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Fire officials stress preparedness during Fire Prevention Week

94.3 The Wolf

Fire officials are reminding residents to be prepared as Fire Prevention Month is observed in October, with Fire Prevention Week observed now through October 12.

“The work we’re doing in making people aware of fire safety and things like that, it is working,” said Radcliff Deputy Fire Marshal Tommy Crane. “Our statistics, if you look back to 1977, show 7,395 people died in fires. In 2021, it was 3,800 in residential fires, so we are making a difference.”

Crane says medical runs and responses to vehicle accidents are prominent parts of fire department duties today, but responding to fires remains vitaly important.

“A fire department responds every 21 seconds to a fire in the United States,” Crane said. “One home structure fire was reported every 88 seconds and one home fire-related death occurred every 3 hours, 14 minutes.”

The results of a fire can quickly turn devastating.

“In 2022, the national estimates for residential building fires and losses showed that there were 374,300 fires, 2,700 deaths, and almost $11 million in dollar loss,” Crane said.

The theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “Smoke Alarms: Make them work for you.” Visit the National Fire Protection Association’s website to learn more.

Former State Senator Elizabeth Tori dies at 91

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Kentucky officials are expressing their appreciation for former State Senator Elizabeth Tori, who died Wednesday, October 2 at the age of 91.

“She was a true powerhouse,” said Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith. “I think she was an example to all of us in public service. I think she was an example to strong women in public service. She truly was unique. I was a very young congressional staffer working for our hometown congressman Ron Lewis and would see Elizabeth out and about at different community events. Certainly every parade, she loved the parades here in Hardin County. She loved every community here, the largest and the smallest. She genuinely cared about this community.”

Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell said in a statement: “The daughter of a veteran and wife of a retired army major, Elizabeth was a constant advocate for Kentucky’s active duty military and the many veterans who call the Commonwealth home. Serving Kentucky’s Tenth District for over 16 years, Elizabeth was always looking for ways to improve the lives of our servicemembers and to give them the thanks they deserve.”

Tori represented Kentucky’s Tenth District, which includes all of Hardin County along with a small portion of Jefferson County, from 1995 to 2011. Toriu served as the minority whip in the senate from 1997 to 1999 then as the majority whip from 1999 to 2005. Tori’s obituary notes that she owned the Tori Shoppe and Tori Enterprises in Radcliff.

Graveside services for Elizabeth Tori will be held Tuesday at noon in the North Hardin Memorial Gardens. The Nelson-Edelen-Bennett Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Judge threatens former Steven Lawson attorney with contempt over case files

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Crystal Rogers investigation suspects Joseph Lawson and Steven Lawson were back in court Friday. 

Attorneys for Steven Lawson told Nelson Circuit Court Judge Charles Simms III that their client will not be waiving evidentiary protections, meaning recordings of Lawson’s interviews with investigators during the plea process will be admissible in Lawson’s trial. Grand jury testimony from Lawson, however, will be permitted.

The trial for the Lawsons and fellow suspect Brooks Houck is scheduled to begin in February. Judge Simms said the case will be tried in either Warren County or Christian County. Judge Simms said he had spoken with judges in both counties and they felt their facilities could handle the case. The prosecution and defense counsels had previously submitted a proposal to move the case to Christian County that Judge Simms declined.

Friday’s hearing had been delayed a month in order for Steven Lawson’s new defense attorneys to get up to speed on the case. They informed Judge Simms that Lawson’s previous attorney, Ted Lavit, had still not turned over the entire case file. Judge Simms issued an order Friday that gave Lavit fourteen days to turn in the entire case file or he would have to appear in court to face a possible Contempt of Court charge.

The next status hearing in the case is scheduled for October 25.

Kentucky officials lift drought declaration as Fall Forest Fire Hazard Season arrives

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The Level One Drought declaration for Kentucky has been removed.

The Office of the State Climatologist and the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet say several days of rain brought by the remnants of Hurricane Helene allowed for water to infiltrate into the soil column and return soil moisture to pre-summer levels. The precipitation also eliminated rain deficits and returned streamflows to normal levels.

While the drought declaration has been lifted, Kentuckians are reminded to adhere to the regulations in place for Fall Forest Fire Hazard Season, which is now in effect.

“During that period from October to April is where the forestry service says that you need to stay 150 feet from any wood line or anything like that,” said Radcliff Deputy Fire Marshal Tommy Crane. “They have the times where if you’re doing a large fire, clearing brush and stuff, they want you to do it between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. where the temperature is cooler, the air temperature has dropped, and the wind is typically a little calmer in the evenings.”

Crane says never leave any fire unattended. Visit the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet’s website for more information.

Elizabethtown man accepting donations at Ace Hardware Friday for Hurricane Helene supply drive

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Elizabethtown resident Patrick Mattingly saw the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene and decided to help one of the smaller communities impacted by the storm.

“I partnered up with United Way of North Carolina and we’re doing a supply drive, taking any types of donations to take to Jefferson, North Carolina,” Mattingly said. “It’s a little farm town in Ashe County that’s been severely affected by the flood from Hurricane Helene.”

Mattingly is planning on driving a box truck provided to him by Penske to the area on Saturday, so people who would like to contribute can bring items to two locations Friday.

“One is at the E-Town Ace Hardware, and I believe that’s 408 West Dixie Avenue, and another drop-off point is going to be in Louisville for people that may be in Louisville,” Mattingly said. “It’s going to be at 10515 Fischer Park Drive in Louisville, and that is at the KCREA office.”

Mattingly says he has secured donations of water and food, but he is looking for a wider range of needed items.

“Hygiene, baby food, propane bottles,” Mattingly said. “They’re asking for fencing supplies, if anybody could help with that, because these farmers have cattle and livestock that they’re not able to corral, they’re just running wild, and people are already bringing water and food. It’s small things like trash bags and buckets and cleaning materials.”

Ace Hardware in Elizabethtown is open Friday until 8 p.m.

Red Cross calls for support, organizations organizing donation drives for Hurricane Helene victims

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Organizations across the community and across the state are working to assist those impacted by Hurricane Helene.

The American Red Cross says this past weekend more than 2,600 people were staying in 69 emergency shelters supported by the Red Cross and other community organizations. Officials say shelter operations will likely need to last for several weeks as disaster assessments are completed. Red Cross volunteers are assisting about 100 people from Kentucky who had homes impacted by the storm.

The Red Cross has issued an appeal for financial donations, blood donations, and donations of time. Visit redcross.org or text HELENE to 90999 to make a monetary donation. You can also find information on the Red Cross website about training requirements to volunteer with the organization.

The Red Cross says more than 1,500 scheduled blood donations in areas impacted by the storm went uncollected, and at a time where the national blood supply is already facing a shortage additional donations are needed to sustain patients and hospitals. Schedule an appointment today at redcrossblood.org.

On the local level, several organizations are running collection drives to send needed items to those impacted. Ride Wright Tire is accepting materials at 2400 Leitchfield Road through October 4 for delivery the next day. The Grayson County Chamber of Commerce is collecting items at their office through October 7. Wills Transport is accepting items at 314 Kitty Hawk Drive through October 11. Items requested include cases of water, socks, gloves, non-perishable food items, pet food, baby care products, toiletries, and cleaning supplies. Contact the respective locations for more information.

Lane closures in place on I-65 south in Bullitt County this weekend

94.3 The Wolf

Drivers are being alerted to lane closures on Interstate 65 South in Bullitt County this weekend.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Five says two lanes of I-65 South from north of mile marker 117 to mile marker 113 near the Bullitt County Welcome Center will be closed from Friday at 7 p.m. to Sunday at 7 p.m.

The KYTC says the ramps to and from KY 44 will remain open during the lane closures, as will the off ramp from I-65 South to KY 480. The on ramp from KY 480 to I-65 South will be closed.

Crews will be repairing concrete slabs on the interstate at multiple locations, with the lane closures in place to allow time for the concrete to cure.

Drivers should expect traffic shifts, obey lane restrictions, and use caution when traveling through the work zone. This work is weather permitting. Follow KYTC District Five on Facebook for project updates.

Voter registration deadline is Monday

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This weekend is your last weekend to register to vote ahead of the November 5 general election.

“The deadline to register to vote is 4 p.m. on October 7,” said Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith. “You can do that by coming by our office or visiting govote.ky.gov. The absentee request portal is open at that same website, govote.ky.gov, or you can come by our office or you can call our election staff at 270-765-6762.”

GoVote.KY.gov also allows you to check on your absentee ballot status, find polling locations, look up sample ballots, and find more election information. 

Smith says voters should also be wary of the potential for scams as they go online for election information.

“There are a lot of third-party websites that look very official,” Smith said. “They’re run by private organizations or purported non-profit organizations. They cannot request your absentee ballot. You cannot request an absentee ballot through them. They’re collecting your name, your address, your Social Security number, and your birth date, and we don’t know what they’re doing with them.”

Smith says official election information would never come from a .com or a .org website. Contact your county clerk’s office for more election information.

Grayson County Chamber of Commerce collecting items for hurricane victims

94.3 The Wolf

The Grayson County Chamber of Commerce is still collecting relief items for victims of Hurricane Helene in Tennessee and North Carolina.

“We really started seeing everything online, and myself and Tiffany Decker, who is the tourism director, were up late one night talking and she said we need to do something and so we did,” said Grayson County Chamber Executive Director April Spalding. “We’ve been absolutely blessed, with already one load leaving and our front lobby is completely full again.”

A full list of items the chamber is looking to collect can be found on their Facebook page.

“We need sanitary wipes,” Spaliding said. “We’re looking for baby formula, wipes, diapers, trash bags. We really need some storage containers because ours are already full of items. Pet food, any non-perishable items, things like toothbrushes, toothpaste, hygiene, batteries, Gatorade packs, anything you can think of that you would need, that’s what we’re in need of.”

Items for the next delivery need to be collected by October 7.

“They can take it to the Center on Main, which is at 425 South Main Street from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and then anything after hours can be dropped to our neighbors next door at the Leitchfield Police Department,” Spalding said.

Spalding said the chamber has drivers volunteering to make additional runs, so items will still be collected to be delivered after the October 7 delivery.

State Theater hosting Spooky Season Movie Series

94.3 The Wolf

October means it is spooky season, and the Historic State Theater hopes you’ll celebrate by coming out to their Spooky Season Movie Series this month.

The series kicks off on October 11 with The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, followed by the original Night of the Living Dead on October 12, Casper on October 18, Pet Sematery on October 19, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride on October 25, and Child’s Play on October 26.

Each movie will get started at 7 p.m., with the theater and box office opening an hour prior. Tickets are $3 and concessions will be available.

For more information on the Spooky Season Movie Series and a full list of events happening at The State, visit www.thestate270.org.