WQXE News

The start of classes at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College is just around the corner, and students can get a jump start on the school year at Express Enrollment.

ECTC will be hosting Express Enrollment for the fall semester from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. August 12 through 14 as well as from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on August 15.

According to ECTC, at Express Enrollment students can meet with an advisor, select classes, and get questions answered on topics such as course information and financial aid. New students can learn about student support services.

Students should sign up for an Express Enrollment appointment online at ectc.us/express-enrollment. Appointments are available virtually and in person, and walk-ins will also be accepted. New students are encouraged to attend and will begin their visit in the Student Success Hub at the Academic Technical Building, while current students will start in the Welcome and Admissions Center at the Regional Postsecondary Center.

The first day of classes for the fall semester is August 18. Contact the ECTC admissions office for more information.

The Kiwanis Club of Hardin County invites the public to their pancake breakfast this Saturday from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Memorial Methodist Church, located at 631 North Miles Street in Elizabethtown.

“It’s $10 and you get pancakes, first of all, and eggs and sausage, and we have a variety of drinks that we’re also offering,” said Kiwanis Club member Hunter Hammer. “Orange juice, milk, coffee, all the good stuff.”

Children’s tickets for the pancake breakfast are $5. Meals are available for take-out in addition to eating at the church.

Kiwanis Club member Sharon Post says proceeds from the pancake breakfast go towards a special cause.

“Each year the money goes to provide an amtryke for a child with a disability,” Post said. “It’s an adaptable bike that we work with Baptist Health and they identify a child that otherwise would not ever ride a bike, whether it’s with their legs or their arms or just difficulty walking.”

Visit the Kiwanis Club of Hardin County Facebook page for more information.

A second measles case has been confirmed in Jefferson County.

According to the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, the second case is a known contact of the case reported in mid-July. The contact has been in quarantine since their exposure. There are no new public exposures with the second case, and health officials say the new case is unrelated to the measles outbreak in Woodford and Fayette counties.

Health officials say 14 cases of measles have been confirmed in the commonwealth in 2015, with 13 of those cases unvaccinated and one with only one dose.

Kentucky Chief Medical Officer and Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health Dr. Steven Stack says the best defense against measles is a simple one.

“Two doses of vaccine 97 percent guarantees you will not get measles,” Stack said. “Not just that it’s mild measles. You just will not even get measles if you have two doses of childhood measles vaccine, so it’s really, really important that parents have their child get the MMR immunization as a child along with their other routine immunizations.”

The most recent data for Kentucky kindergartners shows the MMR immunization rate is just under 87 percent. Stack says he encourages parents to talk with their primary care provider to learn more about the vaccine.

“It just troubles me that folks are misleading and confusing the American people about vaccines,” Stack said. “They are incredibly safe. The diseases are far more dangerous if you get them without having been vaccinated, and there’s virtually no risk for most of these vaccines.”

The Lincoln Trail District Health Department provides measles vaccinations at all of its health centers. Contact the health department or your primary care provider for more information.