WQXE NEWS

The City of Vine Grove is receiving support for infrastructure improvements by way of funding through the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Vine Grove Mayor Pam Ogden said the funding was requested by Second District Congressman Brett Guthrie.

“It is for $817,491,” Ogden said. “It is to improve and replace old, galvanized water lines that are a constant source of leaks and main breaks in our water system. This is also to replace undersized lines, so I’m pretty excited about it. These are projects that we wouldn’t have had money to probably do for a while.”

The work covered by the funding is part of improvement projects the city has been working on for some time.

“We have water and sewer in the City of Vine Grove,” Ogden said. “We own our own, and this is something we’ve been going through and replacing on our own. It is very expensive, very costly, so we applied for this grant with Brett Guthrie’s office and we’ve communicated several times back and forth. This is a grant that he’s sponsored for us. I’m very appreciative, and it actually got approved.”

Ogden said she is grateful for the work Guthrie, his office, and the staff at Vine Grove City Hall put into getting the funding approved

“It’s going to make a huge difference as far as how many jobs we can tackle, how many jobs we can take care of in the city, and the improvements that we can make with this amount of money is amazing,” Ogden said.

Guthrie said in his funding request: “This project is a good use of taxpayer funding because it works to provide increased access to strong water pressure for fire protection in the Vine Grove community and will help to ensure increased water system reliability for those serviced by the city’s water.”

Deer hunters across the commonwealth contributed to another strong season despite the doe harvest coming in short of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s goals.

Hunters harvested 145,433 deer in Kentucky during the 2025-2026 hunting season, marking the fifth-highest reported total in the state’s history. 72 percent of harvested deer were taken using modern guns. KFW says the season included a newly-expanded October youth-only season, impressive numbers for hunters on public lands, and a high percentage of harvested bucks estimated to be 2.5 years old or older.

The state did not, however, meet its doe harvest goals, which KFW says plays a part in maintaining a healthy and quality deer herd in the commonwealth. Only 43.5 percent of harvested deer were does, and only one county in the state-designated hunting zones where the state was looking to reduce population numbers met its goal for the season. KFW is looking into ways to encourage a higher doe harvest, as an overabundance of deer can result in increased vehicle collisions and damage to crops and landscaping.

KFW continues to monitor for chronic wasting disease and is enforcing restrictions in counties located within the state’s CWD Surveillance Zone. Learn more about CWD and find additional statistics on deer hunting season at fw.ky.gov.

The National Weather Service in Louisville has issued a Winter Storm Warning for southern Indiana and central Kentucky, in effect from 1 a.m. Saturday through 7 a.m. Monday.

The NWS says widespread heavy snowfall and ice is expected. Area residents should anticipate power outages, impassable roads, impacts to other utilities, and downed trees.

Confidence in a winter storm is high, with models projecting one inch per hour snowfall rates. Parts of Breckinridge, Grayson, Hardin, Hart, Meade, LaRue, and Nelson counties are projected to see 8 to 12 inches, and additional portions of Bullitt, Hardin, Meade, and Nelson counties could see 12 to 15 inches. Southern Kentucky is expected to see more ice accumulation, but portions of the area could see between a .1 and .25 inches of ice through Monday morning.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency ahead of the storms, activating the state’s emergency response and price gouging laws. The state’s Emergency Operations Center is preparing to activate to level three.

The Elizabethtown Police Department says the cities of Elizabethtown, Radcliff, and Vine Grove have collectively established a consistent procedure to assist those without adequate shelter. Citizens displaced and in need of assistance may contact the Elizabethtown (270-765-4125), Radcliff (270-351-4477), and Vine Grove (270-877-2252) police departments. County residents outside of city limits may contact the police department in the city closest to them.

The City of Elizabethtown is asking residents to have their vehicles removed from city streets by 5 p.m. Friday in order to allow snow plows to navigate the streets more efficiently.

Follow the National Weather Service in Louisville for updates.