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Quicksie Versus Wolf Blood Drive a chance to help save lives and help radio stations yell at each other

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The American Red Cross is still attempting to rebuild a blood supply that saw further impacts due to winter storms.

According to the Red Cross, more than 20,000 donations went uncollected this winter due to the impacts of winter weather across the country. This impacted a blood supply that was already dealing with an ongoing shortage, and the Red Cross says some hospitals were forced to cancel elective procedures.

American Red Cross Account Manager Tammy Ritchie says the need for Type O donors right now is especially urgent.

“The need for Type O, O-positive and O-negative, is in an emergency need right now,” said Ritchie. “Transfusions are happening when needed, but because that is the most common blood type, it is also the most needed, and in an emergency situation, that is what’s going to be transfused until we know that patient’s blood type.”

You can support the blood supply and play a part in a friendly rivalry by participating in the Quicksie Versus Wolf Blood Drive, to be held at the Pritchard Community Center in Elizabethtown from noon to 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 5. When you register at the blood drive, be sure to tell the attendant which station you are supporting.

All successful donors in the month of March will receive a $15 Amazon.com gift card. Donors will also receive free A1C testing.

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

Beshear says 2025 was another record year for Kentucky exports

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Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear says the commonwealth broke its record for exports once again in 2025. 

The governor announced Wednesday that Kentucky shipped $50.6 billion worth of products globally in 2025, an increase of 5.65 percent from the year prior and the third straight year the state has broken its record for exports.

According to a release from the Governor’s Office, aerospace products and parts were Kentucky’s top export in 2025, with nearly $24 billion in products shipped out. Industrial machinery saw $5.7 billion in products shipped, motor vehicles and parts saw $4.6 billion in shipments, and pharmaceuticals saw $3.5 billion.

The Governor’s Office says Canada was once again Kentucky’s top destination for exports, with $9.3 billion in products going north of the border. The United Kingdom, France, China, and Mexico remained in the state’s top five. Other trade partners included Brazil, Malaysia, Singapore, the Netherlands, and Austria.

Beshear said in the release: “The commonwealth’s commitment to developing partnerships all over the globe is critical for our long-term economic success. Now more than ever, the rest of the world is realizing that you just can’t beat a Kentucky-made product.”

Visit www.kyexports.com for more information.

KYTC District Four prepping for repairs to Bardstown’s Sympson Lake Dam

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The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is planning repairs to the embankment of U.S. 62 that serves as a dam for Sympson Lake on the west side of Bardstown.

According to a release from KYTC District Four, while there are no imminent structural concerns, minor seepage was detected during routine monitoring of the dam. The KYTC says: “The levels detected do not impact the public or nearby facilities and minor repairs are underway to slow the seepage, along with increased monitoring while engineers develop a plan for a more permanent fix.”

“We’re early on in this entire process, and it’s going to involve several phases, and right now we’re in that preliminary stage where we’re getting those core samples from below the road,” said KYTC District Four Public Information Officer Chris Jessie. “That’s why we have that lane closure up right now on U.S. 62, and we’ll keep folks informed as we go. We’re likely looking at April for letting of a contract to do the majority of work that needs to be done there, and as of right now it looks like that work will take approximately nine months to a year to finish once everything gets going.”

Crews within the next few weeks will begin temporarily reducing the lake level ahead of annual peak rainfall to make it easier to access areas of the embankment for repair work. This will not impact water treatment operations.

The KYTC says through the City of Bardstown’s water treatment facility, Sympson Lake supplies drinking water to more than 46,000 people in Bardstown and the surrounding communities.

Follow KYTC District Four on social media for updates.

CASA of the Heartland keeping up with growth amidst expansion

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CASA of the Heartland Executive Director Michelle Kail says expanding to cover a six-county service area has its challenges, but the organization is up to the task, and is still growing in Hardin County.

“We’ve gone from serving about 120 children in our community in 2022 to 185 this last year, so we’ve seen an increase in need and an increase in services, and we’re happy to be able to step up and provide that service and meet that need,” Kail said.

Kail provided an update on the organization to the Elizabethtown City Council during their work session Monday. She said 983 child dependency, neglect, and abuse petitions were received in 2025, with about 60 percent coming from Hardin County. Court-appointed special advocates from the organization served 312 children last year.

Kail said 129 children are currently on the waitlist.

“We’ve seen those numbers steadily increase over the last several years,” Kail said. “When I started, we had about 98 kiddos on the waitlist. We got it down to 50, and we’ve seen a heavy increase in educational neglect cases in the last year and a half, so those numbers have gone back up.”

Kail said in terms of geography CASA of the Heartland covers the fifth-largest region in the state, but in terms of services provided the organization is the third-largest CASA organization in the state. She said the cost of foster care per child for the state is about $2,300 a month, while CASA advocacy per child is about $2,100 a year.

“CASA is a wise investment for our community leaders because the children that we’re working with are reunified or find permanency much more quickly than kiddos without CASA, and that number for us in the last several years has decreased,” Kail said.

Learn more about how to become a CASA, or about other ways to support the organization, at www.casaheartland.org.

Hardin County Fiscal Court hosts second February meeting

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The Hardin County Fiscal Court met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday.

Hardin County Judge/Executive Keith Taul presented the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Achievement Award to Director Mark Peterson and the other team members of Hardin County EMS.

“Mission: Lifeline EMS is the American Heart Association’s national initiative to advance the system of care for patients with high-risk time-sensitive disease states, such as severe heart attacks and strokes,” Taul said.

Hardin County Coroner Pat Elmore presented his annual report for 2025. Elmore said the coroner’s office responded to 1,193 cases, about 23 more than the year prior. Elmore reported 45 accidents, three homicides, 1,106 natural causes, 32 suicides, two pending autopsy, and two undetermined. Elmore said an increase was seen in the number of suicides but a decrease was seen in the number of drug-related deaths.

The court approved, on second reading, an ordinance to amend the fiscal year 2025-2026 budget. The amendment accommodates about $700,000 in road repair expenses due to be reimbursed by FEMA. Magistrate Fred Clem asked Taul if there has been any response from FEMA on the payment.

“Not recently,” Taul said. “I mean, we’re still working on it., and so we’re still optimistic that we’re going to get the amount of money that we are wanting to get, but we’re still working through that. But no payment yet.”

The Hardin County Fiscal Court will next meet March 10.