WQXE News

August unemployment in Kentucky is mostly in line with from where it was the previous year.

The Kentucky Center for Statistics says the state unemployment average for August was 4.7 percent. That number is unchanged from the rate reported in July, but is up .2 percent from the August 2025 average of 4.5 percent.

Kentucky’s unemployment average for August came in above the national unemployment rate, which the U.S. Department of Labor reported at 4.1 percent. That’s equal to the July average and down from the August 2025 average of 4.3 percent.

The Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet says the state’s civilian labor force, which includes people currently employed and people actively searching for work, saw an increase of 5,625 people from July to August, bringing the total civilian labor force to 2,109,506 people.

The Construction, Educational and Health Services, Manufacturing, Financial Activities, Information Services, and Government sectors saw increases from July to August. Decreases were seen in the Mining and Logging, Other Services, Professional and Business Services, Leisure and Hospitality, and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sectors.

Visit kystats.ky.gov for more about unemployment figures and labor market information.

September 20 through 26 is National Child Passenger Safety Week, with the week serving as a reminder to parents and caregivers of how to keep children safe when riding in vehicles.

“A total of 677 children were killed in traffic crashes while riding in passenger vehicles in 2024, and over 127,000 were injured, so a pretty significant number, but on a positive side, since 1975, child restraints have saved the lives of 11,606 children under the age of five,” said Radcliff Deputy Fire Marshal Tommy Crane.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says there are four types of car seats for child passengers, with recommendations based on the size and age of a child. Children should be in a rear-facing car seat from at least birth to one year, then in a forward-facing car seat until around age four. The next stage is booster seats, for which Crane says the regulations are often overlooked.

“Four feet and nine inches tall or eight years old is what you have to go by on that, and that is actually a state law, but a good rule of thumb on booster seats when you’re ready to transition is that the shoulder belt should come across the shoulder and should not ride up on the neck of the child,” Crane said.

The installation of a car seat is also critical. If you have questions or concerns, reach out to your local police or fire department to speak with a Certified Passenger Safety Technician. Find more tips and information on the NHTSA website or at www.safekids.org.

Area law enforcement responded to two fatal traffic collisions over the weekend.

The Elizabethtown Police Department responded to a collision near the intersection of Patriot Parkway/KY 361 and Rineyville Road/KY 1600 at shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday, September 19.

“The preliminary investigation indicates an adult male operating a 2022 Harley Davidson motorcycle was traveling southbound on Patriot Parkway when the motorcycle collided with the right rear of a 1989 Chevrolet truck, also being operated by an adult male, as it was turning right from Rineyville Road onto southbound Patriot Parkway,” said EPD Public Information Officer Chris Denham. “The motorcycle went down as a result of the collision. The rider was transported to Baptist Health Hardin with critical injuries, where sadly he was pronounced deceased. The driver of the truck, who was its lone occupant, was uninjured.”

The EPD’s Collision Reconstruction Team is investigating the cause of the collision. No criminal charges are expected.

Meanwhile, at 12:54 a.m. on Sunday, September 20, the Meade County Sheriff’s Office requested Kentucky State Police Post Four investigate a two-vehicle collision on Old Mill Road/KY 1638 near LG&E Road. The preliminary investigation indicates a passenger vehicle operated by Isaac Jenkins of Brandenburg was traveling east on Old Mill Road when for unknown reasons the vehicle crossed the center line, colliding head-on with a westbound passenger vehicle.

The operator of the westbound vehicle, 26-year-old Trenton Thomas of Brandenburg, and a passenger, 29-year-old Karlie Haycraft of Brandenburg, were pronounced dead at the scene by the Meade County Coroner. Jenkins was airlifted to the University of Louisville Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

KSP Post Four’s investigation of the collision is ongoing.