Speaker 1: Now we turn to the Kentucky Standard for news in
Speaker 1: Bardstown in Nelson County. Your reader today is Brian Hunt.
Speaker 1: As a reminder, RADIOI is 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 edition dated August ninth. Nick Halk perjury trial moved
Speaker 1: to be moved out of Nelson County. As was anticipated,
Speaker 1: the November perchure trial for Nick Halk will be moved
Speaker 1: to another location within the state, similar to what happened
Speaker 1: last year with his brother Brooks and his accomplices in
Speaker 1: the Crystal Rogers murder trial. Both Commonwealth's attorney Kyle Williamson
Speaker 1: and nick Halk's attorney Ferguson agreed to a change of
Speaker 1: venue for the perjury trial, and at Thursday's preliminary hearing
Speaker 1: in Nelson's Circuit Court, Judge Charles Simms I put through
Speaker 1: the order and requested from attorneys agree on a location
Speaker 1: by August twentieth if they cannot do so. Sims requested
Speaker 1: ten potential locations with the hopes that there would be
Speaker 1: some overlaps between the two legal teams if they ultimately
Speaker 1: cannot agree Sims would make the choice. Nick Halk, who
Speaker 1: was arrested in June and bonded out of jail shortly
Speaker 1: thereafter by his mother, Rosemary Hawk, has been charged with
Speaker 1: first degree perjury for statements made during legal proceedings between
Speaker 1: July twenty fifteen and August twenty twenty three in relation
Speaker 1: to rogers twenty fifteen disappearance and presumed murder. Roger's body
Speaker 1: was never found, but brooks House was convicted of murder
Speaker 1: and tampering with evidence in a twenty twenty five trial,
Speaker 1: and accomplices Joseph Lawson and his father, Steve were also
Speaker 1: convicted of conspiracy to murder and evidence tampering. Brooks Houk
Speaker 1: was sentenced to life in prison, while Joseph Lawson was
Speaker 1: sentenced to twenty five years and Steve Lawson received a
Speaker 1: seventeen year sentence. Those trials occurred at Warren Circuit Court
Speaker 1: in Bulling Green. All three men are appealing their conviction.
Speaker 1: Nick Halch is a former Bardstown police officer who was
Speaker 1: fired from the department in twenty fifteen for interfering with
Speaker 1: the investigation into his brother. Nick was referred to in
Speaker 1: court proceedings as a unindicted co conspirator by Hardin County
Speaker 1: Commonwealth's Attorney Shane Young, who served as special prosecutor for
Speaker 1: Brooke Holt and the Lawsons. There is another pre trial
Speaker 1: conference set for August twenty eight. Last week, Williamson team
Speaker 1: spelled out thirty three pieces of evidence they planned to
Speaker 1: introduce at the November ninth perjury trial, including grand jury
Speaker 1: recordings and interviews and transcripts. They also released a list
Speaker 1: of witnesses they planned to call, including investigators and Rosemary
Speaker 1: Holk is also on that list, as is Amber Bowman,
Speaker 1: who was Hawk's girlfriend at the time of Rogers appearance.
Speaker 1: Bowman also testified at the Brooks Haut trial last summer. Next,
Speaker 1: harvest Land Farm is a dream come true. You can
Speaker 1: do anything you put your mind to it, so I
Speaker 1: can't This can't fail, Yocum said as he walked around
Speaker 1: his dream farm, harvest Land Farms. Last September, Yocumb had
Speaker 1: the opportunity to make his dream come true. I'm along
Speaker 1: with friends and family, his children and his wife, Crystal Yokum.
Speaker 1: Jeff got to work maintaining more than forty acres of land,
Speaker 1: which sat untouched for nearly three decades. This summer harvest
Speaker 1: land farms open for business, growing and delivering fresh produce
Speaker 1: in the fall. He said. They want the farm to
Speaker 1: be open to all, from humpkin patches at hay Rides
Speaker 1: to s Big a place to come together, has a community.
Speaker 1: As a kid, I always had my dream to have
Speaker 1: a farm, and so it took fifty four years to
Speaker 1: reach my dream, Jeff said. Jeff said he was told
Speaker 1: he was the only registered black farmer in Nelson County.
Speaker 1: In the process of getting the farm together, he was
Speaker 1: handing in his paperwork in Frankfort, and Jeff said he
Speaker 1: was told that he was the only minority farmer in
Speaker 1: the county, which almost brought tears to his eyes. Growing
Speaker 1: up in Shepherdsville, Jeff said he used to farm as
Speaker 1: a child with his father. Now, at age fifty four,
Speaker 1: he thanks God for giving him the opportunity to pursue
Speaker 1: his opportunity now. In addition to the new venture on
Speaker 1: the farm, Jeff is a pastor and he owns a
Speaker 1: long care business. If you put your mind to something,
Speaker 1: you can do it. He said. Wherever your dream is,
Speaker 1: you've got to hold on to it. I want people
Speaker 1: to know that just because one door closed, don't give
Speaker 1: up because another door is going to open up. When
Speaker 1: Frankfort told me that they believe I'm the only registered
Speaker 1: black farmer in Nelson County, it really meant a lot
Speaker 1: to me. Jeff said he wants it to be a
Speaker 1: place where children can come and learn about agriculture and
Speaker 1: see how the food they eat is grown. He wants
Speaker 1: harvest Land to be a community farm for people to Healtogether,
Speaker 1: Jeff said harvest Land Farms will be Christian based. There
Speaker 1: will not be any drinking or profanity. He said they
Speaker 1: want it to be a place families can bring their
Speaker 1: kids and schools can bring their students. Crystals said they
Speaker 1: also imagine harvest Land Farms to be a wedding for
Speaker 1: you and you in the future. Jeff said they already
Speaker 1: have a vision what that could look like. Crystal also
Speaker 1: said they've cleaned up around one tree, in particular, eyeing
Speaker 1: it as a space to put a swing, perfect for
Speaker 1: a photo opportunity. Currently, he said they are in the
Speaker 1: process of beginning their fall crops. While watermelon is still
Speaker 1: growing in one field, pumpkins are starting in another. Jeff
Speaker 1: said they plan to grow pumpkins in faces so there
Speaker 1: will be plenty for people to pick from whenever they
Speaker 1: visit in the fall. Additionally, he said they also grow
Speaker 1: ornamental corn, which is not edible for people to pick
Speaker 1: and use his decoration in their homes outside of the
Speaker 1: farm as an attraction. Harvest Landfarm also does delivery and
Speaker 1: pickup for its wide array of produce. As they're preparing
Speaker 1: for the fall, they'll be planting greens, okra, squash, zucchini,
Speaker 1: and more. Jeff said they don't use any chemicals on
Speaker 1: their plants, wanting their customers to get something fresh. Jeff said,
Speaker 1: through it all, the farm is his dream and he's
Speaker 1: grateful for all of those who've had a helping hand
Speaker 1: in making it come true. He said he finds his
Speaker 1: peace at the farm. Jeff said being there brings him
Speaker 1: back to his childhood. Most importantly, he said he doesn't
Speaker 1: believe he does it alone. Jeff said he thanks Kristal
Speaker 1: and their three kids, Richard, Christian and Mary as they
Speaker 1: all help out. He said it takes a family to
Speaker 1: make it happen. I thank God for allowing me this
Speaker 1: thing to come. Jeff said, I said, God, why don't
Speaker 1: you wait until I turn fifty four? For this to happen.
Speaker 1: If you wait on the Lord, he will answer your question.
Speaker 1: He simply said, I wasn't ready. I thank God all
Speaker 1: the time for having patience and waiting on him to
Speaker 1: give me this. And I tell you, when you wait
Speaker 1: on the Lord, look at what he can do. I
Speaker 1: never could imagine anything like this in my life. Harvest
Speaker 1: Land Farms can be found on Facebook for fresh produce
Speaker 1: in person or delivery, message the page and be on
Speaker 1: the lookout for more news about their upcoming fall activities. Next.
Speaker 1: Bb Co accused of discrimination fraud in new suit. A
Speaker 1: third discrimination lawsuit has been filed against Bardstown Bourbon Company.
Speaker 1: Former marketing director Laurel Altman Dixon filed a lawsuit last
Speaker 1: week in Nelson's Circuit Court alleging sex and age based discrimination,
Speaker 1: as well as fraud related to a separation and release
Speaker 1: agreement that Altman Dixon now claims contain misrepresentations. According to
Speaker 1: court documents. Significant portions of the new court documents were
Speaker 1: redacted from public view. Altman Dixon is seeking the damages
Speaker 1: for humiliation, embarrassment, loss of reputation, personal indignity, and emotional distress.
Speaker 1: In a statement, the companies of the allegations are false.
Speaker 1: According to the lawsuit, Altman Dixon, forty one at the time,
Speaker 1: performed significant work for BBC, including responsibilities associated with Brad Paisley,
Speaker 1: an American Highway reserve, but in August of twenty twenty one,
Speaker 1: Mark Erwin, then chief executive officer of BBC, demanded to
Speaker 1: terminate Altman Dixon because Altman Dixon was a pushy exclative,
Speaker 1: and then purported to correct herself by calling her a
Speaker 1: pushy woman. Erwin orchestrated Altman Dixon's firing, according to the lawsuit,
Speaker 1: which alleges similar conduct by male executives was not labeled
Speaker 1: or penalized in the same manner. She also alleges age
Speaker 1: related discrimination. According to Altman Dixon lawsuit, BBC's leadership repeatedly
Speaker 1: characterized senior women who spoke firmly, challenged leadership, or performed
Speaker 1: assertively as pushy or emotional, whilst treating comparable conduct by
Speaker 1: men differently. BBC ended Altman Dixon's employment in August of
Speaker 1: twenty twenty one and called it a layoff, but did
Speaker 1: not disclose the true nature of the dismissal. When the
Speaker 1: company asked her to sign a separation agreement and release
Speaker 1: that would bar the lawsuit, according to the complaint previous lawsuits.
Speaker 1: The suit followed similar complaints from former Human Resources by
Speaker 1: president Sylvia Sanders, who in March filed a whistleblower lawsuit
Speaker 1: against the Bourbon Company and its leadership for violating employment
Speaker 1: laws through gender discrimination, creating a hostile work environment, retaliation,
Speaker 1: wrongful discharged, defamation, character of character, and other causes. Former
Speaker 1: president Peter Marino, who is named in the suit, has
Speaker 1: since left the company. In her original complaints, Sanders listed
Speaker 1: Altman Dixon as one of at least a half a
Speaker 1: dozen women executives ousted by Erwin. Sanders alleged in the
Speaker 1: complaint that Altman Dixon incurred Erwin's ire after trying to
Speaker 1: sit between Erwin and country music singer Brad Paisley during
Speaker 1: a publicity shoot for Paisley's bourbon brand, which was released
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty one in collaboration with the BBC. The
Speaker 1: choote ended up featuring all white men except one female
Speaker 1: hand seen raising a drink in the Finnish video. Erwin
Speaker 1: is shown next to Paisley. In the complaint, Sanders said
Speaker 1: when she attempted to point out to Erwin that firing
Speaker 1: Altman Dixon was not in keeping with BBC's past practices
Speaker 1: with similarly situated male employees. Erwin cut her off started
Speaker 1: yelling at her, saying that he'd hired Sanders and other
Speaker 1: female employees and that senators had better not accuse him
Speaker 1: of being a sexist. Barstown Bourbon Company has counter suits
Speaker 1: Sanders for disclosures made in the lawsuit. The counter claim
Speaker 1: is under appellate review. In May, another former female employee,
Speaker 1: Sandra Stone, sued alleging age and gender discrimination after she
Speaker 1: was passed over for a promotion that was given to
Speaker 1: a younger male colleague who had not sought the promotion.
Speaker 1: Barstown Bourbon has sought to have the case dismiss on
Speaker 1: the grounds that the three years statute of limitations passed
Speaker 1: by Kentucky's General Assembly in twenty twenty four had expired.
Speaker 1: Nelson Circuit Judge Joe G. Ballard ruled that the previous
Speaker 1: five year statute applies instead, and the claim was not barred.
Speaker 1: Ballard also allowed Stone's froatasets to go forward, but dismissed
Speaker 1: two claims based on breach of contract. Those lawsuits are ongoing.
Speaker 1: All three women are represented by the same attorney, James
Speaker 1: Morris in Lexington. A related lawsuit filed by former Bardstown
Speaker 1: Bourbon Company executive Herb Hennemann against Sanders was dismissed in June.
Speaker 1: Bardstown Bourbon has not filed its legal response yet, but
Speaker 1: Urban Now, CEO of Lost It Spirits umbrella company over
Speaker 1: Barstown Bourbon and Green River Distillery, issued this statement Tuesday.
Speaker 1: While it is not our practice to comment on ongoing
Speaker 1: litigation or personnel matter, I cannot stay silent in response
Speaker 1: response to the false accusations against me and the team
Speaker 1: that I am proud to lead. The latest suit grossly
Speaker 1: and inaccurately misrepresents the course of events and accuses me
Speaker 1: without basis in reality of frague. The exit plan created
Speaker 1: for miss Altman, recommended by our former VP human Resources,
Speaker 1: whom this attorney also represents, resolves all issues pertaining to
Speaker 1: the separation of her employment. Our organization has abided by
Speaker 1: its obligations under that plan and expects the same of
Speaker 1: Miss Altman. We have built an organization founded on team
Speaker 1: and trust. We will continue to set the reconstrate through
Speaker 1: the legal process and feel confident that we will prevail
Speaker 1: next National Night Out fosters community between residents and first responders.
Speaker 1: For many people, their first interactions with law enforcement or
Speaker 1: forced responders comes in situations that can be stressful and tragic.
Speaker 1: Through the National Night Out program, held each year on
Speaker 1: the first Tuesday of August, police officers get a chance
Speaker 1: to make a different, more positive first impression with their
Speaker 1: community through fun activities and free sweet treats. It's really
Speaker 1: just where you want to get the police in the
Speaker 1: community together in a situation where it's not an emergency
Speaker 1: when they're calling police, Bardstown Police Chief Kim Krazig said,
Speaker 1: just so they can see that officers are like in
Speaker 1: a good light and just interact with them in a
Speaker 1: fun environment. This year's local event was held at Barge
Speaker 1: Town Fire departments downtown station, where kids and their families
Speaker 1: hung out, played under water spout, enjoyed sweet treats such
Speaker 1: as popsicles and cupcakes or a grilled hot dog in
Speaker 1: a Hamburg. Originally started in nineteen eighty four, the event
Speaker 1: is grown to be nationwide, gathering in various communities where
Speaker 1: law enforcements visit with members of the community to discuss
Speaker 1: policing tactics such as drug prevention, neighborhood and town watch programs,
Speaker 1: and just meet with residents in a low stress environment.
Speaker 1: Whose These local events featured representatives from the Bardstown Police,
Speaker 1: Bardstown Fire, and Nelson County EMS as the professionals showed
Speaker 1: kids and members of the community how they do their
Speaker 1: jobs and the equipment they used to do so. Kids
Speaker 1: got a chance to climb into fire trucks and take
Speaker 1: a tour of ambulances, strengthening the bonds between them and
Speaker 1: first responders. Miranda Stout was on hand Tuesday watching as
Speaker 1: children played underneath Barstown fires giants missing apparatus, helping cool
Speaker 1: off a hot day. I think it's great, she said.
Speaker 1: It's a nice way to close out the summer. The
Speaker 1: fire hose is great, what a great idea. Stout sees
Speaker 1: the benefit in Bardstown Police and other first responders community
Speaker 1: outreach efforts. I think, honestly, it's a really important asset
Speaker 1: for the community, she said. It lest the kids kind
Speaker 1: of bridge that barrier between adult figures and authority figures.
Speaker 1: It lets people understand that they're just people too. It's
Speaker 1: their job, but their moms and dads too. Stout said,
Speaker 1: for many people, they're having a difficult time when they
Speaker 1: have to interact with police and first responders, and events
Speaker 1: such as Tuesday gives folks a chance to just say
Speaker 1: hi and get to know the people whose job it
Speaker 1: is to protect them their Tuesday's event, in addition to
Speaker 1: the free food, saw first responders outfitting local kids with
Speaker 1: backpacks full of school supplies, and many kids could be
Speaker 1: found sporting toy plastic firefighter helmets. Crazy said the event
Speaker 1: just creates a fun time where you can interact with
Speaker 1: the community. At the end of the day, we want
Speaker 1: to have that partnership so we can shut crime out
Speaker 1: of our community. She said. Usually when people are calling
Speaker 1: the police, they're not having a good day, so we
Speaker 1: just really want to build, absolutely build those relationships, especially
Speaker 1: the younger kids to middle school to high school aide
Speaker 1: to know they can trust our police. We want to
Speaker 1: have good relationships with our community and just make it
Speaker 1: a safe environment. Crazy, who's entering her tenth year as chief,
Speaker 1: called Robert Bardstown in Nelson County the most amazing community
Speaker 1: I've ever worked with. The people are great and so supportive.
Speaker 1: Next Bethlehem at full capacity for sophomore junior class students
Speaker 1: back on campus Bethlehem High School has continued to grow
Speaker 1: over the last seven years. This summer, the parochial school
Speaker 1: hit a new milestone as his sophomore and junior classes
Speaker 1: were at capacity for the first time. In June, Bethlehem
Speaker 1: High School announced on social media their tenth and eleventh
Speaker 1: grade cohort were completely full for the first time in
Speaker 1: school history. Principal Sarah Thurman says this historic milestone comes
Speaker 1: after two consecutive years of a full freshman count. We
Speaker 1: are super excited about that, she said prior to school
Speaker 1: opening on August fifth. I really feel like we've had
Speaker 1: seven years of consistent growth in terms of enrollment. We
Speaker 1: have a forty four percent increase in enrollment since twenty nineteen.
Speaker 1: We are super excited about that. I feel like our
Speaker 1: focus is on improving every aspect of the whole student
Speaker 1: experience every year. That's a major reasons why we continue
Speaker 1: to see growth. Students were back on campus and starting
Speaker 1: a new school year on Thursday. The maximum capacity for
Speaker 1: each grade is ninety five students. Thurman said this number
Speaker 1: allows them to keep classrooms small, no greater than twenty
Speaker 1: five students in a class. She said small classes give
Speaker 1: students and teachers the ability to connect. Thurman said she
Speaker 1: believes their continued growth is the draw of their mission
Speaker 1: as a school and the Bethlehem experience. She said they
Speaker 1: want students to love to come to school and look
Speaker 1: back fondly on their time in Bethlehem's Hall. Bethlehem has
Speaker 1: nearly three hundred and fifty students. Thurmann said they know
Speaker 1: almost all of them by name. She said they have
Speaker 1: very high expectations, strong discipline, and accountability. Thurman said Bethlehem
Speaker 1: doesn't appeal to students, just appeal to students in their needs,
Speaker 1: but their teachers as well. The foundation for expectations are
Speaker 1: set and everyone is on the same page. Thurman said,
Speaker 1: it sets up students for success in the future. We
Speaker 1: really want to provide a strong foundation first, says, I
Speaker 1: feel like parents and students has started to realize that
Speaker 1: as we continue to expand the four year experience. I
Speaker 1: really think that is why we've had that tremendous growth.
Speaker 1: Thurmon says they encourage every student to be involved, whether
Speaker 1: in academics, leadership, athletics, or anything else they're interested in.
Speaker 1: They said they have a diverse range of activities to
Speaker 1: be involved with, from fine arts to service opportunities and beyond.
Speaker 1: Bethlehem wants every student to find their place and find
Speaker 1: their passion. Recently, she said, they've seen a large amount
Speaker 1: of interest in their new FFA program, which is in
Speaker 1: its third year. The program has already competed on a
Speaker 1: national level and has been well received by students and parents.
Speaker 1: The school's theater program has also thrived in recent years.
Speaker 1: Bethlehem produces two shows during the school year, one in
Speaker 1: the fall and another in the spring. Academically, Thurmann said
Speaker 1: they've seen growth in their act scores. The amount of
Speaker 1: students earning a thirty or higher on the exam continues
Speaker 1: to grow, Thurman said has also become a goal many
Speaker 1: students are eager to obtain. In athletics, she said for
Speaker 1: being a Class A school, they are competitive in every
Speaker 1: single sport. She said often their teams will be competing
Speaker 1: for regional titles each season. The start of this school year,
Speaker 1: Thurman said they already have three soccer players committed to colleges.
Speaker 1: We want our students to be well rounded, compassionate, faith built,
Speaker 1: hard working, resilient, she said. Resilient is a big part
Speaker 1: of our overall message this year as well. You have hardships.
Speaker 1: But how do you overcome those then being leaders in
Speaker 1: their communities, whether that's here in Bardstown or Bloomfield or Lebanon.
Speaker 1: Have them be leaders overall so that they have that
Speaker 1: strong foundation. That's really what's creating our energy overall this year.
Speaker 1: Next in obituaries, Vera Marie Seeley eighty six of Bardstown,
Speaker 1: doctor Robert Lee McClellan eighty eight, formerly of Bardstown in Lexington,
Speaker 1: and Ella Catherine Blair twenty three passed away in South Carolina,
Speaker 1: formerly of Bardstown. This is all the time we have
Speaker 1: for reading in recent editions of the Kentucky Standards. Your
Speaker 1: reader today has been Brian Hunt. If you've enjoyed hearing this,
Speaker 1: please call us at eight five nine UR two two
Speaker 1: six three nine zero. Thank you for joining me, and
Speaker 1: now please stay tuned for continued programming here on Radio
Speaker 1: I