QUICKSIE98.3
Crystal Rogers investigation suspect Steven Lawson was back in Nelson Circuit Court for a status hearing Thursday.
While no motions were before the court, Lawson’s defense previously requested the hearing be scheduled in order to keep “on a routine track in advance of the currently scheduled trial date.” The defense requested another status hearing for 30 days out, but when Special Prosecutor Shane Young asked for a date in late April due to a busy trial schedule the two sides settled on a hearing date of April 3.
Lawson’s defense said they are still working through the discovery in the case, which Young said outside of possibly a few phone calls has been completed. The defense says Lawson had also not seen any of the discovery until August when the new attorneys were appointed to represent him. Nelson Circuit Judge Charles Simms III said he would make any requested accommodations to allow Lawson access to the courthouse in order to review the discovery as needed.
Simms also said he would keep the case files for the case in Nelson County until shortly before the trial begins in Warren County. Lawson’s trial is scheduled to begin on May 27.
As outbreaks of measles are reported in the southwest, health officials have announced a confirmed case in Kentucky.
The Kentucky Department for Public Health and the Franklin County Health Department say they have confirmed a case of measles in an adult Kentucky resident who recently traveled internationally to an area with ongoing measles transmission. Health officials are working to identify and contact individuals who may have been exposed to the virus after the infected resident visited a fitness center in Frankfort.
The KDPH says “measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus that can cause serious health complications, especially in young children.” Early symptoms begin eight to 12 days after exposure and include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red/watery eyes, with the characteristic measles rash appearing three to five days after symptoms begin.
While health officials say measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world, it can be prevented with the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. Recent estimates, however, show that MMR vaccine coverage in Kentucky kindergartners is only 90 percent, which is less than the national average.
The Kentucky measles case is the first confirmed case in the state since 2023, and comes as ongoing measles outbreaks are occurring in Texas and New Mexico. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say 93 cases have been reported in 2025, and Texas officials this week announced the death of an unvaccinated child from the virus.
Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Jonathan Shell is inviting the public to submit their artwork for the state’s contest to redesign the Kentucky Spay and Neuter license plate.
According to a release from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, proceeds from the sale of the spay and neuter plate go to the Animal Control and Care Fund, which the state Animal Control Advisory Board uses for animal control issues and applications for spay and neuter grants. Elizabethtown City Council Member and Animal Control Advisory Board Member Julia Springsteen says the hope is a new plate will help bring in more funding.
“We need to raise more money from the sale of these license plates, and sales have been flat over the last 10 years, and so we’re hoping a refresh of the design will make more people want to buy this plate,” Springsteen said.
More than $600,000 in grants has been awarded during the lifetime of the current plate, allowing more than 17,000 cats and dogs to be spayed or neutered.
“The revenue generated by these license plates goes directly to county shelters in Kentucky to help with their spay and neuter programs, and with the money dwindling, spaying and neutering pets is even more important these days,” Springsteen said. “We’re hoping to raise awareness, raise sales, and help our county shelters more.”
All are welcome to submit a design by April 20. Artists are asked to consider reasons for spaying and neutering in their designs. More information, a design template, and the submission email address are available at www.kyagr.com. Online donations to the Animal Control and Care Fund can also be made through that website.
The City of Elizabethtown is announcing several street closures that are set to begin Monday.
The following streets will be closed to through traffic from March 3 until construction is completed later in the summer:
-Helm Street between South Mulberry and South Miles streets
-Terry Court
-Park Avenue between South Miles Street and College Avenue
The city says the closures are related to the Helm Street, Terry Court, and Park Avenue Street Improvements Project, and a pipe in the road needs to be replaced on Park Avenue. All closures will have barricades at each intersection with detours posted.
Contact the City of Elizabethtown for more information.