The Hardin County Chamber of Commerce held its monthly luncheon on Wednesday. The keynote speaker at the event was President and CEO of Baptist Health Hardin, Rob Ramey, who provided an overview of the changes that are taking place right now. “I’ve been in Elizabethtown at Baptist Health Hardin for just over two and a half months now. I am excited and looking forward to the future. We’ve got so many neat projects going on right now. We’ve added new technologies, we’ve brought in some new providers as well, just in that short time frame. And we’ve got the large construction project going on behind the hospital. It’s almost $250 million in investment into the medical facilities so that we can continue to advance the care right here,” said Ramey who also gave an update on construction and information about some of the new technology coming. “We are looking to open the new medical pavilion in late 2024. We’ve had the opportunity to continue to plan for the services that are going to go into that facility. We’ve got new operating rooms and cath labs as well as just a new cancer center. Valet services for the patients arriving. So we’re so excited about it. We just have to get through the next eighteen months or so. And we can’t wait to make it a reality for our community.” During the expo portion of the event, dozens of health and human services groups set up to share information about the services they provide the community.
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Three Hardin County residents have been indicted on child abuse charges from an incident that took place in January. On January 9, 25 year old Clovis Smith and 23 year old Satrina Layne, both of Rineyville, were taken into custody after they took Smith’s son to the hospital when Smith found the child unresponsive in the home. “Hardin County Department for Community Based Services contacted KSP regarding a five-year-old that was originally brought into Baptist Health Hardin with serious physical injuries. The child was later airlifted to Norton’s Children’s Hospital in Louisville for treatment of what was described as life threatening injuries,” stated Kentucky State Police Public Affairs Officer Scotty Sharp. Smith, Layne and 45 year old Jessica Jackson were all indicted on two counts of 1st degree Criminal Abuse of a Child on February 23. All three are lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center.
The Kentucky Association of Manufacturers has announced the 2023 Coolest Thing Made in Kentucky tournament. The bracket style tournament allows Kentuckians to nominate what they believe is the coolest product made in the commonwealth. Any product using a manufacturing process made in Kentucky is eligible to be nominated. Nominations are open until March 19. On March 21 voting to narrow the field to the top 16 products will start. Round one of the bracket will begin on March 28 , round two on April 4 and the finals round will be held April 18 through April 23. The final winner will be announced April 28. Nominate your favorite products at CoolestThingKY.com
The Hardin County Leadership Class is working to build a community dog park in the city of Vine Grove. “The dog park is going to be a ten thousand square foot area. It’s going to have a large dog area and a small dog area. To get some of the funds we’re using Give270 March 29 through April 5. And we also have a GoFundMe. You can visit the City of Vine Grove Facebook page, and that’s where it’s at,” said member Shane Witt. The group also has corporate sponsorship opportunities available. “We identified three initial tiers – $500, $1,000 and $1,500 – and based on those sponsorships would get you different signage at the park. So if corporate or businesses want to – or individuals – want to sponsor one of those tiers, if they don’t want to do that through GoFundMe, they can also mail the donation directly to the city of Vine Grove. Just designate it as dog park somewhere so that they know how to identify that on the donation. But we hope to have the project done by May 15. We all graduate June 1. So a quick turn around for a project of this size,” said member Lisa Wise. This project will add to the all-inclusive playground, splash pad and activities available at Optimist Park. For more information or to donate go to the Vine Grove City Hall Facebook page.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers held a public hearing Tuesday night to discuss the implementation of interim risk reduction measures at Rough River Lake. The measures include reducing the summer pool water level to 490 feet which is 5 feet below the normal pool along with a delayed fill date of April 1 to reduce stress on the dam. The levels would have to remain in place for the completion of the project which is expected to take six years. The Corps of Engineers wanted to address concerns about the impacts on recreation. Based on data from previous summers with pools at similar levels, the Corps of Engineers stated the impacts should be minimal. Eighteen of twenty-one boat ramps will still be accessible and there should be limited impacts to marinas. North Fork Beach and State Park Beach will be closed but Laurel Branch Public Use Beach will be open. Axtel will remain open to campers of the campground only. All Corps of Engineers managed campgrounds will remain open. As far as private docks, approximately 60% may be impacted. Private dock permit holders will need to coordinate with the project office to determine if a temporary extension or relocation is possible. Additional information can be found on the project website.