Category: Inspirational

January 2025 Spotlight on Mount Vernon with Mayor Matt Starr

Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr shared updates on the City with The Morning Thing on Friday, 1/31/25.
Click HERE to hear the full conversation.

Topics included:
A discussion about current construction and maintenance projects for the city. He shares the progress of these projects:
– the Splashpad.
– the Mansfield Avenue Shared Use Path
– the Dan Emmett Community Development Block Grant area.
– Fairgrounds Water Line and resurfacing project.

Mayor Starr gives updates on the Wastewater Treatment Plant project:
He says that other mandated upgrades will have a price tag of $45 million. He says they are trying to find various sources of funding to help with the cost.

Mayor Starr says that City Auditor Pay Mayville has resigned effective February 14.
The Republican Central Committee will be tasked with finding a replacement once he officially leaves office.

Mayor Starr Mayor Starr gives an update on other city departments.
– He gives an update on the city filling potholes and if someone sees a pothole to report it to the street department at 393-9501.
– He gives kudos to the plow drivers for going above and beyond their normal duties during snow events.
Park and Pavilion reservations are now available online at the city’s website at (currently) mountvernonohio-dot-com
– They will also be launching a new website soon and re-doing the city’s business videos on their website.

Mayor Starr talks about the listening tours for the new facilities.
– There has been concern about how the facilities will look.
– He says the public comment period for the new police department will end February 23.
– More listening tour dates are planned in February and March.
– He adds that there is an online survey for the public to see if they would like to give input.

Mayor Starr talks about the happenings of Liberty Crossing, the major development on Newark Road.
– Result in 230 apartments, 90 townhouses and 43 patio homes and 93 traditional homes.
– He says that this project has been in the works for quite a while.

Mayor Starr shares updates from Mount Vernon City Council:
– Oppose an ATT tariff revision that shifts the cost of relocating lines to the city.
– He says if the revision would have been approved, the city and taxpayers would have had to pay for the re-location.
– He says they have 80 volunteers to serve on committees and boards for the city.
– They had a second reading for re-zoning at 0 Parrot Street. He says the decision could be precedent setting in the state of Ohio.
– The city received permission from the council to apply to the Federal Community Project Funding program to find funding for buildings and other pieces of infrastructure.

Mayor Starr shares an update from the Mount Vernon Police Department
– He says they are updating information regarding the public comments for the new facility.
– He says the police department is fully staffed.
– He says the Police Department’s award ceremony is tomorrow.

Mayor Starr shares an update from the Mount Vernon Fire Department.
– He says that they are constantly working on training including completing ice rescue training.
– He adds that the entire department is fully staffed. 
– He also gives award recipients from the Fire Department Award Ceremony.

Mayor Starr shares his immediate goals for February:
– He is proud that they did not use an interim budget. They passed the budget which allows decisions to be made now as opposed to waiting for an interim budget to be finalized.
– He wants to have the design team picked for planning the new buildings
– He says they also will be releasing an employee handbook and handbook for board members for the first time in the city’s history.

Mayor Starr shares his goals for 2025:
– He wants to make sure that the auditor’s office runs smoothly
– He says they are in the process of property acquisition for the South Sandusky Street Corridor Project.
– He says the buildings in Memorial Park are being replaced.

Mayor Starr gives some calendar events for February.
– Groundbreaking on Liberty Crossing on February 5.
– The Mount Vernon Arts Consortium will give an update on the season February 8.
– There will also be a joint meeting of Mount Vernon Council, Knox County Commissioners and regional planning commission meeting to talk about the comprehensive plan.

He also shares the way you can pray for him and the city.

To stay in touch with the City, go to:
Website – http://www.mountvernonohio.org
Facebook – The City of Mount Vernon
X – CityMV1805
YouTube – The City of Mount Vernon
LinkedIn – City of Mount Vernon, Ohio

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What Do You Do with Your Free Time?

Free time? Yes. As busy as we typically are in life and it may be a foreign term, but Thursday’s focus on The Morning Thing was on productive ways to spend your free time.

What do you wish you could do for a hobby? Or when you are not working?

Marcy shared some options to add something special to your life’s routine such as:
• Reading: Which helps you stay off an electronic device while also building your vocabulary writing skills and creativity.
• Take up a new hobby: Do some research and try something new. Doing what you love can boost your mental health and help rejuvenate you for the next day.
• Resting: This does mean staying off electronics and doom scrolling. You should try to take a nap or “rest your eyes,” daydreaming or taking a long hot shower. Resting helps improve mental and physical health, improves your mood and leads to a healthier immune system.

Click HERE for more ideas from Kenneth Soares article on Classcard.com.

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It’s National Plan for Vacation Day!

Xander and Eric from the Morning Thing gave a few of the places the US News and World Report believe are great places to visit that won’t wreck your budget including:
• Grand Teton National Park
• Grand Canyon National Park
• Cannon Beach
• St. Augustine
• Gatlinburg
Click HERE for the entire list from the US News and World Report

(Picture from US News and World Report)

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What Topics Do You Discuss with Family and Friends?

We do a lot of things in January to make our lives better in the coming year.
It’s no different with the hosts of The Morning Thing as they discussed some reflective topics that you likely saw on Facebook to talk about with friends and family.
Some of the items Marcy and Xander talked about include:
• Something you’ve learned this year.
• One thing you want to improve in the next year
• One significant challenge you overcame.

It’s also important to grow in faith each year:
“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters,[a] and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.”
2 Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV)
Click HERE to read more on how to develop habits of grace by David Mathis with Desiringgod.com

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Anne Wilson Joins the Morning Thing and is Ready for Winter Jam 2025!

Click HERE for the entire conversation!

Anne Wilson spoke to the Morning Thing and talked about her upcoming performance in Winter Jam 2025.
She talks about attending Winter Jam through her childhood, the process of writing her album, “REBEL,” and the inspiration behind her debut single, “My Jesus.”
She also give a preview of her performance at Winter Jam 2025.

Click HERE for more Winter Jam 2025 information.

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The Morning Thing Gives Reminders to Spend the Weekend with Loved Ones

One of the greatest and most significant things in life is family. With one or two children, we are so busy with family activities that it is easy to forget to spend time with everyone.
Jesus encourages everyone to love others as He has loved them. One of the Bible passages that makes it abundantly evident that God’s love serves as the model for our own lives is in John 15:12.
John 15:12 (NIV)
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
Marcy and Shawn gave some of the following reminders Friday:
• Time flies but love makes it count
• Quality time does not have to be complicated
• It’s an opportunity to create some lasting memories.

Click HERE for more bible verses about spending time with family and friends.

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The Morning Thing Talks to Colton Dixon!

Click HERE to hear to hear the full interview.

Colton Dixon talks about being part of Winter Jam 2025. He says he loves the heart behind the tour especially being a part of the series.
He says he really enjoys playing live because they really get into explaining the meaning behind the songs and “rock out.”
He adds that he loves all the artists involved and Winter Jam and he says no matter the artist’s style, the goal is the same, to point people to Jesus!

Click HERE to check out Winter Jam 2025.

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Micah Tyler is Ready for Winter Jam 2025!

Click HERE for the full interview.

WNZR’s Morgan Mills sits down to talk to Micah Tyler, who is part of the lineup for Winter Jam 2025.
Micah shares what he is thankful for including time with family and having his oldest son back from college.
He shares how he feels that being part of Winter Jam is a full circle moment because it was a concert he used to attend as a youth pastor.
Morgan also plays rapid fire with Micah and says he loves public speaking and wants to jump out of a perfectly fine airplane someday.
Click HERE for more information on Winter Jam 2025.

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