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The Kentucky State Police is investigating a fatal accident on the Western Kentucky Parkway.
The KSP says Post Four troopers were requested by the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office just before 1:30 p.m. on June 4 to investigate a two-vehicle collision near the 116 mile marker between the Clarkson and White Mills exits. According to the KSP, the preliminary investigation indicates that 28-year-old Kelsey Dunn of Elkton was traveling east in her vehicle when she lost control operating in heavy rainfall. The vehicle crossed the median and ended up in the path of a westbound semi-tractor trailer.
Dunn was pronounced dead at the scene by the Grayson County Coroner’s Office. The operator of the semi reported no injuries.
Dunn was the director of bands at North Hardin High School. Hardin County Schools Superintendent Teresa Morgan said in a release:
“Generations will feel the impact Ms. Dunn made on students, her fellow staff members, the school, alumni, band boosters, and our community. She cultivated and nurtured relationships with students and ensured that their performances and presentations represented North Hardin High School with class, respect, and dignity. Ms. Dunn was passionate about her students and their well-being. She was more than a teacher; she was a mentor and a friend to all she encountered. Her dedication to North Hardin was immeasurable. She gave so much of herself to her bands and NHHS as a whole.”
The HCS Crisis Response Team will be at North Hardin High School beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday to meet with students and staff in need of support.
The crash was one of three that impacted the area Tuesday, along with a westbound Western Kentucky Parkway accident near mile marker 124 involving an overturned semi hauling lumber and a crash that resulted in spilled cargo on Interstate 65 in Hart County.
“That northbound crash just north of Munfordville blocked traffic until about 6:30 p.m. down there local time, and then on the Western Kentucky Parkway that westbound crash near mile marker 116 cleared around 5:30 p.m. local time and the eastbound crash near White Mills cleared around 8:30 p.m.,” said Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Four Public Information Officer Chris Jessie.
The heavy rain impacted efforts to clear debris from the accidents.
Attorneys for Crystal Rogers investigation suspect Brooks Houck maintain that he will only get a fair trial if he is tried separately from fellow suspects Joseph and Steven Lawson.
Houck’s defense filed a sur-reply with the Nelson Circuit Court Monday, responding to Special Prosecutor Shane Young’s response to the defense’s initial objection to trying Houck and the Lawsons in the same trial. Young said in a response filed May 16 that it is important to try the three together in order for the jury to see the prosecution’s argument that the three worked together to cover-up the crimes committed.
Houck’s defense maintains in their response that if the three are tried together, Houck will have no way of cross-examining the Lawsons, and he would have no way of discrediting testimony from Steven Lawson Houck’s defense says was “concocted at the behest of law enforcement in hopes of obtaining immunity he was once promised if he ‘told the truth.’” The defense says it would be impossible for the jury to follow instructions that separate rulings on Houck from rulings on the Lawsons.
The defense says any proceedings in a joint trial would ultimately be thrown out as they violate Houck’s Fifth and Sixth amendment rights as well as Kentucky law.
Houck and the Lawsons are scheduled to make their next court appearances at a pre-trial conference set for June 13.
The Hardin County Public Library invites kids and adults alike to participate in their 2024 Summer Reading Program, which runs now through July 20.
“For our kids we’ve got a full programming calendar,” said HCPL Head of Youth Services Becca Isaacs. “There’s all sorts of fun stuff to do just about every day of the week if they just want to stop by. We also have some reading challenges to encourage them to read over the summer and try to keep their skills fresh.”
Isaacs says summer reading is good for kids as they are away from the classroom.
“The summer slides a big deal, especially with our schools where they have those two months off and they start to get a little rusty on their skills, but this way they’re keeping their minds sharp, keeping themselves interested,” Isaacs said.
The theme for Summer Reading 2024 is “Adventure Begins at Your Library.”
“We’ve got some fun challenges set up like little help-wanted boards, and they track how many minutes they’ve read with a little dungeon crawl reading log that they can keep track of on there,” Isaacs said. “For our grown-ups, our adult services department has a time log as well so they can keep track of how long they’ve read this summer and win some cool stuff.”
Anybody interested in participating can swing by the library, located at 100 Jim Owen Drive in Elizabethtown, or visit the Hardin County Public Library website or Facebook page.