Menu Close

WULF News

Radcliff Police arrest three juveniles for vehicle break-ins and thefts

94.3 The Wolf

A string of vehicle break-ins in Radcliff over the weekend led to the arrest of three juveniles.

The Radcliff Police Department says eight vehicle break-ins were reported in the city from late Saturday night to early Sunday morning, with three of the vehicles being stolen along with a vehicle that had been reported stolen out of Jefferson County.

Multiple officers were conducting multiple overlapping investigations due to the high number of crimes reported. Through these investigations officers eventually located one of the vehicles in question, in which officers discovered three juveniles: two 14-year-olds and a 15-year-old.

The juveniles attempted to flee from police, initially in the vehicle and then on foot, before being caught and taken into custody. The RPD says evidence in the car connected the juveniles to the other break-ins and thefts.

The three juveniles face multiple charges including Engaging in Organized Crime, Theft, and Fleeing and Evading Police. More charges are likely as the investigation is ongoing. Anybody with possible information should contact the Radcliff Police Department at 270-351-4477, or leave an anonymous tip at 270-351-TIPS.

Captain Willie Wells with the RPD reminds residents to always take precautions such as securing your vehicle, never leaving valuables in your vehicle, and parking in a well-lit area.

Elizabethtown City Council accepts land donation, reviews ordinances

94.3 The Wolf

The Elizabethtown City Council met for their second meeting of the month Monday.

The council approved a municipal order for the city to accept a donation of 10.56 acres of land from Shamrock Properties XXII LLC. located in the Ski Subdivision (Section One) that Shamrock Properties is developing at 200 Wise Lane.

“Shamrock properties desires to donate the open space area to the city to allow for the preservation of open space, access to recreational areas, and the provision of utility,” said City Attorney Ken Howard, reading from the municipal order.

Three ordinances had their first readings during the meeting. One concerns the annexation of about 150 acres of land the city owns at 2501 Gaither Station Road. That land will be zoned General Industrial. The second ordinance establishes no-street parking policies for several streets in the Glendale Hill neighborhood: Adams Road, Grissom Lane, Miller Street, Old Glendale Road, Skyline Drive, and South Crestwood Street. The third ordinance would rename a portion of Adams Road to Green Lane, while also forbidding street parking. The no street parking policies were requested by a resident in the neighborhood.

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet for a work session on March 25.

ECTC named a Best Place to Work in Kentucky

94.3 The Wolf

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College has been recognized as one of the best places to work in Kentucky.

ECTC says the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management selects the Best Places to Work in Kentucky based on an assessment of employee policies and procedures along with the results of an employee survey. ECTC has received the biennial honor three times in a row beginning in 2020.

“I think it’s just a testament to our employees’ commitment and engagement in the culture at ECTC, and our passion for our students,” said ECTC Chief Human Resources Officer Whitney Taylor. 

She said taking care of employees means taking care of the campus community.

“When your employees are engaged, then you are able to accomplish your goals, and at the end of the day, we’re here to help students and add value to their lives and return that to our community, and you can’t do that if your employees aren’t engaged,” Taylor said.

ECTC President and CEO Dr. Juston Pate said he is proud of Taylor and the college’s faculty and staff for the positive environment they have helped create.

“I think we’ve created a culture that embraces the challenges that are before us and enjoys overcoming them, because for us the great thing is every time we overcome challenges, we take people with us, we take our students with us to a better place,” Pate said. “So being a Best Place to Work means that we’ve got a great environment to do the things we do to add value to the lives of our students.”

Another area employer named a Best Place to Work in Kentucky is Abound Credit Union. Find the full list of recipients online through the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

Special elections Tuesday for Kentucky House Districts 24 and 26

94.3 The Wolf

Eligible voters will head to the polls Tuesday for special elections to fill vacancies in the Kentucky House of Representatives for District 24, which includes parts of LaRue and Hart counties, and District 26, which includes three precincts in Hardin County.

The House District 24 special election will be contested by Democrat Johnny Pennington, Republican Courtney Gilbert, and independent write-in Craig Astor. Republican Peyton Griffee is unopposed in the House District 26 race.

Polls are open today until 6 p.m. Voters in Hart County can cast ballots at the Hart County Clerk’s Office and the Horse Cave Fire Department. LaRue County Clerk Rhonda Metcalf said in addition to their clerk’s office, LaRue County voters have several options.

“On Election Day, we have our vote center which is at First Baptist Church on Tonieville Road, and then we have at Rolling Fork Christian Church in Lyons Station, and we have Uptown Graphics in Upton, and then we have the Old School Market down in Magnolia,” said Metcalf.

Hardin County voters can cast ballots at the clerk’s office’s Radcliff branch, located at 101 West Lincoln Trail Boulevard, or the West Point School building.

Check your registration status and find more election information at govote.ky.gov.

Attorneys for Brooks Houck object to consolidating cases

94.3 The Wolf

Lawyers for Crystal Rogers investigation suspect Brooks Houck are objecting to the special prosecutor’s motion to consolidate the cases against Houck and suspects Steven Lawson and Joseph Lawson into one trial, and allege that prosecutors targeted the Lawsons in order to target Houck.

The motion filed with the Nelson Circuit Court Friday states that Houck needs to be tried separately from the Lawsons due to the “exposure of a myopic and biased investigation”, Houck’s entitlement to impeach Joseph Lawson and/or Steven Lawson with all of their statements, and the fact that redactions to records would not protect Houck’s Sixth Amendment rights. The filing’s conclusion states that: “there is no way for the Commonwealth to introduce evidence against all three defendants at a joint trial without violating the Kentucky Rules of Evidence, violating Brook’s Sixth Amendment rights, or both”.

The filing alleges that prosecutors lack proof that Crystal Rogers is deceased and “there is no crime scene, murder weapon, or realistic motive for the alleged crime.”, and the prosecution has relied on pressure put on the Lawsons in order to get information needed to indict and detain Houck.

March 21 will be a busy day in the Nelson Circuit Court as the court will consider the prosecution’s motion to consolidate, motions by Houck and the Lawsons for a change of venue, a motion by Steven Lawson’s attorney to dismiss the charges against him, and a motion by Joseph Lawson’s attorney asking for the identity of expert witnesses in the case to be disclosed.

Hardin County Teen Job Fair this Wednesday

94.3 The Wolf

Area teens ages 14 to 19 are invited to attend the second annual Hardin County Teen Job Fair, to be held this Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the North Hardin High School gym.

Family Fun Ice Cream Parlor owner and Radcliff City Council Member Michelle Mitchell organized the job fair after seeing a need from area teens applying for jobs at the ice cream parlor and from area businesses saying they need manpower.

“We’ve got young people who want to work, maybe do some job shadowing, community service, internship, different things like that in our community, especially for the summertime to keep them busy, as well as businesses needing good workers,” Mitchell said.

The event is free to attend, and teens that pre-register via a link available on the Facebook event page for the job fair will be registered to win door prizes provided by participating businesses and organizations. Teens should come ready to make connections.

“If they have a resume, they can bring that,” Mitchell said. “If not, that’s fine too. We’ll also have different organizations there such as the Kentucky Career Center that offer how to prepare a resume, even if they’ve only volunteered, such as babysitting or dog sitting, those type of things.”

There’s still time for businesses to sign up to participate at the job fair or support it in another way.

“Of course, there’s no fee to set up a table or a booth, but we are asking that a business brings one giveaway item,” Mitchell said. “If there’s a business out there that wants to sponsor this with some pizzas, because it is going to be after school for a lot of the kids, I would love to feed them as well.”

Contact information for Mitchell and the Facebook event page can be found on the Michelle Mitchell Radcliff Councilwoman Facebook page.

Lane closures for concrete repairs on I-65 South in effect Monday and Tuesday

94.3 The Wolf

The next round of lane closures for work on Interstate 65 in Bullitt County starts Monday.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says the right two lanes of I-65 South from mile marker 113 near the Bullitt County welcome center to mile marker 112 near the Clermont/Bardstown exit will be closed from 7 a.m. Monday until noon on Tuesday. Ramps to and from Kentucky Route 245 will remain open.

Crews will be repairing concrete slabs, with the lane closures necessary to allow the concrete time to cure. Due to ongoing I-65 construction between mile markers 104 and 111, motorists are advised to plan for increased travel times and seek alternate routes.

Motorists should obey restrictions and use caution when traveling through work zones. Visit the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet online for more information on the I-65 Roadway Rehabilitation Project.

EPD determines ‘no credible threat’ after active shooter report at Hardin County Justice Center

94.3 The Wolf

Law enforcement has confirmed there is no threat at the Hardin County Justice Center after a report of an active shooter Friday morning.

“Shortly after 9 a.m. this (Friday) morning, we were contacted by a sworn member of the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office concerning an ‘all call’ page that had been disseminated throughout the Hardin County Justice Center phone system with the report of an active shooter within the building,” said Elizabethtown Police Department Public Information Officer Chris Denham. 

EPD officers arrived on scene within one minute of the initial call and began searching the building in conjunction with court security deputies.

“Approximately 10 minutes after our arrival, we learned the page had been inadvertently disseminated by the Administrative Office of the Courts,” Denham said. “Despite this, and out of an abundance of caution, we cleared the remainder of the justice center.”

Denham said there was never a credible threat, and “at no time were any occupants of the building or the public in any danger.”

Meade County sees unemployment decrease while rest of Lincoln Trail District sees slight increase

94.3 The Wolf

Unemployment rates across the Lincoln Trail District saw another slight uptick in January compared to the year prior.

The Kentucky Center for Statistics says unemployment rates rose in 115 counties from January 2023 to January 2024, with the state unemployment average for January 2024 reported at 4.8 percent.

Six counties in the Lincoln Trail District saw unemployment rates in January that were higher than both December 2023 and January 2023. Nelson County’s unemployment rate for January 2024 came in at 4.1 percent, which is even with January 2023. Meade County was one of only three counties in the commonwealth where unemployment fell, going from 5.1 percent last January to 4.9 percent this January.

The unemployment rate for Hardin County in January 2024 was reported at 4.7 percent. That’s an increase from the 4.3 percent rate reported in January 2023 as well as the 3.9 percent rate from December 2023.

Washington County posted the lowest unemployment rate in the district at 3.6 percent, while Grayson County posted the highest rate in the district at 5.7 percent.

Visit the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet online for more information.

Remember to drink responsibly this Saint Patrick’s Day

94.3 The Wolf

As folks get ready to put on their green and celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day this weekend, officials are reminding Kentuckians: buzzed driving is drunk driving.

“In the wake of the upcoming Saint Patrick’s Day holiday, I want to remind those who choose to consume alcohol to please do so responsibly, and have a sober driver in place prior to taking the first sip of their green beverage of choice,” said Elizabethtown Police Department Public Information Officer Chris Denham.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says alcohol consumption at Saint Patrick’s Day is higher than average, which means the risk of dangerous situations on roadways is increased. The KYTC says over the past three years 43 crashes due to a drunk driver have been reported across the commonwealth on Saint Patrick’s Day, resulting in 24 injuries and six deaths.

If you are planning on consuming alcohol, always designate a driver or plan to use public transportation or a ride service to get home safely. If you have friends that are drinking, take away their keys and help them make arrangements to get home safely. If you think you see an impaired driver on the road, contact law enforcement. Visit the KYTC on the web for more tips and information.