Hardin Local E43: Long John Silver's, Halloween Week, Taxes

What We Covered This Week

Rachel Brantingham was back in the big chair. "I am Rachel Brantingham, and I'm back," she said, and thanked Grafton Sizemore for holding down the seat while she was out of town. Nate Bryan, Jon O'Brien and Phil Taul were around the table with her, and Grafton was there for his Money Move.

The show opened on the sharpest item on Nate's desk: Long John Silver's on the south side will be demolished and rebuilt, likely as a Long John Silver's and A&W combo like the ones in Bardstown and Campbellsville. It was one of five on the desk this week, three goodbyes and two coming soons. From there it was Halloween Would You Rather, with Nate picking Reese's over Sour Patch Kids for his imaginary candy shop, Jon sticking with one costume for a month, and Grafton agreeing to dress up like his dog. Rachel, asked whether she would put a ghost in a listing photo or sell a house where the ghost stays with the sale, took the ghost staying with the sale.

Then it was a full week: Nate's Business Buzz with HomeGoods and City Center, Halloween week events from Monday the 26th to Sunday the 1st, a first look at the new Hardin County Daily Brief, a reminder that early voting starts Thursday, Rachel's housing numbers, and Grafton on Hardin County property taxes and escrow.

In This Episode

Long John Silver's Rebuild, HomeGoods Opens and Three Local Goodbyes

Nate's Business Buzz

Long John Silver's on the south side is coming down and coming back, probably alongside A&W. HomeGoods opened Thursday, October 22, at City Center, the Towne Mall makeover is planning its grand opening, Ford's Glendale plant is expected in late 2027, and Nate said goodbye to three local businesses.

Halloween Week in Hardin County: Your Events for October 26 to November 1

Hardin County This Week, with Jon O'Brien and Rachel Brantingham

A free homebuyer workshop, ECTC Spooktacular, Vine Grove Trunk or Treat, Diamond Rio at the State Theater, the Farmers Market finale, haunted houses and trails, and a trunk-or-treat almost every night.

Hardin County Housing: 4.1 Months of Inventory and a Steady Market

Hardin County Housing Market, with Rachel Brantingham

Rachel's numbers for October 15 to 21: 421 active listings, 103 sold in 30 days, and approximately 4.1 months of inventory. Her take: the local market is not bad, it is consistent.

Money Moves with G: Property Taxes and Escrow

Money Moves with G, with Grafton Sizemore

What is in your mortgage payment, why a sale can change your tax bill, and how paying Hardin County property taxes early can earn a 2 percent discount.

New: The Hardin County Daily Brief

Phil Taul showed off something new on the Hardin Local website: the Hardin County Daily Brief. It pulls together links to stories from other news sources, a quick weather update, and the events for today and the next day, with a link to the Hardin Local calendar. There is also an AI-written summary of the linked articles. You will find the latest brief at the top of the Hardin Local homepage, and every past brief is on its own page. To get it in your inbox, create a free account on the website and turn on the daily update email.

Early Voting Starts Thursday

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. No-excuse early voting is this week, Thursday, October 29 through Saturday, October 31, from 8 AM to 4:30 PM, at three places: the County Clerk's office on Provident Way in Elizabethtown, the Colvin Community Center in Radcliff, and the Nolin RECC building on Ring Road. On Election Day, polls are open from 6 AM to 6 PM at any vote center in the county, no matter where you live.

The Hardin Local voter guide has a page for every contested race, laid out the same way for every candidate, and if a candidate sat down for an interview, the video is on their race's page. The Find Your Ballot page has the dates and where to vote, and a link there lets you look up your voting district. The guide is nonpartisan and free.

Episode Highlights

"It is not a mall. It is a city center." - Nate Bryan, Nate's Business Buzz

"Here's your week ahead, Monday the 26th through Sunday the 1st, and Halloween lands on Saturday the 31st." - Jon O'Brien

"It is not bad. It is consistent. It is standard for this time of year." - Rachel Brantingham, on the Hardin County housing market

"Don't always assume that whatever the tax bill is now, it's going to be what it is once you purchase it, because it's likely going to get reassessed." - Grafton Sizemore

Question of the Week

What is the best Halloween candy, and which one do you hand back? Rachel's version: what Halloween candy do you steal from your kid's bucket, and which ones do you leave in the bucket? Drop your answer in the comments, because we are curious.

Tell Us What You Want

If you have a high school athlete, check out the sports portal on the Hardin Local website. It is newer, so give us your feedback: what is missing, what is wrong, and what would make you use it every week.

Keep Hardin Local Going

This Week's Sponsor: philtaul.com

Phil Taul builds automation for businesses: not chatbots, not robots taking over the world, but the boring stuff that eats your week. His example, kept anonymous: a multi-location auto group went from 20 to 30 hours a week of title data entry to two or three hours a week of review, and the system has caught errors the manual process was missing. A person still reviews everything. "The robots don't get the car keys," Phil said.

The way in is a Workflow Roadmap Session: 90 minutes going through how you actually work, then a written roadmap within three business days of what is worth automating, in what order, and what to leave alone. It is $450, and if you have Phil build something within 30 days, the whole $450 comes off the project. There is no form to fill out. Just get in touch at philtaul.com/consulting and tell him what your business is and what is eating your time.

One More Show

Bourbon Local, Hardin Local's sister show about bourbon and the people who make it, airs Sundays at 9 PM ET, right after Hardin Local.

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