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Louisville Orchestra hosting free show at Freeman Lake Park Thursday

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The Louisville Orchestra will bring their In Harmony Tour to the bandstand at Freeman Lake Park this evening. 

“Their performance starts at 7:30 p.m., but we’ll open the gates around 6,” said City of Elizabethtown Events Program Manager Beth Pyles during Monday’s City Council meeting. “We invite everyone to come out. It should be a fantastic show.”

Admission is free for this community concert, which was rescheduled from June after being postponed due to weather.

“They were so adamant that they had to come back to Elizabethtown, so we’re so excited that we were able to find a day to make it happen,” Pyles said.

According to the orchestra, the In Harmony Tour will include classic selections such as Leonard Bernstein’s “Overture” from West Side Story, John Williams’s “Superman March”, and more. Seating is festival style, so bring your lawn chairs and blankets. Food trucks and drink vendors will be on site.

Visit www.etownevents.com for more information.

Harmful algal bloom prompts recreational public health advisory at Caneyville Reservoir

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The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet has issued a recreational public health advisory for Caneyville Reservoir after a sample collected from the water indicated the presence of a harmful algal bloom.

According to a release from the EEC, harmful algal blooms occur “when there are excess nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen), sunny conditions, warm temperatures, and low-flow or low-water conditions.” Recreational activities that can result in physical contact with the water such as swimming and wading are not recommended in areas impacted by HABs.

The Grayson County Health Department said in a Facebook post the sample collected on September 9 was taken as part of routine lake and fish tissue monitoring, and staff observed an active algae bloom near the dam. The reservoir, which is not used as a public drinking water source, will be tested again in two weeks.

HABs appear as slicks of opaque, bright-green paint, but often have a grainy, sawdust-like appearance on closer inspection. If you come into contact with a bloom, rinse with clean, fresh water. If symptoms such as a rash, stomach pain, headache, coughing, watery eyes, nose irritation, or sore throat persist, contact a healthcare provider.

Find more information on the Energy and Environment Cabinet’s website.

Hardin County man and LaRue County woman indicted as part of Medicaid fraud crack down

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A Hardin County man and a LaRue County woman were included in six indictments secured by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office as part of a crackdown on Medicaid fraud.

The AG’s Office says on September 10 a Hardin County Grand Jury indicted Ricky Simpson of Elizabethtown and Shawna Smith of Hodgenville. Both were indicted on a count of Class C Felony Knowing Abuse or Neglect of an Adult and a count of Class D Felony Devising or Engaging in a Scheme to Defraud the Kentucky Medical Assistance Program of $1,000 or More.

According to the AG’s Office, the case was investigated by the Attorney General’s Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control. The indictments are part of the office’s participation in the National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which the AG’s Office says has secured 21 indictments on state and federal charges and uncovered nearly $11 million in health care fraud. 

You can file a Medicaid fraud or abuse complaint at ag.ky.gov/MedicaidFraud or by calling 1-877-228-7384.

KFW hosting special season for deer hunting in CWD Surveillance Zone counties

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As part of the department’s strategies for monitoring and preventing the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife will be hosting a special antlerless-only season in counties within the established CWD Surveillance Zone.

KFW says the four-day season will run from September 25 through 28 in counties located in Deer Zones 1, 2, and 3, which includes Breckinridge, Hardin, and Meade counties. Firearms, bows, and crossbows may be used but only antlerless deer may be harvested.

Zone bag limits apply, and testing is mandatory for deer harvested during the special season regardless of method of take used. Hunters must drop off the harvested deer’s head at an unstaffed CWD Sample Drop-Off Site or submit a sample using a CWD sample mail-in kit.

Additional strategies, such as restrictions on transporting deer carcasses in and out of the CWD Surveillance Zone and restrictions on the use of certain types of feeders, are also in effect. Find more information on the CWD webpage at fw.ky.gov. Members of the public may also report sick or dead deer or elk by using the online form on the Report Wildlife Disease webpage.

ECTC sets school record for graduation rate

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Elizabethtown Community and Technical College is celebrating growth in student success.

ECTC says students at the college posted a graduation rate of 61.4 percent for the 2025-2026 school year, the highest in school history and nearly double the rate from 10 years ago.

ECTC Chancellor Dr. Juston Pate said with the graduation well above the national average of 42.7 percent, it is something the whole community can take pride in.

“It really does speak to the quality of the college, to the quality of the community that supports that college, and to the workforce in general that supports our graduates and motivates them to get the degrees that lead to those jobs,” Pate said.

The graduation rate measures “the percentage of full-time college students who earn a credential within three years of first enrolling at the college.” ECTC says success has been seen in other metrics as well, including an 80.1 percent course success rate in the Fall 2025 semester, which is up nearly 14 points from Fall 2018.

Pate said the hard work of the faculty and staff is critical to the college moving forward.

“I think what makes me most proud is the work that our faculty and our staff have done for ten years to continually get better, and to continually put our students in a better position to achieve their goals,” Pate said.

Pate also credited community partners for their work in reducing barriers to success, such as Family Scholar House. Learn more about similar initiatives on the ECTC website.