It was a dark week: singer and presenter René Karst, the man who always represented our province with a smile, is no more. He died on Friday in his hometown of Hoogeveen.
Yet, in addition to the sadness that this caused, there was also room for better news. From a recovery place for people who have experienced something intense in Assen, to the discovery of a 3,000-year-old knife handle in Borger. A smile between the tears. Just like René Karst could do so beautifully.
People who have had to deal with drastic situations, such as loss or burnout, or people who suffer from long-term psychological complaints, can now contact ‘Assen Experience’. In a living room setting, they can find support and work on recovery in an accessible way. A team of volunteers supports the visitors.
Things went wrong on the A28 north of Assen on Tuesday. A truck with beets jackknifs and falls over. Thousands of beets roll over the road. This had major consequences for traffic. The highway was closed for hours in the direction of Groningen and traffic in the direction of Assen was also disrupted because the car had shot through the central reservation. The driver of the truck was shocked, but was not injured.
The ground beneath the new residential area to be built near Borger has been carefully examined for weeks by a team of archaeologists and volunteers. That detective work has now led to a special discovery: a handle of a bronze knife that is three thousand years old.
The knife is not only very old, but also very special: in all of Northwestern Europe, only four similar handles and knives are known to date from the same period; the knife from Borger is number five. This discovery gives scientists new insights into the lives of people who lived 3,000 years ago, in the Bronze Age.
Last summer it was restless for a week in the Tuindorp district in Coevorden. The municipality’s plans to accommodate underage asylum seekers led to all kinds of incidents in the neighborhood. Documents that we have requested from the municipality show that politicians and civil servants have misjudged the situation considerably.
Singer and RTV Drenthe presenter René Karst passed away completely unexpectedly on Friday morning. The cheerful entertainer was still full of life and was anything but done. Karst is not only concerned with music, but is also committed to society. He has been a councilor in Hoogeveen for the CDA for two years, becomes an ambassador for the Reading and Writing Foundation and is committed to the Cliniclowns. René is 59 years old.