Menu Close

WQXE NEWS

John Hardin High School Best Buddies program recognized at international conference

WQXE News 0 Comments

The Best Buddies program at John Hardin High School recently received some special recognition.

The JHHS Best Buddies program was recognized at the International Best Buddies Leadership Conference.

“We were one of the top chapters in the world, recognized for being one of the top high schools with how we run our program and the opportunities that we give our students, both with special needs and without,” said JHHS Vice Principal Jennifer Cobb. 

John Hardin’s program was the only high school program in Kentucky and one of only 40 across the globe to be recognized.

Cobb says the recognition is a testament to the students as well as club sponsors Erin Creason, Chris Vvans, and Kyah Neal.

“We have three teachers who are incredibly passionate, and have created a culture for inclusiveness at John Hardin, and through that they have probably the largest club right now at John Hardin, and it is all about fostering friendships between our students who are in the general population and then our students with special needs,” Cobb said.

Community members looking to support the program can follow the John Hardin High School Facebook page or look for the club out in the community.

“You can actually support the club by purchasing a lemonade,” Cobb said. “We do a lemonade stand where every student who is part of Best Buddies works it, and I think that they are out in the community all the time.”

Students looking to learn more about Best Buddies should contact Creason, Evans, or Neal.

Feedback sought on Kentucky Pre-K for All Initiative

WQXE News 0 Comments

Kentucky’s Pre-K for All Advisory Committee is inviting members of the public and leaders in education, business, and childcare to attend the committee’s town hall forum taking place in Bowling Green Wednesday evening at the Downing Student Union Auditorium at Western Kentucky University.

According to the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, the advisory committee is looking for feedback on the Pre-K for All Initiative, which aims to increase kindergarten readiness for all four-year-olds in Kentucky, eliminate childcare deserts, save Kentucky families on out-of-pocket childcare costs, and grow Kentucky’s labor force, among other goals.

During an appearance at the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce’s June luncheon, Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman said expanding access to pre-k in Kentucky is an investment in the future of the commonwealth, and community support is critical.

“It’s going to take all of Team Kentucky to speak up, to act, and to get involved, so as our advisory committee travels the state to hear from Kentuckians, I encourage you to get involved,” Coleman said. “We need the business in the private sector. We need education. We need higher education. We need all of our folks involved as we make this a reality.”

The town hall event begins at 5:30 p.m. CDT. Register for the town hall at prek4all.ky.gov. If you are interested but unable to attend, the final town hall event will be held during the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville on August 20.

KCTCS announces roll out of mental health strategy

WQXE News 0 Comments

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is set to roll out its first-ever mental health strategy, aimed at supporting the more than 110,000 students attending classes at the system’s 16 campuses. 

KCTCS says the Mental Health Strategy initiative is backed by partnerships with the JED Foundation, the Healthy Minds Network, and the Council on Postsecondary Education. The new strategy is the result of technical assistance support and consultation from JED, which assisted KCTCS “in establishing and strengthening a community of care among partner campuses, protecting student mental health, and providing and integrating evidence-based mental health resources, programs, systems, and policies.”

A Healthy Minds Study conducted last school year across the 16 campuses showed that 68 percent of KCTCS students showed signs of depression and 66 percent reported anxiety symptoms, but only 27 percent of students who screened positive for depression or anxiety were receiving therapy.

The system says the new plan is guided by six key focus areas: survey-informed interventions, faculty and staff training, an early-alert guide, mental health communication campaigns, peer wellness programs, and expanded grant and partner-supported services. The new strategy aligns with the Council on Postsecondary Education’s statewide mental health plan.

More information on the plan can be found on the KCTCS website.

Council moves forward on Ring Road-Pear Orchard Road zoning change

WQXE News 0 Comments

The Elizabethtown City Council met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday.

The council voted to hold the first reading on an ordinance that would amend the zoning for property located at 2111 Ring Road and 1151 Pear Orchard Road from R-3 to C-3, which would facilitate the construction of a 60,000 square foot VA medical clinic. The Elizabethtown Planning Commission voted 3-2 at their July 8 meeting to recommend that change be denied, but Council Member Mika Tyler made a motion to hold the first reading, citing fact finding presented at the Planning Commission meeting that she said found the zoning change to be in line with the city’s comprehensive plan.

Several people discussed the zoning proposal during the meeting’s public comments period. Elizabethtown resident Brown Gwynn said he and everybody he has spoken with about the proposal is supportive of the establishment of a VA health clinic in Elizabethtown. He said the problem here is rezoning an area that shouldn’t be rezoned.

“There is commercial property all over the city that is already zoned C-3, so we’re taking a 29-acre piece of property and converting it from R-3 which is residential, which if the county decides to fight expansion of our city limits, where are we going to get any more building lots?” Gwynn said. “We’ve got commercial building lots all over the town.”

Bob Casher is a member of the Joint Executive Council of Veterans Organizations of Kentucky. He says the city needs to do what it can to help the project move forward quickly in order to help support an aging area veteran population.

“We need that piece of land and we need to get that clinic off the ground as soon as possible,” Casher said. “Veterans Administration from Washington D.C. has been to the Jeff. Co. meetings. They have been to the VA and Robley Rex. This has been in the works for over two years, and here we are sitting here this evening wanting to debate where it’s going to go.”

The council will vote on the zoning change on its second reading at the next regular council meeting.

In other meeting news, the council approved a resolution amending the comprehensive plan to include the Towne Mall master plan, and a municipal order amending the city’s contract with Kinley-Horn and Associates for water design services concerning the area around the outdoor music venue to include changes in infrastructure plans.

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet for a work session on July 28.

Roundabout installation begins Wednesday at U.S. 62/U.S. 31W Bypass interchange

WQXE News 0 Comments

Construction begins Wednesday on the dual roundabout interchange that is being installed along U.S. 62 at the U.S. 31W Bypass in Elizabethtown.

According to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Four, the ramp from the U.S. 31W Bypass southbound to U.S. 62 along with the southbound U.S. 62 ramp onto the bypass will be closed, with traffic on U.S. 62 moving to one lane in each direction in the vicinity of the interchange.

The interchange work was announced in 2024 as one piece of improvements aimed at making U.S. 62 safer and more efficient.

“Reworking those entrances and exits on U.S. 62 at the bypass is really a bigger piece of this entire corridor project that expands from the bypass area over to French Street on the other side of 31W near downtown,” said KYTC District Four Public Information Officer Chris Jessie. “This whole corridor gets resurfaced ultimately. There’s striping changes that we made a few months back, and we’ve monitored those. There’ll be some tweaking to those, and that’s why we did those early before we put pavement down, so we don’t put down pavement and then have to redo everything, so it was done in stages for reasons.”

Two detours are in place during construction. For U.S. 31W Bypass southbound to U.S. 62, traffic will continue south on the bypass to New Glendale Road and reverse direction onto the bypass northbound to U.S. 62. For U.S. 62 to U.S. 31W Bypass southbound, traffic will continue west to Ring Road, then turn right onto Ring Road to Patriot Parkway, then turn right onto Patriot Parkway and continue onto the southbound bypass ramp.

Work is scheduled to be completed on the interchange roundabouts by November 1. Several traffic pattern changes will occur during construction. Follow KYTC District Four on social media for updates.