WULF News

The East Hardin Middle School Beta Club is returning from the National Beta Conference in Savannah, Georgia, with some hardware.

The Beta Club raked in 15 total awards recognizing placement in the top 10 in several competitions, and Beta Club sponsor and East Hardin art teacher Molly Hazle said one of the crowning achievements capped an effort the students put into the entire school year.

“Our biggest thing we do, where we have about 90 kids participating, is our very big Large Group Talent performing arts, and that’s supposed to showcase any kind of talent for singing, dancing, or speaking,” Hazle said. “We put on a show about BETA through the ages, and we just got national champions for that.”

The club also won the national championship for the solo/duo/trio competition.

Hazle said she is very proud of a well-deserving group of students.

“The last two years, Group Talent is what we pour our heart into the most, and we were national runner up two years in a row, so this is really rewarding for all of us,” Hazle said. “It was a long time coming. We really wanted that national title.”

The Beta Club asks students to strive for achievement in and out of the classroom.

“It is a service organization, but you also have to make certain grades to stay in,” Hazle said. “We ask our students to maintain all As and Bs throughout the year. They have to do 24 hours of service in their community throughout the year, and the four pillars are “achievement, character, leadership, and service,” so it is for students that embody all four of those pillars.”

Hazle said the club will take all students that are willing to put in the effort, and if interested in joining they can reach out once the new school year begins.

CASA of the Heartland will host their annual Farm to Fork dinner Saturday at Highland Sod Farms.

“Farm to Fork is our biggest annual fundraiser,” said CASA of the Heartland Executive Director Michelle Kail. “We partner with several local farms to provide the community with a farm to table dinner. We have a live and silent auction, and also we will have a live band this year, Van Winkle and the Spirits.”

That’s CASA of the Heartland Executive Director Michelle Kail. All of the money raised through the event goes towards the organization’s efforts to provide advocacy for children involved in family court cases through court-appointed special advocates

“We recruit, train and support community volunteers who then are assigned to children who are under petition with the Family Courts for dependency, neglect, and abuse, and our CASA volunteers get to know those children and then help advocate for their best interests within the courtroom,” Kail said.

Learn more about CASA of the Heartland by visiting their website, finding the organization on social media, or by contacting their office.

The Radcliff City Council met for a work session Tuesday.

The council discussed a zoning map amendment that would convert 155 Morgan Street from R-7 to Planned Unit Development Zone. Because of the use of a PUD zone, the council will also consider the property’s preliminary site plan and preliminary plats. The plan would convert the former Morgawood Mobile Home Park to 19 single-family units. City Attorney Mike Pike said the plan seems to be a good use for the 1.29 acre site.

“The PUD zone is really the only zone they could utilize to make this type of development happen because of the small size of the homes and whatnot,” Pike said. “It looks like a creative use of the property. It does appear to fit the comp. plan. The Planning Commission was all on board.”

Radcliff Mayor JJ Duvall said a citizen is requesting the city explore implementing a quiet zone train ordinance. That ordinance would bar trains from using their horns when operating in the city during overnight hours. Duvall said the city will explore the possibility of applying for federal funding because more than $500,000 would likely be needed in order to make a quiet zone possible.

“The railway would have to be updated,” Duvall said. “The railroad crossing would have to be updated, from my understanding, and really, if you implement these quiet zones, you obviously have to implement those crossings to meet the standard, to meet the quiet zone regulations.”

Members of the council expressed their support for the city to draft an ordinance that would permit and regulate medical marijuana facilities that would operate in the city after the state medical marijuana law goes into effect. Pike said it is important for local communities to get regulations on the books so that the city has a say.

“You can’t restrict those people’s usage, but what you can do is restrict time, manner, place in terms of all these various cannabis operations, so if you do nothing, then what that means is you’re allowing it,” Pike said.

Some council members had reservations as they still had questions, while others said if use is going to be permitted by the state the city might as well set itself up for potential revenue benefits as well as regulatory control. Duvall said the city will look at potential draft ordinances.

The Radcliff City Council will next meet June 18.

A schedule change has been approved for the upcoming hearings involving the Crystal Rogers investigation suspects.

Brooks Houck, Steven Lawson, and Joseph Lawson were all due back in court Thursday, but now only Steven Lawson will be making an appearance.

According to an order filed with the Nelson Circuit Court Monday, Special Prosecutor Shane Young and defense attorneys representing Brooks Houck are in agreement that the motion to dismiss filed by Steven Lawson’s defense should be argued in court prior to arguments on the special prosecutor’s motion to consolidate the three cases to one trial. The parties further agreed that Houck’s objection to the motion to consolidate should be heard in an individual hearing “based upon the nature of the issues raised.”

The hearing scheduled for Thursday will now only consist of arguments concerning Steven Lawson’s motion to dismiss. The defense for Lawson has maintained that Lawson was promised immunity in exchange for his cooperation with the investigation.

Houck’s objection will now be argued in a hearing scheduled for July 8. Houck’s defense says trying Houck with the Lawsons would take away his ability to cross-examine the Lawsons, and a joint trial would infringe upon Houck’s constitutional rights.

The order excuses Joseph Lawson and Houck from Thursday’s hearing.

At the 2023 Kentucky Jailers Association Summer Conference, Hardin County Jailer Josh Lindblom was recognized by his peers when he was named the association’s Jailer of the Year.

This year, Lindblom was once again recognized by his fellow jailers at the summer conference as he was named president of the KJA Board of Directors.

“In our association, you actually have the file to run, and of course you have 118 jailers that are allowed to vote,” Lindblom said. “So, you know, it’s pretty humbling to be able to say, hey, you got voted in by the whole state.”

Lindblom says he is looking forward to continuing to advocate for better conditions for jail staff and inmates alike, something he has gained experience with serving on the association’s legislative committee.

“We’ve made stuff available more for the inmates that are in jail so that whenever they get out they’ll be more productive,” Lindblom said “They’ll be able to be better citizens and it shows. Our GED programs or different programs we have in the jails that we put together, it’s really helping folks. It’s really helping folks stay out of jail.”

Lindblom also says the association has focused the last several years on increasing funding for mental health treatment.

“You know, you’ve got folks that have mental health issues that may commit a crime by accident,” Lindblmo said “They don’t need to be warehoused in a jail or a prison. They need help, so that’s one thing we’ve advocated for over the last couple of years.”

Lindblom was elected Hardin County Jailer in 2018.