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U.S. 62 bridge work will require detours at Hardin-Nelson county line

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Bridge work at the Hardin-Nelson county line will require detours next week. 

Demolition and replacement work is scheduled to begin Monday on the U.S. 62 bridge over Rolling Fork Slough near the county line, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says full closure of the bridge will allow the project to be completed as quickly as possible.

Drivers on the west side of the bridge will be directed to travel via U.S. 62 to Interstate 65 in Elizabethtown and use the Bluegrass Parkway eastbound toward Bardstown and Lexington. Drivers on the east side of the bridge will be directed to use KY 52 to and from the Bluegrass Parkway. Electronic message boards have been placed in the area of the bridge to alert travelers of the upcoming work and detours.

A 90-day closure was included in the $2.38 million contract that was awarded to E and B Paving LLC for the bridge replacement. The bridge is expected to reopen around September 20.

Follow KYTC District Four on social media for more information and project updates.

CASA of the Heartland receives Kentucky Colonels grant; movie fundraiser this Friday

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CASA of the Heartland received support from the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels for their mission of serving children navigating foster care and the family court systems.

“Every year the Kentucky Colonels grant allows us the opportunity to get some type of project funded that is associated with our mission,” said CASA of the Heartland Executive Director Michelle Kail.

The grant this year was for $2,909.

“So this year we applied for a grant to purchase stuffed animals that correlate with several books that we have that are related to children navigating the court system, children having to testify, various family structures, having CASAs, different things like that that we know that the children that we’re advocating for might encounter,” Kail said.

You can help support CASA of the Heartland’s mission this Friday by heading to the movies. The organization is partnering with Crowne Pointe Theatre for a special showing of The Goonies.

“It is at 6 p.m. this Friday, July 19,” Kail said. “Tickets are $7 and can be purchased on our website at CASAheartland.org, and $5 of the $7 goes directly to CASA and then part of the ticket purchase is that you get a 30 percent off coupon for concessions.”

Find more information on the CASA of the Heartland Facebook page.

Hardin County Sheriff’s Office deputy, passenger killed in collision Sunday evening

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The Kentucky State Police is investigating a fatal collision that occurred in Hardin County Sunday evening.

According to the KSP, shortly after 8 p.m. on July 14 a trooper on patrol came upon a collision at the intersection of the U.S. 31W Bypass and westbound ramp to the Western Kentucky Parkway.

The KSP says the preliminary investigation indicates that 67-year-old Billy Edwards of Elizabethtown was operating a motorcycle on the bypass when a vehicle operated by Cameron Harris “attempted to make a sharp right turn onto the WKP exit ramp, causing him to collide with the motorcycle.” The collision caused the motorcycle to lose control and exit onto the shoulder of the ramp.

Edwards and a passenger, his wife 58-year-old Kathy Edwards of Elizabethtown, were ejected from the motorcycle. Billy Edwards received fatal wounds in the crash, and Kathy Edwards was pronounced dead at the scene by the Hardin County Coroner’s Office. Harris and a passenger in his vehicle reported no injuries.

Billy Edwards was a deputy with the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff;s office said in a Facebook post that Edwards was a 24-year veteran of the Elizabethtown Police Department and was working as a school resource officer at the time of his death. He was off duty at the time of the crash.

The KSP says the affected portion of the U.S. 31W Bypass was closed for nearly four hours for accident reconstruction. The KSP’s investigation of the crash is ongoing.

Hardin County Fair wraps up; injured volunteer recovering after accident

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The sixty-first year of “the most fun you can have with your shoes on” wrapped up Saturday night as the Hardin County Fair came to a close.

“We had a really, really good fair week,” said Fair Board PResident Marty Fulkerson. “We ran into some issues with all the storms and tornado warnings Tuesday, that kind of hurt the attendance a little bit, but we had a really, really good fair. It was hot, but gosh, it’s July, and that’s what happens when fair time is here.”

He said entries appeared to be up among 4H and FFA members and a good turnout could be seen in the Family Living Building, including the debut year for the Exceptional category.

A scary situation was seen Saturday morning as one of the fair volunteers was seriously injured while preparing for the Brush Pull and had to be flown to a Louisville hospital for treatment. The fair board said the volunteer is stable and recovering.

“There’s still a long way to go and more surgeries and things it looks like, but it was just a freak accident,” Fulkerson said. “In 61 years, we’ve never had something like that happen. We’ve been pretty blessed, and we’re still praying for him and his family, and he’s got a long road to go.”

Fulkerson said the fair would not be possible without the support of the community and the fair’s sponsors, along with the hard work of the fair team.

“You get a fair board group of 20 people,” Fulkerson said. “There’s no way we can do it. It takes all the volunteers. I think there’s probably 60 or 70 volunteers in the Family Living Building. That track crew up there consists of probably 12 people that make that happen, and it’s a lot of turnovers and turnarounds.”

The Hardin County Fair will return the first full week of July 2025.

$684K worth of drugs seized in KSP’s Operation Summer Heat

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A major summer narcotics operation launched by the Kentucky State Police is showing results. 

Following a three-month long investigation into suspected drug trafficking rings, all sixteen KSP posts joined in on Operation Summer Heat. KSP personnel partnered with law enforcement agencies from across the commonwealth to make a series of arrests.

Governor Andy Beshear included KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. as a speaker during Thursday’s Team Kentucky Update. Burnett said the operation resulted in 206 arrests, 490 charges, and the seizure of more than $684,000 in illicit drugs.

“Fentanyl, 554 grams was removed, as well as 2,931 pressed pills of fentanyl, 219 grams of cocaine, 4,862 grams of methamphetamine, 40 grams of heroin, 50 hydrocodone pills, 60 oxycodone pills, and then 90 hallucinogens, as well as other illegal drugs,” said Burnett.

Burnett said Operation Summer Heat is ongoing, with additional arrests expected soon. He said the successful launch of the operation is a testament to the state’s efforts to keep communities safe.

“This statewide initiative is to show a clear message across Kentucky that those who continue to distribute illegal drugs in our communities, the Kentucky State Police and our law enforcement partners local and federal will focus our efforts to cease such activities,” Burnett said.

Beshear said drug enforcement is important, but it goes hand in hand with drug treatment. The governor announced four additional counties, including Nelson County, have received their Recovery Ready Community certifications from the state.

“Since we launched the Recovery Ready Community certification last year, 14 counties have now been certified,” Beshear said. “These communities are stepping up to help fellow Kentuckians who are struggling with addiction. They’re providing families more support through mental health and addiction treatment as well as employment services, and we are grateful for and we applaud their good work.”

Kentuckians seeking treatment help can visit FindHelpNowKY.org. Drug activity can be reported anonymously via the KSP website tip form.