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Weather radios for deaf and hard of hearing available

94.3 The Wolf

As the country sees the impact of natural disasters, state officials in Kentucky are reminding residents to stay alert and be prepared for severe weather. The state has a new program available to help the deaf and hard of hearing stay alert to storms.

Through the “Moore Safe Nights” program, 700 adapted National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radios are available for free through a partnership between the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management.

“Any Kentucky resident who is deaf or hard of hearing is eligible to receive one of these free weather radios, which are available on a first come first serve basis,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear during a September Team Kentucky Update. “Equipped with pillow shaker and strobe light attachments, these weather radios are designed to alert people who are deaf and hard of hearing of severe weather in their area, so they can take shelter to protect themselves and their families.”

The program is named in memory of Virginia Moore, the late executive director of the KCDHH. Visit the commission’s website or call 1-800-372-2907 to register for an adapted radio. The state says funding will be sought to make additional radios available after the initial 700 are claimed.

Hardin County Animal Care and Control fighting to maintain no-kill status

94.3 The Wolf

The Hardin County Fiscal Court met for their first meeting of the month Tuesday.

Hardin County Animal Care and Control Director Mike McNutt reported that during the month of September the animal shelter adopted out 52 dogs, returned 37 to owners, and euthanized 15. McNutt said the hard work of the animal control officers can be seen.

“The return to owner rate is at 30 percent,” McNutt said. “That’s the highest it’s been in five years. I think there’s a lot of different reasons for that, but mainly it’s because they’re doing it in the field as much as they can.”

The year-to-date shelter live release rate is at 91 percent, and McNutt said the struggle to maintain no-kill status only gets harder.

“The no kill status that we’ve received twice nationally, what it’s been for the past five years is a ratio, so it’s 90 percent of our animals leave alive,” McNutt said. “ We’re at 91 percent for the year-to-date and it’s a battle every day to make it to that.”

Due to the remnants of Hurricane Helene, the annual rabies clinic at the Hardin County Fairgrounds was rescheduled to Saturday, October 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. McNutt said the county has a goal of expanding their rabies services.

“It’s not something we’re mandated to do, but it is something we want to do to keep the public safe and healthy,” McNutt said. “The judge and I have been talking about it, and we have some plans. We’ll have one large major one on a Saturday and then we want to have little ones at different locations.”

In other meeting news, Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith reminded voters the absentee ballot request portal is open.

“It will be open through October 22,” Smith said. “If you will be out of the county all days and all hours of voting, or you qualify due to age, illness, or disability, please get in those requests early. To request those, it’s at govote.ky.gov or you can call our election staff at 270-765-6762.”

The Hardin County Fiscal Court will next meet October 22.

Company that owns Elizabethtown JCPenney files motion to halt Towne Mall renovations

94.3 The Wolf

Attorneys for Penney Property Sub Holdings LLC, which owns the Elizabethtown JCPenney, and for Linnick Investments LLC, which owns the Towne Mall, were in Hardin Circuit Court Tuesday morning.

Zachary VanVactor with Stites and Harbison PLLC, representing Penney Property Sub Holdings, asked the court for a hearing on a temporary injunction along with an emergency restraining order to stop work on renovations at the Towne Mall property. VanVactor said the change of the design of the mall from an indoor to an outdoor retail space violates JCPenney’s lease. The attorney said the lease gives JCPenney the rights as an anchor tenant to have input on the design of the facility, and the store’s access to the rest of the mall has been walled off. VanVactor said the restraining order is necessary as each day that progresses with more work means more damage to JCPenney’s anchor rights.

Corky Coryell with Wyatt, Tarrant, and Combs LLP, representing Linnick Investments, said the JCPenney company has known about the redesign plans since the beginning of the year, and Coryell said at the time they were informed the company said they were thrilled with the potential the design offered for the property. Coryell said the wall blocking the entrance to JCPenney went up in July, and the store has installed shelving on the wall and is selling merchandise on it. The attorney said no objection was raised on the construction until a rent concession request was denied two weeks ago. Coryell said stopping the work on the mall now potentially jeopardizes nearly $10 million in possible commitments from future tenants.

Hardin Circuit Judge Larry Ashlock denied the request for a restraining order, as the judge said the work that JCPenney wanted stopped has already taken place, and both parties would still have the potential to seek damages through a later breach of contract case. Judge Ashlock did grant the request for a hearing on an injunction, which was scheduled for Thursday, October 17 at 1 p.m.

Crystal Rogers investigation trials moving to Warren County

94.3 The Wolf

The trials for the three men charged in the Crystal Rogers investigation are officially moving out of Nelson County.

Nelson Circuit Court Judge Charles Simms III issued an order Monday to move the trials of Brooks Houck, Steven Lawson, and Joseph Lawson to Warren County.

According to the order, the defense attorneys for Houck and the Lawsons along with the special prosecutors agreed that the jury trial could be conducted in either Christian or Warren counties. Judge Simms noted in the order that Kentucky law states that “the change shall be made to the nearest county to which there is no valid objection.” The Warren County Justice Center is about 102 miles away from Bardstown.

Special Prosecutor Shane Young said during a pre-trial conference in March that the prosecution agreed with the motion to transfer submitted by Houck’s attorneys. The original motion to transfer requested either Boyd or Daviess counties, and the prosecution and defense previously submitted a proposal to Judge Simms to transfer to Christian County but the judge declined it after an on-site visit. Judge Simms said during the March pre-trial conference that the chosen venue needed to be large enough to accommodate members of the public and needed to have a separate entrance for jurors.

Judge Simms is expected to rule soon on the prosecution’s motion to try the three defendants in the same trial. The next pre-trial conference in the case is scheduled for October 25.

KYTC conducting several paving projects in Hardin County this week

94.3 The Wolf

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has several resurfacing projects under way in Hardin County this week.

KYTC District Four says flaggers will direct traffic around milling and paving operations on North Mulberry Street from just east of Elizabethtown High School to Ring Road. Operations will run daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Saturday.

Work is also taking place on North Miles Road from just north of Pear Orchard Road to Ring Road, with flaggers directing traffic around operations from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Saturday.

Crews will also be working Tuesday on New Glendale Road from the U.S. 31W Bypass to U.S. 31W. That work should wrap at 5 p.m.

The projects are part of the push to get area paving completed ahead of winter. The KYTC says with several schools on fall break, areas around school buildings should be less congested, but drivers should still expect short delays and be prepared for slow or stopped traffic.

Meanwhile, KYTC District Four will also have crews this week along KY 245 between Bardstown and Clermont conducting drilling for core samples. Lane closures will be set up at various points along the roadway both westbound and eastbound.

Drivers should always use caution and watch for signage when approaching work zones.

ECTC expanding sonography program to Owensboro

94.3 The Wolf

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, in partnership with HealthForce Kentucky, is expanding its Diagnostic Medicine Sonography Program to Owensboro Community and Technical College.

“There is so much growth in the healthcare workforce in Kentucky, and we just think this is a really great example of two colleges within the KCTCS system being able to work together to give students more options and more opportunities to strengthen Kentucky’s workforce even further, especially in the high-demand healthcare field,” said ECTC Director of Marketing and Public Affairs Sarah Berkshire. 

ECTC says diagnostic medical sonography uses high-frequency sound waves to produce high-quality images of soft tissue and motion within the body. The program will prepare qualified individuals to become proficient in abdominal and obstetric/gynecological sonography. Participants in the program are eligible for the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship.

The deadline to register for ECTC’s program has passed, but there is still time  this week to sign up for the new Owensboro program.

“The deadline for applications to the Owensboro program is October 15, but it’s really important for prospective students to note that attending a pre-admission conference is required for applicants, and those are going to be held October 9 and on October 14,” Berkshire said.

The preadmission conferences will be accessible virtually. Visit ectc.us/sonography to find dates for the conferences and to learn more.

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

94.3 The Wolf

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

94.3 The Wolf

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

94.3 The Wolf

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.