LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It's almost the weekend! Let's get you caught up on the top stories in our area for Aug. 6, 2021.
Hundreds in the Fairdale neighborhood are banding together to set up a memorial for one of their own, fallen sheriff's deputy Brandon Shirley.
The 26-year-old was killed in an ambush while working an off-duty security job in Shively. Residents in the area said they were familiar with Shirley, who sat at Rockford Lane Auto Sales every night monitoring the lot.
After joining the sheriff's office in 2019, Shirley received a medal of valor for his bravery during protests in 2020, specifically his work in helping arrest the person responsible for the death of photographer Tyler Gerth.
Known as a good deputy and an even better person, the community has planned a candlelight vigil in Shirley's honor near the Fairdale Fire Department at 9 p.m.
The Hardin County community is saying goodbye to a deputy killed in an ATV crash one week ago.
Kentucky State Police said 36-year-old Kevin Johnson lost control of his ATV, hitting a fence in Elizabethtown. He died at the scene, while his 7-year-old daughter was airlifted to Norton Children's Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
A North Hardin graduate and former police officer in Radcliff was well-known throughout the county. His funeral will be at Southeast Christian Church's Elizabethtown campus at noon. A procession following the service will take Johnson to North Hardin Memorial Gardens.
While the Floyd County Health Department issued an order requiring masks for kindergarten through sixth grade students, kids will not have to mask up for today's classes.
The county's mask mandate was set to go into effect for 31 days starting Friday, Aug. 6. Health Officer Dr. Thomas Harris said the mandate was a result of increasing positivity, protecting students who are not old enough for the COVID-19 vaccine.
That same night, parents gathered outside the health department to protest the orders. County commissioners put the decision on hold Thursday, citing a new law saying they have the ability to override the restriction. They did not state when they would make their decision.
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