PAGE 2A THE MEADE COUNTY MESSENGER, BRANDENBURG, KENTUCKY THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2015

The top 10 stories that aff ected Meade County

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Honorable mention

ByMELISSA MUDD

Messenger Staff

A Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, through United Way of Central Kentucky (UWCK), is off ering families some relief during tax time in 2016. Th e initiative is at no cost to qualify-ing individuals. Centers are located in Hardin (Elizabethtown, Ky.) and Meade (Muldraugh, Ky.) Counties.

Th e program provides free basic income-tax return preparation ser-vice to people who make $54,000 or less, have a disability, the elderly, and limited - English speaking individuals.

Kendia Whobrey is heading up the VITA service in Hardin Coun-ty. Melissa Molnar helps with the Meade County VITA center.

UWCK employees and volunteers are ex-cited to expand this ser-vice to more residents. Th e Muldraugh location stays very busy with cus-tomers. Th e anticipation is that the Elizabeth-town center will do just as well.

Th ose interested in vol-unteering, to help families with tax returns, must un-dergo training in order to be properly certifi ed. Th ere are numerous options available on how people can help.

Th e announcement about the VITA expan-sion into Hardin County was made during a United Way fellows meeting on Dec. 16. Members were also updated on additional happenings in the sur-rounding area (UWCK serves Grayson, Breckin-ridge, Hardin, LaRue, and Meade Counties).

Bank On Central Ken-tucky is another program off ered by UWCK. It al-lows for families to learn the basics of banking.

Regina Parker, with First Citizens Bank, ex-plained a little about the banking initiative. She said that everyone who completes the training class receives a certifi cate of completion.

Binders are given out to each individual taking the course. Inside the binder is useful tools about manag-ing money, checking ac-counts, and learning about how a bank works.

“We have been able to reach over 200 people with the class,” Parker said.

Since 2014, Bank On has held 36 workshops in fi ve counties with 196 people participating. Over 40 volunteers have made this possible.

For more information about Bank On or VITA, visit www.unitedwaycky.org or call 270-737-6608.

United Way helps

people prep for tax time

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Meade County

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138 Broadway, Brandenburg,

Ky.270-422-2155

An incident at Meade County High School has rattled security for parents of teenagers in Brandenburg, Ky. Police received a call at around 8 a.m. on May 22

in reference to a medical issue with a student. Th e result of the incident with numerous individuals receiving medical attention, sparked an investi-gation into illegal drug activity, and many being questioned on the circumstances of the day.

At approximately 3 p.m. on May 22 police executed a search warrant on Dongar Food Mart in Brandenburg, Ky. and arrested Amit Bhagwan-das Patel for allegedly supplying illicit substances to the students.

Upon testing at the Kentucky State Police lab it was determined that Patel was not involved in the incident.

On Oct. 7, Daniel “Shane” Allen was found murdered outside his home in Wolfcreek, Ky. A terrifi ed 911 call from Allen’s girlfriend led police to the scene. Offi cers fl ooded the scene and quickly ascertained that Allen had been shot.

On Oct. 15 the fi rst arrest was made in the case. Charles Edward Williams, a resident of Elizabethtown, Ky. was arrested and charged with Felony Murder in the case. Testimony in the Meade County court established a connection between Williams and Allen’s ex-girlfriend Rynn M. McGlinn. Williams was later indicted on Felony Murder charges by the Meade County Grand Jury.

In a twist of events, McGlinn was arrested on Dec. 9 on Criminal Complicity to Commit Murder in conjunction with Allen’s murder.

Th e case is still on going.

In a recent rating by Niche.com, Meade County was rated the fi fth best county to live in, in Kentucky. Th is rating was based on 10 diff erent categories. Th ese categories were: things to do, easiest commute, education, community, housing, jobs, crime and safety, health and fi tness, outdoor activities and weather. In these categories Meade County scored a B in

things to do, a C+ in easiest commute, A in (K-12)Education, B+ in community, A in housing, B in jobs, A in crime and safety, C+ in health and fi tness, B+ in outdoor activities and B- in weather.

Th ese rankings are often used by individuals moving to Kentucky to choose the location in which they would like to live. Th is is especially helpful to families relocating to Fort Knox. Meade County came out fi fth in the ratings whereas Hardin County only rated 13.

Th eir website describes the rating process as “a comprehensive assessment of the overall livability and quality of life of an area at the county level.” Th ey also go on to say, “this grade takes into account key factors of a location, includ-ing school ratings, crime rates, housing, employment, community and things to do, in an attempt to measure the overall quality of an area.”

Th is is a big step for Meade County in their work to establish new busi-nesses, encourage more people to move into the area and strive for giving their children a fi rst class education; the county itself is being recognized for its work at every turn.

Community members paid tribute to Carole Goodwin on June 4. Goodwin has worked for the Meade County Extension Offi ce for 26 years. Several youth have benefi ted from Goodwin’s leadership and guidance in a number of

educational-outreach programs. Th e Meade County Extension Offi ce held an informal ceremony for the public to say their goodbyes to Goodwin.

It was a humbling aff air for all that were in attendance. Index cards were fi lled out by each, highlighting favorite memories over the years of working Goodwin.

“To the community I want to say thank you, for the years of support you have given to the 4-H Youth Development program,” Goodwin said. “We would never have been able to provide the programming we have without their support. Th e community has also provided the most amazing volunteers in this nation. I take no credit for the suc-cess of this program. It has been the volunteers who work closely with our members sharing their expertise.”

In recent years people are more interested in giving locally instead of giving globally. Th is is the mantra for United Way of Central Kentucky (UWCK).

In their last cycle of giving UWCK invested $393,500 in Meade County alone. Th ey specifi cally focused on programs and agencies that advanced education, fi nancial stability and health. Th eir return on investment provided services to 8,662 Meade County residents.

Some of the individual invest-ments that directly eff ect Meade County include $7,500 to the Meade County Ministerial Association Angel Ministry, $20,000 to Meade County Schools Healthy Families Program and $41,000 to the Meade County Activity Center (MAC). Not to men-tion a huge endowment to Feed-ing America, Kentucky’s Heartland which funds food distribution and the Backpack Program in Meade County.

Sitting right along the Meade/Breckinridge County lines is the jewel of Rhodelia, Ky., St. Th eresa of Avila.

Th ey held their annual church picnic on Aug. 8, just as midsummer crept in and the sun was burning its hottest. Th is did not sway anyone in attendance, the century old shade trees that surround the church gave a reprieve from the 90+ degree day.

This humble picnic always raised an incredible amount of money for the church. This year approxi-mately $52,000 was raised. This is roughly $4,000 more than last year’s rain soaked event. It’s still not too late to show your support. If you would like to make a donation you can contact the church at 270-496-4362. St. Theresa is located at 9245 Rhodelia Rd., in Payneville, Ky., you can also find them online at www.sttheresarhodelia.org.

In 2015, the total money raised in Meade County for Relay for Life was $47,027.70.

What began in October ended on a dreary Saturday in May. On May 16, Meade County’s annual Relay for Life was brought indoors at the Farm Bureau Building located at the Meade County fairgrounds due to the weather. Th e event was the culmination of months of fundrais-ing and preparation.

Th e event was the fi nish line for numer-ous teams around Meade County. Th ese teams hosted everything from cornhole tournaments to dances, all to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

In Meade County alone, there were 20 separate Relay for Life Teams, who all vie for the top fundraiser each year. Th is year’s top fundraising team, with a grand total of $4,937, was team T&C Steps for Stoy. Th ey were closely followed by SAMS Supporters with a total of $4,741.32 and rounding out the top three was Teaming for Tamster with a total of $3,961.