LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT)—Kentucky has had its share of bad weather over the last several years, which is partially why homeowners insurance rates have been on the rise.

“It first started with COVID, and you know, the cost of supplies and demand on labor rates and that sort of thing, and then right after COVID, we started seeing these really bad wind and hail storms coming through Kentucky,” said Renee Jackson, a Lexington insurance agency owner.

Due to both the pandemic and bad weather, there is a new normal when it comes to insurance rates.

“We used to look at rates for clients being a little abnormal if they were 10 percent or higher of the increase renewal. Now, we are looking at if it’s 18 to 20 percent is really when we start looking at shopping our client’s rates and that sort of thing,” said Jackson.

Jackson says one way to prevent major rate increases is to file claims only on significant damage.

“A windstorm came through, and I have to replace my roof. A roof replacement is $20,000. That’s when you want to file a claim. Keep the small things to yourself and let the insurance company deal with the large things because when you file the small things, you’re going to see even higher insurance increases on your premium and you don’t want that to happen,” Jackson said.

Jackson thinks that hiking insurance rates should cool, but the weather will play a big role in that fate.

“I think the insurance companies have a good handle of what’s going on. As long as we don’t have any more storms come through Kentucky in the next year, I think you’re going to see your rates leveling off. You’re not going to see the increases like you did before,” Jackson said.

According to a study from Deloitte, Kentucky is among 21 US states at high risk of climate impacts.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A PGA Championship filled with various layers of intrigue began Thursday after a 10-minute delay for fog, which quickly gave way to sunshine and a morning that figures to set the tone for Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth.

Weather has been an issue all week, with rain at times closing Valhalla Golf Club for brief periods during two days of practice.

McIlroy returns to the site of his last major 10 years ago that also was marked by weather when a two-hour rain delay on Sunday caused him to play into the group ahead so that he could finish before dark.

He starts this major just two days after news broke that he was getting divorced from his wife of seven years. McIlroy cut short his interview to 10 minutes with a request that all questions be related only to golf. Asked about his energy and how he was feeling, McIlroy said curtly, “I’m ready to play this week.”

Woods also is a past champion at Valhalla from 24 years ago, when he was younger and before back surgeries, knee surgeries and a 2021 car crash. He is playing for only the third time this year.

Spieth is playing alongside defending champion Brooks Koepka. At stake for Spieth, again, is a chance to become the sixth player to win the career Grand Slam if he can hoist the Wanamaker Trophy at the end of the week.

Koepka only has two legs of the Grand Slam, but his major count already is at five.

“I’m just looking forward to a major championship,” Koepka said. “That kind of gets my excitement going.”

Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, is among the few stars playing in the afternoon on a course that is soft and susceptible to low scoring. Scheffler hasn’t competed in three weeks, staying home in Dallas for the impending birth of his first child. A son they named Bennett was born May 8.

He still comes into Valhalla with a load of momentum — four wins in his last five starts, one of them a second Masters green jacket, the exception a runner-up finish in Houston.

Being at home gave him time to reflect, and it was all good.

“I married my high school sweetheart and I always wanted to play professional golf, and now I’m here,” Scheffler said. “I was sitting there with a newborn in my arms and the green jacket in the closet. It was a pretty special time.

“The competitiveness in me doesn’t let me reflect too much. And I was trying to do my best to get ready to play this week.”

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry posted its highest-ever totals in 2023 with its ongoing efforts to fight hunger by facilitating the processing, packaging and delivery of healthful ground venison meat.

Kentucky hunters donated more than 3,000 legally harvested deer to the program last fall, yielding 116,764 pounds of venison — and in turn 467,000 servings — to be used in food banks and shelters across the state during the following year.

Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry takes cash donations throughout the year, and deer donated by hunters each fall, to supply protein to thousands of Kentuckians who are less fortunate. Through the program, participating deer processors across the state receive deer brought in by hunters during the fall hunting season, then process and freeze venison burger packages suitable for transport and cooking. Cash donations are used by Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry to pay the costs of deer processing.

“We’re so excited about the continuous growth in this program, through which thousands of hunters help their neighbors in need all around the state,” said Roger LaPointe, executive director of Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry.

In recent years, Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry has also worked with selected deer processors to produce and supply packaged venison meat sticks for use in school backpack programs, which send food home with students who are at-risk for hunger. In 2023, the organization supplied about 60,000 meat stick snacks to schools in several counties to help ensure children receive enough protein for healthy growth and function.

“We’d love to be able to provide the popular venison meat sticks to more schools and students in need, but this requires more sponsors to help underwrite the cost,” LaPointe said. He welcomes prospective businesses to contact him about how they can help support the meat stick snacks program in their local school districts.

“We’re very thankful for Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry, its cash donors and all the deer processors who make it work,” said Rich Storm, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “We’re especially proud of the hunters who help to manage Kentucky’s deer herd by harvesting and donating extra deer beyond what they need to Hunters for the Hungry each year.”

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife joins other concerned organizations and individuals who contribute funds to the organization every year. The agency has also obtained outside grant funding to help multiply the dollars donated by other organizations and individuals; this will enable even more deer to be processed and further increase the amount of high-quality protein served up through the program. However, a limiting factor in the capacity of Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry to process deer and supply venison products is cash donations.

Those interested in donating much-needed cash to help cover the increasing costs of deer processing should visit the Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry website and click on the “DONATE FUNDING” button. Hunters considering donating deer can likewise find instructions and a list of approved processors on the organization’s home page.

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources