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ECTC receives grant to support veteran students

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Elizabethtown Community and Technical College will look to support veterans pursuing education after a recent grant award. 

ECTC received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education that the college says will allow it to “extend support to soldiers transitioning from military service to new careers and enhance an array of services for veteran, military, and military-dependent students.” The funding will be awarded over a three-year period.

ECTC says the grant will help the college recruit transitioning soldiers for the college’s Advanced Manufacturing Army Career Skills Program. Comprehensive services for veterans completing academic programs will include academic advising, tutoring, mental health counseling assistance, and career planning.

The college is currently hiring a career skills program coordinator who will focus on the Army Career Skills Program, which the college says provides a pathway for transitioning soldiers to pursue highly-skilled, in-demand civilian careers.

ECTC had nearly 500 students who used VA education benefits attend classes during the Fall 2024 semester. The college says it has earned multiple recognitions for military student services.

Contact the ECTC admissions office at 270-769-2371 or visit elizabethtown.kctcs.edu for more information.

EHCIF accepting preservation proposals for Hazel Hill House

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The Elizabethtown Hardin County Industrial Foundation is looking to the future, but as it does so it is exploring part of the past.

The foundation is asking for proposals for the restoration of the historic Hazel Hill House, which came under foundation ownership as part of its acquisition of 140 acres along Gaither Station Road.

EHCIF President and COO Andy Games said the foundation’s goal for the overall property is expanding industrial development.

“We’ve got two lots left over here at the T.J. Patterson/West Park Road, so that piece of property, along with property that we purchased about two years ago, has given us about 150 acres there at Ring Road/Western Kentucky Parkway,” Games said. “That’s our next area of industrial development, if we find somebody to locate.”

Games said the foundation isn’t itself in the preservation business, but recognizing the history of the property they want to hear from an entity that is.

“Our release of this RFP is to just see what is out there and forms of proposals, if it’s something that we would consider,” Games said. “We may proceed a little further down the road with something.”

The foundation says the home was originally built in 1832, one of the first brick homes in Hardin County.

Proposals will be accepted until March 15. Email Games at andy@ehcif.org or contact the foundation for more information.

Kentucky taxpayers advised of upcoming delay as tax-filing season begins

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The Kentucky Department of Revenue will begin accepting and processing state individual income tax returns on Monday, January 27, and the DOR encourages Kentuckians to file early to avoid delays.

The deadline to file Kentucky and federal tax returns for 2024 is Tuesday, April 15, but Kentuckians are being advised of an upcoming delay.

The DOR is transitioning to a new integrated tax system as well as launching a new business tax portal called MyTaxes. The launch of the new system will require a temporary pause in operations from February 26 to March 14. DOR staff will be able to answer phone calls during that period, but returns and refund payments will not be processed. The DOR says electronically-filed individual income tax returns typically take four to six weeks to process, so the sooner you file the better.

Individuals with incomes of $67,000 or less and any state government employee is welcome to seek tax help at any of the state’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Sites. Available from February 4 through April 15, knowledgeable staff provide free tax filing assistance to qualifying individuals. Find locations and schedule an appointment on the DOR website.

Taxpayers with questions can go to the DOR website or contact the DOR Taxpayer Assistance Phone Line at 502-564-4581.

Application period open for Nolin RECC student Washington trip

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Nolin RECC and Kentucky Electric Cooperatives are now accepting applications for their 2025 Washington Youth Tour.

According to the co-op, five high school juniors whose parents or guardians receive electric service from Nolin RECC will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. from June 16 through 21. Participating students will tour sites such as the Smithsonian Institution, Arlington National Cemetery, and the U.S. Capitol. Students will also visit with Kentucky’s congressional delegation.

Nolin RECC Communications Manager Sarah Fellows says the co-op is proud to have provided generations of local students with the opportunity to learn more about their government.

“We’re excited to offer this opportunity to local students and feel this is one way we can support future leaders within our own community,” Fellows said.

The deadline to apply is February 3. Find the application and more information at nolinrecc.com.

Rineyville paraeducator receives national award

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Rineyville Elementary School Instructional Assistant Jody Vititoe says the kids are why she dedicates what she does to her job.

“It sounds cheesy, but people say ‘that’s my why,’ but they are my why,” Vititoe said. “They are why I go to work every day. I just want to see them succeed in every way, so that is what they mean to me.”

Vititoe’s efforts are receiving national recognition.

At the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities annual conference last week, Vititoe was presented with the organization’s 2025 Paraeducator of the Year Award, which “recognizes excellence in paraeducators who support students with autism, intellectual disability, and other developmental disabilities.”

Vititoe said the award was quite the surprise.

“I didn’t honestly even know this was a thing, and then I found out first that I was nominated and was hugely honored to be nominated, and then later on found out I had won, and I’m just super excited, super honored, and just amazed that people wanted to recognize what I do,” Vititoe said.

Vititoe is an assistant in a special education classroom at Rineyville, working with students in grades K through 5.

“We work with kiddos who have, really, a lot of needs, a lot of things going on that they need help with, and of all different levels and ages, so we just work with them to give them the best education that we can,” Vititoe said.

At the suggestion of her students, Vititoe was introduced at the conference as “Pop See Ko” by children’s entertainers Koo Koo plays.