We talked with Zane Menzie about the production of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!

MVNU student Zane Menzie is the director of the production of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The show is taking place this weekend at the Thorne Performance Hall at MVNU.

Zane shares a little about his acting history, the show, and what it looks to be the director!

For more information about MVNU theatre click HERE.

Glenn Hissong hits the stage as Mr. Barrows in The Little Princess!

Orange Barrel’s Production of The Little Princess is coming soon!

We got to talk with a cast member, Glenn Hissong. Glenn tells us about his acting history, how he has been preparing for this show, and the story of The Little Princess! He also shares some of his favorite parts of the production.

The show opens up Friday, November 14th!

For more information on the production click HERE!

WNZR talks with Rachel Steele from The Little Princess!

Orange Barrel’s Production of The Little Princess is coming soon! And we got to talk with a cast member, Rachel Steele. Rachel tells us how she has been preparing and she details what her costume will look like. She also lets us know about the plot of the play and some of her favorite parts.

For more details on the show click HERE!

We got to sit down with Coach Mark Richt!

Xander got to have a sit down with Coach Mark Richt! Coach Richt is a former college football coach and player that spoke at the Tragedy Into Triumph event last night on MVNU’s campus. Coach tells us about his football career and his testimony on how he came to know Jesus!

Tragedy Into Triumph will happen again tonight and tomorrow with more amazing speakers! Doors open at 6pm and the event starts at 7pm.

For more info on Tragedy Into Triumph click HERE!

Get Ready for a Roarin’ Good Time at Flannel Fest!

Kandee Popham, Executive Director, and Nykol King, Family Services Director of Place4Grace stopped by to talk about their upcoming event, Flannel Fest on Friday, November 7th.

Click HERE to hear the full conversation!

They talk about what Place 4 Grace is about what they do for people. They talk about how they got started and how Kandee’s history brought it up. Nicole shares a little bit about her position and how she helps the moms out and manage volunteers.

Nykol explains how Place 4 Grace isn’t just a housing program; they help people find apartments and schooling. They talk about how their services help break the cycle of poverty in families.

They talk about their new residential maternity housing program, and how they’re able to have 24-hour housing care. They have four main goals that after they leave, they have stable housing, employment, transportation, and childcare. They also talk about how they have worked with many people in the community.

Kandee says if you’re interested in this type of ministry, they need board members and volunteers. They will also talk about Flannel Fest that’s happening on November 7th at Lake Home Church in Mount Vernon doors open at 6:15pm. They say this event is very important because since they are a non-profit they work on the support of the people in the community. They then talk about their transparency about where donations are going.

They say that prayer is one way that people can help them in their ministry, they also say to step out of your comfort zone if you feel a call to help. They just want people to know that all the moms they help are really trying to survive, they believe that relationships will truly help.

Flannel Fest ’25

Friday November, 7th from 6:15 PM to  10:00 PM

@Lakeholm Church of the Nazarene

Click HERE to learn more about Flannel Fest!

Hera Shupp Turns Villain in The Little Princess

Hera Shupp sat down with WNZR’s Eric Brown to talk about her role in the upcoming Orange Barrel Production of the Little Princess.

Click HERE to hear the full conversation!

She got interested in acting from elementary school and high school she took a break while she started raising a family. She got back into acting after seeing Oliver at the Knox Memorial Theatre and when she heard about Orange Barrel she started with them.

Hera played Rachel Lynn in “Anne of Green Gables” last year. She is playing as the main antagonist, Miss Maria Minchin in “The Little Princess”, she’s been preparing by watching how other people played the character and by coming up with her own unique backstory for the character. She likes getting to be challenged by being a villain. She talks about her costume she’ll be wearing during the show.

She talks briefly about the show and the basic outline of the show. She talks about her favorite part of the show, she likes getting to be villainous with the janitor during the show, and her other favorite scene is when the main character stands up to her. She talks about one of her favorite memories of the show.

Performances:
November 14, 15, 21, and 22 at 7:00 PM

Location:
Mount Vernon Developmental Center – Crossroads Theater, Administration Building
1250 Vernonview Drive, Mt. Vernon, OH 43050

Click HERE to learn more and purchase tickets for The Little Princess!

WNZR’s October 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, October 31st, 2025.

Some of the topics covered include:

  • Information of the decision regarding historical buildings downtown
  • Update on the Wastewater Treatment Plant
  • Update on the City Council and some important pieces of legislation
  • Tells us about the city’s leaf removal which starts on Monday

Stay up to date with what is happening in our community!

Tragedy Into Triumph comes to MVNU November 3-5

On Thursday, we continued to highlight speakers coming to MVNU for the special Tragedy Into Triumph event. The mission of this event is to share real-life stories of transformation so that people will believe in Christ, find hope for their lives and overcome the struggles of life.

We got the chance to talk with Super Bowl Champion Michael Oher! Michael’s story from homelessness to the NFL became the 2009 movie The Blind Side.

He shared with us some of the real story behind his life, how he stays disciplined, and about his foundation.

Michael will be speaking at Tragedy Into Triumph on the campus of MVNU on Wednesday, November 5th.

We also shared a podcast with Wendell Brown and Riley Gaines. Click HERE to hear their conversation.

Riley is a twelve-time NCAA All-American swimmer who competed for the University of Kentucky. Riley is now hosting a podcast called Gaines for Girls.

Riley will be speaking at Tragedy Into Triumph on the campus of MVNU on Tuesday, November 4th.

Click HERE to stay connected with Tragedy into Triumph!

We got to talk with Siran Stacy, the host of Tragedy Into Triumph

Siran Stacy was an all-SEC Conference Running Back at the University of Alabama and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the NFL Draft.

He is now in full time ministry and is the host for Tragedy Into Triumph which is coming to MVNU on November 3rd, 4th, and 5th.

Siran shared with us some of his life experiences, and he told us about his ministry and involvement with Tragedy Into Triumph.

Click HERE to stay connected with Tragedy into Triumph!

The Knox County Board of Elections Director shares with us about the upcoming election

We got the chance to talk with James Blazer, the Knox County Board of Elections Director! James tells us about how his team is prepared for the upcoming General Election.

He shares the exciting news about their new V.O.T.E.R vehicle.

He also tells us about early voting which is now open, how to prepare for the Write-In Candidates on your ballot, and how his team is sharing results through their website.

For more information about the Knox County Board of Elections click HERE!

Here are some important notes that we want to share with you:

  • Acceptable forms of ID to vote include:
    • Ohio driver’s license, state ID card, or interim ID form issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV)
    • A United States passport or passport card
    • A U.S. military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID card, or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card
  • There are 81 different ballot styles for this election, meaning 81 different ballots based on precinct, various races and issues
  • The Board of Elections must print out 100% + 1 (101%) of ballots for each election. Ohio State Laws require that they have a printed ballot for every registered voter plus 1!
    • There is a schedule for recycling these ballots. There is a special outside company that comes into Mount Vernon to take care of this recycling
  • Ohio is a Paper State. Every vote has a paper trail.
  • There is a chain of custody for people signing off for ballots at every stage and with every type of ballot. The chain of custody requires both a Democrat and Republican to be part of every step of the process.
  • There are multiple ways to vote:
    • On Election Day at your assigned precinct
    • Absentee Voting by Mail
    • Early in-person voting at the Board of Elections
    • UOCAVA – for military or Knox County Registered voters who find themselves overseas during an election.
    • Safe At Home voting for mail-in ballots for someone in a domestic or dangerous situation
  • Our Board of Elections offers voting to local nursing home residents, those currently in the Knox County Jail that do not have a conviction and registered voters in the hospital.
  • There is a State Dashboard that tracks mismatches within the voting systems. This state level checking will connect our Knox County database against other departments across the state to avoid duplication in votes.
  • Anyone that has no voting or no petition signing for 6 years technically has no activity within the election system and is then taken out. So voter registration is necessary.
  • On Election Day – BE PREPARED to WRITE IN the write-in candidates that you want to have your vote. Those write-in candidates are NOT listed on the ballot. You must write in their name on each type of ballot. Each precinct or voting location (including the Board of Elections) can show you a list of those candidates but cannot offer you a printed copy. You can take a picture on your phone and use it when you vote.
  • On Election Day, the Knox County Board of Elections will update results on their website every 30 minutes starting at 7:30pm with Absentee votes.
  • The Staff plans to stay late on Election night to count the write-in candidates for this ballot. Unofficial results will be included in the results on Election night.

Here are some important stats:

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