LUT University’s Civil and Municipal Engineering education delayed

LUT University is still waiting for a decision from the Ministry to start the training. The funding is in place, only the permit is missing.

Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology’s civil engineering programme will start in 2027 at the earliest, if the Ministry of Education grants permission.

LUT University hoped that the Ministry would make its decision last year so that the training could start in autumn next year. The delay in the decision means that LUT will not have time to recruit the necessary staff or market the training for autumn 2026.

If the Minister were to take a decision now, early in the year, the university would not be able to start training until 2027 at the earliest. Hiring staff will take time. In addition, the university will need to market the start of training well in advance.

– We have 10 million euros of jam in use, so if the ministry allows, the new training will start in Lahti, says Saksa.

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Social work professorship for the Päijät-Häme welfare region – social workers in short supply

The Professor of Working Life in Social Work works half of her working hours in the Päijät-Häme welfare area and half at the University of Helsinki.

The Päijät-Häme Welfare Region is to have a professor of social work. The temporary professor of working life in social work will start work at the beginning of March next year.

The University of Helsinki invites a person with a doctorate in political science from Päijät-Häme to apply for the position. The Professor of Working Life would work half of her/his working time in Päijät-Häme and half at the University of Helsinki.

The annual salary costs of the post are EUR 110 000, half of which, or EUR 55 000, comes from the Päijät-Häme welfare region. The City of Lahti has also committed €20 000 per year as a contributor.

With the dual role of social work working life professor, cooperation related to teaching and research is also intensified.

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Pelicans’ striker suspended for knee fouling

According to the Disciplinary Committee, Miro Väänänen of Pelicans has recklessly endangered an opponent with his tackle in Saturday’s game.

According to the disciplinary team, before the tackle Väänänen pushed his right knee forward. In the tackle, Väänänen’s knee hits a TPS player and Väänänen does not hit his opponent with his shoulder.

For the reasons stated above, the Disciplinary Committee saw that Väänänen’s tackle was a knee tackle in accordance with the rule book.

Väänänen will be sidelined for Pelicans’ back-to-back games against KooKoo on Friday and Saturday.

Read the full report on the SM league website.

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HäSa: Two former directors are taking bus company Vekka Group to court

Vekka Group is accused of, among other things, unpaid wages and holiday pay.

Last October, Tomi Vasiliev filed a lawsuit against Vekka Group for termination of his employment.

Vekka had terminated his contract at the beginning of 2024. Vasiliev left his position as CEO of the company already in 2023.

The City of Hämeenlinna announced on Tuesday that the bus company Vekka Group has unexpectedly terminated all contracts for public transport in Hämeenlinna.

From the notification sent by Veka to the city, it appears that the reason for terminating the contract is distrust towards the city. The cause of mistrust is Vasiljev’s appointment as the city’s public transport manager in September.

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Neglecting ventilation maintenance can, at worst, cause your home to go mouldy – we asked a professional for tips on better air

The maintenance of ventilation is the responsibility of the tenant. The main task of the resident is to monitor the condition and dirtiness of the central unit.

Poorly functioning ventilation puts the health of the occupants at risk and can cause damage to the building. In the worst case, it can even cause a home to mould.

The problems get worse the more people live in the house or apartment. Inadequate ventilation makes the air heavy and stuffy.

– Similarly, the more you shower and, for example, dry your laundry indoors, the higher the moisture load. This can even lead to moisture condensing on the interior surfaces of the walls and creating mould,” he says.

The task of ventilation is to remove indoor air containing carbon dioxide and replace it with fresh and oxygen-rich outdoor air.

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Nastola Kirkonkylä school may be closed down as early as next autumn

Chairperson Marju Markkanen (S&D) says that the Education Committee has been given a list of all possible areas for savings.

Next week, the Lahti Board of Education will discuss possible areas for savings.

– The closure of the Church Village School has been presented as an alternative to the savings commitment that has been set. There are many options on the list, and we will be considering them during the spring. Other items I will not disclose because they have been discussed in confidence and have only been tentatively mapped out,” says Markkanen.

Many political actors have already taken a stand on the closure of the Kirkenes school, although no proposal has yet been made. For example, the Lahti Coalition Party announced on Friday that it would not accept the rapid closure of Kirkonkylä School.

During the three years, significant savings will be made to cultural services. According to the council’s decision, this year the educational services have to balance their finances with 0.8 million euros and in the next two years with around 2.5 million euros.

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Number of sexual offences reported to Häme police decreased – attempted homicides are on the rise

Last year, the number of sexual offences reported to the police was one-sixth lower than in the previous year.

The number of homicides reported to the police rose slightly, but the number of sexual offences fell in Häme last year.

The Häme police recorded twenty more homicides than in 2023. 2 540 crimes against life and health were recorded. The number of attempted homicides even doubled and was clearly higher than in the previous five years.

In 2024, 15% fewer sexual offences were reported to the police than in the previous year. However, more cases of sexual harassment, for example, were reported to the police than before. The number of sexual offences against children was generally on a downward trend.

In total, all crimes were reported to the Häme Police Department last year almost as much as in the previous year, 2023.

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Isku was placed into administration

Isku Koti Oy, which sells furniture, submitted an application for renovation in December. The majority of creditors are in favour of the restructuring.

Isku Koti Oy goes into administration. The Päijät-Häme District Court has ordered the company’s basic form of insolvency proceedings to start on Friday 17 January.

According to the court, the fact that the same liquidator handles the reorganisation of the group companies is not an obstacle, but a cost-saving measure.

A clear majority of Isku Koti’s creditors were in favour of the restructuring procedure.

However, one of the creditors, K/S Tampere I-III Oy, doubts Isku Koti Oy’s ability to meet the debts during the reorganization. The same company has filed for bankruptcy against Isku Koti Oy at the district court in Päijät-Häme before Christmas.

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Lahti hires schoolchildren for summer jobs with a monthly salary of €1 000 – summer work vouchers offered to all interested parties

According to Taisto Tuominen, Director of Employment Services, not all employers will redeem a summer work voucher from a young person.

Lahti plans to hire schoolchildren and students for summer jobs at a monthly salary of €1 000.

– The city’s summer internships will be announced in February and March, but other summer jobs are already available on the labour market, says Tuominen.

Summer work vouchers perceived as too burdensome

In Lahti, the summer work voucher for 9th graders is also back in use.

It is planned to distribute them this year as well to everyone who wants one. It is estimated that 1,300 summer work vouchers worth 300 euros are needed.

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Metsäkankaan shopping centre is facing a demolition order

The City of Lahti and property owner Bonava have agreed to demolish the Metsäkangas shopping centre and landscape the area.

The Metsäkankaan shopping centre, once a bustling commercial area, is disappearing from the cityscape. Most of the property has been vacant for years and is being replaced by apartment blocks.

Now the City of Lahti and the owner of the property, Bonava, have agreed that the dilapidated building will be demolished and the owner will clean up and landscape the area. The building is still occupied by a pizzeria and the Wanha Mestari pub.

In 2013, the city and the former owner of the property, NCC Rakennus oy, entered into a land use agreement, which included construction obligations. The construction obligation was given an extension so that all houses would have to be built by the end of 2019.

The land use agreement specified a fine for neglecting the construction obligation, but the city has not collected it.

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