Cameras against car fires in Assen, a boat trip in the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh and another drug lab found in the municipality of Coevorden. Also in the first week of 2023, enough happened in our province. In the weekly overview you can see the most important news topics of the past few days.
Assen has been ravaged by dozens of car fires for a year now. The fires cause a lot of unrest among the residents and that is why the municipality has installed two cameras in the Pittelo district. The residents react positively to the arrival of the cameras. “I’m still happy every morning that my car is there,” says one resident. “So I think they can come there permanently. It gives a safer feeling.”
140 years ago, painter Vincent van Gogh visited our province and sailed from Hoogeveen to New Amsterdam by boat. This route is being revived by Stichting Drentse Praam. This foundation has bought an old ship with which they want to organize Van Gogh cruises along this route.
At the moment the ship is still in Meppel, where volunteers from the Drentse Praam are preparing to move the vessel. The boat is expected to be launched in February and the first sailing trips will be held next summer.
The damage during the turn of the year is generally lower than in recent years. Not all figures are known yet, but only in the municipality of Tynaarlo the damage seems to be slightly higher than last year. The municipality of Westerveld even made it through the turn of the year without damage, to the satisfaction of mayor Rikus Jager: “If the police call you in the morning and let you know that everything went smoothly, then that is nice to hear.”
18 million euros is not enough for the renovation of Schouwburg Ogterop in Meppel. There is a renovation plan on the table to renovate the culture house in Meppel for this amount, but it is probably insufficient to realize all wishes.
Partly due to the war in Ukraine and high inflation, construction costs have risen enormously. Theater director Natalie Straatman goes back to the drawing board to work out a smaller plan, which does fall within the budget.
For the third time in a year and a half, a drug lab has been found in the municipality of Coevorden. In Holsloot, a lab under construction for synthetic drugs was found by the police last Thursday. Eight people were arrested during the raid, including a 40-year-old man from Coevorden.
Mayor Renze Bergsma does not rule out that more will follow. “Any drug lab is a scare, I’m really glad we tracked this one down.”