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Warm Blessings board says services continuing following death of executive director

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Warm Blessings Community Kitchen board member Diana Leathers says following the death of executive director Dawn Cash in December the board began taking actions to move the organization forward.

“There was a week that was already planned to be closed, and then we knew that with Dawn’s passing we needed to work out some details and understand what the situation was going to be going forward, and to give staff time to grieve and volunteers that are so important to the mission, give them time to grieve and work through that, Leathers said.

Warm Blessings reopened on January 8. Leathers says day services will remain open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and all core services will continue, including hot community meals which will still be served Monday through Friday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Leathers says the lone exception is pantry services, which the organization is working with Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland on spinning off.

“Anybody who is food insecure, and that just means that they don’t necessarily know where their next meal is going to come from, those doors are open for them,” Leathers said. “We do not ask for any kind of income verification. A lot of programs are required to do that because of their funding sources, but Warm Blessings has always been an open door.”

Leathers says any changes at the organization are made with sustainability in mind.

“We want to make sure that everything, especially what Dawn put into it, all the previous executive directors, that that is something that we’re going to be able to carry forward, and so we are very committed to that and we want to make as little changes as possible, but some changes were necessary, and again, that’s just for sustainability,” Leathers said.

Leathers says appointments are required for shower and laundry access, but walk-ins can check on availability or schedule a time.

Visit www.warmblessings.org or the Warm Blessings Community Kitchen Facebook page for more information.

CASA of the Heartland expanding to include Hart County

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In their first full year serving five counties, CASA of the Heartland Executive Director Michelle Kail says the organization and its volunteers put in the effort to meet growing demands.

“Within that year, we were able to serve 312 children with 108 CASA volunteers, and we had several case closures throughout the year, kiddos who were able to achieve permanency, so we had some really great successes,” Kail said.

Part of that success came from bringing new volunteers into the fold.

“We trained and swore in 38 new CASA volunteers, which is more than our program has ever trained before, and a lot of those volunteers were sworn in at the very end of the year and just took their first case this week, so we’re hoping to see even more growth and success in 2026,” Kail said.

2026 will bring more growth as the organization expands its service area to include Hart County.

“Hart County and LaRue County share a judge, and so it was just a natural affinity for us to be able to pick up and continue services in Hart County, and they were previously served by CASA of South Central Kentucky, and they’re looking at having conversations to expand in other parts of the state, so it was just a good opportunity for us to be able to transition Hart County over to CASA of the Heartland,” Kail said.

Kail says the organization still has 125 children on their wait list who are in need of a volunteer. Learn more about how you can get involved or support the organization by visiting www.casaheartland.org or by calling 270-982-2274.

Area rail lines included in state improvement funding

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Funding approved by the state for railroad safety and infrastructure improvements includes work on rail lines in area counties.

During Thursday’s Team Kentucky Update, Governor Andy Beshear announced the awarding of nearly $3 million in grant funds to railroads and local governments, financing nine projects in seven counties.

According to a release from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, among the announced grant awards is $1.6 million in Rail Crossing Improvement Grants. These improvements “range from signal and light enhancements at crossings to adding raised curb medians with delineators to improve traffic flow.” The grant program covers up to 80 percent of eligible project costs.

The Paducah and Louisville Railway received about $777,000 through these grants to enhance safety and reliability at three key crossings:

-Raised curb medians at the Red Hill Road crossing in Hardin County

-Signal and light upgrades at the Crume Road crossing in Hardin County

-Full crossing renewal at the Ray Priddy Road crossing in Grayson County

The railway says these projects will improve safety as well as efficiency for freight movement in the region.

Visit the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s website for more information including a full list of grant award winners.

EPD investigating shooting death of teenager and vehicle collision death of pedestrian

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The Elizabethtown Police Department is actively investigating two weekend incidents.

During a press conference at the EPD Sunday, EPD Public Affairs Officer Chris Denham said officers responded to the parking lot of the Elizabethtown Lowe’s shortly after 2:30 a.m. on January 11 after receiving a call that a female had been shot in the chest. Upon arrival, officers found 21-year-old Bryan Harbison of McDaniels administering CPR to a female victim. The victim, and another female juvenile on the scene, were both determined to be 15 years old.

“The Investigation has revealed that Harbison had met the two juvenile females via Snapchat, and prior to coming to pick them up he had purchased alcohol for them, and they were in the parking lot of the Elizabethtown Lowe’s hanging out and consuming the alcohol that he had purchased,” Denham said.

Denham said the investigation shows Harbison and the victim were seated in the back seat of his truck and the other juvenile was in the front seat. Denham said the juvenile admitted in an interview with police she picked up a handgun from inside the vehicle, pointed it at the victim, and pulled the trigger, resulting in the victim being struck in the chest

Denham said the juvenile and Harbison provided differing accounts on how she accessed the gun.

“According to Harbison, the firearm was secured in the glove box,” Denham said. “However, the suspect in the investigation has revealed that she had found the firearm, a 9 millimeter handgun, on the center console of the truck. According to the suspect, Harbison told her that the gun was not loaded. However, that’s unknown.”

The victim was transported to Baptist Health Hardin, where she was pronounced dead.

The juvenile suspect is in custody and has been charged with Murder. Harbison has been charged with first degree Wanton Endangerment and third degree Unlawful Transaction with a Minor. He has been lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center.

Meanwhile, the EPD’s Collision Reconstruction Team is investigating a fatal vehicle collision that occurred Saturday evening. The EPD says the preliminary investigation indicates just before 9 p.m. on January 10 a juvenile male was driving south in a SUV on the 1,000 block of North Dixie Avenue when the vehicle struck a pedestrian who was walking in the vehicle’s lane of travel. The pedestrian, an adult male, was pronounced dead at the scene. The identity of the man is being withheld pending family notification. Denham said Sunday the juvenile driver initially fled the scene but returned with a sibling after reaching his home. The juvenile has been charged with Leaving the Scene of an Accident.

Denham noted that the two incidents are unrelated.

Area organizations hosting job fair for displaced BlueOval SK workers

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Employees impacted by the announced closing of BlueOval SK are encouraged to attend the regional in-person job and career fair being hosted by the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce, the Elizabethtown/Hardin County Industrial Foundation, the Lincoln Trail Area Development District, and the Kentucky Career Center.

The job fair will be held on Thursday, January 22 at the Pritchard Community Center. Two sessions will be available: from 9 a.m. to noon and from 2 to 5 p.m.

Impacted employees will be able to meet with regional employers, apply for open positions, and speak directly with hiring representatives. Job seekers are encouraged to contact the Kentucky Career Center for resume assistance ahead of the job fair. The registration link for employers and attendees can be found on the Kentucky Career Center’s website.

Additional resources available for displaced BlueOval SK workers can be found on the BOSK Support page on the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development’s website.