The Hodgenville Police Department was involved in a pursuit late Wednesday night. According to a statement, a 2020 Nissan was stopped for having an expired tag on Northridge Circle. When Officers made contact, the vehicle fled and traveled through several yards in the Hutcherson Heights housing area. The Nissan made its way onto Old Elizabethtown Road and then continued to travel north into Hardin County where Kentucky State Troopers from Post 4 joined the pursuit. The vehicle stopped on Par Lane and the driver and a passenger fled on foot. The driver, 30 year old William Tucker of Radcliff, and passenger , 30 year old Jessica Terrell of Southgate, were apprehended a short distance later. Tucker was charged with DUI First, Fleeing First, Tampering with Physical Evidence, Possession of Heroin and numerous traffic charges. Terrell was charged with Possession of Heroin, Tampering with Physical Evidence and Public Intoxication. Both suspects had outstanding warrants that were served and both were lodged in the Larue County Jail.
Elizabethtown native Catherine LaRoche is moving back to Kentucky to become Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement at WKU in Bowling Green. She graduated from Central Hardin High School in 2005 and the University of Louisville in 2009. She is currently Assistant Dean of Students at the University of Arizona. When asked how this new job came about, Dr. LaRoche replied, “I was not a hundred percent looking for jobs at the time. I actually had a friend who lives in Texas and they were like ‘Hey, a recruiter reached out to me for the Assistant Vice President position at Western Kentucky. I’m not interested in leaving Texas. So I recommended you because I know you’re from Kentucky, so why don’t you take a look and see if it’s something you’re interested in.’ ” When offered the new job, she said, “It was kind of a no-brainer for me. When I got the offer, I kind of already knew, like if they offered it to me, I will most likely say yes.” When asked what she wanted to accomplish in her new position, Dr. LaRoche laid out her first ninety days plan. “It’s going to definitely get to understand where the division or the University is at. What are the priorities? You know, at a lot of colleges, a big priority, especially in the state of Kentucky, is retention, retaining students at the University beyond their first year. And then the other piece is: how do you increase enrollment?” When she begins her new position, Dr. LaRoche stated that staff will be one of her top priorities. “I want to see my staff succeed, so that is a big thing that I will bring to the University, is figuring out where my staff are? Where do they want to be? What is their potential and really help them reach their goals.” For students and families considering WKU, Dr. LaRoche said this. “Really what families can think about or look forward to when sending their student to WKU is those students really getting the opportunity to engage at high levels. Those living on campus, living off campus after their first two years and really just making sure they’re getting involved. That they’re successful both inside and outside of the classroom and then also making sure that they feel welcome, they feel connected to the university.” Dr. LaRoche will begin her new job as Assistant President for Student Engagement at WKU on July 17.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet wants to remind Kentuckians to watch out and share the roadway with all highway users. The month of May is Motorcycle And Bike Safety Awareness Month and the Cabinet’s Office of Highway Safety is joining The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in sharing tips to help prevent crashes, injuries and deaths on the commonwealth’s roadways. Drivers are reminded to perform regular visual checks using mirrors and looking at blind spots before changing lanes and to use turn signals before lane changes to alert others of your movements. Motorcyclists are encouraged to wear a DOT compliant helmet, wear bright color protective gear along with reflective tape and stickers to increase visibility while positioning themselves in the lane to maintain visibility and using turns signals and hand signals to indicate movements. Bicyclists should wear a properly fitted helmet, scan ahead for obstacles in your path and ride in the same direction as traffic while also using hand signals to communicate your movements to traffic around you. Kentucky haD over 1500 crashes involving motorcyclists in 2022 which resulted in 99 motorcyclists deaths. More information can be found at Ride.KY.gov
Scholarship Central held two events recently to award over $350,000 in scholarships. Scholarship Central is the online one stop portal offered by the Central Kentucky Community Foundation which serves as a philanthropic resource to people who wish to help improve life in their communities. This year 142 students were awarded 182 scholarships to help recipients continue their educational career this coming fall. To see a full list of the awardees and scholarships currently offered, visit the foundation’s website at CKCF4People.org.
A Larue county woman was stabbed multiple times Tuesday. According to the Larue County Sheriff’s Department, deputies responded to Earl Jones Road for a domestic situation that turned violent. Tracy Johnson is accused of arguing with his mother before getting a kitchen knife and stabbing her several times. Johnson also allegedly assaulted his brother who attempted to intervene. The suspect fled the scene, but was apprehended by officials. He was charged with First Degree Domestic Assault and Fourth Degree Domestic Assault. The mother’s injuries are not considered to be life threatening.
Today is the last day to apply for an absentee ballot for the May primary. “The easiest and most secure way to do that is to go GoVoteKY.com. You’re also welcome to call our office directly. The in-person excused absentee voting, those days are May 3rd-5th and 8th-10th. That’s going to be from 8 AM to 4:30 PM down on the first floor. In order to qualify for absentee voting, you have to qualify by age, illness or disability, or you will be out of town on the early voting days and primary election day. I always want to remind pregnant women, if you’re in the third trimester, we strongly recommend you voting absentee because babies are gonna come when babies come. So we want to make sure that’s available to those folks and nobody misses out,” said Hardin County Clerk Brian D Smith. You have until 11:59 PM EST to apply online for your absentee ballot.
Pipe replacement work will require closure of a road in Hardin County today and tomorrow. A maintenance crew will be working to replace a large pipe north of the Bright Side Drive and Cozy Acres Drive intersection on South Wilson Road KY 447 on both days. There are several alternative routes available in the area so no specific detour will be set up. With the resurfacing work scheduled for completion in the area in just a few weeks, it is critical that the replacement be done. Weather could change this schedule so drivers are encouraged to follow the Transportation Cabinet District 4 social media accounts for updates.
A $10 million electric vehicle remanufacturing plant is coming to Bullitt County. According to a statement from Governor Andy Beshear’s office, the new Rivian facility will create 218 full-time jobs. Rivian currently stocks replacement parts in Shepherdsville and this project will update that operation to support warranty, repair and service to the company’s EV trucks. This investment continues to solidify Kentucky as a leader in the EV sector with over $10 billion in EV-related investments and about 10,000 full time jobs announced since summer 2020.
At Monday’s Vine Grove City Council meeting, Councilwoman Mary Dunn asked citizens to help with the sidewalk survey that is currently being conducted. “Please go onto the Vine Grove City page and look for that link. We’ll push it out once a week, at least through the month of May. Please fill out the sidewalk survey. It’s very telling. We need that data for the TAPP grant. Tell your neighbors. Tell everybody. Find that link and fill it out,” said Councilwoman Mary Dunn. Putting in new sidewalks is part of the city’s plans for the future. “Right now we only have probably twenty percent of the city, maybe thirty five to forty percent, of our streets have sidewalks. The rest don’t.so Basically anything that looks like anything built from maybe the mid-1990’s on has sidewalks, everything else does not.“ The survey will identify areas that have safety and accessibility problems that need to be addressed. “We think that focusing on the sidewalks, the signage, making sure the sidewalks are in good repair, make sure the weeds and grass are not growing in the cracks of the sidewalk and all that sort of thing is very important. doing a very thorough sidewalk survey. it’s really simple as getting volunteers to go out and take pictures and getting someone to walk the routes.” City Planner Tad Long. Once completed, the survey will be used in the city’s TAPP grant application.
