WULF News

With nearly 250 confirmed illnesses in their service area, the Lincoln Trail District Health Department is advising residents about how to be safe and healthy for the remainder of this flu season. Preventative measures against spreading the flu include getting the flu vaccine, washing hands often, and staying home when not feeling well. Hardin County is responsible for the majority of the influenza cases in the Lincoln Trail service area, with over 150 confirmed cases.

The Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help in locating a suspect in relation to a homicide. According to a press release, the office is searching for Anthony W. Allen, a 44-year-old white male last seen driving a silver, 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The department responded to a Bullitt County residence on Sunday to find that the victim, Robert Wendell Bailey, had suffered life-threatening injuries from an assault. Bullitt County EMS transported the victim Jewish South Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The investigation is ongoing.

An Elizabethtown road is going to have its name changed. The former Woodland Drive located near Hardin Memorial Hospital is being isolated and having its course altered. Surveys regarding the name change were sent to residents on the street, and several voted for the name Craddock Court, named after former House of Representatives member Eileen Craddock, who lived on the street for a number of years. The results of the survey are not yet final.

The Elizabethtown Police Department are still looking to fill several attendee spots for their Citizen’s Police Academy being held on February 20^th. The academy provides an opportunity for attendees to look into the day to day operations of the department. Those wishing to attend the academy should contact Officer Denham or visit etownpd.org to download an application.

A jackknifed truck caused delays on I-65 North this morning. According to Transportation Cabinet Spokesperson Chris Jessie, the commercial vehicle jackknifed at Exit 91, and took the interstate down to one lane for several hours. The lanes reopened and traffic returned to normal, but Jessie stressed allowing for extra time and caution while driving to avoid slick spots on the roadway.

Several school districts, including Hardin, Breckenridge, Meade, and Grayson called off school today due to large amounts of absences because of illness. Larue County Schools called off today as well as Monday so the schools and all properties could be deep cleaned and sanitized. No make up day has been scheduled for Larue County while Hardin County will make up this absence by being in session on President’s Day.

The Elizabethtown Police Department responded to the Speedway at 1005 North Dixie in reference to a vehicle theft. When officers arrived, they learned that a motorist inside the store had left their minivan running in the parking lot with two children, aged eleven and five, inside. The suspect, Fredrick Ruelas Branham unlawfully entered the van and departed the parking lot with the children still inside. After travelling a short distance, the suspect stopped and ordered both children out of the vehicle, then he continued northbound on Dixie Highway. He was located on KY 313 by Radcliff police shortly thereafter. Ruelas Branham was arrested for theft of a motor vehicle, as well as wanton endangerment. No one was harmed in the incident, but the police department urges the public never to leave a vehicle running or leave children inside of a vehicle without an adult present.

After a town hall meeting held earlier this week, officials in the city of Vine Grove are working to come to a conclusion on a plan for the City Hall Building. Mayor Pam Ogden says the goal for this year is to work out all the financials for the project. The city has started to look into loans and grants to help pay for the project. Residents of Vine Grove were in favor of demolishing the old building and building something brand new.

Troopers with Kentucky State Police Post 4 were called to the 1900 Block of KY 79 in Meade County Sunday morning in reference to a single vehicle collision. Preliminary investigation revealed that Joshua Marr, 29, or Brandenburg was travelling South on KY 79 when, for unknown reasons, his vehicle left the roadway before rolling over multiple times. Marr was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Meade County Coroner’s Office. The affected portion of KY 79 was closed in order to allow troopers to investigate the collision. The investigation is ongoing.

The Elizabethtown City Council has made an agreement with a design group to oversee construction of the new Fire Station #2. RBS Design Group has been hired to oversee the construction to make sure that all work is in compliance with plans and designs. The contract is for an amount not to exceed $40,000. The initial agreement with RBS was made in 2018, when the company designed the building itself.

The City of Elizabethtown has heard and adopted a new municipal order which lays out and adjusts proper procedure for public comments at meetings of the Elizabethtown City Council. The procedure for speaking at City Council meetings include registering to be on the agenda with the city clerk, signing in on the form available at the meetings, a time limit of five minutes, stating name and address prior to speaking at the meeting, and not using derogatory or slanderous language.

The City of Elizabethtown has made an agreement with CMW Incorporated to prepare documents regarding renovations to the public works maintenance building. The contract is in an amount not to exceed $90,000. This is phase three of the overall plan to renovate the building.

Freeman Lake Park will be without the large dog park for the entirety of the month of February. According to a post on the City of Elizabethtown Parks and Recreation Facebook page, the park will be closed for repairs and improvements. However, the small dog park will continue to be open, and will welcome dogs of all sizes.

The cause of the gas explosion that caused a Grayson County woman and her daughter to sustain substantial burns has been revealed. According to Grayson County Fire Chief Tim Duvall, a faulty gas furnace is to blame. Reportedly, a faulty connection to the furnace caused the leak, which then later caused the explosion. As previously reported, the resident of the home, Angela Young, and her seven-year-old daughter had to be airlifted to Louisville hospitals due to their injuries.

Fort Knox will be hosting a Super Bowl party on post this weekend. The event will begin at 6:30 at Samuel Adams Brewhouse, and will feature food for purchase, as well as recliners for seating. Arriving early will allow attendees a better shot at preferred seating.

John Hardin High School will be hosting the Region Five National Archery in the School Tournament starting today with three flights starting at five o’clock, and ten flights starting at 9 o’clock on Saturday morning. Over 1100 archers are expected to be in attendance, and range from middle to high school age students from the eight county central region. The event will also host a silent auction, and items are still being accepted. Money made from the silent auction will be put back into the archery program.

The Fort Knox Tax Center has opened for business in Pike Hall on post. The tax center prepared over 4000 returns last year, leading to over $4 million in refunds.

The Cecilian Chapel, coming to the realization that the church is going to have to be demolished due to damage from multiple fires, is asking for the community to be a part of the last act of solidarity at the church. Officials with the church want to get one last picture with everyone from the community this Sunday at 4 PM. Officials ask that anyone who has had their life affected by the chapel attend this event. As previously reported, the chapel was deemed a total loss on Tuesday, and other fires have hit the building since then.  

The West Point Independent School District Board has unanimously agreed to enter into negotiations with Hardin County Schools for the purposes of a merger. Tearful chairman Eddie Moore introduced the items on the agenda before interim superintendent Sally Sugg began a presentation, laying out the financial impact the court case surrounding the school is having on the community. If legal battles continued, the total cost to the district could come to over $120,000. Also present at the board meeting was Hardin County Schools superintendent Teresa Morgan, who answered questions from the crowd and stressed the importance of creating familiarity for students should a merger take place. Morgan states that Hardin County Schools will make a priority out of bringing staff from West Point to the schools to create a familiar environment for the children. A list of frequently asked questions regarding the potential merger can be found on the West Point Independent Schools website.

The Hardin County Fiscal Court heard a presentation from Hardin County United regarding designating Hardin County as a Second Amendment Sanctuary, which would defend against federal or state legislation that would control access to firearms or ammunition. Hardin County Judge Executive heard the presentation from Spokesperson Rob Powers, but said that the county could not accommodate the designation at this time. The Larue County Fiscal Court passed a similar resolution earlier this month.

A Big Clifty woman has been arrested for animal cruelty after several malnourished horses were found on her property. Deputies with the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office responded to the residence after reports of mistreatment of the animals. Five horses were on the property, and one more had to be euthanized due to its condition. Once the arrest was made, the owner, Shiloh Lisa Lee, surrendered the horses to the Sheriff’s Department. Multiple other horses were found dead on the property the following day, and one of the rescued horses later died as well. The rest of the horses are in a wildlife rehab center in Grayson County. Lee was charged with several counts of animal cruelty, and is lodged in the Grayson County Detention Center.

The Cecilian Chapel, which was hit by fire late Monday night and into Tuesday morning, has been designated a total loss. According to a post to the Chapel’s Facebook page, the firefighters on the scene worked hard to save the sanctuary, but the roof has fallen in, and the floor in the sanctuary has given way. Because of this, the walls are pulling in and jeopardizing the stained glass windows. Officials with the chapel have expressed doubt in even being able to salvage the pews in the chapel due to the failing structural integrity. The chapel has requested that people who have held events at the Chapel post pictures from them on the Facebook page, so that everyone can remember the happy times.

Nolin River Wildlife has unveiled a new logo with a new slogan. The logo features the face of a raccoon, and will be accompanied with the slogan “Nurturing Hope”. This slogan is a reference to a raccoon named Hope that died earlier in the month after attempts to rehabilitate her. According to comments on the organization’s Facebook page, merchandise with the new logo and slogan is already in the works.