Category: Local

October 2024 Spotlight on Mount Vernon with Mayor Matt Starr

Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr shared updates on the City with The Morning Thing on Friday, 10/25/24.
We also talked with special guest Jeff Gottke, President of the Area Development Foundation.

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:
    • Mansfield Road
    • Moving Lime, making it available for farmers
  • Mayor Starr gives updates on other projects for the City:
    • Demolition Work has begun on the Splash Pad for Riverside Park
    • Harmony Playground
    • Water Meter and Flood Plane Elevation Study on the West End
    • Water Line inventory for EPA compliance
    • Courthouse and Police Station Design Requests
    • Mayor Starr shares an update in the City Auditor’s in the City Auditor’s Position and the appointment of a permanent auditor. Paul Mayville has been sworn in and is working hard with his team to find the best systems for the city.
  • Mayor Starr shares updates from Mount Vernon City Council:
    • The dedication of “Liberty Plaza” at American Heritage Park, 10/28 at 10am
    • Collective Bargaining Agreement with Ohio Civil Service Employees Association
    • Training and certifications for city employees
    • Pay Grades for the workforce
    • Servitus Event
  • Mayor Starr shares an update from the Mount Vernon Police Department.
    • Recognition for Lieutenant Rex Young from the Ohio Attorney General’s office for scenario-based training
    • Service Call Stats for September
    • Community Advocate stats for September
  • Mayor Starr shares an update from the Mount Vernon Fire Department.
    • Swearing In Ceremony
    • Fire Prevention Week Annual Open House
    • Daylight Savings Time ends 11/3. It is a good time to check the batteries in your smoke detectors.
  • Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr is joined by Jeff Gottke, President of the Area Development Foundation for our Spotlight. Jeff talks about several businesses that have recently closed in Mount Vernon – Big Lots and Ride Aid Pharmacy. These are corporate chain stores.
  • Jeff Gottke, President of the Area Development Foundation talks about a projected decline in Ohio’s population. He shares the trends that we are seeing in the city of Mount Vernon. He shares stats on our aging population and birth rates.

    He shares that we should focus on 3 things:
    1. keep building housing that is a mix of types and price points
    2. quality of life issues (parks, restaurants, retails, downtown attractions, outdoor activities)
    3. attracting and retaining young people and young families
  • Jeff Gottke, President of the Area Development Foundation talks about his trip with Knox Pages to Sherwood, Oregon to gather information about how an Intel plant impacted an area that is similar to Mount Vernon. The project is called “Intel – Beyond the Chip”.
    • He talks about the main goals of this trip.
    • He shares what the group has discovered so far and who they have been talking to in this community.
    • He also shares the information that the group wants to share with our city administration and also with the residents of our community.
  • Mayor Starr and Jeff Gottke, President of the Area Development Foundation talk about the upcoming Comprehensive Plan update on 10/29 at 5:30pm at The Woodward Opera House.
    • The public was asked to provide feedback on things they treasure about Knox County and identify specific spots around the county that need to be replicated or improved.
    • 1,200 participants
    • 10,000 different pieces of data
    • They have a robust data set.
    • This data will be presented to the public with 10 principles with goals under each principle.
    • A panel discussion with experts on rural growth will happen at 6pm.
    • After the panel, stations will be setup around the Woodward Theater in the hallway where the public can view the data and provide their feedback.
    • The next step will be to put all feedback into a draft plan that will then be presented to the public.
    • There will be 4 different opportunities for residents to public input. 
  • Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr shares a list of events on the November Calendar:
    – Leaf Pickup for the City (and instructions)
    – Trick or Treating is October 31, 5:30pm – 7pm
  • Mayor Starr shares his immediate goals for November:
    – Comprehensive Plan Engagement – go to togetherknox.org and participate in sharing feedback
    – City Budget Process
    – Ironing out issues in the Auditor’s Office, updating software and simplifying the bill paying and payroll procedures
    – Election Day is Tuesday, 11/5 – Mayor Starr encourages everyone to vote

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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Cheryl Splain shares an update on the Knox Pages Project “Intel, Beyond the Chip”

Cheryl Splain, reporter for Knox Pages shared an important update on her trip to Sherwood, Oregon. Cheryl is there along with several other reporters and leaders from the Knox County area.
She shares the goals and an update on their project called “Intel, Beyond the Chip”.
She shares about the conversations and research that they are gathering and the timeline of the project.
You can follow the stories at KnoxPages.com
Click HERE to hear the full conversation with Cheryl.

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The United Way of Knox County launches their new All Kids Bike Program

On Wednesday, 10/23/24, the United Way of Knox County hosted an exciting community event. They launched their All Kids Bike Initiative – a program that aims to teach every child in Knox County how to ride a bike. This is the pilot year. They are introducing the program across all the Mount Vernon City Elementary schools as well as Centerburg Elementary. They hope to extend the program to every school in Knox County by the 2025-2026 school year.

Click HERE to hear from Halle Krajenski, Program Director about this exciting initiative. We also talked with Patrolmen Benjamin Fike from the Mount Vernon Police Department about bike safety.

To connect with the United Way of Knox County and to donate for the 2024 Campaign – click HERE.
Your gift makes a difference!
Be sure to scroll down and check out the videos!

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The Church at Chapel Hill invites you and your family to Fall Fest 2024

The Church at Chapel Hill is bringing back their Fall Festival for this weekend. You are invited to this fun and FREE family event.
Pastor Jon Whisner and Connie Jackson stopped by The Morning Thing to share details of ALL the activities.
Click HERE to hear the full conversation.

The event is from 4pm – 7:30pm. The church is located at 7530 Johnstown Road in Mount Vernon.
Click HERE to see a complete list of activities.

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Knox Public Health is helping teens with driver’s education training

Knox Public Health has exciting news to share. There is an exciting program for driver’s education – the Drive to Succeed Scholarship Program.
Suzanne Dapprich, the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator and Safe Communities Coordinator and Nicole Lybarger, Public Relations Coordinator stopped by WNZR to share about this wonderful program.
Click HERE to hear the full conversation.

Knox Public Health has received two grants from the Ohio Department of Public Safety. The first one totaled $15,000 which has been distributed to area youth. Knox County has now received the second phase of the grant – $142,000 to use for the Drive to Succeed Scholarships.

The ladies share the goals of the program and how these scholarships can help families in our community. They also take us through the process for applications and what happens once students are accepted in the program.

Students can apply by reaching out to Suzanne Dapprich at sdrapprich@knoxhealth.com or call 740-392-2200, Ext. 2225.
More information is also available at knoxhealth.com

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Knox Pages prepares for their project “Intel – Beyond the Chip”

WNZR is honored to partner with Knox Pages on a special project called “Intel – Beyond the Chip”.
Knox Pages reporters Cheryl Splain and Grant Richey stopped by the WNZR studios to share about the plan for this reporting.
Click HERE for the full conversation or click on the audio box below.

They will take a trip to Sherwood, Oregon to find out how Intel has impacted a community that is similar to Mount Vernon.
They shared the scope of the project, their goals and how to stay connected with the reporting.
WNZR will be sharing conversations with Cheryl and Grant throughout this process. So keep listening as they gather information that can provide insight as Intel’s move to Ohio becomes a reality.
You can follow their stories on KnoxPages.com

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Kiwanis Club of Mount Vernon collects Coats for Kids

The Kiwanis Club of Mount Vernon has kicked off their annual collection – Coats for Kids. Lisa Lloyd shared the exciting news of this year’s collection with Marcy Rinehart on The Morning Thing.
Click HERE to hear the full conversation.

The club first started hosting this collection in 1987! This year’s goal is to collect 434 coats. If they reach that goal, they will surpass over 20,000 coats since that first collection.

They are looking for coats in all sizes. There are 30 collection points around Knox County. Gault’s Plaza Cleaners takes care of cleaning all coats. Interchurch Social Services distributes the coats throughout the county. The deadline to donate is 10/31.

Kiwanis Club of Mount Vernon remains dedicated to its mission of improving the lives of children and families. For more information on how you can donate, call Lisa Lloyd at 740-392-3270, ext. 2.

2024 Kiwanis Coats for Kids Collection Points:
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: 10 Rambo 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
Gault’s Plaza Cleaners: Kroger Plaza, 855 Coshocton Road
Knox County Career Center: 306 Martinsburg Road
Knox County Chamber of Commerce: 501 South Main Street
Knox County Head Start (Hew Hope Early Education): 11700 Upper Gilchrist Road
Knox County Service Center: 117 East High Street
Knox Public Health: 11660 Upper Gilchrist Rd
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

Ohio Eastern Start Home: 1451 Gambier Road
Park National Bank: 1 South Main & 810 Coshocton Avenue
Salvation Army of Mount Vernon: 206 East Ohio Avenue
SPI Spot: 400 South Main Street
The Peoples Bank: 11423 Upper Gilchrist Road
United Way of Knox County: 305 East High Street

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WNZR visits the Knox County Board of Elections and talks with Director Jim Blazer

WNZR’s Marcy Rinehart attended Media Day at the Knox County Board of Elections. She received a tour and an in-depth look at how our local office is preparing for the upcoming election.
Click HERE to hear the full conversation or click on the graphic below.

She talked with Director Jim Blazer about his #1 priority for the upcoming General Election. He wants to give the opportunity for every registered voter to vote in this election and for every voter to know that their vote will count.
They talked about the checks and balances that are in place with a bipartisan team.

Jim talks about the different ways that residents can vote in this general election.
The deadline for an absentee application by mail is October 29.
Early Voting opened up on October 8th for voting at the Board of Elections, 104 East Sugar Street in Mount Vernon. Early voting will close on November 3rd.
The office will be closed on 11/4 to prepare for election day.
Precincts will open at 7am on Election Day, 11/5 throughout Knox County.

Jim talks about the increase of registered voters as they prepare for the general election.
Knox County currently has 43,464 registered voters (as of 10/1/24), but Jim anticipates that number to go over 44,000 by election day.
He also anticipates a turnout of 75 – 80% of registered voters for this election. The Knox County Team anticipates the largest turnout in the history of Knox County.

For more information, go to www.boe.ohio.gov/knox/ or call the office at 740-393-6716.

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The Winter Sanctuary introduces a new Executive Director and big plans for 2025

Joe Springer is the new Executive Director of the Winter Sanctuary. He stopped by The Morning Thing to share some exciting news about this wonderful community outreach.
Click HERE for the full conversation.

Joe talked about how he made his way to Mount Vernon. He shared his history with the Winter Sanctuary. He has served as Operations Director and Advocate.

Joe also talked about the mission and services of the Winter Sanctuary.
The shelter opens November 1st and closes the end of April – this is a seasonal emergency shelter. The Advocacy Program runs year-round.

Joe shared the goals for the Winter Sanctuary for the 2024-2025 season. The biggest goal is to have permanent shelter for the community. They have kicked off a capital campaign for a new location and building.
Joe wants the community to know that the Winter Sanctuary is the only emergency shelter in the county. He also wants people to know that the advocacy program operates year-round. He talks about how residents here in Knox County can help them live out their mission. He also shares how people can support their ministry. Joe also shares how we can pray for him and his team at the Winter Sanctuary. They are looking for an Advocate/Volunteer Coordinator and 4 Guest Supervisors to join the team.

You can send donations to P.O. Box 421, Mount Vernon or online at https://www.thewintersanctuary.com/

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