WULF News

With summertime temperatures on their way, Radcliff Deputy Fire Marshal Tommy Crane says anybody responsible for children should take extra care to not leave children in hot cars, a situation that can turn tragic quickly.

“It wasn’t as bad last year, there were only 29 deaths,” Crane said. “That’s still too many, but it is down from 2019 when it was 53. So still, 29, that’s a lot that we could prevent.”

Crane says on a sunny 60 degree day, the temperature in the car can reach 110 degrees. Temperatures in the car can increase nearly 20 degrees in about 10 minutes.

Crane says to set a reminder for yourself to make sure you are checking the backseat, including a text or an alarm or a visual cue.

“Put something in the back seat that you’re going to have to get out when you get to work,” Crane said. “Maybe it’s your lunchbox, maybe it’s your laptop case. Something where you have to physically open the door and look. Another idea is to use a stuffed animal, and the stuffed animal is in the seat when the child is not in there and then put the stuffed animal in the front seat by you when the child is in the seat so that you have that visual reminder as well.”

If you see a child in a car, check to make sure that the child is unattended and there isn’t somebody else in the car more out of sight. If the child is indeed unattended, take action.

“Check the vehicle, communicate with the child, see if the child is responsive,” Crane said. “If the child is not responding, call 911, do that first, and if the child looks like they are in distress, go ahead and gain access to the car. In those cases where it is an emergency like that, you are protected.”

Make sure cars are locked so kids can’t get into them and lock themselves in, and keep the keys away from children.

Polls are open for the 2024 primary election.

“Election Day is always an exciting day for the county clerk’s office,” said Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith. “Our poll workers have been up long before the sun, setting up our polling locations, getting everything ready for the first voters. Voting begins at 6 a.m. and it runs through 6 p.m., and if you’re in line at 6 p.m., you’ll get a chance to vote.”

Voting locations can be found by visiting your county clerk’s office’s website. Smith says Hardin County voters will be able to use the 12 sites available in the last election along with three new locations.

“Heartland Elementary School, Cecilia Valley Elementary School, and Glendale Christian Church,” Smith said. “Any of the locations, the line should move quickly. It’s a pretty short ballot, so that’s sometimes what creates a log jam, but we think that voters will be in and out pretty quickly.”

Anybody in need of assistance on election day should feel free to reach out.

“If voters have questions or concerns about anything they see during election day, they can call the clerk’s office at 270-765-6762,” Smith said. “We’ll have folks standing by to take your calls and questions.”

Election information can also be found at govote.ky.gov.

Hardin County Schools is taking advantage of increased state funding to reward district employees.

“Our board unanimously approved a 6 percent raise for all certified and degreed employees, and some classified folks,” said HCS Superintendent Terry Morgan. “However, with the classified system, individuals will have a $1 to a $4 raise.”

That’s HCS Superintendent Terry Morgan. She says the raises were approved to help HCS stay competitive with other school districts and to say thank you for employee dedication.

“We want to show appreciation for those who have already been with our district,” Morgan said. “It may be one year, it may be 25 or 35. I know of even one individual who’s been here for at least 50 years. So it’s not only to recruit, but to retain the best and brightest here in Hardin County.”

The Kentucky General Assembly approved a three percent increase to SEEK, the funding mechanism for Kentucky schools.

“100 percent of that SEEK increase went to fund raises for those who work in the school district,” Morgan said. “In addition to that 3 percent, our board also contributed district funds to get that increase up to the 6 percent mark and then the dollar to $4 an hour for all the other employees.”

HCS says the 6 percent raises are the largest awarded by the district since the 1990s.

Two juveniles are in custody after attempting to break into vehicles in Elizabethtown.

Hardin County Sheriff John Ward says deputies received a call at around 4:30 a.m. Saturday regarding a group of suspicious individuals attempting to break into parked cars in the Tunnel Hill Road area.

“When they arrived, they noticed two vehicles that matched the description, and when they made contact, the vehicles fled,” Ward said. “At the time they fled, they tried to run over a deputy. One of the vehicles wrecked just up the street. Ran into a ditch.”

After wrecking, two occupants, later identified as juveniles from Jefferson County, attempted to flee on foot but were apprehended by officers with the Elizabethtown Police Department who had also responded to the scene. Ward says the investigation shows the suspects were attempting to flee in stolen vehicles.

“They were all juveniles, apparently,” Ward said. “I know the two that were apprehended were juveniles. Both of them were armed. They were charged with multiple offenses, and both of them were lodged in a juvenile detention facility.”

Ward says the incident is a reminder for area residents to remain vigilant.

“We can’t stress enough: if your vehicle is in your driveway, it doesn’t matter what valuables you have inside of it, lock your car,” Ward said. “It’s important to keep your car locked, even if you’re only going to be there for a short time, lock your vehicle, and also, for sure, lock your home.”

Deputies believe three other juveniles fled the scene in a stolen white Dodge Ram. Anybody with possible information is asked to contact Deputies Daniel Shumate or Andy Short with the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office at 270-765-5133.

Area business, government, and community members were in Leitchfield Friday to celebrate two efforts to help revive the downtown public square.

The Grayson County Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting for Elmore’s Big 7 Furniture, located at 32 Public Square in Leitchfield. Shortly after that, the crowd went across the square to the Alice Theatre for a ribbon cutting celebrating the re-opening of the theatre and the Alexander Hotel.

Robin Elmore said the road may not have been easy, but being part of the Leitchfield community is a rewarding experience.

“It’s been a blessing,” Elmore said. “It’s been tiresome, and it’s wonderful. I mean, we have had a year and a half of putting this back together and trying to restore it back to this original status, but also trying to bring it up to date and put a little modern flair to it, but it’s been awesome and the support of the community that we’ve had has been amazing.”

Robert McKinzie and his wife Mandi said their work on the theatre and hotel is an investment in the community’s future.

“What we hoped for was that whatever we did would inspire others to do something even more in the community to bring more life back into it, to allow great things to happen in Grayson County,” McKinzie said.

Grayson County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director April Spalding said community partners like the Elmores and McKinzies are critical.

“They put a lot of time and effort and money into it, and they have made big decisions and big, big donations to our community just by rehabbing these buildings,” Spalding said.

Learn more about Elmore’s Big 7 Furniture, the Alice Theatre, and the Alexander Hotel by finding their pages on Facebook.