WQXE NEWS

A grant awarded to the Lincoln Trail Workforce Development Board will assist workers impacted by layoffs at area industries.

LTWDB Assistant Workforce Director Anthony Hellmueller said the state reached out after the announced closing of BlueOval SK to assist in applying for a National Dislocated Worker Grant through the U.S. Department of Labor.

“The application was approved and we received a notification of that a little earlier this year, so we are now able to use those funds to assist with those who were displaced from employers like BlueOval SK, Kentucky Cooperage in Marion County, and then also the Akebono layoff,” Hellmueller said.

The funding can be used to assist workers with job searches and job placement, or with beginning a new career path.

“If they want to change course and go into a different job altogether or a different career altogether, they can do training or retraining, and we can assist with the cost of that training,” Hellmueller said.

The program prioritizes “career opportunities that offer competitive wages, benefits, advancement potential, and stable working conditions.” Supportive services may be provided, including work clothing, tools, certifications, and other job-related needs to help workers get past barriers to employment. 

Hellmueller said the LTWDB is working side-by-side with area employers to determine what their hiring needs are, allowing them to benefit jobseekers as well as employers.

“This allows us to align our participants’ training with real workforce demand in the area and in the region, and connect those people directly to open positions through hiring events and specialized job matching,” Hellmueller said.

Workers interested in learning about their eligibility should find the interest form available at ltcareercenter.org/dislocated-workers. A career advisor will reach out and begin the enrollment process.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Four anticipates a project on U.S. 31E in Hodgenville will be completed in time for the start of the school year.

The KYTC says the highway safety and mobility improvement project is scheduled to begin along U.S. 31E/Lincoln Farm Road between Greensburg and Miller roads in Hodgenville on Monday, July 6. Paving, striping and curb work will be taking place with a reconfigured center turning lane layout to include a path for bikes and pedestrians. 

The KYTC says the improvement project features designated left-turn lanes for Greensburg Road and the main entrance to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park. The Abe Lincoln Elementary entrance is also being reconfigured to help relieve congestion and reduce conflicts.

Motorists should pay close attention to signs, workers, and equipment and use caution when approaching and traveling through the work zone. Brief delays may be possible and flaggers may be present to direct traffic. Follow KYTC District Four on social media for updates.

Temperatures are hot, so make sure you are bringing water and planning accordingly, but Bernheim Forest has many events on their July calendar.

One of the early highlights is the Independence Day celebration coming up this Saturday outside the visitor’s center. Bernheim Director of Marketing and Communications Lynette Cox says it’s a great day to bring out the family.

“Bring a picnic blanket or a picnic basket,” Cox said. “We’re going to have nature discovery stations where the kids and adults can learn about wildlife and plants from our volunteer naturalist outside our visitor center. We’re going to have our fire tower open for exploration, so if you’ve never been up to our fire tower, you get a 360 degree view of the forest and you can see all the way to Fort Knox and to Louisville.”

You can explore Bernheim on a Pedego electric bicycle, along with other activities.

“We’ll have arts and crafts,” Cox said. “We’ll have some cornhole boards out and other lawn games. We’ll have food and beverage vendors on site, including Salt River Brewing Company, and then we’ll also have hot dogs and chips available if you didn’t want to pack that basket after all.”

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is free to attend. Visit the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest Facebook page for more information.