WQXE News

Unemployment rates across the Lincoln Trail District were up slightly in March from where they were the year prior. 

The Kentucky Center for Statistics says unemployment rates increased in 112 of the state’s counties in March. The rates were the same in four counties and decreased in four.

The state unemployment average for March was reported at 5.5 percent. That is a slight increase from the average seen in March 2024 when it was reported at 5.1 percent, but it is the same average reported in February. Five counties in the Lincoln Trail District had March unemployment rates higher than the state average, with three counties below the state average.

Hardin County’s unemployment rate for March was slightly above the state average at 5.8 percent. That’s an increase from the 5.2 percent rate reported in March 2024 but is down slightly from the 5.9 percent rate reported in February.

Grayson County posted the highest unemployment rate in the Lincoln Trail District for March at 7.2 percent, followed by Breckinridge County at 6.5 percent. Washington County had the lowest rate in the district, and tied for the sixth-lowest rate in the state, at 4.8 percent, followed by Nelson County at 5 percent.

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

The Drug Enforcement Administration will team up with more than 4,400 law enforcement partners for their 28th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this weekend. 

The DEA will host Take Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, offering communities across the country a safe, convenient, and anonymous way to dispose of unneeded prescription medications.

The DEA says take back day aims to reduce the risk of prescription drug misuse by helping to safely remove expired, unwanted, or unused medications. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine are among the most frequently misused prescription pain medications, and they often come from home medicine cabinets.

Tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs will be accepted. Liquids such as cough syrups must remain tightly sealed in their original containers. Take Back Day locations will accept vaping devices and cartridges if the lithium batteries are removed. Syringes, sharps, and illicit substances will not be collected.

Among the participating law enforcement agencies is the Radcliff Police Department, which will be collecting items at the Radcliff Walmart located at 1165 Walmart Way. You can search for more participating locations and find more information at www.deatakeback.com.

The Kentucky State Police is investigating a fatal collision that occurred in Nelson County Tuesday.

According to KSP Post Four, at approximately 6 p.m. on April 22 the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office requested the KSP investigate a two-vehicle collision near the 800 block of KY 509 in Coxs Creek.

The KSP says the preliminary investigation indicates that a vehicle operated by Jonathan Hood of Lawrenceburg was traveling east on KY 509 when for unknown reasons the vehicle crossed the center line, crossing into the path of a vehicle operated by a 17-year-old juvenile.

A passenger in the juvenile’s vehicle, 18-year-old McKinzi Raisor of Bardstown, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Nelson County Coroner’s Office. Hood and the juvenile driver were both transported to the University of Louisville Hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.

The KSP’s investigation is ongoing. KY 509 was closed for several hours after the collision to allow for accident reconstruction.