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Domestic violence incident lands Vine Grove man in jail

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A Vine Grove man is in custody after a domestic violence incident in Meade County.

Donald R. Brown faces first degree Strangulation and fourth degree Assault charges following his arrest Saturday.

According to Kentucky State Police Post Four, shortly after midnight on February 7 troopers received a domestic violence report from a victim who was at a Dollar General in Meade County. The victim said she “had been strangled during an altercation and fell from a vehicle, striking her head.”

Brown reportedly fled the scene following the incident and returned to his residence on Jennings Knob Road in Meade County. The KSP says troopers responded to the residence but Brown refused to exit. Troopers requested and were granted a search warrant for the residence which was then executed by the KSP Special Response Team. Brown was taken into custody without incident at around 7:30 a.m.

Brown is currently incarcerated in the Meade County Detention Center.

(Photo Credit: Meade County Detention Center)

Central Kentucky Community Action Council seeking public input

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The Central Kentucky Community Action Council is requesting public input for its 2026 Community Needs Assessment, part of the organization’s efforts to identify the underlying causes of poverty and to determine the most urgent needs of Lincoln Trail region residents.

According to a release from the council, the needs assessment helps the organization ensure its programs “are effectively targeting the real-world challenges faced by local families.” A needs assessment is required annually to meet federal guidelines.

“The Community Needs Assessment is the first phase of our strategic planning cycle,” said CKCAC Executive Director Bryan Conover. “It allows us to ground our work in data and direct community input, ensuring we implement services that truly lift families out of poverty and toward self-sufficiency.”

Data gathered through the needs assessment helps the council prioritize resources, identify gaps in coverage, and plan strategically. Any resident in Breckinridge, Grayson, Hardin, LaRue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, and Washington counties is encouraged to submit input.

The survey is available at ckcac.org and only takes a few minutes to complete. The deadline to submit a response is February 27. Visit the website to learn more.

Support animal shelters by picking up the Kentucky Spay or Neuter specialty plate

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February is Spay/Neuter Awareness Month, and the Hardin County Clerk’s Office is encouraging local vehicle owners to support animal shelters across the commonwealth by purchasing the recently re-designed Spay or Neuter specialty plate.

According to a release from the Clerk’s Office, the Kentucky Animal Control Advisory Board held a design contest for the first makeover of the plate in more than 20 years, selecting a design created by Kentucky artist Hayli Strickland “featuring a playful ‘peek-a-boo’ design of a kitten and dog’”. The Clerk’s Office says adding the plate is easy for any customer who visits the Radcliff or Elizabethtown Clerk’s Office locations.

Elizabethtown City Council Member Julia Springsteen is the co-chair of the Animal Control Advisory Board. She says picking the Spay or Neuter plate when you register your vehicle or renew your registration supports the animal population.

“The Animal Control Advisory Board’s mission is to distribute revenue from the sale and renewal of the Spay/Neuter license plate, and those monies go out in the form of spay/neuter grants to animal shelters across the state, including the Hardin County Animal Shelter,” Springsteen said.

The new plate comes at a time when shelters everywhere are struggling with demand.

“Shelter Animals Count reports the average intake for Kentucky shelters is 319 dogs and 322 cats each month, and adoptions are only about a third of those numbers, so we hope this encourages people to be very public about their support for spaying and neutering pets,” Springsteen said. “Every animal fixed outside of a shelter gives a shelter animal a better chance at getting a new family.”

Sales of the plate have generated more $600,000 in grants, covering more than 17,000 procedures statewide.

Contact the Clerk’s Office or visit drive.ky.gov for more information.

Kentuckians encouraged to search state unclaimed property database

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The Kentucky Treasurer’s Office encourages Kentuckians to search for unclaimed property in their name. 

National Unclaimed Property Day was observed on February 1, and Kentucky Treasurer Mark H. Metcalf says residents should take a few minutes to see if the commonwealth is holding money that belongs to them by searching for unclaimed property at treasury.ky.gov or at missingmoney.com.

According to the Treasurer’s Office, each year millions of dollars in unclaimed property such as forgotten bank accounts, uncashed checks, insurance proceeds, and utility deposits are turned over to the state treasury for safe keeping. The Treasurer’s Office works to locate rightful owners and return those funds, with Metcalf stating that $86 million has been returned since he took office in 2024.

The Treasurer’s Office says people can search for unclaimed property for deceased loved ones on the existing database to see if they have unclaimed assets or funds. The state’s unclaimed property fund “contains assets worth a total of nearly $800 million.”

Unclaimed property claims are processed by the Treasurer’s Office at no charge. Assets are reported in the name and Social Security number of the owner along with additional information if available. Visit treasury.ky.gov/unclaimedproperty to learn more.

Unemployment decreases in all 120 Kentucky counties in December

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Unemployment rates in the Lincoln Trail District, and Kentucky as a whole, saw declines in December.

The Kentucky Center for Statistics says unemployment rates decreased in all 120 counties when comparing December 2025 with December 2024.

The state unemployment average for December was 3.5 percent. That’s down from the 4.4 percent average reported in November 2025 and from the December 2024 average of 5 percent.

Hardin County’s unemployment rate for December came in above the state average at 4.1 percent. That is a decrease from the November rate of 5 percent and from December 2024 when the rate was reported at 5.5 percent.

The unemployment average for the Lincoln Trail District in December was 3.8 percent. Grayson County posted the highest unemployment rate in the district at 4.6 percent. Washington County posted the lowest unemployment rate in the district, and tied for the seventh-lowest rate in the state, at 3 percent.

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