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E-Town council reviews tax rates, approves municipal orders

94.3 The Wolf

The Elizabethtown City Council met for their first meeting of the month Tuesday.

The first reading was held on ordinances that establish city taxes for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The franchise tax rate on all eligible bank deposits will be set at .025 percent. The tax rate for real and personal property will be 11 cents per $100 assessed value. The tax rate on motor vehicles and watercraft will be 11.6 cents per $100 assessed value. Those ordinances will go up for approval on their second readings at the next regular council meeting.

The council approved a municipal order for the purchase of 723 Greenwood Drive for $323,000.

“Whereas the City of Elizabethtown desires to address drainage issues in the community, and whereas in the engineering studies of the community watersheds the need to develop a basin in the Helmwood Heights area was identified,” said City Attorney Ken Howard, reading from the municipal order. 

Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory noted that the property is owned by one of his relatives and said he was not part of negotiations.

A bid from Dirt Works Unlimited was approved in an amount not to exceed $418,847 for the Arnett Place construction project. The city agreed to a property contract with the Elizabethtown Lions Club that requires certain improvements by the city. The project will establish a street from Ring Road between the current Lions Club building and the volunteer fire department. City Administrator Ed Poppe said city officials are happy with the bid.

“They’re doing a sewer project for us currently,” Poppe said. “They’ve got a couple other subdivision projects in this general area. Our design engineer reviewed their cost breakdown and felt comfortable with that. Michael Page with our engineering department also looked at the bid numbers and everybody thinks it’s a really good number that we got from it.”

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet for a work session on September 9.

Man faces multiple charges after multi-county chase

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The alleged driver in a multi-county pursuit is in jail after a short hospital stay.

Joshua E. Arledge of Louisville was booked into the Hardin County Detention Center shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday after being transferred there by the Kentucky State Police from the University of Louisville Hospital.

According to the KSP, the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office contacted KSP Post Four Sunday evening as they were pursuing a stolen vehicle heading west on the Bluegrass Parkway. The KSP took over the pursuit as the driver got on Interstate 65 North near Elizabethtown.

The driver exited I-65 at the Joe Prather Highway and drove towards Radcliff, with the pursuit ending on Patriot Lane when the suspect got out of the vehicle and then fled on foot. As officers set up a perimeter, the suspect was seen driving away in a semi-tractor trailer, heading back onto I-65 North.

Troopers successfully deployed stop sticks near the 117-mile marker, and the semi exited the interstate, pulled into a parking lot, and briefly traveled on East Blue Lick Road in Bullitt County before overturning in a wooded area. The suspect was apprehended with no further incident.

The suspect was transported to the University of Louisville Hospital by EMS after he supposedly ingested “an unknown substance believed to be heroin.” He was held for medical observation until his release and transfer to the detention center Tuesday, at which time the KSP identified the suspect as Joshua Arledge.

Arledge faces multiple charges including First Degree Fleeing and Evading, Receiving Stolen Property, and Theft, among other charges. A video arraignment hearing was scheduled for Wednesday morning.

17-year-old dead after crash on Bluegrass Parkway

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The Kentucky State Police is investigating a fatal accident on the Bluegrass Parkway Saturday.

According to the KSP, a trooper with KSP Post Four responded to a two-vehicle collision near the 13-mile marker on the parkway at around 5:45 p.m. on August 30. 

The KSP says the preliminary investigation indicates a 17-year-old male from Cox Creek was driving west on the parkway when for unknown reasons his vehicle crossed the median and went into the path of an eastbound vehicle driven by Patrick Reed of Bardstown.

The juvenile driver was pronounced dead at the scene by the Nelson County Coroner’s Office. Reed and two passengers were transported to the University of Louisville Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The eastbound lane on the Bluegrass Parkway was closed until about 10:30 p.m. Saturday for accident reconstruction. The investigation into the crash is ongoing.

Election prep running smoothly ahead of November 5

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With the 2024 general election just over two months away, Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith said the May primary provided a good roadmap for preparations for November.

“Our general election plan looks a lot like it did in the May primary,” Smith said. “The difference is we’re beefing up the centers, having more clerks and more check-in stations, so check-ins should be, we hope, adequate.”

Smith discussed the November election during his report to the Hardin County Fiscal Court at their most recent meeting. The deadline to register to vote in the election is October 7, so Smith said don’t wait for the deadline when registering or updating your registration is easy.

“If you’ve moved in the last couple of years, just go on and check,” Smith said. “Make sure all of your information is accurate. We’ve had folks come in and change their party affiliation. That doesn’t impact how you can vote in the general election, but it will set you up for the next time we have a primary, so if you want to, do that as well.”

Smith said unlike some counties that are struggling to find poll workers, Hardin County actually has the opposite problem, but he said don’t hesitate to sign up if you are interested in helping out.

“If we can’t use you this time, we’ll keep you on the list for future reference,” Smith said. “We always set aside a number of alternates because 70 percent of our poll workers are 70 and above, and that’s the population that sometimes has surgery, injuries, and illness that kind of creep up unexpectedly, so if you get assigned to be an alternate, don’t be disappointed. We’ll probably end up calling you real early in the morning on Election Day.”

You can find information on working the polls via the new portal available on the Kentucky Secretary of State’s website, and you can find election information at govote.ky.gov.

Area organizations among Victims of Crime Act grant funding recipients

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Several area organizations were included in the latest round of the federal Victims of Crime Act grant program.

According to a release from the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, 102 organizations across the commonwealth were awarded a total of $14.9 million in funding.

When discussing the funding during his Team Kentucky update Thursday, Governor Andy Beshear said the funds will go towards initiatives that continue providing critical services, hold offenders accountable, and keep Kentuckians safe. The governor referenced a local incident when highlighting the importance of the funding.

“We were reminded at how concerning this level of violence is by an incident that occurred just outside the courthouse in Elizabethtown just last week, so we know that there is still more to do,” Beshear said.

Area organizations that received funding include the Baptist Hardin Foundation (which received $87,274), CASA of the Heartland ($100,000), the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office ($61,429), Silverleaf Sexual Trauma Recovery Services ($304,224), and SpringHaven Inc. ($199,634)

“Each of these organizations is doing God’s work, is being there for people after the worst trauma that is imaginable, and for everyone working at any of these organizations or others that serve victims of crime and of violent crime: thank you for being there for your fellow human being,” Beshear said.

Visit the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet online for more information on the Victims of Crime Act program.

NPS report shows positive economic impact for Lincoln birthplace park

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The National Park Service says the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park has a positive impact on the surrounding community. 

A report from the NPS says nearly 240,000 visitors came to the historic park in 2023. The report indicates that visitors to the park spent just over $16 million in surrounding communities, which supported 242 area jobs and had an overall benefit to the local economy of $23.3 million.

The NPS says the historic park is part of a national parks system that welcomed more than 325 million visitors across the united states in 2023. Those visitors spent $26.4 billion in communities near national parks, supporting more than 415,000 jobs and creating an overall economic impact of $55.6 billion nationwide.

Stacy Humphreys, the park’s Chief of Interpretation and Resource Management, says the park offers two unique properties: Lincoln’s birthplace and his first childhood home.

“The two units of the park are separated by 10 miles, so if you go to the birthplace unit, all you have to do is follow U.S. 31E like you’re heading toward Bardstown and that will take you out to Knob Creek,” Humphreys said.

Learn more about the economic impact of the National Parks Service via their website, and learn more about the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park via its website and Facebook page.

Kentucky man gets five years in prison for January 6 participation

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A Kentucky man has been sentenced for his participation in the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol.

Dan Edwin Wilson of Louisville was arrested on May 25, 2023, in Elizabethtown for his actions during the breach of the Capitol during the count of the electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election.

Wilson pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of  Conspiracy to Impede or Injure a Federal Officer, after previously pleading guilty in the District Court for the Western District of Kentucky to charges of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. Wilson was sentenced in the D.C. court Wednesday to five years in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and to pay $2,000 in restitution.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia says Wilson began planning to go to the Capitol to take part in the events on January 6 in December, writing in online messages “I am ready to lay my life on the line. It’s time for good men to do bad things.” After joining the march to the Capitol, Wilson began messaging other participants telling them to help push against the barricade at the Capitol. Wilson later entered the Capitol for about 12 minutes.

Wilson traveled to D.C. with David Scott Kuntz of Indiana, who was arrested in March. Kuntz’s case is still pending. 

Wilson’s sentencing comes a day after another Kentucky resident, Michael Sparks of Elizabethtown,  was sentenced to 53 months in prison after a federal jury found him guilty of felony charges of Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Civil Disorder.The U.S. Attorney’s Office says evidence at Sparks’s trial showed that he was the first of the rioters to enter the Capitol during the attack. Sparks was arrested in Elizabethtown on January 19, 2021.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says nearly 1,500 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for their participation in the January 6 attack. The FBI’s investigation remains ongoing and tips are still being collected. If you have information, call 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit tips.fbi.gov.

American Legion Hardin Post 113 hosting open house Saturday

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American Legion Hardin Post 113 invites everybody to learn more about the American Legion at their open house, happening Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m.

“We are hosting an open house event to try and show members of the community and some of the younger active duty and recent vets and their families what American Legion is really about,” said Post 113 Adjunct Drew Chitty. “This event is open to all veterans, sons and daughters of veterans, grandchildren, spouses of veterans. You’ll really be surprised who qualifies as a member.”

He says Post 113 wants the public to see that the Legion isn’t just a place for veterans to sit and talk.

“The American Legion is the largest veterans organization in the world, and Post 113 here in Elizabethtown is the largest American Legion in the state of Kentucky,” Chitty said. “We offer so much more like porch parties, trivia nights, Pictionary, live music, karaoke, special events, dances, dance lessons every week. We have charitable gaming and bingo.”

The open house is also an opportunity for service members and families to connect with services they may not have known were available.

“Whether you served 40 years ago or you just recently got out or you’re still serving, we understand and we will do what we can to help,” Chitty said. “We also have one of the only nine accredited Veteran Service Officers in the state of Kentucky on site that will help with transitioning out of the military or for those who need help with filing or updating their VA benefits, free of charge.”

The open house will be followed by a free comedy show, and Chitty noted while the open house is family-friendly the comedy show is not. American Legion Hardin Post 113 is located at 1251 Ring Road in Elizabethtown.

Man arrested after threat leads to lockdown of three EIS schools

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A threat against a local official led to a soft lockdown at three Elizabethtown Independent School District buildings and a man’s arrest Wednesday.

“Shortly before 12 p.m. (Wednesday) afternoon, we received information indicating that Kelron Decoteau had made a threat against a local judicial official,” said Elizabethtown Police Department Public Information Officer Chris Denham. “We immediately dedicated our full resources to locating and apprehending the suspect.”

The EPD recognized a direct connection with the case to EIS and contacted school officials regarding the potential threat. Helmwood Heights and Morningside elementary schools along with TK Stone Middle School were placed on soft lockdowns shortly before 1 p.m.

“I am pleased to report that shortly before 3 p.m. the suspect was apprehended by troopers from the Kentucky State Police Post 15 in a neighboring county,” Denham said. “He will be charged with Intimidating a Participant in a Legal Process and Terroristic Threatening in the Third Degree.”

EIS says as a precaution the district requested extra security at the three schools during student dismissal, which resulted in slower release times than usual and delayed bus routes. The EPD says at no time was the safety of any students or staff in jeopardy.

Fort Knox announces gate closures ahead of Labor Day Weekend; cemeteries open Sunday

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Fort Knox is announcing gate closures ahead of Labor Day weekend.

According to the U.S. Army Fort Knox Facebook page, while the Chaffee Gate will remain open 24/7, the Brandenburg Gate will be closed Friday through Monday and the Wilson Gate will be closed Saturday through Monday. Additionally, the Chaffee Avenue on-ramps to U.S. 31W will be closed Saturday through Monday.

As Fort Knox celebrates Labor Day, an experience typically reserved for Memorial Day weekend will take place Sunday.

“The installation’s long-standing tradition of opening the post’s 121 cemeteries to the public annually has been rescheduled for Sunday, September 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” said Fort Knox Garrison Commander Colonel Chris Ricci. “Fort Knox is going to open several access points around the installation perimeter, welcoming visitors who wish to pay their respects to friends and family members that are interred here.”

Inclement weather Memorial Day canceled the usual cemetery visit day in May. Visitors are encouraged to pre-register online for their required pass onto Fort Knox. A cultural resources representative will be available at the Fort Knox visitors center to provide cemetery and access point information.