Category Archives: 3-bottom

Weather your perfect storm

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Health, How-To's, Senior Living, ,
Are you ready for menopause? Or even perimenopause? The storm is coming, so now is the time to act to make it less of a tempest. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Diana Bitner, MD, Spectrum HealthBeat

 

So many women come to see me when they are experiencing what I call the Perfect Storm.

 

Their bodies are changing and they are faced with night sweats, increased belly fat, irritability, depression, lack of energy, irregular or heavy periods and decreased sex drive. That’s quite a list!

 

The Perfect Storm occurs when two fronts collide and cause havoc with your body.

 

The first front is caused by changing hormones, which then leads to an array of symptoms: night sweats, hot flashes, disturbed sleep, anxiety, irritability, decreased motivation and sex drive, and cravings of sweets and simple carbs. The second front is the change in your body chemistry, including changes in hormone levels.

 

The result? Good cholesterol levels go down, bad cholesterol goes up, insulin resistance increases, belly fat builds up and brain chemicals drop.

 

To more fully understand the Perfect Storm, it helps to know the three phases every woman goes through in adult life: reproductive phase, perimenopause and menopause.

Here’s a brief summary of each phase:

  • Reproductive phase—Many women in this phase feel normal and experience regular periods. This is the time we really don’t have to think about our hormones, and our body just makes sense. Toward the end of this phase, symptoms such as menstrual migraines, night sweats, mood changes and sugar cravings sometimes start. These symptoms are predictable and occur the three days before your period starts.
  • Perimenopause—This stage is sometimes referred to as midlife, and it’s also where the Perfect Storm occurs. Your periods start to become irregular, closer together and heavier, and symptoms like night sweats, sleep difficulties, mood changes and belly fat weight gain can become worse. You may even skip some periods and then begin having regular periods again.
  • Menopause—This phase means you haven’t had a period in 12 months—yeah! However, it’s important to note that if you go three months without a period and then you get one, the clock starts all over again. Approximately 80 percent of women experience symptoms during menopause, which typically last between two and five years after the start of menopause. The good news is that women who seem to handle the symptoms the best are the ones who continue to kept their weight in the healthy range, remain active, drink plenty of water and get plenty of sleep each night.

After menopause, it is very difficult to alter the course you are on, so if you want to weather your Perfect Storm and keep your symptoms in check, you need to make sure you are on a healthy path right now. What happens during the storm will determine the course of the rest of your life, so ask for the help you may need to sail through your Perfect Storm.

 

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum HealthBeat.

How to effectively manage the talkative and silent members of a group

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, How-To's, ,

By Bethany Prykucki, Michigan State University Extension

Recognizing and understanding typical team member behaviors – both positive and negative – is helpful to understand as a facilitator. These behaviors can affect team development and performance. Members of the team may exhibit these behaviors at varying times throughout the development cycle of the team. It is crucial that the facilitator model constructive behaviors to help the team reach its goals.

Groups that work well together develop a sense of trust, camaraderie and even synergy. In such groups, communication is open and honest, everyone contributes and people are excited about what they are accomplishing. Sometimes people with “challenging behaviors” can derail the work of a group and make synergy impossible. What are “challenging behaviors?” In groups or teams that have a shared purpose and some goals to accomplish, ‘challenging behaviors’ are those that make accomplishing goals difficult. They may distract, disrupt or get the group off track in some way, or contribute to difficult behaviors by either not participating or dominating the conversation.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a Facilitator toolkit called “A Guide for helping groups get results.” The kit offers a comprehensive guide to tools, methods and techniques for assisting groups. The guide explains that sometimes it will be necessary to intervene with a particular individual or an entire team because of behavior or actions during team meetings. An intervention will include any statement, question or nonverbal behavior made by a facilitator that is designed to help the group.

The goal of any type of intervention is to maintain the group’s autonomy and to develop its long-term effectiveness. Eventually, the interventions used by a facilitator should decrease the group’s dependence on the facilitator.

An intervention is never an easy task, so it is important to recognize when to intervene and whether to intervene with an individual or the entire team. There is no set time or tried and true method for when or how to intervene, but the following are methods to deal with two of the most common issues that arise in groups; those that are silent and those that overly talkative.

Silence

Most groups include some people who are timid about sharing their opinions. They may feel unvalued, unsure of themselves or unfamiliar with the topic or process. Alternatively, they may just need time to listen, think, and formulate their thoughts. This may be a problem if they never feel comfortable sharing ideas.

Strategies:

  • Use an icebreaker that involves a lot of interaction.
  • Go round-robin in the group whenever appropriate, asking each person in turn to share a comment.
  • Ask the quiet person specific questions related to his or her expertise.
  • Distribute cards in advance for written anonymous input.
  • Give the group a few minutes to think silently before asking for responses to some questions or tasks.

Talkativeness

Some people talk a lot in groups, which may be a problem if they dominate discussions and don’t let others share their opinions freely. This can sometimes cause others to drop out, thus weakening the group and diminishing its chances of success. Getting through an agenda and making decisions can also be difficult.

Strategies:

  • Establish and enforce ground rules. Some helpful rules are: keep comments brief; balance participation; listen more than you talk; or, you can speak a second time after everyone has spoken once.
  • Interrupt the talker and offer to talk to him or her more after the meeting.
  • Put a time limit on each person’s comments for each topic, and enforce it. It may help to ask someone else to be the timekeeper.
  • Ask people to raise their hands to speak.
  • Talk to the person privately and explain that you would like to get more people participating.

MSU Extension offers a three-day facilitation workshop that can help further introduce strategies of facilitation.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

On Tap: drink a beer, plant a tree; happy hour at ball park — yep, it’s Beer Month

3-bottom, Beer

By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org

 
There will be no shortage of beer related activities starting Friday, Feb. 15, when Beer Month GR begins its annual month-long celebration of craft beer brewing and drinking all across the greater Grand Rapids area.

But there will be one, the Beer City Brewer’s Guild’s Brewers Grove fundraiser for the Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, that will allow beer lovers to show a little love to Mother Nature at the same time.

Tom Payne, shown at back talking with customers, at Two Guys Brewing. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)

There will be nearly two dozen West Michigan brew pubs and restaurants, including Wyoming’s own Two Guys Brewing and Kentwood’s adopted Dutton-based Railton Brewing Co., will not only be raising funds to plant trees but many will also have created “tree-themed beers.”

See WKTV stories on Two Guys Brewing and Railtown Brewing Co. by clicking through.

The Brewers Grove started in 2013 with an idea to create tree-themed beers that would be offered in conjunction with Experience GR’s Beer Month GR. Each participating brewery, distillery and cider house makes a donation to Friends of Grand Rapids Parks to fund tree plantings to “further our vision of thriving parks and sustainable urban forest.”

Now, each fall, funds raised are used to “plant trees and increase the tree canopy,” according to the Friends of Grand Rapids Parks. “The trees planted will improve tree diversity, provide a source of food to wildlife and park users, and replace removed ash trees lost due to the Emerald Ash Borer epidemic.”

The Brewers Grove fundraiser goes through March 15. For more information on the Brewers Grove, or visit friendsofgrparks.com .

… and thats just the beginning of Beer Month

Beer Month GR, running Feb. 15 to March 15, is an annual celebration of Grand Rapids’ craft beer scene, with special events and offerings at many West Michigan establishments highlighted by the 14th Annual Winter Beer Festival, running Saturday, Feb. 22, and Sunday, Feb. 23 (alas, Saturday tickets are sold out).

Beer and cold weather do go together — really. (Supplied/West Michigan Beer Festival)

The 2019 Winter Beer Festival will feature more than 140 Michigan breweries and brewpubs. Each guest ticket comes with 15 tasting tokens which can be exchanged for 3 oz. samples from over 1,000 different craft beers (note that some specialty beers will require 2 tokens per 3 oz. sample). There will also be live music from local bands, other entertainment, ice sculpture demonstrations, and fire pits to warm up by. A selection of tasty food will be available for purchase at the festival.

The Beer Festival runs Friday 5-9 p.m. and Saturday 1-6 p.m., at the Fifth Third Ballpark, 4500 West River Dr. NE, Comstock Park.

For a link to the venues, and special events and offerings, during Beer Month GR visit Cool Brews. Hot Eats. For more information on the beer festival, visit Winter Beer Festival.

Oh, ya, and if you don’t already know about the Beer City Brewsader program, shame on you.

New brews on tap, on sale

In late January, New Holland Brewing Company announced the launch of Dragon’s Milk White, a bourbon barrel-aged white stout, that is the first Dragon’s Milk product to be available in cans.

“The white stout is an entirely new Dragon’s Milk experience, pulling many of the same awesome flavor notes that our fans have come to love in our original bourbon barrel-aged stout, but presenting them in a way that is completely unique,” Dominic Bergquist, brand manager for Dragon’s Milk, said in supplied material. “It’s not simply a visual play. The hazy golden color is really just the first cue that this beer is going to be unique, with the aromas and flavors that follow making it something we feel is truly special to behold.”

At six percent ABV, Dragon’s Milk White brings a much lighter brew but “it promises to appeal to traditional stout drinkers as well as those who simply are looking for a well crafted, full-flavored and accessible drinking experience,” they say.

I’ll be the judge of that.

Dragon’s Milk White is now available in New Holland’s pubs in Grand Rapids and Holland; a nationwide release will follow.

For more information on the Grand Rapids Knickerbocker location and the Dragon’s Milk White, visit newhollandbrew.com .

Climate change could change the sneezin’ season

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Health, , , ,

The increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere also causes ragweed to produce more pollen, so these plants are becoming more potent. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Serena Gordon, HealthDay

 

If you live in the north and you’ve never experienced hay fever, new research predicts that climate change has an unwelcome surprise in store for you.

 

Warmer temperatures in the northern United States will allow ragweed—the plant that triggers hay fever—to flourish in areas it’s never been before. About 35 years from now, the study predicts, ragweed will be found in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and upstate New York.

 

But the news isn’t all bad. Folks sneezing due to ragweed in the southern United States should get some relief as the temperatures get too warm for ragweed to grow well.

 

Ragweed will decline substantially in central Florida, northeastern Virginia and the southern Appalachian Mountains, according to the researchers.

 

“Ragweed is a major cause of allergies and asthma. Climate change will make some areas worse for ragweed, and some areas may get better,” said Michael Case, of The Nature Conservancy. He co-authored the study when he was a postdoctoral researcher at the school of environmental and forest sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle.

 

Ragweed is a native North American plant. It produces a lot of fine, powdery pollen from August to November. This pollen causes symptoms in people who are allergic to ragweed, including sneezing, watery eyes, itchy throat, runny nose and headaches, the researchers said.

 

Case and his co-author, Kristina Stinson, an assistant professor of plant ecology at UMass Amherst, created a model that included data on hundreds of areas with ragweed today, along with the conditions that allow ragweed to thrive.

 

The researchers then added information from 13 global climate-prediction models. These models were developed using two different pathways of potential greenhouse gas emissions.

 

When all of this information was combined, the new model predicted the northward creep of ragweed.

 

After that—from the 2050s to the 2070s—areas with ragweed may see a slight contraction. The researchers said this is because temperatures and precipitation may become more variable.

 

The study authors pointed out that their model was not designed to know if ragweed could become a problem as far north as Canada or further west in the United States because their model didn’t have information on those areas.

 

Marian Glenn, an emeritus professor in the department of biological sciences at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., reviewed the findings.

 

“This is another example of plants that are migrating north as the climate warms. This is happening with viruses and diseases that are considered tropical, now that the agents that cause those diseases can survive through winter,” she said.

 

“The increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere also causes ragweed to produce more pollen, so these plants are becoming more potent,” Glenn explained.

 

And that means climate change will make ragweed season longer and more aggravating for allergy sufferers, she added.

 

Case agreed that ragweed season will probably last longer. And ragweed isn’t the only plant affected.

 

“Climate change is extending the growing season for everything,” he said. However, because ragweed is abundant, it made it possible to study that one particular plant.

 

Case said the study has practical implications. For example, weed control boards should now be aware that they might have to start monitoring for ragweed. And allergy sufferers and their doctors also need to be aware that ragweed may start becoming a problem in areas that haven’t seen it before.

 

The findings were published online recently in the journal PLOS One.

Cat of the week: Chococat

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Non-Profits, Pets/Animals,

By Sharon Wylie, Crash’s Landing

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).

When Dr. Jen first laid eyes on Chococat back in mid-November of 2018, she immediately noticed that the kitty was in desperate need of medical care. A volunteer had come across him a few weeks prior and made work of catching and getting him in to safety, but it was clear that this middle-aged man (best guess is that he was born sometime in 2012) had survived an extremely troubling existence prior to the kindness we were finally able to show him. Not only was he profoundly underweight and intact, he was suffering from significant dental disease involving his three remaining teeth (he now has none left) that caused a fistula to form in between his oral and nasal cavity; the smell was horrendous and we can’t even fathom the discomfort he had been in.


He was also beyond filthy, had ingrown/abscessed thumbnails and a nasty bilateral ear infection; to top things off he tested a very strong positive for FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus). And, due to the lack of care and compassion he was shown on the streets, poor Chococat was terrified of human contact. In fact, he was so painfully shy that as Dr. Jen treated his laundry list of ailments and tried to interact with him (while he recovered at the clinic), she decided it was in his best interest to be fostered by his rescuer until he could settle in a bit more. Clearly indoor life was completely foreign to him.

So the rescuer took the poor guy home and set him up in his own room, where she spent as much time as possible trying to get him used to the fact that the hands that were feeding him were gentle and generous. After almost two months, it was time to introduce him to the other cats and volunteers at Big Sid’s, as the only way he was going to come out of his cocoon is if we forced him ever so tenderly to do so.


Currently, Chococat still prefers to keep to himself. He is oftentimes found in the shadows, hunkered down where no one can see him, BUT recently we have caught glimpses of him out napping on one of our toddler beds during broad daylight!

Dr. Jen asked her cat care team to offer up their observations of his progress thus far and what they feel would be ideal for him:

“Chococat is still terribly shy and fearful of humans. Honestly, I’m not sure he will ever be a cat that enjoys interaction with people. However, he is getting more and more comfortable in the shelter every day and I think he is enjoying being inside. He is slowly learning not to be afraid of the other cats, but he still doesn’t like it when they get too close. Chococat’s ideal home will give him plenty of space for as long as he needs and his owners need to be okay with the possibility of him never willingly interacting with them. I would love to see him with at least a couple other cats that can teach him not to be so fearful of humans.”

“Chococat — I hope so badly that the right person comes along and sees his potential and that all he needs is lots of patience, understanding, and his own space. I honestly think he’d eventually see that being inside, having endless bowls of wet food, and having his very own trusted human is not so bad after all. Seeing him going from room to room is unbelievable compared to hiding backwards in a teepee scared of his own shadow. He’s finding out that we aren’t so bad, and in time I just know he will be hanging out with his friends more. He’s a very handsome guy with the softest Angora-like fur.

“I noticed just tonight that if you approach him and speak very quietly without touching him he will allow you to put his food down without hissing or swatting. It’s progress. I would love to see him on a home with one or two other cats. No dogs! The perfect human would be one that looks past his current disposition and is willing to be there daily with him to build up his trust.”

So there you have it: Chococat’s sordid history as we know it and the baby steps he is making towards a better life for himself. With our help, we are praying we can assist him in making slow and steady strides over time, because if anyone deserves all the best life has to offer, it is this toothless, timid soul. And since he has no choppers, there is absolutely no risk of him transmitting FIV to another cat, so we can hook him up with a buddy or two hopefully, as we firmly believe there is power and strength in numbers.

More about Chococat:

  • Medium
  • Domestic Medium Hair — Black & White/Tuxedo
  • Adult
  • Male
  • House-trained
  • FIV-positive
  • Vaccinations up to date
  • Neutered
  • Not declawed
  • Very timid; prefers a home without dogs or children

Want to adopt Chocacat? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.

Interested in volunteering at one of the cat shelters? Email volunteer@crashslanding.org.

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.



Why Retire in the Midwest?

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Health, Senior Living, , ,
Courtesy Vista Springs Assisted Living


By Vista Springs Assisted Living

Move over, Florida! The American Midwest may be the next hot retirement destination. With beautiful scenery, affordable costs of living, and great quality of life, this underappreciated region is a great place to spend your retirement.

The Midwest is officially made up of twelve states, though Midwestern opinions vary on which states make the cut. According to the US Census Bureau, however, the region consists of both Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio.

Cost of Living

The Midwest far and away dominated other regions of the US in the category of financial stability and cost of living in LPL Research’s 2017 Retirement Environment Index. Michigan, in particular, experienced a huge improvement in its rank as a retirement destination, jumping from 19th to 2nd best state for soon-to-be retirees. This is due in large part to median income rising well above the national average and a lower tax burden in the face of rising taxes across the country.

In addition, the cost of housing in the Midwest is, perhaps not surprisingly, lower on average than any other region. The monthly cost of assisted living in Michigan is well below the national average, with other states in the area coming in at or below that average.

Access to Healthcare

The accessibility and affordability of healthcare is an incredibly important consideration as people age, and cities in the Midwest are quickly establishing themselves as centers for medical innovation. From Cleveland, Ohio, which has been ranked first in the nation for access to healthcare, to the centers for medical research in Ann Arbor, to the “Medical Mile” of Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Great Lakes region is becoming a hub of great healthcare.

Climate and Landscape

In the wider imagination of the country, the Midwest doesn’t have the best reputation for breathtaking scenery and beautiful weather. While there’s some truth to the stereotypical image of farmland stretching to the horizon and frozen winters, these states have so much more to offer. In the space of a few states, you can experience vast mixed forests, miles of beaches, golden plains, mountain foothills, river basins, and waterfalls. Long traditions of outdoorsmanship make Midwestern states popular vacation destinations for any number of outdoor sports, and actually living there makes it so much easier to get active.

While it’s true that Midwestern winters can be arduous, residents relish in the ability to experience four distinct seasons, each beautiful in their own way. Spring thaws bring fresh air and wildflowers, summers are hot but never sweltering, and falls are defined by bright, warm colors and perfect sweater weather. And for winter sportspeople, waking up to a sunlight on a fresh layer of powder is always a beautiful sight.

Overall Quality of Life

Aside from all the financial and logistical considerations, the Midwest is just a great place to live. A psychological study on personality variation in different regions of the United States found that the Midwest was just plain friendlier than other areas. The researchers who conducted this study of over 1.6 million Americans defined “friendliness” as displaying traits of sociability, consideration, and a sense of duty. Though the South gets more lip service, this report could not be better for a region prides itself on its hospitality.

All of this bodes well for soon-to-be retirees who already have roots in the Midwest, as spending more time with family is a popular aspiration for retirement. For people who are deeply connected with their family members, moving away for retirement means less time with children and grandchildren. The overall quality of the Midwest as a retirement location means that the decision doesn’t need to be difficult.

Where to retire is a big decision, so it’s normal to still have questions. If you’re asking yourself, should I stay in my state? Home care or an assisted living community? What is assisted living? We can help: Download our eBook here to learn more.

Reprinted with permission from Vista Springs Living.

Living with Asperger’s: A VOICES conversation with Jimmy King

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Local Faces

By Victoria Mullen, WKTV


Before Jimmy King was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome (a developmental disorder on the Autism spectrum), his parents knew only that he was different from other kids.

“I was a bit shy and didn’t interact with others much,” said King. “I always had my head in a book and didn’t pick up on social or nonverbal cues.”

If King’s parents wanted him to go to his room, they would point, and he’d think, “Yeah, that’s my room,” but didn’t realize that he was actually supposed to go there.


Idioms were beyond his comprehension.


“Someone would say, ‘It’s raining cats and dogs,’ and I’d sit by the window and watch for the cats and dogs.”


When the animals failed to appear, King became very disappointed and depressed. Embarrassed, too. A small embarrassment may mean very little to most people, but it can cause someone with Asperger’s to cry uncontrollably and turn inward.


Before King was diagnosed, his parents didn’t treat him any differently than his two brothers. And that would frustrate them because of his lack of social cues.


“Looking people in the eye was always a struggle for me,” said King. “It was nerve-wracking. Talking in public was difficult; I would talk in hushed tones.”

It took a lot of work with para-educators as well as speech therapy and IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) to get him to where he is today — a confident young man who works as a dietary aide at a nursing home and who is pursuing a second career in acting.


“Once in a while, I’ll go back to being unsociable,” said King. “Mostly I’ve overcome those obstacles. I look people in the eye now, talk to people calmly. I’m a happier person. I feel like I’m just a regular person.


“But no matter how normal I might feel, Asperger’s will always be a part of me.”


Listen to King’s VOICES conversation here.


Share your story with VOICES. It’s easy — just go here to reserve a time!

Snapshots: Wyoming, Kentwood news you ought to know

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , , , ,

By WKTV Staff

victoria@wktv.org

Quote of the Day

“Friendship … is born at the moment when one man says to another “What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .” 

~ C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves


The bet that really paid off

Grand Rapids Symphony

As children, neither musician was interested in studying stringed instruments, much less classical music. Baptiste, who wanted to study the saxophone, told NPR he ended up in the string section due to a bet between two teachers. The duo, who are Black Violin, are set to perform at the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Symphony with Soul Feb. 18 concert. Read more here.


Waiting by the window for the cats
and dogs to come raining down

Before Jimmy King was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome (a developmental disorder on the Autism spectrum), his parents knew only that he was different from other kids. Read King’s story here.


And all that jazz…

Xavier Davis

Pianist Xavier Davis will be the featured artist during a concert Sunday, Feb. 10, at 3 p.m., at Fountain Street Church, 24 Fountain St. NE. Tickets are $15 general admission and $5 for students with ID, on-line or at the door. More info here.


Fun fact:

No kneecaps = no jumping.

Elephants are the only land mammals that cannot jump. Unlike all other mammals on earth (well, except for maybe whales and dolphins), elephants do not have kneecaps. Therefore, they are unable to bend their legs and acquire the needed propulsion to leave the ground.

Kent County, seeking landfill waste reduction, expands its community outreach staff

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Hard News, Recycling
Kent County Department Of Public Works resource recovery specialist Lauren Westerman, in black, leads a tour of the county’s current waste recovery process. (Supplied/Kent County)

By WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org

A major component of the Kent County Department of Public Works’s plan to reduce county landfall waste by 20 percent by 2020 — and 90 percent by 2030 — is to gain community buy-in for the plan.

And a big part of that component is having Resource Recovery Specialists provide tours and presentations and “work collaboratively with community organizations to help them realize the impacts of waste on our community and how they can take action to help reduce our reliance on landfills,” according to supplied information.

As part of that effort, the county Department of Public Works (DPW) announced last week a major addition to department’s educational programs with the hire of Katelyn Nettler as a new resource recovery specialist.

In addition, the DWP announced that Lauren Westerman, also a resource recovery specialist, recently earned her environmental educator certification from the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education.

“We are always looking for ways to enhance our educational programs, and our resource recovery specialists play a vital role in our commitment to community outreach and education,” said Dar Baas, director of the Kent County Department of Public Works, said in supplied material. “Both Lauren and Katelyn bring fresh perspectives to our program and will help us develop new strategies for educating our community about the importance of protecting our environment through reducing, reusing, recycling and reimagining how we manage discards.”

Nettler comes to the DPW from the Blandford Nature Center where she was a volunteer and outreach manager. She will support Westerman with outreach and education through developing audio and visual content for the DPW’s website, social media and other platforms. Nettler’s role will focus on giving the community a look at the county’s trash and recycling process and teaching people how to safely dispose of chemicals and other hazardous materials.

“I am looking forward to working with community partners to ensure access and awareness of programs that help reduce waste designed for the landfill,” Nettler said. “There are many opportunities to reduce landfill waste in our community and I’m excited to hit the ground running in this new role.”

Westerman completed her environmental certification in November. The Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education offers an Environmental Educator Certification that is recognized by the North American Association for Environmental Education, a leading professional organization in environmental education.

According to MAEOE, environmental literacy can be defined as understanding how to make decisions that minimize environmental impact. Westerman will use her certification to grow Kent County DPW’s recycling and waste management education programs.

“I pursued this certification to expand my communication skills and gain experience as an environmental educator that I can apply to the Kent County DPW’s programs,” Westerman said. “This program challenged me to define objectives and goals for each program and to incorporate evaluation tools throughout the process. I am excited to continue using these new skills as I teach more recycling and waste programs in the coming years.”

Westerman has been with the Kent DPW for three years. In her role, she leads tours through the Recycling Center and Land ll, visits schools for various education programs, and interacts with the public throughout the year. She earned her Master of Environmental Science from Taylor University in Indiana.

For more information on Kent County’s 2020/2030 plans visit reimaginetrash.org .

5 telltale kid coughs

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Health, How-To's, ,

Is it a common cold, or something more? Listening closely to your child’s cough can help you decide if it’s time to seek a doctor. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Jessica VanSolkema, Spectrum HealthBeat

 

There it goes again. And again. And again.

 

It’s the sound that grates your nerves, although not as much as it simply tears at your heartstrings.

 

It’s your child’s coughing—and it may be trying to tell you something.

 

But only if you listen carefully.

 

Daniel McGee, MD, pediatric hospitalist at Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, shares five telltale cough sounds that offer clues to what may be ailing your child.

The telltale sounds:

Barking

It may be croup, a viral illness that causes swelling and inflammation of the vocal cords. The cough sounds like a bark and it may also be accompanied by stridor—a harsh, high-pitched wheeze—when your child breathes in.

Whooping

It may be pertussis. Commonly known as whooping cough, pertussis is a contagious respiratory illness that can cause coughing fits in which children are forced to inhale with a loud “whooping” sound as they gasp for breath.

Staccato

A repetitive cough with short, staccato sounds is a characteristic sign of the lung infection chlamydial pneumonia, especially in infants.

Dry

A persistent, dry cough may be a symptom of asthma, a disease affecting the lungs.

Wet

The common cold often produces a wet, productive-sounding cough with mucus or phlegm behind it.

 

Although it may go against your parental instincts, Dr. McGee advises caregivers to resist the temptation to medicate children with a cough suppressant. Doing so, he warns, may do more harm than good in most cases.

 

But parents should also know when enough is enough.

 

“If your child has had a persistent cough for a week or more, don’t just write it off as the common cold,” Dr. McGee said. “Make an appointment with a pediatrician to determine if something else is going on.”

 

Seek immediate medical help if your child appears ill and is working hard to breathe, he said.

 

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum HealthBeat.

Breaking barriers with a violin and a viola, meet Black Violin

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Black Violin features Kevin Sylvester and Winer Baptiste. The duo performs with the Grand Rapids Symphony at the Feb. 16 Symphony with Soul concert. (Supplied)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

NOTE: WKTV has been notified that the Feb. 16 concert has been sold out. For other Grand Rapids Symphony concerts, visit grsymphony.org

Kevin Sylvester and Wilner Baptiste do not fit the usual stereotype of classical musicians, and they are not. The Florida-natives have become one of the hottest crossover groups because of their wide-ranging repertorie that includes classical to hip-hop.

The duo, who are Black Violin, are set to perform at the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Symphony with Soul Feb. 16 concert.

As children, neither musician was interested in studying stringed instruments, much less classical music. Sylvester was nudged into music classes by his mother and focused on the violin despite initially dismissing it as uncool, according to a 2015 article from NPR.

Baptiste, who wanted to study the saxophone, told NPR he ended up in the string section due to a bet between two teachers. 

“I didn’t find this out until 2012, that the reason why I got put in his class was because he and the band teacher had a bet,” Baptiste told NPR. “They basically said to themselves, ‘Listen, let’s play golf, and whoever wins get this kid in their class.’”

The joke was on the teachers as Baptiste would pick up the viola and more than 20 years later, has made it a profession becoming half of one of the most sought after crossover groups in the nation.

After going to college to study classical music and learn their craft, Sylvester, a.k.a. Kev Marcus, and Baptiste, a.k.a. Wil B, retuned home to Ft. Lauderdale and began covering hip-hop songs on their instruments as Black Violin.

Soon they were invited to perform “Karma” with Alicia Keys on the 2004 Billboard Music Awards. Two years later, the duo would send an audition tape to “Showtime at the Apollo,” where they competed and won the competition. 

Fast-forward, and the group known for a “hard-hitting beat with lush string sounds” has toured with Kanye West, Jay-Z and Linkin Park and has collaborated with Aereosmith,Wynton Marsalis, and Elvis Costello. In January 2013, they performed for President Barack Obama at his second inauguration.

Also performing at Symphony with Soul will be musicians from the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Mosaic Scholarship Program for talented African-American and Latino students. The program provides teenage students with one-on-one lessons with a Grand Rapids Symphony musician plus the use of a musical instrument, music supplies, and tickets to Grand Rapids Symphony concerts at no cost to the student.

Opening the program is the anthem “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.” First performed in 1900 by a group of 500 school children for President Lincoln’s birthday celebration, the cherished song of the Civil Rights Movement is the traditional opener for the community celebration in DeVos Hall.

One of the honorees at the Celebration of the Soul is Grand Rapids Symphony Associate Conduction John Varineau. (Calvin College)

Each year, Symphony with Soul is preceded by Celebration of Soul, a gala dinner honoring the accomplishments of individuals and organizations in the community that emphasize and celebrate the importance of cultural awareness and inclusion in West Michigan.

This year’s recipients of the Dr. MaLinda P. Sapp Legacy Award are architect, business owner and jazz musician Isaac V. Norris; Grand Rapids Symphony Associate Conductor John Varineau; and retired educator, photographer and musician Noel Webley, Jr.

Tickets

Tickets for Symphony with Soul start at $18 and are available at the Grand Rapids Symphony box office, weekdays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across the street from Calder Plaza). Call (616) 454-9451 x 4 to order by phone. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum).

Tickets are available at the DeVos Place ticket office, weekdays 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. or on the day of the concert beginning two hours before the performance. Tickets also may be purchased online at GRSymphony.org.

Full-time students of any age are able to purchase tickets for only $5 on the day of the concert by enrolling in the GRS Student Ticket program.

To bathe, or not to bathe?

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It depends on their activity level, but most kids may only need to bathe a few times a week. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Randy Dotinga, HealthDay

 

Here’s welcome news for parents tired of forcing their kids to take a daily bath: Children may not need to bathe every day after all.

 

That’s the word from Dr. Robert Sidbury, an associate professor with the department of pediatrics and division chief of dermatology at the University of Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis.

 

“Depending on their age and activity level, most children only need a bath a few times a week,” Sidbury said in a news release from the American Academy of Dermatology. “For children, a few germs here and there are healthy, as this is how their bodies learn to fight off bacteria and build stronger immune systems.”

 

Sidbury provides these recommendations about bathing for kids:

  • If a child is aged 6 to 11, only two or three baths a week may be needed, and shampooing is necessary just once or twice a week. Black children or kids of any age with dry or curly hair only need to shampoo once every seven to 10 days.
  • Special circumstances require more bathing: Kids should take a bath and wash their hair when they get dirty, after they’ve been in an ocean or lake, or when they get sweaty or show signs of body odor.
  • When kids hit puberty, they should start taking a shower every day. It’s a good idea for them to shampoo their hair every day or every other day, and to wash their faces twice a day to get rid of dirt and oil. Black children and those with dry or curly hair can continue to shampoo their hair every seven to 10 days after the age of 12.
  • Kids don’t usually need to use conditioners since they’re designed to help dry and damaged hair. But conditioner—applied to the body and ends of hair, not the scalp—can help prevent tangles in kids with long, wavy or curly hair.

“While these guidelines work well for most children, every child is different,” Sidbury said. “If your child continues to have body odor, or if your child’s hair or scalp seem too oily or dry after following these guidelines, see a board-certified dermatologist.”

 

He also cautioned that kids with skin conditions such as eczema should follow the bathing recommendations of their dermatologist.

 

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum HealthBeat.

Kent County Emergency Management activates its emergency operations center

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Kent County Emergency Management activated its Emergency Operations Center on Thursday, Feb. 7. (Supplied/Kent County)

By Kent County

As a result of the winter storm and its ongoing impact on the county, Kent County Emergency Management activated its Emergency Operations Center on Thursday, Feb. 7, to provide updated information on the current state of affairs because of the significant weather event.

Power Outages

Kent County residents are continuing to experience unprecedented power outages primarily in the north and east areas of the county. Consumers Energy has reported 112,000 people are still without power and they have 366 crews addressing the current outages. Kent County Emergency Management staff remain in contact with the National Weather Service, Consumers Energy, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, as well as several private sector partners.

Emergency Shelter Operations

Arrangements have been made with the American Red Cross and Salvation Army to address the staffing and operation concerns at four emergency shelters — Ottawa Hills High School, Union High School, Walker Fire Department, and North Rockford Middle School.

These four locations also offer free pet boarding services by the Kent County Animal Shelter for those with pets. Residents are encouraged to seek other boarding options first, as space at these emergency animal shelters is limited. Please visit accesskent.com for complete details on the boarding process.

Dispatch Center

Call volumes at the Kent County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center are currently stable. Please do not call 911 to report that your power is out or to see when it is coming back on. Visit consumersenergy.com for a complete outage map.

Kent County Road Commission

According to the Kent County Road Commission, most roadways are clear, however many remain snow and ice covered with challenging conditions. Repeat applications of sand/salt deicing mix has been applied to state and primary roads, but the ongoing snowfall and low temps minimize effectiveness. Motorists should call 911 if they encounter an obstruction or emergency while driving. Please do not report travel emergencies via social media as they may not receive an expedited response.

Safety Tips

Members of the community are encouraged to check on their neighbors, the elderly, vulnerable adults, and persons with mobility issues and assist them if possible or call 911 if conditions dictate.

The following are a few safety tips to be considered when navigating a severe weather event:

Be aware of carbon monoxide hazards associated with operating a generator or alternate heat source. Generators should always be placed outside the home at least 20 feet away from any structure.

In an emergency, always call 911 before calling a utility company.

Always assume down power lines are dangerous. Call 911 and stay at least 25 feet away.

Be sure your food is safe after an outage. Visit foodsafety.gov for complete guidelines.

Solitude enhances your social-emotional health and well-being

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By Patricia Roth, Michigan State University Extension


In a world that tends to be connected at all times, many of us find ourselves too often over-worked, over-extended and over-committed. As an example, think about walking across a college campus. It can be difficult to make eye contact with anyone because many people’s eyes are diverted to devices. We may feel we are connected, however this constant contact can lead to a deep disconnection within ourselves.


How do we get back in touch with our true self? What is the value in reconnecting with our self? Though spending time alone may often have a bad reputation, there is another perspective that says scheduling solitude into your routine can help you reap many benefits and rewards for yourself and those around you.


According to the Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, the article “Solitude: An Exploration of Benefits of Being Alone,” defines solitude as “disengagement from the immediate demands of other people—a state of reduced social inhibition and increased freedom to select one’s mental or physical activities.” In studying solitude, research shows there can be numerous positive outcomes to this practice, such as:

  • Freedom increases with the ability to engage in desired activities.
  • Creativity strengthens through using the imagination, discovering self-transformation and developing new thought patterns.
  • Intimacy increases by becoming more self-sufficient, pursuing passions and maintaining an awareness of strong relationships with others.
  • Spirituality can grow when given the space and freedom to question one’s place in the universe, personal thoughts and/or desires.

While for many of us it is not common practice to schedule time for solitude, it is crucial that in the midst of our busy lives we allow ourselves the gift of spending time alone.


Michigan State University Extension defines social-emotional health and wellbeing as the social, mental, psychological and spiritual aspects of an individual’s life across the lifespan. By spending time in solitude, we gain the chance to reconnect with our thoughts, desires and emotions. In turn, the strength of our relationship with ourselves, determines in large part our ability to connect with others in healthy ways.


Visit MSU Extension for more information or community support on improving your social-emotional health and well-being.


This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Do you know what frostbite looks like?

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Children don’t realize they can get in trouble quickly when they are out in temperatures close to or below zero. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Bruce Rossman, Spectrum Health Beat

Extreme cold has come to West Michigan and will be a regular visitor this winter.

Parents should take extra precautions when sending young children outdoors for any length of time, and that means learning the warning signs of hypothermia and frostbite.

Parents need to know how to prevent extreme cold weather exposure and be ready to respond appropriately to problems, said Jennifer Hoekstra, an injury prevention program coordinator with Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

“Children don’t realize they can get in trouble quickly when they are out in temperatures close to or below zero,” she said.

Clothing

Problems arise when infants and children are not dressed properly, Hoekstra said. Make sure they’re dressed in several thin layers to stay warm and dry. Adequate outdoor clothing includes thermal long johns, turtlenecks, at least one shirt, pants, sweater, coat, warm socks, boots, gloves or mittens and a hat.

Hypothermia

Hypothermia develops when a child’s temperature falls below normal due to exposure. It often happens when children are outdoors in extremely cold weather without proper clothing or when their clothes get wet. If your child shivers and becomes lethargic and clumsy, hypothermia may be setting in. Your child’s speech also may become slurred.

Call 911 immediately if you suspect your child is hypothermic. Until help arrives, take children indoors, remove any wet clothing and wrap them in blankets or warm clothes.

Frostbite

Frostbite happens when the skin and outer tissues become frozen. This condition tends to happen on extremities like the fingers, toes, ears and nose. Watch for extremities that may become pale, gray and blistered. Children may complain that their skin burns or has become numb.

Here’s what to do if your children show signs of frostbite:

  • Bring children indoors and place the frostbitten parts of their bodies in warm water.
  • Apply warm washcloths to frostbitten noses, ears and lips.
  • Do not rub the frozen areas or use a heating pad.
  • After a few minutes, dry and cover children with clothing or blankets.
  • Give them something warm to drink.
  • If the numbness continues for more than a few minutes, call your doctor.

When the temperatures drop low, “the best advice is to keep your children inside and busy with indoor activities,” Hoekstra said. Same goes for your furbabies, too.

 

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Paying for Assisted Living: 5 Financial Assistance & Funding Options

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Courtesy Vista Springs Assisted Living

By Vista Springs Assisted Living

 

In 2014, only about 11% of adults aged 65 and older were covered by a long-term care insurance policy. Compared to the 52.3% of seniors who will require long-term care at some point during their retirement, retirees are underprepared for covering costs. But as people age, long-term care (LTC) coverage becomes cost prohibitive, which leaves seniors and their families wondering: “Where do we find the money to cover assisted living?” Here are five financial assistance and funding options to consider.

1. Life Insurance Conversions

Many people don’t realize that their life insurance is a financial asset that may benefit them today. If your loved one owns life insurance they no longer need, or premiums have become too expensive to justify the benefit, converting their life insurance policies into long-term care funds can help you cover assisted living costs.

 

This can be done in several ways. First, you can check with your insurance agent about the possibility of cashing in your policy, or receiving accelerated or “living” benefits. These are all different terms for the same process: the insurance provider will buy back the policy for a portion of its value (usually around 50-75%) so that the policyholder can apply those funds to long-term care or medical expenses. Some providers only cash in policies for policyholders who are terminally ill, while others are more flexible.

 

Another option is converting a life insurance policy to a “life assurance” benefit. This allows you to switch a life insurance benefit into regular long-term care payments, which can go towards all forms of LTC and senior housing.

2. VA Aid & Attendance Benefit

If your loved one is a veteran, they may be eligible for benefits that help to pay for long-term care and housing.

 

The Veterans’ Administration offers a special pension with Aid and Attendance (A&A) benefit that is largely unknown and often overlooked by wartime veterans and their families. Paid on top of a wartime veteran’s monthly pension, the A&A benefit allows for Veterans and surviving spouses who require assisted living additional monetary benefits. Most Veterans who are in need of assistance qualify for this pension. Aid and Attendance can help pay for care in the home, in a nursing home, or in an assisted living facility. While the amount you can expect from the benefit varies, the average is a maximum benefit is $1,949 a month for married veterans, $1,644 for single veterans and $1,056 for a surviving spouse.

 

Visit the US Department of Veterans’ Affairs for more information about eligibility and applying for the benefit.

3. Tax Benefits

Costs related to senior living at an assisted living community may be tax deductible for both the community member and their family caregiver if they meet the Internal Revenue Service requirements. This article from the AARP has more information.

 

You may also visit www.irs.gov, and particularly http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf for more information on this potential deduction.

4. Your Home

There are several ways for your loved one to leverage their home to help pay for assisted living. While it may not be the preferred method, selling the home outright can help to cover a significant portion of the cost of assisted living. Another way for seniors to access their home equity is through a reverse mortgage. While this does require the homeowner to live in their home as a permanent residence, it can make sense in certain cases. For instance, if one spouse is able to live independently but the other requires memory care, a reverse mortgage can help the borrowing spouse pay for their partner’s long-term care.

 

If home equity accounts for a large portion of their net worth, however, seniors and their families should consider opting for a less immediate strategy. Converting the home to a long-term rental property, for example, gives you and your loved one access to steady income that can be put towards long-term care. However, managing a rental property does take quite a bit of work, and will affect your property taxes, so it’s not a decision to be taken lightly.

5. PACE

PACE, or Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, is a Medicare and Medicaid program that helps seniors get the care they need. To be eligible for the PACE program, you must:

  • Be age 55 or older
  • Live in the service area of a PACE program
  • Require a high level of care (varies by state)

PACE is only available in certain areas, such as PACE of Southwest Michigan, and eligibility may vary by area. You can check here to see there’s a PACE program near you.

 

Cost shouldn’t hold your loved one back from receiving the care they need and the life they want. Check with your financial and tax advisors to see what strategies make sense for you, or contact a Vista Springs community today.

 

Reprinted with permission from Vista Springs Assisted Living.

WKTV features NASA launch of cargo craft

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The Northrup Grumman Cygnus CRS-10 Cargo Craft will depart for the International Space Station Feb. 8. (NASA)

By Kelly Taylor
WKTV

Tune in to WKTV Government 26 for the upcoming special programming events from NASA TV. On Friday, Feb. 8, WKTV will be featuring the departure of the Northrup Grumman Cygnus CRS-10 Cargo Craft from the International Space Station.

Live coverage will begin at 10:45 a.m., with the departure scheduled for 11:10 a.m.

After it’s release from the ISS, the Cygnus Cargo Craft will stay in space for two weeks, deploying various satellites at various altitudes to provide increased commercial access to space and demonstrate technology advancements.

Cygnus is scheduled to deorbit on Monday, Feb. 25, and enter the Earth’s atmosphere, where it will burn up harmlessly over the Pacific Ocean.

To learn more about the International Space Station, it’s crews and it’s research, visit www.nasa.gov/station. NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.

Horrocks tap takeover features book-themed beers

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Kentwood’s Horrocks hosts the Third Annual KDaLe Tap Takeover set for Friday, Feb. 8.

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

For some it is curling up with a good book. For others, its having a pint of beer. Both are excellent ways to power through the winter days and thanks to the Kent District Library, you can enjoy both at its Third Annual KDaLe Tap Takeover set for Friday, Feb. 8, at Horrocks Market, 4455 Breton Rd. SE. The event is from 5 – 8 p.m.

KDL teamed up with several local breweries that each have designed a “book themed” beer. The purpose of the event is to help create awareness about KDL and the local branches which include the one in Wyoming and in Kentwood. Brewers and brewery owners will be at the event to swap stories with patrons.

The local breweries and their book-themed beer are:

 
Railtown Brewing Company The Great Stoutsby – Breakfast Oatmeal Stout with Coffee, Cocoa, & Maple
Thornapple Brewing Company Tequila Mockingbird – Tequila Barrel Aged Cucumber Sumac Gose
Hudsonville Pike 51 Brewing Co. The Lion, The Witch, & the Wee Heavy – Wee Heavy Ale
Gravel Bottom Craft Brewery Amigara – Brut IPA
Rockford Brewing Company Farenheit 49341 – Amber Ale
Creston Brewery Bokonon – N.E. IPA
New Union Brewery A Clockwork Cherry – Tart Cherry Ale
TwoGuys Brewing Green Cottage & Ham – American Dry Pale Ale
The Mitten Brewing Co. Puncheon You in the Eye – Puncheon Aged Brett Saison w/ Gooseberries & Black Currant

For more on this program, you can visit the Facebook page or visit kdl.org.

Kentwood’s brush drop-off site reopened to help with storm damage

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Kentwood Public Works Department oversees the city’s brush and tree recycling. (Supplied/City of Kentwood)


By City of Kentwood

The City of Kentwood has reopened its brush drop-off site for residents to dispose of debris resulting from recent storms.


Residents may drop off brush, sticks, tree limbs and logs from storm damage at the Kentwood Department of Public Works, located at 5068 Breton Ave. SE, during daylight hours now through Sunday, Feb. 17. 


“Our crews are working hard to help clean up any storm damage,” said Jim Wolford, Department of Public Works supervisor. “We’ve reopened our brush drop-off site as residents have expressed a need for drop-off services as they address the trees, branches and brush that have fallen on their properties.”


The service is available to Kentwood residents only. Materials that cannot be accepted include: leaves, grass clippings, trash, dirt, concrete, asphalt, tires, rocks, stones, construction materials, glass or metal.

Woodland Mall’s near-complete redevelopment gives local retail shopping a boost

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An artist’s rendering Woodland Mall’s new Von Maur wing, expected to open later this year. (Supplied/Woodland Mall)

By WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org
 

This year will be big year for Woodland Mall, with major retailers Von Maur and REI moving in, a unique restaurant opening its doors, and a general “new feel” for shoppers coming to the mall.

“As the Woodland Mall continues their redevelopment there are many new stores coming and renovation of some of the existing stores, which gives Woodland Mall a whole new feel,” Bob O’Callaghan, President/CEO of the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce, said to WKTV. “With Von Maur and other new stores coming in 2019, Woodland Mall is the place to shop in Kentwood.”

This week, Woodland Mall management gave an update as to the status of the redevelopment and there is good news all-round — including an on-schedule opening of Von Maur in an entirely new wing of the mall, an earlier-than-anticipated opening of West Michigan’s first REI recreation gear retailer, and several new stores already opened or renovated.

“We have been hard at work diversifying the retail mix at Woodland Mall and investing in ways to continue to create a premium shopping experience,” Cecily McCabe, Woodland Mall marketing director, said in supplied material. “We’ve had several new stores open since renovations began in the summer of 2017, and there are several more on the way, along with new programs and events throughout 2019.

“As our major redevelopment project continues through this fall, we are so excited to share our transformation with the community,” she said.

Retailer Von Maur, which will occupy 90,000 square feet in the former Sears space, is on schedule for an October 2019 opening. The location will be the high-end department store’s first in the region, as the Iowa-based store expands “its footprint across the U.S. with larger stores and new brands,” according to supplied information. “The strength of the Von Maur brand lies in its wide selection of brand-name merchandise, open and attractive store design, amenities that enhance the customer experience.” Von Maur’s customer experience includes free gift-wrapping year-round.
 

In 2019, shoppers can also anticipate the opening of REI, Urban Outfitters, A’Beautiful Soul, Bath & Body Works’ White Barn Shop, Black Rock Bar & Grill and more.

The opening of West Michigan’s first REI store is anticipated ahead of schedule this summer. Its 20,000 square-foot location will carry gear and clothing for activities including paddling, biking and running. Additionally, the recreation gear retailer will host workshops focused on outdoor recreation.

Also this summer, the mall plans a grand opening of Black Rock Bar & Grill in the expanded Von Maur wing. The first-to-market restaurant, according to supplied information, offers an experience in which guests sear their selection of meat or seafood on hot volcanic granite directly at their tables.

Woodland has scheduled numerous community events and programs planned all year long. Early in 2019, the mall will offer events such as a Mad Hatter tea party, photos with the Easter Bunny, employment expos, vehicle showcases and parties geared toward children, according to supplied material.
 

Later in the year, shoppers can look forward to family pet photos with Santa, Santa Fest, a Winter Princess Party and more. A new play area is also in the works.

Barrier-breaking Houston METRO Chief featured speaker at Legacy Luncheon

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood

Houston METRO Chief Vera Bumpers with the students from Grand Rapids Preparatory Academy who helped at the Legacy Luncheon.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

“Let me start with the story of a little girl from Alabama,” said Houston METRO Police Chief Vera Bumpers to more than 150 attendees at the 12th annual Grand Rapids Legacy Luncheon on Feb. 5 at New Hope Baptist Church.

“This little girl would travel in the car with her family and during those travels they would be stopped by police officers,” she said. “During those travels, they would be hungry or need to go to the bathroom and their father would stop and ask if they could use the bathroom, and the people would say ’no.’

“And one day, the little girl finally asked her father why he did not stand up against these people and the officers and he said ‘because I needed to protect my family.’”

Houston METRO Chief Vera Bumpers with JA PR Group’s Jessica Ann Tyson.

Looking back at this story – her story – Bumpers said she believes it was the reason why she chose the career path she did – law enforcement. She broke barriers becoming the first African-American female on the Houston METRO Transit Authority Police Department, the largest and oldest transit law enforcement agency in Texas. This paved the way to her becoming METRO’s first female to attain the ranks of Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, and Assistant Chief. Two weeks after being named Assistant Chief, Bumpers would break the brass ceiling, being named as Chief, the first African American female to serve in this role.

Her reason for following that career path is her belief that the interactions between law officials and the public were important. She created the cooperative urban policing which includes strategies on addressing innate bias, peer accountability and law enforcement responsibility. She has become a sought out speaker about the program.

“We all have the responsibility that there is equity in the treatment of everyone,” Bumpers said to the crowd. “We all owe that to the next generation.”

This belief is also the reason why she joined the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), which she was inducted as the organizations 42nd president this past August. Started in 1976, NOBLE was founding on the idea that black law enforcement executives could have a significantly more effective impact on the criminal justice system through a unified voice. Today, the organization serves as the conscience of the law enforcement by being committed to Justice by Action. NOBLE has nearly 60 chapters — including the West Michigan NOBLE Chapter — representing more than 3,000 members worldwide. Bumpers said membership is open to both law enforcement officials and civilians. For more on NOBLE, click here.

Bumpers served as the keynote speaker to the annual luncheon, hosted by Kentwood’s JA PR Group. The luncheon is a tribute to Black History Month. The annual event commemorates the scholarship recipients, recognize community leaders and celebrates the community. The Legacy Events has awarded more than $110,000 to students in scholarships across the State of Michigan.

This year, at the Legacy Luncheon, a check of $1,500 was presented to the Fostering Futures Scholarship Trust Fund of the Michigan Education Trust. According to Michigan Education Trust Executive Director Robin R. Lott, the Fostering Futures Scholarship assists former foster care students with college expenses. The fund recently was added to the list of charitable organizations that residents can donate their tax refunds to, Lott noted, adding that there is a fundraising luncheon for the fund set for June 26 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.


Serving as masters of ceremony were Jeremiah White Jr. and Lee Stephen of “The Afternoon Throw Down Show” on Magic 104.9. Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley and Our Daily Bread Ministries Pastor and Manager of North American Outreach Clarkston Morgan offered the prayer and Kentwood’s The Candid Yam provided the lunch. 

Consumers Energy offers a few tips as it works to restore power

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming
More than 1,100 Consumer Energy employees and contractors are working to restore power to area residents.

By Roger Morgenstern
Consumers Energy

With a focus on safety, power restoration work is underway after an overnight ice storm cut power to approximately 50,000 West Michigan Consumers Energy customers – including residents in the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood – and created slick and hazardous conditions across the state.

Crews are assessing damage, securing downed wires to make them safe and beginning the power restoration process. The public is reminded to stay at least 25 feet away from downed wires and anything they are touching and to call 9-1-1 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050.

“We appreciate our customers’ patience as we make situations safe and begin restoring power,” said Guy Packard, Consumers Energy vice president of electric operations. “Safety of the public and our crews is our utmost importance.”

As of 11 a.m., 52,500 Consumers Energy customers were without power. Since 1 a.m. Wednesday, approximately 63,000 customers have been affected. Some customers who lost power overnight may not have their service restored until late Thursday night. With additional winter weather expected over the next two days, additional outages are possible, Packard said.

From damage assessors to call center representatives and lineworkers, more than 1,100 Consumers Energy employees and contractors are engaged in the restoration efforts. Twenty mutual assistance crews are headed to Michigan from Kentucky and other Consumers Energy crews from around the state are being deployed to the hardest hit areas.

Consumers Energy urges the public to keep tips in mind:

  • Stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines and keep children and pets away. Call 9-1-1 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050 to report them.
  • Be alert to utility crews working along roads. Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear so they safely can go past workers on roadsides.
  • Never use a generator in an attached garage, basement, enclosed patio or near any air intakes. Doing so could cause a generator to produce hazardous levels of carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and deadly gas. 
  • Call 2-1-1 if you are looking for help connecting to temporary shelter or other resources that offer assistance in your community. 2-1-1 is a free statewide service.

Customers can also report an outage, check the status of an outage and get useful tips what to do after a storm by visiting www.ConsumersEnergy.com/OutageCenter.

Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest energy provider, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

GVSU economist: Slow start to 2019

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Brian Long (GVSU)

By Dottie Barnes
GVSU

The West Michigan economy flattened in January, signaling a slow start to 2019, said Brian G. Long, director of Supply Management Research in Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business.

Long surveyed local business leaders and his findings below are based on data collected during the last two weeks of January.

The survey’s index of business improvement (new orders) edged down to -4. The production index, which had been as high as +33 in November, softened to +4. The index of purchases flattened to +3, and the employment index came in at +14.

“The overall business outlook is much more cautious than it was just a few months ago,” said Long. “Several survey participants continue to voice concern over the price impact of the still unresolved tariff war with China. Others are cautious about the potential decline in auto sales. In contrast, firms associated with the office furniture industry remain watchfully optimistic.”

Long said the national economy turned out stronger than expected to start 2019.

“It is possible that the 2017 tax cuts may have a little more room to run than we expected,” he said. “However, the softening of the world economy will pull us in the opposite direction. The economy still has plenty of momentum to carry through the first two quarters of 2019 and quite likely beyond.”

Long said more than 58 percent of the Wall Street Journal’s panel of 60 economists expect the next recession to start in 2020, and 2019 could turn out to be just another year of slow growth.

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.”

School News Network: Schools work to minimize impact of #polarvortex2019 on district calendars, classrooms

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism

Michigan law requires 180 school days of instruction, but automatically forgives up to six snow days

By Charles Honey
GVSU

(NOTE: This is an excerpt of the original story. For the complete article, click here.)

As classes resume this week, principals and teachers are scrambling to make up for lost instruction time.

Districts are required to provide 180 days and 1,098 hours of instruction time. If they fall short they will not receive their full state funding from the School Aid Fund. But they are automatically forgiven six snow days, and up to an additional three upon applying for a waiver, for circumstances beyond their control such as storms, fires and health issues.

In Rockford, last week’s five missed days — followed by this week’s ice storm — put the district’s total of closed days for the year at 11, counting days missed for extreme heat last August and for a power outage. That means Rockford has already surpassed the state’s legal limit for missed instruction days. Lowell has also had 11 snow days.

Rockford Superintendent Michael Shibler said he is talking with other superintendents in Kent County to craft a request for legislators to provide additional relief from the snow-day regulations, so districts don’t have to extend the school year further into June. Rockford and several other Kent ISD districts end June 7, while others end the last week of May.

Grand Rapids Public Schools has used eight snow days and will likely join other districts in asking for legislative relief, said spokesman John Helmholdt. Forest Hills has used nine.

Michael Shibler

Asking Snow Forgiveness

There is precedent for such relief, Shibler said, citing the 2013-14 school year when, following a winter in which districts missed an average of 9 ½ days. At that time, the Legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder allowed districts to add more minutes on to existing daysrather than schedule additional days. Given the unusual nature of last week’s storm, Shibler said it’s reasonable to ask for additional snow days to be forgiven.

“This is the first time I’m aware of that we’ve even used our six (allowed) days,” said Shibler, noting he’ll be requesting the additional three allowed by law. Even then, Rockford will need more relief because it has canceled school the maximum of nine times, he said.

Further, he doesn’t want to add more days beyond the district’s scheduled end date. Many families have already scheduled vacations, students have lined up summer jobs, and Shibler said he doesn’t want to have to cancel classes due to extreme heat as he did last August. Most Rockford buildings are not air-conditioned.

“I am going to be asking our state legislators to craft legislation to provide relief, and ask that the governor would sign that,” Shibler said.

Other school leaders are working on similar requests, said Chris Glass, lobbyist for the West Michigan Talent Triangle.

“I am hearing a common call for relief from my colleagues across the state,” Glass said. “The Michigan Association of School Administrators have also sent out communication to the superintendents across the state indicating they’re working on this as well.”

Although it’s too early to have received formal requests, “interest in forgiven days is high,” said William DiSessa, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Education. While districts may add time to each day to meet the instruction requirements, he added, the state recommends adding days, “because adding a few minutes at the end of each remaining day may not result in added learning by students.”

For more stories on our local schools, visits schoolnewsnetwork.org.

Cat of the week: Marcellus

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Hi, there, handsome

By Sharon Wylie, Crash’s Landing


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).

We certainly have a lot of gorgeous guys here at our sanctuary, but magnificent Marcellus (born in late 2015) is by far one of THE CUTEST cats around! We were fortunate enough to have been contacted by Dr. Paula Sauer from Schoolcraft Veterinary Clinic in December of 2018, when a client of hers brought this adorable stray cat that turned out to be FIV+. So she and her team took him in and gave him all of the necessary veterinary care (including neutering him) and contacted Dr. Jen to see if we perhaps had a space for this fantastic feline. On December 11th she drove him on up to the clinic, where he and Dr. Jen spent a few days getting to know each other.

Marcellus is an absolute doll, as darling as they come and as sweet as pie. More than likely he was the victim of unfortunate circumstance while he was out fending for himself and got bit by an infected cat; he is a faint positive for the virus. Although initially he was on the timid side, it didn’t take long for this magnificent specimen of a cat to find his brave side once down at Big Sid’s.

More about Marcellus:

  • Large
  • Medium coat length; Orange & white
  • Adult
  • Male
  • House-trained
  • Vaccinations up to date
  • Neutered
  • FIV+
  • Not declawed
  • Prefers a home without dogs, children

Want to adopt Marcellus? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.


Interested in volunteering at one of the cat shelters? Email volunteer@crashslanding.org.

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.

Once upon an accident

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Health, Local Faces, , , ,

Car seats and boosters can save lives. Just ask this family – The Smith kids, Olivia (4), Blake and Evan (1) get ready for a road trip. The Smith family, Ben and Janna, and kids Olivia, Blake and Evan, 1. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Jodi Stanley, Spectrum HealthBeat

 

In 2011, Janna Smith was riding in the back seat of the car with 4-month-old daughter, Olivia. Her husband, Ben, was driving when they were hit broadside by another car. The impact took place on Olivia’s side.

 

“I could see the base and carrier of Olivia’s car seat move slightly with the impact but then return to its original position, which was exactly what it was designed to do in an accident,” Janna explained.

 

While Janna suffered some painful injuries, Olivia was unharmed. And it was her car seat that saved her. While that’s a happy ending, the story doesn’t end there.

 

Always count on change

 

Fast forward to 2014.

 

After many struggles to become pregnant with Olivia, Janna and Ben decided to try for a sibling. They focused on their appreciation of Olivia, no matter what the future held.

 

When they found out they were having twins, they couldn’t have been happier. Nearly as surprising was how complicated it became to find a new car that would fit all three kids across one bench seat.

 

The Smiths knew from their scary accident how important it would be to have that row of car seats lined up in rock-solid, life-saving perfection.

 

“We looked at so many cars,” Janna said. “Will three car seats fit? No kids in the way back. Is there enough cargo room? Scratch that one, it’s got a console in the middle. Can it tow our trailer?”

 

Finally, they found a used Lincoln Navigator that fit the bill.

 

Brothers Evan and Blake, were born five weeks early on April 24, 2014. They spent their early weeks in the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Did Janna and Ben assume the knowledge they already had was up to snuff when it was time to take the new babies home?

 

“No way,” Janna said. “You can’t leave anything to chance. We knew all too well from our accident with Olivia how important it is to have everything snapped and perfectly adjusted. She was safe from the direct hit because the straps were adjusted for her body. You can’t underestimate the value of that, which is why we still have our seats checked as the kids grow. How do you know they are buckled right? You go to the pros. We’re on a first-name basis.”

 

What you might not know

 

While awareness of proper child restraint use in cars has increased, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration still estimates that about 75 percent of child seats and boosters are improperly installed in family vehicles.

 

The Smiths considered themselves lucky to be part of the positive 25 percent.

 

In the Smiths’ case, and for all families whose babies are going home after a NICU stay, there is extra assurance that all is well. NICU babies must pass a car seat test with monitors attached, before they can be discharged from the hospital. This automatically ensures that NICU parents receive expert guidance from the first ride home. But every healthy baby going home is just as precious, and help is easy to find.

 

So, before Evan and Blake got to check out of the hospital, the Smiths consulted the experts at Helen DeVos Injury Prevention program, with Olivia and the two new car seats. They learned how to get all three seats properly secured on the bench seat and confirm how to assess strap and buckle placement for each child.

 

“It’s not just about the car seat user manual, either,” Janna added. “Look in your car’s owner’s manual to confirm how your vehicle is designed to work with infant/child safety seats. At the Safe Kids car seat safety check events, they thoroughly install your seat in your car with your kids. They installed an additional convertible car seat in my mom’s conversion van, too. If grandparents or babysitters will be transporting your kids, their vehicles are just as important.” To get started, watch our video on how to properly secure your baby in the car seat.

 

If possible, plan for each car to have its own car seats. If that’s not an option, make sure everyone who is moving the seats from one car to the next is completely educated on the details. If in doubt, stop in at a local fire department to have the seats checked or to be installed in the other vehicle before transporting. Having little ones safe at every trip, in every vehicle is critical.

 

Today, Olivia Smith is a charming, precocious 4-year-old. She loves her role as big sister of her equally adorable twin brothers, who just turned 1 year. And Ben and Janna Smith enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing their kids are as safe as can be, every trip, every car, every time.

 

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum HealthBeat.

 

Peppermint and the science behind it

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism,
Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

By Dixie Sandborn, Michigan State University Extension

 

Peppermint, Mentha piperita, is a cross between water mint and spearmint. Peppermint is associated with many health benefits, especially peppermint tea. Everything seems to be better with peppermint during the holiday season, such as peppermint lattes, peppermint bark, mint-flavored M&Ms, candy canes and more.


Here are some fun facts about peppermint.

  • Peppermint has a long history. Ancient Egyptian medical text dating as early as 1550 BC includes peppermint.
  • Early history mentions peppermint in Greek mythology, by Roman philosophers, Jesus in the Bible and Monks in the middle ages.
  • Michigan is ninth in the U.S. for mint production. Michigan has a rich history cultivating mint.
  • Peppermint has naturalized and can be found growing wild in North America and Europe.
  • Peppermint plants grow between 18-36 inches tall and 24 inches wide.
  • Peppermint spreads by runners that spread above and just below the ground’s surface.
  • Peppermint often becomes invasive in the home garden.
  • Specialized cells produce peppermint oil in the leaves of the peppermint plant. The oil is released once the leaves are crushed or chopped.
  • The best time to harvest peppermint is on a sunny day when the plant is just beginning to flower.
  • Peppermint is the most extensively used volatile oil, both commercially and medicinally.
  • Ancient Greeks thought it could cure hiccups.
  • Peppermint is the number one flavor for non-chocolate, hard candies.
  • Dec. 19 is National Chocolate Mint Day.
  • Dec. 3 is National Peppermint Latte Day.
  • Peppermint has been used in Eastern and Western traditional medicine as an aromatic, antispasmodic and antiseptic in treating indigestion, nausea, sore throat, colds, toothaches, cramps and cancers.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Snapshots: Wyoming and Kentwood news you’ll want to know

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Going Local, Kids Activities

By WKTV Staff
Ken@wktv.org

Quote of the Day

"Take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves.”
 
                                              ― Earl of Chesterfield
Some of the runners at a previous Kentwood Valentine’s Dash 5K. (WKTV)

Kentwood hosts Valentine’s Day run

The City of Kentwood is hosting its second annual Valentine’s Dash 5K at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9, an event that will feature candy stations, awards and after-party including music, snacks, a photo booth, and the award ceremony. For the complete story, visit here.

A scene form a previous Wyoming Daddy-Daughter Dance. (WKTV)

Wyoming hosts daddy-daughter dance

The City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation is currently taking registrations for its annual Daddy Daughter Dance, which will be Saturday, Feb. 9. The popular dance, which is for girls ages 3-15, will be at the Wyoming Senior Center, 2380 DeHoop Ave. SW. Cost is $8 for residents and $12 for non-residents. (Fee is per person.) For the complete story, visit here.


WKTV’s coverage of girls high school basketball continues this month. (WKTV)

High school sports action abounds

February will bring some MHSAA State tournaments starting already as the high school winter seasons begin to wrap up, this includes girls cheer, boys wrestling, boys bowling, girls bowling and, starting the last week of the month, boys basketball will tip off “March Madness” in February with the girls version starting the following week. For the complete story, visit here.

Fun fact:

4,2076,800 minutes

Number of minutes in the lifetime of a person living to the age of 80.

Gross alert: Your dishwasher is not as sterile as you think

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Health, How-To's, , , ,

Keep microbes contained by not opening the dishwasher before it has cooled down following a wash cycle. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Amy Norton, HealthDay

 

Your dishwasher may get those plates spotless, but it is also probably teeming with bacteria and fungus, a new study suggests.

 

Microbes—from bacteria to viruses to fungi—are everywhere, including within and on the human body. So it’s no surprise, the researchers said, that a kitchen appliance would be hosting them.

 

So do people need to worry about getting sick from their dishwashers? No, said Erica Hartmann, an assistant professor at Northwestern University who was not involved with the study.

 

“The risk is probably in the realm of a shark attack,” she said. That is, most people face little to no risk, but there are select groups who may be at higher risk—in this case, people with conditions that weaken their immune defenses.

 

Dishwashers are an interesting case when it comes to microbes because they are actually an “extreme” habitat, Hartmann explained.

 

“People don’t think of them that way. It’s just your dishwasher. But it really is an extreme environment,” said Hartmann, who studies the microbiology of the indoor environment.

 

Dishwashers create constantly fluctuating conditions—wet to dry, high heat to cooler temperatures, low to high acidity. They also harbor mixtures of detergents and dinner scraps. So, only certain microbes will thrive.

 

The new study looked at which bacteria and fungi are actually dwelling there, and what factors seem to influence that microbial makeup.

 

Specifically, the European researchers took samples from the rubber seals of 24 household dishwashers.

 

Overall, they found, the most common bacteria included Pseudomonas, Escherichia and Acinetobacter—all of which have strains that are “opportunistic pathogens.” That means they are normally harmless, but can cause infections in people with a compromised immune system.

 

The most common types of fungus were Candida, Cryptococcus and Rhodotorula—which also include opportunistic pathogens.

 

Nina Gunde-Cimerman, a professor of microbiology at the University of Ljubljana, in Slovenia, worked on the study.

 

She said dishwashers and other microbe-hosting appliances are “generally safe” for healthy people. It’s “sensitive groups,” she said, who may need to be more cautious.

 

Gunde-Cimerman said she and her colleagues suspect dishwashers might play a role in fungal infections called mycoses in certain immune-compromised patients. A fungus commonly found in those patients, she said, is known as Exophiala dermatitidis, or black yeast.

 

And while that fungus is “hardly known in nature,” she said, it’s easy to find in dishwashers.

 

However, Gunde-Cimerman stressed, that’s speculation. No one has yet proven a connection between dishwasher microbes and mycoses infections.

 

How do fungus and bacteria get into dishwashers? The “main entry point” for fungi is the tap water that supplies the appliance, Gunde-Cimerman said. But food, people and pets are other potential sources, she added.

 

As for the bacteria, the source isn’t clear, according to Gunde-Cimerman. “But we speculate that contaminated food is the main entry route,” she said.

 

It is possible for dishwasher microbes to break free from their home: They can get out via waste water, or through the hot air produced at the end of the dishwasher cycle, Gunde-Cimerman said.

 

So one way to keep the microbes contained is to avoid opening the dishwasher before it has cooled down, according to Gunde-Cimerman.

 

“Do not open the dishwasher when it is still hot and humid,” she said, “to prevent the release of aerosols in the kitchen.”

 

Wiping the rubber seal with a dry cloth at the end of a cycle can also limit microbe buildup, Gunde-Cimerman said.

 

Hartmann agreed that people who are concerned can wipe down the dishwasher seal.

 

But she also emphasized the positive aspects of the microbial communities living in all our homes: Scientists have made great discoveries by studying microorganisms.

 

Hartmann pointed to the example of a bacterial enzyme discovered in the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park. It was instrumental in developing a breakthrough technique called polymerase chain reaction, which is now used to study DNA in research and clinical labs everywhere.

 

“Your kitchen might not be Yellowstone,” Hartmann noted. But, she added, it may host some “pretty amazing” microbes.

 

So if you are ever presented with the opportunity to have researchers swab your kitchen, Hartmann said, consider it.

 

The study was published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

 

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum HealthBeat.

Mindfulness helps change the way we think

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Health, How-To's, , ,

By Tony Schnotala

When you think about your life, what comes to mind? Do you reflect on your job, on how your day and week is largely structured around it? Perhaps you think about your family members and how your interactions with them affect your mood. But how often do you think about how you think?

 

Mindfulness is one way that we can examine how we think about our patterns of thinking. This skill helps us to change how we think. Contrary to some misconceptions, mindfulness is not a religious ritual or a belief system. While some of its origins come from the Eastern cultures, mindfulness has found its way into Western spheres of thought and practice. Some of its techniques even mirror modern day cognitive therapy.

 

You may ask yourself why mindfulness matters in our 21st century culture. Consider this: According to the American Psychological Association, chronic stress can cause a variety of mental and physical health problems, such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, muscle pain, high blood pressure, and heart disease1.

 

While it’s true that we can’t change some of the circumstances in our life, we can change how we think about them. This doesn’t mean we need to be happy about things that upset us in our life, but we can look at such events more objectively and have a calmer, more accepting attitude. Research also shows that mindfulness can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression2.

 

There are hundreds of books and articles about the origin and techniques of mindfulness, but I will highlight some of the most common techniques and concepts. In short, mindfulness means paying attention to something in the present moment, and refraining from trying to change the situation around us. Remember, mindfulness takes practice and time, and results may not come right away.

  • Breathing: We all do this, but we often change how we breathe based on how we think and feel. If we are angry or nervous, we tend to breathe quickly into our lungs. If we are tired or falling asleep, we breathe from our diaphragm. To practice mindful breathing, take a slow, deep breath into your diaphragm, hold it for a few seconds, and slowly release it. Repeat this process for a few minutes, and pay attention to this pattern of breathing. Your body will naturally calm itself and put you in a more relaxed state of mind.
  • Body scanning: We tend to hold stress in different areas of our body, but because our attention is often used for other tasks, it’s easy to overlook cues our body sends us. To practice this technique, sit comfortably in a chair, and close your eyes. Allow your attention to start from the bottom of your feet. Can you focus on the feeling of your socks or the hardness of the ground? Allow your attention to slowly drift up your body. What are you feeling in your ankles? Do your lower legs feel tense? Can you feel the sensation of your upper legs against the chair? You can do this with all areas of your body, from head to toe. The key is to observe sensations in your body without judging them as good or bad. When you first do this, resist the temptation to “fix” the pain you may feel. You may be pleasantly surprised that sometimes, just examining how you feel will allow your bodily sensation to pass.
  • Five senses: This skill involves paying attention to our sensations based on our five senses. For example, if you are outside on a summer’s day, you can find a comfortable place to observe your surroundings. Listen to each sound you hear: the wind blowing in the trees, the birds singing in the distance, the sound of cars passing by. How does the sun feel on your skin? What smells do you notice? Are you able to pay attention to the colors and shapes in the leaves? If you choose to take a drink of cold water, can you pay attention to its taste? These techniques can be done anywhere, such as the mall or your office. The point is to become comfortable noticing your senses. Doing so can help you appreciate the moment rather than judging it or worrying about other things.
  • Thought monitoring: From my experience, this is perhaps the most difficult technique to practice and become comfortable with. It involves simply monitoring your thoughts and feelings as they come up, and not attempting to judge or stop them. Your thoughts and feelings will arise, settle, and pass. If you are new to this approach, it can be unsettling to become aware of something you typically don’t notice. But with practice, the approach can improve your awareness and allow you greater freedom from your thoughts. To practice thought monitoring, sit in a comfortable position in a quiet area with your eyes closed. Allow your mind to become still and free of any concerns that you are having. As you relax and allow the darkness and quiet to envelop you, some thoughts and feelings will arise. Notice them without judging or attempting to change them, and allow your mind to return to calmness. If you need a little more grounding to help you return to a state of calmness, you can use mindful breathing. These videos can help you practice this concept.3,4

Mindfulness takes practice, and it’s something that many, including myself, struggle to incorporate into daily life. Like any technique, it takes a commitment to make it a regular skill that we use in our normal daily function. The good news is that you are probably using mindfulness already, and you may not be aware of it. The choice is yours as to how much mindfulness you will incorporate into your life. If you choose to be more mindful in your life, you may be pleasantly surprised at how much peace and calmness you will find.

  1.  http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/chronic-stress.aspx
  2. http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/01/07/260470831/mindfulness-meditation-can-help-relieve-anxiety-and-depression‘
  3. Headspace – ‘Expectation’ animation
  4. http://www.mindful.org/adorable-animated-mice-explain-meditation-in-2-minutes/ 

Reprinted with permission from Cherry Health.

Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce honors local businesses

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Local Business, WKTV Projects, ,
Local business and community leaders attended the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce annual awards event recently (WKACC)

By WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org


A manufacturer of rubber products and more, a provider of water and water systems of all kinds, and an organization committed to the deaf and hard of hearing were among the honorees as The Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce recognized local businesses and persons at its 2018 Award event recently.


And WKTV was privileged to provide video stories for each of the business winners.


The 2018 Manufacturer of the Year was Grand Rapids Rubber Products. For a link to the video click here.


“We are so proud of Grand Rapids Rubber Products history,” Chamber President and CEO Bob O’Callaghan said. “They have been a family owned business operating in our area since 1943. They are your source for industrial supplies and custom fabrication in the Wyoming-Kentwood area.”


The 2018 Retail Business of the Year was Gordon Water Systems. For a link to the video click here.


“Gordon Water Systems was selected as our Retail Business of the Year because in their seven years as a Chamber Member, they have been very involved with our events and committees, as well as serving our community needs,” O’Callaghan said.


The 2018 Service Business of the Year was Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services. For a link to the video click here.


“The Service Business of the Year is the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services,” O’Callaghan said. “They were selected because they break down barriers for the deaf and blind in our area. They do not receive any government funding, but still make a difference for the people of Wyoming & Kentwood.”


Also honor at the event was Shane Myas of Axa Advisors, which was named the Dan Vandyke Outstanding Volunteer of the Year; Michelle Born of Fischer-Bratschie & Born P.C., who was given the Gerald E. Fessell Distinguished Service Award; and the Daniel T. McLaren Outstanding Committee of the Year was the Ambassador Committee.

A matter of survival: A VOICES conversation with Angelique Mugabekazi

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Local Faces, Voices, ,

By Victoria Mullen, WKTV


In 1994, Rwandan native Angelique Mugabekazi’s life was upended when the Hutu majority government ordered the mass slaughter of Tutsis. Only five years old, Mugabekazi fled along with her family, but everywhere they went, conflict followed. The young girl saw people raped and killed in front of her, as well as starvation and disease outbreaks. She lost many family members, including her parents, uncles, and siblings, also neighbors.


“Before the genocide happened, my family was well off,” said Mugabekazi, a graduate of University of Massachusetts School of Law. “My dad was a civil engineer; we came from an upper-middle class country. And then we experienced poverty on a level that we had never seen before.”


Civil war conflict met the family when they reached the Congo. By that time, Mugabekazi’s mother and uncle were gone. The little girl and her family moved on to a refugee camp in Burundi, where they lived from 1994 to 1996.


“When you first come to a refugee camp, you get basic things like a tent and food,” Mugabekazi said. “When you have the means, you can make your own house. As a civil engineer, my dad built a really good mud house out of bricks.”


But her father lost his life in Burundi, and the remainder of the family had to move on when civil war broke out there, too.


“You see a lot of rapes and killings when you are a refugee in another country,” said Mugabekazi. “When you are in a camp, you don’t have laws that protect you.”


Mugabekazi said that the UN tried to protect them, but there were conflicts within the camps, and women and children were the most vulnerable.


“You are seeking shelter to keep yourself alive — shelter like a tent or mud hut. Basic, basic medical attention. It was hard. We starved a lot.”


The next move brought Mugabekazi to Tanzania in 1996 where she and her family stayed until 1998, when their house burned down. Next, she and four siblings made their way to a city in Zambia where they lived the next two years


“Then we had the opportunity to apply to come to U.S.,” she said. “We went through rigorous questioning, blood work, medical exams. It’s not an easy thing to come to this country. They interview family members separately, it’s a very invasive process.”


Mugabekazi and remaining family members settled in Boston, in the less-than-desirable Dorchester neighborhood, where gunshots were heard during the day. Culture shock added insult to injury. She was bullied in school because she looked and smelled different.


“It was not safe for us to keep living [in Dorchester], so we moved to a more Hispanic neighborhood, but it was still not safe. So we moved to Lowell, Massachusetts, where it was more predominately Caucasian but still had a diverse population. For the first time, I had friends who were white. That’s first time I enjoyed my experience in the states.


“It’s hard because I feel like I don’t have a home really. Although I know I’m from Rwanda, I feel that has been ripped from me. And moving from one place to another, even here in America, it just caused more trauma.”


Mugabekazi said that surviving all those tragedies has made her strong.


“Africa is a huge continent, so when I moved from each country, I learned a new culture and language — that was the benefit,” she said. “When I lived in more under-resourced communities, it opened my eyes to the poverty in this country. Before, I had this Disney picture of what America was. People of color don’t have wealth in this country.”

Mugabekazi has lived in Grand Rapids since 2013 and is a Community Health Worker with Health Net of West Michigan. She works with the African community; folks that come from same region she did, single mothers who are trying to navigate this culture, working, taking care of their homes.


“We work with them to connect with resources,” she said. “I get excited about social work and am passionate about injustice to women and children, especially because of my experience. I feel like my calling is international work. I feel there is more of a need there; they lack basic human rights.”


Listen to Mugabekazi’s VOICES conversation here.


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Employment Expertise: Preparing students for college and careers

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, How-To's,

By West Michigan Works!


February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month, a national campaign to increase awareness and celebrate the value of programs that prepare students for the world of work.

What is Career and Technical Education?

CTE programs provide classes that directly prepare students for high-wage, high-demand careers. They are offered through high schools, CTE centers, charter schools, community colleges and four-year universities across Michigan.


CTE has come a long way in the last decade, but there are still outdated perceptions of what it is and isn’t. Today’s CTE programs deliver:

Real options for college and rewarding careers

CTE programs aren’t the shop classes of the past; they prepare students (middle school, high school and post-secondary) for both college and careers. While CTE used to be the collage alternative, it’s now more of a college pathway. Today’s programs provide opportunities for college credit, credentials and meaningful work-based learning experiences.


Fact: CTE students are more likely to have a post-high school plan, including college.1

Real-world skills

CTE provides hands-on learning and the skills and confidence to explore and pursue career options in industries that are in critical need of talent, such as health sciences and information technology. CTE students gain practical, relevant, marketable skills that will make them more employable.


Fact: CTE students and parents are three times more likely than those not involved in CTE to report they are confident in their ability to learn real-world skills as a part of their curriculum. 1

A valuable educational experience 

CTE programs provide opportunities for specialized classes, internships and networking with industry experts. Student not only learn technical and academic skills, they learn critical employability skills1. Career and technical education helps students see how what they’re learning applies to the needs of employers.


The high school graduation rate for CTE students is 97 percent, compared to an average of 80 percent statewide. 2


This is the first in a series on career and technical education. Future articles will highlight CTE programs across West Michigan and how they’re helping students prepare for college and career.


Employment Expertise is provided by West Michigan Works! Learn more about how they can help: visit westmiworks.org or your local Service Center.


1. The Value and Promise of Career Technical Education: Results from a National Survey of Parents and Students, Advance CTE and the Siemens Foundation, April 2017


2. U.S. Department of Education, Perkins Data Explorer