According to the Department for Employ-ment Service, Kentucky's unemployment rate drop-ped from 5.8 percent to 5.7 percent from April to May, but in Grayson County the rate rose from 8.7 percent in April to 9.1 in May.

Many local industries are in the middle of an expected summer layoff and Leggett and Platt employees continue to strike.

According to figures gathered from Leitchfield City Hall, jobs have been increasing slowly over the last three months.

This March, industries employeed a total of 2649 people. That number rose to 2744 in June of this year. Industries that have added employees in the last three months are: BelCheese, Bailie Lumber, Byrd Tool, Kencoat, Leitchfield Machining, Leitchfield Plastics, Major's Transit, Trim Masters and Vermont American. Eleven companies dropped employees or stayed the same.

Added to the news of Gates Rubber Company's impeding close, the higher unemployment rate is creating a concern as to whether jobs will be available in Grayson County.

Leitchfield Mayor William Thomason says, "What has hurt Grayson County is a lot of people are in construction and the state has cut back on construction."

While Grayson Countians are dealing with the 9.1 percent jobless rate, six Kentucky counties had two-digit unemployment rates.

The lowest rate in Kentucky was 2.4 percent in Woodford County located in the north central part of the state.