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First of three CASA of the Heartland Light the Night 5K events this Friday

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CASA of the Heartland is raising awareness for the most vulnerable children in the community with three Light the Night 5K Superhero Run/Walk events, the first of which is coming up in Hardin County this week.

“Our one here in Elizabethtown is going to be at the Sports Park on Friday, May 8, and kickoff time, it’s always a weird time because it’s sunset, so the kickoff time, air horn time is at 8:42 p.m.,” said CASA of the Heartland Executive Director Michelle Kail.

Food trucks and vendors will be on hand for the event, and glow and superhero items will be available. Participants are encouraged to “go all out” with the superhero theme.

“The reason that we do the Light the Night Superhero edition is because we know that our CASA volunteers are providing a light in some of the darkest times for the kiddos that we serve, and to us, they’re kind of like our real life community superheroes,” Kail said.

CASA of the Heartland recruits, trains, and supports community volunteers who advocate on behalf of abused, neglected, and dependent children in Breckinridge, Grayson, Hardin, Hart, LaRue, and Meade counties.

“It really is just whatever we need to do to step up and make sure that their needs are being met, and then whatever we can do with the courts to help them navigate that situation to make sure that they have everything that they need and that their needs there are met,” Kail said.

Meade County will host a 5K in June and Grayson County will host in August. Participants can register for one event or all three. Find more information and the registration link on the CASA of the Heartland Facebook page or website.

Beshear highlights Ford commitment to Glendale, industrial park development

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Governor Andy Beshear highlighted economic development efforts in Hardin County during his Team Kentucky Update Thursday.

The governor announced the latest projects approved for funding from the Kentucky Product Development Initiative, which aims to “boost investment in site and building upgrades to support future, good-paying jobs and economic growth across the commonwealth.”

“Today, we continued investing in those efforts in 11 projects supporting future job growth and investments across 11 counties,” Beshear said. “Those projects were approved for $12.98 million in state funding to improve available sites.”

Included in the approved projects is $2 million for the Elizabethtown-Hardin County Industrial Foundation and the City of Elizabethtown to prepare the Gil Nicely Sr. Industrial Park for future industrial development, with site readiness improvements “including the extension of utilities, roadway access, grading, and other essential infrastructure.”

Beshear also discussed Ford Motor Company’s conversion of the BlueOval SK facility in Glendale to manufacture energy storage systems. Beshear said Ford assumed all of the obligations for the original BlueOval economic development agreement which targeted 5,000 new jobs, but the state and the company agreed on new terms.

“Basically, the changes in the loan agreement itself just gives Ford a little more time, given what happened with the dissolution, but Ford also agrees to put that extra $2 billion in and agrees that it will at least try to reach those 5,000 jobs and pay back a portion of that loan agreement, depending on how many jobs they fall short, on a calendar that has the different timelines for when different thresholds have to be met,” Beshear said.

Ford previously announced a $2 billion investment to convert the Glendale facility, creating at least 2,100 new full-time jobs.

Lincoln Trail counties see improved unemployment numbers for February

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Unemployment rates in the Lincoln Trail District in February saw increases from January, but are down compared to the year prior.

The Kentucky Center for Statistics says unemployment rates decreased in 119 counties and remained the same in one when comparing February 2026 with February 2025.

The state unemployment average for February was 4.8 percent. That’s up from the 4.4 percent average reported in January and down from the February 2025 average of 5.5 percent.

Hardin County’s unemployment rate for February came in above the state average at 5.3 percent. That is an increase from the January rate of 4.8 percent but is a decrease from February 2025 when the rate was reported at 5.9 percent.

The unemployment average for the Lincoln Trail District in February was 5.3 percent. Grayson County posted the highest unemployment rate in the district at 6.4 percent followed by Breckinridge County at 5.7 percent. Washington County posted the lowest unemployment rate in the district, and tied for the ninth-lowest in the state, at 4 percent.

Learn more about how the unemployment rate is calculated and find more labor market information by visiting kystats.ky.gov.

Community members invited to Vine Grove Roots Initiative meeting

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Vine Grove resident Shannon Rickey says seeing rates of food insecurity across the community increase, along with a desire to see more community connection, prompted her to create the Vine Grove Roots Initiative, with an initial goal of creating a community garden.

“What it kind of developed into was not just a space for a community garden, but also for a place for us to come together, educate each other, learn from each other, converse with each other, get back to being a community again, knowing your neighbors, and also doing something good for our community,” Rickey says.

Rickey says the plan is to create the community garden at Scheible Park, then form a 501(c)3 organization to maintain the initiative well into the future.

“I just am hoping that we can keep the momentum going,” Rickey says. “This is not just a hobby garden project that we’re gonna do this summer. This is something that, the vision is something that is self-sustaining.”

Rickey is inviting community members interested in helping move the initiative forward to attend the organizing committee meeting to be held at Vine Grove City Hall Monday at 7 p.m. following the city council meeting.

“We need everybody at the table, so come meet with us and share your voice, your experience, your background,” Rickey says. “We have a wealth of knowledge in this community, and that’s what I’m hoping to draw to the meeting on Monday.”

Visit the Vine Grove Roots Initiative Facebook page for more information.

Louisville man flees scene of collision that injured KSP trooper

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A man is in custody after fleeing the scene of a traffic incident on Dixie Highway that sent a Kentucky State Police trooper to the hospital.

The Kentucky State Police says the three-vehicle collision occurred Wednesday near the 15000 block of Dixie Highway near Valley Station.

According to the KSP, the preliminary investigation indicates a vehicle operated by David Huggins of Louisville was travelling south on Dixie Highway when the vehicle collided with a southbound pickup truck operated by Michael Nugent of Shepherdsville. The pickup truck spun into the northbound lanes, where it was struck by a marked KSP cruiser operated by KSP Post Four Trooper Lukas Jones.

Trooper Jones was transported to Jewish Hospital in Louisville for treatment of minor injuries and later released. Nugent was transported to the University of Louisville Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Huggins fled the scene following the collision, traveling south on Dixie Highway towards Radcliff. He was later found in Vine Grove and taken into custody on two counts of second degree Assault, one count of Leaving the Scene of an Accident, and one count of Driving Under the Influence.

The Vine Grove Police Department was among the agencies that assisted the KSP. The KSP Critical Incident Response Team’s investigation is ongoing.