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Unemployment rates in Lincoln Trail counties trends slightly higher in July

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Unemployment rates across much of the Lincoln Trail District ticked slightly higher in July. 

The Kentucky Center for Statistics says unemployment rates decreased in 73 counties, rose in 35 counties, and stayed the same in 12 counties when comparing July 2025 with July 2024.

The state unemployment average for July was 5.6 percent. That’s an increase from the 4.9 percent average in June, but it is down slightly from the 5.8 percent average reported in July of 2024.

Hardin County’s unemployment average for July was just above the state average at 5.9 percent. That is up from the 5.1 percent rate reported in June but is down from the 6 percent rate from July 2024.

Grayson County posted the highest July unemployment rate in the district at 6.8 percent, followed by Marion County at 6.7 percent. Washington County posted the lowest unemployment rate in the district for July at 5 percent, followed by Nelson and LaRue counties at 5.4 percent.

Learn more about how the unemployment rate is calculated and find more labor market information by visiting kystats.ky.gov.

Joint effort lands Kansas man in jail on charges out of Kentucky

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A joint investigation between Kentucky and Kansas law enforcement agencies has landed a man in jail on child sex crime charges.

Justin R. Bevitt of Topeka, Kansas, is currently incarcerated in Shawnee County, Kansas, pending extradition to Kentucky.

According to Kentucky State Police Post Three, troopers received a call from a family reporting that a juvenile had left their home with a 41-year-old male. Troopers began investigating and found that Bevitt had several previous encounters with the juvenile. A search warrant was obtained for Bevitt’s property, which was served by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation on Friday.

While executing the search warrant, KBI agents placed Bevitt under arrest on charges out of Kentucky including Procuring or Promoting the Use of a Minor, Unlawful Transaction with a Minor, and Distribution of Matter Portraying a Sexual Performance by a Minor.

Additional charges against Bevitt out of Kansas are pending. The investigation by the KBI and KSP is ongoing.

Sunday marks five years since Rosalyn Velazquez disappearance

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This Sunday marks the fifth anniversary of the disappearance of Radcliff teenager Rosalyn Velazquez.

“She went missing on August 24, 2020,” said Detective Kenneth Mattingly with the Radcliff Police Department. “There was an extensive search done. Search warrants were filed, phone records were received, and a lot of Facebook activity, stuff like that, which the social media stuff is something that we still actively monitor and still follow up on on a regular basis.”

Mattingly says the RPD is still committed to the case.

“It is still very much an active investigation, and any lead that we receive is being followed up on appropriately,” Mattingly said.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children continues to support the investigation, and the most recent age-enhanced photo of Velazquez can be found on the RPD’s Facebook page.

“If anybody has information, they can contact the Radcliff Police Department at 270-351-4477, or if they want to leave an anonymous tip or anonymous information, they can contact our anonymous tip line at 270-351-TIPS,” Mattingly said.

More information can also be found on the Bring Rosalyn Home Facebook page.

Area students invited to Hardin County Teen Court open house

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The Hardin County Teen Court is inviting all area high school students and their parents to attend an open house and mock trial at the Hardin County Justice Center.

“Hardin County Teen Court is an opportunity for local high school students to come together and sentence on the actual juvenile cases of their peers throughout the community,” said Hardin District Judge Kimberly Shumate. 

The open house is coming up on Thursday, August 28, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

“If you come at 6:30, we’ll give you an overview of the program and some of our returning students will put on a mock trial experience so you can see what Teen Court might look like on any given night,” Shumate said. “It starts at 6:30 and we should be done within about an hour.”

Teen court volunteers will be trained to be the attorneys, bailiffs, clerks, and jury members in actual juvenile cases.

“Once we complete our training, we’re sworn to confidentiality, and then we begin those trial cases, and we do the jury trials on sentencing phases throughout the rest of the school year,” Shumate said. “We also have some great opportunities for networking and some social activities with the teens that come from all over our area.”

All area students willing to put in the required time are welcome to participate. Contact Judge Shumate’s office at 270-766-5004 for more information.