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All welcome to help raise awareness for veteran suicide prevention during Be the One Walk

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American Legion Post 113 invites the public to help raise awareness for veteran suicide prevention during their Be the One Walk, which will be taking place this Saturday in Elizabethtown.

“The distance of the walk is 2.2 miles,” said Tom Folsom with the Legion post.” We’ll leave the Southeast Christian Church and we’ll walk to the traffic circle and back, and it comes out to be 2.2 miles which represents the 22 veterans a day who commit suicide.”

Daniel O’Dell with the Legion post says all are welcome to participate in the walk and help spread the message.

“We can’t have enough attention to the mental health of our military and veterans,” O’Dell said. “It’s just something that a lot of times during that transition, we don’t take care of enough, so when we raise awareness like this, it lets not just our military and veterans know that we are there for them, but the public let them know that, ‘hey, we’re going to support you no matter what you are going through.’”

No registration is required. Participants should get to the Southeast Christian Church, located at 600 North Dixie Highway in Elizabethtown, by 7:45 a.m. Saturday, with the walk beginning at 8.

“Even if you can’t walk the whole route and you can just show up to show your support, that’s very important to do that,” Folsom said. “Even if you can’t get around and get down to the two miles, please just show up and show your support to bring awareness to veteran suicide.”

Contact Folsom at the Legion post or visit the American Legion Hardin Post 113 Facebook page for more information.

Local drives available as American Red Cross urges blood donations

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The American Red Cross is in need of donations of all types of blood, with an emergency need for Type O donations.

According to the Red Cross, someone in the United States needs blood and/or platelets every two seconds, with approximately 29,000 units of red blood cells needed every day. Red Cross Account Manager Tammy Ritchie says the summer months tend to see a strain on the blood supply as a dip in donations is seen.

“ “People are traveling, so people aren’t donating,” Ritchie said. “Our high school and college donors are between 25 and 30 percent of our blood supply. Most of them are not in, so we will see a dip here very soon.”

Area residents looking to support the blood supply have several opportunities over the next week. American Legion Hardin Post 113 is hosting drives from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Monday, the LaRue County Public Library is hosting a drive on Thursday, July 24, and blood drives will be held at the Colvin Community Center in Radcliff and the Pritchard Community Center in Elizabethtown on Friday, July 25.

Donors who donate between now and July 31 will receive a Fandango movie reward. Learn more and schedule an appointment by visiting www.redcrossblood.org.

Attorneys for Joseph Lawson requesting new trial

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One of the men convicted in the Crystal Rogers investigation is requesting a new trial.

Attorneys for Joseph Lawson, who on July 8 was found guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Murder and Tampering with Physical Evidence for his role in the disappearance of Rogers, filed a “Motion for the Judgement Notwithstanding the Verdict, or In the Alternative, Motion for a New Trial” with the Nelson Circuit Court Monday.

Lawson’s attorneys argue in the motion that his case should have been severed from Brooks Houck, who was found guilty of Murder and Tampering with Physical Evidence in the same trial as Lawson. The motion states: “The introduction of Brooks Houck’s recorded statements without him being subject to cross-examination denied (Lawson) his right to present a defense and his right to confrontation.”

The motion also states that the conviction of Steven Lawson a month prior to the Houck/Lawson trial “was an elephant in the room the entire trial.” The motion argues that the court denied Joseph Lawson’s defense the opportunity to strike jurors with knowledge of Steven Lawson’s case which was featured in Warren County media, and therefore Joseph Lawson’s case was subject to pretrial publicity.

The motion also raises concerns with what the defense argues is “prejudicial over-simplification of the requirements for a Murder conviction” in Houck’s case spilling over into Lawson’s case, along with concerns with instructions given to the jury prior to deliberations.

The motion will be heard during Lawson’s sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for August 21 in Nelson Circuit Court.

One dead, two injured after Nelson County crash

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The Kentucky State Police is investigating a fatal collision that occurred in Nelson County Monday.

According to KSP Post Four, at around 3 p.m. on July 14 Nelson County Dispatch requested troopers investigate a two-vehicle collision near the intersection of Boston Road and Bennett Lane.

The KSP says the preliminary investigation indicates that 77-year-old Laura Gilpin of Bardstown was operating a westbound vehicle on Boston Road when for unknown reasons the vehicle crossed the center line. Gilpin’s vehicle then struck an eastbound vehicle.

Gilpin was transported to Flaget Memorial Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. The driver of the eastbound vehicle and a juvenile passenger were transported to University of Louisville Hospital for treatment on non-life-threatening injuries.

Boston Road was closed for several hours in the area of the crash to allow for accident reconstruction. The investigation of the collision remains ongoing.