A former Hardin County Board of Education member passed away on Sunday. According to a statement from Hardin County Schools Superintendent Teresa Morgan, Mike Kinney, age 75, represented Division 2 on the Board from 2011 until 2018. Kinney was also a social studies teacher at the former East Hardin High School and Central Hardin High School for 27 years. Kinney was passionate about students and committed to ensuring staff were respected and held in high regard. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
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The City of Elizabethtown Planning and Development Commission reviewed the proposed commercial design for a second Chick-Fil-A last night. The proposal was accepted and approved with a 3-0 vote. The new restaurant will be built on Executive Drive where Ryan’s Steakhouse formerly stood and should be open in 2024. No date for the start of construction was discussed.
The Elizabethtown Police Department has released a statement concerning a threat to a Hardin County School for today. “At around 3:50 Tuesday afternoon, we were contacted by Hardin County control in reference to a threatening complaint. The initial report indicated a seventh grade student at Bluegrass Middle School shared plans with fellow classmates indicating the suspect planned to bring a gun to campus this morning and shoot other students. Our officers interviewed multiple witnesses who substantiated the complaint. Within an hour and a half of us receiving the initial complaint, the suspect was identified and taken into custody for Terroristic Threatening 2nd degree. Regardless of the suspect’s age, this type of behavior is criminal and will not be tolerated,“ stated Public Affairs Officer Chris Denham. No additional information is available at this time.
COVID-19 numbers in Kentucky and nationwide are rising while flu and RSV decline. During his recent Team Kentucky update, Governor Beshear announced that most Kentucky counties are at a moderate to high community level. Currently Hardin, Meade, Breckinridge, LaRue and Grayson counties are rated at low community levels. Influenza in Kentucky is declining but remains at elevated levels. The most recent numbers provided by Lincoln Trail District Health Department for the week ending January 14th shows 9 new cases in Hardin County with just over 250 total cases in the county. Nelson and Meade also reported a lab confirmed cases of flu in the same week.
The Elizabethtown City Council met for a work session last night. Several department heads provided updates on projects. One project that is causing some excitement is the addition of 8 to 10 pickleball courts. “The city is really excited about several projects we have going on. Specifically in our Parks and Rec Department, we have the pickleball courts. We’ve had a lot of people reach out to us about those and came and did a presentation. So, we’re glad the Council approved those and we’re hoping to have those start construction in the spring at the American Legion,” said Spokesperson Amy Inman.
The City Council also heard from the new Executive Director for CASA of the Heartland, Michelle Kail. She provided an update on the work CASA accomplished last year. “So, we were able to serve 126 children in Hardin County with 52 volunteers, which totals to about 525 home visits and 1,250 hours of advocacy for children in our community.”
The next meeting of the Elizabethtown City Council will be on February 6.