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Elizabethtown City Council approves South Korean relations position, support for Buffalo Lake concert venue design contract

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The Elizabethtown City Council met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday.

The council approved a resolution that named Hanna Yun as the city’s director of South Korean relations. The resolution described the city’s desire to have a person that could serve as a direct liaison for the city when discussing business interests with South Korean entities, and Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregeory said Yun’s name was immediately thought of by council for the role.

A resolution was also approved that supports the Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau’s awarding of a design contract for the planned outdoor music venue on Commerce Drive at Buffalo Lake. Of the 15 proposals submitted, a joint proposal from HKS Architects and CMW Architects and Engineers for $2.1 million was selected.

The council also approved a $157,000 bid from Dirt Works Unlimited for the Jackson Street sewer project, as well as a $225,000 bid from Carl and Anne Swope to purchase a city-owned property at 210 Helm Street.

Council Member Marty Fulkerson praised fellow council member Julia Springsteen for appearing before a Kentucky General Assembly committee last week to voice her opposition to a bill concerning the commercial sale of dogs, and praised Mayor Gregory and City Attorney Ken Howard for their appearances opposing the moratorium annexation bill.

“It is not good for the city,” Fulkerson said. “It is not good for economic development, not only for the City of E-town, but for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and the ramifications of this is going to be huge if this thing gets passed up there, so I appreciate the mayor going up, and Ken (Howard) was up testifying on Thursday as well.”

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet for a work session on February 26.

Grayson County man in custody after defying orders from deputies to drop gun

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William J. Litteral of Big Clifty was charged with Menacing, second degree Disorderly Conduct, first degree Fleeing or Evading Police, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon following his arrest Monday.

The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office says a resident called the sheriff’s office at approximately 1 p.m. on February 19 in order to have officers trespass someone from their property. Deputies were also alerted about a man reportedly standing on Morrison Road in Big Clifty holding a gun and threatening people.

After arriving on scene, deputies were informed by a passing motorist that a man was walking down the road carrying a gun. Deputies located the suspect, later identified as Litteral, and activated their vehicle’s lights and siren. Litteral then reportedly drew the weapon to his side and continued walking away from the deputies.

The sheriff’s office says Litteral was given multiple commands to drop the weapon, but he continued walking. After continued negotiations, Litteral eventually put the gun on the ground, but refused to move away from it. After more commands went unanswered, a deputy deployed his TASER, and Litteral was taken into custody. He was lodged in the Grayson County Detention Center.

Hodgenville man arrested after setting fire to own property

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A fire in Hodgenville resulted in a man’s arrest.

The Hodgenville Police Department was the first agency on the scene Monday morning for a reported structure fire at a residence on the 400 block of Campbellsville Road. Upon arrival shortly after 4:30 a.m., responding officers saw a garage on the property was on fire and alerted the Hodgenville Fire Department.

The fire spread from the garage to an adjacent trailer on the same property. Surrounding homes were also damaged in the blaze. The two structures that caught fire directly were deemed a total loss.

Nobody was located at the property at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. The HPD says the investigation eventually revealed that Jimmy Puckett, the property’s resident, started the fire, and told officers he “set the fire in order to go to jail.”

The investigation into the incident is ongoing. Puckett was lodged in the LaRue County Detention Center on a Second Degree Arson charge.

Kentucky voter registration up for tenth consecutive month

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The Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office says this November’s election could have the highest voter turnout in decades as January marked the tenth consecutive month of increased voter registration.

The Secretary of State’s Office says 6,700 new voter registrations were made in January, while 6,156 were removed. Of those removed, about 5,000 were for deceased voters, 578 were for voters convicted of felonies, and 325 moved out of state.

The Secretary of State’s Office says Republican registration rose by 2,111 in January, bringing total Republican registration in the state to about 46 percent of the electorate. Democratic registration in January decreased by 2,751, with Democratic registration representing about 44 percent of the electorate. Other party registration went up 1,184 in January.

The deadline to register for the May 21 primary election is April 22. Ahead of that, voters in three Hardin County precincts will cast ballots in a special election on March 19 to fill the vacated Kentucky House of Representatives District 26 seat. Today is the deadline for write-in candidates to register for that race.

Visit the state election website, govote.ky.gov, or contact your county clerk’s office for more election information.

Residents advised to be aware of burning restrictions during Spring Wildfire Hazard Season

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Area residents are advised to be mindful of outdoor burning as Kentucky’s Spring Wildfire Hazard Season is in effect from now through April 30.

“This area, you drive out in the county, you’ve got a lot of wooded areas around the fields,” said Radcliff Fire Department Deputy Fire Marshal Tomy Crane. “What we have sometimes is the grass in the field will actually catch fire and then that carries it into the wooded area, so that’s something that we have to watch for if the area is real dry.”

Crane says fire incidents can come from unexpected sources.

“I’ve been on fires where it’s been anything from a flicked cigarette to a farmer,” Crane said. “He’s bushhogging his corn stalk stubble, and he has a bearing overheat, and I’ve actually had where the fire actually spreads, it’ll have little spot fires all throughout his field because he didn’t realize it was catching things on fire as he drove around.”

During Wildfire Hazard Season, it is illegal to start any fires within 150 feet of any woodland or brushland between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. unless the ground is completely covered in snow.

Crane says check with local jurisdictions on other open burning regulations, and never leave any fire unattended. Crane also said if you plan on doing any burning, give local fire crews a head’s up.

“It’s always good to call 911, the non-emergency line, and just let them know that you’re planning on doing a controlled burn so that that way they have an idea, so if there is a callout for a possible fire then they can say ‘oh, well, we know there’s a controlled burn in this area,’” Crane said.

Find more information on Kentucky’s outdoor burning laws at eec.ky. gov.