WQXE NEWS

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College is continuing a multi-year streak of increasing the college’s graduation rate.

“You know, it’s certainly representative of the quality of the students and the community, but really indicative of a lot of hard work by our faculty and staff to keep pushing themselves to find new and better ways to engage with our students, get them involved in the teaching and learning process,” said ECTC President and CEO Dr. Juston Pate.

ECTC says its graduation rate for the 2023-2024 academic year was 59.5 percent, which is an increase of about 10 percent from the previous year and about 21.5 percent from the 2018-2019 academic year.

ECTC also saw growth with its retention rate, with 65.2 percent of first-time freshmen returning from 2023 to 2024. That’s up 2.6 percent from the previous year and 15.9 percent from five years ago.

Pate says the retention rate and the graduation rate go hand in hand.

“What it’s really talking about is fulfilling that mission of adding value to our students’ lives and then returning that value back out into the community,” Pate said. “We’re helping students connect with a goal and a dream and then helping them achieve that in a timely fashion, which puts them into this community and this workforce in a much more timely fashion, and we all need that.”

Spring semester classes begin January 13. Contact the ECTC admissions office for more information.

The Elizabethtown Police Department invites the public to participate in their annual Cram the Cruiser food drive now through December 2.

“A police cruiser is parked in the landscaping bed near the lobby entrance of the Elizabethtown Police Department, located at 300 South Mulberry Street, and is clearly marked for drop-offs,” said EPD Public Information Officer Chris Denham. “We welcome all non-perishable food donations, and every item collected will remain in Hardin County to benefit our local community. If you have a large donation and would like to schedule a pickup, you may contact me, Chris Denham, by email at chris.denham@elisabethtownky.gov.”

You can also call the EPD for more information at 270-765-4125.

With colder temperatures and cold winds in the forecast, Senior Meteorologist Brian Schoettmer with the National Weather Service in Louisville says the stage may be set for the first snow of the season.

“I think the chances are actually really good, pretty high confidence, that you’re going to at least see some snowflakes flying, especially as we get into Thursday evening,” Schoettmer said. “Now, whether or not you’re going to see much of that stick to the ground, I think that’s much lower confidence.”

Schoettmer says the ground and surface temperatures are still too warm for snow to stick unless an area ends up with a heavier snowfall. He also says drivers should remember to use a little more caution if snowfall does occur.

“Just kind of pay attention when you are driving because, you know, even though we’re not expecting anything to stick, if you do get a brief heavy snow shower, that could cause the roads to briefly be slippery, so we just want everyone to kind of slow down and play it safe for this first event,” Schoettmer said. “Let’s get that one under our belt and move on into winter.”

Follow the National Weather Service in Louisville for the latest updates.