-31             LaRue County                            7:00 PM
2-3               Campbellsville                            7:00 PM
2-7            @Central Hardin                           7:30 PM
2-10              Russell County                          7:30 PM
2-17              Hart County                               7:00 PM
   
All Games in Red are Boy's and Girl's Double Header

Girl's Basketball - 

Adair County        39     @     Cumberland County    38
Casey County      50     @     Clinton County             43
Bethlehem           61     @      Hart County                 55
Marion County    60      @      Bardstown                   45
Metcalfe County  73     @      Warren East                 41
Russell County    67     @      McCreary Central        28


Boy's Basketball - 

Adair County       67     @     Cumberland County     37
Bardstown          80      @     Marion County             48
Bethlehem          61      @     Hart County                 56
Clinton County    70      @    Casey County              56

COLUMBIA, Ky. -- The Lindsey Wilson College community will give area residents several opportunities to get into the Christmas spirit this year.

The college will sponsor four public events from Dec. 1-8 that celebrate the Christmas season: a community concert, holiday cabaret, band concert and Christmas carnival.

The Christmas celebration gets underway Dec. 1-2, with the "Holiday Cabaret," which will be performed by the LWC Theatre Program. A "Holiday Cabaret" will be presented at 7 p.m. CT Dec. 1-2 at V.P. Henry Auditorium, 210 Lindsey Wilson St.

Billed as an evening of song, dance and holiday cheer, the "Holiday Cabaret" will be a bit like a TV special on stage, according to LWC Assistant Professor of Theatre Robert Brock.

The revue will include classic and modern Christmas songs, readings, monologues and other Christmas-inspired performances.

"We presented the “Holiday Cabaret” to the community last year, and it was a lot of fun," Brock said. "We look forward to bringing back this joyful evening of Christmas tradition and celebration."

Admission to the "Holiday Cabaret" is a nonperishable food item, which will be donated to the Adair County Food Pantry.

The Lindsey Wilson Concert Band will present its annual "Winter Concert" at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, at Columbia Christian Church. Under the direction of the Lindsey Wilson Director of Instrumental Ensembles Tim Allen, the concert is free and open to the public.

The band concert will be followed on Dec. 3 by the sixth-annual Christmas Carnival. The Christmas Carnival will be from 1-4 p.m. CT Saturday, Dec. 3, in the Doris and Bob Holloway Health & Wellness Center, 399 Williams St. 

The Christmas Carnival -- which has the theme "Christmas in the Country" -- is free and open to the public. It will feature several activities for children, including cookie-decorating, storybook village, arts and crafts, face-painting, and inflatable playground equipment. Children will have an opportunity have a picture taken with Santa Claus from 1:30-3:30 p.m. CT. Local vendors will have craft items for sale. 

The Lindsey Wilson College weeklong celebration of Christmas will conclude on Dec. 7-8 with a “Messiah-Sing” presented by the LWC Choral Ensembles, Campbellsville University Chorale with musical accompaniment by the Commonwealth Musicians of Louisville, (Ky.). This free community performance invites audience members to sing along with selections from George Frederick Handel's masterful Messiah. The performances will take place at 7 p.m. CT, Wednesday, Dec. 7, at Columbia Baptist Church, 201 Greensburg Street and again at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET), Thursday, Dec. 8, at Campbellsville First United Methodist Church, 317 E. Main Street