January 2022

Ottawa’s Historic Post Office event venue has received the Couple’s Choice Award from WeddingWire, an industry leader in wedding planning. Receiving an award like this is a big deal for any business, but especially for one in a little town like Ottawa: the HPO’s status as a 2022 award winner means that when couples search for venues on WeddingWire in the Lawrence, Topeka, Ottawa and Kansas City areas, HPO will come up as one of the top results. It’s quite an accomplishment for a building that’s been in Ottawa for over 105 years.

The City of Ottawa held its first Legislative Coffee of the year last Saturday at the Ottawa Memorial Auditorium. Representatives Blaine Finch (R-Ottawa) and Mark Samsel (R-Wellsville) answered questions from the community, moderated by Blake Jorgensen and Richard Jackson. The Legislative Coffee provides a way for the community to hear about what their local politicians are accomplishing in Topeka and what they hope to work on during the 2022 legislative session.

Ottawa’s new mayor Eric Crowley was sworn in on January 19 and will serve as the head of the City’s government for at least the next year- he sat down with the Herald to talk about how he got involved in local government, his goals for the city, and the Kansas City Chiefs. Note: some answers have been edited for clarity.