Hardin County Daily Brief: July 28, 2026

Elizabethtown neighbors push back on a rezoning plan, plus wreaths, a rodeo, and a sunflower field keeping one family farm afloat.

Top of the morning

Elizabethtown neighbors fight rezoning plan. Fifty-six properties near downtown could shift from residential to commercial, with buildings up to 75 feet allowed under the proposal, and residents are pushing back ahead of the city's next move. (WDRB)
Sunflower festival helps keep a family farm afloat. A Hardin County farm turned a sunflower field into an annual festival that now helps cover the bills. (Spectrum News)

Around the county

Dirty Dog Bash returns for the animal shelter. The 7th annual Friends of Hardin County Animal Shelter fundraiser is Saturday at Highland Sod Farm, with tickets still available. (The News-Enterprise)
Rineyville rodeo rides into its 32nd year. The Optimist Club's championship rodeo runs Friday and Saturday at the Hardin County Fairgrounds in Glendale, with a new jumbotron this year. (The News-Enterprise)
Abound exec lands a statewide education board seat. Jake Darabos will serve on the KCTCS Foundation Board, a boost for the Radcliff-based company's community profile. (The News-Enterprise)
Beards took over Post 113 for BeardMerica 3. The facial-hair competition drew a crowd to American Legion Hardin Post 113 in Elizabethtown over the weekend. (The News-Enterprise)
10,500 wreaths needed for veterans cemetery. Wreaths Across America volunteers kicked off planning for December's ceremony at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery-Central with a Christmas-in-July event in Radcliff. (The News-Enterprise)

One more thing

A WWII veteran got his due, eight decades later. Community members marked the occasion locally over the weekend. (The News-Enterprise)

1 item held for editorial review.

The Daily Brief is curated links to reporting by local and regional outlets, credited on every item. Spot an error? Email [email protected].

Elizabethtown Police Chief Jeremy Thompson answering questions across a conference table from Hardin Local's Phil Taul

The Cameras Already Know Your Car. So We Asked the People Watching Them.

At least 67 license plate cameras are watching Hardin County roads. We sat down on camera with the police chiefs running them and asked every uncomfortable question, including what happens when one of their own abuses it.

Hardin County Daily Brief for July 30, 2026

Hardin County Daily Brief: July 30, 2026

I-65 reopens early, a new sheriff's unit debuts, and Hardin County gears up for back to school.

The Elizabethtown Planning Commission seated at the dais during the July 28, 2026 public hearing on data center zoning rules

'We're Naked Right Now': E'town Advances Data Center Rules

Two weeks after saying it had no applications, Elizabethtown's Planning Commission voted 3-0 to send data center limits to City Council. Here is what the rules actually say, in their own words.

The Hardin Local Weekly crew covers license plate cameras, Cruisin’ the Heartland, and the week in Hardin County

This Week on Hardin Local: Plate Cameras & Cruisin' Weekend

The cameras already know your car, so Phil asked the people watching them. Plus 2,000 classic cars downtown, Wawa's vanished grand opening, steady housing inventory, and 2B Thai.