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The Kentucky Governor’s Office is recognizing the contributions of community volunteers across the commonwealth. 

Nominations are now being accepted for the Governor’s Service Awards, which honor Kentuckians whose dedicated service is improving the lives of others. Now in its 30th year, a special ceremony is held to publicly honor the recipients and others who have served their communities “through volunteering and service without expectation of reward or commendation.”

According to the governor’s office, nominators should provide detailed examples of service activities, impact, leadership, and community outcomes. The nominations will be reviewed by a statewide panel, with selected honorees recognized at a ceremony in Frankfort in April.

The governor’s office says nominations may highlight service in areas such as education, public health, food security, disaster response, social supports, community revitalization, nonprofit leadership, and more. Previous honorees have been individuals, youth, AmeriCorps members, nonprofits, veterans, and faith-based organizations.

Nominations are due by January 6. More information on the awards and volunteer efforts in the commonwealth, along with the required nomination form, can be found at serve.ky.gov.

After a delay due to the government shutdown, the Kentucky Center for Statistics has released the state’s September employment report.

The center says the state unemployment average for September was 4.7 percent. That is unchanged from the month of August, and is down .6 percent from the September 2024 average of 5.3 percent.

Kentucky’s unemployment average for September came in higher than the national unemployment rate, which the U.S. Department of Labor reported at 4.4 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 a decrease of 20 people from August to September, bringing the total civilian labor force to 2,114,917 people.

The Education and Labor Cabinet says the Trade, Transportation, and Utilities, Educational and Health Services, Government, Other Services, Professional and Business Services, and Construction sectors saw increases from August to September. Numbers in the Mining and Logging Sector were unchanged, while decreases were seen in the Manufacturing, Information Services, Leisure and Hospitality, and Financial Activities sectors.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics will not publish an October unemployment report. Visit the Kentucky Center for Statistics website for more about unemployment figures and labor market information.

News broke Thursday morning that SK On has announced it will be ending its joint venture with Ford for battery factories, with the Korean company reportedly keeping possession of the Tennessee battery plant and the Detroit automaker retaining the Glendale-based Kentucky One and Kentucky Two facilities.

BlueOval SK External Affairs Director Keli McAlister said in a statement: “BlueOval SK is aware of SK On’s disclosure and announcement. We are working with both of our parent companies to determine what this means for BlueOval SK.”

Hardin County Judge/Executive Keith Taul said in a statement: “Kentucky has enjoyed a long-standing and productive relationship with Ford, and we remain committed to fostering our continued partnership with them moving forward.”

Governor Andy Beshear discussed the news during his Team Kentucky Update Thursday. He said Ford maintaining the Glendale plants is “at least good news for Kentucky.”

“Ford has been committed to Kentucky since the first Model T rolled off the line in Louisville, and their commitment to our state and our workforce remains strong,” Beshear said. “In fact, the company just this summer announced the third-largest investment in state history with the nearly $2 billion investment in the Louisville assembly plant for a whole new production line.”

Ford has yet to comment on the announcement. Beshear said his office expected the company to provide more information on its next steps early next week. Quicksie and The Wolf will report more information as it becomes available.