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Kentucky unemployment in May down slightly from last year

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May unemployment in Kentucky is down slightly from where it was the previous year.

The Kentucky Center for Statistics says the state unemployment average for May was 4.5 percent. While that is slightly above the average reported in April of 4.3 percent, it is down .2 percent from the May 2025 average of 4.7 percent.

Kentucky’s unemployment average for May came in slightly above the national unemployment rate, which the U.S. Department of Labor says at 4.3 percent is even with the rate reported in May 2025.

The Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet says the state’s civilian labor force, which includes people currently employed and people actively searching for work, saw a decrease of 556 people from April to May, bringing the total civilian labor force to 2,097,040 people.

The Government, Professional and Business Services, Leisure and Hospitality, and Mining and Logging sectors saw increases from April to May. Numbers in the Educational and Health Services and the Information Services sectors were unchanged. Decreases were seen in the Financial Activities, Construction, Other Services, Manufacturing, and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sectors.

Visit the Kentucky Center for Statistics website, kystats.ky.gov, for more about unemployment figures and labor market information.

Keep an eye on conditions and maintain your distance when having that summer bonfire

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If a bonfire is part of your summer nights, or you are clearing property and using a burn pit, make sure you are taking steps to reduce fire hazards.

“Number one, make sure you know what your local ordinances are, what you can and can’t do, especially if you’re out at a campground,” said Radcliff Deputy Fire Marshal Tommy Crane. “A lot of the campgrounds, especially the state parks and everything, they have rules, and most of them already have set up areas, little pits you can use.”

The recommendations for fire pits are similar to the recommendations for grills.

“Keep it about 15 feet away from your house at least, and make sure you’re using only good, clean wood,” Crane said. “In the cities of Radcliff and in Elizabethtown, you’re not supposed to burn grass clippings and leaves because they smolder.”

Keep kids from getting too close to the fire, and have materials ready to put out the fire when necessary. Keep an eye on the weather conditions to keep the fire contained.

“Sometimes in the summer it gets dry, and we want to make sure that you’re careful there so that the fire doesn’t spread, and then also make sure that you’re watching the wind conditions,” Crane said.

If you will be doing outdoor burning, contact your local fire company ahead of time so the burn doesn’t result in unnecessary emergency responses.

KSP investigation leads to arrest in 1990 rape case

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A decades-old sexual assault investigation has led to an arrest following the work of Kentucky State Police detectives and advancements in forensic technology.

KSP Post Four has announced the arrest of 66-year-old Alberto Campirano of Texas, in connection with a 36-year-old sexual assault cold case in Hardin County that occurred in 1990 involving a woman who was home alone with her children when Campirano allegedly entered her home and raped her.

The KSP says KSP Post Four and the Sexual Assault Initiative Investigative Team began evaluating cases for potential retesting in 2022. Campirano was charged with a sex crime in Texas in 2012 and convicted in 2014, and the KSP was able to retest DNA obtained from that arrest.

In May of this year, a match in the Combined DNA Index System was made from the DNA analysis the KSP was retesting, identifying Campirano as a suspect in the open sexual assault case from 1990. On June 11, the Hardin County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office presented the case to a grand jury, which indicted Campirano on charges of First Degree Rape, First Degree Sodomy and First Degree Burglary.

Detectives with KSP Post Four and SAKI on Wednesday traveled to Crystal City, Texas, where they were assisted by the Texas Rangers Division Company D and the Zavala County Sheriff’s Office in apprehending Campirano. He is currently incarcerated and awaiting extradition to Kentucky.