WQXE News

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is touting another successful year for the tourism industry in the commonwealth.

The Governor joined state tourism officials at the Ashbrook Hotel in Frankfort Wednesday to discuss the economic impact the tourism industry had across Kentucky last year, with Beshear stating that 2025 is officially “the best year ever” for Kentucky tourism. 2025 was the fourth straight record year for the industry.

“Last year, tourism generated more than $14.6 billion in economic impact, setting a brand new record while supporting nearly 97,000 Kentucky jobs,” Beshear said. “That means tourism puts food on the table for almost 100,000 of our families while bringing in a ton of money from out of state.”

Beshear’s office says more than 81.1 million travelers visited Kentucky in 2025, spending $10.4 billion across the state, including $2.7 billion in food and beverages and $2.4 billion in lodging.

Kentucky Tourism Commissioner Mike Mangeot said capital investment in tourism helped the industry shift towards domestic visitation after challenges were seen with international travel in 2025.

“When we invest in tourism, we’re supporting jobs, small businesses, and community growth,” Mangeot said. “Every dollar spent by a visitor helps support local shops, restaurants, attractions, and lodging, and those dollars ripple through our economy. Tourism is building pride within our communities. It helps preserve our heritage, fuels innovation, and shines a spotlight on the diverse stories and destinations that make Kentucky truly unique.”

Find more information and view the full tourism economic impact report at www.kentuckytourism.com.

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College and Western Kentucky University are expanding their partnership with an expanded academic pathway.

ECTC Provost Dr. Telly Sellars and WKU Gordon Ford College of Business Dean Dr. Evelyn Thrasher formally signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday which added a new Bachelor of Science in Management: Human Resource Management at WKU in Elizabethtown.

According to a release from WKU, the new educational pathway begins at ECTC where students will earn their Associate’s Degree. The students will then transfer to WKU to complete the Bachelor’s Degree. The program’s curriculum is aligned with “the world-leading Human Resources Society’s standards” and WKU’s Gordon Ford College of Business is accredited through AACSB international.

The new degree program combines online and face-to-face coursework to allow students to complete their degree closer to home while gaining practical, career-ready skills. WKU says U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that “employment in human resources-related fields is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations in the coming years.”

Registration for the Fall 2026 semester is open. Visit ECTC’s website for more information on enrollment and the WKU in Elizabethtown website for more information on degree programs.

The Hardin County Fiscal Court met for their first meeting of the month Tuesday.

The court approved the adoption of the fiscal year 2026-2027 budget on its second reading. The budget ordinance was approved on a 7 to 1 vote, with Hardin County Judge/Executive Keith Taul voting no as he said he was still not happy with changes made to his proposed budget.

“I believe that these cuts will reduce the quality of our services,” Taul said. “We’ll have higher turnover and continuous training of new employees, and then we also have this lack of support for fire services improvement for some future objectives here.”

Fifth District Magistrate Aaron Pennington said he thinks the idea that the magistrates do not care about fire services is “extremely inaccurate.”

“I think we believe in common sense, and I think we believe in coming up with a proper plan for how we’re going to take care of things, and blindly just throwing money left and right hoping you’ll fix something is not the proper way to do it,” Pennington said. “It’s not the way to do government. It’s not the way to spend your money personally or professionally.”

In other meeting news, Hardin County Animal Care and Control Director Mike McNutt said 44 dogs were adopted out in May, bringing the year to date total to 546. McNutt said the shelter is hovering just above a 90 percent live release rate, which would qualify the shelter for no-kill status, which he said is an important goal for the staff at the shelter.

Taul recognized three Hardin County EMS technicians and paramedics for their quick work in helping to deliver a baby during an ambulance run, joining what is known as the “Stork Club”.

“On May 24, EMT Rea Daugherty, Paramedic Kimberly Holcomb, and Paramedic Logan Savage successfully delivered a baby while on call for service, and it was discovered that while they were doing this that the umbilical cord was wrapped around the child’s neck, and the crew quickly addressed this and delivered the child without any further complications,” Taul said.

The Hardin County Fiscal Court will next meet June 23.