WQXE News

The 2026 primary election is coming up on Tuesday, May 19, and several important dates ahead of the election are just over a month out.

“April 4 is the first day to request an absentee ballot,” said Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith during last week’s Hardin County Fiscal Court meeting. “It’s easy to request at govote.ky.gov or you can call the election line of our clerk’s office at 270-765-6762. April 20 is the last day to register to vote in the May primary. You can do that again at the clerk’s office or at govote.ky.gov.”

The last day to request an absentee ballot is May 5.

Smith says you can still update your address on your voter registration if you have moved, but you cannot change your party affiliation.

“The deadline to do that was December 31,” Smith said. “If you change your party affiliation, you will be ineligible to vote in the primary in May, so just hold off on that if you need to make that change. Update your address, and make sure you’re registered.”

Smith said polling locations for this election cycle will be the same as the previous election cycle.

“We will have all days of in-person excused voting in the clerk’s office,” Smith said. “Early voting will be at the clerk’s office and Colvin Community Center, and for Election Day voting we have 15 locations to make it easy regardless of where you’re living and working, and just like in past years you can choose any location. It doesn’t matter which precinct you’re registered in, you can choose any of these locations.”

Find the list of polling locations on the clerk’s office’s website, and find more election information at govote.ky.gov.

Shelbi Saylor says a day does not go by that she does not feel the loss of her mother, Rhonda Aebersold, in every part of her life.

Saylor says Aebersold loved the Meade County community, and her family needs that community’s help.

“Anyone who has heard anything or knows something and doesn’t say anything is protecting who’s responsible for this,” Saylor said. “Please come forward with your information, no matter how small. My mother’s life mattered, and I will never stop fighting for her.”

Meade County Sheriff Phillip Wimpee hosted a press conference at the Meade County Courthouse Friday to call more attention to Aebersold’s case. Aebersold was found dead in her home on Old Mill Road on June 5, 2023.

Detective Danny Knell is the lead investigator on the case, which he said is an ongoing homicide investigation.

“Every lead is fully investigated,” Knell said. “There is no lead, no small lead, that will go uninvestigated.”

Knell said leads have produced new persons of interest who are being investigated, and Wimpee said the sheriff’s office is waiting on testing to be completed on evidence that was sent to the Kentucky State Police forensic lab.

Wimpee said “this is going to be a solvable case.”

“One reason is: I’m not giving up on it,” Wimpee said. “I’m not just going to let dust grow on a case file. This is every day, every hour of every day, that we are taking care of this case.”

Saylor maintains the Facebook page Justice for Rhonda Aebersold, and said a $3,000 reward is available for new information on the case. If you have information, contact the Meade County Sheriff’s Office at 270-422-4937, the Kentucky State Police, or your local law enforcement agency.

The Lincoln Trail Area Development District announced “a significant new investment in regional safety and resilience” Thursday with their new partnership with DARCI, Disaster Awareness and Ready Communities.

According to LTADD, Breckinridge County successfully implemented the program, and LTADD’s expansion to include Grayson, Hardin, LaRue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, and Washington counties creates a “unified, disaster ready corridor in Central Kentucky.”

“By partnering with DARCI, we are ensuring that our region isn’t just reacting to disasters, but more importantly, we are actively preparing to lead our own recovery,” said LTADD Executive Director Daniel London. “With this investment from DARCI, our member counties, and by extension their residents, will have meaningful preparedness and recovery support if disaster were to strike.”

LTADD says the investment from DARCI will cover the deployment of specialized technology and training that will support local leaders, nonprofits, and residents. Key benefits of the program include a digital lockbox for residents, real-time coordination, proven speed, and regional collaboration.

Learn more about the program at www.darciready.com. Residents can also contact LTADD for more information.