WQXE News

The City of Radcliff will celebrate the rich diversity of the local community with the seventh annual Radcliff Cultural Festival, to be held at Radcliff City Hall this Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m.

Festival organizer Pete Countryman told the Radcliff City Council Tuesday the festival will feature a unique blend of food, entertainment, and vendors.

“We have an extraordinary selection of vendors this year with things you’ve never seen before,” Countryman said. “We have boutiques, we have high-end fashion, we have handcrafted jewelry and such. The emphasis is not so much for sales. We’d like to offer the community what’s available in our small business community, which is the backbone of our economy.”

One of the highlights of the festival is the “Taste of the World Food Court”.

“This year we’re proud to introduce the flavors of Belize, Cuba, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, and All-American classics,” Countryman said.

In addition to live performances from several entertainers, the Radcliff City Parade will begin at 5 p.m.

“You can line up on State Street at the Methodist Church,” said Radcliff Mayor JJ Duvall. “It comes down Deepwood and it comes all the way down to Freedom’s Way. It’s a shorter parade, but it does its job. It gets everybody in there, and kids get candy. We do throw candy and we still are accepting entries.”

Call the Colvin Community Center at 270-351-4079 to sign up for the parade and visit the city’s Facebook page for updates.

The man convicted of Crystal Rogers’s murder will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

During a sentencing hearing at the Nelson County Justice Center Wednesday, Nelson Circuit Judge Charles Simms III sentenced Brooks Houck to a term of life in prison for the charge of Murder – Principal or Accomplice, and five years for the charge of Tampering with Physical Evidence, with the terms to be served concurrently.

Simms also sentenced Joseph Lawson to a term of 20 years in prison for the charge of Conspiracy to Commit Murder and five years for the charge of Tampering with Physical Evidence, with the terms to be served consecutively.

Those sentences are in line with the recommendations of the Warren County jury that convicted Houck and Lawson on July 8, with the exception of Houck’s concurrent terms. Simms noted that Kentucky law does not permit consecutive sentences when a life sentence is issued. Simms also noted that while several people who spoke during the hearing requested a life sentence without the possibility of parole, that is also not permitted under Kentucky law.

Several members of the Ballard family spoke during the hearing. Among the speakers was Rogers’s daughter Kyleigh Fenwick. She addressed Houck directly, stating “You never cared about anybody but yourself. You say you love Eli so much, but if you really loved him you wouldn’t have murdered his mother. You wouldn’t have took him from his siblings. I babysat him all the time, even when you were home. I watched him, and you just ripped him away from us, just like you did our mom.”

Rogers’s mother Sherry Ballard said Houck underestimated the love she and her husband had for their daughter. Ballard said: “For 10 years, I have suffered the pain of losing my daughter. Never once have I seen you shed one tear. Never once have I heard you say you worried about where she was or what might have happened to her. You sat there worried more about your family’s name than the woman you shared a child with, that you supposedly cared about.”

Prior to sentencing, Simms reminded Houck and Lawson of their rights to an appeal. Simms also granted Lawson’s motion to proceed in forma pauperis, which allows Lawson to continue to be represented by a public defender.

The Radcliff City Council met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday.

The council approved, on second readings, an amendment to the city’s flood prevention ordinance to match definitions for “significant structures” to updated state definitions in order to maintain compliance, and an amendment to the city’s 2024-2025 budget. 

The council motioned to postpone the second reading of an ordinance rezoning 238 Cedar Oak Drive in Vine Grove from Commercial to Residential-4. Members of the council decided to call for an additional public hearing in order to get more information after Fort Knox Deputy Garrison Commander Jim Bradford said the post has concerns with the property’s proximity to Fort Knox.

“I must clearly state again that Fort Knox is not in favor of zoning changes and the incremental encroachment that impacts readiness to our Army,” Bradford said. “What our letter of concern states and urges is that if the city does approve it, then at a minimum they impose certain conditions on the builder.”

The council approved a zoning change for 2787 Hill Street in Vine Grove from Residential Holding and Residential 2 to just R-2. That property is owned by the same developers as the Cedar Oak Drive property, but is not adjacent to Fort Knox.

The first reading was held on city ad valorem taxes for 2026.

“On each $100 of calendar year 2025 assessed valuation as follows: on real property .129 and personal property .174, including real and personal property of public service companies,” said City Attorney Mike Pike, reading from the ordinance. “On privately owned and registered vehicles and watercraft: .199, and bank deposit tax: .00025 percent.”

The council will likely meet for a special meeting to approve the tax rates.

The council approved the assignment of the city’s trash collection franchise from Green River Waste to Republic Services following the latter’s purchase of the former.

“Republic has asked to step into the shoes of Green River and literally take over the contract at the same rates and same level of service,” Pike said. “They’re just literally pinch hitting and taking the place of Green River. That’s what they’ve asked to do.”

Republic Services will take over the current agreement which runs through the end of 2029.

The Radcliff City Council will next meet October 14.