Menu Close

WULF News

Woman killed, two injured in crash at Ring Road and Dixie Avenue intersection

The Elizabethtown Police Department is investigating a fatal accident that occurred Wednesday evening.

“Shortly before 7:30 Wednesday evening, we responded to a serious motor vehicle collision at the intersection of Ring Road and Dixie Highway,” said EPD Public Information Officer Chris Denham. “A preliminary investigation indicates that a Hyundai passenger car, traveling eastbound on Ring Road, collided with the rear of a Chevrolet pickup truck, which was also eastbound on Ring Road but stopped at the intersection of Dixie Highway.” 

Denham said the driver of the Hyundai, an adult female, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the pickup, an adult male, along with his juvenile passenger, were transported from the scene to Baptist Health Hardin with non-life-threatening injuries.

The EPD’s collision reconstruction team’s investigation is ongoing.

Hardin County Fiscal Court approves cemetery transfer, medical cannabis zoning

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

A public hearing was held for a cemetery relocation. Nell Johnson requested permission to relocate graves of her family members in the Niceley Cemetery on Gaither Station Road to the Elizabethtown City Cemetery, per family wishes.

“Prior to my father’s death in 2005, he bought the burial plots and was in the process of getting everyone to be moved,” Johnson said. “There’s two graves, my mother and my grandmother, and then he passed, so it just never happened, so I think this will be the best way and then all of the family members are going to be up in the Elizabethtown Cemetery.”

County Attorney Jenny Oldham noted the relocation is of no cost to the county. A resolution approving the relocation was approved.

The court approved the first reading of an ordinance for a zoning text amendment that adds medical cannabis operations to the permitted uses in Light Industrial (I-1) or Heavy Industrial (I-2) zones in unincorporated Hardin County. The amendment was recommended by the Hardin County Planning Commission following their public hearing on the matter. Some of the magistrates objected to including dispensaries in the amendment. District One Magistrate Chris Yates said the amendment undermines the decision to put the medical cannabis decision on the ballot, and Second District Magistrate Kenny Saltsman said in addition to safety concerns the requirement puts an undue burden on law-abiding patients.

“Placing these facilities in industrial zones reinforces the outdated stigma associating them with unsavory or undesirable parts of town,” Saltsman said. “This can hinder the normalization of cannabis as a legitimate medical treatment and perpetuate negative stereotypes.”

Hardin County Judge/Executive Keith Taul issued a proclamation recognizing EMTs Shawn Thomas, Kelly Gibson, and Riley Black for going above the call of service. 

“They made a run on an elderly female in the Radcliff area who couldn’t take her medication because her water had been turned off, and they made arrangements to work with the water district to get her water turned back on so that she could take her medicine,” said Hardin County EMS Director Mark Peterson.

The Hardin County Fiscal Court will next meet October 8.

HCS Board of Education hears feedback from high school principals

The Hardin County Board of Education met for a roundtable discussion with the district’s high school principals as part of a special meeting Tuesday.

HCS Superintendent Terry Morgan said during their summer retreat the board proposed meeting with the principals for periodic updates. The principals filled out question forms with topics such as biggest challenges, biggest successes, and what support they need from the board.

The principals said finding and training adequate staff is an ongoing challenge. The principals also expressed concerns for having adequate mental health resources available for students, with John Hardin High School Principal Mark Wells noting the impact on the school day.

“You look at it from a logistical standpoint, we need those students to get the help that they need,” Wells said. “They need that, but when? We’ve got the counselors coming from the outside and they’re pulling kids out of class, and we’re trying to create a schedule so we’re not missing math, but it’s becoming more and more difficult.”

The principals said additional financial support for extracurriculars, sports and otherwise, would be beneficial as it would allow coaches and coordinators to focus on the team or club rather than on fundraising. College View Principal Dr. Robert King and EC3 Principal Dan Robbins said expansion for their buildings is needed. Robbins said more space for EC3 means expansion for the district as a whole.

“I think if we look over the last 10 years and we think about things that have really helped our district, I think that EC3 has to be something that everyone turns to,” Robbins said. “I know it is from the outside community, because we are visited by more school districts than I had ever imagined when I took the position.”

The principals said district initiatives such as the creation of the transition coach position to help graduating students, a faculty mentor program, and technology education have proven beneficial. Each of the principals also said they felt supported by the board, the superintendent’s office, and their fellow principals, something Central Hardin Principal Tim Isaacs said hasn’t always been the case.

“I can pick up the phone and I can call anybody sitting at this table, including you all (the board). and I have a boss that I think if she found out that I picked up the phone and called one of you all wouldn’t eat my lunch over it either, and I appreciate that,” Isaacs said. “For me, that’s what it comes down to. I feel like I’ve earned my spot at the table and I want to be heard.”

The Hardin County Board of Education will next meet October 17.

Post Four troopers recognized at KSP Sworn Awards

The Kentucky State Police honored 55 troopers from across the commonwealth during their 2023 Sworn Awards.

The KSP says the awards recognize the dedication, bravery, and extraordinary efforts of the more than 1,000 sworn personnel serving in the agency, the highest number of troopers employed since 2017.

Awards presented at the ceremony highlight the efforts of troopers during the year as well as individual acts of service.

From the local post, Detective Casey Keown was named Post Four Detective of the Year, and Trooper Chase Shouse was named Post Four Trooper of the Year.

Post Four Detective Anthony Hardin II was named the West Drug Enforcement and Special Investigations Unit Detective of the Year, as well as the overall KSP Detective of the Year.

Post Four Trooper Dillon Spencer, Detective Issac Atwell, and Sergeant Blake Owens received Citation for Bravery awards, while Trooper Blaine Miller received the Lifesaving Medal.

The KSP says in 2023 personnel responded to more than 407,000 requests for assistance and served other duties such as conducting wellness checks, assisting local law enforcement agencies, and continued to fight against the drug epidemic. 

A full list of award recipients can be found on the KSP website.

Architects provide update on Buffalo Lake concert venue design plans

The Elizabethtown City Council and the Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau met for a joint meeting Monday to hear an update on the 10,000-seat amphitheater to be constructed at Buffalo Lake.

Brad Boaz with CMW Architects and Engineers walked through the design process for the venue to this point including decisions on location to lessen interstate and train noise, rigging to allow for flexibility in acts performing, and the arrangements for seating and facilities. Boaz says his catchphrase for the project is “It’s a walk in the woods.”

“We hope that as we go through this design that you’ll see that that’s really what we pushed, and we’re taking this piece of land out there in this undeveloped portion of E-Town and that even though we’re going to do a lot of construction, we’re going to change it so that at the end of the the day it really feels like you’re walking in the woods and you’re in this park even though it’s a venue that hosts a 10,000 seat concert experience,” Boaz said.

E-Town Tourism Executive Director Janna Clark said Elizabethtown is what the music industry would consider a “suburb venue,” so rather than directly competing with smaller venues in the area the goal is attract big-name talent in between shows at the larger venues in metro areas.

Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory said he hates to lose the current mountain biking trails at Buffalo Lake, but pursuing the music venue allows the city to allow for likely development while having a say in what is to come, including new trails.

“Eventually, because that land is owned privately, and if we cut that road through there like what needed to be done probably 15, 20 years ago, then we were going to lose those trails regardless, so what this does is it gives us the opportunity to control that somewhat by purchasing the property and putting this facility on that site so we can have some say so of what it turns out to be,” Gregory said.

Hardin-ETown Stampede mountain bike team coach David Haines said he would like for the design team to meet with a national mountain biking expert, and with 4 to 5 miles of new trails incorporated into the design the buffalo lake site could have the potential for national-level competition.

The current design of the venue includes 4,000 seats and space for 6,000 people in the lawn, with restroom and concession facilities that would be available year-round.

Level 1 Drought declared for all of Kentucky

On the same day that rain arrived in the area, the Office of the State Climatologist and the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet issued a Level 1 Drought Declaration for the commonwealth.

According to the energy and environment cabinet, a Level 1 dDought “indicates moderate to severe drought conditions have developed, primarily affecting soil moisture and vegetative health.” The cabinet says western and central Kentucky, along with parts of the Bluegrass region, are the hardest hit areas, with impacts to agricultural water needs and increased wildfire risk prevalent.

Widespread dryness intensified over the later half of the summer, with precipitation over the last two months spotty. These conditions prompted Hardin County last week to declare a burn ban.

“This is due to the dry conditions, the lack of rain that we have experienced in Hardin County,” said Hardin County Emergency Management Director Joey Scott. “We are implementing the burn ban and we’ll carry on until we get some significant rain to help these dry conditions out. Counties around us are going to burn bans. It’s all across the state of Kentucky right now. We’re entering into a really dry season, so we’re just being proactive and trying to get ahead of it.”

The state climatologist’s office expects the drought conditions to continue for at least the near future.

Crash in Breckinridge County leaves one dead

A man from Vine Grove is dead following a crash in Breckinridge County Friday night.

The Kentucky State Police says at approximately 7:30 p.m. on September 20, the Breckinridge County Sheriff’s Office requested troopers from KSP Post Four investigate a two-vehicle collision near the 7,000 block of KY 333.

The KSP says the preliminary investigation shows that 18-year-old Kenenth R. Miller of Vine Grove was driving north on KY 333 when for unknown reasons he lost control of his vehicle, overcorrected, and crossed the centerline, traveling into the path of a truck being driven by Dennis Barnes of Vine Grove.

Miller was pronounced dead at the scene by the Breckinridge County Coroner’s Office. Barnes did not report any injuries. 

Miller’s obituary from the Alexander Funeral Home in Irvington notes that he was a 2024 graduate of Breckinridge County High School. 

KY 333 was closed for several hours to allow for accident reconstruction. The investigation into the crash is ongoing.

Portal open for absentee ballot requests for November election

Election Day is November 5, and voters looking to request an absentee ballot may now do so as the state’s absentee ballot request portal opened Saturday.

“It will be open now through October 22, but don’t wait,” said Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith. “If you qualify for an absentee ballot, you can visit govote.ky.gov or you can call our election hotline at 270-765-6762.”

Qualifications for an absentee ballot are available on the Go Vote website.

There is still time to register to vote or to update your registration ahead of the election.

“That deadline is 4 p.m. on October 7,” Smith said. “We encourage everybody to visit govote.ky.gov and make sure everything is up to date – your address, your party affiliation, all of that is up to date by 4 p.m. on October 7.”

Ahead of the election, Smith says the clerk’s office has been reaching out to area schools in order to help teach about the importance of the right to vote.

“We’ve done voter registration drives,” Smith said. “We’ve helped with the student council elections in some schools, and we’ve held mock elections. We want to get the young people in our community excited about voting, so we hope when parents or grandparents vote, take your kids with you. It’s a great lesson that you can teach them.”

Contact your county clerk’s office for election questions.

KYTC will require vision screenings for license renewals beginning in 2025

It’s always important to keep your eyes on the road when operating a vehicle, and come the new year the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will be ensuring that your eyes are up for the challenge.

Beginning January 1, all Kentucky drivers must undergo a vision screening in order to renew their license. The requirement was enacted by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2021 in order to “promote highway safety by ensuring that all drivers maintain good vision throughout their driving career.”

Based on House Bill 439, vision screenings can be completed at no cost at any Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Driver Licensing Regional Office at the time of renewal. The KYTC expects the average vision screening to take less than a minute to complete.

In addition to the regional officeS, drivers may conduct a vision exam with their vision specialist or with a KYTC-credentialed osteopath, physician, or advanced practice registered nurse ahead of their license renewal. These specialists will complete a form the driver will take to their renewal appointment.

If a driver does not pass the screening at a regional office, they will need to see a vision specialist for corrective measures before getting their license renewed. Online renewals will still be available. Drivers will just need to upload the form from a specialist when they renew.
More information is available at drive.ky.gov/visionscreening.

Group looking to build skatepark in Grayson County still seeking support

Casey Keown is a detective with the Kentucky State Police, but he remembers the many days and nights he spent skateboarding growing up in Grayson County, something that motivated him and others to create the Twin Lakes Skatepark Project.

“The skatepark is horrible here in Grayson County,” Keown said. “We need something new, somewhere to take our kids. My daughter recently found my skateboard in the shed. So I rode with her in the driveway a few times, and that kind of sealed the deal for me, so I decided to spearhead this and just take it on.”

The group is raising funds and bringing in community partners to construct a 10,000 square foot concrete skate park in Grayson County, with a mission of creating positive experiences for youth and bringing the community together for a common goal.

“Any partners in the community that support this or want to help us out, you can visit our website,” Keown said. “It’s TwinLakesSkatePark.org. We’re looking for donations. We’re looking for volunteers. We’ve got a concert coming up on October 12. We’re going to have some great music, so we’d love to see as many people that we can get out there. Tickets are available on our website.”

In addition to the Twin Lakes project, the group was able to move ramps from the former Highway 54 skate park to behind the Purple Flash Community Center in Caneyville to create a skate spot.

“We all coordinated together, came up with a design, and all but two of the ramps are there now,” Keown said. “We’re still waiting on two more, so if anybody has a crane and is willing to donate some time, we do need a crane to move the last two, but we do have somewhere now where kids can go and ride bikes, skateboards, scooters, and just have fun.”

Visit the Twin Lakes Skatepark Project Facebook page or website for more information on how to donate, how to get involved, and ticket information for the October 12 concert.