Hardin County School Board of Education held two special meetings this week to interview and appoint a candidate to the vacant seat for Division 3. On December 29, Tommy Metcalf, who was elected in November to the seat, notified Hardin County School Superintendent Teresa Morgan he would not be able to fill the seat due to a conflict concerning his employment as the fleet manager for the Elizabethtown Police Department. On February 7, the Board of Education held a special meeting to interview candidates. Last night, the Board met to discuss appointing one of those candidates to the vacant seat. More information is expected today from that meeting.
A Hardin County man who led Kentucky State Police on a multi-county high-speed chase in December has been indicted for more than a dozen crimes or violations. According to court documents, Qua’Darrius Skillman, 19 of Elizabethtown, was indicted by a Hardin County grand jury. On December 12, 2022, Skillman was at Kentucky State Police Post 4 with another person when Troopers discovered Skillman had active warrants and asked him to exit the vehicle. Instead, Skillman jumped into the driver’s seat and led Troopers on a 45-minute chase through Hardin and LaRue counties at speeds up to 90 mph in a 35 mph zone and 115 mph on Lincoln Parkway. It was documented that Skillman drove on the wrong side of the road, drove on sidewalks and through medians, ran stop signs and red lights, weaved in and out of traffic and ran other motorists off the roadway during the pursuit along with colliding with a KSP cruiser causing more than $1,000 damage. The chase ended near the intersection US 62 and Ring Road in Elizabethtown. Skillman was found with a stolen firearm, drugs and a digital scale which Skillman admitted belonged to him. Skillman is being held in the Hardin County Detention Center.
A tax cut proposal is heading to Governor Beshear’s desk. On Wednesday evening, House Bill 1, sponsored by Representative Brandon Reed of Hodgenville, was approved by the Senate by a 30-5 vote. The state’s individual income tax was lowered to 4.5% in January 2023 and this bill would lower it to 4% in January 2024. House Bill 1 is the next step in the Kentucky General Assembly’s efforts to eliminate the individual income tax entirely. During the 2022 General Assembly, House Bill 8 was passed which laid out steps to get rid of the individual income tax entirely but had milestones to be met before decreasing the tax in a half of a percentage increments.
Kentucky’s First Lady Britainy Beshear and the Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence are hosting an event to benefit survivors of domestic violence. The 14th Annual Shop & Share event will take place at participating grocery stores across the state on Saturday in hopes that people stocking up on game day snacks will purchase items for their local domestic violence program. In-store shoppers can visit the volunteer table at their store or scan a QR code at the store entrance to get a list of items needed at their local shelter program. The statewide goods drive helps families in programs throughout the Commonwealth.
An Elizabethtown man was arrested for having sexual relations with a juvenile. According to documents, in November 2022, a warrant for Jonathan Scales, age 24 at the time, was issued after it was reported he had been carrying on a relationship with a minor. The girl, who was 15 at the time, exchanged messages with Scales over SnapChat, including pornographic material. Scales and the minor planned for him to sneak into her basement at her house to have sex in April 2022. Scales currently resides in Mississippi but was back in the Hardin County area over the weekend when he was arrested. Scales is currently lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center.
Grayson County Deputies serving a warrant found the subject of the warrant with drugs, cash and trafficking paraphernalia. According to documents, Deputies received information on the location of Matthew S. Willis, age 47 of Caneyville, Sunday evening and went to serve an indictment warrant from an incident in December. Once Deputies arrived at the house and located Willis, a sweep of the immediate area revealed drug related items, prompting Deputies to request a search warrant. Once the search warrant was served, all witnesses on scene stated that the room with the items in question belonged to Willis. The new charges include trafficking in a controlled substance, trafficking in marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Willis is currently lodged in the Grayson County Detention Center.
The Bardstown Police Department executed two search warrants related to a human trafficking investigation on Wednesday. The search warrants were for Mi Ya Ko Spa and Sunrise Massage and Body Work. Victims were located at both locations and three individuals have been arrested and charged with human trafficking and permitting prostitution. The victims have been connected with Catholic Charities to address their immediate needs. The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information on the investigation is encouraged to contact Bardstown Police Department.
The Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau has announced that it has promoted Krysta Souleyrette to Director of Marketing. Souleyrette has been with the Tourism and Convention Bureau for four years during which time she has managed several award-winning campaigns, successfully developed a new unified message and brand and relaunched the organization’s website. “Krysta has been instrumental to the growth of Elizabethtown tourism. Her contributions have had a direct impact on the record increases that Elizabethtown has experienced in the last several years. She’s very qualified to lead in our marketing strategy from a much higher level,” said Executive Director Janna Clark. Souleyrette will step into her leadership role and work to expand the marketing team. The organization is hoping to fill a new position of Marketing Coordinator. More information can be found at TourEtown.com
The Stephen Foster Drama Association has announced the date for in-person auditions for several 2023 performances. Auditions for “The Stephen Foster Story,” “Songs of Stephen Foster,” and “Cinderella” are scheduled for February 18 at Nelson County High School. Executive Artistic Director Johnny Warren says they encourage performers of all levels of singing experience to audition. Local and regional singers, actors and dancers are included in the productions each year and often come from the local auditions. Details about auditions and how to secure a spot can be found at stephenfoster.com/auditions.
The Elizabethtown-Hardin County Industrial Foundation has partnered with the Elizabethtown Community and Technical College Foundation to support the region’s future workforce training needs. An endowment was funded with $140,000 from the dissolution of the Elizabethtown Industrial Foundation Training Consortium to create a permanent source of funding for high-demand programs to develop the local workforce. The endowment will be eligible for dollar-for-dollar matching funds through the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. More information is available ectcforbetterlives.com.