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November unemployment in Lincoln Trail counties sees decreases

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Unemployment rates across the Lincoln Trail District in November are down from where they were the year prior.

The Kentucky Center for Statistics says unemployment rates decreased in 119 counties and increased in one when comparing November 2025 with November 2024.

The state unemployment average for November was 4.5 percent. That’s down from the 5 percent average reported in November 2024 and equal to the September 2025 state average.

Hardin County’s unemployment rate for November came in above the state average at 5 percent. That is an increase from the September rate of 4.7 percent but is down from November 2024 when the rate was reported at 5.3 percent.

Grayson County posted the highest November unemployment rate in the district at 5.6 percent, followed by Breckinridge and Marion counties at 5.2 percent. Washington County posted the lowest unemployment rate in the district, and tied for the fifth-lowest rate in the state, for November at 3.8 percent, followed by Nelson County at 4.2 percent.

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

Hardin County Board of Elections meets, draws primary election ballot order

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The Hardin County Board of Elections met for their first meeting of the year Thursday.

The board approved the county’s election contingency and security plans, which concern the proper storing of election equipment and the tracking of paper ballots. The board also approved the county elections calendar, including training dates for poll workers.

Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith said he is keeping an eye on Senate Bill 7, which would return drivers licensing to counties rather than the regional offices. 

“I will tell you that if you speak to any of the legislators, Eastern Kentucky, Western Kentucky, Northern Kentucky, anywhere, they will all tell you that for the last two years, the number one complaint they have received has been about the drivers licensing offices,” Smith said. “Whatever number two is, it’s a distant number two. We get constant complaints about it here.”

Smith said the bill as written does not concern Hardin County because a regional licensing office is located in Elizabethtown. Smith said a house bill similar to Senate Bill 7 has been written, and a house bill that would return licensing to the circuit court clerk’s offices has also been proposed.

Smith also said he is waiting to see more clarifications from the state on the new Mobile IDs now available through the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. While the main promoted use from the Transportation Cabinet is for air travel, Smith said he is anticipating possible confusion if somebody attempts to use a Mobile ID to vote.

“Right now, we are seeking legal opinion on how this is going to impact our role,” Smith said. “What I have instructed my staff downstairs is we need a hard copy of the driver’s license because even the Transportation Cabinet that is promoting this says you still must carry your hard copy driver’s license with you.”

Following the meeting, the Board of Elections conducted the ballot position draw for candidates running in the May primary election. The updated ballot can be found on the Hardin County Clerk’s Office’s website, and more election information is available at govote.ky.gov.

Duvall says Radcliff continues to see progress

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Radcliff Mayor JJ Duvall says the numbers in the budget show the growth the city has seen since he first served as mayor.

“Looking back over my first budget when I became mayor, we had about an $11 million operational budget, and now currently, with stormwater, we have about an $18 million operational budget,” Duvall said. “My reserve fund balance back then, when I first became mayor, was $3 million, and today we’re at nearly $14 million in reserves.”

Duvall was one of the speakers during the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce’s January Membership Luncheon Wednesday.

Duvall talked about the city’s commitment to public safety, including about $600,000 in renovations at the police department, about $350,000 to add female living quarters at Fire Station No. Two, and nearly $4 million that went towards the purchase of new fire trucks and communications upgrades, among other city upgrades.

“We did $50,000 in upgrades to the Colvin Community Center in air conditioners,” Duvall said. “We’re also upgrading our pool and our area around the pool to provide turf so people can lay out where there’s some grass areas now. We did over $130,000 in playground equipment upgrades in our city parks, and we currently are working on grants to provide an all-inclusive playground, similar to what they have in Vine Grove, and we did about $650,000 last year in paving.”

Duvall said increases in business licenses and housing construction continue to show the progress the city is making.

“When you think about progress, I want you to think about some of the numbers I mentioned,” Duvall said. “When you hear people say Radcliff isn’t growing, I disagree. We’re growing, we’re just growing at a slower, steadier pace than maybe what some of the other people do.”

Follow the City of Radcliff Government Facebook page for updates.

Twin Lakes Skatepark Project makes progress towards goal, seeking sponsorships

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Twin Lakes Skatepark Project Chairman Casey Keown says the nonprofit took major steps towards their goal of a new permanent skatepark facility in Grayson County, including a partnership with Indiana-based design firm Hunger Skateparks.

“We’ve completed our geotechnical survey, and next week we’ll be completing our topographical survey, so we are hoping to have our preliminary design in the near future, and you know, all these things take time and money, so we’re just going to keep pushing,” Keown said.

The skatepark project promotes “Unity Through Community” and as they get closer to the goal they are seeking community partners to sponsor their upcoming Casino Night. 

“Our theme this year is Art in Motion,” Keown said. “It’s a night of celebrating skateboarding as an art form. Obviously, skateboarding is not like your conventional sport, and a lot of times skateboarders get a bad rep because they’re misunderstood.”

The sponsorship is not only a way to support the organization and be featured at the event, but also to be featured on the organization’s social media, which Keown says has seen great growth.

“Just over the last 28 days, we’ve had over 20,000 views,” Keown said. “Our engagement’s up 455 percent, and our follower growth is up 3,000 percent. This is before running any paid ads. This is just organic growth. We’re quickly becoming one of the top pages here in Grayson County.”

Businesses or organizations interested in sponsorship should email Dani Saltsman at dani@twinlakesskatepark.org. Visit the organization’s website or Facebook page for more information including tickets.

Vine Grove mayor says city is moving forward ‘in a smart, responsible way’

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Vine Grove Mayor Pam Ogden says in 2025 the city focused on moving Vine Grove forward in a smart, responsible way by “investing in infrastructure, supporting public safety, and working with regional and state partners” to position the city for future growth.

“We invested $5 million in our wastewater treatment plant,” Ogden said. “We are still in the process of that. We purchased a new ladder truck for our fire department. We also ordered a new fire truck to replace the one that burned up in our fire that happened this year.”

Ogden spoke during the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce’s January Membership Luncheon Wednesday. Ogden said the city installed 16 Flock cameras, hired two full-time firefighters for the first time, and supported a fully-staffed police department with 12 officers.

The city received several grants aimed at infrastructure and beautification efforts, and city staff worked hard to improve the city’s service offerings.

“We had 15 out of 31 employees either attend training or they were certified in their position, so to me, that’s amazing,” Ogden said. “We have eight active subdivisions, 159 single and multi-family units. I’m especially proud of our city staff, who work tirelessly behind the scenes to serve our residents and businesses.”

Ogden said the goal for 2026 is to support local business, encourage thoughtful growth, and preserve quality of life.

“Some of my goals this year include a farmers market upgrade, finishing our wastewater treatment plant which should be finished this year, revitalizing our downtown and supporting the businesses that are moving there, sidewalk improvements, and hopefully we will have an ambulance stored in Vine Grove,” Ogden said.

Follow the Vine Grove City Hall Facebook page for city updates.