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Grant awarded to ECTC will go towards STEM lab

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A grant will help lead to more student pathways at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.

ECTC was recently awarded a $100,000 grant from the Legacy Foundation, which will be used to establish the Legacy Foundation STEM Lab at the college.

ECTC said in a release: “The innovative new initiative is aimed at expanding access to allied health pathways and improving student success in key STEM courses.” 

The college says the grant will help ECTC play a vital role in producing highly skilled healthcare professionals.

The STEM Lab will be located near ECTC’s Allied Health classrooms. The lab will include a full-time professional tutor to support students studying for required courses in selective healthcare programs such as nursing.

The ECTC Foundation previously received a $100,000 grant from the Legacy Foundation in May which also supported the college’s Allied Health programming. Learn more about healthcare opportunities and other programs at the college by visiting the ECTC website.

Vine Grove and West Point receive stormwater project funding

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Area cities were included in project funding to address sewer overflow and stormwater needs in rural communities.

According to a release from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, “the infrastructure projects receiving funding will make use of plant or soil systems, permeable surfaces, stormwater harvest and reuse, or landscaping to manage stormwater and reduce flows to sewer systems or to surface waters.” 

The City of West Point will receive $300,000 for work at Veterans Park.

“It’s going to create a bioswale and a rain garden in the Veterans Park, where we have a really low spot where water tends to accumulate anyway, and the purpose of this grant is to clean that up and also reduce the runoff into the river,” said West Point Mayor Richard Ciresi.

The City of Vine Grove will receive $270,605 for the Rose Creek Stream Restoration Project.

“We’ve had issues with Rose Creek, I would probably say, for at least 20 years, so we have been trying to get the funding together to remedy the issue that we have going on in that area, so to me, this is amazing,” said Vine Grove Mayor Pam Ogden.

The funding comes from the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant Program. Projects are anticipated to be completed by September 2028. Learn more on the Kentucky Division of Water’s website.

KSP recognizes personnel during annual Sworn Awards Ceremony

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The Kentucky State Police on Thursday recognized 61 troopers, detectives, and officers from across the commonwealth during their Sworn Awards Ceremony. The awards recognize KSP personnel who went above and beyond the call of service.

Each post recognized a Detective of the Year and a Trooper of the Year. For KSP Post Four, Detective of the Year was presented to Master Trooper and Public Affairs Officer Bryan Washer.

“Anytime you’re rewarded with that kind of award, it makes you feel really good about the work that you put in that year,” Washer said. “2024, we had a lot of homicides, we had assaults and sexual assaults, and there’s just a lot of investigations that I was a part of and working that year, but it feels good to be recognized.”

The KSP Post Four Trooper of the Year award was presented to Trooper Jesse Harp. Post Four Trooper Matthew Hendricks was presented with the Lifesaving Medal for his response to a collision in November 2024.

“What he did that night, there was a tractor-trailer involved with another car,” Washer said. “The car was on fire and he had to break out the window of the passenger car and get a one-year-old out of the vehicle, and then while the car was still on fire, he had to go back into the car and get another child, I think it was a six-year-old, out of the car. He took the door off of the car and cut the seatbelt off and got the six-year-old out of the vehicle.”

Washer said the officers will tell you they were doing what any other officer would do, but he was happy to see them recognized.

“This post is extremely busy when it comes to investigations and activity, and what these guys are doing out on the road,” Washer said. “If you had a radio on or were able to listen to some of the calls that they’re getting, they’re constantly going from call to call, or we’re doing safety work on the interstates. The troopers are super busy all the time.”

For KSP Post Three, Detective of the Year was presented to Detective Allen Shirley, and Trooper of the Year was presented to Trooper Grant Robinson. Six Post Three officers received other awards and citations.

The KSP says statewide troopers responded to more than 412,000 calls for assistance last year. Learn more and find a complete list of award-winners on the KSP’s website.

BBB hosting free shredding and electronics recycling event

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The Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Kentucky and South Central Indiana is hosting an event this weekend for area residents looking to clear some waste. 

The BBB will host their annual shred and electronics recycling event this Saturday, October 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at RML Shredding, located at 1925 Production Drive in Louisville.

According to the BBB, individuals can bring up to four boxes of old documents for shredding along with old electronics for secure recycling. Visit the BBB’s website for a full list of recycling-eligible items.

The shred and recycling event is free and open to the public. The BBB will be accepting donations which will go towards the organization’s Consumer Education Fund, which supports scam prevention programs, the BBB Charity Review program, student scholarships, and more. Visit their website for more information.

While you protect your personal information by shredding old documents, the BBB is also reminding Kentucky residents to protect themselves from scams. Visit the state’s new website, stopscams.ky.gov, for more information on scams and how to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Unemployment rates across Lincoln Trail district see declines

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Unemployment rates across the Lincoln Trail District saw declines in August. 

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

The state unemployment average for August was 4.3 percent. That’s down from both the 5.6 percent average in July as well as the 5.3 percent average reported in August of 2024.

Hardin County’s unemployment rate for August was just above the state average at 4.6 percent. That is down from the 5.9 percent rate reported in July and from the 5.4 percent rate from August 2024.

Grayson County posted the highest August unemployment rate in the district at 5.4 percent, followed by Breckinridge County at 5.1 percent. Washington County posted the lowest unemployment rate in the district, and tied for the tenth lowest rate in the state, for August at 3.8 percent, followed by Nelson County at 4 percent.

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