Washington County Republican Party Chair Tara Coats Hunt has challenged the eligibility of Walter J Zelivetz, IV, a Republican candidate for Sheriff. 

According to Washington County Clerk Stephanie Rockey, this was the first time a candidate had been challenged while she has been in office.

The Washington County Election Board will conduct a hearing on Friday, February 20th at 8:30 am, in the Washington County Clerk’s Election & Voter Services Office Conference Room, located at 801 S. Jackson Street, Ste. 102, Salem, Indiana.

The CEB will convene to review the challenge of candidate for sheriff, Walter J Zelivetz, IV that was filed on 2-13-2026 by the Republican Party Chair challenging under IC 3-8-2-7 (a) (4.)

The CEB will be determining if his 2026 Primary Election
Republican ballot placement stands or not.

According to Hunt, IC 3-8-2-7 (a) states that a candidate wanting to run for an office for a part (Republican or Democrat) must meet one of 2 requirements: (1) the candidate must have voted in the last two primary elections for the party the candidates want to run as; or, if you haven’t voted in the last two primaries for that party you want to run as, (2) you must have the party chairperson certify that you are a good standing member of the party. 

The Clerk’s Office provides all candidates with this information at the time of filing. 

Wiht this current challenge, it was filed because the candidate does not meet either of the requirements of the statute. 

As chairman of the Washington County Republican Party for over nine years, “It has been my position, that if someone in our county would like to run as a Republican on the primary ticket and discovers that he/she has not pulled a Republican ballot in two primary elections, that the person should reach out to me or the party committee before the filing deadline to sit down and discuss his/her standing with the party. Certification by a party chairman is not guaranteed,” said Hunt. 

Festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents has announced the largest lineup in history for the 8^th year of Bourbon & Beyond — the World’s Largest Bourbon, Food & Music Festival — set for September 24-27 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Bourbon & Beyond 2026 will feature 100+ artists on 5 stages, topped by superstars including:

Thursday, September 24: Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Goose

Friday, September 25: Mumford & Sons, Kacey Musgraves, Foster the People

Saturday, September 26: Chris Stapleton, The Red Clay Strays, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Sunday, September 27: Dave Matthews Band, Hootie & the Blowfish, Counting Crows

The complete music lineup for Bourbon & Beyond is as follows: Foo Fighters, Mumford & Sons, Chris Stapleton, Dave Matthews Band, Queens of the Stone Age, Kacey Musgraves, The Red Clay Strays, Hootie & the Blowfish, Counting Crows, Foster The People, Goose, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Jesse Welles, Jessie Murph, Of Monsters and Men, The Flaming Lips, The War on Drugs, Charley Crockett, 4 Non Blondes, Portugal. The Man, Gary Clark Jr., Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Father John Misty, Max McNown, The Fray, Squeeze, Cheap Trick, Marcus King Band, Angus and Julia Stone, Cameron Whitcomb, Adam Ant, Amos Lee, Fitz and the Tantrums, Violent Femmes, Maddox Batson, Maoli, Lindsey Stirling, Noah Cyrus, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, The Devil Makes Three, Better Than Ezra, Durand Jones & The Indications, Jet, Plain White T’s, Buffalo Traffic Jam, The Return of Jackie and Judy, Our Lady Peace, Sons of Legion, Avery Anna, Matt Hansen, The Church, Gabriella Rose, Lisa Loeb, Uncle Lucius, Yächtley Crëw, Stella Lefty, Joan Osborne, Paula Cole, Vertical Horizon, Kaitlin Butts, Langhorne Slim, The Creekers, Henrik, The Infamous Stringdusters, Amigo The Devil, Howie Day, Tonic, Cracker, Sierra Hull, Kitchen Dwellers, Nine Days, The Verve Pipe, Congress The Band, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Noah Rinker, The Stews, Couch, hey, nothing, Bryan Martin, Penelope Road, S.G. Goodman, Magoo, Atlus, Sawyer Hill, Rattlesnake Milk, Jason Scott & The High Heat, Levi Turner, Ben Chapman, Clover County, Nathan Bess, Palmyra, Kevian Kraemer, Ryman, Shelby Means, Caleb & Reeb, The Steel Wheels, Rainbow Girls, Fireside Collective, Woodbox Heroes, The Fretliners, Meels, Mason Via and Vickie Vaughn Band.

Some of the highlights and special appearances at Bourbon & Beyond 2026 include:

• Performance from Foo Fighters, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees and 15x Grammy Award winners
• Mumford & Sons’ first show in Louisville in nearly a decade
• Performance from Kentucky native Chris Stapleton, 2026 Grammy Award winner for Best Country Solo Performance
• Dave Matthews Band celebrates 30 Years of their most popular album, Crash
• Hootie & The Blowfish performs their first show in the state of Kentucky in 20+ years
• The Return of Jackie and Judy, a Ramones tribute supergroup comprised of Sleater-Kinney and comedian/film & TV star Fred Armisen, in a select live appearance
• In addition to Chris Stapleton (Lexington/Staffordsville), other performances from “Kentucky’s Own” include Joan Osborne (Anchorage), SG Goodman (Hickman), Vickie Vaughn Band (Symsonia/Paducah), The Creekers (Leslie County/Appalachia)

“Bourbon & Beyond is built to be the best weekend of your year. Plain and simple. From the second you arrive, everything is designed so you can fully experience what a music festival should be,” says Danny Wimmer of Danny Wimmer Presents. “It’s an escape with soul — a place where you can unplug from real life, let loose, be a kid again, and really live in the moment. You can ride roller coasters at Kentucky Kingdom, discover new artists and see your favorites, sip great spirits, and eat incredible food — and it all just works. At its core, it’s about creating memories. It’s a vacation inside a vacation. This lineup reflects everything Bourbon & Beyond stands for. And I say this with humility and confidence — there is nothing else quite like it in this space. It truly is the best weekend you can have at a festival of this scale.”

“Bourbon & Beyond captures the spirit of Kentucky like no other music festival,” said David S. Beck, President & CEO of Kentucky Venues. “Last year’s move to the heart of the Kentucky Exposition Center set a new standard, and together with Danny Wimmer Presents, we’re proving the Commonwealth is the premier destination for world-class events.”

In 2026, Bourbon & Beyond will roll out a revitalized Fork & Flask curated by Kroger experience, bringing fresh momentum to the festival’s spirits and culinary programming. This year’s edition will highlight bold spirit and food pairings, unexpected flavor combinations, and a dynamic mix of talent and taste that reflects the pulse of Louisville’s ever-evolving food and drink scene. Fork & Flask curated by Kroger will showcase a diverse lineup of beloved local restaurants, innovative speakeasies, and standout bars, blending iconic favorites with rising talent. Designed to be immersive and high-energy, the experience will celebrate creativity, culture, and the next generation of flavor with more details announced soon.

In addition, the Kroger Big Bourbon Bar is home to The Bluegrass Situation Stage and features the best bluegrass bands as well as line dancing.

Bourbon & Beyond attendees can enhance their festival experience further with FREE access to amusement rides inside Kentucky Kingdom, which became part of the festival footprint in 2025. Kentucky Kingdom will be open exclusively to festival attendees during Bourbon & Beyond.

Fans in the Louisville area can celebrate the Bourbon & Beyond lineup at the official Bourbon & Beyond lineup announcement party at Whirling Tiger in Louisville on Wednesday, February 18 from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM. The event will feature performances from Bourbon Revival and Scott T. Smith, as well as custom cocktails, photo opps, vintage festival merch, giveaways, and service fee-free passes. All who attend will have a chance to win two GA passes to Bourbon & Beyond.

Passes are on sale now at https://bourbonandbeyond.com/passes/ starting at $1 down using layaway, with over 6 months to pay in full. Options include:

• 4-Day and Single Day GA
• 4-Day and Single Day Mint VIP
• 4-Day and Single Day Angel’s Envy Beyond VIP

A very limited supply of Single and 4-Day Angel’s Envy Beyond VIP passes are available for the most exclusive access and luxury amenities. And for fans who want to celebrate the biggest eight days of music in the United States, an Exacta Pass offers GA entry to back-to-back weekends in Louisville at both Louder Than Life (September 17-20) and Bourbon & Beyond (September 24-27). Starting at $700 (all in, fees included), an Exacta Pass is less than $88 per festival day. Find more info here.

New for 2026, the Bourbon & Beyond Group Reward Offer gives fans an easy way to bring their friends together. After purchasing a pass, fans can create a group and share a unique link to track purchases. Groups that reach 10 or more passes will receive a $10 refund per pass (processed the week after the festival), and the largest group (with a minimum of 50, after sales close) will earn the Ultimate Bourbon & Beyond Experience. Find more details here.

Bourbon & Beyond Single Day GA Lawn Chair Passes are on sale now, offering fans access to designated viewing areas at the main stages where they can bring a lawn chair and relax while enjoying the music. These passes sell out every year, so fans are encouraged to secure theirs early here.

A Bourbon & Beyond Student Pass is also available, allowing those with a valid .edu email address access to a $130 (all-in, fees included) Single-Day GA Pass via FEVO. Find more details here.

DWP has also partnered with GOVX to offer exclusively-priced Bourbon & Beyond passes for 4-Day GA and Single Day GA for military, nurse, firefighter, and police personnel. Find more info here.

For a fully immersive weekend experience, fans are encouraged to explore the Bourbon & Beyond RV Camping and Car + Tent Camping options. Barrel Cove Glamping Packages are also on sale now.

For those looking to stay off-site, Bourbon & Beyond hotel packages that bundle festival passes with hotel nights are available through Jampack, starting at $10 down and including daily festival re-entry and additional perks – find more information here.

All details on festival passes, including Jampack hotel packages, camping and parking passes can be found here.

Bourbon & Beyond was named Pollstar’s Global 2025 Festival of the Year, and is produced by Los Angeles-based Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America. It was also named one of Garden & Gun’s Ten Standout Southern Bourbon Festivals.

In 2025, Bourbon & Beyond welcomed fans from over 50 states and around the world to Louisville. Bourbon & Beyond and DWP’s Louisville companion festival Louder Than Life, which take place back-to-back weeks, generated over $43 million in local economic impact in 2025 and drew more than 450,000 attendees booking over 60,000 hotel room nights and creating a visitor boom at local restaurants and other businesses, including bourbon distilleries along the Urban Bourbon Trail.

The DWP Foundation will be supporting the following nonprofits in 2026: Dare to Care and the Preston Area Business Alliance, with additional partners to be announced.

Bourbon & Beyond is teaming up with an incredible lineup of partners for 2026 including Angel’s Envy, Bud Light, Cutwater, Ford Bronco, Jack Daniel’s, Kroger, Monster Energy, Old Forester, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and White Claw. Stay tuned for additional partners to be announced.

Bourbon & Beyond’s community partners include: Crowne Plaza, Galt House Hotel, Kentucky Proud, Kentucky Venues, Louisville Metro, Louisville Tourism, Louisville Marriott Downtown, and Team Kentucky.

Kentucky Exposition Center is located at 937 Phillips Lane in Louisville, Kentucky 40209.