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Woman killed, two injured in crash at Ring Road and Dixie Avenue intersection

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The Elizabethtown Police Department is investigating a fatal accident that occurred Wednesday evening.

“Shortly before 7:30 Wednesday evening, we responded to a serious motor vehicle collision at the intersection of Ring Road and Dixie Highway,” said EPD Public Information Officer Chris Denham. “A preliminary investigation indicates that a Hyundai passenger car, traveling eastbound on Ring Road, collided with the rear of a Chevrolet pickup truck, which was also eastbound on Ring Road but stopped at the intersection of Dixie Highway.” 

Denham said the driver of the Hyundai, an adult female, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the pickup, an adult male, along with his juvenile passenger, were transported from the scene to Baptist Health Hardin with non-life-threatening injuries.

The EPD’s collision reconstruction team’s investigation is ongoing.

Hardin County Fiscal Court approves cemetery transfer, medical cannabis zoning

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The Hardin County Fiscal Court met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday.

A public hearing was held for a cemetery relocation. Nell Johnson requested permission to relocate graves of her family members in the Niceley Cemetery on Gaither Station Road to the Elizabethtown City Cemetery, per family wishes.

“Prior to my father’s death in 2005, he bought the burial plots and was in the process of getting everyone to be moved,” Johnson said. “There’s two graves, my mother and my grandmother, and then he passed, so it just never happened, so I think this will be the best way and then all of the family members are going to be up in the Elizabethtown Cemetery.”

County Attorney Jenny Oldham noted the relocation is of no cost to the county. A resolution approving the relocation was approved.

The court approved the first reading of an ordinance for a zoning text amendment that adds medical cannabis operations to the permitted uses in Light Industrial (I-1) or Heavy Industrial (I-2) zones in unincorporated Hardin County. The amendment was recommended by the Hardin County Planning Commission following their public hearing on the matter. Some of the magistrates objected to including dispensaries in the amendment. District One Magistrate Chris Yates said the amendment undermines the decision to put the medical cannabis decision on the ballot, and Second District Magistrate Kenny Saltsman said in addition to safety concerns the requirement puts an undue burden on law-abiding patients.

“Placing these facilities in industrial zones reinforces the outdated stigma associating them with unsavory or undesirable parts of town,” Saltsman said. “This can hinder the normalization of cannabis as a legitimate medical treatment and perpetuate negative stereotypes.”

Hardin County Judge/Executive Keith Taul issued a proclamation recognizing EMTs Shawn Thomas, Kelly Gibson, and Riley Black for going above the call of service. 

“They made a run on an elderly female in the Radcliff area who couldn’t take her medication because her water had been turned off, and they made arrangements to work with the water district to get her water turned back on so that she could take her medicine,” said Hardin County EMS Director Mark Peterson.

The Hardin County Fiscal Court will next meet October 8.

HCS Board of Education hears feedback from high school principals

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The Hardin County Board of Education met for a roundtable discussion with the district’s high school principals as part of a special meeting Tuesday.

HCS Superintendent Terry Morgan said during their summer retreat the board proposed meeting with the principals for periodic updates. The principals filled out question forms with topics such as biggest challenges, biggest successes, and what support they need from the board.

The principals said finding and training adequate staff is an ongoing challenge. The principals also expressed concerns for having adequate mental health resources available for students, with John Hardin High School Principal Mark Wells noting the impact on the school day.

“You look at it from a logistical standpoint, we need those students to get the help that they need,” Wells said. “They need that, but when? We’ve got the counselors coming from the outside and they’re pulling kids out of class, and we’re trying to create a schedule so we’re not missing math, but it’s becoming more and more difficult.”

The principals said additional financial support for extracurriculars, sports and otherwise, would be beneficial as it would allow coaches and coordinators to focus on the team or club rather than on fundraising. College View Principal Dr. Robert King and EC3 Principal Dan Robbins said expansion for their buildings is needed. Robbins said more space for EC3 means expansion for the district as a whole.

“I think if we look over the last 10 years and we think about things that have really helped our district, I think that EC3 has to be something that everyone turns to,” Robbins said. “I know it is from the outside community, because we are visited by more school districts than I had ever imagined when I took the position.”

The principals said district initiatives such as the creation of the transition coach position to help graduating students, a faculty mentor program, and technology education have proven beneficial. Each of the principals also said they felt supported by the board, the superintendent’s office, and their fellow principals, something Central Hardin Principal Tim Isaacs said hasn’t always been the case.

“I can pick up the phone and I can call anybody sitting at this table, including you all (the board). and I have a boss that I think if she found out that I picked up the phone and called one of you all wouldn’t eat my lunch over it either, and I appreciate that,” Isaacs said. “For me, that’s what it comes down to. I feel like I’ve earned my spot at the table and I want to be heard.”

The Hardin County Board of Education will next meet October 17.

Post Four troopers recognized at KSP Sworn Awards

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The Kentucky State Police honored 55 troopers from across the commonwealth during their 2023 Sworn Awards.

The KSP says the awards recognize the dedication, bravery, and extraordinary efforts of the more than 1,000 sworn personnel serving in the agency, the highest number of troopers employed since 2017.

Awards presented at the ceremony highlight the efforts of troopers during the year as well as individual acts of service.

From the local post, Detective Casey Keown was named Post Four Detective of the Year, and Trooper Chase Shouse was named Post Four Trooper of the Year.

Post Four Detective Anthony Hardin II was named the West Drug Enforcement and Special Investigations Unit Detective of the Year, as well as the overall KSP Detective of the Year.

Post Four Trooper Dillon Spencer, Detective Issac Atwell, and Sergeant Blake Owens received Citation for Bravery awards, while Trooper Blaine Miller received the Lifesaving Medal.

The KSP says in 2023 personnel responded to more than 407,000 requests for assistance and served other duties such as conducting wellness checks, assisting local law enforcement agencies, and continued to fight against the drug epidemic. 

A full list of award recipients can be found on the KSP website.