Menu Close

WQXE News

Area students invited to Read Across America event this Saturday

WQXE News 0 Comments

Hardin County Education Association Vice President and James T. Alton Middle School science teacher Lawson Barger says literacy is important for school, but its importance extends everywhere.

“If you can get a kid to love reading, then you build a lifelong learner and a lifelong reader, and it can help grow their mind and their heart,” Barger said.

The HCEA will be hosting their annual Read Across America event this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Central Hardin High School cafeteria.

Barger says Read Across America celebrates the works of many diverse authors across the country and abroad.

“We have a lot of activity tables, and they’re all based around the books that we will have read by many community members at the event,” Barger said. “Those activities can be anything from learning how to use chopsticks, based on a book called Watercress, to another book called The Water Keepers, and we will have Hardin County Water District No. 2 distributing water bottles to all the attendees.”

Food trucks will be on hand, and the event will feature door prizes and book giveaways for students.

“The event is open to any and all community members,” Barger said. “We invite families of all shapes and sizes.”

Find the event page for Saturday’s event on the Hardin County Education Association’s Facebook page.

Quicksie Versus Wolf Blood Drive a chance to help save lives and help radio stations yell at each other

WQXE News 0 Comments

The American Red Cross is still attempting to rebuild a blood supply that saw further impacts due to winter storms.

According to the Red Cross, more than 20,000 donations went uncollected this winter due to the impacts of winter weather across the country. This impacted a blood supply that was already dealing with an ongoing shortage, and the Red Cross says some hospitals were forced to cancel elective procedures.

American Red Cross Account Manager Tammy Ritchie says the need for Type O donors right now is especially urgent.

“The need for Type O, O-positive and O-negative, is in an emergency need right now,” said Ritchie. “Transfusions are happening when needed, but because that is the most common blood type, it is also the most needed, and in an emergency situation, that is what’s going to be transfused until we know that patient’s blood type.”

You can support the blood supply and play a part in a friendly rivalry by participating in the Quicksie Versus Wolf Blood Drive, to be held at the Pritchard Community Center in Elizabethtown from noon to 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 5. When you register at the blood drive, be sure to tell the attendant which station you are supporting.

All successful donors in the month of March will receive a $15 Amazon.com gift card. Donors will also receive free A1C testing.

Visit www.redcrossblood.org for more information or to schedule a donation.

Beshear says 2025 was another record year for Kentucky exports

WQXE News 0 Comments

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear says the commonwealth broke its record for exports once again in 2025. 

The governor announced Wednesday that Kentucky shipped $50.6 billion worth of products globally in 2025, an increase of 5.65 percent from the year prior and the third straight year the state has broken its record for exports.

According to a release from the Governor’s Office, aerospace products and parts were Kentucky’s top export in 2025, with nearly $24 billion in products shipped out. Industrial machinery saw $5.7 billion in products shipped, motor vehicles and parts saw $4.6 billion in shipments, and pharmaceuticals saw $3.5 billion.

The Governor’s Office says Canada was once again Kentucky’s top destination for exports, with $9.3 billion in products going north of the border. The United Kingdom, France, China, and Mexico remained in the state’s top five. Other trade partners included Brazil, Malaysia, Singapore, the Netherlands, and Austria.

Beshear said in the release: “The commonwealth’s commitment to developing partnerships all over the globe is critical for our long-term economic success. Now more than ever, the rest of the world is realizing that you just can’t beat a Kentucky-made product.”

Visit www.kyexports.com for more information.

KYTC District Four prepping for repairs to Bardstown’s Sympson Lake Dam

WQXE News 0 Comments

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is planning repairs to the embankment of U.S. 62 that serves as a dam for Sympson Lake on the west side of Bardstown.

According to a release from KYTC District Four, while there are no imminent structural concerns, minor seepage was detected during routine monitoring of the dam. The KYTC says: “The levels detected do not impact the public or nearby facilities and minor repairs are underway to slow the seepage, along with increased monitoring while engineers develop a plan for a more permanent fix.”

“We’re early on in this entire process, and it’s going to involve several phases, and right now we’re in that preliminary stage where we’re getting those core samples from below the road,” said KYTC District Four Public Information Officer Chris Jessie. “That’s why we have that lane closure up right now on U.S. 62, and we’ll keep folks informed as we go. We’re likely looking at April for letting of a contract to do the majority of work that needs to be done there, and as of right now it looks like that work will take approximately nine months to a year to finish once everything gets going.”

Crews within the next few weeks will begin temporarily reducing the lake level ahead of annual peak rainfall to make it easier to access areas of the embankment for repair work. This will not impact water treatment operations.

The KYTC says through the City of Bardstown’s water treatment facility, Sympson Lake supplies drinking water to more than 46,000 people in Bardstown and the surrounding communities.

Follow KYTC District Four on social media for updates.