WQXE News

Registration is open for the 2026 Elizabethtown Community and Technical College Pathfinder Academy. 

ECTC will host the Pathfinder Academy from June 8 through 12. The Pathfinder Academy is for rising sixth- through 12th-grade students and features “fun-filled, hands-on learning activities in the fields of science, technology, and crafts.”

According to a release from ECTC, the Pathfinder Academy has class options for all middle and high school students, with a variety of fun, high-quality enrichment classes taught by ECTC faculty and staff members for students to explore their interests. The Pathfinder Academy includes classes such as cartoon character design, computed aided drafting, robotics, welding, and beginning sewing. Campers also  participate in financial literacy workshops.

Advanced registration is required, and spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Students may sign up for multiple classes.

Visit ectc.us/pfa or contact Eileen Worthington at eileen.worthington@kctcs.edu or 270-706-8712 for more information.

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College Director of Philanthropy Chrissie Angell says the college achieved its goal of exceeding the numbers from last year’s Giving Day.

“Giving Day 2026 was a huge success,” Angell said. “We raised over $33,000 from 160 donors, which is up 5.9 percent over last year.”

ECTC’s Giving Day activities took place the same day other Kentucky Community and Technical College System schools conducted fundraising efforts, with the KCTCS reporting more than $375,000 was donated by 1,389 donors, including 289 first time donors.

Angell said after ECTC hosted their first Employee Giving Day last year, this year the college wanted to put together an event to help students “create a culture of philanthropy.”

“We held an event, and many of our students gave what they could financially, but that really wasn’t our main goal because philanthropy is about more than just giving money,” Angell said. “It’s about giving your time and talents, your resources to improve your community, and we offered simple ways for our students to use their time and talents to say thank you to faculty and staff on campus. We had a great time celebrating with them.”

Giving Day 2026 may have come and gone, but community members looking to support ECTC students can still donate on ECTC’s website. Community members can also volunteer at ECTC through Family Scholar House. Visit the ECTC website for more information.

Open burning restrictions will be in place for several counties in Kentucky for the next five months as part of Kentucky Ozone Season.

Ozone Season runs from May 1 through September 30, part of efforts by the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet to protect families and preserve air quality.

According to the EEC, burning of brush, tree limbs, leaves, or natural growth is restricted in counties that have exceeded the federal air quality standards before and are more likely to have pollution problems in warmer months. Included in the restricted counties is Bullitt County, while Jefferson County has open burning restrictions in effect year-round.

The EEC says ozone is protective in the stratosphere, but on the ground-level ozone is a summertime health risk created when pollutants react in the atmosphere in the presence of heat and sunlight. Open burning contributes to ozone pollution, which can irritate breathing passages and can trigger asthma attacks for the more than 380,000 Kentuckians affected by the condition.

The EEC says burning trash is illegal everywhere in Kentucky year-round, and state law prohibits burning plastics, tires, coated wire, and treated wood. Check your local outdoor burning rules and for possible burn bans in effect. Visit the Energy and Environment Cabinet’s website for more information and guidelines.