Menu Close

WQXE NEWS

E-Town Planning Commission votes against Saint John Road development

WQXE News 0 Comments

The Elizabethtown Planning Commission on Tuesday re-opened a public hearing on a zoning map amendment for a property on Saint John Road.

Elizabethtown City Planner Aaron Hawkins said the March 25 public hearing on 707 Saint John Road was tabled due to a public notice issue. Property owners John and Hanna Yun requested the property be rezoned from Suburban Residential (R-1) to High-Density Residential (R-6) and Regional Commercial (C-3) to accommodate a 114-room hotel, a commercial retail building, and a corporate housing unit.

Members of the commission expressed concerns with the proposal including its cohesiveness with the city’s comprehensive plan, placing high-density residential in the middle of an area that is mostly single-family homes, and the safety of a proposed roundabout at the property’s entrance.

“As I said in our last hearing, a lot of things are going on on this site,” said Planning Commission Chairman Steve Rice. “I do appreciate it, and we look at all the time how we can improve the city of E-Town, and this certainly is an option to do that, but there’s too many moving issues on this particular one for me to feel comfortable with it.”

The commission voted to recommend the Elizabethtown City Council not approve the zoning amendment.

In other meeting news, the commission voted to recommend approval of a zoning change for the Venue at Highland, located at 1377 Hutcherson Lane, from Future Development Holding to Agribusiness to allow for the property to convert a barn into a dwelling unit and event space. The commission also voted to recommend approval of a zoning change for 110 East Memorial Drive from R-6 to Neighborhood Office C-1, which will allow Clarity Solutions to construct an administrative office there.

Fort Knox hosting motorcycle ride for sexual assault awareness Thursday

WQXE News 0 Comments

The U.S. Army Human Resources Command will host its tenth-annual SHARP “Raise the Bars” Motorcycle Ride on Thursday, April 24.

“This event was created to bring together all of those who are all fighting against sexual assault, seeking to eliminate it, and also as a way to raise awareness of this, and show and encourage survivors, to show that ‘hey, we see you, we hear you, we’re here for you,’” said HRC Sharp Victim’s Advocate D-SAACP Level III James Frye.

The ride will go from the Maude HRC Complex, located at 1600 Spearhead Division Avenue at Fort Knox, to Silverleaf Sexual Trauma Recovery Services in Elizabethtown. Major General Hope Rampy, the HRC’s commanding general, will deliver opening remarks at 1 p.m., with riders departing for Silverleaf at 1:30. Participants will then learn about ways to support survivors.

“Just being aware of some of the things that’s going to be different,” Frye said. “A person may look a little off than what they normally do, or may be extremely, extremely focused and meticulous. It’s just different things than, ‘Hey, are you OK?’ ‘Is there anything I can do?’, and more importantly it’s being willing to listen and to hear, and having the tools available of, ‘OK, who do I talk to?’ ‘What do I do to help this individual?’” Frye said.

The ride is open to Fort Knox soldiers, family members, civilian staff, and the general public.

“The greatest thing that any person can do is help another person, so for those who ride, who support, who are even just going to show up just to say ‘I’m here,’ we are grateful because that is the most powerful thing that you can do,” Frye said. “Be willing to listen. Be willing to have empathy and compassion for your fellow person. That is what this is mostly about.”

Pre-registration is requested, but day-of registration will be accepted until noon on Thursday. Visit the U.S. Army Human Resources Command Facebook page for event information, and the Fort Knox website for access pass information.

E-Town council approves zoning change for apartment complex, sewer use ordinance update

WQXE News 0 Comments

The Elizabethtown City Council met for their second meeting of the month Monday.

The council approved two ordinances on their second readings. The first approves a zoning change for 475 Hodgenville Road from Regional Commercial (C-3) to High-Density Residential (R-6) to accommodate the construction of an apartment complex. The second approves amendments to the city’s sewer use ordinance, primarily concerning grease trap installation requirements.

“The defined structure for failure to comply with the regulations has been changed from $200 per monthly occurrence to $300 per monthly occurrence,” city Attorney Ken Howard read from the ordinance summary. “That is per a 500-gallon capacity size of interceptor.”

The council approved several municipal orders, including a $69,900 bid from Five Star Commercial Roofing Inc. for work on the Historic State Theater’s roof and a $5,975,000 bid from Dirt Works Unlimited for the Commerce Drive roadway project. Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory said the city was pleased as both of those bids came in well below engineering estimates.

Palmer Engineering was awarded a $50,000 contract to conduct an environmental assessment and archaeological evaluation for the extension of Commerce Drive through the outdoor music venue site, and to evaluate potential connections to Mulberry Street and Springfield Road, and the council approved a grant agreement with the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority that provides $756,400 for Leitchfield Road sewer line upgrades.

Council Member Tim Isaacs made a special announcement regarding an area school resource officer.

“We found out today that the Kentucky Center for School Safety, which is an organization that all public schools work with very closely for obvious reasons with its title, helping us all stay as safe as possible, they named EPD Officer Larry Robinson as the School Resource Officer of the Year for the state of Kentucky,” Isaacs said.

Gregory said Robinson has been a model for area SROs, and Elizabethtown Police Chief Jeremy Thompson said Robinson was one of two SROs when he became chief, and he is now one of 10.

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet April 28.

KFW reminds Kentuckians to leave wild animals alone as they get more active in spring

WQXE News 0 Comments

With spring in full swing, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife reminds Kentuckians that you should help keep wild animals wild.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife says you should never interfere with young wildlife, as even if they appear to be alone and vulnerable their mother is likely nearby. Wildlife will often leave their young in a safe space, even in a more developed area, when they go searching for food.

KFW says you can help young wildlife thrive by observing them from a distance, securing trash cans, avoiding leaving food or other attractants outside, keeping children and pets away, and checking property sites for young animals before mowing or other outdoor projects.

KFW says possessing wildlife is only permitted in very limited and strictly regulated cases. In Kentucky it is illegal to keep animals that are at a high risk for carrying rabies such as raccoons, skunks, bats, coyotes, and foxes.

It is also illegal under state law to remove young wildlife from the wild. Only state-permitted wildlife rehabilitators can care for orphaned or injured wildlife. You can find contact information for approved rehabilitators, including Nolin River Wildlife, along with more information on wild animal safety, on the KFW website.

Student taken into custody after allegedly bringing gun into North Hardin High School

WQXE News 0 Comments

A student was taken into custody after they allegedly brought a firearm into North Hardin High School.

Hardin County Schools said in a statement Monday that at approximately 2:30 p.m. on April 21 North Hardin was placed on a hard lockdown, meaning “that no students were permitted to leave their classrooms and all students and staff were secured.” The lockdown was lifted at around 3 p.m.

The statement from HCS says: “This lockdown occurred as a result of a report of a student having a weapon. Our SRO responded immediately and additional law enforcement was requested from the Radcliff Police Department.”

The Hardin County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Monday that a 16-year-old tenth grade student at North Hardin “reported to school staff that he observed another student pull a gun out his backpack while in the school restroom.” The school resource officer immediately located the student, also a 16-year-old, who was found to have a loaded 9 mm handgun in their backpack.

The student was taken into custody by the Radcliff Police Department without incident. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and HCS said: “That student and any students involved will face criminal charges and will be dealt with in accordance with the law and the Hardin County Schools Code of Acceptable Behavior and Discipline.”

The sheriff’s office commended the student who reported the incident to school staff, and HCS thanked area law enforcement for their quick response.