If you had been traveling east down 28th Street in the late 1950s and looked to the south after crossing Clyde Park Avenue, this is what you would have seen: an empty field. This is the site of what is now Rogers Plaza. Opened in 1961, Rogers Plaza was the first mall in Western Michigan. Among its tenants was S.S. Kresge, Kroger and A&P Supermarkets, Montgomery Ward and Cunningham Drug. About a year later, Southland Plaza (which became Wyoming Village Mall and is now known as 28th West Place) opened with a Wurzburg’s Department Store.
Today, Rogers Plaza, which was named after a founding family of the City of Wyoming, houses the Secretary of State office and the U.S. Post Office along with several businesses, restaurants and hair salons.
The summer hours for the City of Wyoming’s yard waste drop-off site are now in effect. Those hours are 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. – 5 p.m .Saturday.
Residents may bring sorted yard waste to dispose at the site. There is a leaves and grass pile for leaves, plants, flowers and grass clippings, and a brush pile for sticks, branches less than eight feet long, bushes, sumps less than three feet in diameter.
With the warmer weathers come yard clean up. The City o fWyoming has year around hardware disposal. (Free Domain)
Proof of residency is required to use the site that would be a valid photo ID or a city water/sewer bill, property tax bill or tax assessment.
Enter and exit the site from Burlingame Avenue. The entrance is near the Department of Public Works entrance at 2660 Burlingame Ave. SW. Residents will be asked to show ID at the guard station.
Residents are encouraged to stay six feet apart. Items should be disposed of in the correct piles. All paper and plastic bags must be taken with you.
Matt Diener, State Director of the Michigan Fellowship of Christian Athletes, believes that if 2020 and the pandemic have “taught nothing else, it’s that the human spirit is more capable and enduring than we ever imagined.” And he has many stories to prove his point.
And one of the stories that has and continues to encourage and grow hope in others is that of Major League Baseball legend — and one of life’s ‘overcomers’ — Darryl Strawberry.
So it is fitting that the Kent County Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ annual FCA Pro Athlete Event (formerly known as the Pro Athlete Breakfast), scheduled for Saturday, April 10, at Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, will include a talk by Strawberry.
This event, free and open to all members of the community, will be used to create awareness of ministry outreach and to raise funds to support programs and activities associated with the Kent County FCA, according to a FCA statement.
“We are excited for attendees to hear the powerful story of how God has worked in Darryl’s life, and to highlight the ministry of FCA that has been serving the local sports community for over 65 years,” Diener said in supplied material.
Strawberry is a former 8-time MLB National League All-Star status, with four World Series Titles, a National League home run leader, and was 1983 National League Rookie of the Year.
While incredibly successful in his career, Strawberry’s personal life was plagued with addictions, abuse, divorces, cancer, jail-time, and other issues. Strawberry, however, is widely known to have found redemption and restoration in Jesus Christ, and “lives to share the wisdom and grace of his experience with others,” according to the statement.
This event will also feature several local leaders within the Michigan FCA organization to share their experience with the ministry, as well as their vision and hope for future growth.
FCA is the largest Christian sports organization in America and focuses on serving local communities by engaging, equipping, and empowering coaches and athletes to know and grow in Christ.
Since 1954, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes has been challenging coaches and athletes on the professional, college, high school, junior high and youth levels to use the powerful medium of athletics to impact the world for Jesus Christ.
The Rev. Billy Graham once said, “A coach will impact more people in one year than the average person will in an entire lifetime.”
The FCA and Calvary Church “have worked hard to ensure proper distancing and a safe environment” under current COVID protocols. Since seating is limited, online registration is highly encouraged. To register online visit michiganfca.org/proathlete.
For 28 years, April has been designated Stress Awareness Month. You might not feel like celebrating! In April 2020, we were all pretty stressed by COVID-19. Today in 2021, those stresses have not resolved for many of us. However, coping with and relieving stress in healthy ways will help you to experience better mental, emotional and physical health.
When you experience stress, your adrenal glands kick in with a “fight or flight” response that increases your heart rate, blood pressure and glucose levels. Long-term stress can cause everything from headaches and stomach issues to depression, stroke and heart disease. Because modern life—on top of a global pandemic—has us experiencing fight-or-flight mode so often, many of us experience adrenal fatigue that can makes us feel tired all the time, even when we get enough sleep. In addition, when our bodies are in a constant state of elevated stress, the nerve roots connecting the adrenals through the spine can eventually lead to a subluxation in your spine. And, because the adrenals sit on top of the kidneys, many of the nerve roots that talk to and keep the kidneys working happily will be affected.
I would also recommend taking a few deep, full breaths anytime you feel stress or anxious. If you feel stressed at night, try sleeping under a weighted blanket. Massage therapy is a great stress reliever. So are chiropractic adjustments—they not only help you feel and function better, but they also increase your body’s ability to handle and adapt to stress.
When I talk to my patients about stress, I compare it to being attacked by a bear in the woods. You see, your brain and body interpret any number of stressors the same way as they would a wild animal attack. Did a family member receive a COVID-19 diagnosis? Did some jerk tailgate you during your commute? Are student loans piling up? Did you have an argument with your spouse? Any of these situations, and countless others, will give your adrenals an excuse to pump out an electrifying jolt throughout your system. Every time you are stressed, take a moment to relieve it. You will experience better health if you do!
A City of Kentwood Police Department officer shows police car controls and features to participants during a lesson about traffic stops, from the Kentwood Police Department’s 2019 Youth Academy. (City of Kentwood)
The City of Kentwood Police Department knows that local youth often consider the field of law enforcement to be something they might want to pursue after graduation, but they also know that those same youth might not really know what the career field is all about.
The Kentwood Police Department’s Youth Academy, currently accepting applications for this year’s academy scheduled for July, gives those youth that “first-hand” knowledge.
The academy allows “them to just come in and see what it is like to be a police officer, to be involved with some of the training, some of the scenarios,” Kentwood Police Chief Richard Roberts said to WKTV during a recent visit to our studios. “We think that is important to offer that to individuals who might be considering law enforcement.”
Chief Roberts also pointed out that “we are offering (the academy) to any high schooler — they don’t have to be a Kentwood high schooler — as long as they are graduating this year, or they will be (a returning high school student next year) …, if they are interested in law enforcement.”
This year’s four-day program will take place Monday to Thursday, July 26-29, and is open to all graduating seniors and students who will be a sophomore, junior or senior in the 2021-22 school year. Applications are due May 14.
The free program will run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at the Kentwood Police Department, 4742 Walma Ave. SE, with COVID-19 safety precautions in place, according to a statement from the City of Kentwood.
Students will experience a wide-range of police training activities including traffic stops, drunken driving enforcement, building searches, subject control and handcuffing, as well as tactics of the Special Response Team.
Eligible participants “must possess good moral character and pass a background check,” according to the statement. They will be interviewed before being accepted into the program and will be required to attend a pre-academy informational meeting with a parent or guardian. Each participant will be provided a uniform and daily lunch.
To participate, students must contact Sgt. Tim Wierenga for an initial screening and application at wierengat@kentwood.us or 616-656-6561. Applications may be delivered in person at the Kentwood Police Department or by mail to Sgt. Wierenga at 4742 Walma Ave. SE, Kentwood, MI 49512. Applications are available online here.
The City of Kentwood Police Department and Lacks Enterprises, Inc., last week held another pop-up event, and thanks to a $1,000 donation from Lacks, the pair were able to surprise about 100 customers at two local restaurants by helping to pay for lunch. Here, Off. Jeff Augustyn is with workers and a customer at El Ganadero Mexican Grille. (City of Kentwood)
In December of last year, the City of Kentwood Police Department and Lacks Enterprises, Inc. — both understanding the importance to the community of small businesses, including local eateries, in this time of COVID-19 dining restrictions — partnered to help both two Kentwood restaurants and their customers.
The two partners, last week held another pop-up event, and thanks to a $1,000 donation from Lacks, the Kentwood Police Department were able to surprise about 100 customers of El Ganadero Mexican Grille and Mr. Burger with $10 toward their lunch orders “as a thank-you for supporting local restaurants,” according to a statement from the city.
El Ganadero Mexican Grille is located at 4208 Division Ave. SE, and Mr. Burger is at 1750 44th St. SE.
Kentwood police Chief Richard Roberts, in the WKTV studios for an interview last week, spoke of the program and it being part of a wider effort by the police and the city to support the residential, workforce and business community.
“We’ve been partnering with some great businesses in our city,” Chief Roberts said to WKTV. “One of our great partners, Lacks Enterprises, they have so many people who live in our community, work in their manufacturing, they like to give back. And they like to give back though the police department, through a partnership — it is a great way to partner for the community.”
The event was the second in the Police Department’s local business showcase series to “support Kentwood businesses and create positive experiences with the community during these difficult times,” according to the city statement.
“Lacks Enterprises believes you need a lot of different components to make a community a place for people to live and raise their families,” Jim Green, executive director of human resources at Lacks, said to WKTV at one of the pop-up event sites in December. “But the real backbone of this community is the small businesses. Without that you would not have all the other things that make the community what it is today.”
The series highlights businesses within Kentwood — both those donating to restaurants to create similar pop-up events and the local businesses supported by the donations. Local businesses interested in participating, either by donating or by being possibly involved with the pop-up events, can call Sergeant Tim Wierenga at 616-656-6561.
“We just wanted to give our small businesses a little support,” Sgt. Wierenga said to WKTV at the first pop-up event. “What we’d like to see of this is (to continue) showcasing our business community and showcasing the city that we love. We would love for this to develop into something more. … We’d love to have some more showcase events.”
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superhero Day at John Ball Zoo! Come dressed as your favorite superhero and meet amazing superheroes in-person on Thursday, April 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Zoo guests can meet the rotating group of superheroes including Black Panther, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, Star Lord, Thor, Black Widow and more.
Guests can also discover themed animal enrichment and signs at animal habitats showcasing animal superpowers. Plus, they can enjoy Superhero-themed concessions like Hulk Floss, Spidey Slush, and a Captain America Freezy.
Superhero Day meet-and-greet is included in regular admission. Along with meeting superheroes, guests can also see the Zoo’s BRICKLIVE Supersized! toy brick exhibition, along with the triplet red panda cubs, and the Canada lynx kitten.
John Ball Zoo notes that the superhero meet-and-greet will be different this year. Instead of individual photo opportunities with each character, guests will have the opportunity to meet and take photos with a group of superheroes on the beautiful Bissell Tree House deck. For the safety of the superheroes and guests, these magical interactions will be from a safe social distance.
There are a limited number of guest tickets available for Superhero Day. The Zoo recommends reserving timed entry tickets online prior to arrival. This will ensure a guest’s entry as the Zoo cannot guarantee tickets will be available for walk-up ticket purchases. This includes the special early entry for John Ball Zoo members who can meet the superheroes an hour before the Zoo opens to everyone.
Spring Zoo admission is $12 for adults, $10 for children (3-12) and seniors, and children 2 and under are free.
John Ball Zoo notes they are following the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services that require masks from all guests over the age of 5, both indoors and outdoors.
John Ball Zoo is located on Fulton Ave., one mile west of downtown Grand Rapids. For more information www.jbzoo.org or (616)-336-4301.
The City of Wyoming will celebrate Earth Day, April 22, in a special way with a community clean-up of its parks.
The city has 21 parks that range from neighborhood parks such as Ferrand Park, 4715 Byron Center SW, to nature preserves like Buck Creek Nature Preserve, 4269 Burlingame SW, and George P. Tilma Nature Preserve, 2100 Sheri Lynn Dr. SW.
Clean up will take place from 9:30 a.m. – noon on Thursday, April 22, at various Wyoming park locations. Volunteers will be assigned to different areas of the parks at check-in. All necessary tools, gloves, and bags will be provided. Face coverings and social distancing are required.
According Krashawn Martin, recreation supervisor for the City of Wyoming, the clean-up day will be a kick-off event for the city’s Adopt-a-Park program.
Adopt-a-Park, is a volunteer program in which citizens, area business or organizations can assist in the enhancement and preservation of local parks, nature preserves and green spaces. Groups need to make either a one-time or ongoing volunteer commitment throughout the year. Groups that do make an ongoing commitment will have signage identifying the organization as an Adopt-a-Park volunteer group.
For the Earth Day event, people may sign up individually or groups. Preregistration is required by April 12.
To register for the Earth Day event or to learn more about the Adopt-a-Park program, call 616-530-3164. You can also sign up the for the Earth Day even by clicking here.
Just in time for Spring Break — and those staycationers looking to get out of the house but staying close to home — Woodland Mall will be open for more hours and offering special events for everyone to safely enjoy time off from school and work.
Starting Monday, April 5, the mall will be returning to pre-pandemic operating hours, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m., according to an announcement from the mall. And several events are planned including a Small Business Expo and Pokémon Go opportunities.
“For those families who still aren’t comfortable traveling, Woodland Mall is the perfect spring break destination,” Cecily McCabe, Woodland Mall marketing director, said in supplied material. “From shopping to games and other creative opportunities, we are eager to help families enjoy a safe and fun staycation experience.”
Woodland Mall will host a Small Business Expo in its Von Maur wing on Saturday, April 10, from 11 a.m.–7 p.m., where business owners will set up booths to showcase their products and engage with the community. Guests will in turn have the opportunity to learn more about these small businesses and support them.
With the weather warming up, it’s the perfect time to build your own skateboard. Vans and Zumiez have all the gear needed to build a customized board.
Pokémon fans will also be able to collect free stickers and trading cards from GameStop throughout the week. As an added bonus, the mall has two Pokéstops for those playing Pokémon Go.
Families looking for fun can visit the Funshop Arcade located in the Macy’s wing and exploring the games and toys at Toysmark and Barnes & Noble.
And, of course, guests can also “get that beach resort feel without traveling far from home” by getting pampered at Lynny Nails, Tricho Salon or Massage Works.
“Choosing to spend spring break at the mall also benefits the retailers and restaurants and their employees who are still trying to recover from the pandemic,” McCabe said. “Visiting the mall is a great way to give our local economy a boost.”
Even after spring break, guests will continue to see new developments at the mall.
Backstage by Macy’s will celebrate its grand opening as a stand-alone business on the department store’s recently renovated second floor on Saturday, April 17. The shop offers men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, accessories and more at affordable prices. Offering prizes, gift cards and other exciting deals on opening day, shoppers won’t want to miss out on even greater savings.
NASA’s Mark Vande Hei and Roscosmos’ Oleg Novitskyand Pyotr Dubrov head off to the International Space Station. (NASA)
By Kelly Taylor WKTV Program Director
On Friday, April 9, WKTV will be featuring live coverage of the launch of the International Space Station Expedition 65 Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft. Coverage starts at 2:45 a.m., with the launch scheduled for 3:42 a.m. The coverage includes video b-roll of the crew’s launch day pre-launch activities.
NASA’s Mark Vande Hei and Roscosmos’ Oleg Novitskyand Pyotr Dubrov head off to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The docking of the Expedition 65 Soyuz MS-18 will take place at 6:15 a.m. and the hatch opening at 8:30 a.m.
At 1 p.m., NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter prepares for takeoff. For it’s first flight, the helicopter will take off a few feet from the ground, hover in the air for about 20-30 seconds and land.
This will be a major milestone as it is the very first powered flight in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.
NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter will take it first flight on Mars on Friday. (NASA)
In recognition of World Autism Awareness Day, the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) and Hope Network invite visitors affected by autism and other sensory processing needs to visit for a Sensory Friendly Museum Night on Thursday, April 22, from 5:30 until 8 p.m. held at the GRPM.
The Museum will adapt sounds, lighting and activities within the current exhibits to create a low-sensory experience for the evening. Visitors can add an experience to see Sean Kenney’s Wild Connections Made with LEGO® Bricks, as well as a visit to the Chaffee Planetarium to view the GRPM created show, Subatomic: Detecting the Unseen, in which the lighting and sound will be adapted. This Planetarium show will play at 6 p.m.
One in every sixty-eight children are on the Autism spectrum, with another child being diagnosed every 20 minutes. Hope Network has been at the forefront of autism treatment since opening its first Center For Autism in Kentwood in 2011, which was Michigan’s first all-inclusive treatment center. Hope Network now has five Centers For Autism across the state, all of which use Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy and comprehensive clinical services to empower those with autism to overcome challenges to achieve their highest level of independence.
“Hope Network has long been committed to positively impacting the lives of children and families affected by autism,” said Phil Weaver, Hope Network President and CEO. “We are honored to sponsor this event which allows families the opportunity to enjoy a fun night out to enjoy all that the Grand Rapids Public Museum has to offer.”
The West Michigan Habitats at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. (Supplied)
“The Museum strives to create inclusive experiences for all visitors, including being both physically and cognitively accessible,” said Dale Robertson, President & CEO of the GRPM. “We are pleased to partner with Hope Network again to allow families to explore the Museum in a low sensory environment, and to take part in our Subatomic Planetarium show which was designed for audiences with sensory processing challenges.”
The GRPM partners with KultureCity to improve the Museum’s experience for guests with a variety of sensory processing needs. A limited amount of sensory bags containing fidget tools, noise canceling headphones and other resources are available for checkout at the Museum’s front desk.
Pre-registration for the Sensory Friendly Museum Night is required; visit grpm.org to sign up. To add Wild Connections or the Subatomic Planetarium show, use the “continue shopping” feature and find Wild Connections under the Admission tab and Subatomic under the Planetarium tab. For additional information, please visit grpm.org.
“Honesty and integrity are absolutely essential for success in life — all areas of life. The really good news is that anyone can develop both honesty and integrity.”
Zig Ziglar
COVID-19 vaccine supplies are increasing and so is local distribution options for expanded age groups, including through the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic, Metro Health and SpartanNash pharmacies and special clinics. (SpartanNash)
More vaccines, more availability for more people
The West Michigan Vaccine Clinic is immediately expanding vaccine availability to everyone 16 years of age and older, Metro Health will open its vaccine availability to 16 and up on April 5, and SpartanNash will be hosting a COVID-19 vaccine clinic April 6 in Hudsonville as part of a larger community roll-out to the public by local pharmacies. Go here for the story.
New Wyoming Deputy City Manager John McCarter sits down with WKTV Managing Editor Joanne Bailey-Boorsma. (WKTV)
There is a new, smiling face in Wyoming City Hall
A native Michigander, John McCarter (who was born in Milwaukee, Wis., and moved to Michigan at a young age) was recently named the the City of Wyoming’s new deputy city manager. McCarter, who was the interim financial director for Pearland, Texas, officially took over the position on March 15. Go here for the story.
Jessica Ann Tyson (center) of The Candied Yam, at the Kentwood restaurant with visitors in late 2020. (The Candied Yam’s Facebook)
Kent County gives a good tip to local eateries
The Kent County Board of Commissioners recently voted to waive the 2021 food service licensing fee — $500 and up for most existing food establishments in Kent County — “due to the significant hardship food establishments have experienced with closures and capacity limitations related to COVID‐19.” Go here for the story.
Fun fact:
78.99 years
Despite COVID-19, the current life expectancy for United States in 2021 is 78.99 years, a 0.08 percent increase from 2020. The last year it went down was 2018, and then by 0.03 percent. Source.
Iconic glittery red shoes, Judy Garland’s famous rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and the classic story down the yellow brick road will fill Tibbits’ big screen on April 10 at 4 p.m. when the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz” is presented as part of the Community-Sponsored Programming.
Starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley and Margaret Hamilton, the film favorite is based on the 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum. Rated PG, this movie is fun for the entire family. After a tornado rips through Kansas, Dorothy and her dog Toto are swept away to the magical and vibrant land of Oz. In order to find their way back home, they must embark on a journey to the Emerald City to see the Wizard of Oz. On their way there, they befriend a Scarecrow who longs for a brain, a Tin Man who desires a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who seeks courage. The group is hopeful that the ‘Great Oz’ will be able to fulfill their wishes. Not far behind them is the Wicked Witch of the West, who is out for revenge after Dorothy’s house fell on and killed her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East.
Sponsored by the Tibbits Opera House Endowment – Children’s Programming Fund, this screening is the fourth installment of Community-Sponsored Programming. For those who have always wanted to see a certain movie on the big screen or have their band play on the historic stage, Tibbits is still offering the opportunity for community members to plan and sponsor their own public performance at a fraction of the normal rental price.
The theatre doors, general admission seating, and concession sales for “The Wizard of Oz” begin at 3:30pm with donations at the door. Due to current restrictions, seating for all events is limited and masks are required upon entering and when moving about the theatre.
For more information or to purchase tickets for upcoming events, visit Tibbits.org, stop in at Tibbits business offices at 93 W. Chicago St., Coldwater, or call 517.278.6029. The historic Tibbits Opera House is located at 14 S. Hanchett St., Coldwater.
A couple weeks ago, we talked about the general noise ordinance. Did you know that there’s a separate ordinance that addresses music from vehicles? It falls under “disturbing the peace”, and the ordinance divides the day into 7 a.m.-7 p.m. (daytime hours) and 7 p.m.-7 a.m. (nighttime hours).
This week’s Traffic Tuesday question: Fill in the blanks! It is unlawful for any person to disturb the public peace and quiet by operating or allowing a sound system of a vehicle to produce a clearly audible sound at a distance of ___ feet from the vehicle during daytime hours and ___ feet from the vehicle during night time hours.
25 feet, 10 feet
50 feet, 25 feet
75 feet, 40 feet
100 feet, 50 feet
The answer is 2) 50 feet from the vehicle during daytime hours and 25 feet from the vehicle during night time hours.
Wyoming High School head softball coach Kaitlin Failing visits the set of WKTV Journal Sports Connection to catch us up on her team and the Wolves program. (WKTV)
On this latest episode of WKTV Journal Sports Connection, as part of our coverage of local high school athletics, we talk spring sports — specifically Wyoming Wolves softball.
When the MHSAA announced a week’s delay in the beginning of practice and the scheduling of games for the state’s softball teams, Wyoming high head softball coach Kaitlin Failing wasn’t too concerned about the delay. It was last year’s lost season that was of more concern … a year lost not only to her players but to the Wolves program.
In late March, just before the start of the season, Coach Failing sat down with WKTV’s Mike Moll to talk about her program, the new normal for high school sports still impacted by the pandemic, but also her optimistic outlook about her team and what it might look like this season.
Wyoming high head softball Coach Kaitlin Failing’s WKTV Journal Sports Connection interview with WKTV’s Mike Moll is just one part of our video, online/print and game coverage of local high school athletics. And we are always looking for community volunteers to join the team. (WKTV)
WKTV Journal Sports Connection brings its audience interviews and stories focused on local Wyoming and Kentwood area high schools sports, on-line, on cable television, and on our on-demand and YouTube channels. Readers can catch up on all our local sports coverage by visiting wktvjournal.com/sports.
WKTV Journal Sports Connection is available on-demand, along with WKTV coverage of high school athletic events and other sports, at WKTVlive.com. It also airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule). Individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal Sports Connection are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
There are no bells or whistles or even alarms; just a simple text message to your phone as you walk into the store: “CAUTION: The Unknown network you are connected to is not encrypted. Please avoid any private or confidential transactions unless using secure Websites…”
The message comes from a free app, called Michigan Secure, which is designed to help Michigan residents navigate an increasingly technology-based world.
“Much of the activity that people do is online,” said the state’s Director of Communications Caleb Buhs. “Students taking classes to people making purchases.”
With the growing use of technology comes a high risk of people’s personal information getting stolen through threats, such as unsecured internet access, that most people don’t even realize are out there.
“It is designed to make people aware,” Buhs said. “If you are at the gym and suddenly decide to make a purchase for new equipment or clothing, the alert will come up that the internet is not secure. Maybe that is not the time to make that purchase.”
Developed by the Michigan’s Department of Technology, Management and Budget, the department in charge of keeping highly sensitive public information protected, the project was started two years ago because of the increase in cybersecurity crimes against both individuals and companies.
Many are familiar with the SolarWinds data breach, one of the largest data hacks in U.S. history, that resulted in more than 18,000 computer networks being sabotaged. There are also the everyday reminders of not to open emails from the IRS or Social Security as neither would contact people in such a way. According to Pew Research, more than 60 percent of Ameicans have personally experienced a major data breach. The cost of the average data breach to a U.S. company is around $8 million.
Buhs said with the recent pandemic, which forced many into remote work and classrooms, the risk of cyber attacks become even higher. In fact, because of the growing use of technology by municipalities and schools, institutions are facing more malicious cyber attacks. Just this March, a cyber attack on Microsoft focused on vulnerabilities in its exchange service, email software, and calendar resulting in 30,000 organizations getting hacked. More recently, college students across the nation are being warned about a phishing attack to steal students personal information to file false tax claims.
The message that appears when your phone connects to an unsecured Wi-Fi network. (WKTV)
The Michigan Secure app is designed to detect phishing risks by checking links. It also will alert a user to an unsecured Wi-Fi network, check apps before they are downloaded, and when a system has been tampered with. Michigan Secure even has a database of potential threat indicators to notify individuals of activity on their phone that matches a documented threat. Everything is designed for the user to determine what they want and do not want to use.
The Michigan Secure app is a free download from App Store or Google Play. The app runs on devices with iOS 11 or higher, Android 6.0 or higher and Chromebooks with Android App Support.
“While the security of our mobile devices is critical, it is also important to respect people’s privacy,” DTMB Director and State Chief Information Officer Brom Stibitz said. “Michigan Secure does not require anyone to share their personal information or mobile data. It exists for the sole purpose of detecting threats and notifying the user.”
The Michigan Secure app does not collect, store, or monitor the personal information of users that download it. The app’s code and privacy configuration settings have received the approval of the American Civil Liberties Union for the way it protects individual privacy.
Within only a few days of release, which was earlier this year, the app had more than 1,000 downloads and interest continues to build. Buhs said he believes Michigan is the first state to offer such an app with only the City of New York having something similar.
For more information about the app, visit Michigan.gov/MichiganSecureApp. Visit the Michigan Cybersecurity website at Michigan.gov/Cybersecurity for information ranging from how to practice proper cyber “hygiene” to learning about what to do if you are a victim of a cybercrime.
COVID-19 vaccine supplies are increasing and so is local distribution options for expanded age groups, including through the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic, Metro Health and SpartanNash pharmacies and special clinics. (SpartanNash)
This week, as the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic at DeVos Place announced it had given a one-day record of 12,532 first vaccine doses on March 29, the State of Michigan announced next week’s shipment of federally supplied doses of vaccine would increase to a total of 620,040 vaccines, which would be a weekly record high for the state.
And those are just the start of the good news for COVID-19 distribution, as Kent County announced this week that the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic is immediately expanding vaccine availability to everyone 16 years of age and older, Metro Health will open its vaccine availability to 16 and up on April 5, and SpartanNash will be hosting pair of COVID-19 vaccine clinics, April 2 and April 6, in Hudsonville as part of a larger community roll-out to the public.
“Receiving a COVID-19 vaccination is the best way to help stop this virus and pandemic,” Lori Raya, SpartanNash executive vice president, said in supplied material. “Getting vaccinated adds one more layer of protection for you, your coworkers, your family and your loved ones … we look forward to administering more than 2,200 total vaccines in the next week and beyond.”
West Michigan Vaccine Clinic
The West Michigan Vaccine Clinic at DeVos Place — operated by Kent County, Spectrum Health and Mercy Health in collaboration with Vaccinate West Michigan — is available by appointment only. Patients can self-schedule at wmvaccineclinic.org.
Persons were waiting for their appointment times at the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic at DeVos Place on Monday, March 29. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
To set up an appointment at the clinic for someone ages 16 or 17, or for people who need special assistance, persons are asked to call 833-755-0696. A parent or guardian must accompany minors.
Additionally, non-clinical volunteers are needed with greeting clinic attendees, providing directional assistance, escorting attendees who need help, sanitizing and organizing supplies, performing temperature checks and more. Volunteers need not have prior healthcare experience.
While the clinic has special capacity to provide 20,000 vaccinations, it has been limited by vaccine supplies.
SpartanNash clinics
The SpartanNash clinics on April 2 and April 6 will be held at 5221 Cherry St., in Hudsonville, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Appointments are available to schedule three days prior to each clinic and are based on Michigan’s expanded vaccination eligibility. To schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, visit shopfamilyfare.com/covid19vaccine.
To ensure the safety of both patients and pharmacists, customers must have an existing appointment and complete a health screening prior to receiving the vaccination. The vaccine will be administered at no cost to patients.
For those unable to attend the clinics, COVID-19 vaccines are also available to store guests at SpartanNash pharmacies throughout Michigan. Participating pharmacies include Family Fare, D&W Fresh Market, VG’s Grocery, Martin’s Super Markets and Forest Hills Foods.
More federal supplies; higher state goals
On March 31, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer raised Michigan’s COVID-19 vaccination goal from 50,000 to 100,000 shots per day.
The new goal is “based on the state’s successful efforts to expand equitable and efficient vaccine administration by partnering with private and public organizations in communities across the state, and is made possible by continuous week-over-week increases in the number of vaccines allocated to the state of Michigan,” according to a statement from the state.
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, at a January news conference. (State of Michigan)
For 38 days, the state has met or exceeded its original goal of administering 50,000 vaccinations per day. As of March 31, Michigan has administered 4,207,102 vaccines, moving the state closer to its goal of “equitably vaccinating at least 70 percent of Michiganders ages 16 and older” as soon as possible.
“Michigan is making great strides as our rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines continues ramping up,” Gov. Whitmer said in supplied material. “These new, higher vaccine targets are a testament to what we can do together … I urge everyone to continue doing their part with masks, social distancing, and hand washing, and when you are eligible, get your vaccine.”
In next week’s shipment, according to the statement, the federal government will increase the state’s direct allocation by 66,020 doses and the total allocation includes 147,800 doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
In addition to the state’s direct allocation, the governor also applauded “the millions of additional doses being sent to federally partnered retail pharmacies across the country, including numerous locations in Michigan,” such as SpartanNash.
“The state is working hand-in-hand with health care systems, local health departments, Federally Qualified Health Centers, primary care providers and others to get Michiganders vaccinated with the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine as quickly as possible,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health,” said in supplied material. “Providers have administered more than four million doses in just four months and we praise and appreciate their willingness to serve their communities, and are confident they will meet and exceed the new 100,000 shots per day goal.”
As staff from the Grand Rapids Public Museum worked to digitalize its magic lantern slides, they discovered 69 black-and-white, photographic magic lantern slides depicting the Tuskegee Institute at the turn of the 20th century. Now referred to as Tuskegee University, the institution is a historically black university, located in Tuskegee, Ala. Its first president was Booker T. Washington (pictured above) and it was the home of scientist George Washington Carver and of the World War II era Tuskegee Airmen.
According to historian, author and professor Dr. Randal Maurice Jelks, Washington traveled throughout Michigan seeking support from industrialists and wealthy Protestant churches. He came to Grand Rapids at least four times and made significant inroads into the city’s business and religious communities. He was such an important future in Grand Rapids that when he died in 1915, there was a city-wide memorial for him.
Lantern slides were widely circulated in the Grand Rapids Public Schools district for decades as an engaging teaching tool that could transport students around the world. There has been renewed interested in the slides by researchers because of their role in the history of technology and as a visual resource for local historians. With support from IMS, the Public Museum will digitize, catalog and rehouse roughly 5,000 magic lantern slides over the next years. The slides can be viewed online. Click here.
Students learn handiwork at Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University. The image is part of the lantern slide collection at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. (provided)
A couple weeks ago, we talked about the general noise ordinance. Did you know that there’s a separate ordinance that addresses music from vehicles? It falls under “disturbing the peace”, and the ordinance divides the day into 7 a.m.-7 p.m. (daytime hours) and 7 p.m.-7 a.m. (nighttime hours).
This week’s Traffic Tuesday question: Fill in the blanks! It is unlawful for any person to disturb the public peace and quiet by operating or allowing a sound system of a vehicle to produce a clearly audible sound at a distance of ___ feet from the vehicle during daytime hours and ___ feet from the vehicle during night time hours.
Just how deadly colorectal cancer can be came to light with the death of actor Chad Bostwick, best known for the movie “The Black Panther.” After a four year battle, Bostwick died on Aug. 28, 2020.
Per the Centers for Disease Control, colorectal cancer, also known as color cancer, bowel cancer, and rectal cancer, affects both women and men and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Every year, approximately 140,000 people in the U.S. get colorectal cancer and more than 50,000 people die from it.
The American Cancer Society predicts that 1 in 21 men and 1 in 23 women with develop colorectal cancer in their lifetime.
Regular screenings for cancer can improve or save your life. These screenings began at age 50 are essential for preventing colorectal cancer. If you are 50-75, get screened regularly.
Symptoms include various gastrointestinal issues that include: diarrhea, constipation, right red blood during bowel movements, black stool, abdominal pain, abdominal bloating and feeling that your bowel does not empty properly after a bowel movement. You may have unexplained weight loss along with fatigue or tiredness. Men may experience unexplained iron deficiency while women may experience unexplained iron deficiency after menopause. A lump in the abdomen or back may be felt on exam by a medical provider.
Please keep in mind that most of these symptoms may also be indicative of other illnesses so please see your primary care provider if symptoms are present for longer than four weeks.
An idea to build a silk empire has been an ongoing century-old headache for many municipalities in the United States.
Gypsy moths were introduced in the 1800s as an alternative to the finicky silkworm, which has a limited diet of mulberry leaves. Gypsy moths, on the other had, have an appetite for oak trees as well as several other species of trees and shrubs. A single gypsy moth caterpillar can consume 11 square feet of vegetation during its life time with millions of caterpillars able to defoliate 13 million acres of trees in the United State in just one season.
It has left cities, such as the City of Wyoming, with the need to spray every spring to control the gypsy moth population.
At its regular Monday night meeting set for April 5, the city council will host a public hearing for the annual sprayings which will take place in several areas throughout the city. Properties that directly benefit from this year’s spraying will be assessed fees for the project which is $26 per residential lot that is less than one-half acre. The cost is $75 per treated acre for parcels that are larger than a half an acre. The amount would be added on the 2021 summer property tax bill.
The insecticide used in the process is a naturally occurring bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which is not harmful to humans or animals.
For more information about the City of Wyoming’s gypsy moth suppression program, click here. The City Council meeting is at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 1155 28th St. SW.
In other city news
Low bids for the 2020 Wyoming Resurfacing Program has resulted in the city being able to add a 10-foot wide concrete bike path along the east side of Burlingame Avenue from Gezon Parkway to 60th Street. The bike path segment is included n the Wyoming’s Bikeways Plan and will completed a connection between the existing bike path along Gezon Parkway and an existing Kent County Parks Department bike path south of 60th Street.
The 2020 Resurfacing contract came in about $488,000 less than expect. Rieth-Riley Construction Co., Inc, which was awarded the resurfacing contract, has agreed to extend the contact to include the bike project and resurfacing of Crossroads Commerce Drive, Nagel Avenue, and Alba Avenue.
Wyoming High School head baseball coach Travis Stricklin visits the set of WKTV Journal Sports Connection to catch us up on his team and the Wolves program. (WKTV)
On this latest episode of WKTV Journal Sports Connection, as part of our coverage of local high school athletics, we talk spring sports — yes, the weather may delay prep baseball and softball this season, as usual, but at least there is likely to be some action on Wyoming and Kentwood diamonds this year.
Last year, high school spring sports was washed away by the pandemic.
Wyoming high head baseball coach Travis Stricklin. (WKTV)
In late March, just before the start of the 2021 spring sports season, WKTV sports volunteer Paul Kabelman sat down with Wyoming high head baseball coach Travis Stricklin to talk about the lost season for the Wolves last year, and how it is just another obstacle for his team to overcome.
Coach Stricklin also talks about the new normal for high school sports still impacted by the pandemic, and — of course — what his team might look like this season. (Hint: they like “small ball”!)
WKTV Journal Sports Connection brings its audience interviews and stories focused on local Wyoming and Kentwood area high schools sports, on-line, on cable television, and on our on-demand and YouTube channels. Readers can catch up on all our local sports coverage by visiting wktvjournal.com/sports.
WKTV Journal Sports Connection is available on-demand, along with WKTV coverage of high school athletic events and other sports, at WKTVlive.com. It also airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule). Individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal Sports Connection are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
John McCarter likes to joke that he got from Novi, Michigan to the City of Wyoming via Texas.
The native Michiganer, McCarter (who was born in Milwaukee, Wis., and moved to Michigan at a young age), was recently named the city’s new deputy city manager. McCarter, who was the interim financial director for Pearland, Texas, officially took over the position on March 15.
With only a few days on the job, McCarter said he is still learning but has loved what he has seen of the City of Wyoming, from its operations to its people.
“Economic development, data analytics, diversity, equity and inclusion, that is what got me excited,” McCarter said about his decision to come to Wyoming. “Since I started here…so I am far from an expert, but I see people who are invested in those things and moving the ball down the field, innovating and doing new things. So all those things that drew me I have seen in my three days and in the foreseeable future.”
Wyoming Deputy City Manager John McCarter
In his new position as deputy city manager, McCarter will focus on communications, data analytics and process improvement as well as be responsible for directing and monitoring City projects and serving as a liaison between the city manager and department heads, community groups, boards and designated government agencies.
“John brings a diverse skill set to the City of Wyoming that will help us continue to grow as an organization that serves our whole community,” City Manager Curtis Holt said. “He will help steer our organization into a more equitable and prosperous future with his skills in process engineering and systems thinking.”
An Eastsider transplanted to West Michigan
McCarter grew up in Grosse Pointe, which is a city outside of the Detroit area, with his family moving to just outside of Flint, to Lapeer, Michigan. While in Lapper, his mother was involved with the Downtown Development Authority and the city’s art gallery, Gallery 194. His father was the publisher of the city’s newspaper, LA View.
It was during that time that McCarter found a passion for public service as his family would volunteer at the community events.
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but I loved it,” he said. “At the time, it was something that my parents made me do, but as I went to college and found myself. I tried a few different hats on and I settled on administration because I fell in love with public service. I love the community and the connection with the residents that I found in high school in my early teens.”
After graduating from Lapeer High School, McCarter would attend Central Michigan University for his undergraduate and would get his masters in public administration from Oakland University. He would land his first job in Novi and then he heard about an opportunity in Sugarland, Texas.
“I was in my early twenties,” McCarter said. “I was single and I wanted to make a change. There was this really cool job in a really cool city, next to Houston which is the fourth largest city in the nation.”
So McCarter moved to Sugarland to work in management assistance and eventually went to work for the neighboring city, Pearland.
“My idea was that I was going to be there for five years and I stayed for seven,” McCarter said with a laugh. “It was kind of an adventure and I knew if I never did it then, I would never do it.”
A Perfect Fit
McCarter got married while in Texas and with his family starting to grow, he and his wife, Julia, decided they wanted to be closer to their families and so McCarter began looking for positions.
“I was looking for something between the Detroit area and Cedar Springs, Iowa (where McCarter’s wife is from),” he said. “Grand Rapids was at the top of the list as I had been here before. I have friends from here.
“When the job in Wyoming came up, the size of the city, 75,000 or so, it was really attractive to me. It wasn’t so big that you couldn’t get your head around it, but it wasn’t so small that there weren’t resources and opportunities.”
McCarter said there also was the opportunity to work with City Manager Curtis Holt, who with 20-plus years in public administration, is a leader in the field of city management and is known to be a mentor to his staff. “I knew he was someone I could come in and learn from,” McCarter said.
Now here, McCarter is excited to roll up his sleeves and get to work.
“What I am really most excited about is leveraging our assets here, especially our strongest asset, which is our people, to help build a better city,” he said.
Outside of work, his number one priority is son, which he and his wife Julia welcomed about a month ago. McCarter also enjoys music and is a big Tigers fan. “I’m always hopeful,” he said with a grin.
And now that he is back in Michigan, he plans to take a few trips to the lakeshore.
“On the westside of the state, you don’t have to go far to find dunes or rock formations and that to me is so unique,” said McCarter, adding that being next to “Beer City USA” is a bonus as well.
Grand Rapids South Christian High School hosted a boys basketball district final on March 27 between the host Sailors and the Grand Rapids Christian Eagles. (WKTV/Ellington Smith)
Despite an unfilled gymnasium at Grand Rapids South Christian High School, due to pandemic restrictions, the atmosphere and energy was high with fans on both sides in a district final March 27 between two consensus top 30 teams in the state, the host Sailors and the Grand Rapids Christian Eagles.
In the end, the Sailors weathered a hectic fourth quarter and sent their fans home happy with a 62-54 win and a Division 2, District 44 championship. Christian ends the year at 9-3.
South Christian head Coach Jeff Meengs was proud of the team’s composure in the tight game, especially in the fourth quarter, and was specifically proud of his seniors.
“They weathered a lot, (against an athletic Eagles team), and dealt with the pressure,” Meengs said to WKTV. They “kept their composure, and kept making plays.”
The Sailors (17-2) now have a tall task ahead of them as they advance to the Division 2 Region 11 tournament — also on South Christian’s home floor — starting on Tuesday, March 30, at 5 p.m., against rival Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
South Christian only two losses on the year were to Catholic Central by a combined margin of five points.
The fans on both sides were limited (due to COVID-19 restrictions) but loud as Grand Rapids South Christian hosted a boys basketball district final on March 27 between the Sailors and the Grand Rapids Christian Eagles. (WKTV/Ellington Smith)
District final was back and forth game
In the District final game, both teams set out to be evenly matched, with both only having two losses going into this contest, but the Eagles were without their star, University of Michigan commit Kobe Bufkin, which completely changed the outlook of their team.
Despite Bufkin’s absence, early on both teams were consistently trading baskets back and forth with offensive rebounds and getting out in transition being two early keys to success that saw South Chrisitan jump out to an early lead due to the height advantage they possessed with senior forwards Elliot Grashiuis and Connor Dykema.
As a result, the first quarter ended with South Christian leading 18-13 in a very high action game with the refs letting them play. It was not all positive for the Sailors as their lead guard Isaac Northouse picked up an early knee injury, and was out for the remainder of the game.
In the second quarter, South Christian was able to gain separation jumping out to a double-digit lead due to stifling defense that left Christian’s offense stagnant.
Much of the Eagles’ offense has been singularly isolation focused as they are used to McDonald’s All American Bufkin leading them. Due to Bufkin’s absence, senior Donovan Brown Boyd carried much of the load of the offense, scoring and making plays for his teammates. The half ended with South Christian up 34-23, dominating on both ends of the floor creating turnovers and generating good looks with Dykema leading all scorers with nine points.
The third quarter began with much of the same as the Sailors are able to jump out to an 18-point lead, their biggest of the game. However, the game was clearly not over as Christian was able to cut the lead to nine later in the quarter due to timely buckets from Brown Boyd leading his team with 21 points. Brown Boyd picked it up defensively as well with 2 blocks in one possession.
But the Sailors were still comfortably in the lead with a score of 47-36 at the conclusion of the third quarter.
For much of the fourth quarter the score stayed at about a 10-point spread in a sequence dominated by fouls and turnovers on both sides.
The game’s momentum then picked up when the Eagles came out in a press that generated turnovers in consecutive possessions and were able to cut the lead to five.
However, Sailors were able to regain their composure and take command of the game as with about 40 seconds to go South Christian went to the line repeatedly to keep its separation and successfully closing out the game with free throws and offensive rebounds resulting in a final score of 62-54.
For the game, the Sailors had a very balanced attack with three players in double figures, as guard Jacob Dehaan led the team in scoring with 18 points, followed by Dykema and Sam Meengs, each with 12 points.
After the game coach Meengs spoke on the fluidity of the Sailors’ offense.
“We had an inside presence with Connor, especially in the first half, that forces (the defense) to worry about that, and that set up some nice outside shooting,” he said. “And we hit them.”
A year’s worth of activities, special events and activities focused on northern Michigan and one-time summer resident Ernest Hemingway is planned for the Village of Walloon Lake throughout 2021. Walloon Lake is nestled between Boyne City and Petoskey just off US-131 in Charlevoix and Emmet Counties.
The first large program is Walloon Lake Reads: The Nick Adams Stories which kicks off on Thursday, April 1 and runs through mid-May. A Hemingway Birthday Celebration is also planned for Wednesday, July 21 (Ernest was born on this date in 1899) with a handful of family-friendly events. Labor Day weekend, September 3-6, will be the primary Hemingway Homecoming featuring the unveiling of historical installations downtown focused on Hemingway as well as other aspects of the village’s development and growth at the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth century – like early rail travel, hotels and resorts, boating and more.
Various businesses in town, specifically Hotel Walloon, Walloon Lake Inn and Barrel Back Restaurant, are showcasing various foods and beverages throughout the year in honor of Hemingway’s passion for such things. Themed lodging packages will also focus on activities that the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winning author enjoyed – like fly fishing.
Ernest Hemingway was just three months old when he made his first trip from his hometown of Oak Park, IL to Walloon Lake where his parents – Clarence and Grace (Hall) – had purchased property along the North Shore. Ernest spent time every summer until 1922 at the family’s beloved Windemere cottage there, the simple cottage still owned by descendants today. The woods and waters in and around Walloon Lake shaped Hemingway’s life in many ways and it was a place he always held dear to his heart. It was here that his 1972 posthumously published book, The Nick Adams Stories, is primarily set.
The Village of Walloon Lake has also launched a website at WalloonLakeMi.com to provide information to locals and visitors alike throughout the year and beyond. An official Village Facebook page also provides regular updates and historical tidbits at Facebook.com/WalloonLakeMi.
As a result of significantly increasing numbers of patients admitted with COVID-19 and the increase in community positivity rate, Spectrum Health has revised its visitor policies to reduce the number of people in its Grand Rapids and regional hospitals and outpatient care sites.
Effective Wednesday, March 31, adult patients are allowed one adult family member or guest per patient. This must be the same person for the patient’s entire hospital stay. The following exceptions will apply:
Labor and delivery obstetrics patients are allowed two adult visitors. These must be the same two people for the patient’s entire hospital stay.
Patients with COVID-19 are not allowed in-person visitors, however the care team will work with patients and families to coordinate virtual visits.
Emergency department patients are limited to one adult guest per patient.
Adult radiology and laboratory patients at the hospital or outpatient care sites are not allowed guests except for those patients here for an obstetric ultrasound or those who need assistance with activities of daily living or have cognitive impairments. These individuals will be allowed one adult guest.
Adult patients at Spectrum Health physician offices and surgery centers are allowed one adult family member or guest for surgical sedated procedures, but no visitors unless the patient needs physical or cognitive support. Patients may contact office staff for extenuating circumstances.
Pediatric patients under the age of 21 are allowed two adult family members (parent or guardian or their designee only) per patient stay.
For pediatric outpatient services, physician offices and surgery, pediatric patients are allowed one family member or guests per patient visit.
Pediatric radiology patients are allowed one adult family member per patient.
Pediatric hematology and oncology clinic and infusion center patients are allowed one adult family member per patient.
The new restrictions apply to the following Spectrum Health hospitals and nearby physician offices and ambulatory care sites:
Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital
Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital
Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital
Spectrum Health Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center
Spectrum Health Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion
Spectrum Health Big Rapids Hospital
Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial
Spectrum Health Kelsey Hospital
Spectrum Health Pennock
Spectrum Health Reed City Hospital
Spectrum Health United Hospital
Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital
Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital
In addition, in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus, all visitors will be screened and are required to wear a mask that covers their mouth and nose to enter the hospitals and outpatient facilities. Spectrum Health dining rooms continue to be closed to visitors. Hospital food service will be available in the cafeteria through to-go orders.
More information about visitor restrictions can be found here. Spectrum Health’s COVID-19 resource center can be found here.
The Honolulu House in Marshall Michigan. Picture taken in 1965. (Public Domain)
By Bill Mabin Marshall Historical Society
The Honolulu House Museum, 107 N. Kalamazoo Ave., Marshall, will open for the 2021 season on Saturday, April 3.
The museum will be open weekends only during April. Beginning in May, it will be open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. Operating hours are 12-4 p.m.
A free Easter Egg Hunt is scheduled for Sunday, April 4, on the museum grounds. Participation is limited to 25 children at each of three sessions at 2, 2:30 and 3 p.m. Registration is required and can be done by calling 269-719-0546 or by messaging Marshall Historical Society on Facebook. When registering, please indicate the desired time and number of children participating. Masks are required for all participants and visitors during the Easter Egg Hunt.
Adult admission for a museum tour is $10. This cost also includes admission to the Marshall Historical Museum at the GAR Hall, 402 E. Michigan Ave. Coupons will be issued for future GAR admission since that museum will not open until May. There is no museum admission charge for children age 12 and under and for Marshall Historical Society members.
Tour groups are limited to eight people. Masked are required. Social distancing is expected.
The Honolulu House Museum stands at the heart of Marshall’s National Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Historic American Buildings Survey. The house was built in 1860 for the first U.S. consul to the Sandwich (Hawaiian) Islands. Constructed of Marshall sandstone, the building is a wonderful blend of Italianate, Gothic Revival and Polynesian architecture. The Marshall Historical Society has restored the building’s interior to its 1880s elegance that features decorative wall and ceiling paintings.
The Honolulu House is the headquarters of the Marshall Historical Society which has operated the building as a museum since 1961. For more information, visit www.marshallhistoricalsociety.org.
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety is investigating a stabbing that took place in the evening of March 28 in the 2300 block of Barberry Drive SW.
Officer responded around 9:45 p.m. on March 28 to a report of a fight and stabbing. Upon arrival, officers located a ale victim with several stab wounds. The initial investigation indicates that a verbal argument turned into a physical fight, according to a statement from the department. During the fight, the victim was stabbed several times.
The victim was transported to a local area hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect, a 41-year-old male, was taken into custody at the scene and lodged at the Kent County Jail for assault with intent to murder.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Wyoming Department of Public Safety at 616-530-7300 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.
Persons were waiting for their appointment times at the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic at DeVos Place on Monday, March 29, where clinic operators hoped to be vaccinating as many as 12,000 on that day. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
With access to more vaccine supplies becoming available, and the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic at DeVos Place ramped up and ready to deliver, the operators of the clinic announced Monday, March 29, that they would be vaccinating as many as 12,000 persons on that day.
That total would not only be a single-day record for the local clinic but, to put that number into perspective, anybody who has been to a sold-out concert at the Van Andel Arena was part of a crowd of about that same number of people.
And according to two local persons in line to get their shots on Monday, one from Wyoming and one from Kentwood, the process was not only welcome news but a fairly easy process.
Persons entering the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic at DeVos Place on Monday, March 29. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
“My daughter and I were talking … and she mentioned that she had signed up through the website, and so I signed up my husband and I,” Julie Hall, of Wyoming, said to WKTV as she waited her time to enter the clinic. “Then yesterday (Sunday, March 28), we both got texts … They set me up for this morning and my husband this afternoon. He is working today.”
The system used by the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic — operated by Kent County, Spectrum Health and Mercy Health in collaboration with Vaccinate West Michigan —was not only easy-in but also fairly quick out.
“It was a very easy process, they ask a few questions and it moves quickly,” Sonya Oliver, of Kentwood, said to WKTV as she exited after getting her shot. “I was in there about 15, 20 minutes. It was very easy.”
Brian Brasser, chief operating officer of Spectrum Health Grand Rapids, one of the partners in the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic at DeVos Place. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
And according to Brian Brasser, chief operating officer of Spectrum Health Grand Rapids, the clinic is expecting to vaccinate about 40,000 persons this week and is capable of handling as many as 20,000 in a single day.
“We are only limited by the supply of vaccine available,” Brasser said to WKTV.
Supply, demand lead to expanded parking options downtown
According to the Monday announcement from the clinic operators, people 65-plus or who require mobility assistance can park directly at DeVos Place, entering the north parking entrance from the west on Michigan Street or the south parking entrance from the east on Lyon Street.
Drivers also can use the drop off zone in front of DeVos Place on Monroe Avenue and proceed to the cell phone lot within the Gerald Ford Museum parking lots to wait until pick-up notification. (There was a steady stream of persons being dropped off in front of DeVos Place as WKTV was present on-site Monday morning.)
Another parking option is the Government Center Ramp across the street from DeVos Place, at 300 Monroe. The ramp can be accessed off Ottawa or one of the two Monroe entrances. And the parking ticket will be validated at the clinic.
Also, there is free parking at the Gerald Ford Museum north and south lots, and Rapid Shuttle’s Park at the Museum lots, located off Scribner Avenue and Bridge Street/Michigan Avenue, with a shuttle from The Rapid will run every eight minutes to and from DeVos Place.
More information about the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic visit wmvaccineclinic.org.
Part of the spring break fun at the Grand Rapids Public Museum will be the food truck ART:Caribean Fusion Cuisine.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) has announced its spring break plans which will include live science shows, intriguing exhibits and planetarium shows, as well as festive food experience featuring a food truck from ART: Caribbean Fusion Cuisine along with an assortment of beverages and beer from City Built Brewing Company.
“For families enjoying a staycation for Spring Break or for those visiting Grand Rapids, the Museum offers a family fun-filled experience with exciting exhibits, science shows and more to keep kids learning while having fun,” said Kate Kocienski, the GRPM’s Vice President of Marketing & PR. “Our offerings cater to visitors of all ages and we’re eager to welcome everyone to the Museum to enjoy engaging activities in a low-risk environment.”
Explore larger-than-life sculptures made with more than 2 million LEGO® bricks in Sean Kenney’s Wild Connections Made with LEGO® Bricks to learn about animal endangerment, the balance of ecosystems, and mankind’s relationship with nature. This exhibition, produced by Imagine Exhibitions, depicts important topics that artist Sean Kenney holds dear, from protecting an animals’ habitat, to planting a garden, or using a bike instead of a car. Wild Connections further shows that just as LEGO® pieces interconnect, everything in nature is interconnected in a delicate balance. The narratives, along with the intricate displays, also explore the importance of conservation, the balance of ecosystems, predator/prey relationships, as well as the relationships between humankind and the natural world. This exhibition is open for a limited time. Tickets to Wild Connections must be purchased with general admission to the Museum.
“Bee” in “Sean Kenney’s Wild Connections Made with LEGOs” at the Grand Rapids Public Museum through May 2. (Supplied)
Additionally with general admission, analyze fossils from the last Ice Age in the Under the Arctic exhibit to learn about permafrost, as well as the people and the animals that live in this area, experience historic Grand Rapids made with LEGO® bricks and journey through three floors of core exhibits, with visitors favorites, West Michigan Habitats and the Streets of Old Grand Rapids. Advance ticket purchase required; early ticket purchase is recommended, as tickets will sell out given capacity limits. Visit grpm.org to purchase tickets.
The Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium’s spring break shows will take place four times a day and include: Incoming!, Under Starlit Skies, Escher’s Universe, One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure and The Queen Light Show From Mercury to Mars. Planetarium shows are $4 with general admission to the Museum, $2 for Museum members, and $5 for planetarium only. Visit grpm.org/Planetarium for a complete list of showtimes and descriptions.
Visitors are required to reserve advance tickets at grpm.org for quick, easy access into the Museum during Spring Break. Kent County residents receive reduced admission to the GRPM, thanks to the passing of a Kent County millage in 2016, including free general admission for Kent County children 17 and under! Kent County adults and seniors receive reduced pricing as well as free parking.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) announced that its Camp Curious summer programs are now open for registration. The Museum will offer in-person, small group camps, as well as virtual Digital Discovery sessions for kids to explore the wonders of science, history, culture and more.
Kids pre-K through 12th grade will use the Museum as a learning lab through a variety of camp offerings, beginning June 14 and are available through mid-August, 2021.
“We’re excited to offer a mixture of in person camps as well as Digital Discovery sessions to the community this year,” said Rob Schuitema, the GRPM’s Director of Public Programs. “Both opportunities will provide students with the tools and guidance they need to have fun while learning and making genuine connections to the curriculum and the Museum. As always, our team is thrilled to share their expertise and enthusiasm for science, history and culture with the next cohort of curious minds this summer.”
Camp Curious offers single day or multiple day camps and are available by the grade level students will be entering in the fall. Popular camps include Slimy Science, Fossil Hunters, Dream it, Build it with LEGO® Bricks and Young Wizards Academy. New, in-person camps this year include River Critters, Adaptations & Pollinators, Fun Tech and River Explorers.
Digital Discovery Sessions encourage campers to explore and investigate through hands-on experiments and activities, while using common items in their homes as well as artifacts and specimens in the GRPM’s digital Collections. New this year, Stargazers gives students the opportunity to explore the wonders of the universe by learning how to navigate Stellarium, an open-source software that will bring the power of the planetarium to their home. Other virtual offerings include Slimy Science, Time Travelers, Dream it, Build it with LEGO® Bricks, Wizards Academy and the Grand Photo Project.
Digital Discovery sessions will require access to the internet and the use of a device to watch presentations and receive daily instructions. These sessions will utilize the virtual platform SeeSaw, with most activities taking place off-line. Digital Discovery sessions are designed for campers to do projects independently; the Museum recommends that parents of young children (1st – 3rd grade) be present. Digital Discovery session supplies include common items from around your home, and can be interchangeable based on what campers have access to. Recommended lists can be found at grpm.org/EduClasses.
Pricing for camps vary, starting as low as $35 for single day, in person camps and $40 for multi-day Digital Discovery sessions, with discounts available for Museum members. For more information on Camp Curious and Digital Discovery Sessions and to register today, visit grpm.org/Educlasses. Early registration is highly recommended, as camps will sell out.
The Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo (ACGK) is excited to announce the return of in-person Art Hop in downtown Kalamazoo on Friday, April 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. This free outdoor event will feature local artists and downtown businesses showcased in booths along Bates Alley and the South Kalamazoo Mall.
After a year of virtual Art Hops, the Arts Council is looking forward to bringing the community together in a safe, socially-distanced outdoor space. Guests can grab drinks within the Downtown Social District to sip, stroll, and enjoy locally made art. DJ Todd Brown will be providing live music entertainment. The event will follow all COVID-19 guidelines in compliance with the state of Michigan.
The Arts Council’s Programs Director, Bianca Washington-Ciungan, announced, “I am so excited to safely return to an in-person Art Hop. I am grateful that we have been able to present a virtual option successfully, but there’s nothing like being able to support our artists and businesses in a face-to-face fashion.”
Participating businesses include Honor Credit Union, Fuze Kitchen and Bar, Green Top Tavern, Kalamazoo Candle Company, V & A Bootery, Cherri’s Chocol’art, Colors & Cocktails, and MRC ArtWorks. Local artists that will be showing their work in-person include Kevin Hamman, Alexa Karabin, Jonathan Wijnberg, and Amy Lou Gieschen as well as many more.
For those who are not able to attend in-person, the Arts Council’s website will have a virtual gallery featuring work by local artists, and a three-part artist spotlight interview series with Alexa Karabin, Linda Rzoska, and Pam Kirkham. Additionally, the Stulberg International String Competition will be livestreaming its virtual Bravo! concert at 7 p.m. The Arts Council is also celebrating the launch of its new Art Hop app, allowing the event to go paperless just in time for Earth Day. The app serves as a guide to all things Art Hop and can be downloaded as a shortcut icon through any smartphone web browser at www.kalamazooarthop.org. Art Hop would not be possible without the support of the ACGK’s generous program sponsors, LKF Marketing, Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs, Dorothy U Dalton Foundation, Marvin and Rosalie Okun Foundation, KalBlue, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, D.L. Gallivan Office Solutions, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The shortened 2020-21 boys high school basketball season came to an end this week for several local teams in state district tournaments, but the Grand Rapids South Christian Sailors are in the finals of their Division 2 tournament, and the Wyoming Tri-unity Christian Defenders are in the finals of their Division 4 tournament.
Both teams will be on their home floors for games Saturday, March 27.
South Christian (16-2, with two wins in the district tournament) will take on Grand Rapids Christian (9-2) at 6 p.m., with the winner advancing to the Division 2 Region 11 tournament — also on the Sailors’ home floor — starting on March 30.
Tri-unity Christian (9-2, with one win in the district tournament) will take on Martin (6-6-1) at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to the Division 4 Region 29 tournament at Niles starting on March 30.
South Christian, in early district play, defeated Kelloggsville (2-8 to end the season), by a score of 66-20, in opening round action March 23. The Sailors then handed Godwin Heights (10-1) its only loss of the season, by the score of 79-49, in the semifinals March 25.
Tri-unity, in early district play, defeated West Michigan Lutheran, 83-22, in semifinals play on March 25.
Other local district results
In the Division 1 tournament at East Grand Rapids, Wyoming high won an opening round game March 23 against Byron Center, 54-53, but then lost in the semifinals March 25 to host East Grand Rapids, 54-52. The Wolves finished the season at 7-9 overall.
In other Division 1 tournament action, East Kentwood lost to Caledonia, 53-49, on March 23, to end the season at 3-12. (WKTV was there and a report is available here.)
In other Division 2 action at South Christian, West Michigan Aviation Academy lost to Grand Rapids Christian, 74-48, on March 25, to end their season at 12-6.
In Division 3 action at Fennville, Wyoming Potters House Christian lost to Calvin Christian, 38-37, on March 23, and ended their season at 5-5.
For local restaurants struggling to keep the doors open, any financial help is valuable, including the about $500 Kentwood’s The Candied Yam and owner Jessica Ann Tyson will not be spending on a county food service licensing fee this year.
The Kent County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted Thursday, March 25, to waive the 2021 food service licensing fee for all existing food establishments in Kent County “due to the significant hardship food establishments have experienced with closures and capacity limitations related to COVID‐19,” according to a statement from the county.
“It will help … its like $500 and up,” Tyson told WKTV when asked about the fee and how much it will save her business.
“Our restaurant owners and employees are hurting — they are among the hardest hit by the pandemic,” Kent County board chair Mandy Bolter said in supplied material. “The Board of Commissioners felt very strongly about waiving this fee as one small way to provide meaningful assistance where possible.”
This one‐time waiver, according to the county statement, will apply to the 2,294 existing food establishments (permanent, fixed, temporary, Special Transitory Food Units, or mobile) in Kent County that would otherwise be required to pay their annual licensing and inspection fee by April 30.
The Kent County action will total to “about $1.1 to $1.2 million” in waived fees, Monica Sparks, county commissioner for Kentwood’s commission District 12, said to WKTV.
“We took that out of the (county) budget,” Sparks said, while also giving credit to Dr. Adam London, Kent County Health Department director, for bringing the idea forward.
“The Health Department has worked tirelessly with our restaurants and bars over the last year to adapt to evolving regulations and occupancy restrictions,” London said in supplied material. “We are keenly aware of the challenges facing these establishments and we appreciate the Board providing this financial relief as they continue to weather the impacts of the pandemic.”
While the licensing and inspection fees are being waived, all restaurants are still required to submit a renewal application by April 30. The application will ensure establishments remain licensed during the 2021-22 operating period.
If an establishment does not intend to renew its license, the application still should be returned but include a signed note requesting its license be cancelled. Food establishments should expect to receive a renewal application from the health department within the next two weeks.
Restaurant owners with questions should contact the Kent County Health Department, Environmental Health Division, at 616‐632‐6900 or KCEHMail@kentcountymi.gov.
After a hectic week of local teams battling in state girls basketball district tournaments, the East Kentwood Falcons are in the finals of the Division 1 tournament at Middleville Thornapple Kellogg High School, while the South Christian Sailors are in the finals of the Division 2 tournament in Wayland. Both finals will be Friday, March 26.
East Kentwood (13-3, with two wins in the tournament) will face off against East Grand Rapids (12-2) at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to the Division 1 Region 3 tournament at Holland West Ottawa starting on Monday, March 29.
South Christian (11-4, with one win in the tournament) will take on host Wayland (9-2) at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to the Division 2 Region 12 tournament at Edwardsburg, also starting on March 29.
In this week’s early district play, East Kentwood defeated host Middleville, 69-44, on Monday, March 22, and then defeated Byron Center, 41-34, in semifinal action Wednesday, March 24.
South Christian, also in early district play, had a bye and then defeated Kentwood Grand River Preparatory Academy, 71-15, in the semifinals March 24.
Other local district results
In the Division 1 tournament at Middleville, Wyoming high lost an opening round game to Byron Center, 63-41, as the Wolves ended their season at 10-7.
In the Division 2 tournament at Godwin Heights, Kelloggsville defeated the host Wolverines (5-6 overall) in opening round action by the score of 41-39. The Rockets then lost in the semifinals to Grand Rapids Catholic, 44-36, to finish their season with a 5-8 record.
In the Division 2 tournament at Wayland, West Michigan Aviation Academy defeated Hopkins, 53-42, before falling to Wayland, 57-22, in the semifinals to finish their season at 12-6.
In the Division 3 tournament at Covenant Christian High School, Wyoming Potter’s House lost to Grandville Calvin Christian, 49-39, in semifinal action and ended the season at 9-5 overall.
In the Division 4 tournament at Martin, Tri-unity Christian lost to host Martin, 49-41 in semifinal action and ended their season at 5-10.
