This Week on Hardin Local: The Marine Who Came Home

What We Covered This Week

Some episodes are a collection of segments. This one had a spine. Stephen Ruley — Marine, air traffic controller, flood survivor, and owner of Riverside Marketing Solutions — sponsored the episode, and instead of running an ad, the show let Hardin County meet the man in a three-part conversation woven through the whole broadcast. By the end, the audience wasn't being sold anything. They were rooting for him.

Around that story, the crew packed a full summer week: the long-awaited Malibu Jack's Family Glow Night arriving Thursday, a live $50 gift-card drawing with a winner pulled on air, a housing market crossing a milestone that Rachel argues is good news, a BBQ favorite moving to a bigger downtown home, and a Radcliff restaurant reborn under new ownership. Summer is fully here, school is out, and the icebreaker — the one Hardin County summer tradition your family refuses to skip — had the whole panel trading Heartland Festival memories.

Watch the full episode: https://youtube.com/watch?v=83FXQMEi3ZU

In This Episode

The Marine Who Came Home: Stephen Ruley

Stephen Ruley on Hardin Local — Episode Sponsor Spotlight

Elizabethtown born, Marine Corps at 17, eight years directing air traffic, Iraq in 2004 — then a decade away, a homecoming, a marriage to his third-grade girlfriend, and four feet of floodwater that put his family in a hotel for seven months. What Stephen built from all of it is Riverside Marketing Solutions, and his promise to local businesses is a Marine's promise: we've got your six.

Watch this segment: https://youtube.com/watch?v=92CpJhNjxug

Glow Night Arrives: Your Week, June 9–14

Hardin County This Week — with Jon O'Brien

Malibu Jack's Family Glow Night is Thursday, June 11, 6–9 PM — tickets at malibujacksetown.com before they're gone. Wednesday's free Lawn Party brings Lunar Beach House to the Freeman Lake bandstand, and Friday offers a James Taylor tribute, comedy at Fort Knox, and live music on three stages. And congratulations to Marissa Pinkham, drawn live as the $50 Malibu Jack's gift card winner.

Watch this segment: https://youtube.com/watch?v=3Pvw371gK4k

BBQ on the Move, a West Point Wine House & Wingstop's Sign Goes Up

Nate's Business Buzz

Bluegrass Meats & Catering is trading West Dixie for the original downtown Dairy Queen building — grand opening Tuesday, June 16 at 11 AM. Bells and Whistles announced a dedicated wine house for West Point with Chef Maria's Greek specialties, Wingstop's Elizabethtown counter is already branded, and the City Center article on HardinLocal.com passed one hundred thousand viewers.

Watch this segment: https://youtube.com/watch?v=-5OOGUyfLfE

Hardin County Crosses 400 Active Homes — and That's Healthy

Hardin County Housing Market — with Rachel Brantingham

Active inventory hit 404 homes — the first time over 400 in recent memory — and Rachel's case is that it's balance returning, not trouble brewing. Days on market fell again to 71, the median sold price held at $295,000, and homes under $250K are still moving in about two months. Plus: new ~$65,000 lots on the old Shelton Horse Farm, backing up to Heartland Golf Course.

Watch this segment: https://youtube.com/watch?v=_x5ReT-hirQ

Song's Kitchen, Reborn: Radcliff's Korean Spot Launches a Dinner Buffet

The Experienced Eater — Britten & Michele McDowell

Britten and Michele returned to a Knox Boulevard spot they reviewed back in 2025 — now under new ownership as Song's Kitchen, with expanded hours and a brand-new dinner buffet. The spicy rice cake was the biggest flavor of the night, the Korean ribs earned a "fantastic," and the verdict was the best kind: same familiar spot, leveled up.

Watch this segment: https://youtube.com/watch?v=izgTB8Gh9MI

Episode Highlights

"I finally ran out of reasons to tell my mom why I couldn't come home." — Stephen Ruley, Owner, Riverside Marketing Solutions

"After several years of unprecedented conditions, we're seeing a return to more traditional market dynamics where strategy, pricing, negotiation, and preparation truly matter." — Rachel, Primary Host & Housing Market Expert

"This is a spicy rice cake. That's the biggest flavor I've had tonight... That's excellent." — Britten, The Experienced Eater

"We are not taking any credit cards — but if you want to pay us, that's fine. We can be bribed." — Nate, Business Buzz Host, on the free City Center article

"Certain things in my life, I figured out a way to take that negative and flip it and actually use it in my daily life and my business, with my kids." — Stephen Ruley, Owner, Riverside Marketing Solutions

Running for office in the November general election? Hardin Local is booking another round of candidate interviews — register at HardinLocal.com/elections before July 5.

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