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EPD asking for information on theft of plaques from Downtown E-Town

The Elizabethtown Police Department is seeking information on the theft of historic markers in Downtown Elizabethtown.

“We are currently investigating the theft of three historic bronze plaques that were taken from the former Hardin County Courthouse on the Public Square,” said EPD Public Information Officer Chris Denham. “These plaques date back to 1933 and 1955 and honor Presidents Abraham Lincoln and James Buchanan, and hold significant local value.”

The plaques recognize visits made by the former presidents to Elizabethtown. The EPD believes the thefts occurred between March 18 and 24. 

Anybody with possible information is asked to contact the EPD at 270-765-4125.

“Information can also be shared anonymously by calling Hardin County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-597-8123 or by visiting p3tips.com,” Denham said.

Tipsters who share information to Crime Stoppers that leads to the recovery of the plaques and/or the identification of suspects will be eligible for a cash reward.

New online renewal option for boat registrations now available

Kentuckians gearing up to hit the waterways this summer can take advantage of the state’s new online renewal option for vessel registrations.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says boat owners can skip a trip to their county clerk’s office and stay up to date on their vessel registration by using the new online renewal portal, launched on April 1. The KYTC says the new boat renewal option is part of an expansion to online vehicle registration services aimed at giving customers more convenience following the launch of the Kentucky Automated Vehicle Information System in 2024.

According to the KYTC, in order to renew online boat owners will need their Kentucky boat number and the vessel’s title number. Current registration must be active and expire this year in order to be eligible for online renewal. Boat property taxes must be paid at the time of renewal.

Boat registrations expire on April 30 each year, so boat owners are encouraged to renew in April in order to avoid any late fees on property taxes. Make sure you are properly displaying your valid, unexpired registration tag and your vessel’s registration number.

Visit the online registration portal at drive.ky.gov. Renewals may still be made at your county clerk’s office if you prefer.

E-Town Council holds special meeting

The Elizabethtown City Council met for a special meeting Friday morning.

The council approved a municipal order approving an operations agreement with the Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau for the outdoor music venue.

“The city desires to work with community partners on projects that benefits the citizens and partnered with the Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau to provide an outdoor music venue located at 600 Commerce Drive by entering into an interlocal agreement dated September 5 of 2025 addressing the land acquisition, design, engineering, financing, and construction of the venue,” said City Attorney Ken Howard, reading from the municipal order.

Council Member Marty Fulkerson asked Elizabethtown Police Chief Jeremy Thompson about the impact providing coverage for community rallies has had on the police department.

“As you all know, we’re preparing our current budget for next fiscal year,” Thompson said. “We take into account the planned city events and we factor in that overtime. These events obviously aren’t planned, and for us, it’s beginning to drastically eat away at our overtime budget.”

Thompson said most of the time the rallies have occurred, the organizers have been good at communicating with city officials. He said he is planning on presenting the city with a budget proposal to account for necessary overtime for such rallies.

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet for a regular meeting on April 13.