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BlueOval SK reps say Kentucky One is still on track to open this year

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BlueOval SK External Communications representative Mallory Cooke says the company is excited to get things underway in Glendale.

“2,500 jobs at capacity at each plant, battery production on schedule to begin this year,” Cooke said. “We are very excited about that, and as someone who’s been with the company since 2022, this is a big deal, so we’re very excited to begin production later this year.”

Cooke and other representatives from the company spoke to participants during a Lunch and Learn event hosted by the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce at the Elizabethtown Police Department Monday. Cooke said the event was an opportunity to provide an update on the Glendale Battery Park and to discuss some misconceptions.

“You hear a lot of people, they may say BlueOval or SK, or the Ford plant,” Cooke said. “We are not Ford. We are not BlueOval. We are not SK. We are BlueOval SK. If you’ll make sure you share those names together, both of our parent companies are very important, and as (External Affairs Director) Keli (McAlister) likes to say, we’re like a Southerner with a good double name, BlueOval SK.”

Carl Swope with the Swope Family of Dealerships discussed increased reliability in electric vehicles, including longer ranges and easier charging opportunities. Cooke said the Kentucky Two plant is still delayed based on consumer demand, but the EV market has seen growth.

“EV and hybrid sales reached 20 percent of U.S. vehicle sales in 2024 for the first time ever,” Cooke said. “That’s great. We know that EV sales continue to rise, not at the amount that they initially predicted, but EV sales are still on the rise.”

Cooke said batteries built at BlueOval SK should outlast the life of the cars they are in, with lifespans of 500,000 to 700,000 miles.

EPD chief proposes communications upgrade to E-Town council

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Elizabethtown Police Chief Jeremy Thompson made a proposal to improve communications abilities for city emergency responders during the Elizabethtown City Council’s work session Monday.

Thompson proposed rather than new construction the city partners with Motorola and the Kentucky State Police on their expansion project, which would allow the EPD and the Elizabethtown Fire Department to use the KSP’s upgraded system. Thompson said this would be a significant savings compared to the estimated $6 million for the city to install its own infrastructure.

“The $1.6 million that you see there is the estimate that we have, but the only cost associated with that is not towers, it’s not building new radio towers, microwaves, or any of those things,” Thompson said. “it’s for equipment. That number is for 100 handhelds and 100 mobile radios to go in the cars.”

Thompson said the KSPs project will be ready in the area by Quarter Four 2026, which means the city has more time to cover the costs. Thompson also said the new equipment helps alleviate stresses on the current system brought on by population increases and expansion the city knows is on the horizon.

“Prior to my arrival, we started talking about some of the strengths and weaknesses of our communications in the city, and the south end of the city has been historically poor for communications,” Thompson said.

Members of the council agreed to review the city’s upcoming budget to evaluate including the proposal.

Red Cross urges blood donations as Kentuckians continue to recover from recent weather events

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At a time where maintaining the national blood supply is already challenging, American Red Cross Account Manager Tammy Ritchie says the weather has not done them any favors.

“The snow and the weather has played havoc on our blood supply just like it has in everyone’s lives, and we have had to cancel hundreds of units worth of blood drives, so we are doing everything we can to start out March on a high note,” Ritchie said. “Hopefully the weather helps us.”

The Red Cross has several upcoming opportunities for Kentuckians to donate blood and support those impacted by the recent flooding and winter weather. One such donation opportunity is the upcoming Quicksie Versus Wolf Blood Drive.

“The blood drive will be on Thursday, March 13 at the Pritchard Community Center,” Ritchie said. “To schedule an appointment, you can call 1-800-RED-CROSS or go to redcrossblood.org. Bring your family, bring your friends, because we need it. Our hospitals need it and our patients, most importantly.”

When you check in at the Quicksie Versus Wolf Blood Drive, let them know which station you are supporting in the friendly competition.

Ritchie says the Red Cross is adding new incentives for donors in March.

“Everybody who donates in March will receive a $10 gift card by email after their donation, and anyone who comes in is actually successful, which means for some reason you weren’t deferred, we will be doing free A1C testing on everybody,” Ritchie said.

Visit www.redcrossblood.org for more information or to schedule a donation.

Hawkins Drive resident hopes to see safety improvements on I-65 after semi strikes house

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Carolyn Beeler says she thought her worst fears about the train tracks near her fiancé Jeff Collier’s house on Hawkins Drive had come true Thursday night when they were awakened when a vehicle came crashing through their bedroom wall.

“He’s got train tracks behind the house, and I told him, I said ‘one day, I’m just waiting for this train to go through,’” Beeler said. “That’s what I thought it was, coming through the house.”

What actually broke through the wall was a semi-tractor trailer. The Elizabethtown Police Department says at around 4:15 a.m. on February 20 two semis slid off I-65 North, with one of them striking the home as they came to rest on Hawkins Drive.

“I was just shocked, because it threw me across the bed toward his side, and they asked me ‘did it knock me out?’ and I said I don’t know because I still feel weird to right now, my memory and stuff,” Beeler said. “I was just shocked.”

Beeler says she was treated at Baptist Health Hardin for whiplash, lower back pain, and sore ribs, and she says the damage to the house is catastrophic.

“Boards are sagging, the roof’s coming down, it pulled up flooring, the bricks are all broke up,” Beeler said. “I mean, it’s totaled.”

Beeler says she’s afraid without safety improvements the house could be in the line of fire again someday.

“They’ve got to do some barriers up there by that bridge, because they said about two years before he moved in, they had two cars come off of it, so they need to do something up there,” Beeler said.

Beeler and Collier are currently staying with friends and are waiting for insurance to evaluate the damage, but they are looking for storage space for their possessions not damaged in the crash.

Pause in Kentucky tax return processing set to begin this week

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The Kentucky Department of Revenue is accepting and processing state individual income tax returns, but a delay to services is due to begin this week. 

The deadline to file Kentucky and federal tax returns for 2024 is Tuesday, April 15, but processing will take a pause this Wednesday.

The DOR says the department is transitioning to a new integrated tax system and launching a new business tax portal. These changes will require a temporary pause in operations from February 26 to March 14. DOR staff will be able to answer phone calls during that period, but returns and refund payments will not be processed. The DOR says electronically-filed individual income tax returns typically take four to six weeks to process, so the sooner you file the better.

Individuals with incomes of $67,000 or less, along with any state government employee with any income level, are welcome to seek tax help at any of the state’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites. Available now through April 15, knowledgeable staff provide free tax filing assistance to qualifying individuals. Find locations and schedule an appointment on the DOR website.

Taxpayers with questions may visit the DOR website or contact the DOR taxpayer assistance phone line at 502-564-4581.