Here’s an eye-popping number for you: 1.3 trillion dollars. That’s higher than America’s car loans and credit card debt combined. It’s also the amount of student debt in this country–student loans comprise the second-highest form of consumer debt in America. No wonder student debt is raising waves in the community and rising higher of politician’s priority lists.
Today, in a morning conference call, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow initiated the #InTheRed campaign with Michigan State University student Tina Reyes to raise awareness of the staggering burden of student loan debt for college graduates and the need to focus on college affordability.
“Too many people in Michigan are saddled with decades of debt just because they wanted a fair shot to go to college and get ahead,” said Senator Stabenow. “Making college affordable will improve the lives of millions of Americans and boost our economy by giving graduates the ability to spend their money on a home, a car, and the needs of their families.”
The #InTheRed campaign is focused not only raising awareness of college debt, but also addressing the problem. Senator Stabenow introduced the proposals intended to curb the problem of student debt and to lessen the burden of being #InTheRed.
• Allow all federal student loan borrowers to refinance their high-interest loans down to the rates offered to new federal bowers in the 2013-2014 school year (3.86%)
• Index Pell Grant awards to adjust for inflation
• Create new partnerships among the federal government, states, and Indian tribes to help them waive resident tuition in two years of community and technical college programs for eligible students
The costs for these proposals, including the $120 billion needed over 10 years to cover the costs of community college and technical school, would be covered by closing corporate tax loopholes.
For students like Tina Reyes, a senior majoring in political science and public policy, the focus on the student debt problem is a long time coming and a beacon of hope for thousands of students burdened in debt.
“I am a first generation college student from Flint, Michigan, and without federal and private student loans I would not be able to attend Michigan State University,” explained Tina. “Even working multiple jobs, I am concerned about how I will be able to pay my student loan bills which will arrive within a year after my graduation.”
While shouldering a full class load at school, Tina has continually worked 30-40 hours a week to help cover her expenses. However, she will still graduate this upcoming spring with $100,000 in student loans, before interest.
“I support the #InTheRed campaign because it will shed light on how much student loan debt students like me will be struggling to pay,” Tina further added. “A lower interest rate on loans would mean thousands of dollars, and not only for me, but for other people as well.”
Currently, Michigan ranks ninth in the country on average student loan debt. 62 percent of students in Michigan graduate with student loan debt. A student who graduated from a 4-year Michigan college or university in 2014 owes almost $30,000 in loans on average.
The student debt bubble will continue to grow unless something is done. The #InTheRed campaign is striving for just that, “There’s been a fundamental lack of investment from both state and federal levels,” exclaimed Stabenow. “We haven’t seen a bipartisan support to address the problem and refocus on education. We hope there is bipartisan support for the #InTheRed campaign and that higher education sees the reinvestment it desperately needs.”
History can be fascinating and enlightening because it gives us the opportunity to see how people lived before us. In a way, we’re seeing our future, because at some point the history books are going to look back at our time period and the way we lived.
Far too often, history is digested and explored at the national level. Wars and major events that almost everyone can relate to are often discussed. However, local history can be just as fascinating. It’s your backyard. It’s someone or something a generation or two before you actually experienced in first-person.
The Grand Rapids Public Library has partnered with six local historical agencies to present the History Detectives program. The day-long event will be held on Saturday, January 23 and run from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm at the Ryerson Auditorium in the Main Library – 111 Library St NE.
The event is free and open to the public. Six, 45-minute session topics presented by a local author or historian will be available. Session topics include:
• Kindergarten and “Radical” Women in 1890s Grand Rapids
• When “Everyone Knew Everyone”: Forming a Latino Community in Mid-Century West Michigan
• Retail Icons: Shopping Downtown in 1950s Grand Rapids
• New-Car Smell: Nostalgia and the Story of Grand Rapids Car Dealerships
• Modern Design Leader: The Story Behind Herman Miller
• The Intoxicating History of River City Brewing
After the sessions are history, all participants are invited to an after party at Mitten Brewing Company to further talk about the day over a couple brews.
A box lunch is available for $10 and must be ordered in advance by calling 988-5492 or by emailing rspv@grpl.org.
Partnering organizations include the Grand Rapids Historical Society, the Grand Rapids Historical Commission, the Western Michigan Genealogical Society, the Grand Rapids Public Museum, the Kutsche Office of Local History at GVSU, and the Greater Grand Rapids Women’s Historical Council.
The City of Kentwood will host “Kentwood Remembers MLK – Our Community Comes Together” to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 18. The celebration will take place at the KDL Kentwood Branch Library at 4950 Breton Rd SE.
The first-time event, which runs from 10:00am – 11:00am, was only an idea two years ago and will kick off with a welcome from Jessica Ann Tyson, Event Visionary, and Kentwood Resident/Kentwood Business Owner.
“We wanted to focus on making the event authentic to our community, to Kentwood,” said Tyson in an interview with Wyoming/Kentwood NOW. “There are numerous other celebrations in other communities, but ours needed to be authentic. I love that our event is for everyone and not just people of color.”
The event will feature Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech as well as a number of essays and artwork from Kentwood ARCH students that highlight what MLK means to them.
Following Dr. King’s speech, Mayor Stephen Kepley will deliver a mission moment and proclamation. “It is said where there is no vision, the people perish,” explained Kepley. “Passionate and honorable visions, goals, and dreams empower people to live their lives that benefit all. The City of Kentwood is honoring one of those persons, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who passionately declared his vision with the inner-personal courage to defend his dreams that have forever influenced our values so all may live in peace and unity.”
“Kentwood Remembers MLK” is sponsored by a number of Kentwood businesses, with all proceeds raised to benefit the ARCH after school program. The ARCH program focuses on low-income families, families of color, special education students, and English language learners.
“Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that still lives on today. As the community of Kentwood comes together to remember his legacy, I can only pray that each citizen takes to heart what this day truly symbolizes; peace, hope, and a chance for everyone to live together in unity,” said Tyson. “It’s idealistic, but why not strive for it?”
Wyoming/Kentwood NOW and WKTV will provide coverage of the inaugural event!
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and serves as a reminder to all women to talk with their physician about the risks of developing cervical cancer, what causes it, and what they can do to prevent it.
According to the American Cancer Society, in 2016 an estimated 12,990 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and 4,120 will die from the disease. With access to vaccination and regular screening, most of these cases could be prevented.
The death rate from cervical cancer, which was once one of the most common causes of cancer death for American women, has dropped by more than 50 percent over the past 30 years, thanks in large part to screening with the Pap test.
“The majority of cervical cancer cases in the U.S. could be prevented with HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccines, which have been recommended for a decade,” said Richard C. Wender, M.D., chief cancer control officer for the American Cancer Society. “In fact, about 90 percent of all cervical cancers could be prevented with screening and HPV vaccination.”
According to Dr. Wender, despite the enormous potential to reduce suffering and death from cervical cancer, millions of women who should be screened are not getting screened. The HPV vaccination rate among youth has been widely underutilized.
The American Cancer Society recommends the HPV vaccine to be given to girls ages 11 to 12. Cervical cancer screening with a Pap test should start at age 21. Women between the ages of 21 and 29 should have a Pap test every three years. Women aged 30 to 65 should have an HPV test with a Pap test every five years. Another option is to have just a Pap test every three years. Women over 65 years who have had regular screening with normal results should not be screened. Women who get the HPV vaccine still need to get regular screening for cervical cancer.
Uninsured women or those without a regular health care provider are significantly less likely to receive cervical cancer screening. Still, studies show about seven in 10 women who had not been screened in the previous five years had a regular doctor and health insurance.
“Cancer is a disease that can affect anyone, but it does not affect everyone equally,” said Dr. Wender. “Statistics show that some minority populations and people who lack health insurance are more likely to develop cancer – and die from it – than the general U.S. population. The opportunity to prevent death and suffering from cervical cancer is real. Screening can find changes in the cervix before they turn into cancer, and vaccination can prevent most cervical cancers. If we can apply what we know today, it is possible we may see a day when cervical cancer is virtually eliminated.”
For more information, call the American Cancer Society at 800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
Once again, I’ve spent a great deal of time eating my way around the state of Michigan. It’s a wonderful life when it is your “job” to eat, drink and play in your home state. Living now in Petoskey has introduced me to a wealth of new restaurants serving up the tastiest of fare. Here are 15 that stood out as best of the best for me.
Shortly after moving to Petoskey, this wonderful thing called “Restaurant Week” was held – a chance for me to visit some new places around town. After perusing the menus online, I settled on Seventeen in Bay Harbor where they were serving cavatelli with morels and asparagus – two of my favorite spring ingredients. It was one of those mouth-watering dishes that you slow down for, savoring each bite until the bowl is scraped clean. It was so good, I went back for it several times during the early summer (and after morels were out-of-season, other mushroom varieties were suitably substituted). The views of the harbor, the staff and live entertainment made Seventeen one of my most visited spots throughout the summer (including July 3 for Bay Harbor’s famous Fourth of July celebration).
2. Dry-Aged Tomahawk Steak at Vernales, Harbor Springs
Rated the #1 steakhouse in Michigan by Mlive.com, Vernales has become my “neighborhood” hangout since moving to Petoskey. The vast menu offers some mouth-watering pasta dishes, fish, pub fare and the best steaks around. If you’re hungry and wanting to splurge (or make a good impression), order up the 32-ounce dry-aged Tomahawk ribeye steak (for two). This is where I took my kids for our family Thanksgiving meal, where not only did we get the Tomahawk, but also a selection of pasta, crab legs, stuffed shrimp, lobster tails and scallops.
There are several places up north that I always thought were off limits – clubs that were reserved for the elite who played golf, sailed or had money to pay for private memberships. Turns out, many of these places are actually open to the public. My first visit to the Country Club of Boyne was to listen to my pal Pete Kehoe play music. It was a hot summer day – and the Gazpacho Shrimp Cocktail seemed a refreshing way to start my meal. The tiny dish of diced tomato, cucumber, bell peppers, onion, garlic and cilantro, topped with a couple giant shrimp was so good I almost ordered a second one. At the end of the night, Pete introduced me to Chef Tyler Brune (who has since been promoted to Executive Chef at Boyne Highlands) who graciously provided me with the “recipe” for this summer treat (which I prepared at home for guests over the Fourth of July holiday weekend).
Brunching is a popular activity in Northern Michigan, and Palatte Bistro downtown does it right. On weekends, you can take your turn at the “build your own Bloody Mary bar” and then settle in on the upper deck and watch the city in motion. The Caprese Omelette is as light as a breeze on a summer day – with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil rolled inside a fluffy egg wrap, drizzled with a balsamic reduction and served with toast and home fries (and for me, a side of crispy bacon, of course).
While in GR for the Wine, Beer & Food Festival, I spent some times exploring the Uptown area – which includes four thriving business districts: East Fulton, East Hills, Eastown and Wealthy Street – with friends and colleagues as we scoped out the neighborhoods for a possible business venture. Seeking a cocktail and brunch, we landed at The Winchester where this delicious cured salmon “rosette” served on a thin and crispy potato cake, with crème fraiche, red onion and crispy capers (which are an edible flower bud, if you didn’t know). This was another one of the small plate offerings that was so delicious I could have eaten two (or, maybe even three).
One of my favorite items on the menu and even though it’s a “shared plate” I often enjoy it all by myself! There’s not much better than pork belly. Chef Matt’s team serves it perfectly crispy on the outside and soft and flavorful on the inside, served atop firm pinto beans it is absolutely delicious. I’ve seen it featured also with a poached or fried egg, which I’ve yet to experience (but it’s on my radar for a future visit). Either way, I typically enjoy a simple Farmers Greens Salad as my first course, along with a fine selection of Michigan wines.
It’s no secret that Reserve is one of my favorite places to eat in the entire state of Michigan. And, narrowing down one menu item to feature on this annual list is always a challenge. Over the years, I’ve raved about the lamb Rueben on the lunch menu, as well as the pork belly hash and smoked rabbit gnocchi (the best gnocchi I’ve ever had is at Reserve), among countless other dishes. This time, they’ve knocked it out of the park with the Duck Confit Carbonara— pasta with leeks, chestnuts and a rich deliciousness known as confit duck. It’s one of those dishes that you have to keep yourself from burying your face right into bowl. One of those dishes where you struggle between eating slowly to savor every single bite and rushing through it because it’s just so darn good.
Formerly the South American Grill, inside the Inn at Bay Harbor, Vintage Chophouse was unveiled this summer and affords one of the best outdoor dining options in northern Michigan – with Little Traverse Bay just a stone’s throw from the patio. The Squid Ink Linguini, with roasted shrimp, blistered cherry tomatoes, spinach, fresh herbs and white wine garlic cream sauce, was the perfect summer dish. Upon further research, I found out that squid ink is a thick gourmet ingredient that is often used to create a dark and briny coating to pastas and risotto rice. Though it has a sea salt, somewhat “maritime” flavor, it is not fishy in taste. Combined with traditional linguini, it reminded me a tuxedo with its classy black and white color scheme.
The long-anticipated southern-influenced restaurant from Chef Matthew Millar opened this summer in Saugatuck. I was fortunate enough to attend a sneak preview back in May, including a guided foraging trek through the nearby woods, followed by an insane seven (or eight) course dinner back at the restaurant, overlooking the Kalamazoo River. In early August, when Mother Nature prohibited my mother and I from getting out on Lake Michigan aboard the historic sailboat the Bernida, we opted for shopping and eating in downtown Saugatuck. The comfort food at The Southerner was perfect for this cool, rainy day and we loaded up on the breakfast special: smoked rib hash with cabbage, potatoes, jalapeno peppers, poached eggs and that glorious topping known as hollandaise sauce, served on country-style plates reminiscent of grandma’s house. After our meal, we treated ourselves to a sweet cinnamon roll—which we shared.
10. Risotto with Smoked Salmon at Bistro FouFou, Traverse City
I’ve love the creamy, fulfilling taste of risotto and Chef Guillaume always tosses in the best ingredients to make it even more enjoyable, especially on a cold, winter day. I think risotto is actually always on his menu, but the preparation varies from season to season. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed his morel risotto, asparagus risotto and most recently, the smoked salmon risotto with roasted tomatoes (and, traditionally fennel—which I’m not a fan of, so I asked for sans-fennel). If I recall correctly, the night I enjoyed this risotto there was also a hearty beef bourguignon on the menu (which I had never had, but wanted to try ever since watching Julie & Julia)—so I ordered it to go and enjoyed it at home the following evening with a Michigan pinot noir and crusty bread.
Another one of those places I thought was private, but opens it restaurant doors to anyone. Following my pal Pete again, I landed here one summer evening just in time to hear some classic tunes, watch the sun set and to savor a half dozen decadent lamb chops served over mashed potatoes, alongside fresh asparagus and topped with a rich au jus. After dinner, I convinced the bartender to bring our table individual servings of vanilla ice cream and a couple bottles of what I believe was Founders Porter, which we used to make sinfully savory beer floats.
I think I’ve had duck more than any other single meat at Chandler’s, and I’m never disappointed. The accoutrements changes seasonally, but one thing remains constant – the crispy skin and the rare meat, tender enough to cut with a butter knife. In early summer, the preparation included roasted beets, asparagus and a few leaves of arugula drizzled with au jus.
13. Lentil Stuffed Tomato at Café Sante, Boyne City
One of the things I enjoy about Sante is their attention to the seasons of northern Michigan. In the spring, you’ll find dishes featuring ramps, morels and asparagus. In the summer, its strawberries and other fruits. In the fall, harvest vegetables and in the winter, root vegetables. One of my favorite menus was the one focused on tomatoes (the fruit that we all treat like a vegetable). After speaking on “Michigan’s Ghost Towns” at the Boyne City Library, I stopped in to Santa for a late dinner – a plump and juicy tomato stuffed with a mixture of lentils and served on a bed of greens, that was light yet satisfying.
While following John Gonzales on his Mlive.com search for “Michigan’s Best Mac & Cheese” we landed at Bridge Street Tap Room to indulge ourselves in an ultimate carb-overload. As if stuffing creamy mac-n-cheese between two pieces of asiago sourdough bread wasn’t enough, the addition of crispy bacon, avocado and sriacha aioli make this a two-handed sandwich. Be sure to wash it down with one of the nearly 30 Michigan craft beers available on draft.
With all of the great places I get to eat, it’s inspired me to do more cooking at home. From my favorite breakfast (Eggs Benedict) to infused salads to appetizers and full entrees, it’s a challenge to cook for one. Luckily, I’ve found lots of friends in the area willing to take “leftovers” off my hands. I’ve also found an interest in creating “new” meal ideas from leftovers brought home from my favorite restaurants. Probably my favorite thing to cook at home these days is grilled pizza. I start by grilling seasoned chicken thighs, adding the pulled pieces to crust coated with either pesto, tomato sauce or simple olive oil, and then any ingredients I happen to have on hand: sweet banana peppers, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, asparagus, roasted garlic, capers and then topped with shredded cheese and added back to the grill. Even the leftovers are great when warmed in the oven. The great thing is, no two pizzas are the same.
During my first visit to the Les Cheneaux Islands area (Cedarville & Hessel), I had the pleasure of enjoying a couple meals at the newly opened Les Cheneaux Culinary School—overlooking the lake. I started my meal with the recommended hors d’oeuvres – Moroccan dates stuffed with goat cheese, toasted pecans and house-cured duck prosciutto.
When it comes to salads, the culinary team at six.one.six always delivers something unique and tasty. The kale salad has made this list in previous years – and this year, it’s the beat salad. Roasted red beats and a pickled hard-boiled egg are served over a bed of lightly seasoned greens, making for a colorful and flavorful summer lunch.
Best Soup: Butternut Squash & Roasted Tomato Bisque at Mustang Wendy’s, Harbor Springs
I never would have thought to combine two of my favorite bisques together in one pot, and I was intrigued to see how they blended together. Turns out, it was pretty tasty. Topped with a swirl of crème fraiche and roasted pumpkin seeds.
Best Dessert: Pecan Ball at Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island
This dessert is synonymous with this historic hotel, and yet with all the times I’ve stayed there (on personal vacation or business), I’ve yet to have the noted Pecan Ball. So, while staying at the hotel for four days during the Bayview to Mackinac Yacht Race, I finally gave it a try. Normally not a dessert person, I found that I couldn’t put the spoon down and ended up eating nearly the entire thing (it’s ice cream after all, which just fills in all the spaces in your stomach after a multi-course meal).
Best Liquid Meal: BLT Bloody Mary at Sundance Grill, Grand Rapids
After the Michigan Winter Beer Festival, it seems fitting to end the weekend with a liquid brunch in the form of a BLT Bloody Mary. Homemade bloody Mary mix and vodka is served tall, on the rocks and garnished with bacon, lettuce and tomato standing upright in the glass, served with a side of toasted sourdough bread, mayo and a five-ounce shorty beer.
Safe Travels!
This article was republished with permission from Dianna at Promote Michigan. We do our best to help with the promotion of the great State of Michigan!
The Wyoming 62A District Court received high satisfaction marks from the community in a survey administered by the Michigan Supreme Court and the State Court Administrative Office.
Every year, an annual satisfaction survey is given to courts throughout the state that asks court users questions about their levels of satisfaction. These surveys allow courts to see how their services are received and allow them to identify strengths, areas of improvement, and provide positive feedback to employees.
“Public input is vitally important because court users can help us make critical management decisions to improve the efficiency of court operations,” said District Court Administrator Chris Kittmann. “Public satisfaction is a critical measure of the success of court operations. Our court employees continuously strive to provide respectful and courteous service to the public.”
Across the board, 62A District Court in Wyoming received positive feedback from their court users. Not only were court users pleased with the accessible, timely, and fair service they received, but 67 percent said they received a favorable outcome in their case!
Here are some other numbers from the survey:
• 96 percent of court users said they were treated with courtesy and respect by court staff.
• 90 percent of court users said the judge or magistrate treated everyone with courtesy and respect.
• 94 percent of court users were able to get their business done in a reasonable amount of time.
The public satisfaction survey is part of a statewide initiative of the Michigan Supreme Court and the State Court Administrative Office to measure and report on court performance. The survey was developed with input from both judges and court administrators statewide.
On Tuesday, January 26 at 6:30pm in the Loosemore Auditorium on Grand Valley’s downtown campus, the ACLU of Western Michigan will be hosting a timely event on the immigration issue currently capturing headlines across the United States. Entitled, Beyond Hate and Fear: Immigration and the Refugee Crisis in America, the purpose of the event is to provide insight into the long overdue process of reforming the current immigration system.
“Currently the United States is experiencing its greatest influx of immigrants in its history,” said Linda Sanchez, one of the coordinators of the event. “This has created severe problems and one of those is a hatred and fear that are both being stoked against immigrants. It’s ironic that a nation of immigrants has historically always had such difficulty with immigration, but here we are in 2016 and the problem remains. We’re hoping this symposium will help shed fresh new light on the issue.”
Panelists include Rubén Martinez, Director of the Julian Samora Research Institute at M.S.U.; Richard Kessler, Attorney and activist specializing in Immigration law; and Liz Black, Legal Services Director for Justice for Our Neighbors West Michigan.
The purpose of the event is to discuss the root causes of the anger toward immigrants and refugees. Additionally, discussion will center around the fundamental protections of due process and equal protection that are embodied in our Constitution and apply to every person, regardless of immigration status.
With the start of a New Year comes resolutions and a promise of a brighter tomorrow. For those who lost a job or are looking for a different career path, a job fair can be a beacon of hope in the dense fog of uncertainty. Thanks to Kentwood Community Church and West Michigan Works!, there’s a bright, shining beacon every month right here in Wyoming, Michigan.
The Community Job Fair is held monthly at the Wyoming Campus of Kentwood Community Church. The event brings in 40 businesses looking to fill over 1,000 immediate openings! 2015 marked the first full calendar year of the event, and the results were eye-popping.
The shakers behind the KCC Job Fair: From left, Kristina Herron, Community Engagement Coordinator, Pastor Rich Avery and Jayne Lindblom with Michigan Works!
“Last year we hosted 161 local employers and over 1,800 job seekers,” explains Community Engagement Coordinator, Kristina Herron.
While those numbers are impressive in year one, there’s reason to believe they can go even higher… much higher.
“We’re hoping to double our number of job seekers,” adds Herron. “We just started advertising and putting out promos towards the end of last year. We ran our first ad in October and saw immediate feedback. We’re to the point where employers have to pay to attend and we have a wait list! I don’t think it’s a stretch to double our attendance.”
That type of growth is impressive, and it’s a testament to the work Kentwood Community Church and West Michigan Works! have put in.
The job fair is free for all job seekers regardless of age or experience level.
While no longer free for employers, it’s an inviting atmosphere that works in their best interest. Employers are offered coffee, a comfortable sized booth, and a bevy of potential employees all in one place. One employer was encouraged by their peers to join the Community Job Fair because “it’s the best in the area!”
There’s a reason a wait list exists.
“Back in June, we accidentally overbooked and had 50 employers,” recounts Herron. “I think that was the moment I realized ’This is big time, it’s here to stay.’”
It’s important for any job fair to get both employers and potential employees into the door, but what makes a job fair have staying power is its ability to create jobs. At the Community Job Fair, job seekers must come prepared to find a new job. Several employers have interviewed and hired right on the spot!
With all the success in 2015, not only is the job fair here to stay, but it’s future is brighter than ever. Make sure to stop by.
Who: Kentwood Community Church & West Michigan Works! What: Community Job Fair When: January 13 from 9:00am – 12:00pm Where: Wyoming Campus of Kentwood Community Church, 2950 Clyde Park Ave SW, Wyoming, Michigan 49509 Why: To find a job and build a new future!
In a world full of iPhones, high-definition televisions, and unlimited forms of entertainment at our fingertips, agricultural fairs and festivals offer an opportunity to go back to our roots; back to a time when everyone knew how to milk a cow and ride a horse. A past life that, to some, seems much further removed than it actually is.
Agricultural fairs are a major factor in Michigan Tourism, bringing in over 4.5 million people per year at eighty-six county or local fairs across the state. That’s over half of the state’s population! With that attendance comes capital—over $18.5 million in livestock auctions last year alone—that is used by the youth to advance agriculture education.
Next week, January 14-16, the Michigan Association of Fairs and Exhibitions (MAFE) will host their 131st annual conference at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. The conference is utilized to bring together festival, fair, and MAFE members to share ideas, attend educational workshops, and connect with fair and festival vendors from around the country!
“The Michigan Association of Fairs and Exhibitions is in the business of fun,” explained Lisas Reiff, MAFE Executive Director in a press release. “We have created a convention that takes the fun to heart, with educational activities and a showcase of the very best in entertainment and festival vendors from around the country.”
A free, public Kid’s Showcase is scheduled for Friday, January 15 from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. in the Imperial Ballroom at the Amway Grand Plaza. The children can enjoy free entertainment such as clowns, puppet shows, magic acts, and other potential fair entertainment for the upcoming season.
Not only are the entertainment acts free, but the audience is encouraged to share feedback on the performances because those performances might become Fair and Exhibition acts throughout Michigan in 2016.
“Local fairs are some of the least expensive family oriented entertainment venues in the state of Michigan,” added Reiff. “Families get to spend quality time together, learn where their food comes from, and create lasting memories. Fairs help teach responsibility and good sportsmanship to participants, especially our youth.”
The MAFE conference is a way for everyone involved with agricultural fairs, from top to bottom, to get together in one place and share ideas. It’s an invaluable way to further education for everyone involved. Education events and round-table discussion topics this year will include youth development, educating the public on the importance of agriculture to the economy in Michigan, the contributions MAFE makes each year, promotion of agri-tourism throughout the state, and the economic impact of fairground facilities in our community.
Punxsutawyney Phil isn’t the only one who will emerge with great expectations on Groundhog Day.*
On February 2nd, area high school students will participate in Groundhog Shadow Day 2016 (#GSD16), an event that allows young people to follow (aka ‘shadow’) professional mentors at a number of local workplaces.
Sponsored by Kent Intermediate School District (Kent ISD) Career Readiness, students will get an overview of their selected company’s industry, the day-to-day operations of specific departments, positions available and requirements for successful employment, such as level of education, career pathways and the like.
“The event gives students the opportunity to ‘pull back the curtain’ on the world of work and to experience ‘a day in the life’ at a job that interests them,” said Amy Pierce, Kent ISD Career Exploration Coordinator – Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing, and Construction, who spearheads the event. “Last year 143 students participated; this year we are poised to have 269 students at 45 companies mentoring under 136 community members.”
In 2015, 87.5% of participating students said that the event increased their understanding of career options. Some found that they are already on the right track to pursue the career field that they shadowed. Many made connections that they believe will prove beneficial later on.
“My career aspirations were further strengthened, and I am more confident about how I will go about pursuing these goals,” said one student.
“I learned that my career field is very team based, which I
like,” said another.
A third student replied, “I really like how ‘real’ it was. It wasn’t like the TV shows that center around a profession; this was a real-life experience.”
This year, students will explore such fields as Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; Architecture and Construction; Arts, A/V Technology and Communications; Marketing; Finance; Health Sciences; Engineering; Business Management and Administration and many more.
“The aim is to help students make educated decisions as they contemplate their post-secondary career and academic choices,” said Pierce.
There will be opportunities to interact with a variety of professionals with different levels of responsibility, education and experience, and students may engage in a hands-on activity or demonstration that reflects the skills needed in that sector. Also on the docket is a preview of current or recent projects so that the students can understand some of the potential work demands required.
Participating organizations and businesses include John Ball Zoo, Spectrum Health, Erhardt Construction, FOX 17, City of Grand Rapids; Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women (GROW), Resurrection Life Church, Priority Health, Grandville Public Schools, Grand Rapids Urban League, West Michigan Flight Academy, Amway, Steelcase and others.
*You know the drill: Each year on February 2, Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler’s Knob, located in a rural area about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the town of Punxsutawyney (do not ask me how to pronounce that). According to tradition, if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, he has predicted six more weeks of winter-like weather. (What is not clear is what happens if Phil does not return to his hole.) However, if Phil does not see his shadow, he has predicted an “early spring.” The date of Phil’s prognostication is known as Groundhog Day in the United States and Canada, and has been celebrated since 1887. Source.
It’s win-win, kids. Hidden in the fabric of the lore is the fact that the first day of spring is March 20, which is nearly eight weeks from February 2. So, people complaining about Phil seeing his shadow should just chill. If he sees his shadow, spring is still early by nearly two weeks. If he doesn’t see his shadow, we’ll have an early spring, although just how early is not specified. Even Phil has his limits.
It took awhile, but Michigan finally decided it was time to let winter out of the basement and into the living room. With winter comes a barrage of snow that accumulates because of our trusted old friend Lake Michigan and its gift of ‘lake effect’ weather.
With snow comes the need to keep our roads and sidewalks plowed in order to keep citizen traffic flowing smoothly. A snow shoveled sidewalk keeps citizens walking on the sidewalks and off of the roads. It’s going to be a team effort to keep the sidewalks snow free this winter.
In the City of Wyoming, the City has a contractor hired to keep the sidewalks cleared. However, if there aren’t at least two inches of snowfall by 10 p.m., the contractor has to wait until the morning to start clearing. During that time the snow can get packed down, making it difficult to clear.
While the City does hire a service to clear the roads and sidewalks, it’s also up to the citizens and the business owners to do their part to keep the sidewalks cleared! Even if you don’t use the sidewalks, your neighbors might, and it’s your responsibility to make sure your portion of the sidewalk is snow free!
Take pride in your sidewalk and help make the City of Wyoming a safer place this winter.
Hidden Pain: Bringing Youth Mental Health Out of the Shadows is a series on students’ mental health, the sources of their distress, and how schools and communities can help. Photos from School News Network
For students battling anxiety and depression, sometimes the greatest stress comes from seeking success.
In today’s culture of high-stakes testing, high-cost college and all-everything excellence, getting anything less than an A on an exam can push a student’s panic button. So say local students who work to help their peers suffering from mental-health issues.
“A lot of people feel pressure to be the best – that all-star student, athlete, child,” said Bri Houle, a senior at Rockford High School, where 21.5 percent of her classmates have 3.9 grade-point averages or higher. Even though she is a trained peer listener for students having problems, she admits she puts some of that pressure on herself at test time, causing her anxiety.
“If I got a B, my mom would be like, ‘That’s great, that’s fine, it’s just one test,’” Bri added. “But I can’t physically, mentally be OK with that.”
Lucas Buck sees similar anxieties at Grandville High School: students putting pressure on themselves because of test stress, worries about college and careers and balancing their busy schedules. The Grandville senior also sees pressure on his generation coming from social media and hyper-vigilant parents.
“One friend got a B on an AP calculus test and she freaked out,” said Lucas, president of the City of Wyoming Teen Council, which works to get students involved in their communities. Helping students deal with anxiety and depression is a priority for the group this year.
From these student leaders’ perspectives, the relentless push to excel is a major challenge to many students’ mental well-being. But they say problems at home or with their friends, feelings of social isolation and the invasive power of social media also pile onto students’ daily lives, leading some to depression, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.
Students Helping Students
Bri Houle and Nick Ignatoski head a group trained to listen to and support students with their problems.
That’s why Lucas, Bri and other students are involved in student organizations that reach out to classmates who need extra support – and, increasingly, professional counseling.
“It’s a huge issue for us,” said Nick Ignatoski, co-president with Bri of a student advisory board for Rockford Public Schools’ Developing Healthy Kids program. “One is too many – one suicide or one person with a mental-health issue is too many. If we can find that one person, that’s our goal.”
Students are pursuing that goal along with school counselors, administrators and agency therapists who say they’re seeing a rise in student mental-health problems. As part of SNN’s continuing series on the issue, educators say they’re making more referrals to mental-health agencies, some of which have had to add beds for teens and children.
Interviews with students in Rockford, Grandville and Wyoming show they share their school administrators’ concerns about the trend – and are trying to do something about it.
At Rockford High School, Bri and Nick are part of a Peer Listeners group trained to meet with students having problems, and refer them to counselors if necessary. They also serve as advisers to the district’s Developing Healthy Kids series, which focuses largely on mental health. At the next public assembly on Jan. 19, students will talk about their pressures and preoccupations, while a therapist will discuss how teen minds work.
So far this school year, 19 students have had meetings with Peer Listeners, who fill out feedback forms about the encounters. Many of those have documented students struggling with depression, said school counselor Sarah Young.
Fitting In, Standing Out
Some of the problems that Young and the Peer Listeners see derive from being in a big school of about 2,000 students. That can breed a sense of isolation in some students, or unintentionally leave a new student sitting by herself at lunch, Young said.
“Especially at a place this big, it’s hard to make a name for yourself or stand out,” said Nick, who competes in baseball and plans to study bio-engineering at Michigan State University. “Students try so hard to do that, whatever they can to find that spot. I think sometimes that is too much.”
This is in a school culture that prides itself on excellence – where “mediocrity is not OK,” as Young put it, and where many students compete to be the top academic achievers. Further, social media can add another kind of competition waged on students’ smartphones.
“Some people definitely care how many ‘likes’ they get on things or ‘favorites’ compared to their peers,” Bri said. “If they don’t get a certain amount of ‘likes’ on Instagram within a certain time, they’ll take it down.”
Worse are subtle forms of cyberbullying. A popular one is “sub-tweeting,” where students post mean messages on Twitter about another student’s tweet, but without naming the person. For the target of the sub-tweet, it can be embarrassing or humiliating.
Bri insisted she doesn’t dwell on her social-media popularity.
“I have my select group of friends,” said Bri, a lacrosse player who plans to study athletic training in college. “What do I care if somebody else doesn’t like the picture I posted?”
Taking Its Toll
At Grandville High School, Lucas Buck said the toll mental-health issues take on students can affect their whole outlook.
Grandville senior Lucas Buck is president of a teen council concerned about student mental health.
“It’s an important subject because someone’s mental health can really dictate how their life is and how they see the world,” Lucas said.
It’s one of his prime concerns as president of the Teen Council. The group partnered earlier this year with the Wyoming Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Committee to survey Grandville, Wyoming, Kelloggsville and other area high school students about concerns facing teenagers today. One of the biggest was mental health.
Teen Council members plan to choose a cause this year to help students with anxiety, depression and other concerns. Last year, members participated in a three-week Mental Health Series at Wyoming Junior High School to link families with resources and get students involved with positive activities.
“Depression is a big problem at our school,” said Wyoming High School senior Candice McKenzie, a Teen Council member.
She’s also noticed students with tendencies to self-harm — cutting their skin — since she was in middle school. Some hide the cuts and others call attention to them, she said.
Candice said teens face myriad problems in their home lives and get caught up in portraying an unrealistic image glorified by the media. Social media interactions only compound that pressure.
Lucas said there’s still stigma behind getting help for mental illness, but programs like the Be Nice campaign, which is very active in Grandville, are making a difference. Be Nice, started by the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan, educates people about mental well-being, anti-bullying and the importance of treating others with civility.
Student Support is Key
Candice McKenzie says depression is a big problem among her Wyoming High School classmates.
Rockford also has programs in place to support students and spot bullying, such as the OK2SAY state reporting system. It also offers a broad range of clubs and activities, from a Gay Straight Alliance to a women’s empowerment club. These can help students find friends and motivation for school, Bri and Nick say.
Above all, students need involvement – and other students to care about them – in order to feel good about themselves, Nick said.
“Everybody’s different, so it might be a two-person club,” he added. “But if those people are good support for each other, then that’s perfect.”
It is behind this north wall, an exact replica appearing here from the exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, where researchers have discovered the hidden chamber. Could the royal tomb of Queen Nefertiti be behind this wall?
By Tom Norton
With the exhibit of the Treasures of King Tutankhamen winding down in less than a month at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, the latest news out of Egypt creates a new reason for revisiting, or catching the exhibit for the first time, what is likely one of the greatest exhibits ever to come to West Michigan.
3,300 years ago King Tutankhamen was laid to rest in what researchers now believe was a hastily constructed or modified tomb. Since its discovery in 1922, one nagging question remained unanswered; why was his burial tomb not fitting that of a ruling pharaoh?
Scores of reasons were supplied; the tumultuous period in Egyptian history when Tut lived and ruled was the most obvious. His father, the heretical pharaoh Akhenaton had recently been deposed and the 11-year-old Tutankhamen placed on the throne. DNA evidence today shows he was a sickly teen who died at the age of 19, but beyond all that there were tantalizing items in the tomb that didn’t add up. A number of the treasures didn’t appear to have ever been owned by the boy king. Treasures where the text has been erased altogether or altered to reflect the new “ownership” of Tut.
Now in 2016, the news coming out of Egypt could be as thrilling as it was in 1922 when the most famous Egyptian tomb ever was discovered.
The Egyptian government has now announced that it has a 90% certainty that there is a hidden chamber behind the north wall of Tut’s tomb. Far from being a storage room, researchers and Egyptologists believe the north wall of Tut’s burial chamber may have been built and painted over to conceal the entrance to the tomb of the fabled Queen Nefertiti, possibly an aunt of the boy king.
The north wall of the burial chamber shows the young King in the afterlife and going through the ritual known as the “opening of the mouth.” A ritual performed by the gods as the pharaoh enters the underworld. Strangely, however, some of the figures that were always assumed to be the boy king have certain feminine characteristics. Could these images have been originally been painted for Nefertiti?
If all this is true, the tomb of Tut that we know today would actually be merely the outer rooms to a much larger tomb built for the most famous Queen of Egypt.
The questions surrounding the strange size of Tut’s tomb would also be answered.
The results of the radar scans which discovered the hidden chambers will be announced in the coming few weeks. If an intact royal tomb is found within Tut’s tomb, it would be the most spectacular archaeological discovery of the last 100 years. All the more reason to take in the breathtaking exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum before it leaves at the end of January.
“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.” Han Solo once spoke those words in a galaxy far, far away.
A few weeks ago, they had the premier for The Force Awakens in Los Angeles at the TLC Chinese Theater. I watched the event online and it was spectacular! The set up they had for the event was supposedly twice the size of the Oscars Red Carpet event.
There were fans that waited at least a week or longer to try to win tickets for the premier. I heard that Anthony Daniels showed up one night and talked to the fans waiting.
As I watched the premier, I saw that George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams, John Williams, Billy Dee Williams, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and many more show up to the event.
About a week later, the movie opened in theaters to the mass public. I went on opening day, December 18. I took the day off from work and met friends at the theater. As I was waiting for the movie, I received a message from a good friend of mine who works in one of the restaurants in Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, she was standing five feet from George Lucas.
I also received a few messages from my friends asking why I hadn’t gone the night before on the 17th. You know it’s a big event when you’re already behind for seeing a film on opening day instead of the night before with seemingly everyone else.
My friends and I waited in line at the theater for a couple of hours ahead of time because we wanted to make sure we got good seats. When we sat down I had a troubling thought, “Guys what if the movie sucks?” Except, it wasn’t an original thought, I was totally referring to Eric’s line in the movie Fanboys.
Fans waiting in line in December 18th.
SPOILERS AHEAD!! Read at your own RISK!!
The Force Awakens takes place 30 years after Return of Jedi. Where we meet Poe Dameron, a fighter pilot for the Resistance, who is sent by General Leia Orgainana to retrieve a map with the location of Luke Skywalker. Which, the First Order, and Kylo Ren are also looking for.
The First Order sends Kylo Ren and the stormtroopers to Jakoo to retrieve the map from Poe and the Resistance. Before being captured trying to save a village from Stormtroopers and Kylo Ren, Poe made sure to give the map to his droid BB-8. BB-8 escapes and eventually meets up with the story’s main protagonist Rey and, eventually, Fin.
Fin, a former stormtrooper, aids Poe in escaping from the clutches of Kylo Ren and the First Order.
Before Poe escaped from the First Order, Klyo Ren tortured him to find out where he hid the map. Ren learns of the maps location in a BB-8 droid still back on Jakoo. So, he heads to the planet to retrieve the droid.
During the attempted retrieval, BB-8, Rey and Fin are attacked by stormtroopers and end up stealing the Millennium Falcon to escape. Once far enough away from Jakoo, the ship is caught in a freighters tracker beam. Assuming the worst, Rey, Finn and BB-8 hide in the bowels of the Falcon. However, this is when we first meet the old starts as Han Solo and Chewbacca have stolen back their old ship!
The story now has a new gang with Rey, Fin, Han Solo and Chewbacca. The group makes a stop to one of Han’s friends, and while they are there, Rey finds Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber and starts to realize that she is Force sensitive and that there may be more in her background than meets the eye.
This was on our board at work on December 19th
Eventually Kylo Ren shows up, crashes the party, and a battle ensues. Rey tries to run away but Kylo Ren hunts her down and captures her to take to Starkiller (a new and improved Deathstar) for further questioning.
Finn, Chewbacca, and Han head to Resistance headquarters with BB-8 in tow to meet with General Leia Orgainana. We learn that Han Solo has been away from Genera Leia Orgaiana for quite some time. Their son, Ben, had trained to become a Jedi with Luke Skywalker, but he was seduced by the Sith and Supreme Leader Supreme Leader Snoke.
Ben Solo was no longer Ben, he was now Kylo Ren!
Back at the Resistance, Poe and Finn meet again, and Poe takes Finn to General Leia Orgaiania and they formulate a plan to get Rey back and destroy Starkiller.
Back on Starkiller, Kylo Ren interrogates Rey and tries to get into her mind to read the map to Luke’s location. After failing, Kylo Ren leaves the room flustered and confused as to why he couldn’t access Rey’s mind. Rey then uses the Jedi Mind Trick on the stormtrooper in the room to unlock her bonds and escape.
Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Fin eventually make it onto the base on Starkiller to rescue Rey and blow up the base. As Han Solo and Chewbacca set the charges to later detonate, Han sees his son and attempts one last time to save him from the Dark Side.
Han desperately wants his son to come back home, and for a second it seems Ben (Kylo Ren) wants the same, but in an instant that feeling is gone and Han finds himself falling down an endless shaft. Kylo Ren has completed his transition to the Dark Side.
The charges are detonated and the Resistance finishes the job, destroying the Starkiller just as Rey, Fin and Chewbacca escape. With the Starkiller destroyed, and the leaders of the Resistance back together at headquarters, R2-D2 and BB-8 provide both pieces of the map to Luke Skywalker. In the final scene, Rey and Chewbacca set out to follow the map and find the final remaining Jedi.
Personally I give the movie a B+. I have already seen it twice. I enjoyed more the second time. Out of my about 30 of my closest friends, the most amount of times any of them had seen it was 5! Even on Christmas, my cousins one by one asked me what I thought and wondered how many times I had seen the movie. By the time I’d gotten back to work on the 19th, the guys were surprised I had only seen it once up till that point. Some friends thought I’d be on round 9 by now.
There were two big cameos in the film that were fun to spot. One was Daniel Craig as the stormtrooper Rey used the Jedi Mind Trick on to escape her cell. The other cameo was Simon Pegg as Unkar Plutt who bartered with Rey for food on Jakoo.
There are still some unanswered question from the movie, many of which are about Rey. Who is Rey’s family? Most believe she is a Skywalker. Some wonder who is Finn’s family? Is he possibly the child of Lando Calrissian? And who is Supreme Leader Snoke? One discussion at work, was brought up, that Snoke could possibly be Darth Plagueis?
Why did Luke Skywalker leave? In the movie they say he went looking for the first Jedi Temple. Since Kylo Ren was also looking for it, is it possible that Luke went to protect it from Kylo Ren? So, then what is Kylo Ren searching for?
To quote Han Solo once again…”It’s True. All of it. The Dark Side, the Jedi. They’re real.”
Katie works in the film industry as a camera operator and has worked on films like ‘All You Can Dream’, ‘Set Up’ and a TV show called ‘American Fallen Soldier.’ She loves helping WKTV with the Citizen Journalism team and working as a tech at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. Katie loves working in the film industry and loves watching movies just as much!
Karsten Creightney, ‘Crossroads’ 2010. Collage, water, acrylic, oil and wax on wood panel. Flint Institute of Arts
By Victoria Mullen
Treat yourself to a visual feast! Common Ground, an amazing exhibition of African American art, is a collaborative effort between the Flint Institute of Arts, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, and the Muskegon Museum of Art. The exhibition showcases the best of each museum’s renowned collections of African American works dating from the 19th century to the present–60 paintings, sculpture, and works on paper that chronicle a cultural history of nearly 200 years.
Five thematic areas—Examining Identities, New Self-Awareness, Towards Abstraction, Gaining Access and Political and Social Expressions—give a broad overview of African American art history from the talent and determination of the earliest artists to internationally acclaimed work by leading contemporary artists.
Charles Henry Alston, ‘Untitled (Couple)’ 1945-50. Oil on canvas. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Artists represented include Charles White, Elizabeth Catlett, Henry Ossawa Tanner and Jacob Lawrence. Works by Michigan artists are included as well, among them Richard Hunt, Senghor Reid, Hughie Lee-Smith and Charles McGee.
The Muskegon Museum of Art is located at 296 W. Webster Ave., in downtown Muskegon. Hours are Sunday 12-5pm, Tuesday through Saturday 11am-5pm, Thursday 11am-8pm, closed Mondays.
General admission: $8 adult, $5 adult student with I.D, free for ages 17 and under and for MMA members. Free admission Thursdays, from 4pm to 8pm only, compliments of Meijer. More visitor information may be found here.
Another year has come and gone. Here at Wyoming-Kentwood NOW, we take a look back at the year that was with some of our favorite, and most memorable, stories from here in Wyoming.
After almost 15 years on the job, former Wyoming Deputy City Manager Barbara Van Duren retired. Her retirement was celebrated at the Wyoming Public Library to make room for all the people in attendance! 28th West, the re-development of 28th street, was a project close to Barbara’s heart. In the words of Barbara Van Duren, “28th streets needs a facelift.”
One Wyoming 1 on 1 offers mentors the opportunity to make a difference in children’s lives. Not only that, but the children will make just as big–if not bigger–of an impact on you! Deb Havens shares her story on mentoring Amber and the bond they’ve created.
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety recognized their top employees. Among those honored was Jason Caster for Officer of the year, Brian Illbrink as Firefighter of the Year, Terra Wesseldyk as Civilian of the Year, and Lt. Kirt Zuiderveen received the Chief’s Award of Professional Excellence.
March is a special time for basketball lovers of all ages! The MHSAA playoffs kicked into full gear with multiple schools from the Wyoming area vying for a State Championship.
Harriet Sturim, a proud Wyoming homeowner since 1977, highlights some new and positive building in the city. From the new Veterans Clinic in Metro Village to the new businesses on 28th and 36th street, the City of Wyoming is continuing the city’s growth of vision and progress.
Wyoming’s, and most like Kent County’s, oldest home was put up for sale in 2015. For the first time in 179 years, the ‘Rogers Mansion’ was put on the market for someone outside the Rogers family. The house comes with the original skeleton key to unlock the front door. History is all around us.
General Motors used 2015 to invest in their Burton location with capital and full-time job opportunities. $119 million and 300 jobs were announced in June and another $43 million 55 new jobs were announced later in December! A reinvestment in West Michigan manufacturing is sometime to get excited about.
Wyoming continues to add new businesses to the area. Three new businesses found a home at the corner of Clyde Park and 44th Street. A four-story WoodSpring Hotel, a Fox Powersports, and a J&H Mobil Station with a Tim Horton’s right next-door broke in the dirt.
The Pinery Park Little League was in troubled water as they risked losing their contract to the fields at Pinery Park with the Wyoming City Council due to a lack of transparency and losing their 501(c)(3) status with the IRS. Fortunately, the league was able to get it together but will need to run more efficiently going forward.
Wyoming Public Schools found themselves on the winning side after election day with the passing of a sinking fund to help the school. The sinking fund works a little differently from a bond issue and will end up raising over $400,000 per year with little, if any, increase to Wyoming tax payers.
The Great Candy Cane Hunt had another successful season with Santa being delivered by the fire department and then leading the children on a candy cane hunt throughout Pinery Park. The event continued at the Wyoming Senior Center with “life-size” jenga and connect four that families could enjoy!
WKTV is home to Wyoming-Kentwood NOW. Sharing the stories in your community!
Every year stories are written and consumed by the masses, but here at Wyoming-Kentwood NOW we focus on the hyperlocal. More specifically, we focus on YOU and YOUR community.
As we say goodbye to 2015 and get ready to say hello to 2016, let’s take a quick look back at our ten most popular stories from the past year:
Don’t forget to make now.wktv.org a part of your daily routine, and if your interested in writing about the stories that surround you, we know just the people to talk to! Email us at news@wktv.org.
I have a huge–HUGE–pathological aversion to words like “resolution” and “resolve.” This may not seem like a big deal to many, but I’m an attorney, so it somewhat limits my field of practice. I have other shortcomings, too, but they are far too plentiful to list here. Suffice it to say that I defer from resolving to do anything specific in any given, coming year.
Now, if I put away my laptop and left things here, this would be a very short story, indeed, but that seemingly simple and non-malicious act would have far-reaching ramifications. If law school taught me anything, it’s that one must consider every single last consequence an action could possibly produce. (Well, that’s what I got out of it, and my GPA reflects this.)
For example, my boss would not be happy with a mere paragraph of an article. I would get fired, and I wouldn’t have any income so I wouldn’t be able to afford rent and to feed my cats. Months later (because let’s face it, I’m a hermit), a neighbor–or maybe not a neighbor because who knows to where I may have wandered off–would discover my tattered, lifeless body (face down), shredded to bits by those two back-stabbing felines, because we ran out of food and the ingrates were too lazy to go out and catch their own. The fate of my boys would likely remain a mystery, but my guess is that they would be initiated into a feral cat colony where they would live out their nine lives in the company of similarly ungrateful felines.
In the interest of conserving space, I have skipped a few steps in this scenario. When you think about it, we are all but a step away from a horrific disaster, but that has nothing to do with the subject of this story.
The evolution of resolutions I now divert your attention to the tale of Sam, Christy and Nigel, each of whom New Year’s Resolutions have affected in a very big way. There is at least one lesson to be learned here. As an incentive, I leave it to you to figure that out.
Every year, Sam gains at least 20 pounds porking out at Thanksgiving and Christmas parties because he lacks self control and simply enjoys eating. (Shhh. If you listen really, really hard, you can almost hear him smacking his gelatinous lips. Wait! Is that a grunt I hear?) Sam has many, many friends, thus many, many visits, which results in eating many, many meals. But Sam has absolutely no personality, so I am baffled as to how he manages to get invited to so many places year after year.
Then, there’s Christy. Each year on January 1, this spry gal pours the pennies out of her 10-gallon penny jar, drives to her favorite tattoo parlor, and gets a fabulous new tat. She’s only 30, but Christy loves BIG tattoos, so she’s running low on real estate. Plus, her mom is really mad at her and has threatened to evict her from the basement for months now.
Nigel? Well, Nigel just can’t stop chirping.
One of these individuals feels guilty, but not for any obvious reason. One is pretty darn pleased with herself. And one is a cricket and should have nothing to do with this story, but he is here to prove a point.
Of the three, Sam is the most likely to make some sort of resolution. In his defense (or by way of explanation–take your pick) he no longer fits into his designer suits, which he bought before the Great Recession, and he can’t afford to buy a whole new wardrobe. He’s stuck, so to speak.
Christy will save up more pennies and after saving and contemplating and designing another tattoo, she will blissfully go out and get inked again.
Nigel will get eaten by a wolf spider.
The resolutions: January 1 Sam vows to eat less. He’s a Type A personality, so he doesn’t stop there. He makes another resolution: He vows to lose weight. As with food, he just can’t control himself because–poof!–now there’s a third resolution: He vows to lose 20 pounds. Wait. He isn’t Type A at all. The truth is that he feels obliged to make three resolutions because that’s the tradition in his family and Sam is a follower. He can’t bring himself to break tradition, and he is too oblivious to realize that he could resolve to break tradition and thus change the course of his life’s trajectory in a very big way. Alas.
Christy doesn’t think she needs to make any resolution at all. She’s pretty happy with how things stand: Free place to stay, cool ink. But everybody else is making resolutions, and so she succumbs to peer pressure. She resolves to save money to get another tat. Perfectly legitimate. But Christy is currently unemployed. So, she has to make another resolution: Get a job. Now, a third resolution is needed: She resolves to be nicer to her mom so that Christy doesn’t get evicted until at least after winter’s end. You see how these things can snowball out of control very quickly.
Nigel is but a dried-out husk, so he is incapable of making decisions, including resolutions. In legal terms, Nigel is incompetent. Nigel is also a decedent. Well, he’s not a person, so “decedent” isn’t entirely accurate, but you get the drift.
The wolf spider who has drained the life–and juices–out of that gallant little cricket realizes that something must be done, so he makes a resolution: To find another cricket. As with the above individuals, the wolf spider doesn’t stop there and finds it necessary to add a second Resolution: To drain the life and juices out of that cricket. Because, let’s face it, what’s the use of finding a cricket if you don’t drain the life and juices out of it?
What’s the point of making a resolution if it doesn’t have a consequence?
Games were getting heated in the Wyoming Intermediate School classroom. Ace and king battles popped up in the card game, War; jacks were smacked silly in Slapjack and things got a little wild in Crazy Eights.
It was cards day in Game Club at the fifth- and sixth-grade school. Sixth-grader Eric Moras and fifth-grader Thomas Austin took turns laying down their cards, gasping at a war of aces. “I joined because I wanted to relax after the school day,” Thomas said.
Red Rover, Twister, birthday-game relays, Scrabble and Hungry, Hungry Hippos are just a few of the games a dozen students are playing. The weekly hour-long club was started by school counselor Christine Karas.
In the techie world of video games and social media, Karas wanted to introduce students to the beloved time-worn games generations before them enjoyed.
Fifth-grader Thomas Austin and sixth-grader Eric Moras play war
“Kids don’t interact with each other as much as they used to,” she said. “There’s a lot to be said for working together and having good, old-fashioned fun.”
After passing out a deck of cards for each student to bring home to play with their families, she explained her other motive in running the club. “Kids are having fun without realizing they are learning important skills because, with games, you are in a position that you have to use those skills.”
Karas was referring to the character-building skills she helps instill in students every day when they come to her office struggling with a range of personal issues. Games require students to take turns, learn to be good winners or losers, be patient, face frustration, problem-solve and take risks.
Sixth-grader Michael Lynch deals cards during Game Club
Plus it requires lots of face-to-face interaction for shy students who like to hide in the back of the classroom, she said.
Sixth-grader Illiana Valdez-Ortega, a fan of chess and checkers, said she enjoys Game Club. “I like a whole bunch of games. They are really fun and when you get bored you can always play them again and again.”
Be sure to check out School News Network for more stories about our great students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan!
It’s hard to imagine driving your car with a flat tire or an airbag that doesn’t work, right? Having either of those problems would make your car significantly more dangerous to you and your passengers. Since both of those seem like a no-brainer, why is it so difficult to properly protect our most precious cargo, our children, in a properly secured child safety seat?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, four out of five car seats are improperly installed. To add to the concern and need for a properly fitting car seat, government statistics show that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for kids aged 2-14.
So, it’s time to make sure your child’s car seat is properly fitted! As part of the Safe Kids of Greater Grand Rapids program, Fire Station No. 1 in Wyoming will be inspecting car seats on January 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. The fire station is located at 1500 Burton St. SW.
Car seat installation errors range anywhere from an incorrect recline angle (especially for young infants) to problems with the vehicle safely belt being too loose, not locked, or not correctly routed through the child seat.
Here are some tests from Safe Kids to make sure your car seat is installed correctly:
• Inch Test – Once your car seat is installed, give it a good tug at the base where the seat belt goes through it. Can you move it more than an inch side to side or front to back? A properly installed seat will not move more than an inch.
• Pinch Test – Make sure the harness is tightly buckled and coming from the correct slots (check your car seat manual). With the chest clip placed at armpit level, pinch the strap at your child’s shoulder. If you are unable to pinch any excess webbing, you’re good to go.
• For both rear and forward-facing child safety seats, use either the car’s seat belt or the lower attachments, and for forward-facing seats, use the top tether to lock the car seat in place. Don’t use both the lower attachments and seat belt at the same time. They are equally safe, so pick the one that gives you the best fit!
You can pre-register for a car seat inspection by calling Safe Kids of Greater Grand Rapids at 616-391-7233 ext. 2. It’s important that your kids are safe!
Long before the advent of written language, storytellers used the spoken word to preserve a record of past experiences from one generation to the next. Oral history was transmitted in song or speech and took on many forms: chants, folktales, ballads, sayings, or songs–knowledge shared without a writing system. This was especially key where people of a society were denied access to education or were afraid to leave a written record of their knowledge.
It is the rich, local history that Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives (GRAAMA) now seeks to preserve by interviewing the elders of a bygone era–the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. It doesn’t really seem that long ago, but once the keepers of the stories are gone, the histories will be lost forever.
The new organization has recently launched a multimedia project called ‘Grandma’s Voice.’ Made possible in part by a $25,000 grant from The Michigan Humanities Council through funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the acronym is a play on the word, ‘Grandma,’ which conveys the museum’s core mission: to document the oral history from some of the area’s oldest living people–particularly women–who can offer insight into their long-ago experiences. Some people are 80 to 100 years old, so time is of the essence.
GRAAMA has teamed up with the Grand Rapids Urban League and the Kutsche Office of Local History at Grand Valley State University. The organization is looking for elderly folks who can tell the story of early Grand Rapids or the surrounding area.
You don’t have to be a grandma to share your stories. GRAAMA encourages families and individuals to inspire others by sharing skills, experiences, and knowledge with other creative minds. Call the elders of your family, and then email george@graama.org. The organization says that those who are interviewed will receive a small stipend. The finished audio/video disk will be the main attraction at Museum once it opens in 2016.
The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 is a bipartisan bill focused on eliminating microbeads and their pollution from the Great Lakes. Microbeads are tiny plastic particles used in cosmetic products that are small enough to filter through municipal wastewater treatment plants after they’re rinsed down the drain. According to the new law, a microbead is defined as “any solid plastic particle” less than 5 millimeters in size intended for use as an exfoliate. The law’s clear wording and definition of a microbead doesn’t allow for manufacturing loopholes to other plastics.
After being rinsed down the drain, microbeads often end up floating in the Great Lakes where they can soak up toxins like a sponge and then enter the food chain after being mistaken for food by fish and other wildlife.
In the Great Lakes, anywhere between 1,500 to 1.1 million microbeads can be found per square mile. Lake Erie and Lake Ontario have the highest concentrations.
Now that the bill has been signed into law, microbeads will be phased out of consumer products over the next few years. In July 2017, a ban on manufacturing microbeads will go into effect with product-specific manufacturing and sales bans coming in 2018 and 2019.
When looking for products with microbeads, some will come out and say ‘Microbeads’ right on the label. However, other times microbeads are labeled as polyethylene or polypropylene. Companies like L’Oreal, Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble have already started phasing out microbeads for alternatives like sand and apricot seeds.
It’s a positive change that couldn’t come soon enough for the Great Lakes, their wildlife, and the food chain.
The holidays are a time of shopping for family and friends, but have you ever thought of shopping for a cause?
The War Chest Boutique, located in the Women At Risk, International headquarters at 2790 44th Street in Wyoming, offers an opportunity to do just that. The elegant and spacious storefront displays items produced or supported by women who have escaped sexual slavery or other at-risk situations such as domestic violence, substance abuse, and exploitation. The products include spa items, scarves, cards, bags, and beautiful jewelry made from items unique to their country of origin such as pearls, gems, paper, and nuts.
From its humble beginnings in the kitchen of founder and president, Rebecca McDonald, Women at Risk, International, or WAR Int’L, now has safe houses in 40 countries. These safe houses and related programs work to rescue women and children from the ravages of human trafficking and bring them to a place where they can enjoy job training, education, counseling, therapy, and mentoring. Stephanie Cozzolino, Retail District Manager, shared that recently the organization achieved a grant allowing WAR Int’L to increase the size of their program. Cozzolino asserts their excitement that lives can be restored and dignity reclaimed.
You may be thinking that WAR Int’L is a noble cause to help these women and children in foreign lands, but that human trafficking doesn’t have an effect on your life. Unfortunately, sexual exploitation not only exists overseas but indeed is thriving underground in small towns across America; Yes, even towns like Wyoming, Kentwood, and Grandville.
An estimated 2,400 children are living in slavery, exploited, or sold in West Michigan, according to the U. S. Department of State.
According to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Michigan ranks 13th in the country for the number of sex trafficking victims.
You may remember the recent news headlines when WCSG radio personality, John Balyo, was arrested and convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for arranging sexual encounters with minors. Internet child pornography is an ever-growing industry in our country. According to the FBI, “The new slavery…human trafficking, is the fastest growing segment of organized crime.”
“There is a misconception that all traffickers are men,” states Cozzolino. “It is surprising that women play a growing role in the trafficking and prostitution business.”
Large public events such as the Superbowl have become the largest incidents for human trafficking in the United States. Likewise, Cozzolino states local Grand Rapids events such as Art Prize have drawn similar crime. Many from out-of-town use internet sources like Backpage to obtain children and women for illicit purposes. War Int’L closely monitors these events, participating with groups like the S.O.A.P. project to offer rescue and assistance to those in need.
The S.O.A.P. project works to place bars of soap in hotel bathrooms (many times the only time the victim is away from her captor) with the number for the National Human Trafficking Resource Center imprinted on the wrapper. Aside from large events, intervention and assistance is also offered at bars, strip clubs, and red light districts within the city.
Traffickers are very adept at luring vulnerable teens with flattery, gifts, or the promise of love or riches before drugging them and selling their bodies to the highest bidders. Those victims who are able to escape are left with nothing but scars, both emotional and physical. That is where WAR Int’L comes in. Rescued and at-risk women can come to the WAR Int’L headquarters for protection and assistance. Safe houses offer “safe places to turn crisis into hope, where women can be rescued, restored, and empowered to walk with dignity.”
How can you help? Shop! That’s right, it’s as easy as visiting the War Chest Boutique in Wyoming (or its counterparts in Rockford, MI and Napierville, IL) and picking out an item, made with love by a woman who has overcome darkness and is on the path to independence. One hundred percent of the money from the product made by these women returns to them and their programs. Staff at WAR Int’L are compensated through donations.
Looking forward to the spring, Cozzolino explained that the current Winter Wonderland theme in the anteroom will be transformed into a café, staffed with baristas to make and serve fresh coffee and treats. Please take the time to stop in for a break and peruse the gorgeous products being sold in the name of love.
While donations are always appreciated, you can also host a War Chest party at your home, church, office, or at the War Chest Boutique. Please go to www.Warinternational.org for more information.
Kathy is a long-time employee with Spectrum Health. She has been married for 28 years to her wonderful husband, Duke. Together they have 2 children, Emily and Daniel. In her free time she enjoys volunteering with the Casting Bread Mobile Food Pantry at Kentwood Christian Church, making sandwiches at Kids Food Basket, and leading Ladies Bible Study on Thursday nights. Writing has been her passion since elementary school and she loves to write about how others enjoy what they are passionate about!
Life can have this fascinating way of coming full circle. A way of bringing us back to our roots on pathways that don’t become clear until a glance is taken in the rear-view mirror – which only happens once we’re at a place to truly call home. It is that sense of settlement that makes us feel secure enough to take a look back, and while the vision isn’t completely clear, it’s no longer a muddled mess; it’s an exciting and enthralling chance to see the events of the past lead to an optimistic future.
It’s a journey towards a new position in life to call home.
For Jesse Flores, 18, life is shaping a path to venture back to a home he’s never visited, it’s a dream scenario with love and passion at the core, and soccer as the catalyst.
“I started playing soccer when I was 4, but I didn’t start to take it seriously until freshman year of high school,” describes Jesse with the tone and tenor of someone fondly remembering the moment they first fell in love.
For Jesse, soccer has always had that relationship. Sports are a bond that can bring generations, especially a father and son, together in ways that transcend the playing field.
“I remember growing up and watching Atlas games on TV with my dad. They’ve always been my favorite team.”
While Jesse is from Wyoming, MI, his parents Jose and Icela both hail from Guadalajara, Mexico, where Jose played soccer for the youth team Atlas Fútbol Club. That bond to Atlas, and Mexican soccer, was passed down to Jesse.
With a new focus on the game as a freshman at Wyoming High School, Jesse’s game started to flourish. As a three-year varsity goalie, Jesse became a leader on the team and utilized his 6’3″ frame and long wingspan to defend the cage. His size and leadership allowed Jesse to lead the state in saves his senior season and earned him post-season honors.
Even with all the success, it was hard to imagine playing soccer at the next level.
“I didn’t consider it a real possibility until my high school coach, Romer Carrasco, told me that he thought I could play at the next level. Once I realized an opportunity after high school was possible, more doors opened up.”
Jesse and high school coach Romer Carrasco
Jesse wound up earning a scholarship to play soccer at the University of Saint Francis in Indiana. While the team struggled this past season, Jesse played well and compiled a highlight film to send out to professional teams in Mexico.
A professional opportunity was still nothing more than a dream.
“I connected with an agent in California who works with young players. He gets your info and film in front of Mexican teams,” recounts Jesse as he racks his brain, still marveling at the details of his incredible journey and opportunities awaiting on the path before him. “I’ve always dreamed of playing professionally, but I didn’t know if I’d have a chance.”
Since that time, two teams have reached out to Jesse to schedule tryouts: Chiapas Fútbol Club and hometown favorite Atlas Fútbol Club of Guadalajara. The tryout with Chiapas is already in the books, and the Atlas tryout will happen this summer. Chiapas didn’t offer a contract, but Jesse took some positives from the experience to build on before the tryout with Atlas.
“I didn’t end up getting the contract with Chiapas, but I was able to get a feel for how a professional tryout works. I was nervous and didn’t play loose. That won’t happen next time.” The club also gave Jesse some feedback on his play. “They told me to work on my conditioning, but also that they saw my potential. That was great to hear because it gives me more confidence knowing that I have the tools and the skill. I can always work on my conditioning!”
In the meantime, before the tryout with Atlas, Jesse will continue his education and playing career at Davenport University after transferring from Saint Francis to be closer to home. The newfound possibilities of becoming a professional soccer player mean more to Jesse than just personal achievement; he sees it as an opportunity to inspire.
“I want to inspire others as I go along. I was once that young kid who wanted to be professional, and now I have that opportunity. I want to do my best and achieve what I can so I can give back to the community of Wyoming and my high school. They’ve been so supportive of me up until this point. I want to give it back.”
This summer, Jesse will travel down to Guadalajara for an opportunity of a lifetime. Not only will he be trying out for his childhood team, but Jesse will visit his parents’ birthplace and meet family for the first time. He will see the city that his favorite soccer team calls home and immerse himself with the Club he hopes to call his own.
Jesse’s story is more than just an inspirational tale; it is a journey of family and sport coming full circle because of the bond created by a father, a son, their team, and a ball.
Long lines surrounded the DeltaPlex Arena & Conference Center on Monday, December 21, 2015 as people eagerly awaited the arrival of front-runner Republican Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump.
Several Trump supporters were in line since early afternoon anxiously waiting for the doors to open at five.
“I would not stand in line this long for any other politician,” exclaimed Barbara Sue Damore (Suzie), a committed fan from right here in Grand Rapids. Suzie even made ‘Big Trump Cookies’ to distribute to the line of supporters while they waited.
A row of satellite trucks, media, and television remotes dominated the south entrance to the convention center, and over ten thousand people were counted in attendance for the Trump rally. In all, it was the largest crowd ever at the DeltaPlex.
The rally hosted support from all age groups. There was a large portion of the younger generation in attendance as well.
While awaiting Trump’s arrival, I spoke with several teenage students. One group of Byron Center high school supporters were there to hear Trump talk about his plan to combat ISIS. Students from Martin, Allegan, Hopkins, Caledonia and Forest Hills High Schools were also interested in hearing Trump talk combating ISIS and gun control.
I spoke with a group of college students from Ferris State who were awaiting some fellow students from Baker and Fremont college. They were interested in hearing about Trump’s tax plan, the budget, and military spending.
High school and college students weren’t the youngest in attendance, the Harrison family from Dorr brought along their three little girls. This was their first rally and they wanted to part of the history in making America great again.
Eighty-five-year-old Betty Stott traveled from the Ft. Wayne Indiana area just to see Trump and listen to all he had to say.
Kathy and Mary from Muskegon were there in hopes to hear Trumps plan for education, and immigration.
In talking with a group of some Grand Haven supporters, they liked his celebrity and wanted to hear Trump’s famous catch phrase “Obama you’re fired.” Others just wanted to watch his antics, and they were not disappointed.
The evening’s ceremonies started with everyone singing the Star Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful. After singing, everyone stood up with hands over their hearts for the saying of the pledge of allegiance.
The crowd roared as Donald Trump hit the stage.
He started with a light joke on the good deal he got on the DeltaPlex center. From there, it was all business, Trump got serious and went into an attack mode against his competitors.
The comments came out hot and started with Lindsey Graham’s decision to leave the race earlier that Monday. He criticized Jeb Bush’s poling numbers as “sad.” And, to no one’s surprise, the biggest target was Hillary Clinton.
Trump made a comment about Hillary being “schlonged” by Obama in 2008. He took a jab at Hillary’s claim that terrorist groups are recruiting fighters with a video of him. “She’s a liar,” he said.
The next day Trump tweeted that his reference about Hillary being “schlonged” is a common term used frequently by politicians.
He also made reference to Hillary’s “break” during a recent Democratic debate telling the crowd, “I know where she went, it’s disgusting.” Laughter filled the arena.
Trump went after the media, daring the camera crews to get a good crowd shot of his supporters in reaction to protesters interrupting the rally. Trump called the protesters “a bunch of losers” and waved goodbye as security escorted them out. This again brought thunderous applause from his supporters.
He told the crowd he hated journalists because some of them are lying, disgusting people. “It’s true,” he stated, before sarcastically adding with a smile and a wink, “But I would never kill them.”
Trump talked about the car manufacturing industry here in Michigan. He said he would slap Ford with a punitive 35 percent tax for ‘every car and part’ produced at an expanded plant in Mexico. “I am a free trader, but we can’t be stupid traders,” he told supporters.
A tax on car parts made in Mexico wasn’t the only reference to the country. If Trump was elected, a ‘beautiful’ wall would be built to keep illegals out. The ‘Trump Wall’ as he named it.
As the rally continued, Trump mentioned his recent support from Russian President Vladmir Putin and asked his supporters, “wouldn’t it be great if we could all just get along?”
After over an hour of speaking to a highly vocal crowd, Trump exited to the stage and left a favorable impression on those in attendance.
Comments such as “he tells it like it is”, “Trump expresses the views of the common people”, and “we believe he will make America great again” were commonly expressed by those in attendance.
P. Williams “Patty Williams” has a life time of experience in the entertainment business. On stage at an early age with West Michigan’s first family of bluegrass music, The Williams Family. Patty started P. Williams Productions in 2003. Three Eclipse Awards and Two Telly Awards grace her mantle. Patty enjoys working with professionals, and is always open to new adventures.
Mild temperatures may have provided a slow start to winter, but snow will be here before we know it and Pure Michigan has winter recreation on the mind. According to Project: Time Off and the US Travel Association, 429 million days of annual leave go unused in the U.S. each year. This winter, Travel Michigan is encouraging people to put some of those unused vacation days to work, channeling their inner child and heading out to experience the thrill of a Pure Michigan Snow Day.
In addition to this year’s winter advertising campaign, which begins airing the first week of January, a Snow Day landing page has launched on Michigan.org to provide visitors to the most visited state tourism website in the country with the inspiration and information to plan the perfect winter getaway. A new video highlighting winter recreation offerings is also available on the new landing page and Pure Michigan’s YouTube page.
“Michigan is a place where snow days come to life and there is no better way to enjoy the unique and beautiful winter travel experiences the season has to offer than to create your own Pure Michigan Snow Day,” said Dave Lorenz, Vice President of Travel Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. “Whether you are an enthusiast looking for a new adventure or just looking to beat cabin fever, make the most of those unused annual leave days and revel in the excitement and delight that awaits when a fresh blanket of snow covers the ground and the day is wide open.”
Travelers and travel industry partners are being encouraged to use the hashtag #puremichigansnowday to highlight winter offerings and adventures across Michigan. Michigan is home to more than 6,500 miles of snowmobile trails, 3,000 miles of cross-country skiing trails and is second in the nation for ski areas boasting everything from family friendly bunny hills to the tallest vertical drop in the Midwest at Mt. Bohemia.
Last year, winter tourism generated $2.8 billion in traveler spending in Michigan.
The advertising campaign launching in January will target metro areas in Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota. The campaign features television spots Snow Day and Chance of Snow and radio ads such as Snow Day, Snow, Here’s to the Curious and Nicknames. Check them out yourself to see the way our great state is presented to the rest of the nation!
Make sure you get outside and enjoy everything Michigan has to offer! There’s a whole winter wonderland waiting to be explored.
Set several years after events from George Lucas’ original trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens promises to update us on the adventures of Han, Luke, and Leia, as well as introduce a new generation of heroes and villains.
Like Hollywood’s other, lesser sci-fi franchises—that’s a personal opinion—Star Wars deals with futuristic technologies that often have their origins, or even their rough equivalent, in real-world science. It’s a tradition as old as science fiction itself. The writers and designers who dream up sci-fi systems, weapons, and vehicles begin their notional noodling with the actual technologies they see around them.
Here we look at 10 Star Wars technologies and shift our gaze deeper toward the inspirations and real-world science behind them. Blasters. Droids. Hyperspace drives. It’s good to be talking about these topics again, isn’t it?
Lightsabers
An elegant weapon of a more civilized age, the lightsaber remains the greatest contribution from Star Wars to the sci-fi weaponry arsenal of fame. Mythology holds that each weapon is powered by a quasi-mystical kyber crystal, which resonates both with the Force and with its individual Jedi—or Sith. The blade is made from focused plasma energy, held within an invisible containment field.
Lucas conceived of the lightsaber as a sci-fi update to the standard sword wielded by heroes in fantasy stories and film serials. The original name for the weapon, “lazersword,” was thankfully revised as the original film script developed.
Could we actually make a real lightsaber? Maybe. Back in 2013, researchers at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology managed to get photons to bond together like molecules, creating a state of matter that had previously been purely hypothetical. “It’s not an inapt analogy to compare this to lightsabers,” said Harvard’s lead researcher at the time, causing worldwide swooning among the faithful.
Imperial Walkers
Possibly the single coolest combat vehicle in the Star Wars universe, Imperial Walkers, or AT-ATs (All Terrain Armored Transport), are used by Imperial ground forces to crush enemy resistance and morale. At the infamous Battle of Hoth, AT-ATs proved to be the decisive weapon in breaking Rebel defenses, and gave the original trilogy one of its signature set pieces.
Legend holds that George Lucas’ inspiration for the Imperial Walker came from giant cargo lifters on the San Francisco Bay—although this origin story has apparently been refuted by the the man himself. In any case, subsequent details gradually emerged in the Star Wars canon: AT-ATs stood 22.5 meters high and were powered by massive hydraulic joints using compact fusion drive engines.
In the realm of contemporary robotics, Boston Dynamics’ BigDog robot (inset) is similar in style, if not scale, to those massive Imperial Walkers. About the size of a small mule, the BigDog uses a hydraulic actuation system to power four articulated legs designed to navigate rough terrains. BigDog can run, climb slopes and carry more than 300 pounds of cargo.
Moisture Vaporators
Not all of the technologies in Star Wars are Hoth-shaking monstrosities. Some appear as quick throwaway lines or references, which nevertheless have held an enduring fascination for fans of a sufficient intensity. For instance, on Luke Skywalker’s arid home planet of Tatooine, farmers must deploy “moisture vaporators” to pull water out of thin air. C-3PO’s fluency with the binary language of these vaporators leads to his employment with the Skywalkers, and subsequent heroics.
Techniques and technologies for pulling moisture out of the air actually go back hundreds and maybe even thousands of years. It’s simply a matter of cooling water vapor into a denser liquid state—the Incas were quite good at it, for instance. In recent years, engineers have developed some interesting variations on the theme, like the bicycle-mounted moisture vaporator.
Landspeeders
Luke Skywalker’s junky landspeeder—the X-34 model, technically—was the first of many levitating vehicles that would be introduced in the Star Wars universe. Whether small or large, like Jabba the Hutt’s pleasure skiff, the vehicles were powered by antigravity technology known as repulsorlift engines, according to Star Wars lore. Repulsorlifts, in turn, were imagined as manufactured “knots” of space-time that could be directed to push back against existing gravitational pull.
Antigravity is a time-honored science fiction trope, going all the way back to H.G. Wells and some of the earliest sci-fi stories. As for contemporary theories about antigravity, the science gets extremely complicated and much depends on how you define your terms. But we certainly have plenty of “levitating” vehicles to choose from, including hovercraft RVs and maglev trains. Volkswagen is one of several companies looking into the idea of electromagnetic hover cars.
Hyperdrive
Han Solo’s many daring escapes in the original Star Wars trilogy often involve the Millennium Falcon’s rickety hyperdrive engine. A classic FTL (faster than light) device, the hyperdrive concept allows Star Wars ships and characters to zip across the galaxy to different planets, which makes the storytelling a whole lot easier.
FTL travel has long been a useful conjecture in science-fiction stories for exactly that reason. References to hyperspace and other modes of interstellar travel date back to the golden age of science fiction in 1940s and 1950s, where George Lucas found inspiration for many of space opera ideas.
We’re nowhere close to hyperdrive technology, but if a growing collection of reports is to be believed, NASA is indeed investigating an “impossible” alternative spaceflight technology. The controversial electromagnetic propulsion drive, or EM Drive, purportedly converts energy directly into thrust and continues to be tested at NASA’s Eagleworks Laboratories.
Blasters
“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.” So says Han to Luke in the original Star Wars movie, advocating for sidearms over ‘sabers. Referred to as blasters throughout the film series, these ranged weapons follow very specific rules throughout the entire Star Wars multimedia empire.
For one thing, don’t call them laser guns. Blasters are more accurately termed particle beam weapons, in that they shoot bolts of energized particles rather than beams of focused light. In the various Star Wars videogames that have been developed over the years, blaster bolts are treated as ballistic projectiles within the physics of the game.
In terms of real-world tech, blasters would be considered a kind of directed-energy weapon that fires highly charged particles of negligible mass. Directed-energy weapons are already in use by the U.S. military, most notably the Navy’s antidrone Laser Weapon System (LaWS).
Tractor Beams
The tractor beam concept is by no means exclusive to the Star Wars franchise—Trekkers can tell you all about it, for instance. But Star Wars does make use of the idea throughout the series. A kind of projected force field, a tractor beam is used to guide incoming vessels into space stations or ports. They can also be deployed to forcibly capture misbehaving ships in the vicinity—as when Vader’s Imperial Star Destroyer captures Princess Leia’s ship.
Scientists have been researching different kinds of tractor beam concepts since at least the 1960s, usually involving the projection of electromagnetic energy as a way to attract or repulse objects at a distance. More recently, engineers in the United Kingdom created a type of sonic tractor beam that projects sound waves to grab and manipulate lightweight objects. The device manipulates an array of 64 miniature loudspeakers to create acoustic fields of force. Neat.
Protocol Droids
As he reminds us throughout the Star Wars films, C-3PO is a protocol droid specializing in “human-cyborg relations” and programmed to translate between languages. He is, in fact, fluent in over 6 million forms of communication. He never shuts up about it, really. Threepio’s essential function is a plot device that’s been inserted into all manner of sci-fi and fantasy stories—the machine or artifact that translates language between characters or cultures.
In the field of modern computer science known as natural language processing, real-time language translation has been a kind of Holy Grail for the past several decades. We’re getting surprisingly close: Skype is currently preview-testing a new service that translates spoken language in near real-time between callers. Skype Translator is currently available in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Mandarin.
Limb Prosthetics
Attentive viewers of the Star Wars saga will notice that a curious number of characters get their limbs hacked off. Luke, most famously, loses his hand to Vader’s lightsaber in The Empire Strikes Back. But Luke gets his revenge in Return of the Jedi, claiming a hand back from Vader via lightsaber. In the prequel trilogy, we learn that Anakin already lost that hand—plus both legs—when he became Darth in the first place. Other characters that lose limbs: C-3PO, Mace Windu, General Grievous, Count Dooku, the Wampa, and Darth Maul.
The actual science of limb prosthetics has made tremendous strides in recent years, thanks to improvements in robotics, material science, and neural interface technology. In September, medical researchers successfully attached a prosthetic hand to a spinal cord patient that relayed tactile sensations directly to the brain. Electrodes placed in the patient’s motor cortex also allowed the patient to move the prosthetic hand with his thoughts. According to the research team, it’s the first time both capabilities have been put into the same prosthetic device.
The Force
Speaking of mind powers, it’s been almost 40 years (!) now since Star Wars introduced our planet to the concept of the Force. As a storytelling notion, the Force is much more akin to the magic of high fantasy than the technological speculation of hard science fiction. But then that’s always been a hallmark of the series, which proceeds from swords-and-sorcery as much as sci-fi—not to mention Westerns and samurai movies.
Here’s the funny thing: Very recent advances in high technology have resulted in instances of what might be termed Force-like powers. Neuroprosthetics are arguably a kind of telekinesis—people are moving things in the physical world simply by thinking about them. And experiments in brain-to-brain interface (BBI) have successfully approximated telepathy, enabling people to read each other’s thoughts via brain monitoring and stimulation.
Science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke once wrote that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Keep that in mind when you settle in for the next chapter in the Star Wars saga. May the Force be with you.
This article has been republished with permission from MacWorld.
Peppermint…the flavor of red and white striped candy canes…has synonymous with the holiday season since the late 1800s. To celebrate this long-standing tradition, Hudsonville Ice Cream announces its seasonal release of its Limited Edition Peppermint Stick Ice Cream flavor.
“This flavor will bring back childhood memories of snowy days,” says Ray Sierengowski from Hudsonville Ice Cream. “To create this refreshing and cool flavor, we take our Original Vanilla ice cream and blend in actual candy cane pieces. It’s delicious on its own, or in a creative recipe.”
Michigan is rich with mint history, dating back to the early 1900s when the Albert M. Todd Company in Kalamazoo was recognized as the leading producer of the distilled flavoring that leads to peppermint and spearmint. In fact, in the early Twentieth Century, 90 percent of the world’s mint was grown on Todd owned farms within a 90-mile radius of Kalamazoo. The Todd Company still manufactures mint and other flavorings in Kalamazoo, selling it to other companies like National Flavors, who in turn work with producers like Hudsonville Ice Cream.
“When you look at the whole picture, Peppermint Stick is actually a Pure Michigan flavor,” Ray says.
Find Peppermint Stick and countless other Hudsonville Ice Cream flavors in grocery stores and ice cream parlors in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. In addition to its “All Season” flavors, which are available year round in blue cartons, several “Limited Edition” are offered seasonally throughout the year, in distinguished red cartons.
Started in 1895 as a farmers’ cooperative, the Holland-based Hudsonville Creamery & Ice Cream is the largest manufacturer of branded ice cream in Michigan. For nearly 90 years, this Midwest company has been producing its creamy, delicious ice cream – using many of its original flavors, while at the same time creating refreshing new recipes inspired by the Great Lakes.
This article was republished with permission from Dianna at Promote Michigan. We do our best to help with the promotion of the great State of Michigan!
The renowned Moscow Festival Ballet company brings two of the most romantic Russian ballets to the stage. Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare’s classic tale of young star-crossed lovers, featuring the music of Tchaikovsky and the choreography of Marius Petipa (11 March 1818 – 14 July 1910), the French ballet dancer, teacher and choreographer, who is considered to be the most influential ballet master and choreographer in ballet history.
The evening also includes selections from another timeless classic, the fairy tale The Sleeping Beauty, also set to music by Tchaikovsky. Both performances feature exquisite costumes and lush scenery in the grand ballet style.
Founded by legendary dancer Sergei Radchenko, this acclaimed company features leading dancers from across Russia.
See it Friday, January 8, 8-10 pm at the Catherine Herrick Cobb Great Hall, Wharton Center for Performing Arts, 750 E. Shaw Ln., East Lansing, MI 48824. Email whartoncenter@gmail.com for more information or call 517.353.1982. Visit the website here.
On Saturday, December 19, children near the Godfrey-Lee school district right here in Wyoming, MI received a surprise gift sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face. Thanks to the 11th annual Elves & More West Michigan project, 1,800 kids went home as brand-new bike owners.
Each year, organizers of Elves & More decide on an area of need in West Michigan, and bring Christmas joy to families by giving away bikes to kids age 3-16. The location is kept secret until the morning of the giveaway, and then the message is released in a hurry! Families in the Godfrey-Lee area were alerted by a last-minute text through the school district, and the Wyoming police and fire department rolled through neighborhoods announcing the giveaway from their loudspeakers.
This year, 300 volunteers unloaded a bevy of bikes from semi-trucks and set up at Lee Middle and High school off of Havana Avenue.
Elves & More is a non-profit organization devoted to bringing hope to children. They do this by raising funds to purchase, assemble and deliver high-quality bikes and treasure boxes to 1,000 children each holiday season.
In the past 11 years, Elves & More West Michigan has provided 11,800 new bikes and helmets to children in need around Grand Rapids.
Last year, 1,500 bikes were donated in Southeast Grand Rapids.
If you’re looking to get involved for next holiday season, visit Elves & More West Michigan! A donation of $65 buys one lucky child a bike and a helmet. This past year, 13 corporate donors helped provide the 1,800 bikes now tearing up the black top in Godfrey-Lee!
Like GONE WITH THE WIND in 1939, STAR WARS in 1977, and JURASSIC PARK in 1993, this will go down as The Film Event of a generation.
It’s most certainly a JJ Abrams/STAR WARS film. There are moments of brilliance, as well as occasional narrative shortcomings that frankly come with the territory. It’s almost as if the creators came together to make the perfect ode to all things Long Time Ago/Far Far Away, even the flaws that tend to make the films all the more treasured. There is amazing technical wizardry on display along with a wry and splendid sense of humor that the Original Trilogy thrived on. And I for one am glad to have sat in awe for two glorious hours of welcome nostalgic joy that myself and numerous other fans of the Force have waited too long now for.
To talk cast, the original crew is still in prime form. Ford is now a fine vintage Han Solo, fully developed after his rollicking adventures with Luke and the gang aboard the Millennium Falcon. Alongside Solo, Luke’s mere presence gives all fans strength, Chewie is still violently charming, and Carrie Fisher is a breath of nostalgic majesty as General Leia who’s only gotten better with age. Now if only they’d allow her to hold some true screen time, but there be a firm reason for that.
The Force Awakens functions as a film that passes the torch down the line. The Original Cast won’t be around much longer, and therefore an insurance policy must be taken out in the form of the new characters. And what a solid policy they’ve landed!
Oscar Isaac is The Man! From his excellent supporting moments over the years in projects like Drive to his powerhouse roles in A Most Violent Year and Ex Machina, I have been fanboying all year in anticipation of him truly hitting the big time with this here War in the Stars franchise. He gives the charming ace Poe Dameron a vivacity that rivals Ricky Ricardo in just his ability to smile.
John Boyega is solidly enjoyable as the Stormtrooper turncoat Finn, who makes strides to improve his lot in life by escaping to better worlds, stumbling over each step as he goes.
There’s also the wonderful revelation that is Daisy Ridley as Rey, our Luke stand-in who has spunk, a history, and a no-nonsense sense of feminine agency that is more than welcome in the STAR WARS canon, seeing that the character of Mara Jade has been retconned entirely (boo!).
One of the films protagonists, Rey (Daisy Ridley)/Our Luke Skywalker stand-in.
Of the new arrivals, the one that had the most to prove was Adam Driver as our antagonist, Kylo Ren. I was most worried that this was going to be another Anakin situation, with a promising actor being forced to play up angst in a character that needs a finer touch in performance. Lo and behold, I was impressed by Mr. Driver’s palpable sense of impotent rage and innate menace that the Prequel trilogy just couldn’t quite harness. Bravo, sir.
My hesitant attitude towards Kylo Ren mirrors my thoughts on the director, JJ Abrams. Previously, his films have proven to be hit-or-miss at best, strange and obtusely irritating at worst. Don’t get my words wrong, I was not going into the film expecting a total trainwreck, but having seen his prior work in science fiction (Star Trek +Into Darkness, Super 8), I was cautious about expecting anything extraordinary from the now 49-year old boy genius, who tends to struggle with the third act of storytelling.
But my thoughts were for naught. This film is thriving with imagination, grit, suspense, and childlike glee. Abrams knows how to intrigue fans by not insulting their intelligence. I loved the look of the film, the practical effects, the minimal obvious computer effects, the classy atmosphere of fun and high adventure, the colors, and the glorious situations he presented for our enjoyment. And the film magic he brings forth in the third act is probably some of the strongest work he’s ever made in his career.
Several moments just stick out as all-time best franchise moments: The first glimpse of the Falcon and the associated comments from the characters; the Falcon dogfight on Jakku; Kylo Ren’s lightsaber tantrum; “We’re Home”; and best of all, the final moments, which shan’t be spoiled here, which will drive home the stakes of what we can expect of the next installment in 2017, helmed by Looper director Rian Johnson.
Director JJ Abrams directs his diverse cast well in Episode VII.
While I have had much positive to say about the film, there are a few minor hiccups in the storytelling. Yes, this film is a retread of the first STAR WARS, but it is the good kind of retread that takes the same goals of the first but takes it on the road less traveled. The final sequence steals outright from the initial Death Star run so much so that I thought aloud, “Haven’t we seen this before?”
Along those same lines, a lot of happenstance moves the story forward. Han and Chewie appear in the film mostly out of a stroke of good luck more than anything else. The cute droid BB-8 only happens to go in the right direction to run into a Force-sensitive junk forager on Jakku. Finn barely escapes a TIE fighter crash with only stress and plenty of sweat stains. At this point, you’re either in this series for the long haul or you’re not. I do have gripes, but blast it all, I’m glad to be seeing a new STAR WARS movie!
There is a genuine sense of wonder and fun that has been missing since Return of the Jedi in 1983. Since that flawed film concluded the series proper, fans have been scrounging the corners of the galaxy for things to sate their thirst for all things STAR WARS, be it books, television properties, LEGO sets, lunchboxes; the marketing juggernaut at Lucasfilm Limited has boomed in the absence of proper continuations of Lucas’ science fantasy epics (I refuse to rant on the Prequel trilogy, as there is more than enough valid and overhyped criticism of that saga on the internet as is, from much more qualified personnel than I). Heck, I’ve been going on a mini-binge of licensed properties since watching the Despecialized Editions at home in preparation for the release last week. But, since the Disney corporate heads decided the Expanded Universe is no longer canon in tandem with my local library vastly depleting their catalog options, my options for satisfying this STAR WARS craving has been limited outside of spending my hard-earned Christmas cash on various tithes of formerly licensed literature, television programs, and video games.
Thankfully, this movie is a welcome retread that changes just enough aspects of the Original Trilogy while keeping things fresh enough for the old and new fans to stay excited for the upcoming installments. Overall, ’tis a bravura example of popcorn science fantasy done right, just as they were 35 years ago. You’ve got your hooks in me and the audience, Lucasfilm. I can’t wait to see this one again au cinema. I can’t wait until Rogue One is released next year. I Definitely can’t wait until the next installment premieres in 2017. Heck, I can’t wait to go home and break out Shadows of the Empire for the N64 to spend some of my break time on.
Marshmallow-y, chocolatey Snowman Soup, Tic-tac-toe games packaged in burlap bags, colorful ornaments, glass magnets and other crafty items will fill the stockings of parents and siblings of Gladiola Elementary students, thanks to some business-savvy students.
The school recently was transformed into the “Wolves Warehouse” Christmas marketplace, as students from kindergarten to fourth-grade classes sold items they created to students and parents.
Homemade crafts for sale covered tables at the marketplace
It was a school-wide lesson in economics as well as a way to share holiday cheer, said fourth-grade teacher Mindy Harris. Rather than offer an adult-run holiday gift shop, students learned grade-level concepts of running a business, like producers and consumers, supply and demand and opportunity cost.
“It’s a real-world connection to economics instead of just spending money,” Harris said.
Each class chose an item to make, set the price and created advertising. Donations and teachers covered initial costs, and each class got to choose how to spend its profits.
Harris’ fourth-graders very quickly sold out of the glass magnets they made and peddled for 50 cents each. Student Dion Idrizi was excited.
“It feels good because everyone wants to buy our magnets, and we will get some money and make a profit,” Dion said.
Be sure to check out School News Network for more stories about our great students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan!
Ever wonder why building inspectors are so darn picky? Think building codes are just plain pesky? Common mindsets, to be certain, but rest assured, it’s nothing personal—there are valid reasons why houses, commercial buildings, and entire cities must adhere to strict building, safety, and fire codes.
Why should I give a @#$! about building codes? First, watch your language. Second, there are several reasons why you should give a @#$!. Here are just four:
The house that Nikolai Petrovich Sutyagin built
For the safety of you, your family and your guests.
To reduce potential spread of fire and disease and thus, ensure the economic health of the community.
To conserve energy.
To assure future home purchasers that the home they buy will be safe.
We’re all in this together: Whether in our homes, stores, schools, offices, factories, or places of entertainment, we rely on the safety of structures that surround us in our everyday life. General deterioration, fire, and structure collapse are all potential disasters that modern codes try to prevent.
So, what is a building code? Practically, it is the government’s official statement on building safety. Technically, it is a collection of minimum safety standards arranged in a systematic manner (codified) for easy reference. It includes all aspects of building construction––mechanical, electrical, structural, fire, and plumbing. Source.
What some code violations look like
In addition, the modern building code is legally binding and–believe it or not–it’s a part of the same legal system that protects our constitutional rights.
Every year, new hazards are discovered, or an invention or process is found to prevent a hazard, so building codes are constantly changing. Even if a building complies with the code one year, it may not comply the next. They may be the same from one year to the next, or certain requirements may be intensified or removed completely.
They’re everywhere! They’re everywhere! Today, most of the United States is covered by a network of modern building regulations that encompass fire and structural safety, health, security, and energy conservation.
Architects, engineers, contractors, and others in the building community can utilize the latest technological advances these codes provide and pass on the savings to the consumer. Well, in an ideal world, anyway.
How many code violations can you spot in this photo?
For codes to be effective, everybody has to work together––homeowners, developers, urban planners and designers, and others in the construction industry. Codes correlate with the government’s need to protect the public and also keep pace with rapidly changing technology, without sacrificing due process.
Yeah, yeah. So, how reliable are building codes anyway? Valid question, but there’s no need to be rude. The answer is, they are as reliable as the people who enforce them. Most aspects of building construction–electrical wiring, heating, sanitary facilities–can be hazardous to building occupants and users, and building codes act as safeguards. Although no code can eliminate every single risk, reducing risks to an ‘acceptable’ level does help.
Just think: Without building codes, this guy could have been your neighbor Long, long ago (well, back in 1992), in a land far, far away (Arkhangelsk, Russia, specifically), a man began constructing a 13-story house. Nikolai Petrovich Sutyagin was a builder, so he was familiar with the concept of construction. How familiar is not known, but we can hazard a guess.
Without codes, this could be the house next to yours
Enthused by a tour of wooden houses in Japan and Norway, the eager entrepreneur couldn’t wait to build the world’s tallest house–and, by god, it would be wood! So what if he had no formal plans or a building permit. He was a builder, dammit!
Driven to inspiration by his formative years spent in a Soviet communal flat, Sutyagin felt lonely living by himself. As you read this story, you will realize that it made absolutely no sense for him to feel that way.
Regardless, building began in 1992 and was only supposed to reach two stories high (taller than those of his neighbors to flaunt his position as the city’s richest man), but then he noticed that he had not used enough roof space efficiently enough and decided to keep building. Source.
During a 2007 interview with Adrian Blomfield of U.K.’s The Telegraph, Mr. Sutyagin explained, “First I added three floors but then the house looked ungainly, like a mushroom. So I added another and it still didn’t look right so I kept going. What you see today is a happy accident.” Source.
Happy accident, indeed.
Neighbors considered the building, variously, a:
1. monstrosity
2. glorified barn
3. fire hazard, and
4. an eyesore.
All valid assessments, but we’re not here to judge.
In 1998 Mr. Sutyagin was sentenced to four years in prison, his third jail stint, on racketeering charges. He says he was set up. Source. Well, maybe he was. Again, we’re not here to judge, nor can we afford the room for a commentary on criminal law, specifically RICO.
Not even Archangel Michael (protector of the City of Arkhangelsk) could save Sutyagin’s House from demolition
What’s important to note is that while Mr. Sutyagin was languishing in prison, his magnificent structure fell into disrepair.
Perhaps the house could have accommodated the 18 executives of his own construction company, but the unfortunate builder ended up living with his wife in four poorly heated rooms at the bottom of his structure. Which begs the question: if he was married, why was he so lonely? Limited space prevents a thorough exploration of the psychology of this endeavor.
In 2008, Mr. Sutyagin’s amazing, yet unappreciated house was condemned by the city as a fire hazard. I, too, was surprised to learn that the small town of Arkhangelsk, Russia could be so picky.
After a legal battle, the courts ordered the world’s tallest wooden house to be fully demolished by February 1, 2009. On December 26, 2008, the tower was pulled down. The remainder was dismantled manually during the next several months. The remaining four-story structure burned to the ground on May 6, 2012. Source.
Lest you worry about falling into the same trap that ensnared Mr. Sutyagin, rest assured that Kentwood’s building codes will never allow that to happen. Load off your mind, right?
Building codes are nothing new
Back in Hammurabi’s day, lawyers pulled their own weight
As far back as 1772 BC, the Code of Hammurabi provided harsh punishments for construction failures. What’s so notable here is the accountability placed on the code violator:
229. If a builder build a house for some one [sic], and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death. [Emphasis mine.]
230. If it ruin goods, he shall make compensation for all that has been ruined, and inasmuch as he did not construct properly this house which he built and it fell, he shall re-erect the house from his own means. [Emphasis mine.]
233. If a builder build a house for some one, even though he has not yet completed it; if then the walls seem toppling, the builder must make the walls solid from his own means.
Why law school is so expensive
Even the Bible contains building codes. Deuteronomy 22:8 stipulates that parapets (i.e., low protective walls along the edge of a roof, bridge, or balcony) must be constructed on all houses to prevent people from falling off. Not necessarily because people are stupid (well…), but because gravity is not our friend when it comes to falling from heights.
Still not convinced we need building codes? Here are some preventable disasters that should change your mind.
Great Fire of Chicago: During
The Great Chicago Fire: October 8-10, 1871 The Chicago Fire of 1871, a/k/a Great Chicago Fire, destroyed thousands of buildings and caused an estimated $200 million in damages. Mrs. O’Leary’s cow has gotten a bad rap over the years, but it has never been proven that she kicked over a lantern in the O’Leary barn.
Whatever the cause, the fact remains: One simply cannot build wood houses willy-nilly and too close together and expect things to be just dandy, especially in dry weather.
And so it was that in October 1871, dry weather and way too many wooden buildings, streets and sidewalks made Chicago as flammable as a tinder box and thus vulnerable to fire. Once it began, the fire quickly grew out of control and spread north and east toward the city center.
Three days later when the embers had died down, the final tally was 300 people dead and 100,000 homeless.
Great Fire of Chicago: After
Amazingly, despite the fire’s devastation, much of Chicago’s transportation systems and other infrastructure remained intact. Rebuilding began quickly; architects created a modern city with the world’s first skyscrapers. In the end, the fire spawned unprecedented economic development and population growth, not to mention a plethora of new building codes.
Postscript: In 1997, the Chicago City Council passed a resolution exonerating Mrs. O’Leary, who died in 1895, and also exonerating her cow, whose name has never been revealed, at least not to my knowledge. More than a century late, but that’s bureaucracy for you.
The Iroquois Theater Fire (Chicago): December 30, 1903
Iroquois Theater: Before
The Iroquois Theater in North Chicago opened on November 23, 1903, advertising itself as “Absolutely Fireproof” on its playbills. Fate took that as a dare. Nine years later, Titanic would boast itself as unsinkable, and we all know what happened then. But we’re not here to talk about Titanic.
On December 30, 1903, about 2,000 people packed the Iroquois theater, expecting a lovely afternoon while on holiday from school or taking a respite from daily chores. During a matinée showing of the popular musical Mr. Bluebeard starring Eddie Foy, an arc light shorted out and ignited a muslin curtain. The resulting fire quickly spread to the backdrops, high above the stage, where painted canvas scenery flats hung. Source. It took only 20 minutes for the blaze to kill 602 people in the deadliest single-building fire in U.S. history.
Iroquois Theater: After
A thorough investigation uncovered a great deal of code violations, plus some things that needed to be codified: The theater was not built to sustain fire and many of the fire exit doors in the auditorium were hidden behind curtains and not marked. Source.
Further, the metal doors of the fire exits were equipped with ‘bascule locks‘ that required using a small lever. Europeans would have known how to use them, but Americans had no clue. Most of the lobby doors were locked, and the balcony stairs were blocked by locked gates. The unfinished fire escapes of the six-story tall building prevented many people from escaping alive. Source.
After this fiasco, the fire code was changed to require theater doors to open outwards, to have exits clearly marked and fire curtains made of steel, among other requirements. Source.
Station Nightclub Fire, West Warwick, Rhode Island: February 20, 2003
This is how fast these things can happen: One minute, you’re cheering as Jack Russell’s ‘Great White’ band begins singing “Desert Moon” and the next thing you know, the nightclub erupts in flames after the band sets off illegal pyrotechnics that ignite flammable sound insulation foam in the walls and ceilings around the stage.
In the mother of all ironies, after a stampede within a Chicago bar (what is it with Chicago?) earlier in the week that killed 21 people, a TV cameraman and reporter drove to The Station to do a story about nightclub safety measures. The disaster was caught on tape. Source.
On that cold February night, it didn’t help that nightclub patrons at first thought it was all part of the act. Twenty seconds after the pyrotechnics ended, the band stopped playing and lead vocalist Jack Russell calmly remarked into the microphone, “Wow… that’s not good.”
Aside from this astute observation, there were no automatic sprinklers.
The aftermath
The fire moved so quickly that the club was engulfed in only 5 1/2 minutes. Fire trucks arriving on the scene 4 1/2 minutes after the fire began were already too late. Thick, toxic smoke made visibility impossible and many people died of smoke inhalation. In the mad crush to exit the building, some people were stuck half in and half out of the front doors.
When all was said and done, 100 people were killed by the heat, stampede of people toward the exits and toxic smoke. Another 230 were injured. Only 132 escaped uninjured.
After this fire, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) enacted tough new code provisions for fire sprinklers and crowd management in nightclub-type venues. Source.
What does the future hold?
Time Warp: What would building codes be like in George Jetson’s world?
Hotel fires, factory fires in Bangladesh, nightclub fires, devastating earthquakes… there are far too many instances of preventable modern disasters. You get the idea.
The climate crisis is a game-changer. We can expect to see building codes continue to evolve as climate change becomes an increasing threat. Weather-related safety and environmental impact building codes will become stricter as storms increase in intensity and soil, air, and water quality become more of a public concern.
And, of course, the day-to-day code inspections will help keep us safe from fire, seismic activity, and other disasters. Source.
Looking for some great, last minute, local ideas to share with the people on your “Nice” list this year? If you like waiting until the last second to do your shopping, we can help! We’ve rounded up some of our favorite West Michigan gift ideas below, broken down by category to help make your last second holiday shopping this year a breeze.
Gifts for Foodies
Gift Idea: Spice Merchants offers a Taste of Asia gift box ($29.95), which includes Asian spice blends: Chinese Five Spice, Thai Coconut, Korean BBQ and Teriyaki Ginger. Many other themed sets to choose from are available, including flavored sugars, curry spices, and sea salts. Another great option is a Himalayan Salt Slab (beginning from $29.95), ideal for cooking vegetables, meats, and seafood, or chill to serve sushi, sashimi, fruits cheeses or desserts. Himalayan Salt Slabs enhance the flavor of your food while delivering the benefits of 100% raw salt, and they are a unique and fun way to cook and serve your food.
Gift Idea: Give the gift of Essence this holiday season, with gift cards to Bistro Bella Vita,The Green Well, and Grove: the perfect stocking stuffer for any foodie. For a limited time, you’ll receive a complimentary Essence Cocktail Book when you purchase a gift card in store only. Prefer to shop online? You can also purchase gift cards through their new and improved, user friendly online system! They’ll even deliver it to your special someone on the date you choose. Complimentary cocktail book is only available with in-store purchase.
Gift Idea: Buy a stainless steel ($35) or glass ($5) growler from Slows Bar-B-Q and fill it up with your gift recipient’s favorite beer. Pairs well with some Slows-branded pint glasses ($8) or a gift card!
Gift Idea: Shop online at MiBeer.com for a variety of logoed items from the Michigan Brewers Guild. You’ll find everything from apparel, backpacks, tote bags, drinkware, eyewear, flags, license plates, beach balls, bottle openers, patches, pins, stickers, tin tackers, umbrellas and more. Michigan Brewers Guild Enthusiast Memberships also make great gifts, providing a year of benefits like pre-sale dates for the four official festivals and one hour early admission to each, dollar-off pint options at participating breweries, special brewery tours and an official Enthusiast t-shirt — all for just $55.
Gift Idea: Members of the Grand Rapids Public Museum who purchase or renew their membership now through December 31 will be entered to win one of 4 Family 4-pack tickets to the special opening event for our newest exhibit, The Robot Zoo in March! Tickets will be on sale in February for the event and members will have discounted admission to the event. Members also get into the new exhibit for free, with all our other great perks!
Gift Idea: Visit the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Curiosity Shop for your holiday shopping! The shop offers a variety of unique, toys, trinkets and gifts for both children and adults. Find the perfect gift, that is from Grand Rapids or the Michigan made.
Gift Idea: Treat your gift recipient to a night out at Opera Grand Rapids! Now through December 21st, take advantage of these two special offers: Buy two premium orchestra tickets to Orpheus & Eurydiceor Romeo & Juliet. and get 25% off additional tickets, or a free ticket to Beethoven’s String Quartet #1, Op. 1. Second offer: Buy a $100 gift card and get one half-price ticket to Beethoven’s String Quartet #1, Op. 18. Subscriptions make great gifts too!
Gift Idea: Give the gift of Live Entertainment! Tickets make the perfect Holiday Gift! Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s phenomenal musical success, The Phantom of the Opera, will come to DeVos Performance Hall as part of a brand-new North American Tour. Hailed by critics as “bigger and better than ever before,” this production boasts many exciting special effects including the show’s legendary chandelier, new scenic and lighting designs, new staging and choreography. The beloved story and thrilling score – with songs like Music of the Night, All I Ask Of You and Masquerade – will be performed by a cast and orchestra of 52, making this Phantom one of the largest productions now on tour. Don’t miss this two week engagement when it premiers in Grand Rapids May 18-29.
The Michigan State Police reported over 21,000 people were caught defrauding major retailers in 2014, counting for 8.3% of all criminal arrests in Michigan alone. This has led to retailers boosting prices to make up for the theft. From the beginning of the holiday busy season in October through the start of the new year in January, retail stores see their greatest sales volume of the year, but this particular quarter also accounts for half of all retail shrinkage.
There’s a common misconception among those who “lift” that the big retailers can afford the loss of a candy bar or a pack of smokes since it doesn’t really add up to a hill of beans when compared to the cash flow in the day-to-day business of retailers. However, all the fraud and theft adds up to $44 billion in what the retailers call “shrinkage”.
In Kent county alone, of 629,000 residents, 2,359 arrests were made for ‘the ol’ five finger discount’ or retail fraud, comprising 16% of all criminal arrests in the county.
According to Data Mine, women comprise 53% of shoplifting and fraud arrests, with white women comprising a third of those total arrests. However, you are three times more likely to be arrested for suspicion of shoplifting as a black woman. Likewise, black men are 3.5 times more likely to be arrested.
In addition to the gender disparity, two-thirds of shoplifting involved items priced under $200. This is classified as third-degree shoplifting, with second degree involving items priced between $200 and $1000, and first-degree consisting of items above $1000. Meanwhile, only 91% of the arrests for shoplifting concerned actual theft, while 5% dealt with fraudulent exchanges and 4% with misrepresented, switching price tags for higher priced items.
Those arrested for shoplifting ranged in age from 9 to 92 years old, with four different 9-year-olds, one 90-year old woman, and one 92-year old white man arrested for such offenses. And of all the metropolitan areas and counties in the Mitten, Cadillac has the highest rate of theft and fraud per thousand residents.
lifeless body (face down), shredded to bits by those two back-stabbing felines, because we ran out of food and the ingrates were too lazy to go out and catch their own. The fate of my boys would likely remain a mystery, but my guess is that they would be initiated into a feral cat colony where they would live out their nine lives in the company of similarly ungrateful felines.
rt of resolution. In his defense (or by way of explanation–take your pick) he no longer fits into his designer suits, which he bought before the Great Recession, and he can’t afford to buy a whole new wardrobe. He’s stuck, so to speak.
n’t control himself because–poof!–now there’s a third resolution: He vows to lose 20 pounds. Wait. He isn’t Type A at all. The truth is that he feels obliged to make three resolutions because that’s the tradition in his family and Sam is a follower. He can’t bring himself to break tradition, and he is too oblivious to realize that he could resolve to break tradition and thus change the course of his life’s trajectory in a very big way. Alas.
resolution: To find another cricket. As with the above individuals, the wolf spider doesn’t stop there and finds it necessary to add a second Resolution: To drain the life and juices out of that cricket. Because, let’s face it, what’s the use of finding a cricket if you don’t drain the life and juices out of it?
tsche Office of Local History
