WQXE NEWS

A Kentucky House bill concerning railroad crossings that has a local connection passed the chamber this week.

House Bill 311 would require railroad companies to clear obstructive vegetation along public railroad-highway grade crossings.

According to a release from the Kentucky House Majority Caucus, 10th District Representative Josh Calloway and 27th District Representative Nancy Tate are the primary sponsor and cosponsor on the legislation, which was introduced to the House Committee on Committees on January 12 before being sent to the Transportation Committee. The bill passed on its third reading with a 93 to 1 vote.

Under the terms of the bill, railroad companies would be required to “destroy or remove plants, trees, brush, or other obstructive vegetation along the tracks at each public railroad-highway grade crossing for 250 feet in each direction.” If the railroad company fails to remove the vegetation, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet or local government will be allowed to send a 30-days notice for removal, after which the KYTC or local government can remove the vegetation and bill the railroad company. Requirements concerning private property and a waiver process are included in the bill.

When Calloway and Tate presented the bill to the Transportation Committee, they were joined by Vine Grove resident Tanya Serna, whose son Hunter was killed in 2020 “when a train struck the car he was riding in at a railroad crossing with overgrown vegetation that obstructed visibility.” Serna has been advocating for legislation to improve safety and prevent similar tragedies.

The bill now heads to the Kentucky Senate. Learn more on the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission’s website.

Details have been announced on the arrival, procession, and funeral services for Staff Sergeant Benjamin Pennington, the 26-year-old Glendale soldier who died on March 8 from wounds sustained in an attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 1.

According to a release from the Fort Knox Public Affairs Office, Staff Sgt. Pennington will arrive at the Godman Army Airfield at Fort Knox at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 20. Following planeside honors and a dignified transfer, a procession will transport Staff Sgt. Pennington to Trowbridge Funeral Home in Elizabethtown.

Fort Knox says the procession will proceed from the Chaffee Gate along the following roads: Knox Avenue, Joe Prather Highway, Patriot Parkway, Ring Road, Bacon Creek Road, Glendale Hodgenville Road West, and Dixie Highway to the funeral home, located at 234 West Dixie Avenue.

Fort Knox says all members of the post community are invited to line the on-post procession route. On-post participants should assemble along Bullion Boulevard by Lindsey Golf Course no later than 1 p.m. Parking is available at the golf course, but due to limited space carpooling is encouraged.

Community members are invited to safely gather along the public procession route. While residents and visitors are welcome to stand anywhere safely along the route, Fort Knox says suitable areas for gathering include the vicinity of Severns Valley Baptist Church, the area around Cecilian Bank near Ring Road and U.S. 62, Downtown Glendale along East Main Street, and the Downtown Elizabethtown Public Square area.

Fort Knox says the procession is expected to last approximately one hour. A post regarding the procession on the U.S. Army Fort Knox Facebook page will be updated Friday when the procession departs.

Funeral services for Staff Sgt. Pennington will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at Central Hardin High School, with inturnment in the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery – Central to be held privately at a later date. Visitation for Staff Sgt. Pennington will be Saturday from 10 a.m. until the time of services at the high school. The Trowbridge Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said in a release that flags at all state office buildings will ordered to half-staff the day of Staff Sgt. Pennington’s inturnment.

Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory said the city’s annual report, which was released this week, shows the hard work city employees in multiple departments have put into making the city a better place to live.

“In the last three years, our overall crime rate has dropped by 23.7 percent,” Gregory said. “I think that’s quite an accomplishment especially that we’re growing like we are. Public Works picked up 952 cubic yards of debris on the side of the road in different places across town which is equal to 50 full dump truck loads.”

Gregory discussed the annual report during Monday’s Elizabethtown City Council meeting. The report states that the city budget in 2025 was $130,000,000, and the city employs 400 people including 115 at the Elizabethtown Police Department and 74 at the Elizabethtown Fire Department.

Gregory said traffic collisions in Elizabethtown were down five percent in 2025.

“I think that’s the outcome of some really good police efforts,” Gregory said. “It’s the outcome of some good, safe design in our road networks, but we’re seeing that accident number go down, which is always a great thing, especially as everybody can tell we have more traffic on the road than we ever have had in Elizabethtown.”

Gregory said the city paved 11.29 miles of city streets at a cost of $1.265 million last year, and completed more than 2,000 feet of sidewalk improvements.

“We’ve been budgeting $350,000 a year to build sidewalks in parts of town that don’t have them,” Gregory said. “We’ve been budgeting that same money to restore sidewalks in the older parts of town, and you’d be surprised. There’s certain neighborhoods and areas of town that have gaps.”

The annual report can be found at Elizabethtown City Hall.