Menu Close

WQXE NEWS

Upton man dead after wreck on WKP

WQXE News 0 Comments

One person is dead after a wreck on the Western Kentucky Parkway.

According to the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office, at approximately 9:15 p.m. Monday deputies were dispatched to the 121-mile marker westbound on the parkway in response to a motor vehicle accident.

The sheriff’s office says the preliminary investigation indicates that 57-year-old John Barnes of Upton was traveling east on the parkway on a motorcycle when he lost control on the rain-slick road, left the roadway, crossed the median, and entered the westbound lanes. The motorcycle struck a tractor-trailer in a head-on collision.

Barnes was pronounced dead at the scene. The operator of the tractor-trailer reported no injuries.

The Hardin County Sheriff’s Office Reconstruction Unit’s investigation of the incident is ongoing.

E-Town council discusses park projects, ethics ordinance

WQXE News 0 Comments

The Elizabethtown City Council met for a work session Monday afternoon.

Elizabethtown Parks and Recreation Director Seth Breitner gave an update on his department. Breitner said during summer 2025, 280 campers participated in the Parks and Rec Summer Camp over the course of 10 weeks, and the American Legion Park Pool saw more than 31,500 daily admissions. Breitner said the department is looking ahead towards several capital improvement projects including facility upgrades at American Legion and University Drive parks, bridge replacements on the city’s Greenspace trails, and improvements at Trooper Lake including mountain bike trails and a pump track.

“We have been awarded a $670,000 grant by the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund to move forward with this project,” Breitner said. “The city owns 74 acres currently at Trooper Lake. We’re in the process of adding an additional 40 acres to that and maybe even more depending on how this all works out.”

Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory said the city wanted to create a dedicated mountain biking space after Buffalo Lake was chosen for the outdoor music venue project.

City Attorney Ken Howard discussed the ethics ordinance set to be approved by the city council along with other area governments. The new ordinance is an update to the original ethics ordinance passed in 1994. Howard, who was part of the team that drafted the 1994 ordinance, said the process began with the city reviewing an updated model ordinance created by the Kentucky League of Cities.

“Then I started meeting with the city attorney for Radcliff, Vine Grove, and the county attorney to try to get consistency within all of those ordinances so that the goal was so that we could continue to have one joint Board of Ethics for the entire county,” Howard said.

Under the ordinance, the Hardin County Clerk’s Office would be the custodian of records for the ethics board and would receive ethics complaints.

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet August 4.

Cruse named principal at Lakewood Elementary

WQXE News 0 Comments

Lakewood Elementary School is under new leadership.

Hardin County Schools has announced that current Central Hardin High School Assistant Principal Chase Cruse will serve as principal at Lakewood.

According to a release from HCS, Cruse earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville. He also earned a master’s degree and a Rank I in Instructional Leadership from the University of the Cumberlands.

Chase began his education career at Hart County High School as a business teacher and an assistant baseball coach. He has served as an assistant principal at Central Hardin since the 2019-2020 school year, also working as an assistant baseball coach and as the interim head baseball coach for a season.

Cruse said in the release: “I am extremely fortunate to have this opportunity. Lakewood is a wonderful school with a tradition of sailing past expectations. The staff, families, and students are remarkable. The Lakewood community is close-knit and prioritizes student success above all else. The start of the school year is right around the corner and I am excited to meet our students, staff, parents, and the Lakewood community.”

The first day of class for Hardin County Schools is August 7.

Case named principal at Central Hardin

WQXE News 0 Comments

Central Hardin High School is under new leadership.

Hardin County Schools has announced that current John Hardin High School Assistant Principal Kim Case will serve as the new principal at Central Hardin. Case replaces Tim Isaacs, who is retiring after 15 years on the job.

Case earned her bachelor’s degree from Campbellsville University. She holds two master’s degrees, one from Campbellsville and one from Western Kentucky University.

Case began her career in education at Central Hardin in 1997, when she was hired to teach English. A release from HCS says Case began her administrative career in the 2010s when she began working as a guidance counselor at Nelson County High School, serving in similar roles at John Hardin and at Bardstown High School. She has served as an assistant principal at John Hardin since 2018.

Case said in the release: “I view my role as that of a servant-leader, an advocate, and an instructional guide. I look forward to helping preserve a culture where staff is supported, innovation is encouraged, and students are actively involved in shaping their own learning experiences. Our students have numerous opportunities. I’m excited to see them flourish.”

The first day of school for Hardin County Schools is August 7.

Area recipients among record number of scholarship support from KFB

WQXE News 0 Comments

Kentucky Farm Bureau on Monday announced the recipients for the highest amount of post-secondary education scholarships in the KFB Education Foundation’s history.

KFB says the foundation awarded 601 Kentucky high school seniors more than $810,000 in scholarships on the state and county level. More than $3.9 million in funding has been awarded by the foundation since 1953.

Multiple area students were among the announced recipients.

On the statewide level, Naomi Mitchell of Bullitt County received the Beautification League of Louisville Scholarship, and Preston Meredith of Hardin County received a KFB Education Foundation Scholarship.

On the county level, four students from Breckinridge County, six students from Bullitt County, 11 students from Grayson County, 17 students from Hardin County, two students from Hart County, six students from LaRue County, two students from Meade County, and 20 students from Nelson County received scholarships.

KFB says scholarships are presented to students who are attending a Kentucky college or university and are pursuing degrees in agriculture or a related field as well as animal health and veterinary technology or a related field, or come from farm families, among other factors. Visit the Scholarships page on the KFB website for more information on scholarships and this year’s recipients.