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Hodgenville Police hosting ‘sextortion’ presentation via Zoom Monday

94.3 The Wolf

The Hodgenville Police Department is striving to educate parents after a recent uptick in cases involving “sextortion.”

“We are going to go live via Zoom on Monday (March 25) at 7 p.m., and what we’re going to do is we’re just gonna talk about: ‘What is extortion? How can I try to keep my kids safer? What do I do if it happens to me or my kids?’” said Hodgenville Police Chief James Richardson. “We’re going to have the SRO talk about some of the things that he’s seen in the school system, and we’ve got a representative from the school system. We’re also going to talk about, a little bit, the mental health that we see with the kids, that sort of thing.”

The goal of the presentation is to help parents protect their kids.

“We just want to kind of get the word out,” Richardson said. “This is what to be on lookout for. These are some resources you can use. There are some agencies out there and some folks that can help, so we’re just trying to get that word out, get the resources out there for parents, and kind of give a heads up on what they can do to help protect their kids, and if it does happen to them what they can do and who to report it to.”

More information on the presentation and the Zoom link can be found on the Hodgenville Police Department Facebook page.

Registration deadline for winter energy assistance March 31

94.3 The Wolf

The deadline to register for the winter Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is approaching.

Registration for winter LIHEAP subsidies runs from now through March 31 or until funds are depleted.

“It covers heating, so it will cover electric, gas, propane, kerosene, and wood, however you heat,” LaRue County Community Action Coordinator Renna Miller said. “It’s income based, so depending on their income and how many people they have in their household.” 

Applicants have to bring proof of income, a license, and a Social Security card, along with their bills that they want help with.

Each county has dedicated offices for Central Kentucky Community Action, locations for which can be found at ckcac.org. Residents who want to learn more about the program should contact their local office.

“They can call their local office and talk to the coordinators at the local offices, and then we can tell them what they need,” Miller said. “They can also give us their income and we can tell them if they qualify or not before they even come into the office.”

Assistance is available on a first come, first served basis.

Students returning to normal operations after threat made at Rineyville Elementary School

94.3 The Wolf

Students have returned to class and school activities at Rineyville Elementary School after a threat was made against the building this morning.

“We received a threat somewhere before 10 a.m., just a threat to the building, and so we immediately contacted law enforcement,” said Hardin County Schools Community Relations Specialist John Wright. “The Kentucky State Police and the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office have looked through the building, they have looked in every nook and cranny, and they have deemed the threat non-credible. We’ve also reviewed cameras in and out of the building and we have seen no one or no thing that is suspicious, and so after a thorough investigation and with the blessing of law enforcement we are bringing students back to the building.”

Wright says the threat at Rineyville Elementary is similar to other threats seen recently at Kentucky schools.

“We have learned from our friends in law enforcement that this is a trend,” Wright said. “I believe this happened to Jefferson County yesterday where someone called and made a threat to a building and they evacuated that building, but that is sick, just to be honest with you. It’s a waste of resources and a waste of time, but we have to take all threats seriously.”

Wright thanked area law enforcement for their efforts and Rineyville parents for their patience.

“If you’re a Rineyville Elementary School parent, we ask that you not come to school to pick up your child because of anything that’s happened today,” Wright said. “The learning process will go on. They’re going to eat lunch just like normal and the process, the learning process, is going to go on as normal today, with a normal release time.

Contact Hardin County Schools for more information.

Bullitt County man sentenced on weapons charge

94.3 The Wolf

A Bullitt County man was sentenced to two years and nine months in federal prison this week on a felony weapon charge.

Following his jail time, James Nott will serve three years of supervised release. Nott was convicted for Illegally Possessing a Firearm after Having Been Convicted of a Felony Offense.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky says Nott was found to be in possession of an AK-type rifle, a .38 special revolver, and ammunition when he was arrested in July of 2023 following an investigation by the FBI and the Mount Washington Police Department. Nott was prohibited from possessing firearms following a conviction in November of 2011 for Possession of an Unregistered Destructive Device and Possession of a Firearm by an Unlawful User of Marijuana.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says there is no parole in the federal system.

Care Guide Partners hosting PACE Center open house March 27

94.3 The Wolf

Hosparus Health affiliate Care Guide Partners will be hosting a community open house at its new William B. and Janet B. Schmidt PACE Center, located at 109 Buffalo Creek Drive in Elizabethtown.

Care Guide Partners says the open house will be an opportunity to share more information on the mission of PACE and to offer tours of the facility.

When discussing the PACE Center at the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce’s January luncheon, Hosparus Health President and CEO David Cook said the PACE Center will be a valuable healthcare resource for the community.

“PACE is an acronym that stands for Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, and it really is all-inclusive,” Cook said. “From covering all of their medical needs to transportation to the adult day, primary care, restorative therapies, socialization, and just fun, so we’re really excited to bring this additional level of support to folks in the community.”

The ultimate goal of PACE is to allow individuals to continue to maintain independence by offering access to primary medical care, adult day programming, therapy, behavioral health, specialty services, meals, nutritional counseling, social activities, and more.

“It’s just really a great solution for individuals who are facing serious illness that want to continue to live at home but are struggling to be able to do that and may not have the financial resources necessary to hire in-home support,” Cook said.

The facility will be named after William and Janet Schmidt following a donation from the Schmidt Family Foundation. Learn more about the March 27 open house and about the PACE Center by visiting Hosparus Health online.

Better Business Bureau warns of bourbon scams

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Bourbon consumers should be advised of ongoing scam attempts targeting the area.

The Better Business Bureau serving Greater Kentucky and South Central Indiana says local consumers have reported websites that appear to be legitimate and claim to offer high-end beverages such as bourbon and wine at low prices, but the deal turns out to be too good to be true. 

Consumers have reported after making a purchase products were not received, consumers were sent fake tracking numbers, or the consumer isn’t given contact information to report a problem or request a refund. Scammers have also been targeting bourbon-related Facebook groups offering to sell hard-to-find bottles.

The BBB recommends consumers protect themselves from scams by taking precautions such as purchasing with a credit card rather than a debit card, making sure you are shopping on a legitimate seller’s website and checking the website’s security settings, and protecting your private information.

Anybody who finds a scam can report it using the BBB’s scam tracker available at www.bbb.org.

Radcliff Police Department investigating shooting death; one person in custody

94.3 The Wolf

The Radcliff Police Department is investigating a Wednesday morning incident that resulted in a shooting death.

“This morning at about 4:24 a.m. the Radcliff Police Department responded to the apartment complex located on Knox Boulevard in regards to a disturbance,” said Captain Willie Wells with the RPD.

Upon officers arrival, they discovered that a subject had been shot. 

“We do have one person in custody for the shooting, and the victim that was shot is deceased,” said Wells.

Detectives processed the scene and collected evidence, while patrol officers searched for the suspect who fled the scene. At about 5:52 a.m. the suspect, identified as Nicholas Vandergrift, was located and placed under arrest without incident.

Vandergrift faces multiple charges including Murder, Tampering with Physical Evidence, and Assault. He was lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center.

The investigation is ongoing. Anybody with possible information on the incident should contact the Radcliff Police Department at 270-351-4477, or leave an anonymous tip at 270-351-TIPS.

Courtney Gilbert wins House District 24 special election; Griffee wins unopposed House District 26 race

94.3 The Wolf

Eligible voters cast ballots in special elections Tuesday to fill vacancies in two Kentucky House of Representatives districts.

Republican Courtney Gilbert won the race to complete the term in House District 24 with 1,025 votes. Democrat Johnny Pennington received 372 votes and independent write-in Craig Astor received 244.

Pennington is running unopposed in the Democratic primary for District 24, which contains parts of Green, Hart, and LaRue counties. Ryan Bivens and Asa Waggoner are running in the Republican primary.

Republican Peyton Griffee was unopposed in the House District 26 special election, and is currently unopposed in the general election for that seat as well. Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith said 18 people out of an eligible 4,801 in the three Hardin County precincts cast ballots in the race, which he said was a similar turnout to the eligible precincts in Bullitt County.

Despite only having one person on the ballot, Smith said the special election is still part of the democratic process, and was an opportunity to introduce people to the clerk’s office’s Radcliff location.

“We had a lot of folks stop in even though they weren’t eligible to vote,” Smith said. “They may not have lived in the proper precinct. Some folks were still looking to pay their Nolin R.E.C.C. bill, but it did give us an opportunity to do some work up here in this office and show that it does have the utility. We are looking forward to opening it up for vehicle registration.”

The deadline to register to vote in the May 21 primary election is April 22. Hardin County is debuting new voting locations in this primary election.

“Last year we had 12 locations. This year we’ll have 15 locations,” Smith said. “The largest of those locations will also have additional check-in stations, so not only are we having more locations, but we also should be able to get people through the line faster. That was based on the feedback we got directly from the public.”

Find election information at govote.ky.gov.

Radcliff City Council meets

94.3 The Wolf

The Radcliff City Council met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday.

The council approved an ordinance amending the city code concerning flood damage procedures to name the city’s contracted engineering firm QK4 as the city’s floodplain administrator. The first reading was held on an ordinance adopting certification and enforcement procedures for recovery residences in line with ordinances recently passed by the City of Elizabethtown and the Hardin County Fiscal Court.

The council approved an update to police policies and procedures that removes a requirement that officers must live in Hardin County in order to take their vehicles home. The new policy still requires officers to live within so many miles of Radcliff, but because the city is close to other counties it removes the Hardin County requirement. Radcliff Police Chief Jeff Cross requested the policy change to better help with officer recruitment. Council Member Jerry Brown thanked the chief for bringing the issue before the council.

“It’s just unbelievable that we were being so caught up on whether a policeman has to drive 20 miles or 25 miles or 25.1 miles in order to get their vehicle home and to keep our community safe,” Brown said.

Radcliff Mayor JJ Duvall said several residents told the city they did not hear the emergency sirens go off during the storms that went through over the weekend. Duvall said the issue is being addressed.

“We did have upgrades to the sirens over the past few weeks,” Duvall said. “We had a few on Hill Street that were replaced, and so the chief and I talked this morning and they are working, they’re going to run either Wednesday or it could be Thursday. They’re going to run the sirens again and test each siren again just to make sure it’s running properly.”

Duvall also said guidelines on spring cleaning opportunities will be posted this week, and the mayor has a reminder for area residents: please cut your grass.

“It’s one of the biggest complaints, and I think our fire chief will tell you that people aren’t cutting their grass, without weedeating,” Duvall said. “Obviously, we know everybody’s not going to be pristine, but we do ask people to just try to do what’s right. If you can’t get your grass cut and you need help cutting your grass, feel free to call us.”

The Radcliff City Council will next meet April 8.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife says don’t forget to clean your bird feeders

94.3 The Wolf

Spring has sprung, and as you spruce up your yard or garden and enjoy the nicer weather be sure you are taking care of your bird feeders.

As bird feeders are high-contact areas for multiple birds, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife says it is important to keep them clean in order to help reduce the spread of disease in the bird population. To help keep birds healthy, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife recommends you:

-Clean feeders every two weeks with dish and soap water, then thoroughly rinse with a solution of one part bleach and nine parts water. This cleaning process also applies to bird baths.

-Rake up seed hulls and other waste beneath the feeders.

-Properly store food in a closed container.

If you find a sick or dead bird around your feeders, take the feeder down immediately, remove remaining seeds, and clean thoroughly. If you find multiple dead or sick birds around a feeder, report it to the department of fish and wildlife. You can use the agency’s online reporting portal or contact the information center at 1-800-858-1549.