WULF News

Health officials expect rise in COVID-19 cases following fall breaks

After fall breaks across the area, several school districts returned to the classroom this morning post fall break. With some students and staff back in the classroom, health officials say a spike in covid-19 cases is likely to follow in the coming weeks.

In a post Sunday evening, Hardin County Schools recommended that those who traveled to covid-19 hotspots consider quarantining for the recommended period.

Beshear, family quarantine after possible exposure to virus

A surprise announcement from the Governor’s office Sunday morning. Governor Andy Beshear announced that he and his son had come in contact with someone who had tested positive for covid-19. As a result, the Governor says the two will quarantine in a seperate part of the Governor’s mansion.

The person in question who had tested positive for covid-19 is a member of the Governor’s security detail.

EPD: Man arrested after alleged burglary

A Radcliff man was arrested after an alleged burglary took place late last week.

The homeowner of the affected residence alerted Elizabethtown Police after finding the suspect, Donivan Garcia, taking property from within. Garcia gave officers false identifying information upon being apprehended. Garcia had gained entrance in the home by prying the front door open, and a vehicle which already had items from the burglary, as well as suspected methamphetamine inside was waiting outside of the home. Garcia had previous warrants stemming from earlier incidents of car theft, and holding a man at gunpoint.

Garcia faces charges of burglary, possession of a controlled substance, and giving false identifying information. He was lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center.

Nolin RECC once again sends crews to assist with hurricane relief

Just a few weeks after helping out in the Gulf with Hurricane Sally, aftermath, Nolin RECC crews are back out on the road, headed down South once again.

The crew, which included 11 line technicians and 2 mechanics, left early Sunday morning to travel to Deridder, Louisiana, to assist the Beauregard Electric Co-op in their efforts following Hurricane Delta, which hit the region last week. Delta hit areas that had already been impacted previously by Hurricane Laura in August.

E’town City Council to approve comprehensive plan

After over a year of public input and discussion, the Elizabethtown City Council is expect to adopt the city’s new comprehensive plan. Dubbed Envision Elizabethtown 2040, the plan was created as a way to define the direction and the vision of the city going forward.

The planning and zoning committee previously approved the plan before it was sent to the council for their approval. The plan can be viewed by going to the City of Elizabethtown’s website.

Don’t Miss the Bus raises over $2,000 for 10th anniversary

Despite the setbacks of covid-19, Bluegrass Cellular’s 10th edition of the Don’t Miss The Bus School supply drive was still able to take place this year.

While covid-19 wouldn’t allow for the traditional collection of school supplies, the organization changed to allow for online donations, creating an entirely virtual experience for participants. The annual event raised over $2,000, which will go towards helping schools with supply needs for students in Hardin county.

Voting centers now set for Hardin Co. residents

Hardin county voters will have 4 different voting center for Election day. The state finally authorized the 4 locations, located at North Hardin High School’s gym, Creekside Elementary School’s gym, Lakewood Elementary School’s gym, as well as the Hardin County Clerk’s Office.

County Clerk Debbie Donnelly says each location will have a deputy clerk and IT technician there to assist with any problems voters may experience.

Registered voters can also vote early in person if they wish to avoid potential crowds at the polls. Donnelly says that voting will take place at the Hardin County Government Building starting next week, October 13, and will take place until November 2. The times for early voting will be Monday through Friday, 8am-4pm, with voting on the three Saturdays leading up to Election day from 7am-11am.

Agritourism businesses make adjustments for operations this Fall

Covid-19 has presented challenges to all types of businesses, even agritourism, which is in the midst of their busy season. But the virus isn’t going anywhere soon, and those businesses have had to make adjustments to how they operate.

Mason Crawford, co-owner of Crawford Pumpkin Farms, says the business has had to undergo several changes in order to keep visitors safe and healthy during their busy season, which he says extends right up to Halloween.

Crawford says the changes are worthwhile, keeping the safety of customers and employees at the forefront of the business.

Crawford says the business delayed their opening just to make sure all aspects were safe for their employees as well as guests.

EPD: man arrested after walking out with shopping cart of merchandise

An Elizabethtown man was arrested this week after he allegedly attempted to take several hundred dollars worth of merchandise from a store.

Arrest citations say that Travis Cobble was attempting to walk out of Walmart with just under $650 worth of merchandise in his cart. When confronted by loss prevention, Cobble gave them the cart back. A responding EPD officer asked Cobble if he had anything illegal on him, to which Cobble replied he did, with the officer locating a needle in his pocket. A search of Cobble’s vehicle resulted in officers finding other items, such as rolling papers, a smoking pipe, as well as needle caps which officers say appeared to have residue to methamphetamines. Cobble was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, drug paraphernalia, as well as theft by unlawful taking over $500. He was lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center.

Mask mandate extended; businesses asked to enforce the order

Kentucky residents are in for another month of required masks. Governor Andy Beshear announced another extension of the state’s mask mandate during his press conference Tuesday. And with the extension, Beshear said there will be increased enforcement steps when it comes to wearing masks in public.

Beshear announced 1,054 new cases for the state on Tuesday.

Pence, Harris, set to face off in tonight’s VP debate

Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris will square off at the University of Utah’s Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake City for the Vice Presidential debate. And with recent events involving the President’s health and other government officials, plexiglass barriers will be used between the candidates and the moderator, as well as the podiums being placed 12 feet apart. The event is set to begin at 9pm.

Crennel, Ft. Knox grad, now interim head coach for Houston Texans

A former Fort Knox football player is now the interim head coach for an NFL team.

It was announced yesterday that Romeo Crennel, a coaching assistant with the Houston Texans, would serve as the team’s head coach going forward this season. Crennel, a 5 time Super Bowl champion, graduated from Fort Knox High School in 1965, going on to play for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

V Corps uncases colors, celebrates end of standup on Friday

While the official activation ceremony is still 2 weeks away, V corps took a big step on Fort Knox to end the week. The battalion uncased their flag during a ceremony Friday, flying their blue and white pentagon for the first time since 2013 and commemorating their end of the standup for headquarters.

The Headquarter and Headquarter Battalion commander, Otha J. Holmes also spoke at the outdoor ceremony.

An official activation ceremony is scheduled to take place October 17th. V Corps was organized in France in 1918 during World War I.

KSP: 3 Tennessee men arrested after high speed, lengthy pursuit

A trio out of Tennessee were arrested by Kentucky State Police last week after being chased for over 30 miles.

According to arrest citations, troopers observed a vehicle pass them at a high rate of speed in Elizabethtown. A traffic stop was attempted, however the subject fled, dangerously weaving through traffic and running other vehicles off the roadway. The pursuit went on for thirty three miles before the driver lost control of the vehicle, striking another motorist who had to be flown to Vanderbilt Hospital for his injuries. After striking a semi truck as well, the pursued vehicle flipped off of the roadway and the three occupants, Rickie Nelson, who was the driver, Martavious Williams, and Kevin Wynn fled on foot from the vehicle. Troopers got into a physical altercation with the three, but they were apprehended. Nelson allegedly appeared to be under the influence, due to his glassy bloodshot eyes and erratic driving. A run of the car’s vin number revealed that the vehicle was stolen out of Tennessee, and tools used in car thefts were found in the vehicle as well.

The trio face a litany of charges including wanton endangerment, criminal mischief, assault, and fleeing or evading police. They were lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center.

HCS announces plan for 3rd day of instruction

While Hardin County Schools students are on fall break this week, there will be some instructional changes when they return.

Those taking part in in-person instruction will gradually attend more days in person. The district announced that those in-person students will rotate Wednesdays in which they will attend, increasing instruction to 3 days a week. Group “A” students will be going October 14th and 28th. Group “B” students will go October 21th and November 4th.

EPD dispatch recognized as best in the state

The Elizabethtown Police dispatch was recognized with an award recently. The center was named the 2020 Dispatch Center of the Year for the state of Kentucky.

The award was announced during the Kentucky Emergency Services Conference last week.

Deadline to register to vote is this afternoon

With 29 days until the General Election, qualified individuals who wish to vote in the have until later today to register. The deadline to register to vote is this afternoon at 4 p.m., and can be done online. Registration can be completed by going to GoVoteKY.com and clicking on new or updated registration. The General Election is November 3rd.

Waste officials working hard to get all new trash carts to residents

Even with the October 1st deadline for personal trash cart usage now in the past, waste officials are extending their use as they hurry to get the all new orange carts to Hardin county residents.

Red River Waste Regional Vice President Steve Smith says any resident who received an additional cart that did not need one should contact Red River.

Vine Grove PD investigating robbery

Vine Grove Police are investigating after a robbery last week. Last Friday, police say 3 individuals entered into the Hometown Liquors store in Vine Grove, armed and wearing head coverings.

Police Chief Ken Mattingly says an unspecified amount of money, alcohol, and smoking products were taken during the course of the robbery. Mattingly says anyone with information about the robbery is asked to contact law enforcement.

Hardin Co. extends Work Ethic Certification to elementary school students

The Hardin County Schools Work Ethic Certification program will now play a larger role in elementary schools. Students and teachers will have defined curriculum that will serve to highlight and focus the great eight standards of the program.

More information about the program is available on the Hardin County Schools website.

Vine Grove man is the U.S. military’s 8th COVID death

A Vine Grove man was announced as just the 8th covid-19-related death for the U.S. military.

The Army Reserves announced this week that 1st Sergeant Mike Markins had died last week as a result of covid-19. According to a release, Markins served for 27 year in the military, active duty in the Air Force from 1990-1997, and in the reserves since 2000. He was awarded several oak leaf clusters during his service, including ones for Meritorious Service and Army Achievement. Markins had served in both civilian and military positions on Fort Knox. Markins was just 48 years old.

Radcliff school board candidate under fire for Facebook post

A Radcliff man running for the Hardin County School Board is being criticized after a social media post. An image shared by John Flanagan, a candidate for the Board of Education, began to spread through Facebook earlier this week that many have said promotes a negative stereotype of North Hardin. Flanagan, though, says it was rooted in sarcasm.

Additional posts made by Flanagan on his personal page also sparked criticism. Flanagan is running for division 1, which represents the schools in the North end of the county.

Grayson Co. manufacturer announces over 20 new jobs

Leitchfield will be seeing some new, high paying jobs in the near future.

Xtreme Fabrication, through Governor Andy Beshear’s office, announced Wednesday 25 new, high paying jobs for their Leitchfield facility over the next few years. In addition, the size of the facility will also expand, adding a 7,200 square foot addition to its existing building. The fabricator and machine shop will also see the addition of a new CNC plasma cutting machine.

The company has been doing business in Grayson county since 2007.

Utility services to soon resume disconnects with moratorium lifted

With over $700,000 in overdue payments, Nolin RECC and other utility providers will resume utility disconnects in the near future.

The announcement comes as the Kentucky Public Service Commission announced this week that they would be lifting a moratorium enacted in March that suspended utility shut offs during the pandemic. Disconnects will start in October, but Nolin is giving their members a bit longer, with a cutoff date of November 2nd.

Nolin RECC spokesperson Sarah Fellows says that while payments will need to be made by the November date, late fees will not be added until December 31st.

Rineyville man arrested over alleged assault

A Rineyville man was arrested this week after allegedly assaulting a woman.

Arrest records and a warrant indicate that Roger Gipson was upset that the woman was not talking to him, and as a result, Gipson is said to have punched the woman in the face and head. When she walked to the kitchen, she was knocked to the floor, where Gipson continued to assault her. The woman was taken to Baptist Health Hardin, were she was observed to have a broken wrist and was bleeding from both ears. Gipson was arrested on assault 2nd degree and was lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center.

Local health department adds 24 COVID-19 cases, state 745

Governor Andy Beshear announced 745 new cases of COVID-19 last night. In addition to new cases, the Governor announced 13 new deaths in relation to the virus. That brings the total number of deaths so far to 1,137. Locally, health officials with Lincoln Trail District Health Department announced 24 new cases in their service area. Of the 24, 10 were from Hardin county, 4 from Meade, and 1 from LaRue.

Currently, the district has 8 patients hospitalized and 223 on home isolation. 89% of patients have recovered so far in the district.

HCS announces new mental health professional for COVID-19

In an effort to help students through unfamiliar times, Hardin County Schools has employed a mental health counselor.

A grant from the Kentucky Department of Education allowed funding for the district to hire a mental health professional to assist students who may be struggling. 

School Spokesperson John Wright says that the district hopes this will keep students and staff’s mental health as strong as their physical in the face of COVID-19.

Breckinridge County School officials set for partial in-person return on Monday

Breckinridge County Schools Superintendent Nick Carter talked with Zach Epperson about the return to in-person instruction for the district this coming Monday.

Dr. Carter says teachers and staff alike have been waiting to see their students in-person again, and that includes himself.