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Drug investigation lands Elizabethtown man in jail

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An investigation by the Greater Hardin County Narcotics Task Force has landed an Elizabethtown man in jail.

Marvin Brookins faces multiple charges including three first degree counts of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance following his arrest Friday.

According to a release from the task force, on April 11 members executed a search warrant on a residence on Bardstown Road east of Elizabethtown. Officers located 17 pounds of crystal meth, 54 grams of cocaine, 16 oxycodone pills, and a small amount of marijuana and anabolic steroids.

Brookins was lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center, where he is being held on a $75,000 cash bond. He is due to appear in Hardin District Court on April 25. The investigation is ongoing and additional suspects are expected to be charged.

Anybody with information on possible drug activity is encouraged to submit a tip to the Greater Hardin County Narcotics Task Force at 270-769-0694. Tips may be made anonymously.

Elizabethtown council hears update on city’s natural gas department

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

City Natural Gas Department Director Matthew Hobbs provided a report on his department. He said the department is fully staffed with 14 employees, and the department comes into 2025 with a “solid budget.”

“The biggest ticket item that we’ve got on that is a ‘de-hy,’ so that’s basically a unit that’s drying your gas as you’re pulling it out of the storage field,” Hobbs said. “Ours, I think, dates back to sometime mid-late 90s.”

Hobbs says while business has remained consistent, customer growth has stagnated.

“The industrial pool is still strong and holding pretty steady,” Hobbs said. “That makes up about 50 percent of our flow, so the amount or the volume of gas we’re using is staying pretty consistent, but that customer number is not going up.”

The city is in the beginning stages of a natural gas rate study, with data collection currently under way.

Representatives from Hope Academy for Kids presented on the organization’s services. Resource Development Coordinator Dara Bryant discussed additional efforts to support program members and their families.

“To better assist, Hope Academy has become part of a nationwide effort to end family homelessness,” Bryant said. “In 2024, we became a program site for Bridge of Hope, and I’m excited to share that we are the first and only program site for Bridge of Hope in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

Bryant said statistics show 1 in 30 children in the United States struggle with homelessness each year.

Members of Scout Troop 221 led the pledge of allegiance at the beginning of the meeting. The members then stayed after the meeting for a question and answer session with the mayor and council members.

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet April 21.

West Point City Council holds April meeting

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The West Point City Council met for their regular monthly meeting Monday.

The council approved a zoning change for property along Dixie Highway the city intends to lease to TowerCo for construction of a cellular tower. Mayor Richard Ciresi said the property was zoned on the city’s original zoning map as Residential R-1, but the state zoned the property Agricultural, so the zoning change matches the city’s zoning designation with the state’s. Ciresi noted that the location, which is the fourth proposed location for the tower, fits agricultural zoning definitions as it is more than 10 acres without houses.

The council voted down an ordinance that would amend city  zoning and building codes to accommodate the construction of tiny houses. Council Member Chris McVey introduced an ordinance that will move city council meetings from the former West Point School building to West Point City Hall when the city’s lease on the building expires in May. That ordinance will have its second reading at the next council meeting.

Ciresi discussed flood recovery efforts, including issues with getting supplies out to victims in an efficient manner. Ciresi said the city and county is still waiting for the White House to approve a local disaster declaration, and he is hopeful FEMA will assist with securing assistance for residents in need of electrical inspections. The city will be collecting waste placed along curbsides beginning Tuesday.

The West Point City Council will next meet May 12.

Voter registration sees another decline as state continues voter roll maintenance

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Voter registration in Kentucky saw another decline in March amid ongoing voter roll maintenance. 

The Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office says more than 7,000 voters were removed from the voter rolls in March. Of the voters that were removed, about 4,600 were deceased, about 400 were felony convicts, about 200 moved out of state, and about 1,700 registrations were duplicates.

The Secretary of State’s Office credited the drop in registration to vigorous maintenance of the voter rolls. In a release, Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams says federal oversight of the voter rolls that has been in place since 2018 was recently lifted due to the state’s work on election integrity.

Republican registration grew by 157 voters and independent or other registration grew by 1,181 voters in March, while Democratic registration fell by 248 voters. Republican registration makes up 47 percent of the state electorate, Democratic registration makes up 42 percent, and independent or other makes up 11 percent.

Kentuckians can register to vote or check their registration status by visiting govote.ky.gov, or by contacting their county clerk’s office.

City of Elizabethtown releases 2024 Annual Report

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The City of Elizabethtown recapped the city’s activities last year with the release last week of their 2024 Annual Report. 

The report states that the city’s budget in 2024 came in at just over $119.7 million. That budget supported the hiring of additional employees, bringing the total number of city employees to 375, and supported public works activities such as the installation of nearly 21,000 feet of new natural gas pipelines and the paving of more than 12 miles of city streets.

The report states that the city’s wastewater treatment facility increased capacity by 19 percent in 2024. The city’s planning and development department approved 458 building permits and oversaw more than $211 million in construction activity in the city.

The Elizabethtown Police Department responded to nearly 33,000 calls in 2024, and the Elizabethtown Fire Department expanded its training capabilities with a $513,000 live fire training facility. Safety improvements on U.S. 31W resulted in fewer fatal and injury collisions.

Completed capital projects in 2024 included improvements at Freeman Lake Park, phase one of the Buffalo Lake connector trail, completed gas well restoration, and Hawkins Drive sewer upgrades. Projects on the books for 2025 include the extension of Commerce Drive, sidewalk lighting and street improvements on the south end of the city, the completion of Fire Station No. Four, and renovations at the Elizabethtown Police Department.

The annual report can be viewed in full on the city’s website.