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.
The Central Kentucky Community Foundation announced several new scholarships for 2023. One of those is the Feleshia Denham Memorial Scholarship established by her family. “We are honored today to be part of a collective community effort that’s helping to fund a scholarship in memory of Felishia Denham who was the beloved wife of Chris and mother of Emily – a huge part of our community. And as part of that tribute, we’re going to be able to honor her life forever with a scholarship that it’ll award to students who represent the things that were important to her and her family,” stated CKCF President Davette Swiney.
Emily Denham, Felishia’s daughter, said it was nice to know that students will be able to have opportunities to carry on her mother’s tradition of excellence. Chris Denham was thankful for the donations that will allow his late wife to continue to contribute to the community in a positive light.“I’m just so humbled by the people of this community. I began working with Davette Swiney at the Central Kentucky Community Foundation to establish a scholarship to honor Felishia’s legacy. During that process I learned the Hardin County Bourbon Club in partnership with Give270 hosted a raffle that yielded $15,000 dollars. Between those generous donations, as well as a donation from Emily and I, we established an endowment to support the Felishia Denham Memorial Scholarship fund. The goal for me is to make sure that Felishia’s legacy continues along the same trajectory as she lived her life. That is supporting and helping others. I don’t ever want her or the person who she was to be forgotten.” Feleshia Denham died in a tragic accident at a Nelson County airport in August.
Scholarship Central, the Foundation’s platform, offers students a way to apply for more than 150 community scholarships with one application.
The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office has released their 2022 yearly activity report. There was a 20% increase in calls for service compared to 2021 with over 7,800 calls. Deputies also opened over 230 criminal cases, made over 750 arrests and attempted to serve over 3,000 court papers. Over 1100 citations were written and 30 drunk drivers were removed from roadways. The Grayson County detective that works alongside the Greater Hardin County Narcotics Task Force provided crucial intel used to make arrests and obtain search warrants. Hundreds of criminal cases and over 100 drug dealer arrests resulted in the removal of illegal substances and firearms from the streets. In 2023, the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office says it will continue to conduct traffic safety points and provide a high level of professional service to Grayson County citizens.
The Elizabethtown Police Department arrested a suspect in multiple home burglaries. “Shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday evening, we responded to a report of a burglary that had just occurred at a residence on McCullum Avenue. The suspect fled the residence prior to our arrival and despite our best efforts we were unable to locate him. On Wednesday afternoon, we received a suspicious complaint at a residence on Baker Lane. When we arrived we located 35 year old Christopher Cunningham who was found to have multiple arrest warrants. Additionally, Cunningham admitted to having been the suspect in the McCallum Avenue burglary. He was lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center for multiple offenses including Burglary in the First Degree,” stated Spokesperson Chris Denham. No further information is available at this time.
Leitchfield will be the site of a new $3 million manufacturing facility. On Wednesday, Governor Andy Beshear announced that Water Solutions Unlimited will construct a new facility to increase the capacity to blend and manufacture chemicals used to combat dirty water and corrosion. The company also sells other chemicals to improve water quality. The facility will create eight in-person, full time jobs and four remote positions.
A federal lawsuit has been filed against LaRue County Detention Center staff after the 2022 death of a man in custody. According to court documents, Dalton Ray Milby was originally arrested on October 18, 2021 for Menacing. On October 19, he pled guilty and received probation and was ordered to enroll in an inpatient long term facility to be monitored. In December 2021, Milby was arrested for violating his probation. Milby died while at the LaRue County Detention Center on February 12, 2022. According to the lawsuit, Milby’s family claims employees of the LaRue County Detention Center did not properly supervise Milby who had informed staff he had recently attempted to commit suicide. The suit also alleges he made statements that demonstrated he was in psychological distress. The lawsuit claims that policies and procedures in place at the detention center along with federal and state regulations to prevent inmates from harming themselves were ignored, leading to Milby’s death. The lawsuit also alleges that Milby was assaulted and taunted and that staff missed opportunities to save his life. No further information is available at this time.