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Unemployment decreases in all 120 Kentucky counties in December

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Unemployment rates in the Lincoln Trail District, and Kentucky as a whole, saw declines in December.

The Kentucky Center for Statistics says unemployment rates decreased in all 120 counties when comparing December 2025 with December 2024.

The state unemployment average for December was 3.5 percent. That’s down from the 4.4 percent average reported in November 2025 and from the December 2024 average of 5 percent.

Hardin County’s unemployment rate for December came in above the state average at 4.1 percent. That is a decrease from the November rate of 5 percent and from December 2024 when the rate was reported at 5.5 percent.

The unemployment average for the Lincoln Trail District in December was 3.8 percent. Grayson County posted the highest unemployment rate in the district at 4.6 percent. Washington County posted the lowest unemployment rate in the district, and tied for the seventh-lowest rate in the state, at 3 percent.

Learn more about how the unemployment rate is calculated and find more labor market information by visiting kystats.ky.gov.

State medical cannabis advisors request General Assembly approve more conditions

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As the state of Kentucky’s medical cannabis program continues to develop, Governor Andy Beshear says he is pushing lawmakers to extend access to the program further.

The Office of Medical Cannabis sent a letter Thursday to the state’s legislative leadership recommending the General Assembly expand the list of qualifying medical conditions for a medical cannabis card.

“The recommendations include serious conditions like ALS, Parkinson’s, Crohn’s disease, sickle cell anemia, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, and terminal illnesses among others,” Beshear said. “In most other states that have a medical marijuana program, these are conditions that are covered, and they are conditions that our board of physicians and advisors have recommended as proper.”

That’s the governor during Thursday’s Team Kentucky Update. He said expanding the list to include those conditions would benefit nearly 430,000 Kentuckians.

To date, more than 18,500 Kentuckians have been approved for medical cannabis cards, and more than 500 practitioners have been registered to issue certifications. Beshear said steady progress has also been made on the business side of the rollout.

“Kentucky now has five cultivators (that’s the groups that grow the plant), two safety compliance facilities making sure that the levels are appropriate, one processor (those are the ones that can turn it into other products like gummies) and seven dispensaries which is where people that have the card that are eligible under the law can purchase medical marijuana,” Beshear said.

One more cultivator, two more processors, and two more dispensaries are scheduled for inspections this month.

“As the supply chain expands, patients are starting to see more options come on line, so we can announce that gummies are now on the market in Kentucky,” Beshear said.

Learn more about the state medical cannabis program at kymedcan.ky.gov.

Snow and ice removal efforts still ongoing across Kentucky

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Communities across Kentucky continue to recover from the recent winter storms, which Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on Thursday said saw some areas receive as much as nine inches of combined snow and ice accumulation.

According to the governor’s office, there are still more than 600 reported power outages due to the storms, and 13 drinking water systems remain on limited operations. State and contracted plow crews have driven more than one million miles of roadways since pre-treatment ahead of the storm began. The state says 22 confirmed deaths have resulted from the storms, with the latest confirmed report including a 77-year-old man from Grayson County, a 59-year-old man from Hardin County, and a 92-year-old man from Hart County.

In Hardin County, road service continued Thursday with 12 trucks out salting 568 miles of county roads. A release from Hardin County Government says the county’s road department was also able to repair its grater after borrowing one from Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Four and contracting another.

Road conditions forced sanitation crews with UDP to miss several routes over the last two weeks. The county is once again permitting impacted customers to place bagged trash on or next to their cans. This is for customers in unincorporated Hardin County. Check with your municipality for information on local trash collection. Follow the Hardin County Government Facebook page for more updates.

Red Cross looking for blood donors to help make up for donations disrupted by winter storms

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The American Red Cross says winter storms have taken a toll on an already severe blood supply shortage.

According to the Red Cross, more than 500 blood drives were cancelled due to the winter weather, resulting in more than 20,000 blood and platelet donations going uncollected since January 23. That goes on top of the more than 400 blood drives that were cancelled the previous month due to winter weather.

The Red Cross encourages anybody who can safely travel to schedule an appointment to donate blood or platelets. Keeping donations going at this time will help ensure lifesaving medical procedures are not delayed.

Red Cross Account Manager Tammy Ritchie says the need for Type O donors is urgent.

“The need for Type O, O-positive and O-negative, is in an emergency need right now,” said Ritchie. “Transfusions are happening when needed, but because that is the most common blood type, it is also the most needed, and in an emergency situation, that is what’s going to be transfused until we know that patient’s blood type.”

As an added incentive, donors between now and February 28 will receive a $20 e-gift card to the merchant of their choice. Visit www.redcrossblood.org for more information on donating and to find a blood drive near you.

Shop and Share support drive for Kentucky domestic violence shelters this Saturday

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Kentuckians have an opportunity to support survivors of domestic violence this weekend.

ZeroV, the statewide coalition against intimate partner violence, will be hosting their annual Shop and Share event this Saturday, February 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

According to a release from the office of Kentucky First Lady Britainy Beshear, Shop and Share is a one-day donation drive in which shoppers at participating grocery stores are asked to “shop” for what they need and “share” an item with their local domestic violence program. The annual drive “will provide critical supplies for the commonwealth’s state-designated regional domestic violence shelters.” In addition to food items, last year’s event raised more than $349,000 to support more than 2,300 people housed in domestic violence shelters in 2025.

Volunteers will be at participating locations with lists of items in need such as food, diapers, and other essentials. Participating grocery stores include both the Dolphin Drive and Towne Mall Kroger stores in Elizabethtown, benefiting SpringHaven Inc. A list of times requested by SpringHaven can be found on the Shop and Share page at www.zerov.org.