Hardin Local S2026E05: Winter Storm Fern Update & Kentucky's #1 Pizza

What We Covered This Week

Winter Storm Fern had Hardin County snowed in, so Hardin Local Weekly leaned into the moment — opening with a county public-safety briefing on the storm response, then running through a full slate of community news with the whole crew back at the table.

The episode opened with a neutral county-government update: Hardin County Judge-Executive Keith Taul joined host Rachel Brantingham at the top of the show for a brief public-safety briefing on how the county was handling the storm — road crews, salt supply, first responders, and what residents should do to stay safe. From there, the show moved through its usual rhythm: a tentative-but-full events week from Jon O'Brien, a momentum-building housing update from Rachel, a loaded Business Buzz from Nate Bryan, and the return of the Experienced Eater.

The throughline was resilience — a community staying connected and looking out for one another even with the roads iced over. Buyers kept going under contract through the snow, local businesses kept opening and earning statewide recognition, and the hosts kept the focus where Hardin Local always puts it: on the people and places that make the county tick.

Watch the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa_bI8aPZQM

In This Episode

Winter Storm Fern: Hardin County's Storm Response

Winter Storm Fern — Hardin County Update

The episode opened with a county public-safety briefing. Hardin County Judge-Executive Keith Taul gave a factual update on the county's response to Winter Storm Fern: road crews out with about 6 large salt trucks and 5 smaller pickups, roughly 80% of the county's 570-plus miles of road treated as of that morning, and about 700 tons of salt used with another 700 ordered. First responders staffed up with 9 full-time ambulances plus extras, and 911 dispatch answered calls around the clock. Two county roads — Miller Road and Upper Colesburg Road — were closed. The core message: stay home if you can, drive slowly and cautiously if you can't, and note there were no curfews and no arrests for driving.

Hardin County Events: January 27 – February 1, 2026

Hardin County This Week — with Jon O'Brien

Jon O'Brien framed the whole week as tentative given the storm, urging viewers to check road conditions first. The slate still had plenty: mahjong lessons "taking over" downtown at The Straight and Narrow (Tuesday) and Revival Vintage Spirits (Sunday), well-timed Snow Tubing at Fort Knox's Sadowski Center on Saturday, and a packed Saturday night of the Radcliff Hall of Fame Gala, Adult Prom, Don't Tell Comedy, and live music from 4 Speed Muncie at Cosmic Golf. Bourbon Barrel Tavern anchored the week with karaoke and John Langley's all-request show.

Hardin County Housing Market Update — January 2026

Hardin County Housing Market — with Rachel Brantingham

Rachel brought the market update from the Heart of Kentucky MLS for the week of January 20–27: 22 new listings, 30 homes under contract, and 4 closings. Average days on market ticked down again to 92 — part of a steady week-over-week decline — while active inventory sits at 378 homes and 8.6 months of inventory, a figure Rachel explained is driven by a slow rolling-30-day closing window, not a flood of listings. Rates held steady near 5.99% conventional and 5.75% VA, keeping qualified buyers engaged. Her advice: price accurately and consider timing the buyer over waiting for spring.

Hardin County Business Buzz — A New Shop, a Food Truck & Kentucky's #1 Pizza

Nate's Business Buzz — with Nate Bryan

Nate Bryan packed three stories in. Cranky's Automotive is coming to 802 North Mulberry Street, across from Mr. Gatti's — and notably, they'll work on diesel engines. The Tuckers (Sonny Boy and Sunny Girl) are launching their third food truck, the Harry Potter-themed Sorting Spoon, with a menu "sorted" into houses. And the headline: Little Charlie's Pizza was named the #1 pizza in Kentucky by viral reviewer Luke Foods, scoring 9.4 out of 10, with Meade County's Jailhouse Pizza also cracking the top 10.

The Experienced Eater — StrEAT Kitchen

The Experienced Eater — Britten & Michele McDowell

Britten and Michele McDowell were back, chasing a smash-burger recommendation from Bourbon Barrel Tavern to StrEAT Kitchen inside Social Food Hall. They dug into Michele's Jalapeno Business Burger, Britten's build-your-own, a cold sauce bar with 15-plus options, and beef-tallow fried tots and chips. Britten praised the kitchen's consistency — "duplication is key" — and Michele's bottom line summed it up: "This is an experience you gotta eat."

Episode Highlights

"We try to remove volume. There's still gonna be material probably on most of the county roads that people are just gonna have to take very cautiously and take it easy." — Hardin County Judge-Executive Keith Taul, on the county's storm response

"Though it's just one less day from last week, we've seen days on market consistently decline week-over-week since we've been tracking. That is a gradual but steady forward momentum." — Rachel, Host and Hardin County Housing Market Expert

"This is huge — Little Charlie's Pizza was named the number one pizza in Kentucky by viral food reviewer Luke Foods, who has over a million followers on TikTok." — Nate, Business Buzz Host

"I really liked the beef tallow chips, fries, and the tater tots. And this is an experience you gotta eat." — Michele, The Experienced Eater, on StrEAT Kitchen