Category Archives: 3-bottom

From President Trump to Kent County Clerk, Secretary of State draws opposition for sending voters absentee ballot applications

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Election, Hard News, Politics, , ,
The new State of Michigan Absentee Ballot return envelope. (WKTV)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

It took exactly one day for opposition to come rolling in after Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced May 19 that all registered voters in Michigan will receive an application to vote by absentee ballot in the August and November elections.

“By mailing applications, we have ensured that no Michigander has to choose between their health and their right to vote,” Benson said in a statement from her office. “Voting by mail is easy, convenient, safe, and secure, and every voter in Michigan has the right to do it.”

According to the Secretary’s office, of the 7.7 million registered voters in the state, about 1.3 million are on the permanent absent voter list, and their local election clerk mails them applications ahead of every election.

“Additionally, some jurisdictions are mailing applications to all local registered voters,” according to the Secretary’s statement. “The Michigan Department of State’s Bureau of Elections has ensured all remaining registered voters receive an application.”

But ranging from two Wednesday, May 20, Tweets from President Donald J. Trump, to a statement to WKTV from Kent County Clerk/Register Lisa Posthumus Lyons — both Republicans — not everyone agrees with the Democrat Secretary of State’s action.

“My office was not consulted nor had any knowledge that the Secretary of State would be violating the law by sending unsolicited ballot applications,” Lyons said to WKTV. “We support conducting elections according to the constitution and Michigan law, and this practice is unconstitutional.”

A Twitter back and forth

On his official @realDonaldTrump Twitter account, the President today said: “Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!”

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson

Secretary Benson, responding to the President’s May 20 Tweet, Tweeted herself: “Hi! I also have a name, it’s Jocelyn Benson. And we sent applications, not ballots. Just like my GOP colleagues in Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska and West Virginia.”

After Secretary Benson responded, the President’s original Tweet was deleted and another posted which corrected the original by saying “Michigan sends absentee ballot applications to 7.7 million people …”.

Secretary Benson also defended her action in her original, May 19, statement.

“We appreciate that some clerks are proactively protecting public health by mailing applications to all their registered voters, and we are fulfilling our responsibility to provide all voters equal access,” Benson said in the statement. “We know from the elections that took place this month that during the pandemic Michiganders want to safely vote.”

Mostly absentee May voting set records

According to the Secretary’s statement, record-breaking turnout was recorded in the approximately 50 elections held across 33 counties on May 5, with nearly 25 percent of eligible voters casting ballots and 99 percent of them doing so by mail or in a drop box.

In contrast, from 2010 to 2019, average turnout in local elections in May was 12 percent.

The absentee ballot application mailing from the Bureau of Elections includes a cover letter with instructions from Secretary Benson, according to the statement. Once a voter signs their application, they can mail it or email a photo of it to their local clerk, whose contact information is included on the application. The application is also available for download at Michigan.gov/Vote. At the same website, voters can also register and join the permanent absent voter list so they always have the option to vote by mail.

“The vast majority of voters across the political spectrum want the option to vote by mail,” Benson said in the statement. “Mailing applications to all registered voters is one of the ways that we are ensuring Michigan’s elections will continue to be safe, accurate and secure.”

May ballot was a unique voting process

After an executive order by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the May 5 voting was conducted using a hybrid system of encouraging absentee voting, either by mail or by dropping of absentee ballots, and having only a few vote-in-person sites. The Wyoming and Kentwood city clerk’s offices were the only locations to vote in person in the cities on May 5.

For more information on the May 5 process, see a WKTV story here. For more information on on the local results May 5, see a WKTV story here.

While Kent County election officials, and the city clerks of both Wyoming and Kentwood, abided by the state mandate in May, Kent County Clerk Lyons said her office will conduct the August and November elections by current laws — unless there is another executive order by the Governor.

 

“Until the legislature changes the law or the Governor issues an executive order, we are preparing to run the August and November elections as a normal — with in-person and absentee voting options available,” Lyons said to WKTV. “We will also continue to work with our local clerks to protect the health and safety of election workers and voters while preserving the security and integrity of the election.”

Like brothers, sisters around the world, local Muslims adapt to Ramadan in time of COVID-19

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Going Local, Local Faces, Upcoming Events, WKTV Journal In Focus, ,
  • The empty At-Tawheed Islamic Cent masjid, closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. (At-Tweed)
  • Men and boys at prayer at At-Tawheed Islamic Center and masjid in 2018. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
  • Women at prayer at At-Tawheed Islamic Center and masjid in 2018. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
A Ramadan unlike any other at Kentwood mosque.

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

In Jerusalem, at the Aqsa Mosque — Islam’s third holiest site, where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven — Muslim worshipers have been kept out of the religious compound throughout the entire month of Ramadan for the first time since the dark days of the Middle Ages when crusaders controlled Jerusalem.

In Dearborn, Mich., home to one of the largest Muslim populations in the United States, gone are the community gatherings for evening prayers and nightly feasts to break Ramadan fasts with friends and family. But this year, something that could be done while still abiding by social distancing guidelines, there has been a blossoming of a modern Ramadan lights tradition to spread joy and offer some of the holiday spirit similar to the hanging Christmas lights.

In Kentwood, At-Tawheed Islamic Center and masjid (mosque) has been empty since March 13, and local Ramadan traditions including Friday prayers followed by the breaking of fasts, and its annual Eid Al Fitr congregation or community celebration, scheduled for Saturday, have been cancelled.

Imam Morsy Salem. (At-Tawheed website)

While At-Tawheed’s religious leader, Imam Morsy Salem, still offers online virtual teachings, he has been unable to lead prayer services as he would normally as such prayer services can only be done in person in the masjid.

Prayers, however, go on. Privately. Mostly at family homes, but also at places of essential work and even in outdoors — when Michigan’s infamous spring weather allows. But it is not the same …

“Our five daily prayers, including Friday congregation and sermon, are cancelled and are not held at the masjid for now,” Tareq Saleh, a member of the At-Tawheed management team, said to WKTV. “While muslims can still pray pretty much anywhere, praying at the masjid has always been one of our daily to-dos, and it bears bigger reward. The houses of Allah (masjids) are our refuge from the world to connect with him almighty.”

 

At-Tawheed is only one of at least five Muslim religious centers in the Greater Grand Rapids area serving congregations representing dozens of national and ethnic backgrounds ranging from Egyptian to Kashmirian to Bosnian to Somalian.

The Kentwood family of Hamid Elmorabeti, at prayer at home. (Supplied)

“We can still pray at home, either individually or in groups with family members, i.e. husband with his wife and kids. But no mass congregation prayer can be held through online services or anything of that nature,” Saleh said. “What our imam has been doing is broadcasting his lectures online and holding Quran recitation groups through Zoom service.”

While Ramadan fasting, during daylight hours for most healthy people, has remained the same, the change has come in the breaking of fasts daily and particularly at the end of the month of Ramadan.

“The biggest challenge we are facing with this situation is the congregation part … performing prayers at the masjid, the Friday prayer and sermon, breaking fast with the community, the night prayers in Ramadan, and coming soon the Eid prayer and celebration, Saleh said. “All of our acts of worship can be done at home or while a person is in isolation with the exception of Friday prayer and sermon and Eid prayer.

“While the Friday prayer requires a group of people, some big families with enough adults maybe able to hold a Friday congregation at home or wherever they are isolated.”

Tradition of fasting, supporting those in need 

“Fasting is an obligation upon every adult Muslim,” he said. “There are certain conditions to permit breaking someone’s fasting, such as traveling or being sick. (But) Muslims fast wherever they are. The place, in its self, is not a condition to break fasting. So, yes, muslims are fasting at homes this year with their families.”
 

For a separate WKTV Journal story on Ramadan, and its religious customs and traditions, see a story here.

The At-Tawheed masjid has actually been closed since March 13, “when all the places of worship in town started closing their doors in response to the stay home and social distancing recommendations by the government,” Saleh said. “There will not be an Eid Alfitr congregation or community celebration this year due to the pandemic and the extension the governor put in place until May 28.”

The month of Ramadan, based on the lunar cycle, this year began on April 23 and last until Saturday, May 23.

“There isn’t any activities that are still taking place in the masjid other than the food pantry,” Saleh said. “The team has been able to support those of need through distributing food while taking all precautions to keep both community members and volunteers safe. Actually (a few) weeks ago an entire semi-truck full of potatoes was donated and distributed to the community through our food pantry program.”

For more information on the At-Tawheed Islamic Center, visit their website here.

The Right Place assists medical device packaging company with Kentwood expansion

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, ,
Team members at Packaging Compliance Labs, LLC. (Supplied)

WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Today, The Right Place, Inc., in collaboration with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), announced that medical device packaging engineering firm, Packaging Compliance Labs, LLC (PCL) will be expanding its current operations at 4334 Brockton Dr. SE in Kentwood. In addition to a capital investment of $2.57 million, the company will bring 27 new jobs to the area.

PCL was founded in 2014 as a solution to a stagnated health care packaging industry. Headquartered in the City of Kentwood, PCL specializes in helping global medical device manufacturers launch new devices to market faster while maintaining regulatory compliance around the globe.

PCL, along with its sister company, SmartStart Medical, LLC (SSM), will take on the additional 27 jobs as a result of this expansion. SSM specializes in device cleaning, packaging, sterilization, and pilot production for new medical technologies.

“Packaging Compliance Labs is in the midst of an exciting period of growth,” said Matthew Lapham, President, Packaging Compliance Labs. “We’re thankful that The Right Place and their partners at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation have provided continuous support to our business as we’ve prepared for this upcoming expansion.”

Packaging Compliance Labs, LLC (PCL) will be expanding its current operations at 4334 Brockton Dr. SE in Kentwood. (Supplied)

The MEDC is supporting the expansion with a $135,000 Jobs Ready Michigan grant, a program designed by the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) to address the cost associated with recruiting and training individuals for occupations that are high-wage, high-skill or high-demand.

“West Michigan’s medical device manufacturing industry has grown steadily over the last five years at a rate of about 10%,” said Eric Icard, senior business development manager for The Right Place and project lead, “These are high-paying, high-quality jobs that are contributing to our regional economy. When a company like Packaging Compliance Labs chooses to expand here, it makes way for continued growth as they create an increasingly efficient supply chain for medical device manufacturers in the area.”

  

Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley also shared his optimism about what PCL’s expansion will mean for his community.

“Having an innovative firm like Packaging Compliance Labs bring more jobs and investment to Kentwood is excellent for our residents and for the community at-large,” Kepley said. “We are glad to be home to Packaging Compliance Labs and commend the company’s efforts to provide critical solutions to the health care industry when they are needed most.”

State COVID-19 hotline now offers free, confidential emotional support counseling

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Health,

WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org

In addition to information and connections to many COVID-19 related resources, the State of Michigan is now offering confidential emotional support counseling, available 24/7, at no cost to Michigan residents who call the state’s COVID-19 hotline.

Michigan Stay Well counselors are available any time, day or night, by dialing the 888-535-6136 and pressing 8 when prompted. Language translation is available for non-English speakers.

The service is part of a federally funded grant program implemented by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Administration (BHDDA) in partnership with the Michigan State Police.

“Because of COVID-19, many of us are grappling with strong emotions, including anxiety, depression and fear,” MDHHS Director Robert Gordon said in supplied material. “We want Michiganders to know it is okay to have these feelings — and okay to ask for help. You don’t have to carry this burden alone.”

Callers to the COVID-19 hotline will hear a recording that begins by saying to press “8” if they would like to speak with a Michigan Stay Well counselor. The counselors, though not licensed professionals, have received specialized training from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s (SAMHSA) Disaster Technical Assistance Center on how to provide emotional support to residents of federally declared disaster areas. A major disaster was declared in Michigan on Friday, March 27, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

BHDDA hopes that adding Stay Well counseling services to the hotline will provide callers with relief from the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Emerging or lingering anxiety, distress, irritability and loss of hope are important feelings to recognize in ourselves and others, and it can help to talk to someone,” Dr. Debra Pinals, psychiatrist and MDHHS medical director for behavioral health, said in supplied material. “If it’s helpful, the counselors can also provide callers with referrals to local mental health agencies and substance use disorder support services.”

State employee volunteers also continue to answer general COVID-19 questions on the hotline. The current hours for general questions are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For more information on state and federal COVIOD-19 resources, visit Michigan.gov/StayWell, and well as Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

The kissing bug—cause for concern?

3-bottom, Community Health, Health, , , , , ,
If you come across a suspected triatomine, the CDC recommends placing it in a container with alcohol and taking it to your local health department. It can be tested for Chagas disease. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By American Heart Association, HealthDay


It sounds like something out of a horror film: A blood-hungry insect feeds on its prey’s faces while they sleep, leaving behind a parasite that can cause stroke and heart disease.


But the triatomine, or so-called “kissing bug,” is all too real and found regularly in Latin America, but also has been found in several areas of the United States, as far north as Illinois and Delaware.


And while it often targets faces, the insect will settle for any patch of exposed skin.


With summer barbecue season on the horizon, how worried should people be?


It’s important to keep things in perspective, said Dr. Caryn Bern, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California School of Medicine.


After an acute flu-like period that lasts from weeks to months, most people who test positive for Chagas disease show no symptoms.


“The estimate is that 20 percent to 30 percent of people with Chagas disease will eventually develop heart or gastrointestinal disease, although heart disease is much more common,” Bern said. “That’s over a lifetime and it usually doesn’t show up until years after the infection occurred.”


It’s not the bug that causes Chagas disease, but rather a parasite that lives in its poop.


When a person inadvertently rubs the bug’s feces into the bug wound, their eye or another mucous membrane, the parasite sometimes makes itself at home.


Chagas disease also can be transmitted from mother to fetus, from contaminated blood transfusions, via an infected organ donor or, in rare cases, through food or drink.


While about 300,000 people in the United States have Chagas disease, most of them contracted it while living in Mexico, Central America and South America, where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates up to 6 million to 8 million have been infected.


All told, the disease causes more than 10,000 deaths a year worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.


But it’s important to keep in mind that since 1955, there have been fewer than 50 documented cases of people who have acquired the parasite from exposure to the triatomine in the U.S., said Dr. Susan Montgomery, who leads an epidemiology team in the Parasitic Diseases Branch of CDC’s Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria.


“The parasite has to get into a human’s body or an animal’s body by contaminating the wound,” Montgomery said. “It’s pretty complicated.”


But there is cause for concern, said Paula Stigler Granados, an assistant professor at Texas State University who leads the Texas Chagas Taskforce.


Stigler Granados and her team work to raise awareness about Chagas in a state where more than 60 percent of triatomines test positive for the parasite that causes the disease.


“The more we look, the more we find,” Stigler Granados said, noting that since the American Red Cross started screening new blood donors for Chagas disease, they have identified many people infected with the disease. “Although the blood donation tests are extremely sensitive and sometimes have false positives, that’s an indicator that it could be a bigger problem we should be monitoring.”


There is a treatment for people who have Chagas disease.


In 2017, the Food and Drug Administration approved benznidazole, a 60-day medication regimen for people ages 2 to 12.


Once Chagas disease becomes chronic, the medication may not cure it but could slow the progression in younger people.


For older people who are affected, experts recommend doctors and patients weigh the individual benefits with the possible side effects of the medication, which can include rash, abdominal discomfort and numbness or tingling in the hands and feet.


The best bet is to avoid infection altogether.


The CDC advises people to use window screens, seal any gaps in the home, allow pets to sleep indoors and eliminate things near the house that attract insects, including lights and wood, brush and rock piles.


If you do come across a triatomine, don’t kill it, the CDC recommends.


Instead, capture it with a container and either fill it with rubbing alcohol or freeze it.


Then take it to your local health department or university laboratory for identification. Testing can help to determine if it is a triatomine, and if so, whether it carries the parasite.


In the meantime, experts agree on one thing: People should stay calm.


“The important thing to remember is that these bugs are more interested in staying out in the woods and feeding on animals than they are in feeding on you,” Montgomery said. “It’s important to prevent Chagas disease if you can, but it’s very hard to get this infection and it’s not happening often.”


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Kentwood commissioner to host ‘Celebrate the Small Victories’ discussion on Facebook live, WKTV on-demand

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Going Local, Hard News, Health, Local Business, Local Faces, Non-Profits, Upcoming Events, WKTV Journal In Focus,

By WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org

Tired of all the sad, bad news these days? City of Kentwood commissioner Emily Bridson will host a casual conversation to “Celebrate the Small Victories” during the global pandemic via a Facebook Live Event on Saturday, May 23, starting at 10 a.m.

The discussion, produced at WKTV Community Media center in Wyoming, will have a video version of the podcast available on-demand later on WKTV’s The Whole Picture Podcast Facebook page and the audio-only version of the podcast also available on-demand on WKTV’s Podcast Page, under the In Focus series.

“Let’s focus on the positive, what we’ve learned, how we adapted, and what moving forward looks like,” Bridson said in supplied material. “This will be an uplifting take during this challenging time but will include real stories of pain and struggle and, of course, the small victories.”


In the discussion, Bridson will be “Celebrating the Small Victories” with guests Hanna Schulze of Local First, Tarah Carnahan of Treetops Collective and Sagar Dangal, an activist in the Bhutanese community.

The discussion is expected to include topics such as the local economy, personal growth, practices of local businesses that prioritize people’s safety and needs and facilitating the sense of belonging in our community, according to supplied material.

Also on the agenda are how we will be more adaptable, proactive and action-oriented; job flexibility for working parents and workforce health considerations moving forward; creating more equitable opportunities for caretakers and those with underlying conditions; and, finally, looking to the future.

The discussion guests

Dangal is owner of the local business Everest Tax Services. In addition, he is vice-president of the Bhutanese Community of Michigan and host of the podcast “Bhutanese Talk”.

Carnahan is the executive director and co-founder of Treetops Collective, which has the mission: “To connect refugee women with people and opportunities in their new community so they can flourish for generations to come — standing tall and impacting others.”

Schulze is the executive director at Local First, a group with the vision: “We lead the development of an economy grounded in local ownership that meets the basic need of people, builds local wealth and social capital, functions in harmony with our ecosystem, and encourages joyful community.”

Bridson is a Michigan native, community activist, business professional and retired professional athlete. She serves as a Kentwood city commissioner and serves on Kent County’s City/County Building Authority.

During the discussion, Facebook Live comments and questions may be discussed in real-time.

GVSU alumna launches ‘Headband Aid’ to relief to those wearing masks for extended hours

3-bottom, Local Business, ,
The Headband Aid features buttons to help secure a face mask. (Supplied)

By Dottie Barnes
gvsu.edu

Frontline workers responding to COVID-19, along with many others who are returning to their jobs, are wearing masks all day long. Some are experiencing irritation, especially around their ears.

Katarina Samardzija, a 2019 graduate of Grand Valley State University and founder of Locker Lifestyle, took notice. Locker Lifestyle produces athletic clothing with storage pouches.

“I had all of these athletic headbands in stock that have been tested for comfort and fit by marathon runners,” said Samardzija. “I recruited my grandmother, who is a seamstress, to help sew buttons on the headbands. The buttons allow you to attach a surgical mask to relieve irritation behind the ears.”

The Pocket Headband for women and men has non-slip gel dots and a pocket in back, secured by Velcro®, to carry money, keys or even a spare mask. In April, Samardzija made a demonstration video, which went viral. She and her work crew, consisting of her mother and grandmother, have shipped about 600 Headband Aids all over the country.

Katarina Samardzija’s grandmother (left) helped Katarina with the design of the Headband Aid. (Supplied)

Samardzija earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Grand Valley with a double major in marketing and entrepreneurship. She was also a member of the GVSU Women’s Tennis team. She was headed to tennis practice in 2016, when she got the idea for Locker Lifestyle.

“I got tired of carrying all of my belongings to the gym. The first product I made, which is our best seller, is the Wrist Wallet. It holds items like an ID, money, keys, lip balm. My friends started knocking on my door wanting one,” she said.

Samardzija connected with Grand Valley’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and began competing for startup funds. She has participated in about 14 competitions to date to help fund patents and to manufacture products.

“Runners World” magazine named Locker Lifestyle products the top gear to have in 2020; in 2019, Samardzija was named one of the Newsmakers of the Year by the “Grand Rapids Business Journal;” and in 2018, she was the FedEx Small Business Grant Contest Bronze Prize Winner.

Samardzija said her education and connections at Grand Valley have proven invaluable.

“The support from the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation has been a continual resource,” she said. “I connect with Shorouq Almallah and Matthew Larson from CEI on a monthly basis to stay in touch and discuss growth.”

Find out more about her products at www.lockerlifestyle.com

From the editor: In time of COVID-19, WKTV urges readers be informed, be personally responsible

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Health,

By Tom Norton

tom@wktv.org

Considering the medical science surrounding what we already know about the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important for people to continue the practice of wearing a mask while in public. The personal policy of behaving as if you are carrying the virus is ultimately a wise one as it directly saves the lives of those around you.

We encourage everyone to remember that COVID-19 is a newly discovered virus and the medical and science community is the best source of it’s characteristics.

Because of the ability for anyone to put anything up on the internet and social media and pass it off as legitimate, we also encourage caution when absorbing what you may read or see. Please stay with mainstream news sources and with the CDC (Center for Disease Control).

 

We also encourage everyone to be aware that minimizing the spread of COVID-19 is the surest and fastest way for our society and State to get beyond this pandemic. Practicing this behavior, as recommended by medical and science professionals, will also likely bring a more solid and sustainable re-opening of our local economy.

The following link, to a recent article by writers at the magazine Science, who’s COVID-19 reporting is supported by the prestigious Pulitzer Center, is an example of good reporting on the science of COVID-19. (Linked with permission.)

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can severely damage lungs, but in serious cases it doesn’t stop there.

Both Wyoming, Kentwood already have higher 2020 Census response than overall 2010 results

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , ,
U.S. Census is keeping track of how many people are filling out the 2020 Census online. (U.S. Census Bureau)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Since people are at home and have the time, the one thing that appears residents are doing is filling out the 2020 U.S. Census.

At least in the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming with the U.S. Census reporting through its interactive response rate map that both cities have already surpassed their 2010 U.S. Census overall response rate. As of May 18, 2020, the City of Kentwood is at 74.1 self-response rate. In 2010, its overall response rate was 73. The City of Wyoming’s 2020 self-response rate is 72.5, just slightly over its 2010 overall response rate of 72.4.

According to recent reports, about 59.5 percent of the U.S. households in the United States have self-responded, meaning that residents have either mailed, called in or gone online to answer the nine questions that center around who was living in the home on April 1, 2020. 

This is about 88 million households that have responded. For the 2010 census, it was about 74 percent mail in rate (the 2010 U.S. Census did not have an online component) with about 116.7 million households responding to the census. The total population report for the 2010 U.S. Census was 308.7 million of which about 300.8 million were living in homes and the remaining 8 million lived in group quarters such as school domentories, nursing homes, and military barracks. 

Michigan ranks fourth in self-response to the 2020 U.S. Census.

So where does Michigan stand?

Michigan ranks fourth with 66.2 percent or 3.2 million households responding. In the 2010 U.S. Census, the state had a total of 67.7 percent response. Despite having cities with some of the highest participation rates in the 2010 U.S. Census, Michigan had a population drop of about 54,000 going from 9.938 million in 2000 to about 9.883 million in 2010. 

Due to the population drop, Michigan lost a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, going from 15 to 14. According to state officials, the goal for the 2020 U.S. Census is for its population to be enough to maintain its current 14 U.S. House of Representative seats.

“The state has been growing, but not growing as quickly as Texas, Florida, or North Carolina,” said Michigan Statewide Census director Kerry Ebersole. “So we have the opportunity to maintain which we have in congress but it is unlikely we will pick up an additional seat.”

Keeping those seats are even more important as Michigan goes against other states for relief funding from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s important that Michigan voices are heard,” Ebersole said, “that we have a voice and representation at the federal level especially as policies are developed that may impact our state.”

And it is not just policies related to COVID-19 relief, but also for programs for the Great Lakes, Medicare, literacy, the elderly and city infrastructure such as the parks and roads.

As of May 18, 2020, the National response rate has been 59.5 percent.

It is all about the numbers

“The two things that the census influences are dollars and how many U.S. Representatives the state will have in Washington D.C.” said Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley in an interview about the U.S. Census before the statewide COVID-19 state of emergency order.

Funding dollars are largely determined by a municipality’s population and while looking at how the Michigan Department of Transportation determines funding, Kepley noted that 50,000 seemed to be a magic number that would increase a municipality’s funding for roads. The U.S. Census currently estimates that the City of Kentwood’s population is around 51,868 which means Kentwood needs to do a “good” job in getting residents to respond to the 2020 Census.

Which according to the 2020 U.S. Census Interactive Map, Kentwood residents have done quite well in self-responding. As of Monday, May 18, 2020, the City of Kentwood has had 74.1 percent self-response of which 65.7 have been online responses. Of course, there are still a number of factors in determining the overall funding any municipality will receive.

“If we do better in getting the word out and showing an increase, it could be that we are taking money away from another city that may not have done as well doing that,” Kepley said, adding if everyone does well then, it also will have an impact on the dollars Kentwood could receive.

But having residents fill out the U.S. Census is important, Kepley said as it impacts what the city can provide in city infrastructure such as roads and parks, low and moderate housing, and even attracting future businesses which use census information as a component to determining where to locate.

More numbers

Along with the City of Kentwood and the City of Wyoming. which has a self-response rate of 72.5 of which 63.5 were online (as of May 18, 2020), the overall Kent County self response rate has been above the U.S. average of 59.5 percent. As of May 18, 2020, it was at 73.3 percent total of self-reporting of which 64.1 percent were online. In 2010, the county had a total response rate of 73.6 percent.

Some other municipalities numbers as of May 18, 2020:

City of Grand Rapids: 65.6 percent of which 54.5 were online. In 2010, it had a response rate of 69.7.

City of Grandville: 81.1 percent of which 73.4 were online. In 2010, it had a response rate of 79.8.

Caledonia Township: 81 percent of which 73.6 were online. In 2010, it had a response rate of 81.2.

Byron Township: 79.9 percent of which 72.5 were online. In 2010, it had a response rate of 76.3

Still time to respond

Due to the COVID-19 and a majority of the nation placed on lockdown to help prevent the spread, the U.S. Census Bureau announced it has delayed the counts. U.S. lawmakers still need to sign off on the new schedule.

According to the U.S. Census website, residents will have until Oct. 31 to self-respond. Non-response follow-up with census fieldworkers going out will be Aug. 11 to Oct. 31. The U.S. Census Bureau is pushing back the 2020 U.S. Census report to the president from Dec. 31, 2020 to April 30, 2021 with the president delivering the counts to Congress within 14 days. States would receive numbers for redistricting by July 31, 2021 instead of April 1, 2021. 

WKTV features launch of cargo ship to International Space Station

3-bottom, WKTV Projects,
JAZA/HTV-9 will head to the International Space Station on Wednesday, May 20. (NASA)

By Kelly Taylor
kelly@wktv.org

On Wednesday, May 20, the WKTV Government 26 channel will be featuring live coverage of the launch of the JAXA/HTV-9 cargo ship from Tanegashima, Japan, to the International Space Station.

Coverage, which is provided by NASA TV, will start at 1 p.m. with the launch scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The JAXA.HTV-9 is an automated cargo spaceship used to resupply the International Space Station and the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module.

Live coverage will continue on Monday, May 25, at 6:45 a.m .for the rendezvous and capture of the cargo ship to the International Space Station. The capture is scheduled to the place at 8:15 a.m.

For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.

NASA TV can be seen on WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.

Regional environmental experts distribute education videos on social media

3-bottom, ,
Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds presents education videos. (Supplied)

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

The Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (LGROW) has unveiled plans to produce free educational videos through the end of the traditional school year (June 5), and share those videos with the public on social media. The organization has already produced 20 videos, all of which are now are available for viewing on its Facebook page and YouTube channel.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the learning landscape for Michigan teachers, parents and students”, said Wendy Ogilvie, Director of Environmental Programs at Grand Valley Metropolitan Council. “We have always provided hands-on environmental programs for students at our partner schools. With caregivers taking on new responsibilities for their children’s education, we decided to share elements of our traditional hands-on programs in a format that provides educational support to caregivers at home as well as our partner teachers.”

On Meadownview Street is featured in the May 18 video.

The LGROW staff began producing and posting the videos on May 18. Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, LGROW hosts a Facebook Live session at 1:00 pm. The content is recorded and then shared on LGROW’s Facebook page. The videos focus on inspiring children and families to get outdoors and enjoy the watershed. They include demonstrations of science experiments and place-based activities, read-aloud story times with water-related books, and nature-themed craft tutorials.

“We’re extremely proud of the work the Environmental Programs team does every day, but their innovative approach during the COVID-19 pandemic is especially impressive,” said John Weiss, Executive Director of the Grand Valley Metropolitan Council.  These videos clearly show how committed the staff is to sharing information about water quality and our environment.”

The archived videos can be accessed via the LGROW YouTube channel or clicking here. Upcoming topics are May 20 Soak up the stormwater experiment; May 22 craft activity A-Maze-ing Water; May 25 story “Beyond the Pond” by Joseph Kuefler; May 27 demonstration Who polluted the Grand River?; May 29 craft project Aquatic Plant Art; June 1 story on clean air action; June 3 a demonstration clean air action; and June 5 a craft project on clean air action.

Why socialization is important for aging adults

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

By Vista Springs Assisted Living


As you age, it can be difficult to be as socially active as you once were. You might find yourself making excuses or giving friends a rain check on social gatherings. However, this kind of social avoidance can lead to serious consequences for your physical and mental health. Take a look and see why socialization is so important for aging adults.

Why don’t seniors socialize?

It’s very common for seniors and older adults to avoid socializing at the same rates they did when they were younger. But why? For some, it’s because of the decreased mobility they have as they age. When it’s hard to drive or get in and out of vehicles, or if you need to use a walker or wheelchair to get around, going out and socializing becomes a demanding and laborious task.


In addition to struggling with mobility, seniors can find themselves having much less energy throughout the day and becoming exhausted quickly—making evening dinners and events tiring rather than invigorating. It also becomes more difficult to navigate unknown environments, so staying at home becomes a preferable option to going out. 


For some seniors, there are more than just physical barriers between themselves and socialization. As adults age, it can become more and more challenging to be emotionally available for family and friends. Seniors may be upset at their condition or frustrated in general, and want to avoid interactions and isolate themselves thinking that will be the better option. However, the opposite is often true.

Socialization lowers rates of depression

Depression is unfortunately a common mental health problem among seniors. Senior depression is usually brought on by the loneliness or guilt seniors feel when they isolate themselves as they age. Symptoms include:

  • Lack of energy & motivation
  • Feelings of sadness or despair
  • Difficulty sleeping (or sleeping much longer than normal)
  • Feelings of self-loathing
  • Sudden weight loss or gain
  • Slower movement & speech
  • Increased abuse of alcohol
  • Neglecting personal care (like showering, grooming, or eating)
  • Loss of interest in hobbies
  • Thoughts of suicide

While older adults who feel this way might not want to socialize, isolation always makes depression worse. Socialization provides opportunities to learn, converse, laugh, and be stimulated—all of which can make depression more bearable for seniors. Socialization can also decrease the odds of getting senior depression at all.


Remember, if you are at all concerned that you or a loved one is suffering from depression, get help and speak to a professional right away.

Socialization improves memory and can help prevent dementia

Over the years there have been countless studies that have linked a lack of socialization to an increased risk of dementia and other memory diseases. As adults age, it’s important that the brain remains stimulated and engaged. Socialization can help seniors maintain proper cognitive function by exercising their brains in different ways then it works while someone is alone.


In fact, a very recent study suggests that interactions with friends (who are not relatives) can decrease dementia risk by as much as 12%. Socialization decreases the stress on the brain that can slow down mental functions, and well as create a “reserve” of mental energy, all while promoting healthy behavior and interaction.


Want to learn more about dementia? Download the FREE eBook here!


It’s important that your brain doesn’t just sit in your head as you age, and socializing with others can challenge your cognitive thinking and functions in helpful ways that build brain strength and endurance.

Socialization makes seniors happier and healthier

It’s not just mental health that can be improved with socialization—it can also help boost your physical energy as well. Studies have made connections between lowered social activity and high blood pressure, and some new theories are suggesting that high rates of social interaction can lower the chances of osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and cardiovascular disease in older adults.


Most importantly, social interaction makes people happier. Seniors who are socially active are more likely to be physically active as well, and they are less stressed, have longer lifespans, and have greater self-esteem than seniors who are isolated. 

Social opportunities near you

There are plenty of ways for you to be social, or to help a loved one stay social as they age. Opportunities for socialization include:

Senior living communities like assisted living give people plenty of opportunities to grow socially without needing to find ways to leave home or travel to other locations. Because of the group environment and daily activities in senior living, there are plenty of ways to cultivate new relationships and meet people socially without dealing with stress.


Reprinted with permission from Vista Springs Assisted Living.





Exalta Health president resigns, interim president comes from board of directors

3-bottom, Community Health, Health, Local Faces, Non-Profits,
Exalta Health provides health care to an underserved population at two clinics, one in the 2000 block of Division Avenue. (WKTV)

By WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org

After less than three months on the job, the president of Exalta Health — a south Grand Rapids healthcare provider to persons regardless of their employment, health insurance and limited financial ability — has resigned and the organization will now be led by an interim president.

Exalta serves residents of both Wyoming and Kentwood.

Exalta Health announced early this month that former Byron Center School District superintendent Dan Takens, who took over as Exalta Health president in early February “decided last week that he needed to resign for personal reasons and the board reluctantly accepted that resignation.”

Ed Postma. (Exalta Health)

Takens replaced Bill Paxton, who had retired. Ed Postma, a member of the Exalta Health Board of Directors and a former chair of the board, will take over as interim president as the board enters a new search process, according to supplied material.

Postma worked at Amway for almost four decades in international contract compliance, risk management and international business development, and he is presently a consultant with Cross Creek Consulting.

“Even in the midst of COVID-19,” Postma said in supplied material, “when we have seen fewer patients in person, it has been clear to me and to many others how important Exalta Health is to a part of our population that is often ignored.

“Not just our medical and dental services, but our behavioral and spiritual care services have been a lifeline to many. People know we are here for them, and we plan for that message to continue to come through loud and clear in this time of transition too.”

According to supplied material, in 2019, Exalta Health served 1,099 medical patients, 1,210 dental patients and provided just over 9,000 total services. Staff at the facility includes a medical director, a dental director, social workers, a chaplain and a variety of administrative positions. It also relies on more than 100 medical, dental and other volunteers annually to provide its services.

About 17 percent of Exalta Health patients have insurance, of which most use Medicaid, meaning insurance is just 4.2 percent of its revenue. “The donor community, including businesses, individuals, churches and foundations, helps cover the gap between what services cost and what patients can pay,” according to the Exalta Health statement.

Exalta Heath is located at 2060 Division Ave S. For more information visit exaltahealth.org.

Snapshots: WKTV healthy food stories you might have missed

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Food, Going Local, Health, Local Business, Local Entertainment, Local Food, Upcoming Events

By WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org

Quote of the Day

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces — just good food from fresh ingredients.”

Julia Child

Local farmer’s markets are open, opening

Among the announcements of cancellations and/or delays in programming comes some good news: many area farmers markets such as the Metro Health Farm Market and the City of Kentwood Farmers Market will open as scheduled. Get the latest news on when and where. Go here for the story.

A customers picks up a delivery from Green Wagon Farms at the Ada location of a local REKO market in early May. (WKTV)

Shop the Finnish way … Go REKO!

There are many models for consumers to “buy local and eat local” — home and community gardens, farmer’s markets, CSAs, farm stands — but a group of small, local producers are giving the European-bred REKO model a try, and doing so for many reasons. Go here for the story.

Eating the Mediterranean Way … wine anyone?

We always hear about the latest fad diet, but don’t we often wonder what really works? The Mediterranean diet, however, isn’t a diet so much as it’s a way of living. Go here for the story.

Fun fact:

8 percent (longer life)

There are several studies that have been associated the Mediterranean diet with a longer life. One review conducted by Italian researchers on an overall population of over 4,000,000 showed that a diet can reduce risk of death by 8 percent. Source.

Wyoming Parks and Rec offer free home kits

3-bottom, City of Wyoming,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

The Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department announced it will be offering free Rec at Home Kits.

These kits will consist of fun activities for your children to do at home. There are total of 200 kits. To receive a kit, a child should be pre-registered to receive a kit. The activity number is 300000_01.

Kits may be picked up at 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 21, at the Wyoming Senior Center, 2380 DeHoop Ave. SW. Additional pickup information will be emailed to all who registered.

If you have any questions, contact the Wyoming Parks and Recreation through email parks_info@wyomingin.gov.

School News Network: Looking at Fall and Beyond

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

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

All Districts: School leaders working together to plan fall and beyond

Now that school districts have distance learning up and running, local education leaders are turning their attention to the next urgent concern: the future of schooling. An ad hoc committee of 13 Kent ISD school leaders — which includes Wyoming Superintendent Craig Hoekstra and Godfrey-Lee Superintendent Kevin Polston — are working on contingency plans to prepare for the next school year and beyond. To learn more about the discussion, click here. 


Tara Jones plays with son, Cole, during a Bright Beginnings playgroup. (School News Network)

All Districts: Supporting parents as teachers

Bright Beginnings, which offers parents support and services to help them become the best first teachers for their children, recently received a Blue Ribbon accreditation from the Missouri-based Parents as Teachers program. Free to families in the Kent ISD, to learn more about the program and the accreditation, click here. 


Cast members from Godfrey-Lee’s production of ‘The Wiz’ prior to school building closures (courtesy photo/School News Network)

Godfrey-Lee/Wyoming: The show might go on

Last year it was snow days, this year it was COVID-19 that caused area schools, such as Godfrey-Lee and Wyoming, shutdown with school productions left in limbo. And while the show may not happen – some directors remain hopeful – there still is the story of community that brought everyone together. To learn more, click here. 

Stayin’ Alive: Independent music venues band together to survive COVID-19, plan for future

3-bottom, Local Business, Local Entertainment, Local Faces, Recreation, ,
The now quiet and empty Pyramid Scheme concert room. (Pyramid Scheme Facebook)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

People who know the local independent music scene know there are not two more different venues than Grand Rapids’ Pyramid Scheme and Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up — at the first, you’ll likely loose your voice screaming for bands like The Beths or Fruition; at the second, you’ll quietly chill to the sounds of Darlingside.

But both venues, along with more than 1,000 “independent” music clubs and promoters across the county, are trying to find a little power in numbers — and help themselves survive the crippling impact of COVID-19 — by joining the newly established National Independent Venue Association.

While independent venues and promoters are small businesses, nationwide, the estimated direct annual impact they provide to their local communities nears $10 billion, according to the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA). In addition to supporting employees and artists who are dependent upon live music for their livelihoods, the industry serves as a “magnet and financial engine for local economies … for every dollar small venues generate in tickets sales, area restaurants, hotels, and retail establishments realize $12 in revenue.”

But that same group also reports that 90 percent of members informally predict they will not be able to reopen if there is no financial support and the shutdown extends to six months.

To find out what is the current mood, and long term outlook, of the independent music industry, here in West Michgian and across the country, WKTV visited the eerily empty rooms of Pyramid Scheme and Seven Steps up last week.

What we found was a bleak present with stages dark and employees on unemployment, but an unclear future unless venues can get clarity on when and how they can reopen, get some some government help.

The problems started even before the two venue were forced to close their doors to the public, back in mid-March.

Pyramid Scheme co-owner Tami VandenBerg. (WKTV)

“It has been a nightmare couple of months, as you an imagine, sort of cascading from March,” Tami VandenBerg, co-founder and co-owner of Pyramid Scheme, said to WKTV. “The first sign of huge trouble was when we heard South by Southwest (annual independent music festival in Austin) might be cancelled. Myself and other members of my team go down there. That is a massive event for our industry. … That was a big red flag.”

And then came not only musicians cancelling but national and state restrictions on certain businesses where people would congregate.

“It was devastating to layoff all our staff and cancel all our shows,” VandenBerg said, trying to count how many shows were cancelled. “It was brutal. Spring is usually a really busy time for us. … it is clear this is an epic mess.”

 

Michelle Hanks, who with husband Gary Hanks, own and manger Seven Steps Up, also saw the train wreck coming and could do nothing about it.

Michelle and Gary Hanks, owners and mangers of Seven Steps Up. (WKTV)

“It came to a crashing halt on March 14, that’s when we got the call,” Michelle Hanks said to WKTV. “Our last show was March 8. … Most of the shows have not been cancelled, they have been rescheduled. We just don’t have dates for them. … We are already discussing rescheduling for the third time, in some cases.”

In the case of Seven Step Up, Michelle Hanks said “probably going into the neighborhood of 45 to 50” shoes have been delayed or lost all together. At Pyramid Scheme, VandenBreg simply pointed out a busy spring schedule would usually see bands in four of five nights a week.

“Part of the issue with this industry is that it is not just Seven Steps Up, it’s — I loved one of the ways somebody said it — we are an ecosystem,” Michelle Hanks said. “We are an ecosystem of independent venues and independent artists. … The artists really need to tour across the United States, not just here and there.”

Financial losses mount, but unified action could help

Small music venues, like large concert venues and neighborhood brew pubs, are suffering financial hardship partly due to a “first to close; last to open” scenario — coupled with no concrete date of return.

A crowd at the Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids. (Pyramid Scheme Facebook)

According to supplied material, independent music industry magazine Pollstar estimated a $9 billion loss in ticket sales alone — not counting food and beverage revenue — if venues remain closed through the end of the year.

“We have been hit, already hit, extremely hard,” VandenBerg said. “And we will be one of the last places to reopen, as I have seen in the Governor’s plan. We’ll be able to open our front bar sooner, with limited capacity and protective gear. … but in term of live music, that is one of the last things that is going to open.”

“The big challenge is the uncertainty,” Gary Hanks said. “We are postponing and putting dates put there, after in the fall and winter, but all of us — agents, artists, venues — don’t really know if those are going to happen. … We may be told we can reopen, but we may be told there are going to be so many restrictions on that, in terms of audience size, that it, just financially, can’t work.”

Both VandenBerg and the Hanks agree they see some hope in their joining the NIVA, and the group’s work in Lansing and Washington, D.C., to request emergency governmental relief they can actually use.

In general, the NIVA is seeking modifications to small business loans and the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), tax relief, mortgage and rent forbearance, continued unemployment insurance for employees and “guidance on how to reopen safely when the time comes,” according to supplied material.

NIVA  wrote a letter to Congress in late April advocating for “targeted legislative and regulatory assistance.” In part, the letter read:

“Without your help, thousands of independent venues will not survive to the day when our doors can open to the public again. While we have no income, we do have essential employees, employee benefits, debts with personal guarantees, rents or mortgages, utilities, insurance, local, state and federal taxes, and the massive burden of ticket refunds for more than 100,000 canceled shows due to COVID-19.”

One area of advocacy is to have ticket refunds become allowable as business losses — Seven Steps Up has given more than $4,000 in refunds and, “for us, that’s a killer,” Gary Hanks said.

 

A key group effort is waiving the PPP requirement for loan forgiveness to be contingent on employee retention if companies have no work to offer employees for several months — currently for loan forgiveness business have to bring people back to within a few weeks.

“One of the things that is a challenge for us, and for other small venues like us, is we can’t just bring our employees back for one show,” Michelle Hanks said. “They will loose their unemployment, at least for that week. … We have to be able to get up and do a regular number of shows for it to make any kinds of sense for anyone.”

Darlingside at Seven Steps Up. (Seven Steps Up Facebook)

Seven Steps Up usually has 7-9 part-time employees for 132-seat sold-out shows.

Pyramid Scheme “on a really busy night, a sold-put night, when we’ve got 420 folks in the back (in the concert room) and another 200 up front (in a bar area), those are our capacities, we can have 15 people working, from sound to security to bartenders,” “VandenBerg said. “When I think about when we will be able to get back to that (level of employment), I just don’t know. It’s really heartbreaking.”

A hopeful future, with a little help from their friends

Both VandenBerg and the Hanks said despite their current and short term problems, they are hopeful.

“In the midst of all this depressing uncertainty, the formation of NIVA has at least given us a glimmer of hope that our nine plus years of blood, sweat, and tears will not go down the drain,” Michelle Hanks said. “Out of crises, good things can sprout up.

“Independent venues have been so independent, fiercely independent, of each other. We don’t typically talk about anything,” she said. “So bringing all the venues together, we are talking about developing best practices for how we deal with things like merch areas, green rooms, queuing people into the venues, security. … That’s been really, really great. But in terms of what they are doing nationally, for us, there is a huge campaign going on right now to contact our elected officials.”

But support the community, from small venue music fans — the “scream at the top of your lungs” crowd or the “kick-back and chill” in a listening room crowd — is and will always be essential for such venues, whether it is buying some merch, or buying tickets for shows that may be delayed, or GoFundMe fundraisers.

“If people love live music, there is several great venues in West Michigan alone … If they want to help, find your venue that you love to go to” and support them in anyway you can,” Michelle Hanks said.

 

For more information on the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) visit NIVAssoc.org. For more information on Seven Steps Up, located at 116 S. Jackson., Spring Lake, visit sevenstepsup.com. for more information on Pyramid Scheme, located at 68 Commerce SW, Grand Rapids, visit pyramidschemebar.com.

Rain keeps crowds low for Metro Health Farm Market opening

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, ,
Miriam Tenhaaf and her brother Paul from Diemer’s Farm and Greenhouse braved the cold and rain to attend the opening day of the Metro Health Farm Market. (WKTV)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Social distancing certainly was not a problem at the opening of the Metro Health Farm Market on Thursday as mother nature controlled the crowds with rainy and cold weather.

Still some shoppers – and a few friends showing support – stopped by to check out the offerings of about nine vendors who participated in the rainy opening. Plants, flowers, vegetables, cheese, and even hot coffee were just some of items available. Both vendors and shoppers wore masks and despite the cold weather, were happy to have the market open.

A sign at the Metro Health Farm Market reminds patrons of social distancing guidelines. (WKTV)

“We really appreciate it that it is open,” said Miriam Tenhaaf from Diemer’s Farm and Greenhouse, a family farm based in Holland. “We do most of our business through the farmers markets along with some restaurant sourcing.”

And while the Metro Health Farm Market’s Thursday opening was slow, Tenhaaf said the family has seen good numbers at other markets.

That is good news for Mike Cnossen of Cnossen Family Farms as the Metro Health Farm Market was the first event of the season for him and his wife, Helen.

“Farming is in our blood,” Cnossen said, although because of the weather and the very slow traffic (at around 10:30 a.m. there was about three customers at the market), the couple was starting to pack up for the day.

“We’re happy to see the season start and we’ll see what comes,” Cnossen said.

The Metro Health Farm Market is set up in the Metro Village located in front of the hospital. (WKTV)

The Cnossen’s market neighbor, Peter Van de Roovaart, owner of Full Circle Coffee with a store in Byron Center, said he too was glad to see the farm markets open.


“We are at several of the markets,” Van de Roovaart said, adding he plans to be at the Byron Center Famers Market which opens May 23 at Byron Center’s Bicentennial Park. Even with a physical location, Van de Roovaart said the company still does a lot of business through the farmers markets as well as its mobile truck.

The Metro Health Farm Market is open every Thursday from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., rain or shine. It is located at the Metro Health Village in front of the hospital. The market runs through Oct. 18. For a complete list of vendors, click here. Note: Due to the current governor’s executive order, only vendors selling essential items, such as food and produce, can participate at a farm market.

Water main break on 44th Street closes eastbound lanes in Kentwood

3-bottom, ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Crews in Kentwood are working to repair a water main break in front of Crestwood Middle School that has closed both eastbound lanes of 44th Street between Walnut Hills and Walma Avenue.

Traffic is being shifted to maintain one lane in each direction on the westbound side between Walnut Hills and Walma Avenue only. All traffic heading west on 44th Street approaching the site is being detoured north on Shaffer, west on 32nd and then back south on Breton. Traffic heading south on Shaffer will only be able to turn east onto 44th Street.

All drivers, but especially large trucks, are asked to avoid the area if possible. 

Though unrelated, the water main break is within a construction zone for a street resurfacing project for 44th Street from Breton to Shaffer. While that project is underway, traffic had been shifted one lane in each direction on the eastbound side. Outside of the area impacted by the water main break, traffic continues one way each direction on the eastbound side only. 

The water main break repair is expected to be completed this evening. Crews anticipate they will be able to reopen the lanes by 5 p.m. Thursday, May 14.

Wyoming keeps its Memorial Day tradition with a video twist

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, , ,
While it will not be hosting a Memorial Day ceremony, the City of Wyoming still plans to honor those who have served. (Supplied)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

One of the longest traditions in the City of Wyoming has been the annual Memorial Day ceremony to  honor the sacrifices of the men and women who have served in the U.S. military.

Even with the current COVID-19 pandemic and the governor’s extended Stay Home, Stay Safe order, the city plans to continue that tradition, according to staff. The event is just going to be a little different.

The annual ceremony, usually at the City of Wyoming’s Veterans Memorial Garden, has been cancelled. Instead, city leaders and staff are working to put together a prerecorded mashup video with members from the city singing.

“As home to the Michigan Army National Guard Grand Valley Guard Armory, the American Legion Roger B. Chaffee Post, with many of our residents having served in the military, the City of Wyoming has a long tradition of holding Memorial Day as an important day of remembrance,” stated Mayor Jack Poll. “It is important for our community to come together to honor the sacrifices of our blue star families.”

The video is scheduled to be posted on the City of Wyoming’s Facebook page around Memorial Day weekend and make sure to check out the WKTV Journal page, which will be featuring the video all day Memorial Day.

This year, Memorial Day is May 25. Memorial day, usually observed on the last Monday in May, originally honored those who were lost during the fighting of the Civil War. it has evolved over the years to include all American military personal who died in any of the wars. Most communities, such as the City of Wyoming, have marked the day with special parades and ceremonies.

Memorial Day weekend is usually the official start of summer as it is a three-day weekend for most people. However, this year, with the governor’s Stay Home, Stay Safe order extended to May 28 – the Thursday after Memorial Day – most people probably will be celebrating at home. 

How resilient are your brain connections?

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Health, Senior Living, , , , ,
Findings provide a target for drugs designed to support and maintain dendritic spine health. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


The conclusion of a recent study suggests possible new ways to prevent or slow the memory-destroying disease, Alzheimer’s, researchers said.


For the study, the researchers analyzed brain samples from patients at memory clinics and found that the presence of healthy dendritic spines (connections between neurons) provide protection against Alzheimer’s in people whose brains have proteins associated with the disease.


The findings, published in the Annals of Neurology, are the first of their kind, the study authors said.


“One of the precursors of Alzheimer’s is the development in the brain of proteins called amyloid and tau, which we refer to as the pathology of Alzheimer’s,” said the study’s lead author, Jeremy Herskowitz.


He’s an assistant professor with the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine’s department of neurology.


“However, about 30 percent of the aging population have amyloid and tau buildup but never develop dementia. Our study showed that these individuals had larger, more numerous dendritic spines than those with dementia, indicating that spine health plays a major role in the onset of disease,” Herskowitz said in a university news release.


Neurons, which are brain cells, are constantly sending out dendritic spines in search of other neurons. When they connect, a synapse—an exchange of information—occurs between neurons. This is the basis for memory and learning, the researchers explained.


“One obvious culprit in Alzheimer’s disease is the loss of dendritic spines and thus the loss of synapses,” Herskowitz said.


“This would impair the ability to think, so the assumption has been that those without dementia had healthy (dendritic) spines and those with dementia did not. But no one had gone in to see if that was true,” he noted.


Healthy dendritic spines could be genetic, or the result of beneficial lifestyle habits—such as good diet and exercise—which are known to reduce the risk of dementia, Herskowitz said.


The findings provide “a target for drugs that would be designed to support and maintain dendritic spine health in an effort to rebuild neurons or prevent their loss,” he added.


“This data suggests that rebuilding neurons is possible. And as we are better able to identify the increase of amyloid and tau early in the progression of the disease, even before symptoms arise, we might be able to one day offer a medication that can contribute to maintaining healthy dendritic spines in those with the Alzheimer’s pathology,” he concluded.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Born in Finland: Amid added desire for ‘farm to table’ consumer confidence, a new food delivery model begins

3-bottom, Community Health, Food, Going Local, Health, Local Business, Local Faces, Local Food, , ,
Customers and an herb/flower vendor at the Ada location of a local REKO market in early May. (WKTV)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

There are many models for consumers to “buy local and eat local” — home and community gardens, farmer’s markets, CSAs, farm stands — but a group of small, local producers are giving the European-bred REKO model a try, and doing so for many reasons.

Yes, the direct producer-to-consumer financial model is good for sustainable agriculture businesses. And, yes, there is something about being able to see the fields and greenhouses where your root vegetables, or micro-greens, were grown.

But in the age COVID-19 and other concerns of food safety, of wondering how many hands have touched your food before yours, the Facebook-based sales model developed in Finland and mostly unheard of in the U.S. — pronounced “RA-ko” — also holds a certain attraction.

Karin Uebbing, of Byron Center’s Woodbridge Dairy Farm. (WKTV)

The model’s direct producer-to-consumer ordering and delivery system “shortens the (number of) hands that touch food, there is less of a line to get to your food,” Karin Uebbing, of Byron Center’s Woodbridge Dairy Farm, said to WKTV last week, at the opening day of a weekly delivery location in Ada. (The REKO also has a delivery location in Holland.)

Currently local vendors can be found at rekomarket.com, and the list includes bakeries and a local ice cream producer in addition to farms producing vegetables, meats, eggs, tea, herbs, honey, maple syrup, cornmeal, and even wool and locally-made compost — Jenison’s Wormies Vermicompost is a member.

“We are a pasture-based protein farm … meat and eggs, (our) milk is a heard-share. That’s a little bid different,” Uebbing said of her farm’s offerings.

Rebecca Henderson, farm manager at Ada’s Green Wagon Farms. (WKTV)

The driving force behind the new market concept, Rebecca Henderson, farm manager at Ada’s Green Wagon Farms, explained the system: Each week, small-scale, sustainable farmers and producers post available products to a public Facebook group, managing their own sales from their online stores. Then bags of food are brought to the drop-off locations for pickup.

And unlike many Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups, a membership is not required, and consumers can order one week and not the next, depending on what’s available.

“Right now we have a whole lot of leafy greens,” Henderson said to WKTV. “But we are about to get into the summer season, so pretty soon we’ll have summer crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers. But right now we have everything from kale to lettuce (and root crops from) beets to carrots to parsnips.”

History of REKO, in Europe and in Michigan

“Reko is a trade model that started in Finland about seven years ago, it is spread pretty widely across Europe,” Henderson said. “We first heard of REKO at the Northern Michigan Farm Conference in 2019 from Swedish farmer Richard Perkins.

A customers picks up a delivery from Green Wagon Farms at the Ada location of a local REKO market in early May. (WKTV)

“There are so many great things about REKO for the consumer, but for us, the presale market is efficient, eliminates wasted product we might have at the end of a slow day at the farmers market, and requires virtually no setup or tear-down.”

And, echoing Uebbing, there is a “producers’ hands to consumer’s hands” advantage.

“It produces a quick and easy transition between producers and consumers,” Henderson said to WKTV. “We have always enjoyed (a personal relationship between producers and consumers). We go to the farmers market year around. We see weekly, dedicated customers coming to us. We get to build relationships with those people.

“It is great for consumers to build that relationship with their producers. But, also, in light of everything that is going on, people care more and more where their food is coming from. There is a huge surge in local food right now. Consumers want to know their food is being handled safely. We have had this idea, to bring this Reko model to the local market, and there is no better time to do it.”

How the local REKO works

As explained by the local REKO’s promotional material: “For the consumer, (the model) brings market-shopping into the digital age, allows for planning and shopping to be done in the comfort of your own home — and accelerates the actual pickup time to a short weekly errand, instead of a half-day event. In the days of COVID-19, avoiding congested grocery stores, supporting local businesses, and finding a one-stop pickup for a variety of staple goods is particularly meaningful.”

Customers and vendors at the Ada location of a local REKO market in early May. (WKTV)

As witnessed at the Ada drop-off location last week, until further notice, REKO is et up for no-contact pickup, requiring social distancing and masks for all shoppers and producers. Pre-payment options are available, and desired, for most vendors.

Availability from producers will be posted weekly on the Facebook group for each drop-off location (Holland and Ada) as producers may not attend every week and require different order deadlines. Market shoppers must place their orders prior to the deadline and pick up their pre-packed orders within the short pickup window.

The two current REKO markets are Thursdays from 3-3:30 p.m. in Ada, at The Community Church, and from 12-1 p.m. in Holland, at the Holland Town Center and the hope is to continue the markets year-round.

“For us, I’m not trying to feed the world, I’m just trying to feed the community,” Woodbridge Dairy Farm’s Uebbing said. “It’s what allows us, as a farm, to stay in business. We are direct to the end-consumer. If I didn’t have them, we would not be here.”

School News Network: Creative classroom learning

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, , ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Note: some of these stories took place before the governor’s official closing of schools with education moving online. These are just some of the unique and interesting ways are teachers are working to bring creative ways to the classroom. For more stories on local schools, visit the School News Network website, schoolnewsnetwork.org.


Dawt Khun focuses on letters (School News Network)

Kentwood: Fancy F’s and elegant L’s

Some have put cursive writing in the category of lost arts. Not true at Kentwood’s Crestwood Middle School, where language arts teacher Anne Brown is keeping the the flow of writing alive. For more, click here. 


Dominic Russell and Quaa Doxie work together on their wheel

Kelloggsville: Working from concrete to abstract in Algebra 2

Kelloggsville High School Rick Jackson puts a new spin on trigonometry by having his students get hands on in the construction of a popsicle Ferris wheel. To learn more, click here.


Maggie Santos and Elijah Brown embellish the busts they’ve made. (School News Network)

Godwin Heights: A look in the mirror cures self-expression

Before the mandated school closure, the classroom was in the middle of a 10-week artist residency offered by Artists Creating Together (ACT). Each week Annalise Hammerlund, the artist-in-residence who worked with Lisa Kotarski’s Godwin Heights class, visited the classroom to lead students in an art lesson that challenged them to learn a bit more about themselves and to express themselves through art. To learn more about this program, click here.


From left, Craig Thompson, from the city of Grand Rapids, and Aleka C. Thrash, owner of Naturally ACT, talk to students during Student StartUp Day. (School News Network)

All District: Getting down to business

In the first-ever Student StartUp Day, which took place the week before the school shutdown, area students got a lesson in what it takes to start your own business and a chance to pitch ideas to area business leaders. To learn more, click here.

Inner City Christian Federation expands family emergency shelter housing

3-bottom, Community Health, Going Local, Health, Non-Profits,
The kitchen and dining room of Inner City Christian Federation’s new homeless family housing unit suitable for a small family. (Supplied)

By WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org

The Inner City Christian Federation (ICCF), reacting to a need for more COVID-19 related family “stay-at-home” housing, announced this week that it has expanded its emergency shelter services with a recently renovated and opened 3-bedroom home in Grand Rapids immediately adjacent to its existing 5-unit emergency shelter, Family Haven.

According to supplied material, the new space was purchased from the City of Grand Rapids and allows ICCF to “serve and support additional families experiencing homelessness” during the current coronavirus conditions.
 

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our neighbors experiencing homelessness are facing even more challenging obstacles to finding stable housing. Adding to our capacity at Family Haven at a time like this was the right thing to do,” Ryan VerWys, CEO and President of ICCF, said in supplied material. “We’re thrilled to be able to offer another place in our community where entire families experiencing homelessness can stay together in a safe, clean, welcoming environment while they find permanent housing.”

The new housing unit is a 3-bedroom house suitable for a small family, according to supplied material. The exact street location was not made public.

Renovations were completed with “tremendous support” from local churches, businesses, and volunteers. New mechanicals, including a new furnace, were donated by a local distributor. Plumbing and HVAC work was donated by DHE in Hudsonville.
 

The home was furnished with “generous donations” from Huizen’s Furniture, Estate Sales Warehouse, Ada Bible Church, Covenant Christian Reformed Church, and Berean Baptist Church.

ICCF is the oldest non-profit affordable housing provider in the state of Michigan, according to supplied material. Active in the Grand Rapids area since 1974, ICCF serves more than 2,200 households a year through its programs and services. Program offerings include Family Haven emergency shelter, 439 units of affordable rental housing, newly constructed homes for purchase, homeownership education and financial counseling.

For more information visit www.iccf.org.

‘Happy calls’ help connect elderly to the world

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood,
Care Resources PACE staff member makes on the 400-plus “Happy Calls” to program participants. (Supplied)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Two days a week Kentwood resident Beverly Artlip, 82, would visit the Care Resources PACE (Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly)  day care program, meeting up with friends, participating in activities, and checking in with staff.

That all abruptly ended when the governor’s executive Stay Home, Stay Safe order went into effect on March 24. Artlip’s connection to the world became the television and her activities centered more on reading.

That was until the phone rang a few weeks ago and a friendly voice from Care Resources PACE asked how she was doing.

“It is very comforting to know that someone cares and that they are concerned,” Artlip said.

What started as welfare calls to check on its nearly 250 elderly program participants has become what Care Resource PACE staff refer to as “happy calls,” where staff reach out to the members simply to chat.

“You talk to them about different things,” said Sue Pence, a transportation coordinator for Care Resource PACE, who joined the team to help make the “happy calls.” “You talk to them about different hobbies, what they are doing and how things are going.”

For Pence, the calls also have provided an opportunity to connect with those in the adult daycare program, where she worked before she became a transportation coordinator.

“It is nice to be able to reconnect with people I have not talked to in awhile,” she said, adding that some of the conversations can be pretty funny.

“There was one person who had this bird and it kept pooping on everything and she was talking about making it diapers and then we started talking about if you could even make diapers for a bird,” Pence said with a laugh adding others have asked about her finding a man for them — preferably a millionaire.

Care Resources is a community-based program with the PACE program being federally and state funded. The PACE program is designed to keep residents within their community for as long as possible, helping residents with medical and emotional needs. During the Stay Home, Stay Safe order, the “happy calls” provide a way for staff to check on the overall medical and emotional needs of each of its participants.

 

“Many of these people don’t have family or a connection into the community so this is a way for them to feel connected and, secondly, we are family to them,” Pence said.

 

Pence estimates that she makes about 15 to 25 calls a week, adding that the entire staff makes about 400 to 600 calls a week. The average call is around 35 minutes. “Sometimes it is shorter because the person just wants to check in and other times it is a little longer,” Pence said, adding that some of the people she will call two to three times a week.

Artlip said she receives about four calls a week, all from different people which makes it fun.

“We talk about different things,” she said. “It is just plain nice to have somebody to talk to.”

Care Resources PACE staff member gets ready to deliver activity packets to program participants. (Supplied)

Along with the calls, Care Resources PACE also has been providing activity packets filled with puzzles and word searches, which Artlip said have been a nice break in her routine. 

And while receiving the calls and packets are nice, Artlip said she can’t wait to get back to the center to see her friends, but as a former nurse, Artlip also recognizes the need for caution as the world deals with COVID-19.

Pence agreed she too can’t wait to see all the friendly faces as well, since now through those “happy calls” they have a few stories to share and laugh about when they do get the chance to have that face-to-face meet up again.

Regional strategies work best doing times of disaster, GVSU researcher says

3-bottom, , ,

By Dottie Barnes
GVSU

For more than a decade, Davia Downey, associate professor of public, nonprofit and health administration, has focused her research on American disaster response.

Downey said responding to public health disasters, like COVID-19, is particularly difficult.

“All communities have hazard response plans for earthquakes, hurricanes, public health events and even terrorist attacks,” said Downey. “In most of these cases there is some warning or chatter before the disaster. That’s not the case with an infectious disease.”

While states and localities across the country have disaster management plans, Downey said most don’t pay attention to those plans until a disaster happens. “Too often, our best thinking happens after the disaster,” she said.

 

Assessing the response to COVID-19, Downey said two pieces are working well at the state level. First, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is consulting with statisticians, business owners, public health officials and emergency planners, while utilizing an internal metric system unique to Michigan.

Second, Downey said Michigan is looking to external partners about the sharing of resources. One way to facilitate this is through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. All 50 states are part of EMAC in order to share knowledge, coordinate deployment of critical supplies and help each other take care of critical needs that arise.

Davia Downey, GVSU associate professor of public

There is also a lot of information that can be gained by looking back at the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, Downey said. That is the last time a global shutdown occurred because of a severely infectious disease that impacted multitudes of countries all at once.

“The one thing that is really beneficial is now we have the Internet. We have the ability to share information much more quickly,” she said. “I have been impressed with the amount of knowledge that is being shared openly and across state and country borders.”

Downey said there are already a few lessons that can be learned from COVID-19: emergency management needs to be global and not siloed, strong networks in the beginning are the most effective tool and regional strategies work best.

“The best way to recover from this type of disaster is to have strong collaboration networks. The places that will be left out of recovery will be directly related to the amount of collaboration those communities, states or countries were engaged in prior to and during this evolving disaster,” she said.

Downey noted there’s a human element to how people deal with the unknown which colors the way they think about how to respond to a disaster.

“That comes from our amount of discounting. If we haven’t come down with COVID-19, we have a tendency to discount the severity of what’s happening,” she explained. “Our tendency to discount things not at our front door is problematic in a disaster because it hinders our ability to think clearly about how to proceed.”

What is holistic care for seniors?

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

By Vista Springs Assisted Living


There are new advancements being made in medical fields everyday, which can mean great things for seniors who are in need of medical treatment. Even as scientific progress continues to make a significant impact, it’s just as important to meet the needs of a patient that go beyond medical care at the same time. A person’s physical, emotional, and mental states are just as important as their physical condition. 


So how do we meet those needs? Holistic care is an approach to healing that works to include all areas of a person’s wellbeing in their treatment plan. Most people are confused about what holistic care means and how it can apply to them — and in the case of seniors who need care, how it can improve their lives. Let’s take a look at what holistic care is and how it can apply to your loved one’s care plan. 

What is holistic care?

Holistic care is centered around a philosophy of healing the whole person. This means looking at a patient as a person first, not as a diagnosis or set of care needs. Holistic care takes into consideration other aspects of a person beyond the physical, including their feelings, emotions, and overall state of mind throughout their care journey.


In addition, holistic care tries to fix the cause of a condition instead of just managing the physical symptoms of sickness. Holistic treatments include not only the traditional remedies that you would receive from a regular doctor, but also different ways to help treat conditions that go beyond traditional medicine. 


Take, for example, migraines. If someone complained of migraines, a holistic medical practitioner would give the patient medication to manage pain just like most doctors. However, they would also look at what could be behind the headaches, such as a bad diet, poor sleep, or high stress levels. They would then suggest additional treatments for those factors, like a new diet plan, different habits for better sleep, or a massage or meditation course to help decrease stress.


Holistic care practitioners try to make patients feel dignified, respected, and heard by considering the physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual needs of a patient. Common examples of holistic care include:

Holistic care & seniors

As people age and become seniors, they generally find themselves struggling with more and more health problems. This can be incredibly difficult to handle, especially if pain is a daily symptom. Many seniors look to avoid having an overwhelming amount of prescriptions and medications, many of which come with serious side effects.


While the benefits of medical science have undeniably come a long way, it’s also important that seniors feel valued as people. Holistic care can be a great supplemental option for seniors who want to maintain their dignity, feel valued and respected, and have different options for treatments and pain management alongside traditional remedies. 


Holistic care can have additional benefits that make a big impact on seniors, including:

  • Opportunities for socialization
  • Healthy relationships with long-term caregivers
  • Cognitive development and maintenance
  • An increased sense of self-worth and self-respect
  • Staying independent for longer
  • Spiritual and religious comfort 

Seniors don’t want to feel like a burden on their caregivers, and a brusque attitude can make them feel as though they aren’t being valued as people first and foremost. Seniors with serious illnesses can quickly become depressed if they aren’t treated with compassion and respect. Therefore, it makes sense that holistic care can go a long way in helping seniors mentally, emotionally, and physically.



Kentwood parks system to expand with donation, purchase of 109-acre Christian Athletic Complex

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, Going Local, Health, Local History, Recreation, Sports, ,
An athlete working out on one of the fields at the currently called Christian Athletic Complex, which will now become a City of Kentwood park titled Covenant Park. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)

By WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org

The City of Kentwood’s parks and recreation system is set to expand greatly as the City Commission last week approved the acquisition of nearly 109 acres of the property known as the Christian Athletic Complex .

 

Accord to a statement from the city, an anonymous donor gave a “substantial” gift to the Kentwood Community Foundation for the purchase of a parcel, located at 3402 36th St. SE, with the conditions it will be used by the city for park and recreational purposes.

Previously owned by the Christian Reformed Recreation Center, the property contains a golf course, softball fields, soccer fields and a clubhouse, as well as picnic pavilions and other outbuildings. The property will now be named Covenant Park and feature a dedication plaque from the anonymous donor’s family.

“In our ongoing planning for the next 50 years, we are always exploring ways we can improve the quality of life and expand both recreational and economic opportunities for our residents, visitors and our region,” Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley said in supplied material. “The strategic location and size of this property lend itself to our goals of continuously meeting the needs of our community and West Michigan. We are humbled by the opportunity this donation presents for us, underscoring that even in these trying times, good things are still happening.

“Our park and trail system is one of the true gems of our community. We are very grateful to the donor, the donor’s family and the Kentwood Community Foundation for this generous donation of the Christian Athletic Complex, which will allow the city to preserve the property as a valued recreational destination in Kentwood for generations to come.”

The property has frontage and access points both off Shaffer Avenue SE and 36th Street SE. It is bordered by industrially zoned property to the east and a mix of residentially zoned properties to the north, west and south.

 

Plans for development of the property and how it will be incorporated within the current park system will begin soon, according to the city statement. The city will include the property and its development in the master planning process. The City has updated its Parks and Recreation Business Plan and completed master planning all of its existing community parks in 2018.

Parcel split; soccer club gains home

As part of the agreement, the CAC property, which was originally one parcel of nearly 120 acres, was split into two. While the city will receive the 109-acre parcel, the remaining approximately 11-acre parcel will be donated to and owned by nonprofit soccer organization Midwest United Football Club for its continued operations for the next 30 years.

A sign seen from 36th Street at the currently called Christian Athletic Complex, which will now become a City of Kentwood park titled Covenant Park. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)

According to the city’s statement, Midwest United FC’s mission is “to provide a quality soccer program that promotes the growth of, and the appreciation for, the game of soccer to kids in West Michigan.” The organization strives to promote the highest levels of sportsmanship, develop soccer skills and increase the understanding of the sport of soccer for their pleasure, with the possibility to play the game at the college level or beyond.

“Today, we are thankful for the generosity and faith a donor had in our organization and mission,” Midwest United FC General Manager Kristie Hollingsworth said in supplied material. “This faith and generosity provided an opportunity for Midwest United FC to call the property our true home and will allow new partnerships to form.”

History of Christian Athletic Complex

The Christian Athletic Complex has served a wide area of community needs over the years, including recreational activities for people of all ages and venue space for corporate events, meetings and open houses.

The currently called Christian Athletic Complex will now become a City of Kentwood park titled Covenant Park. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)

According to supplied material, the organization was founded as the Christian Reformed Recreation Center shortly after World War II to provide an opportunity for Christian Reformed youth to participate in sports camps and summer sports leagues. Over time, it grew and developed into a larger Christ-centered organization providing outdoor space for youth and family recreation with more than 240 softball teams at its height and an 18-hole golf course.

“The CAC Board could not be happier placing this beautiful piece of land into the care of the City of Kentwood and Midwest United FC,” CAC Board President James Oppenhuizen said in supplied material. “As it became clear we were unable financially to continue to further our mission, we searched for someone who would continue using the land for outdoor youth and family recreation.

“Through the diligent efforts of an enormously generous donor, the City of Kentwood will be able to perpetually use the land for exactly that reason. Midwest United FC will also be able to continue and expand its top-notch youth soccer program.”

Snapshots: Kentwood, Wyoming news and things to do

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

Life imposes things on you that you can’t control, but you still have the choice of how you’re going to live through this.

Musician Celine Dion



By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

The Farmers Markets are Opening!

Metro Health Farm Market opens May 14. (WKTV)

The Metro Health Farm Market kicks off the summer season by opening Thursday, May 14. Due to COVID-19, the market will be a little different in that social distancing guidelines will be adhered to and those attending are asked to where masks and leave the personal shopping bags at home. The market will be open form 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. For more on the Metro Health Farm Market and other farmers markets, click here.

Music for Quarantine

Now on Blue Lake Public Radio: the Grand Rapids Symphony (Supplied)

Every Sunday in May, area residents can tune into a previously recorded Grand Rapids Symphony performance. Performances are on at 1 p.m. at WBLU-FM 88.9 in Grand Rapids or click here to access Blue Lake Public Radio online. For the complete line up, click here.

Remembering the Heroes of WWII

May 7 marked the 75th anniversary of when the Germans surrendered to the Allied Forces. This week’s KDL Staff picks features a selection of World War II books from Michael Bornstein’s “The Survivor’s Club to “They Called Us Enemy” by George Takei (of “Star Trek” fame). For the complete list, click here.

Fun Facts

A botanist running around like Rambo? Well according to Tim Evans, a GVSU professor of biology, if that’s what it takes to get people to discover Michigan’s amazing natural beauty, well why not? We’re all for it. Here is Evans’ first in a series on “Dangerous Botany.” To check out Evans’ other videos, click here.

Know the warning signs of suicidal thoughts

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Health, How-To's, , ,
The sharpest rise in suicide rates has occurred among men aged 45 to 64 and girls aged 10 to 14. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


Family, friends and acquaintances can play a key role in suicide prevention by being alert for signs and taking action to help someone who may be struggling, a mental health expert says.


Nearly 43,000 Americans commit suicide each year, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. For the past two decades, suicide rates have been rising in the United States, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.


The sharpest rises in suicide rates have occurred among men aged 45 to 64 and girls aged 10 to 14, according to the CDC.


“There remains a lot of stigma associated with people who seek help for mental health, which prevents them from getting the assistance they need. We need to pay more attention to suicide prevention,” said William Zimmermann. He’s a clinician supervisor of New Jersey Hopeline, a suicide prevention hotline operated by Rutgers University’s Behavioral Health Care.


Many people mistakenly believe that suicides happen without warning. But most people who attempt suicide try to communicate their distress or suicide plans to someone, Zimmermann said in a Rutgers news release.


The problem is the suicide plans or thoughts may not be clearly stated, so asking direct questions about suicide can start the conversation and help-seeking process, he said.


Asking someone about suicide won’t put the idea in their head, Zimmermann said.


Warning signs of suicide attempts include increased substance abuse, anxiety, agitation, difficulty sleeping, dramatic mood changes, a feeling of hopelessness and being trapped, having no sense of purpose, social withdrawal, uncontrolled anger and reckless behavior.


If a person talks about wanting to hurt or kill themselves, threatens to hurt or kill themselves, or talks about looking for a method to kill themselves, get them immediate help or guidance by contacting a mental health professional or a suicide prevention hotline, Zimmermann said.


If you’re concerned about someone, ask them directly if they are thinking about suicide, Zimmermann said. He suggested saying things like: “I care about you. Some of the things you’ve said or done have made me wonder. Are you thinking about killing yourself?”


If they say they are considering suicide, don’t judge, don’t deny and don’t promise to keep it a secret, Zimmermann said. Get support for the person talking about suicide and for yourself, he said.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.




As ‘stay-at-home’ eases, Kent County COVID-19 contact tracing — and community volunteer need — remains important

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Hard News, Health, Senior Living, Volunteers, ,
Brian Hartl, supervising epidemiologist at the Kent County Health Department, talked to WKTV this week about the county’s Contact Tracing Volunteer program.

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

As Kent County, with the rest of Michigan, begins to come out of its “stay-at-home” COVID-19-limiting efforts, the county’s Health Department remains hard at work with efforts to identify and keep track of persons actively infected — and those possibly exposed to the coronavirus.

And a key element in the county’s contact tracing effort is its on-going Contact Tracing Volunteer program.

“It is really important to control the spread of infection, that is our main goal with this … prevention and control of COVID-19 in our community,” Brian Hartl, supervising epidemiologist at the Kent County Health Department, said to WKTV this week.

The Kent County Health Department (KCHD) is currently seeking contact tracing volunteers to work with the department’s staff “mitigating the community spread of the virus and in supporting patients with a suspected or confirmed infection,” according to supplied material.

“We are really looking for someone who is comfortable with talking with people,” Hartl said. “Really, that is our main criteria, the prerequisite, that you feel comfortable talking with people on the phone. I think if you have some sort of science or health care background, where you are comfortable talking about health concerns, or infections, that is an added bonus.”

While volunteers will be asked to use their own home computers and personal phones, they will be give training, including “sensitivity training.”

“Training is obviously necessary, to help them understand what this is all about,” Hartl said. “Anytime you are talking about someone’s health, you have to understand that this in confidential. Sometimes people get concerned with charing their information with a stranger from the health department. And so confidentially is important. Some of these calls can get sensitive, and emotional.”

And always of great help are persons of diverse cultures and languages.

“We are seeing a high burden (of infections) in populations who are non-English speaking here is Kent County,” Hartl said. “So, individuals who are from those populations, who can speak those languages, are of great need at this point and would be an amazing benefit to this endeavor.”

County’s contact and isolation protocol

Hartl also detailed the KCHD’s overall process of “prevention and control of COVID-19” in Kent County.

“When we get a positive case of COVID-19, our investigators will contact that individual by phone to do that interview, an investigation,” Hartl said. “That investigation includes when their symptoms started, what types of symptoms they had, where they may have picked up the virus, if they have an idea. And then we ask a lot of questions about who they came into contact with 48 hour prior to their getting their symptoms, up to the point we are talking to them.

“We want to make sure all the individuals who may have been exposed to the persons who is sick are identified,” he said, adding that the focus of the questions are “high-risk exposures” to the sick individual.

“We get a list of those contacts, and we, in turn, contact them and ask them about their health to see if they have symptoms yet or if they are well. And then we recommend those individuals do a 14-day quarantine period from the last time they were exposed … periodically, our contact tracers call those individuals to make sure they are asymptomatic, and make sure they are still abiding by the quarantine recommendations. On the 14th day … we would release them from that quarantine.”

Hartl said it is also part of the protocol to “contact the (active) patients every couple days, just to make sure they are doing well and their symptoms have not gotten worse, and to make sure those individuals are isolated. … those individuals are isolated for a period of at least 10 days to make sure they are symptom free … and they can be released from isolation.”

For more information on the Kent County Contact Tracing Volunteer program, visit accesskent.com/health or email pamela.brown@kentcountymi.gov.

Metro Health Farm Market, others set to open as scheduled

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , , ,
The Metro Health Farm Market is set to open on May 14. (WKTV)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Among the announcements of cancellations and/or delays in programming comes some good news: many area farmers markets such as the Metro Health Farm Market and the City of Kentwood Farmers Market will open as scheduled.

“We’re very excited,” said Metro Health Farm Market Manager Michelle Rademacher. The Metro Health Farm Market is scheduled to open May 14 and run until Oct. 8 at the Metro Health Village, 5900 Byron Center Ave. SW. The market is on Thursdays from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., rain or shine.

“There has been a lot of planning for this to take place so as to follow all of the stipulations for COVID-19,” Rademacher said.

Farmers markets have been deemed essential by the state but even with this classification comes limitations with only food vendors able to sell at the markets. Like many of the area farmers markets, the Metro Health Farm Market and the Kentwood Farmers Market will be following Center for Disease Control and Michigan Farmers Market Association COVID-19 guidelines.

Along with only essential items such as food being offered, vendors will be six feet apart and required to wear masks. Patrons will be encouraged to wear masks and to leave their personal shopping bags at home.

“There is going to be less out with vendors restocking,” Rademacher said. “Hopefully customers will say, ‘I would like three corn, one lettuce,’ and the vendor will pick and bag the items so as to reduce the amount of touching the items.”

“Everybody loves to pick up a tomato to see if it is the perfect one for their meal,” said Fulton Street Farmers Market Assistant Manager Dana Eardley. Being open year around, the Fulton Street Farmers Market, 1145 Fulton St. SE, was able to gradually institute procedures for social distancing and reduction in contact. This included a policy that only the the vendors are allowed to touch food and produce.

The Fulton Street Farmers Market had its official main (summer) season opening this past weekend, where the hours were increased to 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday through October. From November to April the market is only open for a few hours on Saturday.

Area farmers markets have been deemed essential by the state with vendors only able to offer food items such as diary, meat, and produce. (Free Domain)

Kentwood Farmers Market

To encourage vendors to follow the guidelines, the Kentwood Farmers Market is offering a Vendor Scholarship, which will cover 100 percent of the vendor fees. To qualify for the scholarship, a vendor who sells food products, needs to demonstrate a commitment to customer safety such as offering pre-packaged items or pick-up.

The Kentwood Farmers Market returns for its sixth season, June 4 and running through Aug. 27. The market will take place on Thursdays from 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. in front of Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE. For more information on the Kentwood Farmers Market or the Vendor Scholarship, visit the market’s website. 

Get It and Go

The implementation of customer counts with the Fulton Street Farmers Market only being able to allow 66 customers in the market at onetime did prove to be a challenge. The market was required to close off all its side entrances and increase its volunteers to get the customer counts along with help at the handicap entrance, Eardley said.

“The market is a place that people come to stroll or have a family outing, letting the smells and produce call to them as to what they might want to add to their meals,” Eardley said. “We have had to really make a shift in having people get in and get their food and leave.”

Advance planning is encouraged with the Fulton Street Farmers Market instituting a “roll call” on its Facebook of vendors planning to be at the market so shoppers could plan.

 

The Metro Health Farm Market also will have traffic arrows to direct the market flow and some of its entrance points will be closed but there are no plans to track the number of people in the market.

“There is some fear that a farmers market can turn into a social gathering, “Rademacher said. “Hopefully people will follow social distancing guidelines and only send one person from a family to help with the crowd control.

Rademacher added staff will be keeping an eye on the first day to see if adjustments need to be made.

Making Their Dollars Count

Eardley remarked that attendance for opening weekend was lower than usually, but she did have good news for other farmers markets.

“Some of our vendors have told us that they have had record-breaking sales,” she said. “So while the volume was down, those who were coming are very serious about making their dollars count toward the local food farmers and not the big box stores.”

Rademacher concurred with Eardley, saying “I think people are acknowledging that farmers are small businesses and spending local wherever they can.”

What About Non-Food Items?

Most markets usually have a mix of food and non-food items. Fulton Street Farmers Market also has an artist market on Sundays starting in June. Because crafters and non-food vendors do not fall under the essential category, for now they will not be at the markets. Both Radamacher and Eardley said they remain hopeful that as guidelines change, non-essential vendors will be able to be added.

GVSU Economist: Local economics stats down sharply, but not as bad as expected

3-bottom, , , ,
Brian Long is a local business forecaster. Credit: GVSU

By Dottie Barnes
Grand Valley State University

It was anticipated the local economic statistics for April would be negative, but the numbers weren’t as bad as expected, said Brian G. Long, director of Supply Management Research in Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business.

“This report is one of the weakest we have filed in our 40-year history; however, the data we collected in the third and fourth weeks of April did not turn out to be a record low,” he said.

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

The survey’s index of business improvement (new orders) fell to -45 from -21. Long noted at the onset of the Great Recession, new orders fell to -59 in December 2008.

The production index fell to -48 from -16. The index of purchases fell to -44 from -30, and the employment index plummeted to -41 from -25.

Long said during the Great Recession, it took 18 months (October 2007 to April 2009) for statistics in this local survey to turn back to positive.

“As the economy slowly reopens, we will be closely monitoring the confidence levels of both retail and industrial consumers, both of which have been hit very hard,” he said.

Had it not been for Internet purchases, Long said, auto sales would have been virtually non-existent. He said automakers and dealers have countered many of the lockdown measures with remote and online sales, but U.S. light-vehicle deliveries were expected to fall 50-55 percent in April.

Long said COVID-19 will cause nearly every industry to reevaluate supply chains. “Many firms had no idea that many subcomponents back in the supply chain were coming from China,” he said. “Look for an anti-China backlash.”

 

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

High voter turnout leads to good news for Kelloggsville, Godwin Heights

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, ,
City of Wyoming offered curbside voting. City Clerk Kelli VandenBerg said they had about 40 people cast votes at city hall on May 5. (Supplied)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

It was a good morning for every school district in Kent County that had a millage or bond issue in yesterday’s election — they all passed including Kelloggsville’s request for a 1.0 mill sinking fund and Godwin Heights $13.9 million bond request.

The May 5 election was the first time in the state’s history that was totally absentee ballot. All registered voters within school districts with a proposal were mailed absentee applications and local municipalities had voting stations — and in the case of the City of Wyoming, curbside voting — set up on the day of the election.

“We saw a higher turnout then we normally see for a special election,” said Wyoming City Clerk Kelli VandenBerg, who added that there was about a 14 percent turnout for the May 5 special election with the city usually having about a four to six percent turnout for similar elections.

VandenBerg said there could be a number of factors that contributed to the increase such as absentee applications were direct mailed and since people were home, they had more time to complete the ballot. 


“We really weren’t sure what to expect,” VandenBerg said, adding that the entire process went very well. Most of the voting did happen through the mail, with about 40 voters come to city hall to vote, she said.

Playground at Southeast Elementary will benefit from the recently approved 1.0 mill sinking fund. (WKTV)

For the May 5 election, Kelloggsville sought a 1.0 mill sinking fund request over 10 years to help with technology and safety improvements and the repair and construction of school buildings. In the first year, the district would receive $371,073 with West Elementary slated to receive the first round of funding for new carpet, lockers, playground upgrades and repaving the parking lot. Over the next 10 years, about every building within the district would benefit from the sinking fund by receiving roof replacements, classroom updates and parking lot repaving.

Kelloggsville encompasses a portion of the City of Wyoming and the City of Kentwood. With about 15.54 percent of the 8,307 registered voters within the district voting, the measure passed 710 to 576.

“We want to say ‘Thank You’ to our community,” said Eric Alcorn, Kelloggsville’s auxiliary services director. “We truly appreciate the trust they have in us even in these trying times. This is really exciting for our kids, parents, staff, community, and everyone connected to Kelloggsville. The passing of the sinking fund will allow us to make the necessary improvements in our classrooms and facilities throughout the district. We look forward to seeing the results of the annual improvements for the years to come.”

Godwin Heights Public Schools sought a $13.9 million bond proposal for structural, technological, and transportation upgrades. The bond would not increase taxes but would extend the current millage rate and constitute the second phase of a vision that started with a bond proposal approved by voters in 2015, according to a School News Network article.

Godwin Heights is in the City of Wyoming. With about 13.69 percent of its 8,130 register voters voting, the bond proposal passed, 653 to 457.

Will there be absentee voting in the fall? That is something the state will have to decide. (WKTV)

The City of Wyoming also has a small portion of voters in the Byron Center Public Schools, which was seeking a bond proposal. With one of the highest turnouts, 37.82 percent of its 20,252 registered voters, the proposal passed 4,805 to 2,830. Interestingly, according to the Kent County election results, none of the 10 City of Wyoming registered voters voted in the May 5 special election.

 

As to whether the absentee balloting should be done for August and November, which has been mentioned by state leaders, VandenBerg said that the fall elections are a different scale. In the special election, the city was dealing with about 12,000 voters, she said, adding that in the August and November elections, the number of voters is more than 52,000. 

“I think there are elements from this election that are worth looking at but as to whether the fall elections should be absentee will be guided by decisions from others,” VandenBerg said. 

KDL Staff Picks: World War II

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism

Seventy-five years ago on May 7 the Germans officially surrender to the Allied Forces. In honor of that historic day, the KDL Staff Picks focus on a few books about World War II.

Adult

Survivor’s Club
By Michael Bornstein

I enjoyed the first person account by Michael Bornsein, one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz. I wanted to engross myself in this survival story as I anticipate the Holocaust survivor Guest Speaker, Lowenberg, who is coming to WYO on Nov 13th. Like the boy in this book, it is about surviving but most importantly about overcoming hate.


– Jules at Wyoming

The Medallion
By Cathy Gohlke

I found myself sitting on the seat of my chair, I was caught up in the lives of the characters, the suffering, sorrow, pain, turmoil and hate, especially during the war against the Jewish people and anyone who dared assist them in any way. I knew the story would be hard to read, because of what people suffered, especially the children. But I loved the power of love, sacrifice, and forgiveness that shines bright in this book.


– Kelly at Nelson/Sand Lake

Mr. Churchill’s Secretary
Susan Elia MacNeal

Mystery readers who enjoy books in series will want to consider Mr. Churchill’s Secretary. Maggie Hope, a whip-smart, educated, and beautiful young woman with a background in mathematics and a talent for breaking codes, chafes at her role as secretary, but her talents don’t remain undercover for long. Readers will want to start with this, the first in the series, which introduces the many characters and which so accurately conveys the atmosphere of London during the war.


– Mark at Krause Memorial

The Librarian Auschwitz
Antonio Iturbe

This was a very inspiring Historical Fiction novel based on the 14 year old girl Dita Kraus who risked her life to protect a selection of 8 books smuggled in by prisoners of Auschwitz. It is a story about bravery and strength of a young female main character as she navigates herself through the Nazi concentration camp bringing hope and the love of learning to the children of Auschwitz.


– Jules at Wyoming

Teen

The Called Us Enemy
By George Takei

A graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei’s childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon — and America itself. An excellent graphic novel about a part of American history not often spoken of.


– Shaunna at Alpine

For more KDL Staff Picks, visit the Kent District Library, kdl.org, and click on the “Recommendations” table on the left side of the page.