LISTEN: Ashland woman survives Gestapo questioning; Reimagining public transit in Mansfield

Today – How can we improve public transportation in Mansfield and throughout Richland County?

The question was a common theme this fall during the six “Talk the Vote” sessions that we hosted leading up to the Nov. 2 election. A lot of readers and listeners asked about the topic, similar to 2019. Because the need for public transit is not surprising. Many of us depend on buses to get to work, medical appointments, social service meetings, shopping and much more.

 

Sadly, not much is often publicly discussed about local public transit, how it’s funded and how it works (or doesn’t). That’s why, during our “Meet the Candidates Night” at Idea Works, we asked all eight candidates for their thoughts. And every candidate expressed a desire to improve local public transportation.

And now we’re asking for you to talk to us about Richland Public Transit. We’ll present your thoughts on public transit and a variety of other topics to Mansfield City Council as part of our “Citizens Agenda” when council resumes meeting in January. Our plan is to report on those topics as we get deeper into 2022.

Most of the pre-election discussion was focused on Richland County Transit, the only truly local public transportation service, a fleet of buses that serve primarily the City of Mansfield, as well as other smaller communities like Ontario and Shelby and parts of Madison Township. You asked about expanded hours. Evening service.

 

Weekend bus availability. An expanded route footprint. Greater frequency on important bus routes. Greater usage of smaller buses. How to grow a currently declining and/or stagnant ridership.

We heard your questions, your comments and your concerns and are doing our best to get answers from local officials — and from transit experts from far outside Richland County. And over these four days, we will explore the state of public transit in Mansfield and Richland County — with you.

Here is what we have planned:

 

Today, Tuesday, Dec. 28 — We’re diving into the questions – What is the current status of Richland County Transit? How does it operate? How is it funded? Where does it operate? Who is in charge? We’ll also take a look back into history and find out where public transit started locally.

 

Then, on Wednesday, Dec. 29 — We’ll explore the important strategic planning effort RCT has scheduled in 2022, the first such in-depth look in at least a decade.

 

And finally, on Thursday, Dec. 30 — We’ll ask Mansfield and Richland County leaders their thoughts on the state of public transit and what ideas they have for improved funding and services. This four-day series is not the end of our look at local public transit. It’s just our jumping off point. We hope you will ride with us on this journey, another continuing example of Richland Source doing journalism with you.

 

Next, some local history. Ashland resident Josianne Stone, 94, was 13 years old when the Nazi occupation of Belgium began in her rural hometown near the French border.

 

Stone was born in 1927, roughly a decade after World War I ended. She recalls having nightmares of war as a young child before Nazi occupation. So, when her grandfather woke her up at 4 a.m. one morning in 1940 to take shelter, she was not surprised by the Nazi attack.

 

Stone has lived several lifetimes since her childhood in Nazi-occupied Belgium, including studying dress design in Paris as a young adult, operating a Christian bookstore ministry in New York with her late husband, and currently illustrating and writing books about what she has learned through it all. 

 

Stone’s illustrated autobiography “From War to Peace by HIS Grace — Reflections of my Life through WWII and 2020” will be released in the beginning of 2022.

 

Flags questioned in Knox County

Next, from KnoxPages – A lot of residents have noticed the additional flags outside the Knox County Service Center. In fact, one Knox Pages reader wondered where the money came from for the new flags and also questioned the cost.

 

According to Knox County Commissioner Thom Collier, a township trustee commented on the flags at a Regional Planning Commission meeting. The trustee noted the size and condition of the flags and questioned why no Ohio flag flew.

 

They did an assessment and found the flags needed to be a better fit. In addition to upsizing the flags to fit the poles outside of the service center, Memorial Building, and the county courthouse, the county added a smaller flag at the back entrance to the service center.

 

Collier also noted that because of the number of county buildings there are, instead of putting a state and county flag at every building, they anchored them at the service center.

 

The four poles in the front of the service center cost $18,630. In addition, it cost $1,800 to remove and dispose of the bent pole and concrete and $4,500 for the hydro excavation and pouring of new concrete. The upgrade also included lighting.

 

Joey Lewis Sr.

Finally, we’d like to take a moment to remember Joey Lewis Sr. of Mansfield. He was born in 1947 and was a veteran of the U.S. Army serving during the Vietnam War. He retired from General Motors after more than 30 years of service.

 

Joe was a member of Shiloh Lodge #544 F. & A.M., Amvets Post #26 and the Liederkranz. He enjoyed fishing, golfing, bowling and cooking. Joe was a very friendly man who never met a stranger and most often called everyone “honey.”

 

He was a selfless, kind, person who epitomized the words “true gentleman.” He most enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren, as well as his nieces and nephews.

 

Joe is survived by two sons, four grandchildren, a great-granddaughter, a brother, a sister-in-law, a brother-in-law, and numerous nieces and nephews. Thank you for taking a moment to remember and celebrate Joe’s life.