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Kentucky soldier killed in action in WWII returning home for burial

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A Kentucky soldier killed in action during World War II will be laid to rest in radcliff.

U.S. Army Private Mike R. McDowell enlisted in the Army from Kentucky, and served in Company B, 1st Battalion, 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), known as “Merrill’s Marauders”, in the China-Burma-India Theater. McDowell was declared killed in action during the Battle of Myitkyina in Burma in July of 1944. The U.S. Army Human Resources Command says limited records survived the battle and the details surrounding his loss are unknown, and he was declared non-recoverable in April 1952.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency accounted for McDowell on January 29. He is survived by his third cousin, Judy Clark, and her husband Richard.

Visitation for Private McDowell will be Wednesday, July 29 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Chism Family Funeral Home in Vine Grove. He will then be laid to rest with full military honors at 10:30 a.m. in the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery Central. The public is invited to attend.

Human remains found in Breckinridge County belong to missing woman

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Human remains found in Breckinridge County last year have been identified as those of a missing Glen Dean woman.

The Breckinridge County Sheriff’s Office says remains found on March 9, 2025, in the Glen Dean area were identified through DNA analysis. The remains were confirmed to belong to 64-year-old Evelyn Blake, who was originally reported missing in July of 2024.

The sheriff’s office says Blake’s next of kin were immediately notified and the announcement was delayed one day to allow additional family members to be contacted. The sheriff’s office says the identification was achieved through the collaborative efforts of the sheriff’s office, the Breckinridge County Coroner’s Office, the Office of the Kentucky Medical Examiner, the Kentucky Forensic Laboratory, and the University of Tennessee’s Anthropological Research Facility.

The investigation into Blake’s cause of death is active and ongoing. Anybody with possible information is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 270-756-2361. Tips may be made anonymously.

June unemployment in Lincoln Trail counties trends higher than month and year prior

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Unemployment rates in the Lincoln Trail District in June were higher than the previous month and a year prior.

The Kentucky Center for Statistics says unemployment rates increased in 116 counties, decreased in two, and stayed the same in two when comparing June 2026 with June 2025.

Hardin County’s unemployment rate for June came in at 6.3 percent. That is an increase from the May rate of 5.7 percent and from June 2025 when the rate was reported at 5.1 percent.

The unemployment average for the Lincoln Trail District in June was 6.1 percent. Grayson County posted the highest unemployment rate in the district at 7.1 percent. Washington County posted the lowest at 5.1 percent.

Learn more about how the unemployment rate is calculated and find more labor market information by visiting kystats.ky.gov.

Hardin County Fiscal Court hosts first July meeting

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

Hardin County Judge/Executive Keith Taul announced that Hardin County EMS has been awarded nearly $55,000 in grant funding from the Cabinet for Health and Family Service’s Education and Training Modernization Program.

“This grant money will be used to update training mannequins for pediatric and adult CPR training, advanced and difficult airway mannequins, and enhanced AV equipment,” Taul said.

Hardin County Engineer Mark Absher provided the magistrates with an update on recent office activity. Absher said the county is working with consultants on the best possible solutions for the historic White Mills Bridge.

“If they come up with something better than the others, we’ll look at that, and I also said that converting the bridge over to pedestrian traffic is an absolute if there’s no other options at all, but we’ll present you with how much money it’s going to take for the other options as well to kind of look at,” Absher said.

Absher also said he would begin looking for funding sources for  needed repairs on the Pierce Mill Road Bridge and the Solway Meeting Creek Bridge.

The Hardin County Fiscal Court will next meet July 28.

KSP targeting commercial vehicle enforcement as part of national campaign

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The Kentucky State Police is participating in a federal enforcement effort involving commercial vehicles.

The KSP’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division is participating in Operation SafeDRIVE, which runs through this Saturday.

The KSP says the campaign targets unsafe driving behavior that often leads to passenger and commercial vehicle crashes. During Operation SafeDRIVE, KSP officers will patrol major highways, conduct commercial driver safety inspections at scale facilities, and ensure compliance with federal safety standards.

The KSP encourages drivers to maintain good driving habits on the roadway to assist commercial vehicle operators. Stay out of the blind spots of large trucks, signal early, pass safely, don’t cut off large vehicles, and avoid sudden stops and tailgating.

Operation SafeDRIVE is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s “Our Roads, Our Safety” campaign. Learn more by visiting the U.S. DOT’s website.