Hazen hosts WRT annual meeting
By Daniel Arens
Last Friday found the Hazen elementary and highschool buildings packed with more than 600 people from around the area (and some from further away) to socialize, eat a meatball meal, and learn about the latest news from a major telecommunications cooperative.
The 65th annual meeting for West River Telecom (WRT) June 2 included many different elements, from door prizes to health care exhibits to financial updates to the large meal.
Two of the seven districts that make up the WRT service area had directors up for election. One of these regions was District 7, which incorporates the Hazen, Stanton, Pick City, and Center members within Mercer County.
Mark Nygard, Hazen, previously represented this region as director. He ran for reelection to the seat against Gene Wolf, also of Hazen. The election was held both with silent ballots onsite during the meeting, and people voting through both absentee ballots and online voting. This was the second year that online voting has been available, expanding the number of people voting significantly beyond those who attended the meeting in Hazen.
