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Area law enforcement was included in the latest round of federal funding aimed at fighting drug crimes in the commonwealth.

Governor Andy Beshear on Thursday announced more than $1.4 million had been awarded through the Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program. The program allows “Kentucky’s law enforcement agencies, drug task forces, and nonprofit organizations to purchase critical resources, provide drug prevention programming to community residents, offer counseling to crime victims, ensure officers receive specialized training, and work with individuals leaving incarceration for successful reentry skills.”

“Each of these organizations is receiving over $100,000,” said Governor Beshear during Thursday’s Team Kentucky Update. “Thank you to these groups for all they’re doing. With three straight years of declines in overdose deaths, we can finally see real hope, especially after last year where we saw a 30 percent decline. We’re still losing too many people. Each one, a child of God, loved by their family and their friends. Let’s keep working until we end this epidemic that arose in our lifetime, and I think we have an obligation not to leave it to our kids or to our grandkids.”

Included in the latest funding recipients are the Greater Hardin County Narcotics Task Force, which received $196,307, and the Kentucky State Police, which received $333,595.

Learn more about the grant program on the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet’s website.

A collision on Interstate 65 in Hart County Thursday resulted in the death of a driver.

Kentucky State Police Post Three says at approximately 11 a.m. CDT troopers were called to the scene of an accident at the 65.8 mile marker of I-65. The KSP says the preliminary investigation indicates a minivan with a juvenile driver was traveling north on I-65 when the vehicle collided with the rear end of a stopped commercial vehicle. The juvenile driver was pronounced dead at the scene by the Hart County Coroner’s Office.

The KSP’s investigation is ongoing. The collision was part of traffic impacts on I-65 which lasted nearly seven hours.

A series of arrests have been made in relation to area law enforcement’s investigation into reports of theft and vandalism in area cemeteries.

The Hardin County Sheriff’s Office says their Criminal Investigation Division launched an investigation, “quickly identifying a group of possible suspects connected to the crimes.” Detectives on Monday began collecting physical evidence of stolen and vandalized property from local scrap yards, and on Tuesday detectives conducted interviews with multiple suspects.

Four individuals have been arrested to date: Tomas Bernardo, Gaven Carayoun, Jesse Barcinas, and Joseph Mendiloa, all of Radcliff. The four have been charged with Class D Felony Violating Graves and Class D Felony Theft by Unlawful Taking or Disposition. They are currently incarcerated in the Hardin County Detention Center, with each scheduled to appear in Hardin District Court on October 3.

The sheriff’s office says more than two dozen reports have been made regarding incidents at several cemeteries, and their investigation remains active and ongoing. Anybody with possible information is asked to file a report with the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office by calling 270-765-5133.