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Feed the fishes: Kentucky agency will recycle your Christmas tree

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Feed the fishes: Kentucky agency will recycle your Christmas tree


If you are wondering what to do when it’s time to take down your natural Christmas tree at the end of the year, those used trees can have a second life after the end of the holiday season.

Natural trees donated to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources annual “Christmas for the Fishes” tree recycling program can give a home to fish in many Kentucky lakes in the coming year. This annual program uses evergreens donated after the holiday season to create underwater habitats that help fish thrive.

“Donated Christmas trees are put to work in local reservoirs as fish habitat, where they’re arranged in clusters that create dense branches and small pockets for young fish to hide,” said Spencer Phillips, a fisheries biologist with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “These structures also attract sportfish, offering opportunistic feeding as smaller fish venture out from cover.”

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife will be accepting evergreen trees from Dec. 26 through Jan. 16, 2026, at 37 drop-off locations across the state. Trees should be real, not artificial, and should be free of lights, garland and decorations. Limbs, wreaths, brush or other plants will not be accepted.

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(In Hopkinsville, there will be a drop-off at Walmart on Clinic Drive.)

Fish thrive in an environment that is full of different types of cover including trees and logs. The donated trees will help restore woody structures that have previously decayed in our lakes, providing protective cover and shade for a variety of fish species.

“Every tree counts,” Phillips said. “Each tree can provide benefits for local fisheries for several years, gradually enhancing fish habitat that has been lost over time. Local anglers also benefit from the creation of reliable fishing hotspots around the sunken brush piles.”

Donated trees will be anchored to environmentally friendly weights and submerged at various depths in different lakes and reservoirs across Kentucky to provide places for fish to feed, shelter and spawn. They make great refuge and feeding habitat for game fish, as well as small fish and invertebrates that are crucial for a thriving ecosystem.

For more information about the Christmas tree recycling program or to find a drop-off location, visit the department’s website (fw.ky.gov) or call 1-800-858-1549, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (ET) weekdays, excluding holidays.

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This story is republished with permission from the Northern Kentucky Tribune. Read the original.


Tom Latek has been the Frankfort correspondent for Kentucky Today, the online news website of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, since 2016. Previously, he covered news for radio and television stations in Frankfort, Lexington, and Louisville. 



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Lancaster resident describes Kentucky earthquake experience

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Lancaster resident describes Kentucky earthquake experience


LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – A 3.1 magnitude earthquake hit Kentucky Sunday afternoon with an epicenter between Richmond and Lancaster, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The USGS “Did You Feel It” survey received reports from people in Richmond, Danville, Stanford, Lancaster and Lexington.

Caroline Boyd, a retired nurse from Lancaster, was reading at home when the earthquake began at 12:47 p.m.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say shaking but it felt like a rumbling in my basement or even outside,” Boyd said.

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Boyd said she felt and heard the ground beneath her rumble followed by a loud boom.

“I thought to myself what on earth is that? Because there is no trains or train station nearby, so I knew it was not a train. So, I just sat there and listened. I would say it lasted about 10 to 15 seconds,” Boyd said.

After the tremor, Boyd called her neighbors and then the sheriff’s office. Dispatchers told her there had been an earthquake.

Dustin Price, deputy director and public information officer for Garrad County Emergency Management Agency, said the agency first heard from Bluegrass 911 about reports of a loud boom and shaking.

“Approximately we were able to confirm through the state that there was a confirmed 3.1 magnitude earthquake that hit through Garrad County,” Price said.

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No injuries or property damage were reported, according to Price.

Boyd said she was thankful the earthquake did not cause more serious problems.

“Even if I would’ve had to relocate if there was a problem. I have two pets, so it could’ve been really bad,” Boyd said.

Garrad County EMA said they are thankful for all the agencies who helped respond to the incident.

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3.2 magnitude earthquake with no immediate reports of damage confirmed in Garrard County

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3.2 magnitude earthquake with no immediate reports of damage confirmed in Garrard County


GARRARD COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Governor Andy Beshear reports that a 3.2 magnitude earthquake has been reported in Garrard County.

“This range does not typically produce sizable damage – just shaking – and thankfully, that is all that’s been reported so far,” Beshear said on social media Sunday.

According to the Lincoln County EMA, the earthquake happened around 12:47 p.m. with a shallow depth of 8 kilometers.

NWS Louisville reports the location of the quake to have been near the Garrard/Madison County line.

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Multiple agencies are also reporting no immediate reports of damage.





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Missing Kentucky girl found in Montgomery County after 2 month search – WTOP News

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Missing Kentucky girl found in Montgomery County after 2 month search – WTOP News


A 13-year-old Kentucky girl who had been missing since October was found in Montgomery County, Maryland, on Saturday.

13-year-old Wynter Wagoner disappeared from her foster home bedroom on Oct. 14, and her family is doing everything they can to bring her home.(Credit WLEX via CNN)

A 13-year-old Kentucky girl who had been missing since October was found in Montgomery County, Maryland, on Saturday.

Montgomery County police said in a release Saturday afternoon that Wynter Wagoner, 13, was located in a Silver Spring home in the 12000 block of Dalewood Drive.

The Rockcastle Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post that Wagoner was last seen in Orlando, Kentucky, on Oct. 14.

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Her father, Dusty Wagoner, had pleaded for her to reach out in the weeks leading up to her discovery. The family offered a $5,000 reward for any information that would lead to her safe return.

At an Oct. 22 news conference, officials said Wagoner was picked up early from school by her foster parents and when her parents went to check on her, they discovered she was gone.

Police and U.S. Marshals arrested 37-year-old Christian Alexander Delgado in connection with the case. The Rockcastle Sheriff’s Office is charging Delgado with kidnapping.

He’s awaiting extradition to Kentucky.

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