Category Archives: 3-bottom

Government Matters: Kentwood resident nominated to military academy

3-bottom, Area Education, Kentwood Public Schools, Politics, Veterans,

WKTV Staff

 

WKTV’s Government Matters lists a sampling of news released by state and federal officials who represent the Wyoming and Kentwood areas. Among this week’s highlights are Sen. Stabenow nominating 45 students to the military academies and Sen. Peters voicing support for veterans as part of a new Department of Defense bill.

 

Sen. Stabenow nominates Kentwood student among 45 total in state to military academies
Sen. Debbie Stabenow recently announced her office’s nominations of local students for the service academies. (Supplied)

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow announced recently the nomination of 45 Michigan students for placement at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.

 

Among those nominated, according to supplied material, were Jarrod Torr, of Kentwood, to the Naval Academy, as well as Grandville’s Luke Ensing and Connor Fischer, both to the West Point.

 

“Michigan is fortunate to have so many exceptional students who want to serve our country through military service,” Sen. Stabenow said in supplied material. “Having demonstrated a strong commitment to excellence in and out of the classroom, I am confident they will represent Michigan and our country well.”

 

Students seeking appointment to a service academy must first obtain the nomination of their U.S. Senator, their U.S. Representative, or the Vice President. Students nominated went through a highly competitive application process that included interviews by community leaders. Now that the students have been nominated, they must await acceptance for admission by the academy to which they have applied.

 

Sen. Peters supports defense bill with provisions for state’s veterans
Sen. Gary Peters

On Dec. 8, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, a former Lt. Commander  in the U.SA. Navy Reserve, helped pass a defense bill which advocates for a pay raise for service members, supports veterans suffering from mental trauma, and advocates for Michigan’s manufacturers and small businesses, according to a press release from the senator’s office.

 

The National Defense Authorization Act, which sets policy for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2017, passed the House of Representatives, the senate and was then sent to the desk of President Barack Obama for signature.

 

Among other things, the bill included a 2.1 percent pay raise for service members and, according to supplied information, provides “the necessary tools and resources for our military while ensuring those suffering from the invisible wounds have the support they need after their service,” Sen. Peters said.

 

A provision helps veterans who may have been erroneously given a less than honorable discharge due to behavior resulting from metal traumas including PTSD. The Fairness for Veterans provision gives liberal consideration to petitions for changes in discharge status to honorable if the service member has been diagnosed with PTSD, TBI or related conditions in connection with their military service. A less than honorable discharge prevents veterans from accessing Post-9/11 GI Bill opportunities, VA home loans and other benefits. Michigan is home to more than 600,000 veterans, including 50,000 post-9/11 veterans.

 

Another part of the legislation requires the DoD provide American-made athletic footwear to new military recruits. DoD already applies this policy to uniforms and combat boots, but not athletic footwear. This legislation could boost manufacturers like Wolverine Worldwide with offices in Rockford, which produces Saucony athletic shoes and is a major manufacturer of footwear for the U.S. military.

 

Grant helps Wyoming make improvements at Ideal Park

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, , , ,
Ideal Park was loved for its dense tree canopy now lost from the 2014 tornado.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

The City of Wyoming received a yearend bonus from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust this month when it was awarded a $300,000 grant to help rebuild Ideal Park.

 

Announced last week, the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board’s recommendations totaled more than $47.6 million for projects in 2017. This included $19.9 million in recreational development and $27.7 million in land acquisition projects. Of the $19.9 million recreational development funds, the City of Wyoming received one of the largest grants of $300,000.

 

Ideal Park was reopened this past summer.

City officials had made it clear that the grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust was key in helping to rebuild the park which was devastated during a 2014 tornado wiping out the park’s playground, tennis and basketball courts and a majority of the trees.

 

“We are extremely excited that our City has been chosen by the state as a grant recipient for 2017,” said Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll. “The grant awarded by the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund will allow the City to continue restoring Ideal Park, which sustained tremendous damage after the (2014) EF-1 tornado touched down.

 

“There is still more work to be done, but the state grant allows us to tackle some of the most pressing issues.”

 

The city spent the next two years cleaning up the park, located at 5843 Crippen Ave. SW, and just reopened it this past summer. The park currently does not have any playground equipment or basketball or tennis courts.

 

One of the unique features of Ideal Park is that Buck Creek runs through the middle of the park..

Because of the amount of damage caused by the tornado, it gave city officials and residents a chance to review the current layout of Ideal Park and consider some improvements in access and safety, said Rebecca Rynbrandt, Wyoming’s director of community services.

 

“What the city had done in the past with Ideal Park was to maintain the historical heritage of the park for the community,” Rynbrandt said. In fact, Ideal Park pre-dates the City of Wyoming, having been created in the 1930s.

 

One of its natural features is that Buck Creek runs through the middle of the park with bridges providing access to most of the parks amenities such as the shelters and former playground area. This also created limited access for emergency personal and others if something should happen at the park, Rynbrandt said.

 

So the city began to look at ways to reconfigure access into the park with a new gateway from Crippen Street, a new drive from Crippen Street to east lot and a connector drive to Averill Avenue. Other improved security and access include a connector path from art deco bridge to the west lot, lighting in parking areas, a new west parking lot gate, new natural area between Park Drive and west lot, open play area with irrigation, basketball court, trailhead signage, a footpath trail to connect to existing pathway and interurban trail and a new creek overlook.

 

Playground areas within Ideal Park were destoryed by the 2014 tornado.

The $300,000 grant money will be combined with with about $508,000 the city has to move forward on the first phase for Ideal Park, Rynbrandt said. That includes developing construction drawings and hopefully going out for bids at the end of 2017 or beginning of 2018 with construction starting in 2018, she said.

 

The City of Wyoming has a  five-year parks plan which shows more than $26 million in capital need such as major maintenance and replacing of assets such as playgrounds, fencing and trail work. Among those capital improvements is funding the master plans for Ferrand, Oriole Phase II, Jackson and Gezon. In May, Wyoming will ask voters to allow City leadership to change the way dollars can be spent under the dedicated Library Maintenance millage to help with the capital improvements at the parks.

 

Two other Kent County municipalities received funding from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust, the City of Rockford for its Rogue River Nature Trail Phase IV, $150,000, and Algoma Township’s River’s Edge Park Development, $50,000. A total of 79 projects throughout Michigan received grants.

House-sitting in the Highlands with Hamish

3-bottom, Beer, Citizen Journalism, Travel, , , ,

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

By Lynn Strough

Travelynn Tales

 

Castles in the sky, or at least close — my house sit in Fort William, in the Highlands of Scotland, came in the form of a Victorian manse, complete with a lively companion.

 

The Highlands have long been high on my list, and I had two weeks to enjoy the fall with free accommodations in exchange for keeping an eye on this lovely home and entertaining my new furry friend, Hamish. Little did I know that he had 100 times my energy and would keep me on my toes about 14 hours a day. A Border Collie blend, Hamish loves to chase balls, from the crack of dawn (over 50 throws before breakfast) until late at night, with enough zest to knock the stuffing out of both the balls and me.

 

11Luckily, there was a jacuzzi with a view for some recuperation! The hot water and jets felt heavenly on my sore muscles — both throwing arms as well as legs from hiking.

 

When he was not chasing balls, Hamish loved to show me all of the surrounding hikes. The Scottish Highlands are rugged and gorgeous on both sunny and rainy days, and if you’re lucky like I was, you may get both at once, and end up with a rainbow.

 

But first, before going exploring I had to learn how to drive. True, I’d been driving since I was 16, so with decades of experience you wouldn’t think of it as a problem. But upon my arrival, I learned that all of our dog walks — twice a day — started well beyond walking distance. Hamish isn’t comfortable walking in town; he was recently re-homed and has a few “issues,” such as fear of thunder and cars, and a fondness for chasing sheep.

 

“You have use of our car to take him on his walks,” the homeowners told me, and showed me their big SUV, with, oh God help me, a stick shift. I have to say, this was the most terrifying time on my entire around the world trip — a stick shift, which I haven’t driven in years in a big SUV, the owner’s pride and joy, on many a steep hill on the left side of the road with double lane roundabouts. My heart pounded and I broke out in a sweat. I fessed up to my lack of skills, but they were kind and took me out in the countryside for some lessons.

 

27Once I had the hang of it, I appreciated the luxury of such a nice car with navigation that gave me verbal directions, since Hamish wasn’t much help in that department. We climbed through woods by rushing waterfalls in Glen Nevis over lush moss, past fields of heather and wildflowers. We crossed rushing rivers, and hiked partway up Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the British Isles. Hamish even knows how to climb over stiles, smart dog.

 

And speaking of smart, Hamish also knows how to ride the ski resort lift; he showed me how to board the gondola for drop-dead gorgeous views. His owners were kind enough to buy me a pass so we could go hiking on top, one of our favorite spots.

 

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you’d appreciate the hike near Glenfinnan, up to see the bridge where Harry’s train took him to Hogwarts. We even timed it right to see the old steam train, its whistle blowing as it chugged by below us. And there was lunch in an old parked dining car, where the service was up to Hamish’s standards — they brought him a bowl of water and treated him like an honored guest. Many movies have been filmed in or around Fort William, including scenes from Braveheart.

 

If you’re more of a beach person than mountain, you’ll still enjoy heading to the Highlands. A short but scenic drive will take you to the shore and one of Hamish’s favorite places. He’s not afraid of cold water and lunged into the sea to chase ball after ball, splashing spray up into his sand-covered muzzle.

17

Warm, sunny days alternated with cold rain, but still we hiked twice a day and discovered that we didn’t melt. With a rain jacket for me, and fur coat for Hamish, we shook off the drops and enjoyed the peace and solitude of being the only ones out. Fort William is the start/finish of both the West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way, if you’re into long-distance walking or cycling.

 

The quaint town of Fort William has plenty of pubs and if you’re a hiker, plenty of shopping with no shortage of outfitters. Warm, cosy coffeehouses offer shelter, where I could take a short break from my charge — the house was just up the hill, so I could also take a rest from driving.

 

They say in the Highlands the midges are worse than mosquitoes, but I didn’t have a chance to find out — apparently in September, I had just missed midge season, barely by a smidge.

 

The house on the hill had magnificent views, overlooking Loch Linnhe and Fort William. With a turret and rooftop garden, sunken tub inside and jacuzzi out back, a fireplace with lots of wood ready to keep me warm, a library of DVDs, a wine cellar and whiskey cupboard (with permission to sample) and a grand kitchen in which to cook my stew, I was a pretty happy camper. Yes, I was kept on my toes as Hamish isn’t one to rest, but house-sitting in the Highlands was a heavenly haven, and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back.

 

32About Lynn Strough

Lynn is a 50+ free spirit whose incarnations in this life have included graphic designer, children’s book author and illustrator, public speaker, teacher, fine art painter, wine educator in the Napa Valley, and world traveler. Through current circumstances, she has found herself single, without a job or a home, and poised for a great adventure.

 

“You could consider me homeless and unemployed, but I prefer nomad and self-employed, as I pack up my skills and head off with my small backpack and even smaller savings to circumnavigate the globe (or at least go until the money runs out). Get ready to tag along for the ride…starting now!”

travelynnlogoAll images copyright Lynn Strough and Travelynn Tales

Reprinted with permission

Falcon’s girls team starts season 5-1; continues to seek improvement

3-bottom, Kentwood Public Schools, Sports, , ,
East Kentwood High School’s girls basketball team in action during a Dec. 16 game at Wyoming. (WKTV)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

East Kentwood girls basketball head coach Jimmy Carter’s 2016-17 Falcons squad has looked impressive heading into its holiday break — winning five of six games with their only loss a close contest at perennial state-power Grand Rapids Catholic Central.

 

But don’t even think about asking him if he is “pleased” with the team’s development.

 

“I am never pleased,” Carter said last week. “There are always things to get right. We can go the whole season and I will always want them to get better than the game before. … I want to see growth all the time.”

 

Carter talked to WKTV following its Dec. 16 game at Wyoming broadcast by WKTV community television, 61-47 win in which the team was led by junior forward Lazurera’s Saunder’s 12 points and sophomore guards Mauriya Barnes and Alona Blackwell also scoring in double figures.

 

But, he says, the Falcons have a usual rotation of about seven players and each of them are capable of being the leading scorer on any given night.

 

“The players I put out there depends on who we are playing and what I want them to do … We do a lot of pressing and I like to keep them fresh, so I rotate them a lot,” said Carter, who took over as head coach of the team in 2012 and has had success to date, including having East Kentwood win three games in last season’s state tournament.

 

The other players on Carter’s usual rotation are senior guards Amari Brown and Anaya Powell, senior forward Andrea Johnson, and junior forward/center Taia Smith. Also on varsity are senior forward/center Jaylia Dooley and junior forwards Kayly Brown and Jordan Huizenga.

 

The 10-player compliment on varsity is not a matter of lack of number in the program, Carter says, pointing out that there are about 15 players on both the junior varsity and freshman teams.

 

“It is not a numbers thing, it is a skill-level thing,” Carter said. “I believe that if they are an underclassman on varsity, they need to play. If they are not going to play, I want them to be at the level where they will play.”

 

The varsity team is in the midst of a nearly three-week holiday break, from its Dec. 16 game until it returns to action, and to action Tuesday, Jan. 3, hosting Muskegon before beginning OK Red Conference play on Friday, Jan. 6 at Grandville.

 

“I know what we have, I know what we are capable of,” Carter said, summing up his team at the break. “It is a matter of them having their assignments and carrying out their assignments.”

 

Cat of the week: Jheri

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

 

By Sharon Wylie

Crash’s Landing

Each week WKTV features an adoptable cat from Crash’s Landing or Big Sid’s Sanctuary. Both cat rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Petrovich, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).

Hey! Remember Jheri Curls? (You’d have to be of a certain age.) Well, there’s a good reason Dr. Jen named this cutie ‘Jheri’.

Jheri’s saga began a few days before Christmas 2015 when Dr. Jen received a text from the Kent County Animal Shelter about an FIV+ kitty in need of transfer to Big Sid’s Sanctuary. The folks at the shelter told Dr. Jen that the fabulous feline in need was a lovable cat with loads of personality and, oh, by the way, he’s an American Curl. In Dr. Jen’s 13+ years of running a rescue, this was the first time she had encountered the breed.

Although Dr. Jen is not one to typically fall for a cat’s looks as it is what’s down deep down within that wins her over, she was completely smitten from the get-go.

“He could not be a more complete package of charisma, charm and adorableness,” said Dr. Jen. “If you are an ’80s lady like me, you are very familiar with the name reference — given how rare and uncommon his physical appearance is, I just had to bestow upon him a moniker as interesting as he is.”

Jheri only got to spend a few days at the clinic since Christmas vacation was almost underway, but in the time he and Dr. Jen were together, the fabulous feline roamed the halls and made his rounds, in spite of suffering from some sort of traumatic injury that caused one of his toes to swell and become infected. However, he was none the worse for wear and was raring to go the minute he set foot on the ground, assessing and “assisting” to the best of his abilities.

MORE ABOUT JHERI

  • FIV-positive
  • House trained
  • Spayed/Neutered
  • Current on vaccinations

Suffice it to say that everyone who met Jheri fell instantly in love with his laid-back demeanor and happy-go-lucky attitude. Once at the sanctuary, Jheri made it known that he didn’t want to be contained in the intake suite, so the shelter’s photographer had to get down there in a hurry to snap Jheri’s glamour shots so he could roam and explore. From the second he was allowed the freedom to prance and prowl around the two-story shelter, he was like a little kid at Christmas!

Learn the facts about FIV and FeLV here.

Want to adopt Jheri? 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.

 

 

 

 

Carole Bradbury is the next featured artist at Pine Rest Leep Art Gallery

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

By Colleen Cullison

Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services

 

A new exhibit titled, “God’s Handiwork,” by local artist Carole Bradbury opens at the Leep Art Gallery on Jan. 4. The exhibit is at the Postma Center on the Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services campus in Grand Rapids.

 

Bradbury is inspired by the beautiful landscapes of the Hudson River School artists’ Thomas Hill, Albert Bierdstadt, Edwin Church and Frederic Edwin Church whom left  notable legacy of American landscape art.

 

She attended classes at Scottsdale Art School in Arizona where Bradbury’s instructors were well known floral artist Linda Glover-Gooch and landscape artist Ralph Oberg. While living in Arizona, she also enjoyed the soft hues of the desert and was mentored with six others by California artist Don Newhouse. He encouraged her to switch from acrylics to oils to get richer colors.

 

In her art, Bradbury hopes the viewers can feel the peace of the quiet rivers, the grandeur of our Great Lakes and wonderful waterfalls. Her passion is to capture some of God’s handiwork in the great outdoors and his delicate design in our flowers.

 

She was a member of the Wickenburg Arizona Art Club where members received monthly classes with accomplished artists, and was a member of the Arizona Women’s Plein Aire Group. Two Metropolitan Opera singers have two of her painting in their collection. Her art pieces have been sold in the Caribbean, Arizona, Virginia and in the Michigan cities of St. Joseph, Grand Rapids and Rockford.

 

Bradbury and her husband, who live in Comstock Park, have 16 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

 

The exhibit will be on display at Pine Rest Postma Center located at 300 68th St. SE, from Jan. 4 – Mar. 22. The Leep Art Gallery is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, call 616-222-4530 or go to www.pinerest.org/events.

School News Network: A Taste of Mexican Christmas

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, , , ,
Principal Peter Geerling helps serve traditional Mexican foods to families at Godfrey-Lee Early Education Center.

By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

The group stood outside the door of the Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center media center. In Spanish, they sang, “In the name of heaven I ask you for shelter, for my beloved wife can go no farther.”

 

Inside, through the door’s window, another group responded, “This is not an inn. Get on with you. I cannot open the door. You might be a rogue.”

 

The back-and-forth song continued until someone opened the door, and the parents created a procession to the school’s gymnasium for a feast and fiesta.

 

Here in the school hallway, parents of preschool through second-grade students were re-enacting the Christmas story of Mary and Joseph seeking shelter at an inn in Bethlehem. They were kicking off the nine-day traditional Mexican holiday observance called Las Posadas, and giving teachers a taste of the season as celebrated in their native country.

 

Kindergartner Sanely Gonzalez plays with the Nativity

Las Posadas, which means “the inns” in English, precedes Christmas from Dec. 16 to Dec. 24. In Mexico, customarily, a couple dressed as Mary and Joseph knock on homes designated as inns, singing the song until someone lets the couple in.

 

In Godfrey-Lee, a majority Hispanic district, the volunteer-led evening event was an opportunity for parents to teach school staff members their traditions.

 

“We learn from each other about culture and food,” said Leonicia Rubio, an interpreter at the school. “Our parents want to share with teachers our traditions.”

 

After the procession comes fiesta time.

Teaching the Teachers

Dunce Pineda came with her daughters, high-school student Crystal Gonzalez and kindergartner Janely Gonzalez. Pineda said she has fond memories of carrying the Nativity set in Mexico and going from house to house. She likes that the tradition is being carried forward to young people. “I like that the kids get to learn the traditions of Mexico,” she said.

 

Parents served sizzling homemade dishes and treats including tamales, tacos, sweet bread called concha, Mexican fried cookies called bunuelo, and hot punch called ponche navideno.

 

“It’s really just bringing people together to build understanding and relationships,” said second-grade teacher Andrea Hall. “This is honoring the strengths our families are bringing to us.”

 

First-grade teacher Deedee Stasiak said staff members spend every school day with their students, often without knowing some of their treasured holiday traditions. Observing Las Posadas together was a great way to learn more about families and how their students spend the Christmas season, she said.

 

“I think it’s absolutely wonderful,” Stasiak said. “They feel really special being able to teach us something for a change.”

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

Metro Health, U-M affiliation brings more choice to West Michigan

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

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

When Metro Health moved to Wyoming about nine years ago, it was tasked with not being just a boutique hospital in a suburban community, but a catalysis to bring quality care to not only its immediate community of Wyoming but the West Michigan region. With Metro Health’s affiliation with the University of Michigan Health System, Metro Health President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Faas believes the hospital has achieved that.

 

Metro Health President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Faas

“We were faced with trying to clinically integrate and grow while at the same time maintain services and infrastructure that we have,” Faas said during a recent interview about the new affiliation between Metro Health and U-M. “There is having more importance to the community, more market share, more money and new buildings and as these issues kept circling we knew that we needed to get a lot bigger and more significant for some of these things to happen.”

 

To achieve this, according to Faas, Metro Health started exploring the possibility of a partnership with another institution. Metro Health officials first went to non-profit U-M as the hospital had formed a relationship with U-M providing radiation oncology. However, Metro Health ended up courting a few other possibilities including the for-profit Tennessee-based Community Health Systems. The deal with Community Health Systems did not happen and Metro Health officials began to look at other possibilities.

 

“We knew one day it could happen,” Faas said of Metro Health’s affiliation with U-M. “We had favored that one the most because we felt it was the best match. Good things came to fruition for all the right reasons.”

 

In fact the affiliation between U-M and Metro Health is not that unusual especially as hospital officials deal with the many challenges in health care from reform efforts to becoming more clinically integrated. Just recently, Grinnell Regional Medical Center in Toledo announced negotiations with UnityPoint Health Des Moines and University of Iowa Health Care. Several hospitals in the Upper Peninsula have similar partnerships.

 

While Wyoming City officials have not had any meetings with Metro Health or U-M on the affiliation, City Manager Curtis Holt said he sees it being a great thing for the community, especially since health care is one of the fastest growing industries.

 

“I have said ever since Metro Health came to Wyoming that it is a great addition to the City of Wyoming,” Holt said. “They do a great job. I think they are beneficial to our community and to our residents which is the most important thing.”

 

Holt said he is cautious over the dollar value that the new affiliation will bring to the city since it is a non-profit venture and collection from this type of development is limited. The city could benefit from the spin off ventures such as restaurants, stores, commercial businesses and other small industries that develop from the affiliation, he said, adding that he is looking forward to meeting with Metro Health officials in the coming weeks to discuss Metro Health/U-M’s plans for the future.

 

“I believe that [Metro Health] has been so focused on getting this affiliation in place, and now that it is, they can start to focus on how they are going to make a difference in the community,” Holt said.

 

Which is exactly correct according to Faas. Now that the affiliation is in place, plans will begin to move forward on various projects which will include the building up of the Metro Health Village. However, the biggest change area residents will see is that for the first time in awhile, there will be a real choice in health care services in West Michigan, Faas said.

 

“U-M has been providing health care to all the residents of Michigan for more than a century,” Faas said. “Now with this relationship with Metro Health, U-M health care is more accessible, more convenient, and less expensive then everyone driving to Ann Arbor.”

Public help sought in finding Wyoming assault suspect 

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, Crime Prevention, Hard News
The suspect in a suspected assault in Wyoming on Monday. (Supplied)

UPDATE: Through tips, the Wyoming Department of Public Safety has identified the assailant in the Dec. 26 attack. The suspect has been arrested and is in custody.

 

 

WKTV Staff

 

The City of Wyoming Department of Public Safety is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect in a felonious assault, pictured, from a department press release.

 

On Monday, Dec. 26, at approximately 2:50 p.m., the Wyoming Department of Public Safety responded to the report of a felonious assault that occurred in the 1100 Block of 28th Street SW. The victim was threatened with a knife during an attempted retail fraud. No one was injured in the assault. The suspect left the scene in a gold colored Jeep Cherokee.

 

Public Safety personnel continue with their investigation and ask the public’s assistance for information that may lead to the identification of the suspect. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Wyoming Department of Public Safety at 616-530-7300 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.

 

Beer City’s airport to host new Founders flavored brewhouse

3-bottom, Beer, Food, Travel, ,
An architectural rendering of Prospect Hill Brewhouse, opening at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in summer 2017. (Supplied)

WKTV staff

 

Travelers out of Gerald R. Ford International Airport will be able to get a final taste of Beer City, U.S.A., in 2017 as Prospect Hill Brewhouse, a new eatery featuring Founders brews, will be opening as part of an expansion and upgrade of airport amenities.

 

The brewhouse will be located in the post-security area of the airport. The addition is part of a series of additions including two new Starbucks — one pre-security and one post-security, a restaurant called The Local @ GRR on Concourse and an as-yet unnamed casual dining restaurant on Concourse B, according to supplied material. A Burger Federation restaurant along with a Firehouse Subs is also planned.

 

“We are excited to have a local flair in our restaurant scene, and what better way to own up to our title of Beer City, U.S.A. than adding the Prospect Hill Brewhouse right here in the airport?” Phil Johnson, airport acting president & CEO, said in supplied material.

 

Prospect Hill Brewhouse is set to open in summer 2017, with the other additions occurring soon after.  There will also be retail offering changes including a Touch of Grand Rapids store featuring West Michigan themed products and in partnership with the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

 

Falcon’s boys team seeks winning mix of seniors, young talent

3-bottom, Education, Kentwood Public Schools, Sports, , , ,
East Kentwood High School’s boys basketball team tips off in a Dec. 16 game at Wyoming. (WKTV)

By. K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

East Kentwood boys basketball head coach Jeff Anama is still getting the feel for his 2016-17 Falcons squad as the prepares for a Dec. 28 game at perennial state-power Muskegon and then a short holiday break from their schedule.

 

But one thing he already knows for sure — freshman point guard Jamoni Jones is more than ready to lead his team.

 

“Jamoni Jones, we believe, is one of the best freshman in Grand Rapids area,” Anama said. He has been fantastic for a freshman in his first four games. He has a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is great for any guard who has the ball all the time … the point guard position has so much responsibility.”

 

Anama talked to WKTV following its Dec. 16 game at Wyoming broadcast by WKTV community television, a 64-59 loss which left the team at 2-2 in pre-conference games — and a game in which he started four seniors and Jones.

 

Against the Wolves, senior forward CaNas Coleman led the team in scoring with 14 points while fellow senior starter Keenan Williamson, at wing, added 10; both are averaging double-figure scoring in the first four games. Coleman is also averaging double-figures in rebounds. The other senior starters are wingman Daniel Akhimien and forward Yiber Sahtolli.

 

But Jones is not the only young player getting minutes for the Falcons, and the starting lineup may see more underclassman as the season goes on. Against Wyoming, sophomores Frederick Baker scored 12 and Adis Poljak added 10.

 

“Our other young guys have shown signs of getting more comfortable with the varsity level as well,” Anama said. “Adis Poljak had a great week … leading us in scoring vs Byron Center. Fredrick Baker is starting to find his shooting touch, and (sophomore) Ryel Daye brings the most energy on the team every game and every practice.”

 

So the ability of the Falcons to blend young talent with the seniors will be a major factor in the teams’s ability to compete in the OK Red Conference and make some noise at tournament time.

 

“We are an extremely young and inexperienced team, and all the teams we have played against have had many returning players,” Anama said. “I have been very impressed with our team’s ability to compete and very happy with our progress to this point. … We have some very nice pieces and we have not had a full roster healthy,  so I think we’re only going to get better.”

 

In addition to the continued progress of his freshman point guard, Anama said he is confident in the continued progress and senior leadership of Williamson and Coleman.

 

“Keenan (Williamson) is an extremely quick guard who is in his first year on varsity and has done a tremendous job up in our games this year,” Anama said. “CaNas (Coleman) is also a first-year senior and is one of the best rebounders I’ve ever coached. Both guys are on a huge learning curve and have handled all of the pressure we have put on them very well to this point. … It is a long, tough season in the OK Red so it’s not going to get any easier for them.”

The team may also be bolstered by transfer D’Avery Moore, who played for Wyoming Godwin Heights last season and will be eligible after Jan. 16, Martin Luther King Day.

 

East Kentwood will open conference play on Jan. 6 with a game at Grandville.

 

Kentwood Police still searching for missing endangered resident

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, ,

The Kentwood Police Department is continuing its search for resident Willie Donald Crawford, who was first reported missing in early December.

 

Crawford, 81, was last seen Dec. 3 near his home on 52nd Street and Eastern Avenue in Kentwood. Citizens have reported seeing him in the area of Division Avenue/Cherry Street and also in the Grandville Avenue/Hall Street in Grand Rapids. Crawford’s family reports him as having the beginning stages of dementia.  Kentwood Police reported the family is concerned for his safety due to his age.

 

Crawford is a black male and is approximately 6 feet and 150 pounds. He has a full gray beard, gray/black hair and brown eyes. According to the Kentwood Police, he was last seen wearing a black leather jacket, blue jeans, brown hiking books and a black baseball hat.

 

Anyone having any information regarding Crawford or his whereabouts is asked to contact the Kentwood Police Department at 616-698-6589 or your local law enforcement organization.

School News Network: Warm Hearts = Warm Clothes for the Holidays

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, Education, , ,
Mariah Childs is excited over her new snow pants and boots.

By Linda Odette

School News Network

 

“It’s warm inside my hat!” a student yelled after putting on a new winter hat he received from the recent Warmth and Good Cheer event.

 

West Godwin Elementary spread that warmth and cheer to students before they left for the holiday break with a giveaway of mittens, winter coats, snow pants and boots — topped off with donuts and hot chocolate with marshmallows.

 

Every year the school receives $100 from the Godwin Education Association at the holidays to help others, and in the past the school has adopted a family. This year it decided to do something different.

 

“We thought ‘How about we do something for everybody?'” said Kristi Bast, the school secretary who organized the event.

 

First-Grader Lazer Leaf gets help from Kaleigh Salata trying on snow pants.

Several businesses, a local church, the PTO and members of the community helped, donating enough to give every one of the school’s 422 kindergartners through fourth-graders a hat and mittens as well as other winter clothing.

 

“A lot of schools give away stuff but this is a big deal,” said Kaleigh Salata, a behavior intervention specialist. “I think it’s very cool we are able to do this.”

 

Principal Steve Minard echoed her thoughts. “We all know how needy our families are, and winter items are huge for them,” he said.

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

 

2017 will bring three new services for Kent County older adults

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Health, Senior Living, , ,

Amanda Haberlein

Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan

 

The Kent County Senior Millage (KCSM) was passed in 1998 as a way to help older adults live in their own homes. Now in its 19th year, the millage has grown to offer more than 51 unique services, with three new services starting in January 2017; Handy Helen, Community Food Club, and Dental Services.

 

The KCSM services are available to Kent County residents age 60 and over and may require individuals to pay part of the cost (based on their income). The three new services below will help meet the diverse needs of a growing senior population.

 

Community Food Club: Some older adults with low incomes have difficulty affording groceries; especially fresh fruit and vegetables. Others without the means to afford food simply skip meals and go without. The Community Food Club (CFC) is designed to help meet nutritional needs, reduce the use of emergency food resources and make sure people are not going hungry. Individuals pay a small membership fee to participate in the CFC and are then given a set number of points for the month. Members can shop at the CFC and spend their points for whatever grocery items they choose such as milk, eggs, fresh produce, meats and more. The CFC is set up like a regular grocery store and includes a check out where items are added up and the points spent are deducted from their monthly total. Members can come as many times as they would like in a month until their points are gone. For more information including how to become a CFC member, contact Community Food Club of Greater Grand Rapids at 616-288-5550.

 

Dental Care: Regular dental care can be expensive, causing older adults without coverage to delay or ignore recommended dental hygiene. When not dealt with, dental issues often affect the whole body and can cause additional complications and health issues. Exalta Health (formerly Health Intervention Services) will be providing dental care to eligible older adults. Services offered will include general dentistry such as teeth cleaning, examination, x-rays, fillings and tooth removals, root canal treatment to diminish pain or eliminate infection of the tooth or jawbone and dentures and partials for those needing to replace missing teeth. For more information, including eligibility requirements and appointment scheduling, contact Exalta Health at 616-988-4301.

 

Handy Helen: Due to traditional gender roles some older women may have relied on their husband to be the handyman around the house; fixing the leaky faucets and keeping up with the home maintenance. But, what happens when their husbands are not able to do these chores due to health or memory issues and the role of wife now also includes caregiver?  For some women, the added task of home repairs becomes an additional stress and expense. Handy Helen is a class designed to empower female caregivers (age 60 and over) with the skills they need to tackle minor home maintenance projects. Each interactive series will include instruction in minor plumbing, electrical and seasonal home maintenance. Participants will also learn how to use the more common tools in the toolbox and who to call when you can’t fix it yourself. Classes are offered by Home Repair Services. For more information, including class schedules and registration information, call Home Repair Service at 616-241-2601.

 

Each year the KCSM holds an open proposal process and proposals are reviewed by the Millage Review Committee, a group consisting of Kent County Commissioners and older adults that live in Kent County.  Agencies whose proposals are approved then make a presentation to the committee in the fall. Funding recommendations for KCSM services is determined by the Millage Review Committee and approved by the Kent County Board of Commissioners. This year the committee and the Commissioners approved adding the three new services above to an already robust list of services ranging from in-home care to healthy aging programs. Funding for the services come from taxes paid by Kent County homeowners and is anticipated to be over $10.2 million for 2017.

 

Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan administers the KCSM, including a full list of KCSM services, visit www.aaawm.org/senior_millage.

Making Ends Meet: Utility Assistance Programs

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, ,

 

Your Community in Action!

 

By ACSET Community Action Agency

 

Imagine you are a single parent. You’re trying to raise your children and maintain a home on your own. You’re working toward a college degree to improve the outlook for your family. You find yourself having to choose between keeping the heat on and feeding your kids. What would you do?

 

ACSET Community Action Agency (CAA) is here to help people get through the tough times. For example, when Shanda came to us for help, our utility assistance program was able to keep the heat, water and electricity on for her family.

 

“Each time I found myself in a position where I was unable to pay these bills due to a decrease in income, unexpected car repairs, [and] increased insurance premiums, the ASCET program was there for my family…  As a single parent and college student I am grateful for the support that the ACSET program provided, so that my family could weather the struggling times we faced…” 

 

– Shanda, ASCET Client

 

Unfortunately, Shanda’s story is a reality for many in our community. The American Community Survey estimates that poverty impacts 15% of the population in Kent County. Even more concerning, over 20% of kids under the age of 18 are living below the poverty line.

 

There is a real need for assistance, especially for single women with children. From 2008 to 2012, nearly 60% of all households living in poverty in Kent County were headed by females. That is why CAA gears services toward these households whenever possible. To learn more about the basic needs of our community and how your CAA is addressing them, view our most recent Community Needs Assessment at www.communityactionkent.org/about/.

 

— Your Community in Action! is provided by ASCET Community Action Agency. To learn more about how they help meet emergency needs and assist with areas of self-sufficiency, visit www.communityactionkent.org.

Keeping the holidays bright and safe: a few tips from local law enforcement

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , , , , , ,
If using a live tree, make sure it is well watered.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

There is a lot of joy during the holidays — and some holiday heartbreaks as well from gifts being stolen to candles turning into fires.

 

But according to the Kentwood Police Department and the Wyoming Public Safety Department, there are quite a few things you can do to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the holidays without ending up in the emergency room or either of the police departments.

 

“First and foremost, be aware,” said Kentwood Police’s Capt. Bryan Litwin. “If you are going to a holiday party, don’t post it on social media.

 

“You post that you are going to a friend’s house for a party and someone you don’t know sees that and decides to go check out your place.”

 

In fact, many are aware that most people purchase expensive gifts for the holidays — including potential burglars. Always keep your house and garage doors and windows locked. If you are traveling, make sure that your neighbor is aware or have someone check on the house while you are gone. If you live in Kentwood, contact the Kentwood Police Department which offers free vacation check services.

 

“And be careful positing on social media that you got this great gift for Christmas,” Litwin said. “Even with privacy settings, something can be forward to a friend of a friend of a friend you don’t know.”

 

While out driving, make sure to stay alert, off the phones, and slow down. “Just don’t be a in rush,” Litwin said. In Michigan, it is a civil infraction to text and drive. Other driving recommendations are keeping at least one car length for each 10 mph of speed between your car and the car ahead and stop sooner than you think.

 

Candle flames should not exceed the container.

Holiday parties are a lot of fun and it seems like they roll right into each other until suddenly its New Year’s Eve. With all the food, there is drink. There are a lot of options these days for people to find rides to and from places, designated driver, taxi and Uber, which has helped to keep the roads safer, Litwin said. With both Christmas and New Year’s on a weekend, departments like Wyoming and Kentwood will have extra patrols out. “Alcohol does reduce reaction time and with the weather to boot, things can happen,” Litwin said.

 

During the holidays, there is also an uptick in fires, according to officials from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety Fire Services. The City of Wyoming does have regulations on candles and Christmas trees in public places. At home, fire officials recommend to be aware of your surroundings such as not leaving matches or lighters out for children to find. A few tips:

 

Candles: Make sure the container is appropriate and the flame does not exceed it. Extinguish candles before leaving a room and make sure flammable items, such as trees, are not nearby. A safe alternative is flameless candles.

 

Be aware of how many cords you are plugging in.

Fireplace: When emptying the ashes out of a fireplace, make sure to put the ashes in a non-combustable container outside, not in the garage. Often, residents will put the ashes in a bag and set it in their garage not realizing the ashes are still hot and catch their garage on fire, said Wyoming fire service officials.

 

Trees: If you are using a live tree, make sure to keep it well watered. Ensure that your tree is secured tightly in a stable base and is positioned away from a fireplace or heat source. Make sure cords are plugged in correctly and be aware of the number of extra lights you are adding as it can tax an electrical system.

Dawdling around Dingle

3-bottom, Beer, Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Travel, , ,

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

By Lynn Strough

Travelynn Tales

 

This time I got lucky on a farm (at least in terms of accommodations). I was a little leery after my other nightmare stay on a dairy farm, but Murphy’s Farmhouse, my B&B for the night near Castlemaine, was delightful. It’s a lovely place, perfectly situated at the start of the ring around Dingle, and they had a single room available which is something you find quite often in Europe that I rarely find in the US. As a solo traveler, single rooms are much appreciated.

 

It was a day of beauty overload. From the start — after a very tasty scrambled egg and salmon breakfast — my day was filled with stunning scenery for nine hours.

 

4First stop out on the Dingle Peninsula was at Inch Beach, which should be more aptly named Mile Beach. The sand is so hard-packed you can drive on it, although I walked across a wet shimmering sea bed so smooth it reflected the clouds and sky and you couldn’t tell whether you were standing on earth or in the air.

 

An old woman walked her little dog and a surfer carrying his board made a dark silhouette against the sea.

 

Surfing schools operated out of a couple of trailers and although a very small part of me thought how cool it would be to try surfing in Ireland, the bigger part of me said OMG that must be friggin’ cold! I didn’t want to leave but there was a whole big peninsula to explore.

 

The road was lined with huge banks of bright-orange flowers as well as many scenic viewpoints, so going was slow for a shutterbug like me. The winding pavement periodically narrowed down to one lane with cliffs of rock on one side and low stone walls barely providing protection from sheer drop-offs on the other, some of it pretty hair-raising.

 

9I followed a series of even smaller roads to a “castle” but it turned out to be more ruin than fortress. Patchwork quilts of green fields stitched the landscape together, and then the town of Dingle appeared, all rainbow-colored shops of Celtic souvenirs, jewelry, sweaters, t-shirts and lots of pubs and restaurants.

 

It’s a great town to wander and I stumbled on a little artisan cheese shop that had a sign saying they make sandwiches, so I decided to purchase a picnic lunch. I ordered an Irish Brie, tomato, olive tapenade and artichoke heart sandwich, and added a piece of artisan chocolate with a creamy toffee center for dessert.

 

But then on my way to the car, I got sucked into the Murphy’s all-natural ice cream shop and ate a sea salt dark chocolate and honeycomb caramel cone BEFORE my lunch, as an appetizer.

 

As I drove off along the winding coast, sun and gray skies took turns following me until I came to a fantastic lookout across from the Beehive Huts (some ancient stone houses). A large seagull sat on a fence post right in front of my car hoping, I’m sure, for a handout. So I had the birds and the bees, and a deep blue sea view while I ate my very tasty picnic.

 

Then I hiked up to the Beehive Huts to check them out and to use the most scenic outhouse on my trip, which also had an interesting sign.

 

12The sun shone brightly here, the sky cerulean blue, but by the time I got to the next scenic turnout, it was gray skies and moody waters, with people swimming and body surfing the rough waves.

 

And, of course, by the next scenic turnout, the sun was shining again and it was one of the most beautiful vistas I’ve seen in Ireland, all craggy shores with a foaming inlet, waves crashing against rocks, and green grassy slopes sliding down to the cliffs.

 

The road heads around the loop at the end of Dingle, then I crept up over the Conner pass, where luckily for me it wasn’t raining. Others told me when they’d crossed it was so misty and gray you couldn’t see a thing but when I reached the top, I could see out to the coast as well as a beautiful waterfall in full force.

 

Heading back, I ran into a sheep jam — a farmer had blocked the road with a truck full of sheep that were running out of the back end. He apologized, but I just grinned — it was fun to watch, especially when the last one wouldn’t come out and they banged on the truck; it was like trying to shake loose the last jelly bean in a jar.

 

Later that night after hours of driving around the whole peninsula, I stopped in a pub to hear a little music, where a gifted young Irish girl sang and played the flute, accompanied by an equally talented young guy on guitar.

 

Dingle is definitely a good place to dawdle for fine views, great food and musical entertainment, another worthwhile stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way.

 

17About Lynn Strough

Lynn is a 50+ free spirit whose incarnations in this life have included graphic designer, children’s book author and illustrator, public speaker, teacher, fine art painter, wine educator in the Napa Valley, and world traveler. Through current circumstances, she has found herself single, without a job or a home, and poised for a great adventure.

 

“You could consider me homeless and unemployed, but I prefer nomad and self-employed, as I pack up my skills and head off with my small backpack and even smaller savings to circumnavigate the globe (or at least go until the money runs out). Get ready to tag along for the ride…starting now!”

 

travelynnlogoAll images copyright Lynn Strough and Travelynn Tales

Reprinted with permission

 

 

Wyoming set to have a brew, or two, with TwoGuys Brewery

3-bottom, Beer, City of Wyoming, Entertainment, Food, Local Business, Local Entertainment, Local Food, , , , , ,
Owner and brewmaster Tom Payne is in the process of renovating two buildings in the Wyoming Park area for TwoGuys Brewing (WKTV)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

After nearly 10 years of working a small business plan, and recent action by the City of Wyoming, TwoGuys Brewing has taken over an old firehouse and a rundown one-time 7-Eleven convenience store in the Wyoming Park neighborhood and — with any luck to match hard work — should be serving up craft beer for guys and gals who like microbrews in 2017.

 

Tom Payne of TwoGuys Brewery. (WKTV)

“Now its about six months of demolition and renovation, were we turn this ugly old 7-Eleven into a beautiful tap room,” Tom Payne, managing partner and brewmaster of TwoGuys Brewing, said Nov. 10 at a friends-and-neighbors open house at what will be the new brewpub. “We are hopeful for September 1” to open.

 

“This business came about about 10 years ago,” he said. “I realized I was not just another home brewer, at least I did not think so. I had entered beer in outside competition, outside of just (treating) my normal friends, and it was taken very well. I said ‘You know what? I think we’ve got something here.’ And then my wife and I, after hours and hours of talking, we said ‘This is something we are going to do.’ At that time we put together a 10-year plan, and we are at the end of that 10 years. It is time for TwoGuys Brewing to open.”

 

An old 7-Eleven story will become TwoGuys Brewery’s taproom. (WKTV)

Opening the brewery and brewpub involved the leasing of two buildings located across from each other on Porter Street SW, the old 7-Eleven at 2356 Porter Street SW and an unused fire station at 2385.

 

An old city fire station will become TwoGuys Brewery’s brew house. (WKTV)

The leasing of the fire station to Tamaz LLC (an LLC doing business as TwoGuys Brewery) by the city was part of three actions taken by the Wyoming City Council in late November. The actions included granting the business a liquor license, a waiver of city zoning code to allow for the sale of alcohol within a certain distance from a church or residential area, and the lease of the old fire station, which had been used by the city for a meter shop and a temporary laboratory but was currently vacant.

 

City support of business

 

“The City of Wyoming has been absolutely instrumental in this,” Payne said. “We approached the city three or four months ago, we completely laid out our business plan and what we wanted to bring to Wyoming Park. They put together a timeline … a ‘we need you to do this and we need you to do this’, and we have done everything the city has asked for. … They have been fantastic.”

 

Wyoming City Manager Curtis Holt made clear the reason for the city’s actions:

 

“Our region is increasingly embracing craft beer,” Holt said. “You can look around our community and see the many brewpubs that have sprung up over the last five years. We are pleased that TwoGuys Brewing has identified Wyoming as its location and feel that it will be a welcomed by the neighbors — and by Wyoming residents in general.”

 

Several of those neighbors visited the open house on Dec. 10 as well, and Payne said he expects to be an attribute to the neighborhood.

 

“The biggest reason (for placing their business in Wyoming) is that this is where we live, my wife and I,” he said. “I grew up in Wyoming Park. I graduated from Wyoming Park. I have lived, aside from my time in the Marine Corps, in this area and it has always been my home. When we decided to open up our brewery, it was going to be where we live and provide our neighbors with something they could certainly be proud of.”

 

About that name …

 

And the name of of TwoGuys? Where did it come from?

 

“10 years ago, there was me and one of my best friends, Charlie, I had gotten him started brewing,” he said. “So, long story (made short), we entered another competition and took best of show on an IPA (India Pale Ale), which at the time had no name. We brewed this beer at Founders. We brewed 10 barrels having won the best of show. … About half an hour before tapping, Founders said ‘You guys need to name this thing something.’ I told them ‘Its just the two of us, we are just two guys, so how about TwoGuys IPA?’”

 

Now, though, the name takes on another context, Payne said.

 

“Our TwoGuys, today, is, well … everybody’s two guys. You’re the other guy. My grandson is the other guy. Everybody is the other guy. I am just one guy. It is all about community, which is what brought us to Wyoming Park. … I will consider every guest that comes into these doors, starting next year, as the family, as the other guy.”

 

Plans at this point the business will focus on an array of craft-brewed beers — maybe wines, meads and sodas — as well as what the business calls a “pub-centric” menu of food. Payne’s brewer pedigree includes his having been involved with Osgood Brewing in Grandville as well as head brewer at 57 Brewpub and Bistro in Greenville.

 

“We are going to focus on traditional styles, beers that you don’t necessarily find everywhere else,” he said. “A lot of English style ales that no one brews around here …  I am not knocking any other brewery in town, there are some fantastic ones, but it is going to be all about the other guy, what they like.”

 

Tentatively, seating at the brewpub will be for about 80 with a possible outdoor patio planned. The property has about 18 parking spaces in front, with about 50 possible behind the building and another 25 or so across the street at the old firehouse.

 

Cat of the week: Roku

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, , , , ,

By Sharon Wylie

Crash’s Landing

Each week WKTV features an adoptable cat from Crash’s Landing or Big Sid’s Sanctuary. Both cat rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Petrovich, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).

In mid-November, 2015, a pet groomer alerted us to the plight of a cat in need that had been hanging around her house for a few weeks. Although she had set him up on her front porch, and he was camping out there quite contentedly in a heated cat house, she soon discovered that he had been kicked out by another stray, a wild child that wouldn’t let him back in.

So she set him up in her garage for a few days, awaiting program intake, and the overwhelmed, exhausted fella slept like he hadn’t in ages. He had absolutely no interest in venturing further than his food dish and litter box, so he was allowed to just rest and regain his strength.

Although Roku was grateful, he had a hard time expressing his emotions, as he wasn’t used to anyone being decent to him; he grumbled and growled in spite of himself. After some research, his rescuer discovered that this stunning Siamese (born in late 2011) had been living in the area for a few years, sheltered by people’s garages and porches, being fed intermittently, but most of the time fending for himself. Given his history, it is no wonder that this gorgeous guy was a bit grumpy.

Once at the clinic, Roku decided that even though he wasn’t too keen on this whole TLC thing, he did enjoy the endless supply of food and the creature comforts provided. Not a fan of other felines too much, he will tolerate them as long as they are not in too close of proximity; however since we house on average 90 cats at Crash’s, he won’t be able to go very far without encountering another cat.

One good thing though is that Roku now finds humans more tolerable, though if he has had enough petting or attention slathered on him, he will gently slap your hand away or nibble at your fingers, though not once has he attempted to scratch or chomp. We feel that given his strong personality and the fact that he is very set in his ways, he will do best in a solo home, but one where he isn’t expected to be a lap cat, because that just isn’t his thing.

Roku really is a nice boy, but he is stubborn and independent — and obviously these traits served him well in his past, so we can’t begrudge him that.

We have no worries that in time, with patience and stability, Roku will understand and accept kindness wholeheartedly. Each resident in our rescue deserves to have his or her care tailored to meet their individual needs, and Roku is no exception. He’s a work in progress and the volunteers continue to provide him the affection he may not know he wants — but most definitely needs — until his forever family comes along.

MORE ABOUT ROKU

  • House trained
  • Spayed/Neutered
  • Current on vaccinations
  • Prefers a home without cats and Young Children
  • Primary Color(s): Flame Point Siamese

Want to adopt Roku? 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.

School News Network: Real Brain-Stretchers: Non-Google-Able Riddles

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, Education, , , ,
Santiago Reyes-Hoover, Mason Caine and Jenna Sivins work together to crack the code.

By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

Godfrey Lee Early Childhood Center Second-graders were stumped.

 

Class time had turned into an out-of-your-seats scavenger hunt that combined math, reading, art and some thoughtful sleuthing. But in figuring out the passcode to a lockbox where stickers waited inside, students had reached a point of frustration.

 

“But there is no key!” one said. “We’ve tried everything. There’s just no way to get it open,” another added in despair.

 

Mia Porter works to get the lock open

“You’re getting frustrated. I can see that,” said teacher Kara Jones. “So let’s take a step back so we don’t get super-frustrated.”

 

Lo and behold, after more examination and just a little guidance from Jones, students Lacey Smith, Ashley Morales-Vega and Keonah Wilson realized a pattern in the clues in front of them. It was unveiled by using subtraction and matching colors. “I figured it out!” Lacey yelled, jumping up and down. It was time to open the box and get the stickers.

 

In playing Breakout EDU, teacher Kara Jones’ students scrambled to crack codes at six stations using their math, teamwork and problem-solving skills. The game involved pre-created learning adventures and kits, challenging students to solve riddle after riddle as they worked toward a prize or treat. Godfrey Early Childhood Center students who successfully finished the puzzles to open all six boxes earned stickers that spelled the words “We make hard things look easy,” across Thanksgiving-themed headbands.

 

“It is so hard not to give them a clue to help,” said Jones, laughing. Instead, her students must rely on one another. “They use critical thinking skills; I think that’s the important part. They have to decipher the code and try to figure out things… Sometimes it’s right in front of them and they don’t see it.”

 

David Carcis is intent on getting the lock box open.

Fun for All Ages

The elementary students were doing a fairly simple version of the game, but Sarah Wood, Godfrey-Lee technology and media integration specialist, and Kelly McGee, district media specialist, have since introduced it to elementary through high school classrooms.

 

They learned about Breakout EDU during professional development at Kent ISD. Similar to The Great Escape Room (a popular team-building activity in the corporate world in which players are locked in a room and have to use elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles to escape), Breakout EDU challenges students to think outside the box to open the box.

The point is for participants to solve “non-Google-able” riddles. “You have to use and apply your brain,” Wood said.

 

Mason Caine puts his headband together with the stickers he’s gotten from the lockboxes.

While Jones’ students participated in a “no-tech” version of Breakout EDU, the game often involves technology like QR codes that lead to online puzzles. Teachers can use different themes in any content area.

 

“The content is the focus, but there’s so much else that goes into Breakout (such as) being able to work with a team and persevere,” Wood said, and students unexpectedly often step out as leaders and apply skills that they learn in class.

 

Not to mention it’s a fun way of reinforcing what they’re already learning. “They don’t realize they are doing the math. They just want to get into that box.”

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

County elections director details vote security, recount anomaly

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Election, Hard News, Politics, ,
WKTV asked Wyoming and Kentwood city clerks, and the Kent County elections director to assure local voters their vote counted — and was counted properly.

 

K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

Kent County’s partial manual recount of the presidential election results identified local examples of a statewide voting system anomaly associated with ballots with straight-party voting and invalid write-in votes, according to the county’s director of elections.

 

But, Susan deSteiguer said Monday, the vote changes in the county were few and likely would have been a zero-sum gain for the two major party presidential candidates if the recount continued — and the problem will likely not repeat itself, depending on the eventual resolution of a court-delayed change in Michigan’s voting laws which would eliminate straight-party voting.

 

The key to Michigan voting system, and the reason for confidence in local over results, is in the stand-alone tabulation machines, like the one shown here. (Supplied)

Also Monday, deSteiguer detailed the county-level procedures for verifying the integrity of votes cast in the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood precincts — and as the two city clerks said in a previous now.WKTV.org story, the bottom line is stand-alone voting machines are tested for accuracy prior to the voting and never connected to the internet, “at any time, ever” and voting tabulations are checked and then double checked by various means at various local, county and state levels.

 

“We have multiple ways of confirming that the totals that were generated in that precinct match what we eventually send up to the (Board of State) Canvassers,” deSteiguer said.

 

Those “multiple ways” include duplicate paper copies of electronically reported vote totals, reconciliation and verification of vote totals by bi-partisan canvassers at both the county and state levels, and — if necessary — the secured original paper ballots available for recounts. It all begins with local control at a city and township voting level, however.

 

“We are home rule, which means every city or township clerk is responsible for the election within their city or township,” she said. “I makes it much more complex, but the good side of that it makes it impossible for one or a minimum number of people to manipulate an election. … I have 30 city or township clerks checking my work.”

 

And when they have a recount, as they started with the presidential election ‘We have a physical ballot to look at, we start with the physical ballot. … and every time we do a physical recount, which we have done before, it proves again and again, that the (voting) machines counted the votes accurately.”

 

The recent recount of paper ballots, started and stopped in Kent County when about 50 percent of the 313,000 plus total votes cast were checked, did produce an anomaly in the system, however.

 

The basic problem with vote totals not matching voter numbers across the state identified during the partial recount, deSteiguer said, was that people who chose straight party voting at the beginning of their ballots and then wrote in an invalid write-in candidate for president, would have had their votes electronically counted for their selected political party — and not counted as having not voted for any of the candidates.

 

An invalid write-in candidate usually occurs, deSteiguer said, when someone writes in a nonperson, or a real person is written in but that candidate did not meet legal requirements to verify their write-in candidacy 10 days prior to the election. In Kent County, there were six presidental candidates on the ballot and seven valid write-in possibilities.

 

The system of having only valid write-in votes count “prevents us from dealing with what we call ‘nuisance” votes,” deSteiguer said. “We will see things on the ballots such as Jesus Christ, Donald Duck, etc. … and we not not want to waste out time tallying votes for Donald Duck. We only tally valid write-in votes.

 

“On the presidential ballot, we had voters who wrote in ‘None of the above’ or ‘Are you kidding me?’,” she added.

 

As for the possibility of the straight-party and invalid write-in anomaly reoccurring?

 

deSteiguer said if that will depend on the ongoing debate over the change to Michigan’s straight-party voting ability — “How it will be in the future, I don’t know.”

 

 

Enjoy a Snowflake Break at the Grand Rapids Public Museum

3-bottom, Entertainment

By Christie Bender

Grand Rapids Public Museum

 

The Grand Rapids Public Museum is once again hosting family-friendly fun over this year’s holiday break. From Dec. 22 through Jan. 3, the GRPM will celebrate Snowflake Break with additional hands on activities, all included with admission.

 

Offerings will include a variety of family friendly programs and activities themed around history, science and culture – and the exhibits “Whales: Giants of the Deep” and “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown.” Visitors can make their own take home crafts including: unique paper snowflakes, punched tin crafts and whale ornaments. Visitors can also enjoy hands on KEVA plank activities. KEVA planks are building blocks that challenge all ages in designing sculptures, and the activities will be winter themed especially for Snowflake Break. Snowflake Break crafts will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

 

Cleopatra and crew make their way through the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

On Thursday, Dec. 29, visitors can take part in special holiday caroling accompanied by the Museum’s Mighty Wurlitzer Organ in the Meijer Theater from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., free with general admission.

 

In addition to the free with admission activities, the GRPM will also host a holiday-themed planetarium show “Let it Snow,” and performances of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” in partnership with StageGR. Visitors will also enjoy the Museum’s two special exhibits “Merry Christmas,” “Charlie Brown! and Whales: Giants of the Deep.”

 

“As families begin to plan their holiday break activities, we invite them to take advantage of this special experience the GRPM has to offer,” said Kate Moore, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for the GRPM. “We offer hours of endless fun that is hands-on for all age groups!”

 

Join the Museum for late nights to see “Whales: Giants of the Deep” and “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown” until 8 p.m. on Dec. 22, 23, 26, 27, 29 and Jan. 3. The GRPM will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

 

ADDITIONAL HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

Let it Snow Planetarium Show – Now through Jan. 8

“Let it Snow” features a new variety of festive classics from Frank Sinatra and Chuck Berry to Burl Ives and Brenda Lee, and includes a stunning multi-media finale by the Trans Siberian Orchestra. The soundtrack is visually enhanced with thematic animation, laser imagery and special effects. Now playing at the Chaffee Planetarium at the GRPM through Jan. 3, and tickets are $4 each with general admission to the Museum, free to Museum members and $5 each for planetarium only tickets. For more information and show times, visit grpm.org/planetarium.

 

StageGR “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” – Now through Dec. 31

The Museum in partnership with StageGR is presenting Clark Gesner’s classic musical, “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.” Visitors will enjoy six of their favorite Peanuts characters; piano prodigy Schroeder, Bossy Lucy, Sally the perfectionist, Blanket toting Linus, beloved Snoopy and of course the old “blockhead,” Charlie Brown. Brief vignettes through the show span the months from Valentine’s Day to Beethoven Day, from wild optimism to utter despair.

 

The show will run on various dates and times now through December 31. All shows take place in the Meijer Theater at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Show-only tickets are $10 for non-members, and $5 for Museum members. Show tickets with general admission to the GRPM included are $18 for adults and $13 for children. Tickets may be purchased at grpm.org, by calling 616-929-1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.

 

Stage GR exists to grow lives on stage through the valuable musical theater experience for all students. Within one year StageGR has cast 150 plus performers from 40 different schools throughout the Southwest Michigan area. “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” will be Stage GR’s seventh production. Find Stage GR online at https://www.stagegr.org/.

 

“Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown” exhibit 

Visitors can also plan to see the special holiday exhibit “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown” now open at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Admission to the exhibit is included with general admission to the Museum.

 

“Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown” is made up of high-quality digital reproductions of Charles M. Schulz’s original Peanuts strips with thematic graphics and features 3D Peanuts novelties. Kids can write to Santa at the interactive letter writing station, and the whole family can take a photo with the iconic Snoopy’s doghouse outside the exhibit! Visitors see a behind the scenes look at the making of the animated classic, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

 

Whales: Giants of the Deep

“Whales: Giants of the Deep” features the latest in international cetacean research, bringing adults and children eye to eye with some of the world’s most elusive creatures.

 

Featuring two fully-articulated sperm whale skeletons, including an impressive 58-foot male, “Whales: Giants of the Deep” showcases amazing and rare specimens from New Zealand’s Te Papa’s whale collection, one of the largest in the world. The Whale Lab portion of the exhibition is full of interactive science. Children can crawl through a life-size replica of the largest living creature’s heart – the blue whale. The extraordinary evolutionary journey of whales from land to the sea is shown by casts of fossil whale ancestors. Visitors can tune in to a range of whale sounds and discover how scientists and amateur trackers identify individual whales on their migration through the Pacific Ocean.

School News Network: Hooked on Good Behavior

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, Education, , , ,
Principal Steve Minard hands out FISH! awards!

By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

Every other Friday afternoon, the school week ends in a big dance party at West Godwin Elementary School, with students and teachers moving and grooving after Principal Steve Minard cranks up the tunes.

 

Turns out there are a lot of reasons to celebrate at the kindergarten through fourth-grade school, and students are regularly acknowledged for them. Kindergartner Gabriel Martinez Aguillon, for example, “always shows self-control wherever he is in the school. He is consistently being an example for the class.”

 

That’s the message teacher Emily Jansen wrote for Gabriel on a yellow paper fish. Ten other students received similar FISH! messages on a recent Friday –announced and read in front of the entire student body – for reasons tied to the themes of gratitude and self control.

 

Teachers are constantly “fishing” at West Godwin, hoping to hook their students on positive behaviors. Fourth-grader Steve Rios was happy to be lured in with a FISH! award from his teacher Sarah David. “I’m completing my homework every day,” he said.

 

Third-grader Andrea Serrato also got fished by her teacher, Jessica Surdam. Her secret to self-control: “When other people make a fuss, I don’t make a fuss.”

 

Lessons From Fishmongers

Minard introduced FISH! assemblies six years ago. The concept is modeled after the FISH! Philosophy, a training solution started by documentary filmmaker John Christensen, who observed the enthusiasm of fishmongers at Pike Place Fish in Seattle and wondered what the secret was. Based on relationship-building, the philosophy creates a culture where people choose to bring their best to work. It has been adapted for K-12 schools.

 

A message on a fish can mean at West Godwin.

“These assemblies are a celebration of the great things our students and staff are doing on a consistent basis,” Minard said.

 

At West Godwin, relationship and culture-building has several components. Staff members tie FISH! into the character value of the month studied through the TrueSuccess program, which focuses on developing positive behavior skills to make wise choices. Students explore topics including respect, wisdom, thankfulness, self-control, perseverance, responsibility, encouragement, caring and integrity.

 

FISH! assemblies also tie into the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program, which sets common language and expectations school-wide concerning behavior. PBIS has led to a decrease in the number of discipline referrals at West Godwin and has created a positive school culture and climate, Minard said.

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

Meijer Gardens gains gift of sculptor Pepper’s artistic archive

3-bottom, Entertainment, ,
Untitled; Studies for Stainless Steel Sculptures by Beverly Pepper. (Supplied)

WKTV staff

 

Iconic American sculptor Beverly Pepper — whose monumental sculpture “Galileo’s Wedge” dominates one area of the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park — is giving the Grand Rapids area a present on her 94th birthday.

 

“Galileo’s Wedge” (2009) by Beverly Pepper, measuring roughly 35 feet in height. (Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park/William J. Hebert)

Meijer Gardens today announced the gift to its permanent collection of Pepper’s expansive print and drawing archives. The collection includes works spanning seven decades of of her artistic life including hundreds of drawings, prints, works on paper and notebooks – many containing sketches of her major sculptural endeavors.

 

Also Tuesday, Meijer Gardens announced it will host a retrospective exhibition of work drawn from the archives in early 2018.

 

“The enormity of Beverly Pepper’s gift cannot be understated,” Joseph Becherer, chief curator and vice president of Meijer Gardens, said in supplied material. “Drawing has been an integral part of her artistic practice, but like her printmaking, is little known even to scholars.”

 

Beverly Pepper at her studio. (Supplied/George Tatge)

Pepper is renowned for her monumental works which often incorporate industrial metals such as iron, bronze and stainless steel, as well as stone. Meijer Gardens engagement with the artist began with 2009 commission of the “Galileo’s Wedge.”

 

Explaining the reason for her gift was made clear in a supplied statement by Pepper: “To have in one location a space to study, compare and sequence my drawings and prints is an exceptional opportunity; I am most grateful to leave this record and have the curatorial team there looking after my work.”

 

Pepper works are part of the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., Les Jardins du Palais Royal in Paris, France and The Museum of Modern Art in Sapporo, Japan.

 

Metro Health announces affiliation with U-M Health Services

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, Community Health, , , ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

With an eye toward providing more medical services and increasing health care options in West Michigan, Metro Health this week officially announced that the affiliation process with the University of Michigan Health System has been completed.

 

In June, Metro Health and UMHS signed a letter of intent for an affiliation. In September, both institutions approved the affiliation agreement with final regulatory approvals needed. More announcements about the affiliation and its impact are expected in the new year.

 

“We are a sister organization to them,” said Ellen Bristol, Metro Health director of internal communications and media relations. “Our governance will be by the University of Michigan regents, but we are still Metro Health. It means our employees are still Metro Health employees and U-M employees are still U-M employees.”

 

Physicians, executives and community members from West Michigan will continue serving on Metro Health boards and committees, working closely with University of Michigan leaders.

 

“The new affiliation will offer greater access to U-M services and physicians,” Bristol said. “There will be more choices offered and the hospital is able to deepen its services.”

 

The new logo for Metro Health which shows its affiliation with U-m Health Services.

U-M and Metro Health began working together in 2009 when U-M started providing radiation oncology at The Cancer Center at Metro Health Village. Clinical relations continued to develop in pediatric cardiology and pediatric endocrinology, all of which helped to pave the way for the affiliation, said Marschall Runge, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president for medical affairs, dean of the U-M Medical School and CEO of the U-M Health System.

 

“We are excited to further expand U-M services in West Michigan and to provide access to the highest quality care available to more Michigan residents,” Runge said. “Working together, we will improve the health of our patients and our communities.”

 

Metro Health President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Faas said the affiliation marks a new chapter in Metro Health’s history, “one that builds on the incredible legacy which began in 1942 when 23 osteopathic physicians opened Grand Rapids Osteopathic Hospital. I can think of no better way to honor our founders than to ensure Metro Health is able to to grow and continue serving patients of years to come.”

Wing Avenue residents could get relief from public utility costs depending on final plan

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, , , , ,
Wing Avenue north of 60th Street

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

At a recent December workshop, residents along Wing Avenue got a little bit of good news — the city would defer most of the costs for public utilities.

 

In November, the Kentwood City Commission approved an amendment allowing for a farmhouse exemption with a property owner only having to pay the first 125 feet of frontage for installation of water and sewer. The rest would be deferred if the parcel were split in the future.

 

“Currently, many of these homes along Wing Avenue were looking at upwards to $90,000 to hook up,” aid Kentwood City Engineer Tim Bradshaw. “It brought the cost of hooking up to sewer and water down to a more reasonable price and made it comparable to having a well or septic.”

 

It was noted at a Dec. 5 workshop that based on City of Grand Rapids’s current rates, the connection costs for a 125-foot frontage would be about $17,050 for sewer and $15,975 for water. Those costs are only paid upon connection. According to Building Advisor, the cost of installing water and septic can be $20,000 or more.

 

Another cost concern was that of sidewalk and storm sewer construction. The City Commission also recently amended the city policy to no longer assess for those items if the improvements are included in the final design of Wing Avenue. Residents, however; would be required to maintain the sidewalks running along their property.

 

Wing Avenue at 60th Street

Bradshaw said at the recent workshop, residents seemed to respond well to the changes since it did reduce some of the cost concerns, however; there are still several other issues residents have including keeping the natural feel and look of the road. Impact on the trees and the natural features lead several residents to petition the city to consider designating Wing Avenue from 52nd Street to 60th Street as a Natural Beauty Road in accordance to the guidelines established by the state legislature in 1995.

 

Michigan’s Natural Beauty Road Act is designed to identify and preserve certain county-local roads that have unusual or outstanding natural beauty by virtue of native vegetation or the natural features. There are 34 roads in Kent County with the designation, none of which are in Kentwood.

 

There are several requirements including that the speed be not more than 35 mph. Wing Avenue’s current speed limit — which is determined by a Michigan State Law — is 40 mph.

 

The designation would not prevent tree removal when necessary for the safety and protection of the traveling public and vehicles, including improvements to the roadway and for public utility construction crossing Wing Avenue. Tree removal would not be allowed for construction of public utility alongside the road.

 

The Kentwood City Commission will consider the Natural Beauty Road petition at its Feb. 7 meeting. This is after the presentation by the consulting firm Fleis & VandenBrink on its final corridor study which is scheduled for Jan. 17. Fleis & VandenBrink have been tasked to study several items including public utility planning, road construction, and non-motorized needs such as sidewalk, bike lanes, etc.

 

At the December workshop, the consulting company indicated it would likely recommend the construction of 11-foot lanes striped at 10 feet for safety, better speed control, reduce cost and reduce tree impact over the standard 12-foot width. Also, it was indicated to use the speed of 40 mph to improve sight distances. The firm was still reviewing curb versus ditches and sidewalks/non-motorized trails.

 

The City Commission is expected to make a final decision on the Wing Avenue plans at its Feb. 21 meeting. Once the final scope has been determined, engineering and design work will begin. Bradshaw said the city has targeted the spring of 2018 to start construction.

Climbing the Cliffs of Moher

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, , , ,

 

By Lynn Strough

Travelynn Tales

 

The famous Cliffs of Moher are one of the most visited tourist sites in Ireland, with almost a million visitors a year.

 

After taking the car ferry over the channel from Troger — and before driving to the Cliffs of Moher — I headed for Loophead to check out the lighthouse and walk the loop around the peninsula head. What breathtaking cliffside views! The drive on the peninsula is on some of those quintessential Irish roads — two-way streets, only really wide enough for one car, with grass growing right up out of the asphalt in the middle — with quaint cottages to stop for scones, jam and clotted cream with tea along the way.

 

When I first pulled into the parking lot at the Cliffs of Moher and saw the hordes of tourists and tour buses, I almost left. But as long as I was there, I decided to check it out. It was late in the day and there were more people going than coming. Hiking up to the cliffs, I realized it’s part of a long-distance walk, not just a place to peek over the edge and leave. You can do however much of it you want, up to the whole town-to-town trail that takes about 10 hours.

9

I spent about three hours walking along the cliff edge — the scenery was spectacular! It was gray and gloomy but with great visibility; you could see the Aran Islands in the distance and just a small bit of sun peeked through all of the clouds, creating a bright white spotlight far out on the ocean. It wasn’t the best light for photography — very flat — but I photographed anyway. It wasn’t wind, and my fleece and rain jacket kept me warm, and warning signs helped keep me safe.

 

The path meanders high up on the cliff’s edge, muddy rocky trails between sea and fields of cows. It can be a dangerous place, intentionally or not, and there is a marker in memory of those who never left.

 

The Cliffs of Moher are made up mostly of shale and sandstone, and there are more than 20 species of birds living there, including Atlantic puffins and razorbills. An eco-friendly visitors’ center built into the hill provides interactive exhibits giving lots of information about the geology, flora, fauna and history of the area, and there’s a tower you can visit as well.

 

Even on a gloomy day, take time to hike the Cliffs of Moher. Just watch your step!

 

17About Lynn Strough

Lynn is a 50+ free spirit whose incarnations in this life have included graphic designer, children’s book author and illustrator, public speaker, teacher, fine art painter, wine educator in the Napa Valley, and world traveler. Through current circumstances, she has found herself single, without a job or a home, and poised for a great adventure.

 

“You could consider me homeless and unemployed, but I prefer nomad and self-employed, as I pack up my skills and head off with my small backpack and even smaller savings to circumnavigate the globe (or at least go until the money runs out). Get ready to tag along for the ride…starting now!”

 

travelynnlogoAll images copyright Lynn Strough and Travelynn Tales

Reprinted with permission

Despite headlines, Kentwood, Wyoming city clerks confident of local voting integrity

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Election, Politics, , ,
The key to Michigan voting system, and the reason for confidence in local over results, is in the stand-alone tabulation machines, like the one shown here. (Supplied)

K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

The national headlines this week are filled with reports and rumors of possible voting machine manipulation — did or did not Russian hackers somehow alter the presidential election? But city clerks in the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming are confident in local voting numbers and want to assure local voters of local voting integrity.

 

“Wyoming voters can rest assured that every ballot cast has been counted and counted accurately,” Kelli VandenBerg, city clerk for the City of Wyoming. said this week. “We have a number of safeguards in place to assure that voters can have confidence that their ballots are processed properly.”

 

Kentwood City Clerk Dan Kasunic agreed, and said the bottom line reason is that the State of Michigan uses paper ballots that are tabulated at each precinct using stand-alone tabulation machines, voting machines — and the “tabulators are never connected to the internet.”

 

“So much of the national controversy has been over other types of ballots or the transmission of results,” VandenBerg said.

 

Before election day, each precinct’s and county board’s paper ballet tabulators are tested for accuracy — “there is a public test prior to each election, for the public to attend, to prove the accuracy,” Kasunic said.

Voting data cards are sealed in each tabulator by the city clerk before the election. Each seal has a number that is recorded in a paper poll book. The seal number is verified by the precinct workers before the polls open on election day.

“When the polls close at the end of election day, precinct workers print a tape of the results before the card is removed from the tabulator,” VandenBerg said. “The card is then sealed in a transfer bag that comes to (Wyoming) City Hall. That numbered seal is cut and then the data is downloaded and transmitted to the county.”

 

After votes are tabulated, all ballots are then sealed and stored in a secure location.

 

“All memory cards are sealed and recorded so they cannot be tampered,” Kasunic said. “The memory cards are complied within the city on a program and then sent by email to the county, and the memory cards are sent to the county. So they have both the tapes from each tabulator  and the memory cards”

 

In addition to the safeguards to protect the electronic data, there are safeguards in place to protect the paper ballots.

 

“At the end of election day, the paper ballots are removed from the tabulator and sealed in approved ballot containers,” Vandenberg said. “The ballots remain sealed and in the clerk’s custody for the appropriate retention period. In this case the election involved a federal race, so the retention period is 22 months.”

 

Cat of the week: Cinco de Meow

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, , , ,
cinco3
Look who’s lounging — it’s Cinco de Meow!

 

By Sharon Wylie

Crash’s Landing

 

Each week WKTV features an adoptable cat from Crash’s Landing or Big Sid’s Sanctuary. Both cat rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Petrovich, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).

The frigid and brutal winter of 2013-2014 was certainly beyond problematic for many a stray in our area. When this beautiful black and white boy showed up in February half-frozen, a kind lady in the community knew it was time to take matters into her own hands and bring him indoors where it was safe and warm. Although a nice neighbor had been feeding him, with temps plummeting and no end to the ice and snow in sight, she knew this guy was in trouble. Not only was he an intact male, he had been beaten up and bullied and his immune system was so compromised he was terribly ill with a nasty respiratory infection.

Want to adopt Cinco? 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.

Wondering when your street will be plowed?

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Our Cities, ,

By Victoria Mullen
WKTV

 

It’s the $64,000 question after a huge snow dump: When will my street get plowed? Watch the video above to learn about the City of Wyoming’s snow removal policy. In a nutshell, there are priorities: first, the busiest streets get plowed; next, the collector streets; and last of all, the quiet cul-de-sacs. More info is available here. The goal of the City of Wyoming’s snowplowing operation is to have all streets plowed within 24 hours after the end of a storm.

As with the City of Wyoming, the City of Kentwood’s Department of Public Works prioritizes plowing and salting from highest volume streets to lowest volume streets. Nothing personal, but it goes like this:

  1. Major Streets in the City of Kentwood with the most traffic — such as  44th, 52nd, Kalamazoo and Eastern — get plowed and salted first during a snow “event”.
  2. Collector Streets — next in line are the “main” streets throughout many of the subdivisions where you live. The streets you use to enter or exit an area adjacent to the major streets are plowed and salted after the major streets have been cleared and are as safe as possible to travel on. Some examples of collector streets are: Baileys Grove Dr., Stauffer Ave and Gentian Ave.
  3. Local Streets are the streets within the subdivisions themselves. These are plowed after the collectors are cleared and safe for travel. Salt is typically not spread on the local streets.
  4. Cul-De-Sacs/stub streets are the last to get attention. Smaller pick-up trucks direct the snow to areas in the cul-de-sac that are suitable for snow storage. It’s important that items are removed from the cul-de-sacs — soccer goals, portable basketball hoops and any other miscellaneous items.

Sometimes things don’t go as planned — maybe a busy street has been plowed and the City has moved onto another when Mother Nature disrupts the routine. When this happens — say, the major roads deteriorate — attention is shifted back to them and the cycle starts over.

Both cities make every effort to have all the roads cleared within 24 hours after the snow event has ended. During most snow events crews are working around the clock with trucks on the road 24 hours a day, sometimes for several days in a row.

Don’t worry, they’ll get to you!

Keep your kids safe in holiday crowds — here’s how

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Holidays, , ,

By Victoria Mullen

WKTV

 

Kids can go missing in an instant. One minute, your child is right beside you. You pause to admire some bling in a shop window and when you turn back — your child is gone.

 

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) reports that more than 460,000 children go missing in the U.S. every year. Kids are especially at risk during the holidays when they’re out of school and with their families at crowded shopping malls or well-attended holiday events.

 

“The holiday season is a busy time, but in the midst of this busyness it is important to take steps to ensure the safety of our children,” said Lt. Timothy Pols, Wyoming Dept. of Public Safety.

 

Here are some tips on how to keep your kids safe in public this holiday season.

  • Write your cell phone number on the child’s wrist, then cover it with liquid band aid. If you get separated, you can be contacted immediately. Do NOT include your child’s name.
  • On your way out of the house, take a photo of the child on your cell phone. That way you can show people exactly how he or she looks that day.

The Family Education website offers even more ideas:

  • Talk to your kids before a family outing. Make it a rule that you must always be able to see them and they must always be able to see you. It may sound simple, but keep reminding them periodically, especially if you think they’re getting restless.
  • Use the “two giant steps” rule — your kids can never be more than two giant steps away from you. It’s a fun and easy way for young children to remember not to wander away.
  • Teach your kids that if they ever become separated from you, they should look for a “safe stranger” for help. Some examples include a mom with kids or a cash register person. With older children, agree on a “meeting place” ahead of time, in case you become separated.
  • Tell your child never to leave the mall or store to go looking for you, no matter what anyone tells them. Remind your child that you would never leave until you are reunited.
  • In busy places like airports or shopping malls, consider using a cute harness for toddlers who are prone to running off. There are lots of fun ones out there. Your child’s safety is most important, so don’t worry about what others think.
  • Establish the “check first” rule with older children. They must always check first with you before going anywhere in a public place, including another store, play area or even the restroom.
  • Don’t treat public facilities as a “convenient babysitter.” Do not leave your children alone at video arcades, movie theaters, play areas or other public places. Predators look for unsupervised kids.
  • Always bring young children into the restroom with you. Look for well-lit restrooms in high traffic areas whenever possible.
  • Statistically, the men’s room isn’t the safest place for a child to use alone. If you feel comfortable letting your older child (at least 9 years old) use the men’s room alone, stand outside the door and call in as your child enters, “I’m right out here if you need me.” It’s a clear signal to anyone who may be hanging around in there that there’s a parent close by. Your child is less of a target if a potential predator thinks there’s a chance he could be caught. If you think your child’s taking too long, open the door and call in, “Is everything okay?” If you don’t get an answer or are unsure, enter the restroom immediately to be sure your child is safe. (Informing your child that you’ll be doing this will encourage him to answer you quickly and not linger.)
  • Discuss age-appropriate safety issues with your child in a calm, non-fearful manner. Replace the word “strangers” with “tricky people.” Let your child know that it isn’t what people look like that makes them unsafe; it’s what they ask a child to do that makes someone “thumbs down.” Kids have been known to leave with a stranger because “he seemed nice” or “she didn’t look like a stranger.”
  • Make sure that your child knows your cell phone number.

Don’t have kids but know someone who does? Be sure to share these tips!

 

ACSET provides a variety of services for the growing needs of elders

3-bottom, Community Health, Non-Profits, Senior Living, Upcoming Events, , ,
Senior Meal Kitchen

Your Community in Action!

 

By Community Action Partnership of Kent County

 

According to the National Institute on Aging, in 2010 13% of the population in the United States was 65 years of age or older. By 2030, it’s estimated that number will reach 20% of all Americans. Additionally, more people are living longer; Americans 85 years old and above are the fastest growing age group of elders.

 

How are communities addressing the growing needs of this group?

 

In Kent County, ACSET Community Action Agency (CAA) provides a variety of services to assist individuals over the age of 60, including Latin American Services Senior Meals. These meals are designed to provide a healthy meal and social interaction for elders who may face a language barrier and isolation. Elders gather for delicious Latin American food and conversation every weekday. Home-bound elders can have meals delivered to their homes.

 

Mary with CAA staffer Ramona Alvarez

CAA has been serving meals to elders for 32 years; it has become a tradition for elders in our community and we’ve become good friends with many of them over the years. Our friend Mary announced at our Thanksgiving dinner that it would be her last meal with us. She plans to move to Florida to live with her daughter. With tears in her eyes, she said thank you and goodbye to many long-time friends. Mary has been a regular visitor for 20 years! We will miss her and wish her the best in sunny Florida.

 

Mary’s story illustrates how important social opportunities can be for elders. This is especially true around the holidays. We are hosting our annual Senior Holiday Party on Thursday, Dec. 15 at 11 am.

 

Our doors are open to those who want to enjoy a warm meal with friendly, familiar faces. Do you have a neighbor or family member that could benefit from our Senior Services? Learn more about our services and eligibility requirements at www.communityactionkent.org/programs/senior-services or call us at 616.336.4000.

Latin American Senior Holiday Party

When: Thursday, Dec. 15 at 11 am

Where: ASCET CAA – 121 Franklin St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, 1st floor of the DHHS building

What: Latin-inspired meal and conversation. A small donation is recommended but not required.

Who: Anyone over the age of 60 is welcome to attend

 

Your Community in Action! is provided by ASCET Community Action Agency. To learn more about how they help meet emergency needs and assist with areas of self-sufficiency, visit www.communityactionkent.org

Expanded, more inclusive programs part of Public Museum’s future plans

3-bottom, , , , , ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

It has been almost six weeks since the millage for the John Ball Zoo and the Grand Rapids Public Museum passed with overwhelming support and during that period officials have been determining what the next steps will be.

 

About 63 percent of the votes from the Nov. 8 election favored the millage which will add .44 mills to Kent County residents’ tax bills. For a owner of a $170,000 home, that would be about $37.40 per year increase through the year 2025. Residents will see the increase with their winter tax bill.

 

Science Tuesdays is one of the programs the Grand Rapids Public Museum is looking to expand.

“It really is a strong level of support for the institutions, both of which have a long history in this community,” said Grand Rapids Public Museum Director Dale Robertson. “It was a nice validation for what we have done and gave us the encouragement to take the dreams and ideas we have for engagement and programs to the next level.

 

“It told us that the public is right with us on this.”

 

And museum officials are already moving forward on future programs. In the short term, the goal is to enhance access to the museum’s Science Tuesdays, which provides hands on science stations, by expanding the program to Saturdays. Also to create museum school lessons utilizing the institution’s vast collection that can be made available to all the schools in Kent County.

 

There are bigger projects down the road such as partnership with the Hope Network Center for Autism in creating a universal design that will accommodate a spectrum of accessible for a broader population, Robertson said. This will mean some physical changes inside the museum.

 

The millage will bring in about $9.2 million the first year. According to state law, more than $414,000 of the money raised from the millage will go to the 18 Kent County Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts that keep taxes collected on property in their boundaries for local improvements.

 

The Wyoming Downtown Development Authority would be one such organization, however City Manager Curtis Holt said the DDA would not receive any funds due to negative property value changes in recent years. Traditionally, the City of Wyoming has returned such special millages and in this case would give any additional funds from the zoo/museum millage back to those organizations, Holt said.

 

Review: Cécile McLorin Salvant brings big jazz voice to St. Cecilia

3-bottom, Entertainment, Local Entertainment, Reviews, ,
Cécile McLorin Salvant. (Supplied/Mark Fitton)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

60-second Review

 

Cécile McLorin Salvant, Dec. 8, at St. Cecilia Music Center, Grand Rapids, Mi. 

 

Cécile McLorin Salvant, the season opening performer for the St. Cecilia Music Center’s 2016-17 Jazz Series, brought a spectacular voice and mesmerizing presence to the stage Thursday for a 90-minute set.

 

Accompanied by the very tight Aaron Diehl Trio — with Diehl on piano, Paul Sikivie on bass and Lawrence Leathers on drums — McLorin Salvant opened her set with just Diehl’s piano and  singing “Lucky to be Me.” From that moment on, you were lucky to be in the audience.

 

The singer showed her versatility — heartbreaking to humorous; booming to a whisper — throughout the night,  with her set including a trio of Cole Porter songs, both well-known and little-known, and a hauntingly theatric song from the 1946 jazz-opera “Street Scene”, with lyrics by Langston Hughes.

 

My favorite song of the night was a stark, stripped-down version of the classic folk song “John Henry”, with special note given to Sikivie’s unique work on the base. My only disappointment was that all the songs were in English, which the native French speaker sings perfectly — S’il vous plaît, Cécile, un peu de Français.

 

McLorin Salvant ended the night as mesmerizingly as she started it, with “Tell Me What They are Saying Can’t be True.” It left you wanting more.

 

May I have more, please?

 

Having never heard McLorin Salvant before, I suspected a little hyperbole when some reviewers compared her to Ella Fitzgerald. But, listing to a local public radio jazz program before the concert, my wife, TJ — who knows her jazz —  remarked “I wonder who that is? She sounds like Ella.” Sure enough, the DJ confirmed the song was by the songstress we would see shortly.

 

Good enough recommendation for me.

 

It may still be a little early to compare the 27-year-old to Ella, but she does have an impressive resume: youngest winner the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2010, her debut recording, “WomanChild”, nominated for a Grammy in 2014, and her follow-up recording, “For One to Love”, winning the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album this year.

 

And did I mention that she has a set of pipes? (Her singing voice is astounding.)

 

School News Network: Cyberattack Costs District, Prompts Extra Protection

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, Education, , , , ,
More districts are having to enroll in cyberattack protection as incident numbers rise.

By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

The Godfrey-Lee Public School District battled a continuous malicious cyberattack beginning in September that sometimes left staff members with no access to student emergency and medical information.

 

The Wyoming Police Department and Michigan State Police are investigating the cyber attack. The district is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the criminal activity.

 

The entire district internet system was shut down nearly every school day. Attackers did this by jamming the AT&T router with traffic to the point it would shut down.

 

“It all seemed to be tied to school hours, not always starting the same time of day, but it always would end just as kids were getting out of school,” Superintendent David Britten said. “(AT&T) wouldn’t give us any information at all on where (the traffic) was coming from.”

 

To fix the problem, AT&T required Godfrey-Lee purchase the protection service.

 

Teresa Mask, senior public relations manager for AT&T Michigan, declined comment.

 

While the attacks had stopped as of early December, the district has locked into a three-year contract for a protection service with AT&T, costing $87,000 over three years.

 

Daniel Townsend, district director of technology and media services, said the cost for AT&T’s protection service is approximately $49,000 for 12 months. That includes a one-time $30,000 fee for an emergency setup. The cost for the remaining two years in the three-year contract is $19,000 a year. The Board of Education approved a $60,000 budget addition for this fiscal year to cover the cost — about the cost of a teacher, Britten said.

 

The district’s technology team first tried to use an out-of-state company to fix the problem, but that didn’t work because AT&T has control of the infrastructure. The out-of-state company did have another solution, but “it would have been a very complex process involving a lot of man-hours, so we chose to use AT&T since they own the infrastructure and could expedite the process,” Townsend said.

 

Godfrey-Lee Public Schools is the poorest district in Kent County. Ninety-five percent of students receive free or reduced-cost lunch.

 

Be sure to check out School News Network for more stories about our students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan!