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A multi-vehicle accident on the Bluegrass Parkway resulted in multiple fatalities.
“At approximately 5:10 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, deputies were dispatched to the 6 mile marker of the Bluegrass Parkway Westbound in regards to a motor vehicle accident with possible entrapment,” said Hardin County Sheriff John Ward.
The sheriff’s office’s investigation of the accident indicates four vehicles were involved.
“The Unit One vehicle struck Unit Two in the eastbound lanes of travel, lost control of the vehicle, exited the roadway, crossed the median, went airborne, and ultimately struck Unit Three head on in the westbound lanes of travel,” Ward said. “Unit Three then struck Unit Four in the front passenger side.”
The driver of Unit One, 30-year-old Shirley Fuqua of Elizabethtown, was pronounced dead at the scene, as were the driver and passenger of Unit Three, 58-year-old Leslie Parson and 55-year-old William Parson, both of Bowling Green. The drivers of Unit Two and Unit Four were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The Hardin County Sheriff’s Office Reconstruction Unit’s investigation of the crash is ongoing. The Bluegrass Parkway was closed at the scene of the accident for more than three hours.
Hardin County Schools announced a collaboration with Trane Technologies Thursday that the district hopes will be a long-term commitment to saving energy and costs.
District officials were joined by officials from Trane to discuss three major projects: the installation of geothermal HVAC units at Lakewood Elementary School and New Highland Elementary School, the installation of more than 15,000 LED light fixtures at 16 district facilities, and the installation of solar panels on the roofs of 12 district buildings.
HCS Chief Operations Officer John Stith said the partnership with Trane makes these projects different from a typical buildings project that would have been bonded out.
“This is a ‘guaranteed energy savings project’ that we’re doing with our good friends from Trane, so the big difference there is a lot of the work that we’re doing with Trane, that work is going to then pay for the project, so it’s really cool” Stith said. “If you’re a finance guy like me, when you’re getting paid for it, your ears perk up.”
Trane Energy Engineer Adam Plumley says students in the district will be able to learn about the energy projects as they are built and as they generate energy, with online dashboards detailing their output. The projects improve critical infrastructure and learning environments in the district while achieving other goals.
“Saving $280,000-plus for energy savings for the district,” Plumley said. “It’s also 900 metric tons of carbon equivalent that we’re reducing in their carbon footprint. We’re leveraging tax credit dollars that the school district should see somewhere down the line from doing these renewable technologies, and then, finally, the STEM opportunities.”
Trane says the geothermal HVAC units create a carbon footprint reduction equivalent to saving 200,000 miles driven in a car. The LED lights will have energy savings equivalent to saving 63,000 gallons of gas. The solar panels will have the energy savings equivalent to the annual output of 50 homes.
More information on the collaboration is available on the HCS website.
The Central Kentucky Community Foundation moved one step closer to their goal of improving health and well-being in Hardin County with Thursday’s transfer of property at 200 Provident Way for the potential construction of a YMCA.
“We’re just excited to tackle this project,” said CKCF President and CEO Davette Swiney. “We know it’s a big undertaking, but the potential impact it has for our community makes it one that I think we’ve just got to buckle down and find a way to make it happen.”
Swiney says as the foundation discussed the needs of the growing community with area leaders, the YMCA was identified as a hub for services and programs benefiting all ages.
“We started exploring whether the time might be right now for YMCA in Hardin County, and thanks to a gift of land and $3 million we’ve got a great start to see if we can make a YMCA come to fruition here,” Swiney said.
The Provident Way property, which will revert back to the county if the facility is not built by the end of 2027, represents a prime location going forward.
“The value of it really is the sweet spot that it’s in for the community in terms of growth right now and development, but also the proximity that puts to the northern end of our county, and the great traffic flow that exists there with Patriot Parkway and Ring Road coming together to make it as accessible as possible even to folks coming from the southern parts,” Swiney said.
Learn more about the YMCA project by contacting the Central Kentucky Community Foundation or visiting their website.
Monday is the deadline for area teens to register for the Hodgenville Police Department’s Teen Citizens Police Academy.
Hodgenville Police Chief James Richardson says the Teen Citizens Police Academy covers all of the same topics as the academy hosted for adults.
“We’ll give them introductions to the officers, and an introduction to our cadets that are in our cadet program,” Richardson said. “We’ll introduce them to the facility, the equipment we use, the process and stuff we go through. Our policies, procedures, we’ll talk about use of force, and all of that culminates with a trip to the Elizabethtown Police Department where they have been gracious enough to allow us to use their use of force simulator.”
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from their peers as the Teen CPA is hosted by the HPD’s cadets, and the presentations will relate the missions of the police department to issues facing area youth.
“It kind of helps them open their eyes to exactly what it means to be the police, and when they see stuff on the news they can be like ‘Yeah, I’ve been there. I understand what’s going on,’” Richardson said. “Have a little bit better understanding.”
The deadline to register for the Teen CPA is Monday, December 9 at 4 p.m.
“Anybody is welcome to join, ages 15 to 18,” Richardson said. “If they are LaRue County residents, of course they’ll get first dibs, but anybody outside of LaRue County is more than welcome to apply and we’ll take the first 10 to 15 kids we get.”
The application is available at www.hodgenvillepd.com, or contact the HPD for assistance.