Constitution exhibit to be unveiled at statehouse museum

Constitution exhibit to be unveiled at statehouse museum

COLUMBUS

An exhibit featuring the state’s 1802 and 1851 constitutions are now displayed in a permanent exhibit at the Ohio Statehouse Museum.

The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board and the Capitol Square Foundation in partnership with the Ohio History Connection produced the exhibit. It showcases the original documents in conjunction with visitor-interactive displays that will answer questions about the Ohio Constitution and how it impacts Ohioans.

The 1802 constitution set up Ohio’s system of government, including establishing the Ohio General Assembly. The 1851 constitution reduced some of the Legislature’s power, including giving voters the power to elect judges and statewide officials such as the attorney general.

The documents have been stored for years at the Ohio History Connection’s archives in Columbus.

Desk belonging to Helen Keller on display in Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky.

A writing desk belonging to Helen Keller is on display in Kentucky at the American Printing House for the Blind Museum.

News outlets report the desk is on loan to the Louisville museum from the American Foundation for the Blind. Keller worked at the foundation for 44 years. Keller, who was deaf and blind, was an author, lecturer and political activist.

Museum director Mike Hudson said the museum wants visitors to consider the work Keller did at the desk and how creativity comes about.

The museum is open Monday through Saturday. The desk is expected to be on display through next summer.

Colorado’s Pikes Peak Cog Railway plans 2021 reopening

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.

A popular Colorado Springs tourist attraction that takes riders up to the summit of Pikes Peak will reopen again after its fate was in question.

The Gazette reported the Pikes Peak Cog Railway is slated to reopen in May 2021 after a nearly $100 million reconstruction next year.

Broadmoor hotel President and CEO Jack Damioli said in March that the railway would not open this year and could remain closed permanently, noting it had “run its useful life.”

Oklahoma Publishing President and CEO Gary Pierson says the railway reconstruction will include the demolition and rebuilding of the track and a remodeling of the depot in Manitou Springs.

The railway plans to decommission four of eight train cars and refurbish the other four.

Phoenix Parks linked with completion of Maricopa Trail

PHOENIX

There’s a new way to get around metro Phoenix or at least its circumference.

Maricopa County has completed a 315-mile hiking and biking trail that circles Phoenix and most of its suburbs.

The Arizona Republic reported that the completion this fall of four small sections of trail on state trust land means the Maricopa Trail now connects to 10 regional parks, including Lake Pleasant Regional Park on the north and Usery Mountain Regional Park in the east.

The trail has been 15 years in the making after being proposed five years before that.

Associated Press