Speaker 1: Now we turn to the Kentucky Standard for news and
Speaker 1: Barkstown and Nelson County your reader. Today's Brian Hunt as
Speaker 1: a reminder Radio Eye as a reading service intended for
Speaker 1: people who are blind or have other disabilities that make
Speaker 1: it difficult to read printed material. We will begin with
Speaker 1: the addition dated April twelfth, Gaither removed from dispatch posts.
Speaker 1: Pruitt appointed an interim Nelson County Fiscal Court ousted Sean
Speaker 1: Gaither as director of Nelson County Dispatch earlier this week,
Speaker 1: and in a special called meeting Thursday, it chose to
Speaker 1: appoint Joe Pruitt as interim director. Prwitt previously served as
Speaker 1: the county's Emergency Management director. Judge Executive Tim Hutchins and
Speaker 1: Sheriff Ramon pena Eroa engaged with each other through social
Speaker 1: media posts, with pena Iroa signaling his support for Gayther.
Speaker 1: Hutchins in a Facebook post asked rhetorically why he would
Speaker 1: do something dramatic such as firing Gaither during an election
Speaker 1: season unless it had to be done. He also called
Speaker 1: out pena Eroa as being unprofessional by airing his disagreements
Speaker 1: with the judge over the move on his personal Facebook page.
Speaker 1: Hutchins has not revealed his reasons for firing, citing privacy
Speaker 1: over personnel issues. The controversy seems to at least impart
Speaker 1: stem from disagreements over the implementing of the county's new
Speaker 1: ten eight computer aided dispatch system, a discussion that got
Speaker 1: fiery at times during Tuesday's regular fiscal court meeting. Medcalf
Speaker 1: said there have been some issues getting some archived data
Speaker 1: from the old dispatch system to the new ten DASH
Speaker 1: eight computer aided dispatch software system. This is a very
Speaker 1: large amount of data going into the system, he said.
Speaker 1: Pina Uroa noted that there would be additional costs levied
Speaker 1: by ten Dash eight to onboard the data, much of
Speaker 1: which deals with data gathered by the Sheriff's office, such
Speaker 1: as bodycam footage, as those spelled out in the initial
Speaker 1: contract with the company. Gay there was an attendance at
Speaker 1: to these fiscal court meeting, but was not party to
Speaker 1: a discussion meeting among county officials prior to that discussing
Speaker 1: the ten eight system, and he objected to not being
Speaker 1: included in discussions or decisions made over the change of
Speaker 1: the dispatch system. As director, I feel I should have
Speaker 1: been included in every single one of those conversations, since
Speaker 1: it's my department that's responsible for making sure that every
Speaker 1: other department gets what they need when they need it,
Speaker 1: Gaither said, If that's not a slap in the face,
Speaker 1: I don't know what is.
Speaker 2: He did note that the dispatch.
Speaker 1: Department needed a new computer aided dispatch system to increase
Speaker 1: efficiency with communications to the various departments, but he acknowledged
Speaker 1: that the ten eight systems doesn't meet the needs of
Speaker 1: the Sheriff's office. The Sheriff's Office has an expiring contract
Speaker 1: with Central Square for its data stories, and Chief Deputy
Speaker 1: Josh Greenwell said if the quote bridge linking the ten
Speaker 1: eight system with Central Square, which Fiscal Court approved at
Speaker 1: a cost of eight hundred and twenty dollars, didn't work adequately,
Speaker 1: or if the ten eight system can't be modified to
Speaker 1: serve the needs of the Sheriff's office, the county would
Speaker 1: have to renew the contract with Central Square. Greenwell noted
Speaker 1: that in some cases they're having to search for records
Speaker 1: on two different systems. Hutchins said the reason for the
Speaker 1: switche to the ten eighth system had to do with
Speaker 1: the fact that out of some three hundred plus agencies
Speaker 1: across the state, Nelson County Sheriff's Office was one of
Speaker 1: only four agencies using the Central Square system. Metcalf noted
Speaker 1: that the ten eight system, in terms of integrating communications
Speaker 1: among all departments, has led us down and not been
Speaker 1: as responsive to the county's needs as it should be.
Speaker 1: The Central Square contract expires in November, and Metcalf says
Speaker 1: that the bridge to allow Central Square and ten eight
Speaker 1: to communicate shouldn't be needed beyond that if ten eight
Speaker 1: makes the necessary changes that will allow NCSO to use
Speaker 1: the system efficiently. Pena Oroy noted that if that doesn't happen,
Speaker 1: the Central Square contract would need renewing and they would
Speaker 1: have to continue to pay for the bridge between the
Speaker 1: two systems. In other news, Solid waste Coordinator John Greenwell
Speaker 1: reported that the county's.
Speaker 2: Bulky item pickup program gathered.
Speaker 1: Seventy one hundred ninety six cubic yards eleven hundred eleven
Speaker 1: one thousand, one hundred and eleven tons for delivery to
Speaker 1: the Nelson County Landfill, the largest hall by a volume
Speaker 1: on record total costs with sixty thousand, seven hundred seventeen dollars.
Speaker 1: It's been a good year, Meanwell said. Usually the pickup
Speaker 1: pick period is extended in most years, but this year
Speaker 1: the county was able to cut off collections a day early.
Speaker 1: The county extended to April twenty five, the date where
Speaker 1: residents can drop off items at the landfill that did
Speaker 1: not get picked up during the Bulky Item pickup program,
Speaker 1: to allow for residents who were unable to get those
Speaker 1: items out to the roadside in the early parts of
Speaker 1: the program because of inclement weather. County Road Supervisor Brad
Speaker 1: Spaulding reported that on Monday, there would be road workers
Speaker 1: and inmate work crews making a sweep of the county
Speaker 1: to remove signs from the right at subway of State
Speaker 1: and county roads. Those include campaign signs and commercial signs
Speaker 1: for real estate or yard size. We're going to clean
Speaker 1: them up and we'll be fair, Hudson said. Fiscal Court
Speaker 1: read proformation regard recognizing April as Child Abuse Awareness month.
Speaker 1: Hale's contracting was the low bidder for the project to
Speaker 1: ready the infrastructure for Lot number one of the Nelson
Speaker 1: County Industrial Park at three hundred twelve thousand, seven hundred
Speaker 1: and thirty six dollars and fifty cents for rock grading work.
Speaker 1: With the expansion of the Bartstown Nelson County Airport Board
Speaker 1: from its six members to ten, the county appointed Rick
Speaker 1: Post for a two year term and David Quaylan Clark
Speaker 1: to a four year term. The county rejected a five
Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars bid for redevelopment of the old library
Speaker 1: building on Court Square, citing it as well below what
Speaker 1: was anticipated. Next mayor to seek another term, Heaton files
Speaker 1: for re election. Bartstown Mayor Dick Heaton announced last week
Speaker 1: his intention to run for another term leading the city.
Speaker 1: It was a mild surprise, as there had been rumors
Speaker 1: around town that Heaton would step away from the post
Speaker 1: after fourteen years in two separate stents as mayor. I
Speaker 1: wasn't one hundred percent certain a year ago that I
Speaker 1: would run again, Heaton said. However, the number of major
Speaker 1: projects going on in the city caused Heaton to take
Speaker 1: a second look, and the desire to see those projects
Speaker 1: through to completion and concerns over a lack of institutional
Speaker 1: knowledge had he not run again, won out. We've got
Speaker 1: unfinished business and I want to be part of the
Speaker 1: group to see those through. He said, chief among multimillion
Speaker 1: dollar major projects is the Bardstown Aquatic and Sports Center
Speaker 1: and the Town Creek waste water plant upgrades. Also, the
Speaker 1: repairs on the leaky Simpson Lake Dam are a major concern,
Speaker 1: Heaton said. While the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is heading up
Speaker 1: that particular project, the City of Bardstown has a key
Speaker 1: interest as the dam would pose a threat to the
Speaker 1: Bardstown Water Plant treatment plant, which is located directly across
Speaker 1: the highway from that dam. Heaton also noted that a
Speaker 1: new headquarters for the Bargstown Police Department in the future
Speaker 1: is quote very likely. Those projects are part of a
Speaker 1: historic and unprecedented level of capital improvements, with major projects
Speaker 1: underway in utilities, public safety, recreation, and city administration. Some
Speaker 1: of those projects are scheduled for completion in upcoming months,
Speaker 1: and others are planned over the next two to four years.
Speaker 1: This is defining time for our community, Heaton said, with
Speaker 1: so many important projects in motion and more on the horizon,
Speaker 1: I believe steady, experienced leadership is essential to see these
Speaker 1: efforts through and ensure they deliver long term benefits in
Speaker 1: high quality services to the citizens of Bardstown. Heaton served
Speaker 1: his first term as mayor from twenty seven to twenty ten,
Speaker 1: then returned to Bardstown City Council in twenty seventeen. After
Speaker 1: the council removed John Royalty from the mayor's post for
Speaker 1: official misconduct in twenty seventeen, Heaton was appointed to fill
Speaker 1: out the remainder of that term, then was elected for
Speaker 1: two more terms. The group of council members has been
Speaker 1: sable since Royalties Ulster and Heaton has praised the strong
Speaker 1: collaboration between the mayor and the council's I am proud
Speaker 1: of the work we have accomplished together, Heaton said. Serving
Speaker 1: alongside our city council staff and department heads has been
Speaker 1: a rewarding experience and I am grateful for their dedication
Speaker 1: to Bargetown. In addition to the mayoral posts, all six
Speaker 1: city council seats are up for reelection in November. In
Speaker 1: addition to the mayoral post, all six city council seats
Speaker 1: are up for reelection in November. The council features longtime
Speaker 1: members such as Roland Williams, Joe Bunkman and former mayor
Speaker 1: Bill Sheckels and David Domees and Betty Hart and Franklin
Speaker 1: hibbs four are more recent editions but have served multiple terms.
Speaker 1: I'm hopeful that they all would run again, Heaton said.
Speaker 1: We've got a good team that works well together. I'd
Speaker 1: love to continue working with them. I think they've been effective.
Speaker 1: No one else has filed as yet for the office
Speaker 1: of Mayor. The deadline to file for that race and
Speaker 1: other nonpartisan races is August eleventh. It has been an
Speaker 1: honor to serve this community, and I thank you for
Speaker 1: the trust and encouragement you have given me over the years,
Speaker 1: Heaton said to the voters of Bartstown, I respectfully ask
Speaker 1: for your continued support as we build on this momentum
Speaker 1: and work toward an ebers stronger future for Bardstown and
Speaker 1: Nelson County.
Speaker 2: Next.
Speaker 1: Bartstown teacher selected for literary task Force. Turner excited for
Speaker 1: student growth. Bartstown Middle School teacher Shelby Turner has been
Speaker 1: selected to serve on the National Association for Gifted Children
Speaker 1: Literary task Force. Shelby Turner is the BMS librarian and
Speaker 1: teacher of a combined gifted reading class. Turner was recently
Speaker 1: selected as the only Kentuckian to serve on the National
Speaker 1: Association for Gifted Children Literary TESK Force for the twenty
Speaker 1: twenty six twenty twenty seven school year. Turner said she
Speaker 1: was honored to be selected as part of the task force.
Speaker 1: She said when she was approached about applying for the opportunities,
Speaker 1: she was humble to be recognized. Turner said after being accepted,
Speaker 1: she was happy, but wasn't going to make a big
Speaker 1: deal out of the honor. However, Bartstown City Schools emphasized
Speaker 1: the importance of her acceptance, sending out a press release
Speaker 1: recognizing her for the honor. It is the big deal,
Speaker 1: Turner said, I think now that I've known for a
Speaker 1: week or so, I am like, it's very cool. It's
Speaker 1: obviously an honor to have been selected. The fact that
Speaker 1: I was the only classroom teacher I was looking at
Speaker 1: this list of very impressive peace The NAGC Literary Task
Speaker 1: Force is focused on advancing support for gifted learner, something
Speaker 1: Turner has experience in during her time in the task forces.
Speaker 1: She will collaborate alongside college professors, gifted and Talented specialists,
Speaker 1: and instructional coaches. Two years ago, at Bartstown Middle School,
Speaker 1: Turner was asked to create a reading class for districts
Speaker 1: Gifted Middle School students. These students are part of the
Speaker 1: districts Gifted and Talented Program and have been identified as
Speaker 1: Gifted in Language Arts in twenty twenty six. The program
Speaker 1: has been a success for Turner and the students. Although
Speaker 1: the task of creating the program was daunting at first,
Speaker 1: she said she got to create the Combined Gifted Reading
Speaker 1: course all her own. The students in the class also
Speaker 1: guide instructions. She said, they focus on on analysis and
Speaker 1: break down the themes of the text they're reading. In
Speaker 1: a press release from the Bardstown City Schools, Dana Coule,
Speaker 1: director of Instruction, said Turner was the natural choice to
Speaker 1: create and teach the Gifted Reading class. She embraces challenges
Speaker 1: and creates learning experiences that truly meets the needs of
Speaker 1: advanced students. Carl said Shelby encourages students to question and
Speaker 1: justify their thinking and go beyond simple answers. That same
Speaker 1: mindset is exactly why she is so deserving of this
Speaker 1: opportunity to serve on a national task force focused on
Speaker 1: advanced literacy. Her work already reflects the kind of thinking
Speaker 1: and innovation this group aims to promote. Turner's students are
Speaker 1: being taught there is no right answer when it comes
Speaker 1: to analyzing a text.
Speaker 2: However, she said, it does time.
Speaker 1: Does some time to get students to adjust to that mindset.
Speaker 1: Her gifted task is open ended. Her Gifted class is
Speaker 1: open ended, giving the students the ability to discuss their
Speaker 1: work through words, visual meeting, media, and more. This is
Speaker 1: rounding out my second year of teaching it. Turner said,
Speaker 1: it is my highlight of my day. I love being
Speaker 1: in the library too. I'm very thankful that when I
Speaker 1: accepted moving from classroom teacher to librarian, I was like, hey,
Speaker 1: can I like still teach this class because I love it.
Speaker 1: Absolutely love kids. I've had some of them for two years.
Speaker 1: It's just been cool to watch them grow. Next, Barktown
Speaker 1: turns out to honor and remember Ashley Pruitt. Community reflects
Speaker 1: on her service and memory. Nelson County had hundreds gathered
Speaker 1: Thursday to honor Air Force Tech Sergeant Ashley B. Young Pruit,
Speaker 1: who tragically lost her life in combat last month. On
Speaker 1: April ninth, Nelson County native Pruit returned home. The Air
Speaker 1: Force Tech sergeant lost her life last month during an
Speaker 1: aerial refueling a mission and Western Iraq as part of
Speaker 1: Operation Epic Fury. Thursday, Pruit was brought home and her
Speaker 1: community came together to honor her on her final journey.
Speaker 1: At eleven a m. Thursday morning, a Kentucky Air National
Speaker 1: Guard C one thirty transport plane landed at the Bardstown,
Speaker 1: Nelson County Airport Samuel's Field, carrying Pruit's remains. Following a
Speaker 1: brief family visitation inside the plane, airman performed the dignified
Speaker 1: transfer of her body, with other Air Force personnel and
Speaker 1: junior ROTC members saluting while Pruitt's family observed the process.
Speaker 1: Pruit's casket was loaded onto hers to make its way
Speaker 1: to Hoffland Greenwell Funeral Home, where public visitation was set
Speaker 1: for Friday and the funeral scheduled for Saturday at New
Speaker 1: Salem Baptist Church Cemetery. On Thursday, the funeral procession traveled
Speaker 1: through downtown Bargetown. Hundreds of individuals lined Third Street and
Speaker 1: more lined up along John Rowan Boulevard. The procession featured
Speaker 1: dozens of first responders from Nelson County and beyond, and
Speaker 1: hundreds of bikers, with two veteran botor cycle groups participating
Speaker 1: in the procession. One of the many people in the
Speaker 1: attendance on Thursday was Shiwana Stansbury Root, a Bardstown native.
Speaker 1: She now resides in Louisville working as a first responder. However,
Speaker 1: it was important for her to return to her hometown
Speaker 1: to honor Pruitt. Stansbury Root was one of the many
Speaker 1: students who served in JROTC at Nolson County High School
Speaker 1: alongside Pruit. She said it was devastating to hear the
Speaker 1: news about Pruit's passing, stating it completely rocked her world.
Speaker 1: Every one of us wanted to serve in some form
Speaker 1: or fashion, whether it be through our community as first
Speaker 1: responders or through military. She said, we need know the risks,
Speaker 1: but as kids, we didn't think we'd like, it's never
Speaker 1: gon to happen, it's never going to happen. For it
Speaker 1: to actually happen to one of us, and we were
Speaker 1: such a tight crew and it actually hit. It was
Speaker 1: just devastating for someone like Ashley, the one that was
Speaker 1: she was determined to always save the world that it
Speaker 1: was her and it just it just didn't seem real,
Speaker 1: she said. Bardstown coming together to honor Prewit reaffirms how
Speaker 1: the special the city is to her. Stansbury Brute said,
Speaker 1: Prewit never liked the spotlight to be on herself, always
Speaker 1: opting to help others and lift up her communities. She
Speaker 1: said the love and support Nelson County showed for Pruit
Speaker 1: and her family is important. Several Nelson County veterans and
Speaker 1: those from the surrounding area showed up to honor Pruit
Speaker 1: and support her family. Anthony Clayton served in the Army
Speaker 1: for forty years. It was an emotional moment for him
Speaker 1: to see his community come together for a fallen airman.
Speaker 1: Clayton said any time a soldier, Marine, anyone who served
Speaker 1: in the Armed forces has passed away, he tries to
Speaker 1: be there. It just means a lot to me overall.
Speaker 1: Clayton said, as tears welled into his eyes, I said,
Speaker 1: several friends pass It's just I get emotions. Brothers John
Speaker 1: and Michael McIntyre from Louisville traveled to honor Prewitt. Michael,
Speaker 1: who served for four years in Vietnam for the Air Force,
Speaker 1: said he felt he and Prewitt served.
Speaker 2: For the same team and he wanted.
Speaker 1: To honor her for the work she was doing. John
Speaker 1: said what Prewd was doing was important and he thought
Speaker 1: thanks her for her service. It's bad what happened to
Speaker 1: start to prove it, but she was doing something important,
Speaker 1: Michael said. Morgan Johnson also attended NCCHS with Pruit. She
Speaker 1: said she was a good person, a bright light, and
Speaker 1: a great mother. She said Pruitt was always someone who
Speaker 1: wanted to make a difference. Johnson said she has the
Speaker 1: utmost respect for those who serve. She was happy to
Speaker 1: see her community of Bardstown put on such a display
Speaker 1: to memorialize Pruit and honor her. It's important to come
Speaker 1: together for people who are making a difference out here.
Speaker 1: Johnson said, I feel like we're honoring Ashley just because
Speaker 1: she has gone so far in life and because she
Speaker 1: represents Bartstown. This is the real, true meaning. She represents us,
Speaker 1: and we have come here and represent her and stand
Speaker 1: up for her. Next Bardstown Farmers Market to open April eighteenth.
Speaker 1: Vendors honor longtime friend. The Bardstown Farmers Market will be
Speaker 1: back open this spring, beginning April eighteenth at the Dixie
Speaker 1: Hibs Pavilion. Spring is officially in Bardstown, with opening day
Speaker 1: for the Farmers Market set for next Saturday.
Speaker 2: At eight a m.
Speaker 1: Director Mike Michelle Thomas said this year they'll have twenty
Speaker 1: five vendors, the largest group of local producers and creators
Speaker 1: for the organization. She laughed, adding they have more vendors
Speaker 1: than they do spaces available. However, the increased interest in
Speaker 1: the Bardstown Farmers Market is a positive sign for Thomas.
Speaker 1: She said, this is the first time they've had to
Speaker 1: turn down a number of applications because of a lack
Speaker 1: of space. I think that the change is we are
Speaker 1: more visible on social media now, Thomas said of the
Speaker 1: growing interest from vendors and patrons alike. We get a
Speaker 1: lot of support from community partners. That's a huge thing.
Speaker 1: We are partnering with the Library and the Humane Society
Speaker 1: and Baptist Health. Word of mouth from them alone is incredible.
Speaker 1: Thomas said their vendors will have various goods for the community,
Speaker 1: the traditional plants, fruits and vegetables, to the unique handmade
Speaker 1: crafts to homemade seasonings. This year, the Bartstown Farmers Market
Speaker 1: will be missing one of its longtime vendors, Donnie Crell.
Speaker 1: Thomas said Crell had been at the market with the
Speaker 1: market for at least twenty years and had a wealth
Speaker 1: of information to share. She said, no matter the day,
Speaker 1: there was always a smile on Sorel's face. Syrell passed
Speaker 1: away on a third Thomas said on opening days, Sorell's
Speaker 1: usual stall will be less vacant. She said they will
Speaker 1: be highlighting a candle or lighting a candle in his
Speaker 1: honor and will have a small donation char which will
Speaker 1: be given to his family. He was a happy guy,
Speaker 1: She said it was an honor to have him at
Speaker 1: the market. Looking ahead for the season, Thomas said they
Speaker 1: will have a free tote bag on opening days this year.
Speaker 1: They will also have market guides which will include information
Speaker 1: on what plants are in season. Next Saturday to opening
Speaker 1: marks the start of their outdoor market, which will run
Speaker 1: through the fall. Barkstown Farmer's Market will be open on Tuesdays, Fridays,
Speaker 1: and Saturdays. Thomas said the first week of the season
Speaker 1: they see a large influx of customers, which slowly wanes
Speaker 1: as kids go back to school and it gets cooler. However,
Speaker 1: this Year's said they're partnering with local and regional organizations
Speaker 1: to create a community event days to bring people in.
Speaker 1: Just to name a few, Thomas said they'll have a
Speaker 1: Soup Day, a Senior Day, a back to school splash
Speaker 1: and a breast cancer Awareness Day. There's a lot of
Speaker 1: people in the downtown area that don't have a car.
Speaker 1: Thomas said, if we can bring resources centrally located right
Speaker 1: to the pavilion, whether in the bookmobile they can do
Speaker 1: their library books, or we can bring some health information
Speaker 1: right to the center of town, it makes it easier.
Speaker 1: For the last three years, Barstown Farmers Market has also
Speaker 1: hosted an indoor market, which has enjoyed wild success. Thomas
Speaker 1: said this indoor market allows new local vendors of space
Speaker 1: to sell their handmade goods. During the most recent holiday season,
Speaker 1: they said the market gave the community a chance to
Speaker 1: do their shopping. Thomas said Bartstown Farmers Market is a
Speaker 1: way to give back to the those in your community.
Speaker 1: It's not just a place to get fresh, locally grown
Speaker 1: fruits and vegetables, but also homemade arts and more. This
Speaker 1: is all the time we have for reading of recent
Speaker 1: editions of the Kentucky Standard. If you've enjoyed hearing this,
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Speaker 1: of everyone here at Radio Eye. This is Brian Hunt.
Speaker 1: Thank you for joining me and now Please stay tuned
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