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SubscribeCelebrate Valentine’s Day at a Kentucky State Park this year with your special someone! Many parks are offering events and packages in February to help celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Many of the special events at state parks are scheduled for the weekend of Feb. 10-12. Some of the highlights include: a dinner and dance at Kenlake State Resort Park and General Butler State Resort Park, a cruise at Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park, a prime rib dinner and dance at Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park, a murder mystery dinner with costumes at Pine Mountain State Resort Park and special teas at Waveland and White Hall state historic sites on Feb. 14.
State parks provide a great place for a getaway weekend along with excellent food, entertainment, natural beauty and scenery. For a list of events, visit http://parks.ky.gov/valentines-weekend/ For more information about each park, as well as other state park events, visit www.parks.ky.gov
The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has been selected by the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators (NCSLA) to host the group’s 2017 Northern/Southern Regional Conference.
The conference will be held at the historic Brown Hotel in Louisville from Nov. 5-8 and will bring together regulators, producers, and distributors from 26 states. This year’s meeting will focus on the industry’s top issues and will provide attendees with a forum to collaborate and share best practices.
“The regional NCSLA conference presents our state with a unique opportunity to lead the discussion on the most important topics impacting the alcohol industry,” said ABC Commissioner Christine Trout. “As this year’s hosts, we look forward to welcoming our sister states and showcasing the best of Kentucky.”
NCSLA expects approximately 150 attendees to travel to Louisville for the conference. The four-day meeting will include breakout sessions, guest speakers, and visits to local tourist attractions. Kentucky has been home to NCSLA meetings in the past, hosting annual conferences in both 1950 and 1963.
For more information on the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, visit http://abc.ky.gov.
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky’s chief business official, is reminding Kentucky businesses and those authorized to do business in Kentucky that they must file an annual report with the Secretary of State’s office and pay a $15 filing fee no later than June 30, 2017.
Businesses can quickly file their 2017 annual reports by visiting the Secretary of State’s website. The online report includes information generated from businesses’ prior filings, eliminating the need to enter the same information every year.
“We set a record in 2016 for the number of annual reports filed online – nearly 150,000 – saving both time and money for those businesses and the state,” said Grimes. “You can quickly view your report, make necessary changes, and file it.” Businesses may also file and pay in person or via U.S. mail.
The filing requirement applies to the more than 200,000 corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, limited liability partnerships, business trusts and professional service corporations registered in the commonwealth.
Businesses that fail to file an annual report before the deadline will be listed in bad standing with the Secretary of State and receive a final 60-day notice. Failure to comply with the 60-day notice results in administrative dissolution of the business entity or revocation of authority to do business in Kentucky.
Earlier this week, Attorney General Andy Beshear joined the director of his Office of Victims Advocacy, Gretchen Hunt, and 27 survivors of violent crime in the state Capitol Rotunda to announce the formation of a Survivors Council.
Members of the council will advise and assist the Office of Attorney General on matters related to victims of crime, including advancing victim-centered services, trainings and policy, and raising awareness.
Beshear said the Survivors Council brings together individuals who have survived the violent death of a family member, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, gun violence and other violent crimes to help improve responses to victims in the state.
“These survivors have persevered through the unimaginable, they have real courage and know firsthand what is needed to seek and ensure justice for victims,” said Beshear. “I am thankful to each member for their willingness to devote their time and passion to help pave a better way for other survivors.”
The council will be housed within Beshear’s Office of Victims Advocacy whose mission is to support victims’ rights and victim advocacy programs statewide. The work of the council will be woven into current office initiatives, including the Victim Assistance Conference, Victims’ Rights Day and ongoing training of law enforcement and prosecutors.
“Being victim-centered means that survivors have a seat at the table, not simply to share their story of victimization, but to share their wisdom and insight on how to make the process better for other victims,” said Gretchen Hunt, director of the Office of Victims Advocacy.
A selection of 27 survivor members occurred following an open nomination and application process conducted by the Office of Victims Advocacy.
“As a survivor of child marriage and sexual exploitation, I am thrilled to serve alongside other survivors on this council, knowing the diversity of our experiences will bring powerful contributions to our advocacy,” said council member Donna Pollard. “This council is critical for ensuring victims have the holistic support they deserve. Now is our time to prevent further victimization through improved legislation and educational means.”
“As the father of a survivor who was assaulted, I would like to thank Attorney General Beshear and Director Gretchen Hunt for the opportunity to serve in this endeavor,” said Bradford McClain, council member.
“After my 16-year-old son was shot and killed four years ago, I became disheartened, disappointed and realized there were little to no services or resources for victims’ families,” said council member Tonya Lindsey. “I am very humbled and honored to be appointed to the Survivors Council, where we will work to ensure a positive new direction for Kentucky, one that will better serve and accommodate the needs of victims. Who can tell you better what victims’ needs and concerns are than victims.”
The Survivors Council is the first of its kind in any Attorney General’s office nationwide and the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking served as inspiration for the council.
The council will meet quarterly and members can serve up to a two-year term.
Beshear said the Survivors Council announcement comes after a year of great progress on one of his office’s core missions of seeking justice for victims of sexual assault, human trafficking, violent crime and child abuse.
In 2016, Beshear made good on his promise to help end Kentucky’s sexual assault forensic exam (SAFE) kit backlog by providing $4.5 million in settlement money to lawmakers to fund requested Kentucky State Police crime lab upgrades.
Beshear’s office provided an additional $1 million from the settlement to aid law enforcement and prosecutors in conducting victim-centered investigations and prosecuting sexual assault offenders.
The office also held a SAFE summit and is currently helping to train those working to end Kentucky’s backlog.
Most recently, Beshear announced that his office is launching a collaborative research project with the University of Louisville to provide accountability in Kentucky’s efforts to address the backlog and provide justice to victims.
In addition to helping victims of sexual assault, Beshear established the AG’s office as the leading agency fighting human trafficking, a modern-day form of slavery that often involves children forced into sex or labor trading.
His office provided technical assistance on 32 potential human trafficking incidents, which helped identify at least two underage human trafficking victims, and became the first Kentucky government agency to receive a federal human trafficking grant.
In 2016, Beshear’s Cyber Crimes Unit fought back against child sexual abuse by working to arrest more online child predators than any year in the history of the office. The number of arrests, indictments and convictions last year totaled nearly 80.
The Survivors Council is the latest effort to ensure that the work of Kentucky’s Office of the Attorney General remains victim-centered and improves the safety and lives of Kentucky’s citizens.
Kentucky students who attend private or home schools have free access to Individual Learning Plans from the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority.
KHEAA works with Career Cruising, which provides the ILP the state uses in all public schools, to give private and home school students in grades 6 through 12 the same planning tool.
ILPs let students explore careers, set up education plans, create résumés and establish personal goals to become college and career ready.
A private or home school student who wants to set up an ILP should log in on kheaa.com. Private schools that want to set up accounts for their students should contact their regional outreach counselor. Contact information can be found behind the Counselors tab at kheaa.com by selecting KHEAA Outreach Services, then Outreach Counselors.
KHEAA is the state agency that administers the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES), need-based grants and other programs to help students pay their higher education expenses.
For more information about Kentucky scholarships and grants, visit www.kheaa.com; write KHEAA, P.O. Box 798, Frankfort, KY 40602; or call 800-928-8926, ext. 6-7214.
The Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) promoted National Data Privacy Day on Saturday, Jan. 28, by encouraging Kentuckians to create strong online passwords to keep their personal information secure.
Data Privacy Day is an international effort led by The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) to raise awareness about the importance of protecting personal information. According to NCSA, weak or stolen credentials, including passwords, are a leading cause of online data breaches.
“Creating stronger passwords is an important first step in safeguarding your financial and personal data,” said DFI Deputy Commissioner Brian Raley. “You can improve your passwords by changing them often and creating unique login credentials that cannot be predicted by cyber criminals.”
DFI recommends the following best practices for creating strong, secure passwords:
- Do not use the same password for each account.
- Make your password unpredictable by including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
- Passwords should be 8 to 12 characters in length.
- Do not use a common date, name, or word in your password.
- Change your password every 3 to 4 months to provide added protection.
- Do not use the “remember passwords” setting on your devices or accounts.
If you experience a personal data breach, you should notify your bank and credit agencies and immediately change your passwords.
DFI provides online data privacy resources at http://kfi.ky.gov/.
For more information about Data Privacy Day, visit https://staysafeonline.org/data-privacy-day/about.
Photo From KDFW
It seems to Kentuckians that someone accidentally dropped the sun down a storm drain about three weeks ago and it hasn’t been found yet.
Day after day desolate gray skies discharged rain every few hours. Although it has been warmer than usual, this January has been a long slog.
February is the month tinges of hope arrive back in many anglers’ souls.
“Before any change of season, there are hints of the season to come,” said Mike Hardin, assistant director of Fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “The change from late winter to spring is not abrupt. By the third week of February, you can hear spring peepers calling.”
This translates into a time when someone suffering from terminal cabin fever can catch a fish for the ages.
Warm February rains muddy the water and provide a temperature spike. “You get that good muddy water in mid- to late-February and you can pull some sows out of it,” Hardin said. “Females are gearing up for spawning. They need healthy fat reserves to get them through rigors of spawning. Instinct tells them they must eat.”
This situation is a fantastic time to catch a fat, pre-spawn female largemouth bass. Back in the day before graphite rods, bass boats or sonar units, gritty anglers would brave the weather during the first warm rains of February and employ the “jigging” technique to pull huge largemouth bass from shallow water.
They would use stout cane poles and a large hook tied to heavy black dacron line. These anglers would impale as many nightcrawlers as possible on the hook and using a skulling paddle for stealth, drop this combination beside any stump, log or other shoreline cover they could find.
Modern anglers can do the same thing with a ½-ounce black and blue jig and a flipping stick.
“That muddy water in late February is good flipping water,” Hardin said. “My uncle loved it when rains warmed the water to 51 degrees along the shoreline. He would flip a jig to the shoreline cover along those outside bends of Cave Run. That is when he caught his biggest largemouth bass. He had better weights in 51 degree water than in 70 degree water.”
Hardin said rains from the south in February also bring large muskellunge to the shoreline.
“That is when I first get my muskies,” said Hardin, who caught a 50-inch muskellunge from Cave Run Lake this past fall. “When you have a 42- to 48-degree main lake with warmer water coming in that is in the mid-50s, this is when you find fish along the shoreline.”
Some fish live suckers along the shoreline for big February muskellunge. Those anglers are strongly encouraged to employ a quick strike rig to prevent catch and release mortality. Large rattle baits, such as a muskellunge-sized Rat-L-Trap, also work well for shoreline muskellunge during this time of year.
“I also like a soft plastic bait called the Bulldawg in February,” Hardin said. “I like two-tone colors such as brown and orange. I also like the firetiger with a chartreuse tail version. I also throw jerkbaits like a Suick Thriller when they have their nose on the bank. They see that jerkbait work over their head and they hit it.”
A pronounced warm front in mid-to-late February draws big female smallmouth bass from their winter lairs into shallower water to feed heavily in lakes such as Lake Cumberland, Laurel River Lake, Dale Hollow Lake or the lower section of Green River Lake.
If warm rains accompanied the warm front, work white spinnerbaits with chrome Colorado blades right beside any submerged woody cover. This is an excellent presentation to catch huge smallmouths, especially if the water has some color to it.
If the warm front simply warms the top layer of water a degree or two without rain, big smallmouth will move up onto a flat to feed. The best flats lie adjacent to the channel on the main lake or major creek arm.
A medium-sized live shiner bottom fished in these areas is one of the best ways to catch the heaviest smallmouth bass of your life. Some anglers crawl the shiner slowly across the flat with just enough split shot weights to keep the shiner down. Others prefer still fishing shiners on the flat using a 1/4- to 3/8-ounce slip-sinker rig with a small black barrel swivel tied on the main line. An 18-inch leader of 8-pound test fluorocarbon line is tied on the other loop of the barrel swivel while the hook goes on the other end of the leader.
A size 1 Octopus-style hook works well for both presentations. You can also fish these rigs right in the middle of small cuts and tiny coves along the main lake or major creek arm for large February smallmouths.
“If you like catching big fish, February is a great month,” Hardin said. “A big fish warms you up better than a big coat.”
Remember to buy your fishing license soon. Feb. 28 is the last day of the current license year in Kentucky.