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Federal, state, and local government officials were on hand Thursday for the City of Vine Grove’s second annual legislative breakfast.

The event provided an opportunity for members of the Kentucky General Assembly from local districts to provide an update on their work during the most recent session and to connect with local officials.

House District 25 Representative Steve Bratcher said of the more than 1,100 house and senate bills that went before the general assembly, about 200 passed. Bratcher said the Hardin County area is an area in transition with recent and future growth and efforts to reduce the strain are necessary, but the area is in a good place.

“We should really, really consider ourselves very fortunate and take some of the things that we’re given and the opportunities that we have and utilize that to move our area and our community forward,” Bratcher said. “There’s some organizations or some communities that are really suffering right now, and so we are in the trajectory of growth, so that’s a great place to be.”

House District 27 Representative Nancy Tate discussed her work on several legislative caucuses, including efforts on the Aerospace and Aviation Caucus. Tate said more than 600,000 pilots and more than 650,000 airplane mechanics will be needed in the next ten years, and she said she wants to make sure Kentucky can be a critical part of the industry.

“Did you know that in 2019 and actually today, our number one export in Kentucky is aerospace and aviation materials?” said Tate. “This is obviously near and dear to my heart. In 2019, we exported $11 billion worth of materials for aviation and aerospace.”

Kentucky Second District Congressman Brett Guthrie was unable to attend but was represented by District Manager Mark Lord, who discussed some of Guthrie’s legislative priorities. Lord also said Guthrie has been able to send $25 million to $30 million back to the Second District each of the last several years through congressionally-directed spending.

“We can have opportunity for members of Congress to redirect money that would otherwise be spent by the administration to be directed by their members of Congress rather than the administration,” Lord said. “That’s a good thing, especially when it doesn’t have one additional dollar to the federal spending.”

Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory, Radcliff Mayor JJ Duvall, Vine Grove Mayor Pam Ogden, and West Point Mayor Richard Ciresi each expressed their appreciation for the availability of area representatives.

Unemployment numbers in March are up across the Lincoln Trail District compared to last year.

The Kentucky Center for Statistics says from March 2023 to March 2024, unemployment rates increased in 116 counties, decreased in three, and remained the same in one. The state unemployment average for March 2024 is 5.1 percent, up from the March 2023 average of 4.3 percent.

March unemployment for Hardin County was reported at 5 percent. While that is down a tick from the 5.1 percent rate reported in February, it is up from March 2023 when the rate came in at 4.2 percent.

Washington County reported the lowest March unemployment rate in the Lincoln Trail District, and the second-lowest in the commonwealth, at 3.8 percent. Breckinridge County reported the highest rate for March at 5.7 percent.

Learn more about how unemployment rates are formed and other labor market information by visiting the Kentucky Center for Statistics online.

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College is inviting the community to help support its students as the college hosts its inaugural ECTC Giving Day Thursday.

ECTC says donations will support student needs such as scholarships, transportation assistance, and the Student Emergency Fund, among other areas. With this year being the college’s 60th anniversary, one of the event goals is to have at least 60 donors give $60.

One specific way to support ECTC students is by donating to the Gowns for Grads initiative. ECTC Director of Admissions and Assessment Judy Akers said that $50 will provide a student with a cap, gown, and tassel.

“We are trying to make sure that all of our graduates have the opportunity to graduate without worrying about the cost of buying a gown to participate in graduation,” Akers said.

ECTC President and CEO Dr. Juston Pate previously told Quicksie that supporting the college means supporting a large, blended community.

“When you really step back and look at what Elizabethtown Community and Technical College is, it’s really like this perfect melting pot because, you know, roughly half of our students are that traditional student who is there to take a full-time load of classes, and that’s really their job,” Pate said. “When you’re 18 and a freshman in college and your job is to pass your classes. So we’ve got that, but then we’ve also got that mix of folks who have entered into a job or an initial career, and they’re coming back.”

Find more information and a link to the Giving Day page on ECTC’s website or Facebook page.