Tag: The Morning Thing

Three Roles, Three Costumes, One Big Adventure: Meet Andrew Petersen of The Wizard of Oz!

WNZR talked with eleven-year-old Andrew Petersen, a seventh-grade student at Mount Vernon Middle School, is taking on three different roles in MTVArts’ production of The Wizard of Oz.

Click HERE to listen to the full conversation or click on the picture link below!

Petersen plays the Winky General, a member of the Lollipop Guild and an Ozian. He says each role brings something different to the stage, from protecting the Wicked Witch as the Winky General to singing with the Lollipop Guild and helping introduce Dorothy and the other main characters to the city of Oz.

Petersen also talks about the challenge—and fun—of quickly changing between characters, costumes and personalities throughout the show. A veteran of several MTVArts productions, including A Christmas Story, Petersen says some of his favorite parts of theater are spending time with friends and having fun on stage. He encourages others to get involved in local theater and enjoy the experience. He even gives listeners a taste of the Lollipop Guild with a short performance during the interview.

Click HERE for info on tickets and showtimes!

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Knox County Foundation Awards $482,600 in Latest Grant Cycle

The Knox County Foundation has awarded $482,600 in grants to support organizations and programs throughout Knox County. WNZR talked with Lisa Lloyd, Senior Program Director with the Foundation.

Click HERE to hear the full conversation.

The largest award, a $300,000 grant to Interchurch Social Services, will help develop a new food pantry at 156 Howard Street in Mount Vernon. The renovated facility will provide additional storage for fresh and perishable foods while strengthening Interchurch’s ability to distribute food to other local pantries with limited storage.

Additional grants will support a wide range of community needs, including education and workforce development, health services, youth programs, recreation, facility improvements and nonprofit operations. Among the recipients are Habitat for Humanity, Fredericktown Local Schools, Knox Public Health, the YMCA of Mount Vernon, Knox Technical Center and several other local organizations. The Foundation also allocated $20,000 for Career and Technical Education scholarships. The next Small Grant cycle opens with an Expression of Intent deadline of September 15, followed by an application deadline of October 15.

Picture – The future home of Interchurch Social Services’ new food pantry at 156 Howard Street in Mount Vernon. Knox County Foundation awarded $300,000 to support renovations to the building.

Full Press Release:

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (August 21, 2026) — The Knox County Foundation Board of Directors awarded $482,600 at its August board meeting. 

The largest award is a $300,000 grant to Interchurch Social Services to support the development of a new food pantry at 156 Howard Street in Mount Vernon. The building, donated by the Knox County Land Bank, will be renovated to create additional storage for fresh and perishable foods and increase Interchurch’s ability to distribute food to other area pantries with limited storage capacity.

“We are excited to partner with Interchurch Social Services on this important project and support their vision for expanding food access in our community,” said Lisa Lloyd, Senior Program Director at Knox County Foundation. “This new facility will not only help serve more local families, but also strengthen the network of food pantries across Knox County.”

The Foundation also approved funding to support education and workforce development, health and human services, youth programs, community improvements and nonprofit operations throughout the county.

Other grants awarded through the July cycle include:

  • Habitat for Humanity — $35,000 to purchase a forklift to safely and efficiently move ReStore donations and construction materials used for new home builds and repairs.
  • Fredericktown Local Schools — $23,000 to help establish a three-booth welding lab as the district expands its Agriscience pathway to include welding instruction and industry-recognized certifications.
  • Knox Public Health — $20,000 to replace the emergency backup generator at its main facility, helping protect temperature-sensitive vaccines and maintain essential health services during power outages.
  • Freedom Center — $20,000 for sidewalk and drainage improvements at its South Main Street facility, including concrete replacement, drainage repairs and basement waterproofing.
  • YMCA of Mount Vernon — $15,000 to provide financial assistance for memberships and programs, including childcare, summer camp, swimming lessons, youth sports and other activities.

  • Danville Athletic Boosters — $15,000 toward improvements to the Danville High School baseball field, including work to improve field conditions, drainage and player safety.

  • Knox Technical Center — $10,000 to support its OTC+ program, which expands access to career and technical education opportunities for area students.

  • Advocates for Families — $8,000 to support Youth Intervention Services, providing mentoring and individualized support to Knox County youth.

  • Place 4 Grace — $8,000 to support the expansion of p4g THRIFT into a new location within the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, helping generate revenue for maternity housing and support services.

  • Civil Air Patrol 299th Cadet Flight — $4,000 toward startup costs for the newly chartered Knox County squadron, which provides aviation and leadership experiences for youth ages 12–18.

  • Knox Health Planning Partnership — $2,500 to help provide transportation assistance for qualifying Knox County residents traveling outside the county for non-emergency medical care.

  • Kno-Ho-Co-Ashland Community Action Commission — $2,100 to purchase an automated external defibrillator (AED) for its Mount Vernon clinic.


The Foundation also allocated $20,000 for Career and Technical Education scholarships.

“The projects supported through this grant cycle reflect the wide range of work happening every day to make Knox County a stronger community,” said Lloyd “From expanding access to food to creating opportunities for students and supporting local organizations, we’re grateful to be able to invest in work that will make a meaningful difference for Knox County residents.”

Knox County Foundation accepts Small Grant applications four times each year and Major Grant applications twice annually. The next Small Grant cycle begins with an Expression of Intent deadline of September 15, followed by an application deadline of October 15. Grant decisions will be announced in November.

For more information about Knox County Foundation grant opportunities and application requirements, visit knoxcf.org.

Knox County Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Knox County through charitable giving.

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Celebrate School Spirit Night at September First Friday!

WNZR’s Marcy Rinehart is joined by Lacey Filkins, the Executive Director for Experience Mount Vernon here to talk about September First Friday.

Click HERE to listen to the entire conversation!

Lacey talks about how time flies and how summer just flew by and the theme for September First Friday and its called, “School Spirit Night”. They don’t have any special costumes, but they did make some First Friday School T-Shirts for the team. Tonight is the last night to complete the passport, you can stop at their table and sign up for their “Smore Fun” prize basket. They have the Teen Advisory Council coming to do Tie-dye, they’re focusing on kids and medium sizes and only one color. They have plenty do to for school spirit night and she highlights all the things coming tonight for free at first Friday.

Tonight at September First Friday, they have schools coming at the public square, they have MVNU, COTC, Knox County Career Center, and Kenyon University to talk about their programs and helping promote their schools; Lacey talks about some of the things they’ve had in the past and might have tonight. They have some entertainment coming tonight, they have the band, “Room 201” playing tonight, they have the cast for the Wizard of Oz cast, they also have their “Are you smarter than an Educator” game show, and so much more!

Tonight, they have 11 different concession stands, Lacey highlights what they have and where you can find it. They have downtown closed areas closed, Lacey highlights what streets will be closed, parking downtown will be closed to parking by 2 and closed to all by 3. You can park at Gay and Mulberry street, they also have the bike valet, during the event.

Lacey also wants to thank the parents support initiative of Knox County, their food truck sponsor is ariel cooperation, Knox DD to help with the photo booth, they also have a huge thank to volunteers who help make this possible. Coming up in October is Jonny Appleseed, this event will be a bit different than last year, its all at Ariel Foundation park this year. Winter in downtown is coming, shop small Saturday, and holiday events. You can stay connected on their social media at Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. You can find their monthly newsletter on their website at experienceMV.org. The mission of experience mount Vernon is through first Fridays, beautification, and other flower planting in downtown, and just getting people to come in Mount Vernon and build the community feel in Downtown. She talks about a lot of the different events and ways that Experience Mount Vernon helps the community; they also want you to go to local shops and enjoy mount Vernon.

Check out more information about September First Friday on our website, wnzr.fm!

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The Morning Thing Co-Hosts Share Their Favorite School Spirit Memories!

Today on The Morning Thing, the co-hosts talk about their favorite school spirit memory in honor of September First Friday!

You can listen to this week’s Friday Favorites HERE!

September First Friday’s theme is School Spirit Night! The Big Blue Crew is excited to broadcast in Downtown Mount Vernon!

Check out our blog! themorningthing.com

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MVNU New Student Move-In Staff Conversations

Today on The Morning Thing, we shared some conversations with MVNU Faculty about New Student Move-In Day!

Click HERE to listen to every conversation!

WNZR’s Marcy Rinehart is joined by Sarah Mowery, MVNU’s Director of Residence Life, she is here to talk about New Student Move In Day.

Sarah’s role is to oversee resident directors and student staff as they oversee all the residential areas on campus, this is her third year in the role, but the seventh year in residence life. Her job today is to oversee the team, hand out keys, and help out where needed. This is a fantastic year for enrollment and new move in year, they are near maximum capacity this year. The schedule begins at 9am with the first wave of move-in, there’s food trucks, Happy Bean is open, families get time to eat and enjoy together before the ribbon cutting service.

Sarah is looking forward to campus returning, the life of students coming in, and the return of campus feeling alive and active again. Her office is to help make students feel belonged and connected, they do this by having different games, activities, and having conversations with students.

This year is exciting as student dorms are very near capacity, they’ve had upgrades to different buildings on campus, they replaced the roof on pioneer hall, and they’re nearly finished. Sarah wants students to feel welcomed, and don’t forget that she’s been there before, everyone is nervous and that’s okay; residence life is here to support them. She want’s thank families for trusting their kids with them, she’s very excited to have them here on campus. She ask that you pray for them to be focused on pointing people to Christ, a lot of students are coming in with different stories and they want to be involved in the future of that story.

Marcy Rinehart also spoke with Jon Nicholas, MVNU’s Executive Director of Enrollment, he is here to talk about New Student Move In Day. Jon’s roll at MVNU is to help lead the enrollment efforts for the university. He oversees admissions, councilors, CCP enrollment, and all the efforts to bring students to MVNU. This is his second year at this roll, he’s starting to see the fruits of his labor and he’s very excited.

Jon’s responsibilities during the day are to help welcome students, bring them into campus events, KC Cougar will be there, and his job is to help make sure that they have a great day from the moment they drive onto campus, until the moment they finish the ribbon cutting. The plan is to just help students check in, help them move in, and there will be food trucks, a dinner, and the ribbon cutting ceremony. In the chapel is the commissioning service and they go to the flame to hold the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Jon is looking forward to seeing students and families who they’ve been working with all year and he knows the sacrifices they’ve made and the challenges they’ve faced to come to MVNU. They have one of the largest incoming freshman classes in MVNU history. After move in day, they have a pivot into the students that are graduating next year and getting ready to bring them in and trying to bring in more students in the future.

Jon talks about new things coming in with move in day, they have food trucks coming, they are bringing everyone in the chapel entrance and they’re having a service there, they have people moving students in and it culminates in the ribbon cutting ceremony. He strongly suggests you get involved in and seek the Lord during this part of your journey.  He wants to help support students and help them learn intellectually and spiritually. He wants to share a word of encouragement to parents as he’s there right now with his kids, he says to trust the Lord, and trust MVNU as they’re excited to be with them on this journey. He asks for protection as they travel on the road and he wants enrollment fruit and a lot of spiritual growth for students.

We also spoke with Matt Spraker, MVNU’s VP of student development, he is here to talk about New Student Move In Day. Matt’s role is to work in a lot of areas outside and inside the classroom, he’s been in this role for five years. His job for today is to make sure people get here and have a safe place to stay. Students move in this morning, they have family dinner, and then they have the ribbon cutting ceremony and service.

In development, they see this as Christmas and New Years day for school, there’s a sense of newness and getting everyone back together. He just enjoys seeing families after the move in is done and now they can have a moment to reflect and be with each other. The office of Student Development’s goals are to make sure students feel connected and belonging here at MVNU.

There are a few new programs to be excited about, they’re beginning the CCP Experience this year, it’s a program to give them an insight into college life. They’re introducing life skills lab, general life skills to teach how to buy a house and so on; this is available this year in a four year program.

Matt’s message for new students is to take ownership of your education, both inside and outside the classroom, they need to know that they’re not doing this alone and they want you to be successful. Matt wants to thank parents for trusting them with their kids, he wants to partner with parents, he wants to pray for them and communicate with them via newsletters and building upon foundations with parents. He asks you pray for them, they don’t always make the right decisions, he wants them to be wise and discern the right decisions for MVNU.

WNZR’s Josiah Styer is joined by David Mills, MVNU’s VP of Spiritual life and church relations, he is here to talk about New Student Move In Day.

David’s goals for this year are to have a good tone spiritually on campus, he wants to provide a place for the campus community to love and support each other. This year’s theme for this year is John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

They are focusing on the seven ‘I Am’ statements in the New Testament and the ‘you are’ statements Jesus gives in the Bible.

David’s office provide resources to acclimate to campus life, they talk a lot about opening weekend, they hold a church fair on campus to encourage student to find local churches. They also have opportunities for new and old students to support the community. The chapel schedule coming in during fall revival is Dr. Sam Barber, he’s the global director for the Church of the Nazarene for discipleship ministries.

David’s office has been preparing for the semester with the theme verse and the work they have to do what God wants instead of doing what we want and inviting God. He wants to share a message to parents that you can trust MVNU as they care about them both academically and spiritually. He asks that you pray for them to stay focused during the semester and find what God wants and to practice what they preach.

WNZR’s Ethan Hershberger is joined by Ben Slater, MVNU’s Assistant Director of enrollment, he is here to talk about New Student Move In Day. Ben’s roll at MVNU involves overseeing all enrollment events like move in day, SonFest, visit days and so much more, he’s had this roll for a year and a half, but he’s been in admissions for two years so far. During new student move in day, he helps plan and organize the event and help move the students in. They’ll have students moving in from 9am till 3:30pm, they have food trucks at the library, they have a dinner after the event and celebrating with the families.

The admission office kind of sees move in day as Christmas, they’re super excited to see students on campus and get students ready for college. He wants as many students as possible to come to MVNU, they want to find students, create leaders, and build relationships with local churches. This year is similar to last year, they’ve got food trucks coming, and he’s also excited about the new events coming in, they have “Preview Day” a chance for students to get a quick look at what college is like and decide if they want to come to campus early.

Moving in can be scary, but Ben wants students to find their people and make friends. Sometimes it’s easy, other times its hard, build relationships with your roommates and create community. It can be a transition period, but to parents, Ben wants to encourage the fact that MVNU is going to do it’s best to mentor students and give them the best college experience they can provide. He asks that you pray for the admissions office to have endurance and for them to have  a great year.

Learn more about MVNU Enrollment HERE!

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Choose One Goal To Start Your Week!

Today on The Morning Thing, our theme was Monday Motivation!

We shared some ideas we had to make sure you start your morning off strong! Here were some of our ideas:

  1. Spend time with God each morning with prayer and Scripture reading
  2. Encourage one person each day by sending a text, or letting someone know you appreciate them
  3. Be more intentional about the time you spend with your family by putting your phone down and be in the moment
  4. Choose gratitude every day and write down three things you’re thankful for each day
  5. Do something you’ve been afraid to do, and start that project you’ve been wanting to do
  6. Take better care of yourself by getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and taking the time to just sit and breathe
  7. Pray for one specific person each day
  8. Replace complaining with encouragement and positivity
  9. Take one step toward a God-given dream– just take 30 minutes out of your day
  10. Get caught up on one thing you’ve been putting off

We also talked about kindness! What is one kind thing you can say or do for someone this week? It doesn’t have to be complicated! Ask God to give you an opportunity to share some kindness this week! Here are some ideas:

  1. Text someone.
  2. Leave a positive review.
  3. Pay for someone’s coffee.
  4. Compliment a coworker.
  5. Pray with someone.

Thank you for listening to The Morning Thing from 6am – 9am!

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Change Your Monday Mindset!

Today on The Morning Thing, the Big Blue Crew shared how they are keeping their Monday Mindset positive and focused on Christ.

Listen to what they said HERE!

Starting Monday off with a Christ-centered mindset can be difficult a lot of the time, but it can make the biggest impact for your week. Today, the Big Blue Crew chose one word they want to represent their week. Here are some examples of words you can think of:

  • Peace
  • Joy
  • Patience
  • Courage
  • Trust
  • Hope

Remember Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT): “5Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.“

Hear what words the Big Blue Crew chose for their Monday Mindset here:

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The 57th Annual GMA Dove Award Nominees

The 57th Annual GMA Dove Awards Broadcast will be shared by Trinity Broadcast Network on Tuesday, 10/6/26.

Click HERE to find more information about the 57th GMA Dove Awards.

Here is the full list of the nominees.

SONG OF THE YEAR Nominees:

Can’t Steal My Joy: Josiah Queen ft. Brandon Lake – Written By: Josiah Queen, Brandon Lake, Hank Bentley, & Jacob Sooter

Come Jesus Come: CeCe Winans – Written By: Hank Bentley, Bryan Fowler, Stephen McWhirter, & Tara McWhirter

Dusty Bibles: Josiah Queen – Written By: Josiah Queen, Zac Lawson, Dylan Thomas, & John Michael Howell

God I’m Just Grateful: Elevation Worship & Chandler Moore – Written By: Chandler Moore, Pat Barrett, Steven Furtick, Abubakar Baker Shariff-Farr, & Joshua Coleman

Homesick For Heaven: Phil Wickham – Written By: Phil Wickham and Jonathan Smith

I Know A Name: Elevation Worship ft. Brandon Lake – Written By: Steven Furtick, Brandon Lake, Jacob Sooter, & Hank Bentley

Left It In The River: Jamie MacDonald – Written By: Jamie MacDonald, Jonathan Gamble, & Colby Wedgeworth

Mighty Name Of Jesus: Hope Darst – Written By: Hope Darst, Jacob Sooter, & Lauren Sloat

No Fear: Jon Reddick – Written by: Jon Reddick, Matthew West, &Jeff Pardo

What An Awesome God: Phil Wickham – Written By: Phil Wickham, Jonathan Smith, & Rich Mulli

ARTIST OF THE YEAR Nominees:

Brandon Lake

CeCe Winans

Josiah Queen

Lauren Daigle

Phil Wickham

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR Nominees:

bodie

Emerson Day

Jamie MacDonald

Megan Woods

SEU Worship

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR – ARTIST Nominees:

Brandon Lake

Chandler Moore

Chris Brown

Josiah Queen

Phil Wickham

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR – NON ARTIST Nominees:

Hank Bentley

Jacob Sooter

Jonathan Smith

Steven Furtick

Zac Lawson

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Nominees:

Austin Davis

Jacob Sooter

Jeff Pardo

Jonathan Smith

Kyle Lee

POP/CONTEMPORARY SONG OF THE YEAR Nominees:

Dusty Bibles: Josiah Queen – Written By: Josiah Queen, Zac Lawson, Dylan Thomas, & John Michael Howell

Homesick For Heaven: Phil Wickham – Written By: Phil Wickham & Jonathan Smith

Left It In The River: Jamie MacDonald – Written By: Jamie MacDonald, Jonathan Gamble, & Colby Wedgeworth

Let It Be A Hallelujah: Lauren Daigle – Written By: Lauren Daigle, Jonas Myrin, & Busbee

WASHED: ELEVATION RHYTHM – Written By: Josh Holiday, Mitch Wong, Joe L Barnes, & Steven Furtick

WORSHIP RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR Nominees:

God I’m Just Grateful: Elevation Worship & Chandler Moore – Written By: Chandler Moore, Pat Barrett, Steven Furtick, Abubakar Baker, Shariff-Farr, & Joshua Coleman

How Good It Is: Chris Tomlin – Written By: Chris Tomlin, Jess Cates, & Jordan Mohilowski

Mighty Name of Jesus: Hope Darst, Josh Baldwin – Written By: Hope Darst, Jacob Sooter, & Lauren Sloat

What An Awesome God: Phil Wickham – Written By: Phil Wickham, Jonathan Smith, & Rich Mullins

Worthy Of It All (Worthy): CeCe Winans – Written By: David Brymer, Ryan Hall, Chris Brown, Mack Brock, & Steven Furtick

ROCK/CONTEMPORARY RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR Nominees:

eyes on Him: Strings & Heart – Written By: Angelo Espinosa

idols Steven: Stanley Stephen – Written By: Stanley, Paul Duncan, & Zach Epps

No Survivors: Jeremy Camp – Written By: Jeremy Camp, Jordan Sapp, Paul Duncan, & Emily Weisband

SEVENS: Brandon Lake – Written By: Brandon Lake, Steven Furtick, Hank Bentley, Micah Nichols, & Jacob Sooter

The Love I Have For You: Colton Dixon – Written By: Colton Dixon, Josh Murty, & Jon Robert Hall

COUNTY/ROOTS RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR Nominees:

Black Sheep: Ben Fuller – Written By: Ben Fuller, Michael Farren, & Tony Wood

Broken Man Can: Scotty Inman – Written By: Scotty Inman, Jimmy Yeary, & Kenna Turner West

Speaking Terms: Ella Langley – Written By: Helene Cronin, & Joybeth Taylor

Still Do: Anne Wilson, Cole Swindell – Written By: Anne Wilson, Matthew West, Jeff Pardo, & Trannie Anderson

The Jesus I Know Now: Brandon Lake, Lainey Wilson – Written By: Brandon Lake, Lainey Wilson, Emily Weisband, & Luke Laird

GOSPEL WORSHIP RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR Nominees:

Bless Your Name (Live): Maranda Curtis – Written By: Maranda Curtis, Chekira Daffin, David Cartwright Jr., & Laura Ann Johnson

More Than This [Radio Edit]: CeCe Winans (ft. Todd Dulaney) – Written By: CeCe Winans, Todd Dulaney, Kyle Lee

One Good God (Live): Jonathan McReynolds – Written By: Jonathan McReynolds, & Terrell Demetrius Wilson

Something’s About to Shift (Live): Red Worship, Jonathan Stamper – Written By: Jonathan Stamper

Yahweh Flow (Live In San Francisco): Tye Tribbett (ft. Jocelyn Bowman, D’nar Young, Jewell Jones, Jalisa Faye) – Written By: Tye Tribbett, Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin, Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Marty Sampson, Israel Houghton, Adesewa Ayoola, Alessandro Vilas Boas, Ed Cash, Kristian Stanfill, Kofi Dartey, & Ryan Ofei

RAP/HIPHOP RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR Nominees:

Bless You: Lecrae, Torey D’Shaun – Written By: Lecrae, Torey D’Shaun, Milan Szelcsanyi, Lihtz, KUR, Jeremiah Adkins, Amore Jones, & Eks

DAVE: Hulvey – Written By: Hulvey, xander., Zac Lawson, Micah Palace, & John Michael Howell

God Did II: RUA YOUNG, KB – Written By: RUA YOUNG, KB, Wes Writer, & Quinten Coblentz

ROB HELL: indie tribe, nobigdyl., Torey D’Shaun (ft. Jon Keith) – Written By: nobigdyl., Torey D’Shaun, & Jon Keith

Yes: Steven Malcolm, for KING & COUNTRY, KB – Written By: Steven Malcolm, Joel Smallbone, Luke Smallbone, Demi Kolenbrander, Ben Glover, Brendon Coe, Jamie George, Tedd T., & Theron Feemster

POP/CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR Nominees:

Counting My Blessings: Seph Schlueter – Written By: Jonathan Smith, David Spencer, Colby Wedgeworth, Jordan Sapp, Tedd T., Sajan Nauriyal, Tyler Meadows, Kenzie Mccarter, Cristina Cardenas, & Emma Pettyjohn

Jamie MacDonald: Jamie MacDonald – Written By: Jamie MacDonald, Austin Davis, Derek Winkley, Aaron Robertson, Colby Wedgeworth, Jordan Sapp, Jonathan Gamble, Petey Martin, Andrew Bergthold, Justin Amundrud, & Josh Silverberg

King Of Hearts: Brandon Lake – Written By: Hank Bentley, Jacob Sooter, Micah Nichols, Rodrick Simmons, & Pete Mol

Mt. Zion: Josiah Queen – Written By: Josiah Queen, John Michael Howell, Zac Lawson, Jared Marc, Jacob Sooter, Hank Bentley, & Ben Foster

Walk Through Fire: Ben Fuller – Written By: Sam Martinez, Jacob Sooter, Ethan Hulse, Colby Wedgeworth, Jeff Pardo, Michael Farren, & Nick Schwarz

WORSHIP ALBUM OF THE YEAR Nominees:

A Forgiving God: SEU Worship – Written By: Rob Ellmore, Cameron Giddens, Chelsea Plank, & Christopher Austin Shuffitt

Breathe On It: Tauren Wells – Written By: Aaron Robertson, Colby Wedgeworth, Jordan Sapp, Jay-J, Jonathan Smith, Chris Strawder, Chuck Butler, Luis Higuera, Demitri Wells, xander., & Luke Johns

SO BE IT (Live): Elevation Worship – Written By: Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, Jonathan Smith, Chandler Moore, Jonathan Mix, Scott Gardner, Jacob Sooter, Josh Holiday, & Joshua Coleman

Song Of The Saints: Phil Wickham Jonathan Smith, Shane Becker, & Micah Nichols

We Must Respond (Deluxe) [Live]: Bethel Music – Written By: Brian Johnson, David Whitworth, Dominic Shahbon, Jason Ingram, Jonathan Lee, & Mathew Ogden

CHRISTMAS/SPECIAL EVENT ALBUM OF THE YEAR Nominees:

Christmas: Natalie Grant – Written By: Bernie Herms, Sarah Reeves, & Tim Davis

Come Home For Christmas: Matthew West – Written By: AJ Pruis, Mark Evitts, Jeff Pardo, & Chris Lockwood

DAVID (Soundtrack from the Angel Original Film): Various Artists – Written By: Chad Carouthers, Joseph Trapanese, Jonathan Smith, & Bryan Lawson

I Can Only Imagine 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack): Various Artists – Written By: Tedd T., Jeremy Redmon, & Brent McCorkle

Rejoice! (A Celtic Christmas): We Are Messengers – Written By: Dan Muckala

RECORDED MUSIC PACKAGING OF THE YEAR Nominees:

Blameless: Jackie Hill Perry – Art Directors: Kevin Hackett & Jues Almanzar – Photographers: Matthew Warren & Quality Lenz

Honest Conversations: Katy Nichole – Art Director/ Graphic Artist/ Illustrator: Joshua Wurzelbacher – Photographer: Erick Frost

Mt. Zion: Josiah Queen – Art Director: Aaron Stearns – Graphic Artists: Aaron Stearns, Nathan Blaine, & Trent Nicholson – Photographer: Rashun Ludgood

Real: Blessing Offor – Art Directors: Nathan Blaine, & Aaron Stearns – Graphic Artist: Nathan Blaine – Photographer: Erick Frost

Reconstruction: Lecrae – Art Director: Kevin Hackett – Photographer: Quality Lenz

SHORT FORM MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (CONCEPT) Nominees:

Heaven On My Mind: TobyMac – Director: Eric Welch – Producer: Scott McDaniel

I’ve Got A Fire: Pat Barrett – Director: Noah Taher – Producers: Hannah Hastings & Luke Hastings

Raised By Wolves: Franni Cash – Director: Sadie Kay – Producer: Lauren Forbes

SEVENS: Brandon Lake – Directors: Noah Taher & Sadie Kay – Producers: Noah Taher & Rachel Mulcahy

World On Fire: for KING & COUNTRY & Taylor Hill – Director: Kadin Tooley – Producers: Katie Babbage, Fadwa Ward, Patrick Tohill & Crashbang

SHORT FORM MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (PERFORMANCE) Nominees:

CAMPAIGN: KB – Director/Producer: Juan Garcia

Far Country: Ellie Holcomb – Director: Bryant Bural – Producers: Bryant Bural & Noah Tidmore

Have Your Way: Katy Nichole – Directors: Greg Fromholz & Joey von Meding – Producer: Joshua Wurzelbacher

I Ain’t Worried: Jackie Hill Perry – Director: Devin Johnson

Worthy Of It All (Worthy): CeCe Winans – Director/Producer: Elliot Eicheldinger

LONG FORM MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR Nominees:

Eterno Dios (Live): Gateway Worship Español – Director/Producer: Jakob Serban

Just That Good (Live from Passion 2026): Passion – Directors: Brian Zimmerman & Rusty Anderson – Producers: Passion, Louie Giglio, Shelley Giglio & Rachel Baldwin

Memorandum: Kristene DiMarco – Director: Luke Manwaring – Producer: Jonathan Lee

Sons of Sunday: Sons of Sunday – Director: Mait Hudson – Producers: Chris Dobson & Chris Brown

The Resurrection Of A King: Tommee Proffit – Director/Producer: Tommee Proffit

FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR Nominees:

A Great Awakening: Director: Joshua Enck – Producers: Steve Buckwalter & Troy Thorne

DAVID: Directors: Brent Dawes & Phil Cunningham – Producers: Jacqui Cunningham, Phil Cunningham, Tim Keller, Rita Mbanga, Steve Pegram, Timothy Hoffman, Nikky Kho, & Edelgard Slabbert

I Can Only Imagine 2: Directors: Brent McCorkle & Andrew Erwin – Producers: Andrew Erwin, Ashley Grifka, Bart Millard, Cindy Bond, Daryl C. Lefever, Josh Walsh, Katelyn Botsch & Kevin Downes

Sarah’s Oil: Director: Cyrus Nowrasteh – Producers: John Shepherd, Jon Erwin, Cyrus Nowrasteh, Kevin Downes, Daryl C. Lefever, Andrew Erwin, Derrick Williams & Zachary Levi

Soul on Fire: Director: Sean McNamara – Producers: Margaret French-Isaac, David Brookwell, J. Todd Harris, Sean McNamara, Toni Farina, & Amy Powers

TELEVISION SERIES OF THE YEAR Nominees:

Duck Dynasty: The Revival: Director: Ted Butler – Producers: Tony Sam & Peter Chelkowski

House of David: Directors: Jon Erwin, Jon Gunn, Jeff T. Thomas, & Lynsey Miller – Producers: Katelyn Botsch, Andrew Erwin, Daryl C. Lefever, Panos Papahadzis, Tony Young, Todd Giroux, & Courtney Johnson

The Chosen: Director: Dallas Jenkins – Producers: Jamie Elliott, Adam Drake, & Kerri Navarro

The Promised Land: Director: Mitch Hudson – Producers: Jeremy Crouch, Adam Drake, Richie Johns, Bethany Johns, Bob Elder, & Justin Tolley

The Wingfeather Saga: Directors: Daniel Haycox, John Sanford, Keith Lango, Ron Smith & John Wall

Once again, congratulations for all the nominees. The 57th Annual GMA Dove Awards Broadcast is on Tuesday October 6th. To find more information, click HERE.

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WNZR Talks with the 2026 Little Miss and Mr. Knox County!

2026 Knox County Fair Royalty were announced on Sunday. WNZR’s Joe Rinehart had the chance to talk with the 2026 Little Miss Knox County – Hallie Johnson and Little Mr. Knox County – Karsten Tedrow. They shared about their experience in the Pageant.

Click HERE to hear the conversations!

This was the 34th year for Little Miss Knox County and the 5th year for Little Mr. Knox County!

Congratulations to all the participants and winners:

2026 Little Miss Knox County – Hallie Johnson

1st Runner Up – Kasey Mason
2nd Runner Up – Millie Ruckman
3rd Runner Up – Anna Prince

2026 Little Mr Knox County – Karsten Tedrow

1st Runner Up – Heath Scott
2nd Runner Up – Jay Schall
3rd Runner Up – Holden Miles

Check out our pictures on the WNZR Facebook Page. Look for the 2025 Knox County Fair Sunday photo album.

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DeeDee Burger Shares About the Kno-Ho-Co Breast Cancer Golf Outing

Today on The Morning Thing, WNZR’s Marcy Rinehart is joined by DeeDee Burger the Assistant Administrator with Kno-Ho-Co Ashland Community Action Commission.

Check out the entire conversation HERE.

DeeDee talks about her role in Kno-Ho-Co, she highlights different programs they do, she is with the health division who is planning this golf outing. They were inspired to help raise funds for uninsured and under insured and provide funds for medical expenses and they want to raise awareness and give back to the community. They help by providing funds to help see a mammogram specialist if someone is uninsured or underinsured; they will also provide mammograms for underinsured and uninsured.

The golf outing is at little apple golf course in Bellville on august first, with august second as a rain date, shotgun start at 9am. They will have skins where you can win money, mulligans where you can buy a better shot, they also have a 50/50 drawing with 50% going to the winner, and the other 50% going to the fundraising total. They’re providing lunch with hotdogs, chips, and a proper sit down after golfing is over. The asked donations are $300 per team, they have $500 to be given towards the winner with all proceeds going to provide mammograms and support for breast cancer.

DeeDee talks about why access early detection and examination, they’ll help provide funds for those, and she talks about how early detection saves lives. It’s hard for people to want to come in, so they can help cover costs of treatment to make it easier for people to get diagnosed. You can find out more by calling at 740-397-0145, so they can get you scheduled in Knox County.

Registration deadline is July 25 so they can get teams put together and be ready for august 1; you can call or text 740-485-7446 to register. You can help sponsor a hole for $100, it will put a sign on one of the 18 holes, they’ll also post on social media and recognize sponsors. You can donate towards them by contacting 740-485-7446 or by visiting the QR code on social media where you can sign up.

DeeDee talks about what is coming on the outing, and the shotgun starts at 9 am and they want to rotate through the holes and build comradery; expect a ton of fun, drawing, and lunch. It’s a huge benefit for Kno-Ho-Co and it’s to help people struggling. She talks about how much of a blessing this event is because on average, one of four women are diagnosed. Again, to register you can call 740-485-7446, or go to their Facebook and Instagram.

For more information, click HERE.

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