U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, who represents Wyoming and Kentwood, talks to a group at a “Coffee with Constituents” visit to Marge’s Donut Den in Wyoming April 23. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (Republican-Michigan’s 2nd Congressional District), who represents Wyoming and Kentwood, has spoken loud and often of the positive impact of Republican-led 2017 tax cuts for businesses large and small, and he did so again Tuesday at a “Coffee with Constituents” visit to Marge’s Donut Den in Wyoming.
At the April 23 event, donut shop owner Marge Wilson, herself, echoed the congressman as she spoke to WKTV about what the tax cuts have meant for her business and her now-enlarged employee payroll.
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga and Marge Wilson at Marge’s Donut Den. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
“I was hoping (that the business tax cut) would help, but I got more value than I definitely expected,” Wilson said to WKTV. “The qualified business tax deduction … for my business, that was significant. I bought a new (commercial) mixer with the amount of taxes that I saved, and our mixer was needed.
“And then the tax bracket was reduced 3 percent, which was another help. … I was able to hire more people and give them a substantial raise in pay.”
Wilson said she hired four full-time employees.
The positive result of the tax cut “is significant,” Rep. Huizenga said to WKTV at the event. “I hear it all the time … it is real and it allows people, like Marge, and others, to hire additional people, to invest in their business.”
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga talks to a group at a “Coffee with Constituents” visit to Marge’s Donut Den in Wyoming April 23. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
According to information distributed by Rep. Huizenga’s office recently, since passage of the 2017 Republican tax cuts, economic growth hit nearly 3 percent, with just under 3.4 million new jobs and a 3.2 percent increase in hourly wages.
Rep. Huizenga’s visit to Wyoming was part of a series of “coffee hour” visits where not only the representative but members of his staff were present to assist 2nd District residents who have questions regarding federal policy or are having trouble with a federal agency. So far this year, according to his office, the congressman has held coffee hours in Hart, Baldwin, and Zeeland, and has participated in a town hall forum in Ludington.
The public meetings are “a touch point, having people who have very different perspectives and views, coming in and (my) spending a few minutes with them,” Rep. Huizenga said. “This is a good way for people to have that opportunity.”
Wilson said she appreciates the effort of elected officials such as Rep. Huizenga and local State Rep. Tommy Brann (R-House District 77).
“Both of those men excel at reaching out to people,” Wilson said. “They go where a lot of people go, so they are accessible. … Here they can have a coffee and a donut together, it’s a lot more relaxed. For those guys (Huizenga and Brann) to get out of their comfort zone and come to the people, I think that is huge.”
Tax cuts and donuts were only one (large) part of the discussion at Marge’s, and while many private constituent conversations remain so, Rep. Huizenga did talk to WKTV about how his work in Washington, D.C., has changed in the aftermath of the 2018 elections and the change of House of Representatives control to the Democrats.
“My priorities are the same it is just how do you work towards them,” he said. “It is different. I no longer have the ability as to what bill we are going to be taking up in a subcommittee. It is harder to directly influence (actions) but I still have the same goals and objectives,”
For more information about Rep. Huizenga’s office and how to contact his staff, visit huizenga.house.gov .
Frank Wu joins us to discuss growing up Asian American in very-white suburban Detroit. He shares the chilling impact of the 1982 Detroit murder of Vincent Chin on the Asian-American community. Finally, he calls for strengthened coalition building across the diverse Asian populations of the U.S.
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
On Jan. 23, 2019, Dr. Jen’s co-worker, Allie got a text from a friend who had come across this bedraggled but beautiful intact boy near Burton and Division. She promptly got him out of harm’s way and dropped him off at Allie’s so she could bring him in to the clinic the next morning for evaluation.
The fabulous, yet filthy 4-1/2-year-old fella (born in the summer of 2014) was suffering from a nasty skin infection on his back, severe yellowing of his fur from being outside for so long, a puncture wound above his left eye that was causing it to swell, and a smaller one in the inner corner of his right eye. Antibiotics, multiple baths and, of course, long-overdue neutering got him on the right track, but if truth be told, he was still quite smelly (male hormones!), so he hung out at the clinic for a few days before Dr. Jen sent him down to our sanctuary. At that time, given his obvious history of tussling, it wasn’t a surprise that he tested FIV-positive
Over the course of the next four weeks, Hoobastank hunkered down and settled in seamlessly, abandoning whatever tomcat tendencies he may have had:
“This gorgeous guy is a super-friendly and sweet big pile of fluff. When he first came to us, he tended to get picked on a little, but the others seem to have been leaving him alone. He’s a bit docile when it comes to too much action around him, but over time he is getting better.
“He loves napping up by the kitchen window, which is ironic because he really doesn’t care for what we serve in the kitchen—he just prefers his dry kibble and Temptations. Due to his slight timidity, he may do best in a home with no other pets where he doesn’t feel threatened. Kids would be perfect for him, or retired couple or person who would have plenty of time to spend one-on-one with him.”
When Dr. Jen retested him at his one-month recheck at the clinic, he came back FIV-negative. It appears that the bite he received caused his body to produce antibodies to the virus as it was introduced into his bloodstream, but thankfully his immune system was strong enough to fight the infection off. This is fantastic news as adopting out a cat from Crash’s historically has been much easier than from Big Sid’s, though we pride ourselves on just how awesome our Sid’s Kids are and promote the heck out of them.
Regardless of his viral status, Hoobastank is a favorite of ours and we have no doubt that finding him his forever home will not be difficult. Just look at that fabulous face this super friendly guy has—and it can be all yours for loving and snuggling!
More about Hoobastank:
Domestic Short Hair / Black & White / Tuxedo
Adult
Male
Large
House-trained
Vaccinations up to date
Neutered
Good in a home with other cats, children
Want to adopt Hoobastank? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!
Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To
take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids
area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming,
no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be
found.
“My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn't prevent you doing well, and don't regret the things it interferes with.”
― Stephen Hawking
The City of Kentwood is offering the second annual Limb Loss Awareness 5K race on Saturday, April 27. (Supplied/City of Kenwood)
A lesson in running (and walking)
In conjunction with Limb Loss Awareness Month, the City of Kentwood is offering the second annual Limb Loss Awareness 5K race on Saturday, April 27. Open to people of all abilities, the family friendly event will continue to raise funds for Kentwood’s adaptive recreation programs. For the complete story, visit here. For a video interview with the director of the city’s adaptive recreation program, visit here.
Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll reads the proclamation at a previous year’s Arbor Day event. (WKTV)
A lesson in Mother Earth awareness
The City of Wyoming Tree Commission, “The Tree Amigos,” is partnering with Wyoming Lee High School Ecology Club in the City’s 2019 Arbor Day Ceremony set for 9:30 a.m. Friday, April 26 at the high school located at 1335 Lee St. SW. For the complete story, visit here.
Electronics, some but not all, can be recycled at local community clean-up days. (Supplied)
A (community) lesson in recycling
The City of Wyoming’s Community Cleanup Day, Saturday, April 27, is designed to encourage Wyoming residents to maintain their properties and dispose of unwanted items in a responsible manner. For the complete story, visit here. (And the City of Kentwood will do the same thing next week; see story here.)
Fun fact:
142,000 computers, trashed, daily
According to a recent report by the EPA, every day, we are to get rid of over 416,000 mobile devices and 142,000 computers either by recycling or disposing of them in landfills and incinerators. (Source)
During all the Easter service programs last week, Grand Rapids Bishop David Walkowiak took a few moments to look up and reflect on the spires of the Cathedral of St. Andrews.
“I was just so thankful that in the calm, I was able to stop and look up at the magnificence and be able to enjoy the grandeur in the light,” Walkowiak said during a phone interview.
It was a poignant moment in that only 24 hours before the famous spire of Notre Dame had come down during a catastrophic fire on April 15.
“The damage is not as extensive,” Walkowiak said of the Notre Dame fire. The crown of thorns was recovered, the altar appeared to be in relatively in good condition and Notre Dame’s famed bell towers and stained glass windows had little or no damage. Still there is a loss.
A photo of Notre Dame from the summer of 2018 by Maverick Musser.
From almost the same spot, a photo after the fire by Liz Nuyen-Blank. Notice the spire is missing.
“Losing something is a traumatic experience,” Walkowiak said. “You go there everyday to pray. It is something that is a part of you, and it is not just the French, but the world. There is resilience and in the face of tragedy there is hope.”
As an example of that hope, Walkowiak turns back to the Cathedral of St. Andrews which burned to the ground in 1901 after being struck by lightning.
“According to the accounts, they saw the lightning strike and sent a boy up to the roof to see if it was on fire,” Walkowiak said. “He came down and said there was no fire, but it probably was burning under the roof, where he could not see it.”
There was plenty of time for the parishioners to remove many of the items and statutes from the cathedral before it burned, he said.
“When they told founding Bishop Henry Richter of the fire, he asked if the blessed sacraments were safe and when told they were, he said ‘Then God’s will be done,’” Walkowiak said.
The cathedral was rebuilt and in its ceiling are some of the massive wooden beams that were used in the original building.
Notre Dame too will be rebuilt, Walkowiak said, adding he hopes within his lifetime so he may have the chance to see it.
“They say five years, but the architect experts are saying 10 to 15 years,” he said. “We all know that things come up so it could take 20 or longer.”
Walkowiak said the fire also serves as a reminder that there is no lasting home here on earth.
“Anything that is created we eventually will have to realize that we will be separated from it,” Walkowiak said.
But for now, in Grand Rapids, area residents can enjoy the spires of the Cathedral of St. Andrews as those who live and visit France can still marvel at the beauty of Notre Dame, even if that is from a distance.
Byron Center resident Liz Nuyen-Blank, who visited Notre Dame as part of an wedding anniversary trip and took pictures of the building a few days before the fire, stopped by the site as she headed home. She said the roads to Notre Dame were blocked and people could only view the site from a distance. (See below for more pictures from Nuyen-Blank.)
There are a number of ways to donate to the Notre Dame restoration project. Before donating, making sure to check out the organization. There is the Friends of Notre Dame, established by the Arch Bishop of Paris and the Diocese of Paris; the Notre Dame Fire Restoration Fund, hosted by the French Heritage Society; and Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church in North America, also has a fundraiser.
Photos of Notre Dame after the fire by Liz Nuyen-Blank
Photos of Notre Dame after the fire by Liz Nuyen-Blank
Photos of Notre Dame after the fire by Liz Nuyen-Blank
Photos of Notre Dame after the fire by Liz Nuyen-Blank
Photos of Notre Dame after the fire by Liz Nuyen-Blank
Photos of Notre Dame after the fire by Liz Nuyen-Blank
Photos of Notre Dame after the fire by Liz Nuyen-Blank
Photos of Notre Dame after the fire by Liz Nuyen-Blank
Photos of Notre Dame after the fire by Liz Nuyen-Blank
Photos of Notre Dame after the fire by Liz Nuyen-Blank
Eighth-graders Greg Patterson, Majer Davenport and Shahari Hunicutt made a miniature golf hole in homage to abstract artist Nestor Toro, because they like to throw paint. (School News Network)
What do artists like Banksy and Bob Ross have to do with a round of miniature golf?
Not much, unless you are in Kim Urbanski’s art class at Godwin Heights Middle School.
Recently, as part of an art history unit, Urbanski gave her seventh- and eighth-graders the assignment of creating miniature golf holes based on renowned artists and their works.
“Art history is a tough lesson to teach, and so if there’s a way to engage students, they really get into it,” she said. “Having a mini golf course was a way to get them engaged.”
The unit took about two weeks to complete and culminated in an event that invited all classes in the middle school to come to the school’s media center and take a swing (or two or three) at the student-created miniature golf stations.
Dora Velasquez, Every Lopez-Valasquez, Windy Mencho, and Gabrielle Cannon created a golf hole based on the work of Edvard Munch, The face they used to mimic the character in Munch’s painting is that of Principal Bradley Tarrance. (School News Network)
Par for the (Art) Course
Bolstered by her personal love of miniature golf, Urbanski got the inspiration for the lesson from the Art of Education website. Students spent about a week researching and becoming familiar with a dozen different artists she suggested.
After students divided into groups based on which artist most resonated with them, the fun began. They spent another week conceptualizing and creating a miniature golf hole based on their artist’s work.
“I gave them green paper and lots of cardboard, tape, cups… and this is what we get,” said Urbanski, gesturing to the different putt-putt stations in the media center.
Eighth-graders Greg Patterson, Majer Davenport, and Shahari Hunnicutt were excited to share with people who stopped by to putt the hole they created based on the work of abstract artist Nestor Toro.
“We chose him because we like to throw paint,” said Majer, who said the assignment was unlike anything he’d done before.
Eighth-grader Cody Mimes, right, and Angelina Navarro show off the miniature golf hole they created with classmates Luis Torres and Saul Rios, inspired by the work of street artist Banksy. (School News Network)
A Round of Golf on a Sculpture (in the Round)
Eighth-grader Jonny Paz-Duron and his team used cardboard to craft a miniature golf hole that involved a sculpture of a bridge that Impressionist Claude Monet depicted in one of his paintings. While flowers and water lilies may figure prominently in Monet’s works, Jonny said the architectural elements in Monet’s paintings fit well with creation of a miniature golf hole.
“We had fun making it,” Jonny said.
Nearby was a popular — and technically difficult — putting green created by eighth-graders Dora Velasquez, Evelyn Lopez-Velasquez, Windy Mencho and Gabrielle Cannon. Their hole depicted “The Scream”, an 1893 composition by Norwegian Expressionist Edvard Munch.
Gabrielle Cannon said that the background was difficult to make, as her group wanted to stay true to the colors used in the original painting. The team worked through lunch on the day of the miniature golf event to finish painting their putting green. Their hole had a twist that drew a reaction from everyone who took a swing: in their version of the composition, the male figure depicted in Munch’s painting was created using a picture of Principal Bradley Tarrance.
While the event was a fun one for Urbanski’s students and those who came to play, the golf stations did more than entertain. Each team of students wrote a statement that explained why they chose that particular artist and provided information about the artist’s style, life and works.
Eighth-grader Cody Mimes was part of a team of students who created a miniature golf hole based on the graffiti artists Banksy.
“We were inspired by his art. It’s graffiti, but often it has a deeper meaning to it,” Cody said. “This piece we made is not a copy of one of his works, but it is inspired by his style.”
The miniature golf masterpieces achieved the engagement Urbanski hoped to see.
Jason Nguyen, an eighth-grader, tries out the miniature golf hole tribute to Claude Monet that he created with classmates Duey Tran, Jonny Paz-Duron, and Gavin Bailey. (School News Network)
Myths still circulate about the best way to safely dispose of medicines and prescription drugs, but truth be told, there is only one way to safely dispose of unused and leftover medications, through a take back program.
If is why the Drugs Enforcement Administration came up with the National Prescription Drug Take Day program, which is offered in the fall and the spring. The program aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.
The spring day is Saturday, April 27, with both the Wyoming Department of Public Safety and the Kentwood Police Department hosting take back sites. These sites will be open from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Wyoming Department of Public Safety and Metro Health
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety has once again partnered with Metro Health to provide two locations, one at Metro Health, 5900 Byron Center Ave. SW, and at the Wyoming Department of Public Safety, 2300 DeHoop Ave. SW. Both the Wyoming Department of Public Safety and the Metro Health Cancer Pharmacy, 5950 Metro Way, SW, do offer year around drop off for medicines.
“Metro Health — University of Michigan Health is proud to provide this service to the community,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Floyd Wilson, Jr. “Returning unused or expired medicines is the responsible thing to do. Proper disposal of expired or unused drugs is a matter of public safety and public health.
“When drugs are thrown away or flushed, the chemicals in them can get into our water supply and soil. Additionally, it can be dangerous for individuals to use expired medicines or creams. By providing this service to the West Michigan community, we are all working together to keep our homes and families safe.”
Because Metro Health is also a SafeSharps site, residents will be able to dispose of sharps there. “Sharps” is the term for medical devices with sharp points or edges that can puncture or cut skin. if these items are placed in the trace, they can injure you, your family or others who handle the trash. Kent County residents who use sharps on a regular basis should visit a Kent county Health Department clinic to pin up an approved container to take home. For more information about the SafeSharps program visit reimaginetrash.org.
Kentwood Police Department
The Kentwood Police Department will be hosting a Take Back event at its headquarters, 4742 Walma Ave. Se. This site will only be able to accept pills or patches. No other items will be accepted at the Kentwood location.
For the event, medications do not have to be in original containers. If they are in original containers, confidential bins will be used to dispose of those containers.
The DEA requires the presence of law enforcement at the Drug Take Back Day events. No questions will be asked of anyone bringing in any type of medication at any Drug Take Back location. Furthermore, no paperwork is required and no signatures are collected.
Last fall, Americans turned in nearly 460 tons or more than 900,000 pounds of prescription drugs at more than 5,800 sites operated by the DEA and almost 4,800 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Since starting the program in 2010, the DEA and its partners have taken in almost 11 million pounds or nearly 5,500 tons of pills.
Kentwood Public Works Department oversees the city’s recycling center. (Supplied/City of Kentwood)
By City of Kentwood
The City of Kentwood’s Community Clean-Up Day is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 4.
Residents wanting to “spring clean” their homes and yards may bring general debris, gently used items for donation, household hazardous materials and electronic devices to the Kentwood Recycling Center, located at 5068 Breton Ave. SE.
“With warmer weather and no more snow to shovel, residents now have the time to think about cleaning and decluttering homes and property,” said Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley. “Kentwood’s Community Clean-Up Day offers residents a timely opportunity to dispose or recycle items that are no longer wanted or used.”
The Salvation Army will be on hand to accept gently used items for donations and the Kent County Department of Public Works will accept household hazardous waste items. Comprenew will also be present to recycle electronic waste, such as mobile telephones, computers and fax machines.
The City of Kentwood will accept yard waste, including brush, leaves and grass clippings, on Community Clean-Up Day, after which the drop-off services will remain closed until the fall.
Latex paint, mattresses and tires will not be accepted at Community Clean-Up Day. CRT screens will also not be accepted but can be dropped off directly at any Comprenew location.
Community Clean-Up Day is free and open to Kentwood residents with photo ID for proof of residency. Residents are asked to enter the drive off Breton Avenue where volunteers will check for residence and approved items for disposal.
The alleged suspect vehicle leaving the scene. (Wyoming Department of Public Safety)
By City of Wyoming
At approximately 8:30 pm on Monday, April 22, 2019, officers from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety responded to a shooting complaint at Lamar Park. Officers located a subject that sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the arm. The initial investigation indicates that this was not a random shooting.
After the gunshot was fired, the suspects fled the scene in a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee with a black colored rear bumper (possibly has black trim around the entire lower portion of the vehicle) and a blackcolored spare rim/tire on the driver’s side rear. The shooting suspect is described as a white male, approximately 20-years-old, 5-feet 7 inches – 5-feet 9 inches, heavy set, and last seen wearing a t-shirt and shorts. There were two additional subjects in the Jeep at the time of the shooting. One was described as a white male, approximately 20-years-old and the other was believed to be a Hispanic male, also approximately 20-years-old.
A picture of the alleged suspect’s car. (Wyoming Department of Public Safety)
As stated earlier, this does not appear to be a random event and there is no further danger to anyone in the Lamar Park area.
Anyone with information about his case is asked to contact the Wyoming Department of Public Safety at 616-530-7300 or to contact Silent Observer at 1-866-774-2345.
“You can pick the high-protein diet to lose weight, but what you want to think about is the long-term,” Dr. Holman said. “If you go back to normal dieting, you’d put all that weight right back on. I’d recommend picking a diet you can stick with that’s healthy.”
America is deluged with new diets from year to year—high-fat, low-carb, high-protein—but in the end it seems the basics are best: a plant-based diet with fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and lean meats and seafood.
Photo by Chris Clark
One diet in particular fits the bill: The Mediterranean.
“You’ll lose weight on it and you can also look at all the positive effects, even much later,” Dr. Holman said.
Ample evidence supports the benefits of a Mediterranean-style diet, including reduced risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Research also suggests that diet plays an outsized role in brain health, while a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive or nuts is associated with improved cognitive function in older adults.
Calling it a Mediterranean “diet,” in fact, may be something of a misnomer.
“It’s not a diet—it’s not something you go on and quit,” said dietitian Jessica Corwin, a community nutrition educator at Spectrum Health Healthier Communities. “It’s a way of thinking about meals differently.”
Remember the old Clinton-era food pyramid, early 1990s or so? That majestic work of art featured bread, rice, cereal and pasta prominently at the bottom, recommending a carbtastic 6 to 11 servings per day.
Photo by Chris Clark
Some illustrations of the Mediterranean food pyramid, meanwhile, don’t even show food at the bottom. They feature families playing and people interacting.
Seriously.
“The very base of the pyramid is about having fun, living an active lifestyle, and enjoying your food,” Corwin said. “It’s a stark contrast to our culture’s habit of racing through a meal while standing, driving or watching TV.”
As for actual food, the diet places heavy emphasis on leafy greens, vegetables, fruit and whole grains, building out from there.
Said Corwin: “Those following a plant-based Mediterranean Diet plan their meals around the vegetables, rather than the meat. Instead of saying, ‘OK, Monday we’ll have beef with something else,’ the focus switches to, ‘We have a ton of leafy greens we need to use up tonight, so what should we do with that?’”
First add nuts, beans, legumes, seeds, herbs, spices and olive oil, then fish and seafood. Poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt would come once every other day, or perhaps a few times per week, with red meat and desserts just once or twice a month.
High-protein diets can increase your health risks. Research has shown that people who regularly consume high-protein foods—red meat, in particular—are effectively increasing their lifetime risk of chronic disease.
“Red meat, animal protein, has been linked to increased cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes,” Dr. Holman said.
A person with kidney problems, meanwhile, may see their condition worsen on a high-protein diet.
“When you have tons of protein, it’s harder for the kidneys to process and clear it,” Dr. Holman said. “Super-high protein levels can affect your kidneys. Most of the time, healthy people are OK, but if you’re predisposed to problems with your kidneys it can cause you to retain fluid.”
A predictable side effect of the diet craze: People are protein-crazy.
Photo by Chris Clark
“Sometimes people don’t think they’re getting enough protein, but they are,” Dr. Holman said. “Most people overestimate how much protein they need.”
Smart dieting is the first step to positive lifestyle change, but don’t feel pressured to make dramatic changes immediately. Dr. Holman said he’ll first ask his patients to maintain a 24-hour food journal, carefully documenting the foods they typically eat in one day.
“You have to think about lifestyle change,” he said. “They’ll pick one or two things they can change. Sometimes it’s just as simple as cutting out soda. And most people don’t realize how healthy nuts are—they should switch to nuts as one of their snacks.”
The payoffs are real: Studies have shown people who adhere to a Mediterranean diet are about 30 percent less likely to develop cardiovascular disease, Dr. Holman said.
Lighthouse lovers, get ready to plan your next lighthouse adventure! The West Michigan Tourist Association (WMTA) is excited to announce the release of the 2019 Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour. This is a free poster-sized publication which details all of the lighthouses located on the shores of Lake Michigan, as well as the Circle Tour driving route to guide motorists around the lake.
The full circle tour driving route around Lake Michigan is available online, and website visitors may also download a PDF of this year’s Lighthouse Map, or request that a free copy be mailed to them here: https://www.wmta.org/lake-michigan-lighthouse-map-circle-tour/
Vacationers have been looping the lake for generations, but the official “Lake Michigan Circle Tour” route was not established until the 1980s when the Michigan Department of Transportation teamed up with West Michigan Tourist Association to create the route and its official guidebook. Along the way, travelers will find more than 100 lighthouses, countless islands, unique attractions, parks and natural areas, miles of glorious beaches, quaint harbor towns, and one “modern marvel” – the Mackinac Bridge.
While a loosely-organized “circle route” around Lake Superior was promoted by local tourist organizations as early as the 1960s, the first official (and signed) Great Lakes Circle Tour was the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. The only single-nation Circle Tour (Lake Michigan being the only Great Lake completely within the US), the Lake Michigan Circle Tour also has the most mileage of any Circle Tour in the state.
Working in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation, the West Michigan Tourist Association helped to make the first of the official Great Lakes Circle Tours a reality and the first publication was released in 1988 as a 52-page guide book. The guide book was transformed into a map in 2007, and the Circle Tour driving route can now be found online.
Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour publications are also available in bulk quantities; please contact Travel@WMTA.org for more information.
Residents unload trash into the dumpsters during Wyoming Community Clean-Up Day. (WKTV)
By City of Wyoming
The City of Wyoming is planning a Community Cleanup Day on Saturday, April 27. The event, set to follow Earth Day earlier in the week, is designed to encourage Wyoming residents to maintain their properties and dispose of unwanted items in a responsible manner.
Residents can drop off trash, household hazardous waste and donations for the Salvation Army from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Grand Rapids First Church, 2100 44th St. SW. Plummers Disposal will provide refuse hauling while Kent County will accept household hazardous waste and recyclables.
Residents are asked to enter the parking lot through the northeast entrance off of 44th St. SW and follow the relevant signage. All residents are asked to be in line by 1:30 p.m. in order to dispose of their items.
“Last year’s cleanup day was a huge success and we were able to assist hundreds of Wyoming families,” said event organizer Dave Rupert. “Our annual cleanup day helps to beautify our neighborhoods and reduce the risk of blight throughout the community.”
Residents will have the opportunity to dispose of household hazardous waste and recycling. (WKTV)
In addition to the refuse hauling, household hazardous waste disposal and recycling, the Wyoming Public Service Center Yard Waste Drop-Off site at 2660 Burlingame Ave. SW will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are no limits to the size of branches or shrubs accepted at the site; however residents must unload the yard waste themselves and all containers must be removed from the facility.
Proof of residency identification is required at both sites. Some items, such as mattresses and tires, will have a modest disposal fee.
For more information and a complete list of items that are acceptable, visit www.wyomingmi.gov/cleanup or call the City of Wyoming at 530-7226.
The new recycling containers at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. (Supplied)
By Tara Hernandez Gerald R. Ford International Airport
The next time you travel you may notice new recycling bins throughout the airport terminal facility, an effort to create an even more environmentally friendly space at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GFIA).
GFIA placed 20 new recycling receptacles throughout the airport terminal building today, working with Kent County to use the SORT program – a Kent County/City of Grand Rapids collaboration aimed at bringing a cohesive and recognizable look to trash and recycling receptacles in West Michigan. The stoplight color scheme – red for trash, yellow for recycling, and green for composting (where organic collection services are available) familiarizes people with the concept of separating their discards to reduce waste going for disposal. Kent County’s goal is to reduce landfilled waste by 20-percent by 2020, and 90-percent by 2030.
“We’re happy to help GFIA install waste receptacles that use the colors and shapes in the SORT program to help simplify recycling for visitors. It’s a great way to reduce how much is sent to landfills and Kent County’s Waste to Energy facility,” said Darwin Bass, Kent County’s DPW Director. “Recycling is as important as it has ever been and it’s something we can all do to benefit our community.”
GFIA has made many eco-friendly efforts over the years including:
• Pavement Recycling: The Ford Airport recycles 99.2-percent of the concrete and asphalt from pavement reconstruction projects
• Energy-Efficiency: In 2018, the Ford Airport was recognized for its energy-efficiency for six projects. The Airport saved 2,140,991 kilowatt hours of electricity or enough to power nearly 300 Michigan homes for one year.
• Water Bottle Refilling Stations: GFIA encourages passengers to bring their refillable water bottle with them to fill at one of our filtered refilling stations – together we save over 100,000 plastic bottles and landfill space each year.
The Airport is also a zero waste-to-landfill facility, and trash that comes from GFIA is used to generate electricity at Kent County’s Waste to Energy facility.
“We are proud to add initiatives like the SORT program that help leave as little of a footprint on the planet as possible,” said GFIA Interim President & CEO Brian Picardat. “Over the years, our team has made an extra effort to increase our recycling efforts, be good environmental stewards, and implement green features throughout our facility.”
Toddlers do not have control over much in their lives, but they do control what goes into, and comes out of, their mouths at mealtime. For this reason, many parents find mealtimes challenging when trying to feed a toddler. Out of frustration, parents may serve only the foods the child likes in order to get the child to eat. When you think about it, it does make sense that many toddlers are picky eaters because they are being introduced to new foods that have unfamiliar tastes, textures and smells compared to the breast milk or formula given during the first year of life. Parents can teach healthy eating habits during mealtime by offering a variety of foods to eat, adjusting their mealtime expectations and allowing the toddler some freedom to decide how much to eat.
Toddlers start eating solid food when their growth starts to slow, but nutrition remains very important. Making mealtime a family affair sets a good example for toddlers as parents and siblings model healthy eating. Kids are more likely to eat more fruits and vegetables when they eat meals with their family. Resist the urge to only feed them their favorite food at every meal or rewarding them with dessert. Instead, prepare and serve healthy meals and let them choose what they want to eat. Keep offering unfamiliar foods. The more young children are offered foods, the more likely they will taste it and eventually learn to like it.
Consider these tips to get your toddler to eat more than just their favorite food at mealtimes.
Serving size for toddlers. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that two year olds get 1,000 calories a day from a variety of sources from each food group. Serving a tablespoon or two of an unfamiliar food can encourage your toddler to try a bite rather than having an overwhelming mound of squash or other unknown food on his or her plate.
Positive peers. When toddlers see someone their size eating fruits and vegetables, they are more likely to try them too. Look for opportunities for your toddler to eat with friends. Children also learn by watching you, so set a good example by eating the same food you’re serving your toddler.
Feed themselves. Your toddler should try using a spoon or fork by 15-18 months. Toddlers should try to feed themselves, with assistance from mom or dad when needed. Letting children feed themselves helps them to learn the cues of hunger and fullness.
Regular meal and snack times. Having regular meal and snack times helps establish a routine. If toddlers refuse a meal, having regular meal and snack times helps kids manage hunger because they learn when to expect food during the day. It is not advisable to allow kids to eat on demand, because they will not learn the cues of hunger or fullness.
It is common for toddlers to be picky eaters. If your toddler is growing and has energy, he or she is probably eating enough to be healthy. If you have concerns, you should see your doctor or pediatrician. For more tips for handling picky eaters in your family the USDA has a tip sheet for picky eaters online.
Welcome, Bienvenido, Murakaza neza, Karibu, أهلا بك
No matter how you say “welcome,” if you are a new American,
West Michigan Works! can provide opportunities to find a satisfying career in
the United States. Refugee and immigrant navigators can provide specialized
assistance to help you start your new life.
Here are a few ways that West Michigan Works! can help.
Specialized services for new Americans include access to appropriate resources such as open-entry ESL (English as a Second Language) class and employment services like building your resume, completing online job applications and connecting you to local employers with job opportunities.
Help meeting work requirements. Anyone authorized to work by the US Department of Homeland Security can receive free employment services. A refugee and immigrant navigator can assist you with paperwork and resources, like English language proficiency, high school diploma, GED or assessment tests, to qualify for certain training and education programs.
Referrals to MITS (Michigan International Talent Solutions). Highly qualified, skilled and educated immigrants and refugees can receive professional employment support from MITS.
Opportunities abound. New Americans do not need to settle on a low-paying job. There are opportunities to learn English and gain the education and training needed to pursue your dream job and earn a sustaining income for your family.
You can make your American dream happen. Many local employers appreciate the hard work and job performance of refugees and immigrants. With a steady income you can establish good credit and realize goals, such as buying a house, within two to five years of arriving in the US.
Employment Expertise is provided by West Michigan Works! Learn more about how they can help: visit westmiworks.org or your local Service Center.
Editor’s note: This story first appeared, like magic, on March 29, 2016.
I fear there won’t be any chocolate bunnies left by the time “my” Easter rolls around (April 28)
So, there I was, just minding my own business pondering where the gray walls end and the gray skies begin, when Easter happened. I turned my head and when I looked back—poof!—people were all decked out in their Sunday finest, and there were countless clusters of chocolate bunnies and little baskets festooned with eggs and jelly beans snuggled in colorful nesting material.* More chocolate bunnies. Even more of them. Plus those peculiar curiosities called “peeps.”
Easter took me by surprise, I must admit, because I’m never prepared for it. The fault is not mine but that of full moons and equinoxes. I come from a family of Greek Orthodox people, which means “my” Easter quite likely isn’t yours. The date of Greek Orthodox Easter is determined by the Julian calendar, and it can vary wildly from one year to the next. It’s kind of cool except most other people use the Gregorian calendar. When I am asked what I’m doing for Easter, I say that I have no idea. Because I never know when it is.
(Wait. What?) OK, I’ve just been told that my Easter is scheduled for April 28th this year. But will there be any chocolate bunnies left?
A calendar by any other name
The calendar’s purpose is to keep people rooted somewhat in reality. Calendars tell us when we have to work, when to vote, when to go to church, when to celebrate a holiday, when to observe Thanksgiving and other feasts—you name it. Without calendars, surely humankind would be cast adrift, lost forever in contemplation and confusion.
Greek Orthodox Easter procession. Cool robes.
Einstein really nailed it when he said that time is relative, because it seems that no one can agree on using just one method to keep track of days, weeks and months. There are many, many calendars.
Western civilians currently use the Gregorian calendar, which improved upon the Julian calendar (the source of “my” Easter), which had improved upon the Roman calendar. And then there are a multitude of different religious calendars, many of which disagree that we are even living in the year 2019.
Depending on the calendar, today is whatever day you’re reading this (Gregorian) or minus 13 days (Julian). By way of example, pretend that I’m writing this on the 12th of March (three days before the Ides). If we use the Julian calendar, I originally wrote this on the 29th of February 2016, which was a leap year day, all the better to confuse the issue.
Of moons and equinoxes and rotation
Putting together an accurate calendar is not for the faint of heart. It requires meticulous musings, knowledge of the phases of the moon and equinoxes, and the rotation of the earth. It also requires people with nothing better to do than argue over an overabundance of calculations. Key point: In the end, they must all agree. And we know how well that usually works out.
We want to control everything. It’s human nature. But despite this irrational obsession, the universe always has the final say. In the case of calendars, the earth’s rotation refuses to conform to a man-made system of measurement. Just when you think you have it under control, you find that you don’t.
Trying to tame time
Stonehenge
Before the dawn of civilization, ancient peoples had no need for wall calendars, Siri, and day planners. By monitoring the phases of the moon and observing weather patterns, these peoples knew when to plant crops, when to migrate, when to harvest crops, etc.
Enter the Romans, who demanded predictability. Mental illness—obsessive-compulsive disorder and narcissistic personality disorder, specifically—influenced the matter, and politics played a huge role as well. Some would argue that politics and mental illness are mutually exclusive, but this matters not because of at least one immutable fact: Credit for the invention of the original Roman calendar goes to Romulus, the first king of Rome, at around 753 BCE (Before Common Era). Scholars think it may have been a lunar calendar, but it was so fraught with flaws that this remains uncertain.
The Roman calendar began the year with a month that could be construed as a call to action—March (Martius). The calendar consisted of 10 months, with six months of 30 days and four months of 31 days. The winter season was not assigned to any month, so the calendar year only lasted 304 days with 61 days unaccounted for in the winter. Basically, winter was ignored.
Nifty Roman coin
I am not a fan of winter and would prefer to ignore it, too, but if everybody did that, many, many retail and online stores would go out of business. The economy would take a dive. More people would plunge into poverty.
Besides, it seems a bit extreme. Animals in the wild don’t ignore winter, they hibernate. As they sleep they are blissfully unaware, but winter exists nonetheless. Wild creatures don’t use calendars, and they’ve gotten by just fine over the centuries.
Predictably, the earth’s rotation would not cooperate and, as expected, the 304-day Roman calendar didn’t work for long because it didn’t align with the seasons. King Numa Pompilius—and, seriously, who burdens a kid with such a name?—reformed the calendar around 700 BCE by adding the months of January (Ianuarius) and February (Februarius) to the original 10 months. This increased the year’s length to 354 or 355 days.
The Julian calendar proved rather hardy and served humankind in good stead until 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII promulgated the Gregorian calendar, because naming a calendar after oneself is irresistible, if not grandiose. Today, the Gregorian calendar is the most widely used civil calendar throughout the world.
Why did all of this happen? Blame it on Easter. Wait. That’s not entirely fair. It’s better to blame it on the pope, who wanted to bring the date for celebrating Easter closer to the time of year in which it was celebrated by the early Church. Because Easter was tied to the spring equinox, the steady drift in its date by the year being slightly too long drove the poor pontiff to distraction. With no treatment available for obsessive-compulsive disorder, he did the next best thing. He changed the calendar.
The man for whom the Gregorian calendar is named
The (formerly) blissful equinox.
There’s always been quite the brouhaha over the relationship between the equinox and Easter, and it will be easier to understand the conundrum if you think of the equinox as a thing with feelings. Imagine, if you will, the equinox, before humankind existed. Close your eyes. Can you see it? Right over there, smiling in its ignorance, living in peace, perhaps even unaware of its own existence, but in a state of bliss nonetheless.
So, there’s the blissful equinox, just minding its own business when humans appear on the map. These people make up stories about Easter. Eager to harness something—anything—people tie Easter to the spring equinox. This seemingly harmless—and certainly thoughtless—act has far-reaching consequences. No longer does the equinox exist unfettered, and it is not amused.
Yet even this did not satisfy humankind. Over time, the date kept “drifting,” so the Roman Catholic Church promulgated a fateful rule—the full moon preceding Easter would not precede the equinox. Ever. Thanks to this rule, the equinox now remains fixed at March 21 for computational purposes, and the earliest date for Easter is fixed at March 22.
To further compensate for the drift, the Gregorian calendar also removed 10 days. If you lived back in 1582, you went to bed one night and woke up 10 days later. There is much more to all of this, but alas, space in this context—according to my editor—is finite. Go here to learn more.
As expected, the equinox resented—heck, still does—being stuck in place, forever. But the equinox was not the only thing to suffer—people suffered, too. We’re talking about 10 perfectly good days—poof!—just gone.
Things still aren’t perfect.
So, here we are, in the year 2019, accustomed to a 365-day year and a leap year of 366 days. We have scheduled the leap year day, February 29, to occur every four years to help synchronize the calendar year with the solar year (the length of time it takes the earth to complete its orbit about the sun), which is about 365¼ days. It sounds so cold and calculated because it is.
The length of the solar year is slightly less than 365¼ days—by about 11 minutes—and this cannot go unpunished, so we “compensate” for this discrepancy. Until the advent of the next calendar—whenever that may be—the leap year is omitted three times every four hundred years. What this means is that a century year cannot be a leap year unless it is divisible by 400. Thus 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap years, but 1600 and 2000 were—and 2400 will be—leap years.
Ha! Surely you see the quandary. The universe will not be outfoxed.
*Where does nesting material go to live when Easter is all said and done?
Second-graders in Cindy Prentler’s class at East Kelloggsville Elementary settled on the floor last week to hear their teacher read out loud from the “book-a-day” selection. But before she began, they were on their feet again.
“It’s a new book! Do you want to come up and smell it?” asked Prentler. “You should always smell a new book.”
Prentler’s classroom is a wonderland of books. While the pristinely-organized space has some posters and artwork, much of its colorful decor comes from the jackets of the picture books displayed throughout the room.
Students enjoy the daily read, ‘When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree,’ which teaches about manners, making the best of a situation, nature, community and putting down electronic devices. (School News Network)
A Book for Every Occasion
One thing to know about Mrs. Prentler: whatever sparks a child’s interest, whatever issue — big or small — that child is facing, she’s got a book for that.
Each day, Prentler reads a book out loud to her class. She photographs the books and hangs each photo in one of 180 rectangular spaces blocked out on the classroom wall, making a stunning collage and reminding students of every book they’ve read together.
On the first day of school, she read “All Are Welcome” by Alexandra Penfold, which shows families of different sizes and colors and made in all different ways.
“I try really hard to pick books that show lots of different cultures,” said Prentler, adding that her two daughters, a high school senior and a college sophomore, were adopted from China. She wants children to understand that families are made in different ways.
Cindy Prentler keeps a wall collage of the books that she reads to students each day. (School News Network)
Earlier this month, Prentler and her students faced one of the most difficult things a classroom can face, when a girl in her class died in an automobile accident. To work through the grief, Prentler reached out to Heise for recommendations – ‘What’s the best book for that?’ An overnight shipment of “The Rabbit Listened” by Cori Doerrfeld and “Ida, Always” by Caron Levis were some of the books that helped Prentler and her students talk about their grief.
While her classroom has shelves of traditional leveled readers, it’s her picture book collection that really gets Prentler and her students excited about reading.
“I’m finding I have a love for picture books, because the messages are so big. And they’ve been great for teaching reading because if they are read right, kids love them and then they want to be able to read them too, and they want to imitate those voices,” she said.
The books are both challenging and captivating.
“The language in this kind of book is much higher,” she said, than in a leveled reader.
One piece in her collection that requires a strong delivery is “The Book With No Pictures”, by B.J. Novak. Josh Tindall, a student in Prentler’s class, says that book is his favorite. And as teachers go, Mrs. Prentler is a favorite, too.
“She is a nice teacher and she loves me,” said Josh.
Cindy Prentler helps Auron Konecny decide when to use an apostrophe. (School News Network)
Veteran Teacher, Second-grade Newbie
To look at the room and the volume of books, you might think Prentler has been in the space for a long time.
“This is my first year with second grade. In a few more years I’ll have a really good collection,” she said.
A teacher since 1982, and a proud Spartan who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Michigan State University, Prentler came to Kelloggsville in the late 1980s. She spent one year teaching second grade before heading to the middle school, where she spent the next three decades. Incidentally, her current classroom is the same room she taught in her first year. Just last year, she heard about an opening and took the opportunity to head back to second grade.
“It was so spur of the moment,” she said. “I don’t know why I did it. It’s been a big challenge and it’s been good for me.”
Karen Rawdon, a language arts teacher at Kelloggsville Middle School, worked closely with Prentler for almost 30 years. The two would often open up their adjoining wall to co-teach, so she saw firsthand the impact Prentler made on students throughout the years.
“Cindy had a great rapport with middle school kids. She has a great sense of humor that middle school kids appreciated,” said Rawdon. “Cindy always pushed kids to do their best work and held them accountable for their behavior as well. Students could see that she cared and wanted the best for them.”
While she loved teaching at the middle school, she appreciates the opportunity elementary education affords her to have the same group of students all day. She spends a lot of time getting to know her students and their families.
“I think the most important thing, before you start teaching a whole lot, is you have to have some relationships with the kids, because they’ll learn more,” she said. “If they know you care about their learning and you have those strong relationships, they’ll do better. If they don’t think you care, I don’t think they’re going to work very hard.”
Like her classmate Josh, second-grader Kayla Ensing, has picked up on Prentler’s love for her students and for books, describing her teacher as “loving.”
“I like everything she reads us,” said Kayla. “She’s very nice.”
Prentler has always been an avid reader, but there’s one book that impacted her childhood most: “Anne of Green Gables.”
“It’s really the only book I remember from my childhood,” she said, referencing the main character’s tendency to refer to her best friend as a “kindred spirit.”
East Kelloggsville Elementary Principal Beth Travis said Prentler has been a wonderful addition to the building this year.
“Cindy’s classroom is well-organized, rich in literature, and she has a strong connection with her students,” she said.
Rawdon echoed those sentiments: “She has a passion for reading and did an awesome job with getting the right book into the right kid’s hands,” said Rawdon, adding that middle school students who had her as a teacher describe her as “funny” and “kind.”
While Prentler loves books and has a particular fondness for teaching reading and math, she said she has yet to find a subject that she doesn’t enjoy teaching.
“It was the right job for me. Always has been. Even in the tougher years — and there were tough years — it was still the right job.”
For more stories on local schools, visit the School News Network website.
At this year’s Arbor Day celebration, the City of Wyoming Tree Commission (Tree Amigos) in partnership with the Wyoming Lee High School Ecology Club will be planting Tulip Trees at the Lee High School. (Free domain)
The City of Wyoming Tree Commission, “The Tree Amigos,” is partnering with Wyoming Lee High School Ecology Club in the City’s 2019 Arbor Day Ceremony set for 9:30 a.m. Friday, April 26 at the high school located at 1335 Lee St. SW.
To open the event, members of the Club will plant two tulip trees on school property bordering Lee Street. The trees are being provided by The Tree Amigos. Excavation and permitting are being provided by the City of Wyoming. The planting will launch phase two of The Tree Amigos’ Tree-covery Block-by-block project that is focusing on the Godfrey Lee neighborhood.
“We absolutely have some areas that need this resource,” said Vlad Borza, the Lee teacher who leads the Ecology Club. “I actually worked on a project just last year with HS Ecology students to identify this very need.
“Due to disease and windfall, several of the trees along the (school’s) front parking area and along the side had to be removed in recent years. We would love to re-populate this area with some preferably native trees that can begin to complete the void left behind by these removals.”
Lee High School lost several trees to disease and windfall. (Supplied)
After the students plant the tree, a City of Wyoming official will read the 2019 Arbor Day Proclamation. The event will also celebrate the City of Wyoming’s April 2019 designation as a 2018 Tree City USA. Kevin Sayers, urban forestry program coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, awarded the designation to the City of Wyoming at the April 10 Tree City USA Awards event in East Lansing. This is the third year in a row that the City of Wyoming has been designated as a Tree City USA.
The Friends of Grand Rapids Parks has also noted the need for increasing tree canopy in this area where Wyoming and Grand Rapids share a boundary. This City of Grand Rapids organization has been a helpful resource for The Tree Amigos. Friends has embarked on an aggressive tree planting project throughout the Roosevelt Park neighborhood. Its Urban Forest Project also offer resources and tree education classes, which are open to Wyoming residents. Lauren Davis, urban forest coordinator for Friends, serves as The Tree Amigos volunteer consulting certified arborist.
“There is no arguing the significant environmental and economic benefits that trees bring to our communities,” Davis said. “As we continue to lose mature trees from natural causes and development, the need to plant new trees has never been greater.”
When Maria Orr, of Kentwood, got the text from her daughter that Notre Dame was on fire, it brought her right back to July 2, 2012, the day she learned her church, St. Mary Magdalen, had been ravaged by a fire.
“The priest actually called me,” said Orr, who had worked nights and weekends for 10 months to create new stained-glass windows for the church. “Knowing how hard I had worked on the windows, he personally called to let me know the church was on the fire.”
Coincidentally, her daughter had texted that night, too, and she had been driving by St. Mary Magdalen and saw the flames. Orr did not see the message. By the time she got there, all that was left was an attached family life center classroom area
Caledonia resident Nancy Baum said the fire at Notre Dame “hurt her heart” and also brought back a flood of memories of the fire at St. Mary Magdalen as well.
“At the time, I was up north,” said Baum, of Caledonia, who was a secretary for the church at the time. “I got a phone call from Father at around 1:15 in the morning. As we drove back, I kept saying ‘Let it be a little fire. Let it be a little fire.’”
But once Baum got to the site, the church was engulfed in flames.
“The staff was all gathered and all you could do was watch,” she said. “It just hurts your heart. It was just devastating.”
For Ruth Bush, of Kentwood, who is the Coordinator of Christian Services at the church, by the time she got to the site, she could shed little in tears. She had spent the six-hour drive from Cleveland, Georgia, coming to terms with the loss of her church.
An aerial view of St. Mary Magdalen after the fire. Photo courtesy of Hovercams.
“A co-worker had texted me, but I ignored it because my phone was hooked to weather alerts and we were having a very hot summer that year,” Bush said. “I woke up the next morning and got ready to look at my text messages and it said ‘Church on fire,’ and then I just started to shake.”
Bush immediately used her phone to try accessing the internet, but the service was poor. She and her husband began to make the journey home.
“I know he was doing all he could to get us home safely, but there were times when I just wanted to yell at him to drive faster,” Bush said, adding that during the drive all she could do was run a mental checklist of things lost and things possibly saved.
When the Bushes got home, they went to straight to the church, but all that was left was smoldering embers.
“It was like, ‘Wow, what are we going to do?” Bush said.
There had been no injuries, and it was later determined that fireworks started the fire at St. Mary Magdalen. Earlier that year, Michigan had rolled back its restriction on fireworks.
Through insurance and donations totaling $7.7 million, St. Mary Magdalen was rebuilt, but there was never any doubt that would happen.
“At the time (of the St. Mary Magdalen fire), I remember telling media that it is very, very sad, but it was not something that could break us,” said parishioner Lusia Ortiz, of Gaines Township. “The church are the people and a great example of that was the number of people who attended East Kentwood (High School Auditorium) for Sunday mass that weekend.”
And even in the ashes, there is always hope. As with the reports that whispered of the bell towers being saved at Notre Dame, when Orr finally did arrive at St. Mary Magdalen, she could see it.
“I could see the windows and they were blackened, but I could tell right then that some could be saved,” Orr said. A few days later, Orr and the glass company she worked with, Pristine Glass, were able to get inside the former church building.
“There was a window, it was called ‘All Souls,’ and I had used the faces of family members, my mom and dad, and friends to create it,” Orr said. “The window was gone, but there were some blackened pieces on the ground. I brushed one of the pieces clean and staring back up at me was my dad.
“Beer’s intellectual. What a shame so many idiots drink it.”
~ Ray Bradbury
Never fear, here’s more beer
Hopslam behind-the-scenes tour (photo supplied)
Because it’s never enough. Pike 51 Brewing Co. and Hudsonville Winery will host their annual IPA Daze festival at 3768 Chicago Drive, in Hudsonville, on Saturday, April 20. There will be live music and a special “Stogies and Stouts” event with a cigar rolling demonstration. And 25 wine choices, five wine slushy flavors, traditional hard cider as well as “cyser” and mead. Go here for the story. But, wait. There’s more! Watch out for next weekend when New Holland Brewing Company releases Dragon’s Milk Triple Mash (last released in 2017). The bourbon barrel-aged stout will be available—in Michigan only— starting Saturday, April 27.
Apathy gets expensive
Photo by Steven Depolo
Michigan’s U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D) will host a summit at Michigan State University on Earth Day to examine the rising costs to taxpayers from extreme weather and climate change. The event, scheduled for Monday. April 22, at 10:30am, in East Lansing, is open to the public and will be streamed live on Facebook. Read more here.
This will make you itch
Unhatched nit (just what you wanted to see, right?)
Nobody likes ’em, so why do they exist? We’ll leave that for you to ponder, but meanwhile, did you know that head lice are common among children ages 3 to 11? It’s true. They can live on all types of hair—straight, curly, dyed or natural. They are most frequently found on girls and are more prevalent among Caucasian children. YIKES. Here are some tips for getting rid of the little buggers. The lice, that is. Go here for the story.
Fun fact:
7 to 10 days
That’s the time it takes for a nit to hatch after a head louse lays an egg. After hatching, the head louse will require 7 to 10 days before becoming a fully grown louse. Besides the head, they can also be found on eyebrows and eyelashes. So, now you know.
Hello there, handsome! Hey, check out those claws.
How much does flooding and other environmental problems linked to climate change, such as this past flooding on the Grand River, cost taxpayers locally and nationally? (WKTV)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
Michigan’s U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D), who is ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, will host a summit at Michigan State University on Earth Day to examine the rising costs to taxpayers from extreme weather and climate change.
The event, scheduled for Monday. April 22, at 10:30 a.m., in East Lansing, is open to the public and will be streamed live on Facebook.
“The Cost of Inaction: The Impacts of Climate Change and the Financial Burden on Taxpayers” will focus on the financial impacts of climate change on our national security, infrastructure, economy and public health, according to supplied material.
Sen. Peters will also announce a report with recommendations to help prevent further costs to taxpayers from the failure to prepare for and address damage from climate change.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.)
“In recent years, communities in Michigan and across the country have seen a rise in extreme weather events driven by climate change that have cost taxpayers nearly half a trillion dollars in cleanup and recovery,” Sen. Peters said in supplied material. “The federal government must take action today to combat and prepare for the effects of climate change so that we can save Michigan taxpayers billions of dollars in the coming years and protect our planet for future generations.”
Michigan communities including Lansing, Houghton and the Detroit metro area have experienced several historic rainfall and severe flooding events in the last five years, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to roads, bridges, property and businesses, according to supplied material.
The summit follows a recent Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) High Risk List report, which identified a need for the federal government to address the risks associated with climate change in a fiscally responsible way.
The report concluded that, “to reduce its fiscal exposure, the federal government needs a cohesive strategic approach with strong leadership and the authority to manage risks across the entire range of related federal activities.” In particular, the report examined the direct costs and impact associated with climate change on national security, public health, infrastructure, small business and more.
Experts invited to the summit include: Rear Admiral David W. Titley, U.S. Navy (ret.), Professor of Practice in Meteorology, The Pennsylvania State University; Director, Center for Solutions to Weather and Climate Risk; Paul C. Ajegba, Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation; Dr. Lorraine Cameron, Senior Environmental Epidemiologist, Michigan Climate and Health Adaption Program, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; Dr. Maria Carmen Lemos, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan; and Jim MacInnes, CEO of Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa.
The summit will take place at the Michigan State University Union, 49 Abbot Road. Public parking is available in the MSU garage located on Grand River Avenue. Additional public parking is available in the nearby East Lansing parking garages. Directions and maps for the MSU Union are available here.
It is easy to panic if your child gets lice. It’s hard to feel calm about the idea of little bugs crawling around on your child’s (or your) scalp. Lice, while definitely creepy and crawly, are not dangerous and do not spread disease. The only major issue they cause is itching. So, what should a parent do to get rid of lice quickly? Michigan State University Extension offers the following tips to thoroughly eliminate lice.
Know your lice facts
Lice are tiny, wingless parasites that feed on blood. They are found on your scalp and are most easily seen at the nape of the neck and behind the ears. Head lice are common among children ages 3 to 11. They can live on all types of hair—straight, curly, dyed or natural. They are most frequently found on girls and are more prevalent among Caucasian children. Head lice do not jump, they do not live on pets and poor personal hygiene does not make someone more likely to have them.
Lice are most frequently spread by head to head contact. Less commonly, they can be spread through shared items that touch the head such has hats, combs, brushes or hair accessories. Lice do not live for more than a day off of the human body.
Signs and symptoms
Although they’re very small, lice can be seen with the naked eye. Here is what to look for:
People with head lice often complain of itchy, scratchy heads. This is a reaction to the saliva of the lice. Some people may feel things moving around in their hair as well. Some children may get small, red bumps from itching and scratching, especially behind their ears and around the nape of their neck.
Nits, or lice eggs, are often what is visible in a lice infestation instead of louse. The nits are tiny yellow, brown or tan dots. They cling to the hair shaft close to the scalp where they are warm until they hatch. They look like dandruff but can’t be easily brushed off. See a picture of nits in hair from the Mayo Clinic.
Adult lice and nymphs (baby lice). An adult louse is about the size of a sesame seed and is grayish white or tan. Nymphs are smaller and become an adult louse one to two weeks after they hatch.
Treatment and de-lousing
Once your child is diagnosed, it’s time to treat. There are several over-the-counter treatment options. The most commonly used medications contain pyrethins, which are made from the chrysanthemum flower. These should not be used if you or your child are allergic to chrysanthemums, mums or ragweed. Some lice have developed resistance to the commonly used medications. Learn more about medication options from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Head louse nymph
Keep these tips in mind when using medication to treat for lice:
Follow package directions. Creams and shampoos are typically applied directly to the hair, either dry or freshly washed (not conditioned). Apply when you or your child are full dressed and rinse into the sink or bathtub. Do not rinse off while bathing. Limit how much of the medication touches the skin.
After treatment, use a nit comb. Once the medication is applied and rinsed, change you or your child into clean clothes and carefully comb the hair in small sections utilizing a nit comb. Specially designed nit combs can be purchased and may be more effective. Many flea combs will also work. Separate the hair into small sections and comb the hair shaft from root to tip.
Wash clothing, bedding and towels. Wash items worn in the last two days by the infected person such as hats, coats, pillowcases, towels and bedding. Lice and eggs do not live long off a person and are easily killed by five minutes or greater in hot water or hot air cycles greater than 103 degrees; typically, the hot water/high temperature dry cycles are sufficient. Soak combs and brushes in hot water. Items that cannot be washed can be sealed in a plastic bag for two weeks.
Continue to check and nit comb. Repeat nit combing every two to three days to check for remaining lice and nits.
Many medications require retreatment seven to nine days after initial treatment. This is meant to kill newly hatched lice before they mature and lay eggs.
Avoid re-infestation
Continue to check the infected person’s hair every two to three days for two to three weeks. Reapply a second dose of the treatment if the package indicates it is required. This is because many medications only kill the live lice and not the eggs. Failure to retreat can cause a second round of lice to hatch. If you treated correctly and they are not going away, you may have lice that are resistant to the over-the-counter medications. These so-called “super lice” may require prescription medications. Follow up with your doctor for additional advice should over-the-counter treatments fail to be successful.
There is no need to use lice sprays or fumigate your home. Lice do not live long off the human body. Washing bedding, clothing and towels should be sufficient to kill any lice that have fallen off of the head. You can vacuum the infected person’s bed and common seating areas, but intense cleaning and household treatments are not necessary. Animals cannot get lice or spread lice. There is no additional need to treat your pets.
While the discovery of lice on you or your children can be alarming, there is no need to panic. They can typically be treated inexpensively and relatively quickly. With some time and focus, you’ll be back to enjoying a lice-free home again in short order.
By Eve Clayton, Spectrum Health Beat, photos by Taylor Ballek
If you were to meet Judy Pellerito today, you would say she’s full of life.
Newly retired after 31 years of teaching, the Kentwood, Michigan, resident is animated, outgoing and full of dreams.
She’s starting a community choir “open to anyone ages 13 to 103.” She plans to play her ukulele for nursing home residents and bring her pup Mabel along as a therapy dog.
So Pellerito would agree with you: At age 54, her life is good.
“I have energy and hope and optimism and gratitude,” she said on a recent fall morning.
But wind the clock back a year or two and get Pellerito to level with you, and you might hear a different story. A story marked by anxiety, depression, poor sleep and low energy.
Sure, she still got up and went to school every day. The former Northview High School choral director loved teaching, loved her students and her colleagues.
But it became harder and harder to summon the “energy and the stamina and find the joy day after day,” she said.
Finally a good friend saw through her smiling façade and nudged her to get help. To find out what was going on. Tired of saying, “I’m fine, I’m fine,” Pellerito acquiesced.
She made an appointment with a psychologist, who listened as Pellerito talked about life—and heard her describe many of the classic symptoms of menopause.
Recognizing her symptoms as typical of a woman going through midlife hormonal changes, Taylor did a physical exam and a thorough blood workup, paying close attention to Pellerito’s thyroid and other hormone levels.
Not surprisingly, Pellerito’s blood levels showed that “her estrogen was really low,” Taylor said.
Taylor’s message for her patient? There’s help for you. You don’t have to struggle.
Taylor started Pellerito on an antidepressant and hormone therapy tailored to her medical situation. After just five months, Pellerito felt like herself again—or, perhaps, like a more jubilant version of herself.
“I didn’t know that my hormones had bottomed out,” she said. “It’s not like there is a switch that’s flipped—you don’t one day get symptoms. It’s so gradual that it’s almost imperceptible. You don’t realize until you look back.”
In retrospect, Pellerito says her menopause symptoms probably escalated over the course of five to 10 years, gradually stripping away her joy.
“I can look back now and just see an incredible difference,” she said. “And an incredible future.”
Feeling good again
Stories like Pellerito’s fuel Taylor’s enthusiasm for her work.
“It’s so fun to do because every visit you see improvement, and you see this person find their spark again,” she said. “When everything gets balanced, whether it’s thyroid, hormones, whatever it is, we see not only their energy come back, but they sleep better. It helps relationships, it helps—just their whole quality of life improves.”
Taylor acknowledges that hormone therapy isn’t right for everyone, but as a strong advocate of its benefits, she gives her patients lots of information and works hard to clear up the misperceptions about its risks.
“People have no clue of the wonderful benefits that hormone therapy can bring,” she said.
Photo by Taylor Ballek
Hormone therapy can contribute to women’s longevity, Taylor said, by preventing heart attacks, strokes and osteoporosis, and by helping to alleviate fatigue, depression, anxiety, vaginal issues and bladder issues.
“But the biggest thing is that it brings the spark back to their life and they feel normal again,” she said. “When people start going through perimenopause, they think, ‘Ugh, I’m aging and I’m just never going to feel good again. … And that’s not true.”
Start sooner
Pellerito’s experience is a vivid case in point. She now feels
healthy, both physically and emotionally, and is eager to explore new
opportunities as a young retiree.
Once a week she returns to her previous school district to work as a vocal coach.
“I’m still pouring love into teenagers and adults in different ways,” she said, “but everything is different now.”
For other women who may be feeling some of the symptoms she experienced, Pellerito says not to wait like she did.
“I would just recommend people walk down the path of getting help sooner,” she said. “Sooner, sooner.”
Fountain Street Church, celebrating its 150th anniversary, will once again host its annual Alternative Prom — an evening of “safe inclusivity” for everyone — on Saturday, April 27, from 7-10 p.m., with the event open to any and all high school students.
“Alternative Prom at Fountain Street Church is purely a social event where high-schoolers from across West Michigan can feel safe, included, and affirmed no matter who they are,” Christopher Roe, Minister for Spiritual Life and Learning, said to WKTV. “While the event initially began as a inclusive dance for LGBTQ youth who did not feel welcomed in their high-school proms, it has grown to be an event for 9th to 12th graders of all social, religious, racial, economic, and physical backgrounds.
“You can dress up, you can dress down, you can bring a date, or you can bring a crew, but what matters most is that you are welcome at the Alternative Prom no matter who you are,” Roe said.
Fountain Street Church in downtown Grand Rapids, is an independent, pluralist church that strives to be a “vibrant church community that challenges individuals to craft their own spiritual journeys, and to engage in creative and responsible action in the world,” according to supplied material.
At the Alternative Prom, the FSC Social Hall will be transformed into a prom venue with this year’s theme of “Once Upon A Springtime” featuring a “Spring fantasy decor.”
There will be a $10 suggested donation and free but required sign up by following this link. Students can also sign up in-person the day of the event. Please note that all students must provide parent/guardian contact information at time of sign-up.
Fountain Street Church is an independent house of worship with an open pulpit and a 150-year history of progressive action in the heart of West Michigan, at 24 Fountain St NE. For more information on Fountain Street Church, visit fountainstreet.org .
Bell’s Brewing Hopslam behind the scenes tour. (Supplied/Bell’s Brewing)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
If you’re into India Pale Ales — and who isn’t on a warm spring day? — Pike 51 Brewing Co. and Hudsonville Winery will host their annual IPA Daze festival at 3768 Chicago Drive, in Hudsonville, on Saturday, April 20, during normal hours of noon to midnight.
And Saturday is (supposed to be) 65 and sunny. Hey, IPAs work just fine in the rain though.
What kinds of brew is for you? (Supplied/GRPM)
This festival is a celebration of all things “hops” and, we are told, will feature the Pike 51 Brewing Co. specialty KUSH IPA and six additional event-specific “hops forward” IPA style beers and more than a dozen other brews for the non-IPA crowd.
Entertainment will include live music and a special “Stogies and Stouts” event with a cigar rolling demonstration. In addition, there will be 25 wine choices, five wine slushy flavors, traditional hard cider as well as “cyser” and mead — I, too, didn’t know what cyser is; Wikipedia says it is an apple mead; so a cider/mead cross?
The live music begins at 2:30 p.m. with Lew Russ and continues at 6 p.m. with Nathan Dill. The Stogies and Stouts in the Quonset Hut, with a cigar rolling demonstration by “The Cigar Roller”, begins at 3 p.m.
Pike 51 Brewing Co. is a locally owned and operated craft brewery that shares space with its sister company, Hudsonville Winery. For more information on the Pike 51, visit its Facebook page here.
New Holland to release Dragon’s Milk Triple Mash
Its been two years in coming, but New Holland Brewing Company has announced the release date of Dragon’s Milk Triple Mash, last released in 2017, and the bourbon barrel-aged stout will be available — in Michigan only — starting Saturday, April 27.
The brew is aged for one year in New Holland Spirits oak bourbon barrels, Triple Mash is, and no typo here, a 17 percent ABV to go with “an intense malt character paired with warm, toasted flavor notes from its time in the wood,” according to supplied material.
“Triple Mash takes what is already an amazing beer and really amplifies all those classic Dragon’s Milk flavors to the moon — the roasted malt, barrel sweetness and bourbon all shine through,” New Holland’s Dominic Bergquist said in the same supplied material.
New Holland will release of the beer on April 27 at its pubs in Grand Rapids and Holland, with “extremely limited” draft and bottle distribution will follow.
Both New Holland’s Grand Rapids and Holland pubs will open early on release day, starting at 10 a.m.
But if you can’t wait until then, a “Tour of Legends: Ultimate Dragon’s Milk Experience” will be held at The Knickerbocker in Grand Rapids on Friday, April 26, where participants will taste samples of Dragon’s Milk, Dragon’s Milk Reserve variants, Dragon’s Milk first- and second-use barrels and Triple Mash. Tickets are $75 and come with one Triple Mash 4-pack, one Triple Mash Teku glass and one Triple Mash sticker.
For more information on Dragon’s Milk and the special release and events, visit dragonsmilk.com . For more information on New Holland Brewing, visit newhollandbrew.com .
Bell’s Brewery tour voted one of country’s best
Bell’s Brewery recently announced that its brewery tour has been named one of the top two in the country. As one of ten breweries nominated for USA Today’s 2019 10 Best Reader’s Choice travel awards, public voting in March landed Bell’s the No. 2 spot on the list.
Bell’s The Eccentric Café and original brewery in downtown Kalamazoo and its main brewery just east in Comstock, have been destinations for craft beer fans for years.
A tour at Bell’s Brewing. (Supplied/Bell’s Brewing)
“Bell’s staff shares the eye-opening statistics, colorful history and scientific advancements of the brewery in a casual and educational presentation,” John Liberty, general manager at West Michigan Beer Tours, said in supplied material. “It should also be noted, while many large breweries around Michigan and country charge a fee for tours, Bell’s makes its tours free, which speaks volumes about the company’s philosophy behind telling its story.”
Free tours (all ages welcome) are held Wednesday through Sunday at Bell’s main brewery in Comstock and on weekends at its original downtown Kalamazoo brewery. Each Comstock tour includes free samples for those 21 and up. Specialty tours are also offered throughout the year. Tours can be reserved at bellsbeerz.com .
What’s not to like about gardening? It beautifies your home, produces great food, plus it’s relaxing, stress reducing and a fun calorie-burner.
But it’s not without its hazards.
“A lot of outdoor diseases can be avoided with clothing and precaution,” said Christina Leonard, MD, an infectious disease specialists with the Spectrum Health Medical Group. “Prevention is key in avoiding problems.”
Avoiding infection in the garden
To protect yourself from diseases caused by mosquitoes and ticks, use
insect repellent containing DEET and wear long-sleeved shirts and pants
tucked into your socks. You may also want to wear high rubber boots
since ticks are usually located close to the ground.
It’s also important to be up-to-date on your tetanus/diphtheria vaccination. Tetanus lives in the soil and enters the body through breaks in the skin.
“Gardeners are particularly susceptible to tetanus infections because they dig in the dirt, use sharp tools and handle plants with sharp points,” Dr. Leonard said.
Roundworms and other nematodes inhabit most soil and some are parasitic. The biggest exposure danger is through ingesting eggs on vegetables, so don’t pull carrots and eat them in the garden.
Be sure to wash your hands with soap and warm water before handling food. Wash, peel, or cook all raw vegetables and fruits before eating, particularly those that have been grown in soil fertilized with manure. Wearing footwear and gloves in the garden also helps prevent infection.
Watch those punctures! Sporotrichosis is an infection caused by a fungus called Sporothrix schenckii. The fungus enters the skin through small cuts or punctures from thorns, barbs, pine needles, splinters or wires from contaminated sphagnum moss, moldy hay, other plant materials or soil. It’s also known as rose handler’s disease.
The first signs of sporotrichosis are painless pink, red, or purple bumps usually on the finger, hand, or arm where the fungus entered the body. It’s usually treated with a solution of potassium iodine that is diluted and swallowed, but can cause problems for people with compromised immune systems. Again, wearing gloves will help prevent infection.
Avoiding injury in the garden
Dress to protect. Use appropriate gear to protect yourself from pests, chemicals, sharp or motorized equipment, insects and harmful rays of too much sun.
Wear sturdy shoes and long pants when using power equipment.
Protect your hearing. Wear ear protection with power equipment.
Wear gloves to lower the risk for skin irritations, cuts and potential infections.
Be sun smart. Wear long sleeves, wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses and sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.
Powered and manual tools and equipment can cause serious injury. Pay attention, use chemicals and equipment properly, and be aware of hazards.
Follow instructions and warning labels on chemicals and lawn and garden equipment.
Make sure equipment is working properly.
Sharpen tools carefully.
Keep harmful chemicals, tools and equipment out of children’s reach.
Some bills are more important than others are. To aid your family’s decision-making process, consider the following questions on the University of Illinois Extension Getting Through Tough Financial Times website:
Do you feel you are buried under with debt from child support, back taxes, student loans or credit cards? You have some choices. After creating your spending plan, you need to decide which bills you should pay first and the amount you should pay. You are legally obligated to pay all your bills. However, you can determine the priority you need to pay and how much you should pay on each. You can work with your creditors, as they may be able to reduce some of your payments.
Do you owe child support, back taxes or student loans?
Failure to pay child support can be serious: you may be held in contempt of court, have your driver’s license revoked, have liens placed on your property, have your tax refund intercepted or be ordered to jail. You may be able to get the child support order modified. If you don’t get the order modified and fail to make payments, you are responsible for all unpaid support obligations plus interest. Contact Friend of the Court in Michigan or your county child support office for more information.
Federal student loan payments can be deferred (no payments required) during periods of unemployment or financial hardship. You can’t qualify for a deferment once your student loan is in default. For more information on student loans, visit the Federal Student Aid, MyEdDebt.com and Student Loan Borrower Assistance. Interest you pay on student loans during the first 60 months after you begin loan payments may qualify as a tax deduction.
Do you have outstanding balances on credit card accounts? What should you pay first?
Medium-priority Debts: Government student loans are medium-priority debts.
Low-priority Debts: Loans without collateral are a low priority. Collateral is property that a creditor has the right to take if you do pay.
“Unsecured” debts are a low priority and include most credit cards; attorney, doctor and hospital bills; and open accounts with merchants.
Do not move a debt up in priority because the creditor or collector threatens to sue you or to ruin your credit record; they may use threats as a tactic to get you to pay. Check your state debt collection laws for more information.
Do you make the minimum monthly payments on your credit cards? This will keep accounts current and avoid negative impacts on your credit report. However, paying only the minimum will increase your finance charges and extend the time it takes to pay off the balance. Compare and negotiate interest rates to ensure you pay the lowest rate. Stop using your cards until your situation improves. Contact a nonprofit consumer credit counseling service if you are having difficulty paying your bills. One such service is the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. Contact them at 1-800-388-2227.
Michigan State University Extension has released a toolkit for homeowners who are experiencing or have previously experienced foreclosure. This toolkit will equip these individuals and families with tools to help them recover their financial stability, in the case that a recovery of their home is not possible. The toolkit is available to download free at MIMoneyHealth.org.
Michigan State University Extension is a HUD-approved housing counseling agency has many MSHDA-certified housing counselors at multiple county offices to assist you by phone or through technology. Find the one staff person nearest you on the MI Money Health website. MSHDA certified Housing counselors may be located online.
To contact an expert in your area, visit the website, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
Wyoming resident Brenda R. is no stranger to the strays that populate her neighborhood; in fact over the years we have taken in quite a few wayward souls that thankfully fell under her care. She contacted Dr. Jen right after Valentine’s Day 2019 when an emaciated, darling but dirty intact male (born in late summer of 2017) crossed her path. The poor boy had obtained a bite wound to his tail when he tried to hang out with two feisty females that didn’t take kindly to his intrusion on their food bowls.
Part of the reason Crumbs was so skinny and felt as though he was starving was due to the fact he had internal tapeworms, so Dr. Jen treated him for the nasty little buggers, tended to his wound, got him neutered, tested, vaccinated and all spiffed up. A few days later Dr. Jen sent him on down to Crash’s, where he IMMEDIATELY became a volunteer favorite, so she enlisted the help of his new BFF’s to enlighten everyone on just how awesome he is:
“Crumbs is an adorable little guy that quickly became friends with everyone. He tends to hang back when there’s a lot of commotion but is right there underfoot when he knows there’s food involved. He doesn’t mind being picked up and held, he loves playing with laser toys, and enjoys his naps cuddled up next to his friends. He’d do great in any home, especially one with kids.
“Crumbs is a very happy and social boy. He loves being around people and gets along great with all of his buddies at the shelter. The only thing he likes more than being the center of attention is endless bowls of canned food. I can’t think of a home where he wouldn’t do well, he’s just that perfect.”
About three weeks into his stay with us, our beloved buff-and-white boy fell ill with symptoms of Calici virus, a highly contagious respiratory illness that unvaccinated cats are very susceptible to. He developed an acute fever and painful tongue ulcers that caused excessive drooling, but even in the thick of it all he surprised us all by pounding down bowl after bowl of delicious canned food.
Since he was hospitalized at the clinic again (for narcotics to control his discomfort and antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial infection) Dr. Jen opted to retest him a week earlier than planned, and discovered that the bite wounds he had sustained prior to his arrival had transmitted the FIV virus to him. When it was time to send him back to our facility, he took up residence on the other side of our building, officially becoming a Sid’s Kid.
No worries though, as Crumbs once again made instant furry friends, and even when he was so sick with Calici, he wanted to be in the middle of everything. Although it bummed us all out to learn of his new viral status, we have no doubt that our charming, outgoing little fella is going to get himself adopted, as he hasn’t an ounce of mean coursing through his veins, and he absolutely loves everyone he comes into contact with.
It is no doubt crummy (we couldn’t resist) all that has befallen our buddy here, but in true form he takes whatever comes his way in stride and is absolutely thriving indoors, where he was always meant to be.
More about Crumbs:
Domestic Short Hair / Buff & White
Adult
Male
Medium
House-trained
Vaccinations up to date
Neutered
FIV-positive
Good in a home with other cats, children
Want to adopt Crumbs? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!
Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To
take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids
area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming,
no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be
found.
“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives . . .”
~ Carl Sagan
Painting the town … purple
Because red is just so overrated. Seriously, though, Paint the Town Purple offers an opportunity to check out the artwork of some of the talented and creative students of Wyoming High School. But hurry, because it all goes away this Thursday. Go here for the deets.
“Here am I floating ’round my tin can…”
On Wednesday, April 17, WKTV will be featuring, via the NASA channel, the launch of the newest Northrup Grumman Cygnus Cargo Craft, the S.S. Roger Chaffee, to the International Space Station. For more info, go here.
Looking for a few, good members
Get involved! The Kentwood City Commission has approved a resolution to establish an advisory committee that will review and prioritize improvements to Kentwood’s parks, trails and recreational programming to align with the needs of the community. Here’s your chance to do your part! Go here to learn more.
Fun fact:
$12,000,000
That’s how much an entire NASA suit costs — just ONE suit, mind you — and 70% of that is just for the backpack and control module. And you thought a Birkin bag was expensive.
The Kentwood Justice Center which houses the 62-B District Court (WKTV)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
Kentwood’s 62-B District Court and the 63rd District Court have concluded their monthlong waiver program, jointly resolving 281 cases by collecting $70,001.81 in past due fines/costs, according to a recent statement from the courts.
Specifically, the 62-B District Court collected $28,074.81 in payments on 102 cases, while the 63rd District Court collected $41,927 in payments on 179 cases.
“We are pleased that so many people were able to clear up the suspensions of their driver’s licenses and arrest warrants,” 62-B District Court Chief Judge William G. Kelly said in supplied material.
WKTV Journal recently interviewed Judge Kelly on the District court system past and present, see the Youtube video link here.
During the month of March 2019, the program allowed individuals to come into compliance with court orders by settling their debts without further penalty or incarceration. The program addressed outstanding warrants for non-compliance with a court order of fines, fees, court costs and any outstanding traffic or parking tickets that were in default or suspension.
“We are really pleased with how the waiver program went and that it helped so many people from our community to resolve their business with the court,” 63rd District Court Chief Judge Sara J. Smolenski said in supplied material. “Judge O’Hara and I appreciate our administration and staff, and the team at the 62-B District Court for their hard work on this program and their ongoing dedication to serving the public.”
Any individuals who have outstanding debts or would like to discuss any past-due fines and costs may contact the 62-B District Court at 616-698- 9310 or 63rd District Court at 616-632-7770 for further information.
The Spring Break travel season was a popular one at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GFIA) as March passenger numbers helped record the busiest month in Airport history. March numbers increased 14.42-percent compared to March 2018, and GFIA is up 10-percent overall this year.
March 2019 beat out March 2018 for the record of busiest month in Airport history with 341,534 passengers in 2019 versus 298,487 passengers in 2018. In addition, first quarter 2019 marks the busiest first quarter ever with 871,710 passengers served from January 1 through March 31.
The Ford Airport has seen passenger increases in 68 of the last 75 months and 18 straight.
“We had another fantastic Spring Break period, and West Michigan passengers are proving that they love utilizing their local, affordable, easy airport,” said GFIA Interim President & CEO Brian Picardat. “Our airline partners continue to add larger aircraft, more frequency in flights, and more nonstop destinations. We have a lot of exciting things on tap for 2019, and it’s encouraging to see us off to such a great start.”
The Airport is underway on Phase Two of its Gateway Transformation Project which includes updates to the baggage claim area, airline ticket counters, flooring and lighting; along with new restrooms and concessions. Updates on construction at the airport can be found here:https://www.grr.org/construction.php
As passenger numbers continue to grow at GFIA, those traveling are advised to arrive at the airport at least two hours before their flight. Updated security screening information, tips on what to pack/not pack, and more information to make security screening smoother are available atwww.tsa.gov.
The growth is expected to continue further into 2019 with more air service coming to the Ford Airport. Airline partner Allegiant has announced three new nonstop destinations in 2019 as well as the addition of a maintenance base. Nonstop service to Sarasota-Bradenton (SRQ) began on April 5. Nonstop service to Nashville (BNA), and Savannah-Hilton Head (SAV) will begin in June.
If supermarket circulars influence your grocery shopping, you could be saving money at the expense of your health.
That’s because studies show the offerings are often far from the healthiest food choices.
Researchers looked at a year’s worth of circulars from a small Midwestern grocery chain to see how the nutritional quality of sale items compared to that of the average American diet, which itself scores low.
They found that sales reflected a tendency to eat too much protein and not enough fruits and vegetables.
While 25 percent of sale items were for protein-based foods, only 8 percent were for vegetables and 7 percent for fruits. Worse still, less than 3 percent were for the most healthful dark green, red and orange vegetables.
So it’s important not to let these circulars dictate your eating habits.
Eating healthy doesn’t have to cost as much as you might think. The difference can be as little as $1.50 more per day. Interestingly, some studies have shown that even people who spend the most money on food don’t automatically select healthier choices.
Regardless of budget, the average family spends the biggest chunk of their food budget—about 35 percent—on items like snacks, treats and frozen dinners. That means shifting just some of your shopping dollars may be enough to boost your diet.
Once you’re at the store, carefully shop the perimeter—that’s where fresh foods are displayed—for items that didn’t make the circular.
Buy seasonally to save money, and choose whole foods—like a chicken you cut up yourself—and fruits and vegetables that you wash and slice since precut ones cost more.
Buy in bulk when it makes sense, if for example, canned beans and whole wheat pasta are on sale.
Make a shopping list in advance to avoid impulse buying, but be flexible so you can take advantage of unannounced sales.
Kentwood resident Maria Orr said she is grateful that she at least had the opportunity to tour Notre Dame before the fire that brought down its spiral tower destroyed most of it.
The spiral tower of Notre Dame. (WKTV/2004)
Residents were glued to media outlets today as the world watched the catastrophic blaze ravage the beloved Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.
“I am glad that I got to see it before this happened,” said Orr, who visited the church with her daughter’s art class from East Kentwood High School. “I got to see the history and the windows before that was all destroyed.”
The artist behind the windows at St. Mary Magdalen Parish, which burned in 2012, Orr understands the pain and loss of the stained-glass windows at Notre Dame. Orr was able to recover four sets of the St. Mary Magdalen windows, which now hang in the new church building.
“St. Mary Magdalen at least had me around so when construction started, I was there to help design the windows for the new building,” Orr said. “None of the people who designed the windows for Notre Dame are around anymore to do that.”
Parishioner Luia Ortiz also mourned the loss of the windows. She had visited the church twice and now has a decal of one of the more famous Notre Dame windows on a window in her home.
“I wanted this little replica of the window but they were totally sold out of them when I was there, so I ended up buying a large piece,” Ortiz said, adding that when a friend went a few years later, she was able to get the replica for her.
The outside of Notre Dame (WKTV/2004)
What moves Ortiz more is the historical loss of the church.
“If they rebuild it, I don’t know if they will ever be able to capture the historical aspect,” she said.
At WKTV, we hope to capture some of the historical context along with the memories of those who visited Notre Dame. We encourage area residents to share their photos and stories about their visit to the iconic church. To share photos, go to our Facebook page or email them to joanne@wktv.org.
Starting today, area residents and business owners have the opportunity to check out artwork created by some of the talented and creative students of Wyoming High School.
The Wyoming High School National Art Honor Society is hosting its first Paint the Town Purple, which includes an exhibition of juried student work through Thursday at the KDL Wyoming branch, 3350 Michael Ave. SW.
A Wyoming High School student sits next to one of the paintings in the Paint the Town Purple. (Wyoming High School)
The program began with students submitting work in February that was then curated by a jury. Selected work was professionally framed and available for viewing at the Art Gallery of the KDL Wyoming Branch.
Wyoming High School teacher Robyn Gransow-Highley said the National Art Honor Society, which has the goal of creating opportunities to share their love of art with the school, district, and surrounding community, is looking to make the Paint the Town Purple event an an annual one.
“We are really excited and working hard to make this dream a reality for our community,” Gransow-Highley said.
Paint the Town Purple culminates in a grand celebration event at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the library, in the meeting room next to the Art Gallery. The event will feature entertainment by Wyoming High School musicians, light hor d’oeuvres, and the opportunity to meet the students who created the work. Business owners and representatives wishing to partner in this program can do so by pre-purchasing an event ticket, which affords them the opportunity to showcase one of the pieces on display for a year at their business. Art pieces will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the order of sign-in at the event.
Tickets are $100 with proceeds being used to sustain the Paint the Town Purple program and the National Art Honor Society. For more information about the Paint the Town Purple, to purchase a ticket ,or to make a donation, click here.
