WQXE News

The outdoor music venue under construction at Buffalo Lake in Elizabethtown officially has a name.

The City of Elizabethtown and Elizabethtown Tourism on Wednesday announced the venue will be called the SteelGrove Amphitheatre.

“I’m excited about the new announcement for the name SteelGrove for our outdoor concert venue,” said Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory. “We batted around a lot of names and there were many that were good, but for multiple reasons some just didn’t fit like we had hoped, but for the vision that we’ve always had out there, SteelGrove kind of captures the essence of what we were looking for. It is a grove of trees, and it’s going to be wooded out there, and that’s always what we had envisioned with a big, beautiful steel stage that is going to bring the production and bring the concerts and the music to life, so we thought that it was a good fit and we’re really excited about it.”

Elizabethtown Tourism Interim Executive Director Krysta Souleyrette said in a release: “This project represents an exciting new chapter for tourism and quality of life in Elizabethtown. The excitement surrounding this venue continues to grow, and we look forward to welcoming residents and visitors alike when SteelGrove Amphitheater opens in spring 2027.” 

The venue is designed to host concerts, festivals, and community events. At a recent city council meeting, Tim Mattingly with Congleton Hacker said construction is about 40 to 45 percent complete. Additional information regarding the logo, programming, booking opportunities, and opening celebrations will be announced at a later time.

An area state representative was recognized by the Kentucky Chamber for her support of the commonwealth’s economy.

During the Grayson County Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Leadership event this month, Kentucky 18th District State Representative Samara Heavrin was presented with the Kentucky Chamber MVP Award in recognition of her leadership during the 2026 Kentucky General Assembly session.

According to a release from Kentucky Chamber Tuesday, recipients of the MVP Award “demonstrate exceptional leadership for Kentucky’s business community by sponsoring or carrying chamber priority legislation to final passage, leading on critical policy issues, or taking difficult votes in support of a stronger business climate.” The organization says Heavrin went above and beyond to advance policies that “strengthen Kentucky’s economy, support employers, and improve the commonwealth’s competitiveness.”

Kentucky Chamber says Heavrin served as chair of the House Families and Children Committee, and championed House Bill 6 and House Joint Resolution 50, a child care package that “reduces barriers to opening and operating child care centers, strengthens accountability, expands options for working families, and supports the child care workforce.” The Kentucky Chamber worked towards the legislation through their Kentucky Collaborative on Child Care partnership.

Learn more about the award and other initiatives on the Kentucky Chamber website.

Lawyers for Dustin Caudill, the Elizabethtown man accused of shooting and killing two men and then setting the Henon Lane residence they were in on fire in October 2024, were back in court for a pre-trial conference Tuesday.

Hardin Circuit Judge Larry Ashlock announced his orders on several motions he took under review after the previous pre-trial conference on June 2. Ashlock said he was denying the defense’s motion to bifurcate, or divide the legal proceedings into separate proceedings, stating the case as presented is within state statutes.

Caudill’s lawyers made a motion to exclude evidence related to the presence of a dog at the crime scene. The defense says mention of the dog may unfairly prejudice jurors against Caudill. Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Chris McCrary said the dog, which was rescued by firefighters who responded to the scene, will only come up in the presentation of facts in the case as one of the victims was allegedly leaning down to pet the dog when they were shot by Caudill. Ashlock denied the motion as he said it didn’t appear the dog was being used to prove anything.

The defense also made a motion for an evidentiary hearing regarding testimony from the fire investigator who investigated the arson case. Ashlock said the hearing was not necessary if the investigator only reports on the facts of their report and does not offer opinion. Ashlock asked the commonwealth to inform the court if opinion would be included in the testimony by September 30.

Caudill was not present for the hearing as he was transferred Tuesday to the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center for the state’s evaluation in response to defense mental health claims. McCrary said the commonwealth requested the defense submit their data regarding evaluations for the KCPC report. The defense said they would do so as soon as they were informed of the doctor conducting the evaluation.

Caudill’s trial is scheduled to begin October 19.