For more information regarding the undeliverable checks, please call the state's call center toll-free at 1-877-549-2537. The state also has a website listing recipients of the unclaimed checks at http://tobaccotrust.ky.gov/phase_ii/undeliverable.shtml.
Spay-neuter vouchers no longer being used
Vouchers to help low-income families spay and neuter their pets are no longer being issued because funding for the program has run out, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture has announced.
The pilot project, which was launched in July with $100,000 of funding, enabled pet owners with low incomes to apply for vouchers to have their pets spayed or neutered and vaccinated for rabies for only a $10 co-pay. Families with unused vouchers still may use their vouchers to have their pets spayed or neutered.
The pilot project was one of two approved by the Kentucky Animal Control Advisory Board last spring and administered by the KDA. The other offers grants of up to $5,000 for local governments and nonprofit organizations to conduct spay and neuter programs in their communities. It also received $100,000. The funding for both projects came from proceeds from sales of the spay and neuter specialty license plate.
More than 150 Kentucky veterinarians participated in the projects.
The spay and neuter license plate is available for an initial fee of $25 and an annual renewal fee of $20. To get the plate, apply at your county clerk's office.
State receives $3.5 million federal grant for water pollution control projects
A Clean Water Act grant of $3.5 million to the state of Kentucky will support the Commonwealth's efforts to keep Kentucky's waterways safe for drinking, wildlife support and recreation. The funds also will be used to help correct existing water quality problems.
The federal funds, received through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are for continued implementation of the Kentucky Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program. Project partners will contribute to the grant with matching funds for $2.3 million, bringing the total value of the program's support for this year to $5.8 million.
Nonpoint source pollution, unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, refers to pollutants borne by runoff from rain, melting snow, lawn watering and similarly diffuse sources into streams and aquifers.
For more information about Nonpoint Source Program, go to www.water.ky.gov or contact John Eisiminger at 502-564-3410, ext. 696.
Students' assignment: Imagine the future of agriculture
What will Kentucky agriculture look like in the future? How will scientific advances, new products and other factors affect the production of our food and fiber? Schoolchildren throughout the Commonwealth are invited to share their vision of Kentucky agriculture's future in the Kentucky Department of Agriculture's 2006 Poster and Essay Contest.
"This annual contest inspires children to learn more about the importance of agriculture in our everyday lives," Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. "I urge teachers and parents to encourage our young people to enter this contest. They will discover how farmers produce the safe, abundant and affordable food and fiber that we all enjoy."
Contestants will draw posters and write essays about "Kentucky Agriculture: Growing for the Future." They will be asked to demonstrate their understanding of the unique new opportunities that are emerging in agriculture such as biofuels, plant-based biodegradable plastics and research into plant-based medicines.
Statewide poster and essay winners in each of grades 1-8 will be honored in the Kentucky Agriculture Day Luncheon March 22 at the Kentucky History Center. Each winner will receive a $100 savings bond.
One Kentucky Proud Poster and one Kentucky Proud Essay will be selected from among all the winners. The classrooms of the students who produce the Kentucky Proud Poster and Kentucky Proud Essay each will be awarded $500.
