WQXE News

The Kentucky State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division will be targeting unsafe driving behavior that can lead to crashes involving commercial vehicles and passenger cars as they participate in Operation SafeDRIVE this week.

The “DRIVE” in Operation SafeDRIVE stands for “Distracted Reckless Impaired Visibility Enforcement.” The KSP will be participating in the national law enforcement effort Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

KSP commercial vehicle inspectors will open scale facilities to ensure commercial drivers are following safety regulations such as hours of service compliance, medical certifications, and proper licensing and credentialing. Motorists can help truck drivers on the road by:

-Staying out of blind spots

-Passing safely by checking mirrors and using turn signals

-Paying attention to not cut off large vehicles

-Avoiding tailgating.

The KSP says statistics show that 62 percent of fatal large truck accidents involve two or more vehicles.

Operation SafeDRIVE is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Our Roads, Our Safety campaign. Visit the DOT on the web to learn more.

Two juveniles are in custody after attempting to break into vehicles in Elizabethtown.

Hardin County Sheriff John Ward says deputies received a call at around 4:30 a.m. Saturday regarding a group of suspicious individuals attempting to break into parked cars in the Tunnel Hill Road area.

“When they arrived, they noticed two vehicles that matched the description, and when they made contact, the vehicles fled,” Ward said. “At the time they fled, they tried to run over a deputy. One of the vehicles wrecked just up the street. Ran into a ditch.”

After wrecking, two occupants, later identified as juveniles from Jefferson County, attempted to flee on foot but were apprehended by officers with the Elizabethtown Police Department who had also responded to the scene. Ward says the investigation shows the suspects were attempting to flee in stolen vehicles.

“They were all juveniles, apparently,” Ward said. “I know the two that were apprehended were juveniles. Both of them were armed. They were charged with multiple offenses, and both of them were lodged in a juvenile detention facility.”

Ward says the incident is a reminder for area residents to remain vigilant.

“We can’t stress enough: if your vehicle is in your driveway, it doesn’t matter what valuables you have inside of it, lock your car,” Ward said. “It’s important to keep your car locked, even if you’re only going to be there for a short time, lock your vehicle, and also, for sure, lock your home.”

Deputies believe three other juveniles fled the scene in a stolen white Dodge Ram. Anybody with possible information is asked to contact Deputies Daniel Shumate or Andy Short with the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office at 270-765-5133.

Area business, government, and community members were in Leitchfield Friday to celebrate two efforts to help revive the downtown public square.

The Grayson County Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting for Elmore’s Big 7 Furniture, located at 32 Public Square in Leitchfield. Shortly after that, the crowd went across the square to the Alice Theatre for a ribbon cutting celebrating the re-opening of the theatre and the Alexander Hotel.

Robin Elmore said the road may not have been easy, but being part of the Leitchfield community is a rewarding experience.

“It’s been a blessing,” Elmore said. “It’s been tiresome, and it’s wonderful. I mean, we have had a year and a half of putting this back together and trying to restore it back to this original status, but also trying to bring it up to date and put a little modern flair to it, but it’s been awesome and the support of the community that we’ve had has been amazing.”

Robert McKinzie and his wife Mandi said their work on the theatre and hotel is an investment in the community’s future.

“What we hoped for was that whatever we did would inspire others to do something even more in the community to bring more life back into it, to allow great things to happen in Grayson County,” McKinzie said.

Grayson County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director April Spalding said community partners like the Elmores and McKinzies are critical.

“They put a lot of time and effort and money into it, and they have made big decisions and big, big donations to our community just by rehabbing these buildings,” Spalding said.

Learn more about Elmore’s Big 7 Furniture, the Alice Theatre, and the Alexander Hotel by finding their pages on Facebook.