Category: Knox County, OH

October 2023 Spotlight on Mount Vernon with Mayor Matt Starr

Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr shared updates on the City with The Morning Thing on Friday, 10/27/23.

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:
    • Paving the Industrial Park
    • Stump and Northview residents need to fill out income qualifications with the City
    • Buckeye Addition in Clinton Township
    • Plaza Drive
    • There are about 70 active construction jobs right now
  • Mayor Starr shares information about the plan to create a new courthouse and police headquarters.
    • He talks about the 3 phases of this project: planning, design, and construction.
    • He is asking the public to share their thoughts and comments on the City’s website. Go to the documents page, and scroll down to where it says Public Meeting Open House – New Courthouse, Police Station. Then click on Comment Form and share your thoughts.
    • Mayor Starr shares the plan for the businesses that are being displaced during the construction of the new courthouse. 
  • Mayor Starr shares the updates for the State Route 13 project within the city.
    • He encourages residents to see the plans and share their comments on the City’s website.
    • Go to the documents page, scroll down to where it says Public Meeting Open House – SR13D Sandusky ST Realignment. You can click on the Exhibit files to see the plans. Then click on Comment Form and share your thoughts.
  • Mayor Starr shares updates from Mount Vernon City Council:
    • Committee Reports
    • Omni-Fiber Project is interested in broadband investment for fiber in the city
    • Legislation to continue TIF – Tax Incremental Financing
    • discussion on food truck operations within the city
    • purchase of playground equipment
    • contract with a local barber/beautician business
    • designation of a school zone in the Parrot Street area
    • ordinance to reclassify zoning along Upper Gilchrist Road
  • Updates from the Mount Vernon Police Department
    • Shares an update on filling the vacant spot of Police Captain
    • St. Vincent DePaul school collection of teddy bears for officers
  • Updates from the Mount Vernon Fire Department
    • Controlled burn at Ariel Foundation Park
    • thermal imaging camera donation
    • Fire Prevention Week
    • update on filling some open positions 
  • Mayor Starr shares a list of events planned for the City in November
    • Leaf Pickup starts on October 30. The schedule is on the City’s website.
    • Arts and Entertainment options
  • Immediate goals for November
    • Budget Planning
    • Finish the comment portion of the plans for the new Courthouse, the Police Department, and the State Route 13 Project
  • Mayor Starr tells us how we can pray for his team as they head into the month of November. He mentions that Proverbs 11:14 is giving him encouragement.

To stay in touch with the City, go to:

  • Website – http://www.mountvernonohio.org
  • Facebook – The City of Mount Vernon
  • Twitter – CityMV1805
  • YouTube – The City of Mount Vernon
  • LinkedIn – City of Mount Vernon, Ohio
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Kiwanis Club of Mount Vernon collects Coats for Kids!

The Morning Thing shared a conversation about an exciting collection to benefit families in Knox County.
WNZR’s Alyssa Sidle talked with Lisa Lloyd, Program Director for the Knox County Foundation and Kiwanis Member about the club’s annual Coats for Kids Collection. You can access the full conversation below.

The Kiwanis Club of Mount Vernon is excited to partner again with Gault’s Plaza Cleaners for the drive. During the month of October, gently used coats will be collected at various locations throughout Knox County. The coats will be cleaned by Gault’s Plaza Cleaners then taken to Interchurch Social Services and the Salvation Army to be distributed to children in need before winter arrives. There are 29 different partner locations in Knox County accepting donations through the 31st.

Interchurch and the Salvation Army are predicting that the need this year will be even greater than previous years. Salvation Army’s Captain Christine Moretz said “We have seen an increase to our food pantry and hot meal needs.  It would not be surprising to see the increased need for coats as well this coming winter season.”

Carolyn Fergus, Executive Director of Interchurch Social Services agreed, adding “Our numbers have doubled since the beginning of this year. There are so many families needing help making ends meet. A warm coat at no cost will go a long way to meet their needs.”

Kiwanis is dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.

Since 1987 there have been 19,226 coats donated, cleaned, and distributed through Coats for Kids.
For more information, call Lisa Lloyd at 740-392-3270, ext. 2.

Drop off Locations:

CENTERBURG
Centerburg Elementary: 207 South Preston Street
Centerburg Middle/High School: 3782 Columbus Road
Park National Bank: 35 West Main Street

DANVILLE
Danville Elementary/Middle School: 205 Rambo Street
Danville High School: 405 South Market Street
Park National Bank: 4 South Market Street

FREDERICKTOWN
Fredericktown Elementary/Middle/High School: 111 Stadium Drive
Park National Bank: 137 North Main Street

GAMBIER
Gambier Child Care Center (Head Start): 119 Meadow Lane
The Peoples Bank: 103 East Wiggin Street
Wiggin Street Elementary: 207 East Wiggin Street

HOWARD
East Knox Jr./Sr. High School: 23227 Coshocton Road

MOUNT VERNON
CES Credit Union: 1215 Yauger Road & 400 West Chestnut Street
Chamber of Commerce: 501 South Main Street
Gault’s Plaza Cleaners: Kroger Plaza, 855 Coshocton Road
Knox County Career Center: 306 Martinsburg Road
Knox County Head Start (Hew Hope Early Education): 11700 Upper Gilchrist Road
Knox County Service Center: 117 East High Street
Knox Technical Center: 308 Martinsburg Road
Mount Vernon City Schools
– Columbia Elementary: 150 Columbus Road
– Dan Emmett Elementary: 108 Mansfield Road
– East Elementary: 714 East Vine Street
– Mount Vernon High School: 300 Martinsburg Road
– Mount Vernon Middle School: 298 Martinsburg Road
– Pleasant Street Elementary: 305 East Pleasant Street
– Twin Oak Elementary: 8888 Martinsburg Road
Park National Bank: 1 South Main & 810 Coshocton Avenue
Salvation Army of Mount Vernon: 206 East Ohio Avenue
The Peoples Bank: 11423 Upper Gilchrist Road
United Way of Knox County: 305 East High Street

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The Dogwood Blossoms will be in concert at MVNU this Sunday 10/15

WNZR’s Marcy Rinehart had the chance to chat with Jeff Dolan, Front Line Director of Dogwood Blossoms Chorus. You can access the full conversation below.
Jeff shared about his background in music and how he got connected to the Dogwood Blossoms.
He talked about what makes this group special and how you become a member of the group.
He also shared the details of their concert on Sunday, 10/15.
The theme of this concert is “Thank You for the Music”.

The concert will be held in Thorne Performance Hall, inside the R.R. Hodges Chapel.
It starts at 3pm. Tickets are $18 at the door for adults. Kids 10 and under are free.

You can stay connected with the Dogwood Blossoms at their website http://www.dogwoodblossoms.org/
or on their Facebook Page.
If you are interested in membership, please call 740-324-5229. Following the concert, Jeff says that they will be diving right into their holiday music and plans for 2024.

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Opportunity Knox is hosting a Career Fair this week

WNZR’s Marcy Rinehart talked with Connie Oliver, Workforce Center Supervisor for Opportunity Knox about their upcoming Career Fair. You can access the full conversation below.
Connie shared the mission of the Opportunity Knox Employment Center and the many services that they provide to residents of Knox County.
She shared the details about their Career Fair on 10/11 from 1-6pm.
35 employers will be at the Fair ready to meet and network with future employees.
Connie also shared how prospective employees can register for help with building a strong resume and go through practice interviews.
To register for the Career Fair, call Opportunity Knox at 740-392-WORK (9675).

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WNZR talks with MVNU’s new President – Dr. Carson Castleman

WNZR presents the October 2023 MVNU Presidential Update.
MVNU’s new President, Dr. Carson Castleman, talked with WNZR during his first week on the job.

Dr. Castleman is MVNU’s 8th President. He shared his history working in higher education including starting out in the MVNU Admissions Office. He shared memories from being part of this community 26 years ago.

Dr. Castleman also shared how he heard about this position and how he came to the decision to put his name into consideration.

Dr. Castleman gives his top priorities at MVNU which include focusing on growing enrollment, building a relationship with the Church of the Nazarene, and fostering a culture of hospitality. He also shares what it means to be Unapologetically Christian as a university.

Dr. Castleman shared about his family and his process of moving to Mount Vernon. He shared messages for students, faculty, and staff. He also shared how we can be praying for him and his family during this transition.

Click HERE to stay up to date with news from MVNU.

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The Morning Thing Friday Favorites – we LOVE Apples!

For our Friday Favorites, we celebrate the Johnny Appleseed Apple Festival. The Morning Thing hosts share their favorite ways to eat apples.

We hope to see you in downtown Mount Vernon tonight (10/6). Click HERE to see the full list of activities and how you can register to win a Homemade PIE from The Least of These Ministries.

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Let’s Cultivate Gratitude!

It can be a difficult thing to do, but its not necessarily about trying to stay positive all the time. Instead, its more about trying to pull the good from the situations and circumstances of every day life. If we do this, we can find that there is a lot in life to be thankful for! God calls for us to count our blessings, so lets try and find some good to be thankful for. How can we do this? Well, our cohosts found a few great ways to get started in your journey of cultivating a gratitude practice!

Here are a few examples of how to practice gratitude!

KEEP A GRATITUDE JOURNAL.

Studies show that keeping a gratitude journal can have positive psychological and physiological effects. There are a variety of ways to build this practice, including:

  • Try the “three good things” exercise where you keep a daily record of three good things for which you are grateful.
  • Start a “G.L.A.D.” practice. G.L.A.D. is an acronym for Gratitude, Learned, Accomplished, Delight. It’s about finding joy and balance by paying attention to certain aspects of daily life that frequently go unnoticed.

WRITE THANK-YOU NOTES.

Make your gratitude practice social by writing and sending thank you letters to someone who has done something for you. (Note: emails and even texts count.) Studies show that this act can strengthen relationships, help people to appreciate what they’ve received in life, and feel like they’ve given something back to those who have helped them.

Click HERE for the full list from the John Hopkins University blog.

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Fun Fall Activities that you can Enjoy in Ohio!

WNZR does not endorse or support any events or entries on this list. We recommend that each family or individual use their own discretion before participating or attending.

Fall officially kicked off on Saturday, and Ohio is so beautiful in the Fall. Of course, there are so many fun things that you can do in the fall, like apple picking, exploring a state park, trying out new fall recipes, and having fun with your family.

Ohio.org has a list of 100 fun things to do in Ohio during the Fall. Check out this list HERE for some ideas for your family!

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The Knox County Suicide Awareness Run and Walk is this Saturday

Kathy Wantland, Bereavement Coordinator for Hospice of Knox County was a guest on The Morning Thing today.
She shared the details of this year’s Suicide Awareness 5K/10K Run and Walk.
She also shared resources for suicide awareness and prevention in Knox County.
Kathy also shared a personal story of why she wants to get connected with community members impacted by suicide.
You can access the full conversation below.

The theme for this year’s walk is “Inspire Hope”!
Click HERE to register.

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The screening for the local short film “This Place” is coming to the Woodward this Friday

The Morning Thing shared the exciting news of a film screening coming to our community.
You can see the short film “This Place” this Friday, 9/22 at 7pm at the Woodward Opera House, 107 South Main Street in Mount Vernon.

Mount Vernon resident, Carrie Haver wrote the script.
She shared with The Morning Thing about her inspiration behind this project and the process of turning the story into a short film.
Director Michele Bayko shared more about the partnerships that formed through the filmmaking process. A local historic home was used as the set with local actors bringing the story to life.
Michele also shared how this screening with benefit the Orange Barrel Production Company.
Both ladies talked about why it is so important to support local theater production companies.
Carrie and Michele also gave advice to young readers and writers about storytelling.

Enjoy the conversation and the show on Friday!

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