Grayson County Sheriff announces COVID-19 diagnosis

As COVID-19 cases continue to climb in the Commonwealth, a local elected official is sharing his own personal battle with the virus.

Grayson County Sheriff Norman Chaffins revealed Sunday that he, his wife, and son had contracted the virus. The family had traveled to two Western states in late June, only showing symptoms around July 4th. Chaffins explained that while his wife and son’s symptoms have been mild, his have been severe, with fevers, intense stomach pain, headaches, and even hallucinations. Chaffins concluded the post, encouraging individuals to wear their mask, not simply because it’s required, but because he feels it could save others from the pain he is experiencing.

Kentucky announced a combined 730 new cases over the weekend.

Chaffins’ original Facebook post can be found here

With plateau in the past, Kentucky sees increase of COVID cases

Kentucky is starting to see a rise in COVID-19 cases. Over the weekend, Governor Beshear announced 453 cases of the virus on Saturday and 277 on Sunday for a combined total of 730 weekend cases. With his new statewide mask mandate in place beginning last Friday, Beshear urges the use of masks to help lower the spread of the virus.

“The more people that wear masks, the more leaders who model wearing masks in any region of this state are going to be safer,” Beshear said Friday. “Those who don’t follow it or don’t model it… you’re just risking the lives, the economy, and the schooling of the people of your region.”

On Friday, Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced that he would ask the Scott County Circuit Judge who issued a temporary restraining order against Beshear’s executive orders to inspect this latest one.

As temperature rises, officials offer tips to keep pets safe

Temperatures are expected to rise this week, leading officials to offer reminders to pet owners about how the heat can affect pets. Hardin County Animal Control Director Mike McNutt says that in the excessive temperatures, owners should be cautious about taking their pets on walks, especially if those trips include walking on asphalt.

“It gets hot, and they can feel it on their pads,” McNutt said. “It’s not a pleasant feeling for them, and in some instances, it can even burn them.”

McNutt also advises owners to bring their pets in during the hotter days of summer. But, if they cannot, urges owners to make sure their pets have plenty of fresh water and shade.

Vine Grove cancels Autumn Daze, August First Friday

COVID-19 has claimed another annual festival for a local community. The City of Vine Grove announced Friday that they had decided to cancel their annual Autumn Daze festival and August First Friday, out of precautions related to the virus.

We didn’t fell like it was safe for out citizens to come,” mayor Pam Ogden said. “We didn’t want them to come to our city and get sick.”

Ogden also said the decision was made out of concern for city workers who help control and coordinate the events.

“the mandatory mask also make it hard for our staff to be outside for hours at a time in the heat,” she continued. “Our police officers are wearing their uniforms, plus they’ve got their vests, their masks on.”

The Vine Grove Bluegrass Festival, a non-city sponsored event, is still planning to take place in late September.

Hardin Co. Fair pageants taking place

While the main event might have been canceled, the Hardin County Fair’s annual pageants will still take place.

Fair board president Marty Fulkerson says that while it wasn’t possible to have the complete fair this year, the board had actively pursued ways in which they could carry on other traditional events, like the pageants. Fulkerson says that those interested in taking part in this year’s pageants, which will all be held on the same day, will still need to fill out application forms on the fair’s website.

The three pageants will take place at the Fairgrounds on August 15th.

Below is Governor Beshear’s latest executive order, mandating the use of masks while in public places where social distancing is not possible.

LINK: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qe2sc2pYc1HIQQf7QhVvdNlp5LqnX5EU/view?usp=sharing

Hardin County Fair was slated to take place this week; was canceled in May

The Hardin County Fairgrounds are unusually quiet this week on what is supposed to be fair week. The fair, a staple of the community, was canceled in may by a vote of the fairboard as the Coronavirus pandemic spread. Board member Bruce Reeves, an 18-year member of the fair board, says the decision was one of the hardest he’s had to make as part of the group.

Reeves said that no Fair this year also means finances have to be watched, especially for the offseason until they get back around to the fair nex July. Other county fairs, including Meade county, are still scheduled to take place, but with scaled down events and activities.

Woman arrested after running across I-65

A Campbellsville woman was arrested on I-65 after crossing several lanes of traffic on foot.

According to arrest citations, Megan Keith was the passenger in a vehicle that was rear-ended by a tractor trailer after pulling into its path from the shoulder of southbound I-65. Once the vehicle came to a rest after the collision, Keith and the driver of the vehicle exited and crossed the northbound lanes, almost being struck by traffic before disappearing over the guardrail.

Kentucky State Police units attempted to locate the two, and the vehicle was searched. Narcan, several syringes, some loaded with Narcan, and a small digital scale were allegedly found in the search. Keith and the driver eventually called 911 because they were stuck in a ditch and too injured to walk.

Keith was charged with leaving the scene of an accident as well as possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. She was lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center.

Police: Stolen vehicle wrecked, driver in serious condition

After four vehicles were stolen from an Elizabethtown neighborhood last week, one of the suspects has been injured in one of the vehicles.

Officer Chris Denham says that the wreck happened in Louisville later that same day, and that the occupant was the only person inside the vehicle. They are listed in critical condition at this time. The identity of the driver has not been revealed. and no other details have been released.

Feeding America welcomes back volunteers

Feeding America Kentucky’s Heartland has now reopened to volunteers. However, restrictions have been put in place when it comes to who can volunteer and how.

Volunteers must be 18 years and older, and must call ahead to the center beforehand instead of showing up. Development Director Monica Ruheling says volunteers will be required to wear a facemask and will undergo temperature checks at the door before entering the building. More information can be found on the Feeding America Website.

State records high-number of COVID cases; largest since May 5th

The state of Kentucky has seen it’s second largest increase in COVID-19 cases.

Governor Andy Beshear announced 371 new cases yesterday, the largest single day increase since May 5th. In addition to the new cases, Beshear also announced 9 new deaths, bringing the death toll to over 600 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Locally, 21 new cases were confirmed by the Lincoln Trail District Health Department, with 13 coming from Hardin county. 131 are on home isolation and 306 have recovered from the virus.

Victim in Hardin County explosion ID’d

The name of the victim in last thursday’s explosion in Hardin county has been released. According to the Hardin County Coroner’s Office, 53-year old Kelly Zilisch was killed after an explosion in his home off of New Glendale Road late Wednesday night.

As previously reported, officials had responded to the residence after a call came in shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday night. In addition to the fatality, several others inside the residence were injured. While the incident is still under investigation, authorities say the cause of the explosion was due to homemade fireworks.

Driver road testing set to begin in some area counties

After written testing resumed last week, road skills tests for driver permits will begin once again today in several of our counties. According to Kentucky State Police, skills testing will take place once again in Hardin, Larue, and Breckinridge beginning today, as well as being administered all day in Larue and Breckinridge. KSP says that an online portal to schedule future skills testing will be operational sometime later this month. Drivers who had scheduled tests before the closure will be contacted by KSP to complete the testing.

City of Elizabethtown holds abbreviated Founders’ Day celebration on Saturday

While it was certainly a different version than in previous years, organizers of this year’s Founders’ Day in Elizabethtown are hailing it a success. City Events Program Manager Sarah Vaughn says that while the events location and agenda had to be shifted away from Freeman Lake due to COVID-19, the event itself went off with out a problem. Social distancing measures were in place, with crews marking out every other parking spaces at ECTC and the surrounding city lots. As a result, Vaughn says that as many as 700 to 900 spots were available for parking. Next year will be the event’s 10 year anniversary, something Vaughn says will be a factor in their planning of the event. The event, which is traditionally held a Freeman Lake Park, was moved to the EC3 Campus due to it’s elevation in the city.

Hardin, Meade County Schools release their guidance plans

Hardin County Schools has released their guidance document for a return to school this upcoming school year. The document, which was released to teachers and staff Thursday, was made available to the public Sunday morning. The document also covers the online learning academy that will be offered to students, and the difference between it and NTI Learning. The complete document can be found on the Hardin County Schools website.

The same goes for Meade county. Parents, teachers, and students alike now have an idea of how their return to school will look next month. The district released their return to school plan on Friday, and like many districts, it included plans for alternative online instruction academies. The online program, My Meade Online, will start on August 26th, 3 weeks after traditional in-person instruction begins. Those in-person will have to follow strict health guidelines, such as social distancing in the classroom and wearing masks while on Meade county campuses. Complete details can be found on the Meade County School’s website.

West Point now part of Hardin County Schools

As of today, there are now only 2 school districts within Hardin County. Effective today, West Point Independent Schools has merged with Hardin County Schools. The merger, which has been ongoing for over a year, was chosen as the best option for the fledgling school district after a state audit of the school last year.

At the last board meeting, former board chairman Eddie Moore was enthusiastic about the opportunities he said students will now have at Hardin County. As part of the merger, HCS will take on the former district’s property and assets, including the school building located in West Point.

Hardin County sees slight rise in COVID cases

COVID-19 cases around the region are on the rise. The Lincoln Trail District Health Department announced yesterday the presence of 18 new cases of the virus within their service area. Of the counties within the health department’s service area, a spike in cases has been observed specifically in Hardin county. Since last Friday, the county has seen 23 cases, 8 reported Monday and 15 on Tuesday. With 161 total cases so far, that means over 14% of the county’s cases have come in the past two reporting days. As such, public health officials reminding the public that the pandemic isn’t over yet, and to wear their masks and practice social distancing. Governor Andy Beshear announced 282 new cases Tuesday, as well as 5 new deaths.

McGrath declared winner in Kentucky Dem. Primary

After a contentious race, the Democratic challenger for Senator Mitch McConnell has finally been decided. After counting all votes, retired Lieutenant Colonel Amy McGrath defeated her challenger, Kentucky state house member Charles Booker. McGrath won the tightly-run race by over 15 thousand votes state-wide. In the end, McGrath won all but 5 counties, with Booker taking both Jefferson and Fayette counties. Locally, all surrounding counties except Jefferson were won by McGrath.

Local school districts decide on new start dates

While a return to school is still over a month away, area school district are starting to announce when they will have students return to classrooms. It was announced yesterday that Hardin County Schools superintendent Teresa Morgan would recommend to the board a new start date of August 24th for students. Elizabethtown Independent superintendent Jon Ballard announced their start date of august 25th during a one call yesterday afternoon.

Fort Knox welcomes new Deputy Commander for Cadet Command

Yesterday was a bit of a welcome home ceremony at Fort Knox. Colonel William Glaser was announced as the new Deputy Commander for Cadet Command at a ceremony held at Waber Theater. While Colonel Glaser noted several times in his remarks that “home is wherever the Army send you”, he reiterated that Fort Knox has always been a special place for him. As previously reported, Cadet Command had been cancelled for this summer at Fort Knox.