Four Kentucky Community Mental Health Centers have announced that they will be consolidating to be able to improve, create and protect services in rural Kentucky communities. Communicare, Inc. in Elizabethtown will partner with Four Rivers Behavioral Health in Paducah, LifeSkills, Inc. in Bowling Green and Pennyroyal Center in Hopkinsville to form one of largest community mental health centers in the Commonwealth. The new organization will support more than 47,000 individuals annually and offer over 70 programs and services in 129 different locations across the state. The agencies will announce the new name of the organization at a later date but expect the consolidation to be finalized as of July 1. A video that explains more about the merger can be viewed on the LifeSkills, Inc YouTube channel.
Last week the US Department of Transportation announced that Kentucky would receive $25 million as part of the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant. The City of Elizabethtown will be receiving $200,000 of that money to conduct a study to assess the needs of the community. “Melissa Nepi writes our grants for the city. She applied for a Federal Grant and it’s called Safer Streets. Currently we have been awarded $200,000 and that $200,000 is to take a look at the city and look around different locations at things that we may need – like sidewalks in certain places, bike lanes or street widening. Anything that could make our streets safer. So we’ve been granted $200,000 to do the study. The hope and the plan is as we do our study and show how we will utilize the money, that we will be awarded money every year to implement the plan,” says City Spokesperson Amy Inman. The Safe Streets and Roads Grant funds initiatives at the local and regional levels to prevent roadway injuries and deaths.
The City of Elizabethtown City Council heard and approved a new fee schedule for the Parks and Recreation Facilities and Activities last night. “We did a study and looked at the current rates, when they were last put into place. Once we looked through and compared them to other municipalities in the area, what our operational costs are and what everything has gone to, we set them at a little bit higher rate than where they were previously. They’re very competitive and comparable to the other municipalities in the state of Kentucky, comparing them to the types of facilities that we have,” said Parks and Recreations Director Seth Breitner. More information can be found on the City of Elizabethtown website or app.
The Leitchfield Police Department was called to Five-Star in Leitchfield early Saturday morning as a man was attempting to purchase fuel with a possible counterfeit bill. According to a statement, Officers confirmed the information from witnesses as another Officer saw the suspected vehicle leaving the parking lot. A traffic stop was conducted. The driver was identified as Aaron Cummings, age 28 of Hopkinsville. Cummings admitted to attempting to use the counterfeit bill to purchase gas. The investigation led Officers to locating $4,080 of counterfeit money in the rear of the vehicle along with a juvenile. Cummings was arrested pursuant to a warrant from another County as well as charges of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the First Degree and Unlawful Transaction with a Minor in the Second Degree. Cummings was lodged in the Grayson County Detention Center. The investigation is ongoing.
Hardin County Schools is asking the community’s assistance to help a student’s family who suffered a fire at their home over the weekend. According to a statement, the mother and two children escaped the fire unharmed but they lost not only their home but the only car that the family had. The mother is disabled and there was no insurance on the car or trailer. “The family has sought and received assistance from the Hardin County Schools Family Stability Program and the Family Resource Center at Meadow View Elementary School. However, there are certain things, obviously, bigger things that those two entities cannot provide. And so, we have reached out to the community and are seeking assistance for this family to help with things like a home, automobile, clothing and housing items that they will need to get back on their feet,” said Hardin County Spokesperson John Wright. Anyone who is able to assist this family can contact the Meadow View Elementary School Family Resource Center coordinator.
As reported last week, the US Department of Treasury approved Kentucky’s plan to invest more than $182M to provide affordable broadband service to areas that currently have no access or limited access. On Thursday, Governor Andy Beshear announced a 14 stop listening tour across the Commonwealth where Kentuckians can bring their priorities and concerns to the Office of Broadband Development and the Education and Labor Cabinet. One of those stops will be in Elizabethtown on February 23. Those interested in attending are asked to register at broadband.ky.gov. The purpose of these stops is to bring local leaders, business and industry, education, healthcare, agriculture and local residents together to bring their input of what is needed in their communities when addressing internet access.
Recent winter weather across the country has caused delays in the supply chain of livestock feed and live poultry. On Friday, Transportation Secretary Jim Gray signed an official order temporarily suspending certain restrictions for carriers transporting live poultry and livestock feed. According to a statement from the Transportation Cabinet, the order temporarily relieves maximum drive times and weigh station stops for commercial drivers transporting feed and live poultry. The order is in effect through March 2 and should relieve distribution and delivery problems.
Kentucky State Police are investigating a shooting death in Grayson County. On Thursday morning, Post 4 Troopers responded to a call from the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office to help investigate a shooting that took place in the community of Short Creek. Preliminary investigation showed that two men who were neighbors had a confrontation over a dog. One of the men, identified as 42 year old Michael Baker of Falls of Rough, shot the other man who was pronounced dead at the scene by the Grayson County Coroner’s Office. The name of the victim has not been released. The investigation remains ongoing.
Construction on the first of ten new roundabouts for Elizabethtown is set to begin next week. The intersection of KY 1136 and US 31W Bypass will see construction start on February 14 and is due to be completed by August 1. “The roundabout at the end of the bypass and New Glendale Road (is) going to be much larger. And while safety improvements are always a major goal when we do projects like this, the efficiency aspect is going to be extremely beneficial and noticeable to motorists, especially with the increase in activity to the South toward Glendale, the new school there and just bypass traffic in general,” said Transportation Cabinet Spokesperson Chris Jessie. This location will not be closed during the construction. Motorists will need to pay close attention to work zone signs approaching the area as there will be traffic pattern changes throughout the project. Delays will be possible especially during peak traffic times.
Dates for the other nine locations are being scheduled with particular consideration of school calendars. During the dryer and warmer weather, work could be going on at two or three of these locations at once. Closures will be announced in advance along with overall project progress. The project is set to be complete by Fall of 2024. Motorists who travel these areas are encouraged to follow the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 4 on Facebook and Twitter.
Multiple Law Enforcement agencies are warning citizens of scammers posing as local reputable banks or businesses. “Scammers are sending messages via email claiming that your accounts have been compromised and offering virus or malware services. They have enough information about your accounts to appear believable. These criminals will ask for access to your computer and remotely make changes to your accounts,” says Hardin County Sergeant Marvin Rhinehart. According to the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office, they have opened two separate cases regarding the scams.
Additionally, the Radcliff Police Department reports that consumers will receive a call that appears to be a local bank’s phone number but the number on the caller ID has been spoofed by scammers. The scammer will represent themselves as a Fraud Detection Agent warning you of suspicious activity and guide customers to verify their identity by providing online banking credentials and passcodes used to log into your account. Customers will be told not to log into their account or contact the bank for 48 hours while the investigation is ongoing. Citizens are being reminded that if you receive a call like this, hang up and use a number known by you to contact your bank to verify suspicious activity.