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Suspects have been identified in the Meade County Sheriff’s Office’s ongoing investigation into the use of counterfeit money in the area.
According to the sheriff’s office, area law enforcement received calls on March 25 regarding individuals attempting to pass or passing counterfeit $100 bills. The perpetrators attempted to pass the bills at several different stores in Meade, Breckinridge, and Hardin counties, and the bills used were able to pass the typical marker test for money.
The sheriff’s office on Thursday reported that two suspects from Illinois, Latrell Doss and Alize Christian, were identified in the investigation and warrants were issued for their arrests. The sheriff’s office is searching for two more suspects as part of the ongoing investigation, and more information will be released as it becomes available. Area residents and businesses that receive large bills are advised to closely examine them, and if you believe you received a counterfeit contact law enforcement.
Breckinridge County is receiving support from the latest round of funding from the Kentucky Product Development Initiative.
“The Breckinridge County Fiscal Court and the City of Hardinsburg will be extending sewer and water lines in the Breckinridge County Commerce Park,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear during his Team Kentucky update Thursday. “The project was approved for nearly $332,000 in state support.”
The KPDI provides funding for local communities to invest in site and building upgrades to support job expansion and economic growth. The state says the infrastructure project in Breckinridge County will provide the county “with new business opportunities that encourage significant job creation and capital investment.”
Beshear said establishing build-ready sites allows Kentucky to get an advantage over other states in attracting projects and new business.
“When I was at Advanced Nano Products in Elizabethtown and our Secretary of the Treasury, the U.S. Treasury, came in, that company told her that we got that facility up and running faster than anyone in their industry had ever seen,” Beshear said. “That’s how we make sure that we can compete with anyone.”
The KPDI is overseen by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, and Beshear said more projects from Round 2 will be announced soon.
Slight increases were once again seen in unemployment rates for counties in the Lincoln Trail District for February.
The Kentucky Center for Statistics says unemployment rates rose in 112 counties from February 2023 to February 2024, with the state unemployment average for February 2024 reported at 5.1 percent.
Six counties in the Lincoln Trail District saw February unemployment rates increase from the year prior. Meade County, with a rate of 5.4 percent, and Washington County, with a rate of 3.8 percent, were among the four counties in the commonwealth where unemployment rates in February 2024 remained the same as February 2023.
The unemployment rate for Hardin County in February 2024 was reported at 5.1 percent. That’s an increase from the rates reported in January 2024 as well as February 2023, both of which came in at 4.7 percent.
Washington County’s 3.8 percent rate was the lowest in the district, while Breckinridge County posted the highest rate in the district at 5.9 percent.
Visit the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet online for more information.
Hosparus Health affiliate Care Guide Partners held a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday celebrating the opening of the William B. and Janet B. Schmidt PACE Center, which is designed to provide easily accessible care for area seniors and their families.
Hosparus Health President and CEO David Cook said Wednesday’s opening was a long time coming.
“At two years, we’ve been working from the idea to getting the facility up and running, working through different pieces with the state, with Medicare, and to get that approval, to finally be ready to start helping people, it’s just phenomenal, so we’re thrilled today to be open and ready for business,” Cook said.
The PACE center is designed to support up to 250 individuals living in Bullitt, Grayson, Hardin, Hart, LaRue, and Nelson counties daily.
“On any given day as many as 120 of those individuals could be here at the center, whether it’s socialization, bingo, fun, or whether it’s actually health care, or therapy, or different support,” Cook said.
The PACE center is up and running, but Cook says Care Guide Partners is still seeking support to further expand.
“We had a goal of $3 million, and so we’ve got about $500,000 more that we want to raise to help support what we’re doing here, but we’re getting really close,” Cook said. “So we’re still looking for some final gifts to make this fully successful, but we’re thrilled at where we stand today.”
More information on the PACE center is available on the Hosparus Health website.