$1.50 Sept. 8, 2023 | Vol. 2 Iss. 35
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School secretary loves to see kids learn
MORGAN COUNTY NEWS
Laurel Buchanan has been at Mountain Green Middle School for five years.
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NEWS BREAK Capitol Physician says McConnell did not suffer stroke
BUILDINGS THAT HOUSE the Muriudu School in Nakuru, Kenya.
Courtesy photo
Morgan County School District donates dozens of computers to Kenya By Verlene Johnson
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hen Candice Noss, was preparing to go on a humanitarian mission with Youthlinc, she asked Kenya’s Infantry Coordinator, David Muiru, what is needed most and he said computers. Noss wrote this request off as a high in the sky dream that would likely never come to pass. After receiving several hundred pounds of clothing donations from the community of Morgan and receiving money for them through Big Brother, Big Sister, Noss still wasn’t sure how they were going to purchase computers for the Muriudu School in Nakuru, Kenya. When a client of Noss’ heard about her humanitarian trip, she said, “Candace, I love what you are doing. I can’t go on a trip, but I could donate some
money.” After receiving a donation of $800, Noss went to work to see how many computers she could buy with that money. After a few inquiries she decided to call the Morgan School District where her own children attend school. Once she connected with the Morgan's Director of IT, Terry Allen, she said magic happened! “Terry asked me how many Chromebooks I was hoping to get; I held my breath and asked for possibly eight or 10, thinking that was a HUGE ask,” recalls Noss. He took a moment, then said, "What if I send you with 60?" In shock but thrilled with the generous donation of Chromebooks that had reached their capacity to update, Noss’ committee got to work. Once the computers had been wiped
of all students information, usernames and passwords needed to be created for each computer along with an email to link it to. While the Chromebooks are fully functional only with WIFI, the school in Kenya was not equipped with the technology. After plenty of brainstorming, team member, Sherry Greenwell, along with her husband and daughter Abby worked together with neighbors to not only get the usernames and passwords on each machine but they loaded each Chromebook with specific apps that would help the students in Kenya gain computer skills, even if the internet wasn't a possibility. Because the of donations of Chromebooks from MCSD, the generous $800 donation could be used to buy outlet
COMPUTERS on page 2
Summit County to buy 910 Cattle Ranch By Linda Petersen
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ummit County has plans to purchase the 910 Cattle Ranch north of Jeremy Ranch. On Aug. 24 the Summit County Council unanimously approved a three-year option agreement to acquire the 8,587.7- acre ranch. Approximately 1,800 of that acreage is in Morgan County. Under the option agreement, which includes a $15 million option fee, Summit County will pay the owner, the David W. Bernolfo Memorial Foundation, a $5,000 per month lease payment while it works out how to fund the purchase. The agreement gives Summit County the right to extend the option for another year for an additional $5 million. This gives the county four years to come up with the $55 million purchase price of the property. All option fees and lease payments will be put toward the final purchase price. The initial $15 million will come from a $50 million Open Space GO Bond approved by Summit County residents in 2021. The GO bond was presented to voters as a way for Summit County to purchase passive and active open space, conservation easements and construct recreational amenities. The
The Capitol’s attending physician, Brian Monahan, said in a new letter that Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell did not suffer a stroke or seizure – and is not suffering from Parkinson’s disease – after the 81-year-old Kentuckian was evaluated by a group of neurologists following two recent health scares in front of TV cameras. The letter, released by McConnell’s office Tuesday, comes after he froze in front of cameras for the second time in as many months, raising questions about whether the GOP leader could continue to hold his powerful position atop the Senate GOP Conference. McConnell’s symptoms were noted to sometimes occur in concussion victims. The Senator did experience a concussion within the last few months.
Burning Man attendees now free to leave
Thousands of people were stranded in muddy and rainy conditions at the Burning Man Festival, the country’s most well-known alternative arts gathering. Burning Man attracts artists, musicians, and many others to a temporary “city” erected near Black Rock in the Nevada desert. The festival typically ends with the bonfire destruction of a large burning man structure. This year, rains pre-empted the festival’s normal operation, as massive precipitation made the desert a mud-soaked mess. A ban on trying to drive out of the area was in place until the ground dried enough to allow for it. Over sixty thousand people remained in the location until the driving ban was lifted. No serious incidents or injuries were reported.
Ancient bone jewelry found in Mexico
Archaeologists working in the ruins of Palenque, an ancient city in the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas, have found a centuries-old, intricately carved Mayan nose ornament made of human bone. The curved artifact, which measures just over roughly 2.4 by 2 inches, offers insight into ancient funerary traditions; it is believed to have been worn by priests during ceremonies in which they embodied the Mayan deity K’awiil, also known as God K, who is associated with lightning, fertility and abundance. The site where the ornament was found was said to be dated to between 1,200 and 1,400 years ago. This is the first object of its age and kind to be found in Mayan ruins.
First Trump hearing broadcast
SUMMIT COUNTY HAS PURCHASED the option to buy the 910 Cattle Ranch sometime in the next three to four years. Courtesy photo
bond also pays for environmental and wildlife mitigation measures and related improvements. The county will be seeking federal grants and considering other
options to fund the remainder of the purchase of the 910 Cattle Ranch.
RANCH on page 2
Though the former president has had no shortage of legal troubles, the first hearing in his latest set of accusations was broadcast just this week. Judge Scott McAfee presided over the hearings for former president Donald Trump, along with 18 other co-defendants. According to CNN, “The judge will consider motions from two defendants to separate or ‘sever’ their cases from the other co-defendants, in hopes of getting a faster trial.”