Old tires are hard to recycle, but Kent County has a free take-back this week.
By Kent County
The Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) Monday. Oct. 14, that community members can safely dispose up to 10 passenger tires for free at either the North Kent Recycling & Waste Center in Rockford and South Kent Recycling & Waste Center in Byron Center. Kent County residents can bring their old tires to either facility during normal business hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Oct. 15-18.
“Whole tires are notoriously difficult to get rid of because they are not accepted by trash pick-up and cannot be disposed in a landfill unless they are shredded,” said Dar Baas, director of the Kent County Department of Public Works. “We encourage Kent County residents to take advantage of this opportunity to properly dispose of old tires.”
The free tire disposal is made possible by a grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). Tire disposal normally costs between $4-6 per tire. All the collected tires will be sent to a facility that will process and recycle them into new products.
The free tire disposal comes at a time when the Kent County Health Department is encouraging residents to protect themselves against mosquito bites due to the recent Eastern Equine Encephali s (EEE) outbreak, a virus that can lead to seizures, coma or even death. Old tires with standing water are a potential mosquito breeding ground. As of Oct. 11, there were 10 human cases of EEE in Michigan. There have been no human cases in Kent County.
“We encourage all residents to take every precaution to protect themselves against mosquito bites,” said Adam London, Health Officer Kent County Health Department. “Removing any potential mosquito breeding ground from your property not only helps protect you and your family, but it also helps protect our community.”
For facility hours, locations and contact information, visit reimaginetrash.org.
Researchers say new drug therapies can target certain genes that play a role in the growth and spread of prostate cancer. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
A drug that targets faulty gene repair may buy more time for some men with advanced prostate cancer, a new clinical trial finds.
Experts called the study “landmark,” because it zeroed in on men with particular gene mutations that can be targeted with newer drug therapies.
It’s an approach that is already used in treating breast, ovarian and lung cancers.
Specifically, the trial tested a drug called Lynparza (olaparib), which is currently approved to treat certain patients with breast or ovarian cancers linked to mutations in the BRCA genes.
When BRCA is working properly, it helps repair damaged DNA in body cells that can lead to cancer. When the gene is altered, those repair mechanisms go awry.
BRCA mutations do not only lead to breast and ovarian cancers, though. They also help drive some cases of prostate cancer.
In the new trial, researchers recruited men with advanced prostate cancer who had alterations in BRCA or certain other genes involved in DNA repair.
The investigators found that, compared with standard hormonal therapy, Lynparza delayed patients’ cancer progression for a median of about three months. That means half the patients saw a longer delay and half a shorter one.
Along with that delay, the drug slowed down patients’ pain progression.
“Delaying the cancer from growing is meaningful,” said Dr. Maha Hussain, who led the trial, which was funded by drug makers Astra Zeneca and Merck.
“At the end of the day, patients want to live longer—and also better,” added Hussain, a professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago.
She was to present the findings at the annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology, in Barcelona. Studies reported at meetings are generally considered preliminary until they are published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Lynparza is one of a newer class of drugs called PARP inhibitors, which block a protein that cancer cells need to keep their DNA healthy. Without it, those cells may die. Cancer cells with defects in DNA-repair genes are especially vulnerable to PARP inhibitors.
The drug class is part of a wider trend in cancer treatment, toward “targeted therapies”—where medications are tailored to target certain molecules in cancer cells that help them grow and spread.
A range of targeted drugs are available for common cancers, such as breast and lung, but prostate cancer has “lagged behind,” Hussain said.
Dr. Eleni Efstathiou, of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, described the new trial as landmark.
“Overall, these data show that, like breast and lung cancers, prostate cancer is not one but many different diseases,” Efstathiou said. “We need to start identifying different groups of patients and treating them with targeted therapy.”
She noted that only a fairly small percentage of prostate cancer patients would have alterations in DNA-repair genes—which can be inherited or arise as the cancer progresses.
And doctors do not routinely screen cancers for all those gene flaws.
Screening for inherited mutations is “becoming part of guidelines,” Efstathiou noted, but screening for non-inherited alternations is not yet done.
For the latest trial, the researchers screened 4,425 men with advanced prostate cancer that had spread to distant sites in the body and was not responding to standard hormonal therapy.
The investigators ended up with 245 patients with alterations in either BRCA or another gene called ATM. A second group of 142 patients had alterations in any of 12 other genes tied to flawed DNA repair.
Patients in both groups were randomly assigned to either take Lynparza tablets or start one of two newer hormonal therapies.
Overall, Lynparza patients saw their cancer advance more slowly, with the difference being clearer in the group with BRCA or ATM defects.
For those men, cancer progression was delayed by a median of 7.4 months, versus 3.5 months among patients on hormonal therapy. A preliminary analysis suggested their overall survival was also better—a median of 18.5 months, versus 15 months.
Lynparza does have side effects, including anemia and nausea, Efstathiou pointed out, which can make it difficult to stick with the drug. Just over 16% of Lynparza patients in the trial stopped treatment due to side effects.
The drug is not yet approved for prostate cancer, though some doctors use it “off-label” for certain patients, Hussain noted.
At this point, Efstathiou said, doctors may want to screen for DNA-repair mutations in the tumors of men with advanced prostate cancer, since “we now have evidence it can be successfully targeted.”
Like other targeted drugs, Lynparza carries a hefty price tag: Researchers have estimated that it costs more than $234,000 to extend a patient’s life by one year.
The old saying, “TV rots your brain,” could have some validity for folks as they age.
In a new study, middle-aged people who watched television for more than 3.5 hours a day experienced a decline in their ability to remember words and language over the next six years, British researchers found.
What’s worse, it appears that the more TV you watch, the more your verbal memory will deteriorate, researchers said.
“Overall, our results suggests that adults over the age of 50 should try and ensure television viewing is balanced with other contrasting activities,” said lead researcher Daisy Fancourt. She’s a senior research fellow at University College London.
For the study, researchers relied on data from a long-term study of aging involving more than 3,600 residents of England.
Participants reported the amount of hours of TV they watched daily. They also had their thinking and reasoning skills regularly tested as part of the study.
People who watched less than 3.5 hours of TV a day didn’t seem to suffer any deterioration in their brain power, Fancourt said.
But more than that amount, people became increasingly apt to struggle with words or language in tests conducted six years later.
The decline in language skills is similar to that experienced by the poor as they age, Fancourt said.
“We already know from a number of studies that being of low socio-economic status is a risk factor for cognitive decline,” Fancourt said. “If we compare the size of association for watching television for greater than 3.5 hours a day, it has a similar-sized association with verbal memory as being in the lowest 20 percent of wealth in the country.”
The worst deficits occurred in those people who watched more than seven hours of television daily, researchers found.
While only an association was seen in the study, there are a couple of potential reasons why this might happen.
“Due to the fast-paced changes in images, sounds and action, yet the passive nature of receiving these—i.e., television does not involve interaction as gaming or using the internet does—watching television has been shown in laboratory studies to lead to a more alert, but less focused, brain,” Fancourt explained.
Some TV viewing is also stressful and stress has been associated with a decline in brain power, she added.
The specific effect on verbal skills indicates that avid TV viewing could be replacing other activities that would be better for the brain, said Rebecca Edelmayer, director of scientific engagement at the U.S.-based Alzheimer’s Association.
“You’re spending more time not engaging with your family, your friends and having social conversations, because they’re specifically reporting a decrease in verbal recall,” Edelmayer said. “We know engagement with others in conversation is something that supports and protects verbal recall.”
People who want to protect their thinking skills need to socialize often and engage in other activities that “stretch” their brain, Edelmayer said.
In fact, a long-term study published just last week in the journal Neurology found that exercising both the brain and body during middle age may guard against dementia. Such mental exercise includes reading, playing music, sewing or painting, according to the report.
“The recommendation would always be to stretch yourself and stay as engaged as you can be, whatever the connection is,” Edelmayer said. “We’re asking you for best brain health to go outside your normal passive box.”
The new study was published recently in the journal Scientific Reports.
The numbers are staggering, the financial and societal costs exorbitant. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 5.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s today. By 2050, the number is expected to increase to nearly 14 million.
Courtesy Alzheimer’s Association
And here’s a sobering thought: Cognitive decline begins at the age of 25. Dementia — the deterioration of memory most often seen in aging adults — takes hold early on and starts gradually, but then accelerates when we are in our 70s and 80s.
But what if solving brain games and puzzles on a computer could reduce the chances of developing dementia and delay the debilitating loss of function?
That’s the premise behind a new clinical trial, which is seeking volunteers for a three-year study. The PACT (Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease with Cognitive Training) Alzheimer’s clinical trial needs 600 people of all ethnicities from the West Michigan area to play computer games. Overall, the study needs 7,600 people to enroll and will be conducted at 15 locations across the U.S.
The study is spearheaded by David Morgan, Ph.D., Professor of Translational Neuroscience at Michigan State University, who relocated here in late 2017 from the University of South Florida in Tampa.
The study began in East Grand Rapids this past July, and a second study location just opened this Fall in South Grand Rapids.
Specifically, participants will be provided free access to a series of computer games designed to increase your brain’s processing speed. If you qualify to help, you will complete three study visits of one hour each at the PACT Research study location nearest you. You will then complete 45 one-hour sessions on your own, in your own home, over the next three years.
“This study will definitely prove if computer games can (or cannot) reduce the risk of developing cognitive impairment leading to dementia,” said Morgan. “A critical piece is that everyone who declines cognitively during the study will receive a medical diagnosis, something not done in the earlier study.”
Participants must be over 65 years old, free of severe neurological or psychiatric illness, and able to play computer games. You may qualify if you:
are 65 years of age or older
do not have any neurological disorders
have not had a stroke or brain injury
do not have mild cognitive impairment or dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease
What’s in it for you? There’s no monetary compensation, but research has shown that brain games may:
protect against dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease
enhance mental quickness and visual attention
improve gait speed and balance
improve driving safety
maintain health and well-being
allow you to perform everyday tasks more efficiently
protect against depression
In short, all the things that money can’t buy.
If the researchers can enroll enough older adults in the trial, they will apply for a larger grant to train and monitor a cohort of participants for five to seven years. That study will include genetic testing and neuro-imaging of the brain to gain a better understanding of who is more likely to develop dementia and would benefit from this training.
Metro Health – University of Michigan Health welcomes runners and walkers of all ages and abilities to participate in the 2019 Metro Health Race Weekend. For the 13thconsecutive year, Metro Health is the title sponsor of the Grand Rapids Marathon, and for the first year Metro Health has extended their sponsorship to include Run Thru The Rapids 5k, 10K and Family Walk.
“Metro Health continues to sponsor this event year after year because it encourages health and wellness in our community,” said Greg Meyer, Chief Community Officer, Metro Health – University ofMichigan Health. “This weekend is a culmination of athlete’s hard work and training, and Metro Health is happy to help participants celebrate and cross that finish line safely.”
All of the weekend’s races start and finish at the David D Hunting YMCA, located at 475 Lake Michigan Dr. NW in downtown Grand Rapids. The timeline for the weekend is as follows:
Saturday, Oct. 19
9 a.m. Metro Heath Run Thru The Rapids 10k, 5k and Family Walk
9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Health and Fitness Expo
1:30 p.m. Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Kids Marathon
Sunday, Oct. 20
7:30 a.m. Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon Wheelchair and Handcycle Division
8 a.m. Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon Foster Swift Half Marathon Pepsi Max Marathon Relay
Metro Health’s Sports Medicine team will be providing on-site medical attention throughout the entire weekend. They will be on the course prepared to assist runners with medical issues and help them safely reach the finish line. Metro Health volunteers will also be running several aid-stations, supporting runner safety and giving back to the community.
Leading up to the race weekend as well as race day, both Greg Meyer and Metro Health Sports Medicine physician, Dr. Ed Kornoelje, will be available for interviews. Whether it’s advice from an expert marathon runner or running safety tips, Metro Health experts have it covered.
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
Albert Camus
Early Trick or Treat
The City of Wyoming and its Parks and Recreation will offer the community a Trick or Treat Trail, a free event for kids and families, on Saturday, Oct. 12, at Lamar Park. Go here for complete information.
Craft, crafts and more crafts
You want me at that craft show? You need me at that craft show? You can handle me at that craft show. We got a list. Go here for complete information.
Woodland Mall’s Von Maur wing. (Photo Credit: WKTV)
Merriment at the Mall
The opening of the new Von Maur at the Woodland Mall is only the biggest of the happenings at Kentwood’s shopping focal point this weekend. Go here for complete information.
Fun fact:
135 minutes
Average amount of time spent at a shopping mall when people go to one. Source.
“Silence is golden” or so the saying goes, but is it always a good idea? Silence is not golden when it comes to the subject of your parents’ living expenses, healthcare and elder care costs. According to the Fidelity Intra-family Generational Finance Study (FIGS), 4 out of 10 families have not had a conversation with their elderly parents about living expenses, healthcare, and elder care costs. One reason, as stated in the study, is that parents worry that their adult children are counting too much on a future inheritance, while children don’t want to upset their parents.
Because of this reasoning, the subject of money becomes taboo and needed conversations are not happening.
According to the FIGS study, children and parents didn’t believe having a conversation about living expenses, healthcare, and retirement was difficult to start. The difficulty comes with the depth and the detail of the conversation and when to start having the conversations. The important thing to remember is don’t wait until an emergency to have the conversation.
Below is a list of topics and ages when discussing retirement issues that can help avoid future emergency conversations:
Age 50
AARP Eligible, Senior Discount Programs, Catch up contributions of $1,000 for IRA and $5,500 for 401k, 403b and TSP
Age 55
401k or retirement withdrawals without 10 percent early penalty
Age 59 ½
Take from any retirement account without 10 percent early penalty including Roth IRA, as long as it’s been held for 5 years.
Age 62
Earliest age to collect Social Security. Eligible for reverse mortgages.
Age 65
Eligible for Medicare (Apply 3 months before 65th birthday) – otherwise Medicare part B and prescription drug coverage part D may cost more money
Age 66
Full retirement if born between 1943-1954 Can collect Social Security without reduction and no offset on amounts earned.
Age 70
Maximum Social Security accrual – time to start.
Age 70 ½
IRA and 401k contributions must stop. Must begin taking required minimum distributions
Before beginning a conversation on a sensitive subject such as money, you have to realize that the conversation is not a democracy; your parents have made decisions about their money all of their life and they are not about to stop now. Remember, it is your parents’ money and their decision. Below are 10 suggestions to aid in having a conversation concerning retirement, living expenses, healthcare, and elder care.
Start Discussions Early. Do not think that it will only take one talk. The earlier you begin discussions, the more time will be on your side and the easier the discussions will become.
Include all family members. Make sure all siblings are included in the discussions. This way, everyone in the immediate family is fully aware of all decisions made and are not getting information passed on to them that may or may not be accurate.
Explain the purpose of your conversation. Communication is integral. Explain your concerns about how your parents will be cared for and how they feel about their financial future.
Understand your parents’ need to control their own lives. The conversation is not about preserving your inheritance. It is about your parent’s right to be able to live their life how they want to live it.
Agree to disagree. It is okay to disagree; the conversation is not about who is right or who is wrong.
Use good communication skills. Listen to understand not to reply. If you don’t understand, then ask for clarification.
Ask about records and documentation. Do not be afraid to ask where pertinent records are located and who would need to be contacted concerning them are.
Provide information. If you come across information you deem to be useful in helping to make appropriate decisions, provide it to everyone involved in your ongoing discussions.
Re-evaluate if things aren’t working well. Do not be afraid to take some steps backwards if conversations are not being productive.
Treat your parents with respect. Always respect your parent’s wishes regarding decisions concerning their living expenses, healthcare and elder care.
If you find yourself struggling to stay alert, it could hint at an underlying medical problem—or the need for changes to your nighttime sleep routine. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
Napping isn’t just for infants and children. Adults can get in on the action, too—they need only recognize the right time, place and circumstance.
Feeling fatigued or groggy during the day? That’s a good place to start. But you first need to determine why you’re feeling that way.
A nap can be refreshing and invigorating, helping you reenergize for a trip or for the workday, or whatever activity you’re undertaking, said Mary Barr, adult nurse practitioner in sleep medicine at Spectrum Health.
But the circumstances allowing for a nap will vary.
Generally speaking, you should only be napping during the day if you’re ill or if you’re trying to relieve pain. You could also nap amid abnormal circumstances—when you’re recovering from an acute injury, for example, or managing chronic illness.
Sometimes your schedule might deprive you of some much-needed sleep. If you find there’s no way to make it through the day without stealing a few quick moments of rest—or if you’re engaged in an activity that is simply wearing you down—a short nap is entirely acceptable.
Just be sure it’s a temporary solution. You should change your activities so you can keep to your regular schedule.
If you feel sleepy while driving, pull over in a safe place and catch a few Zzzs, Barr said. Likewise, when performing tasks that require high levels of attention, consider a nap to ward off fatigue.
If you’re at work, your nap needs to happen while on break or during your lunch hour.
“A 15-minute nap—often called a power nap—can refresh you when you are feeling sluggish or inattentive, groggy or not focused,” Barr said.
Generally, a 15- to 30-minute nap is enough. You can tell if you’ve slept too long because you’ll wake up feeling more groggy than before, she said.
There’s no ideal nap time, just whenever you feel sleepy during the day. Generally, this is after lunch for most people.
Falling asleep when napping is good, although you may not necessarily fall into any deep sleep stages.
Not all naps are equal
A word of caution: Don’t nap too late in the day or too close to your typical bedtime. Such naps can interfere with normal nighttime sleep routines, Barr said.
And make no mistake—you need a good night’s sleep every single night. Usually, if your sleep routine is good, you won’t need additional napping.
Barr offered a good rule of thumb: Make sure your nap is at least six to eight hours before your normal bedtime.
She also said that napping every day could be an indication you’re not getting enough rest at night. Bad sleep habits could cause this, but there could also be a medical problem. Sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome, for example, can make people feel sleepy during the day.
One American Academy of Sleep Medicine study that found frequent napping is associated with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes in older adults.
Adults who don’t sleep well at night should analyze their sleep habits to see what might be interrupting their sleep. Stimulants such as caffeine or nicotine could be to blame, but bad sleep habits could also be the culprit.
Some other napping tips from Barr:
Keep the nap short—ideally about 30 minutes.
Make sure the nap is in a safe, comfortable place where you won’t be disturbed.
Avoid long weekend naps, especially if you don’t nap during the week.
Don’t resort to napping to make up for sleepless nights.
If sleepless nights are a recurring problem, you may need to seek help from a sleep professional to determine if there is an underlying medical cause.
UAW Local 167 have been on strike for about a month. (Photo credit: WKTV)
By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma joanne@wktv.org
Despite his own business wows with an electric bill at around $20,000, Mitten Pizza owner Jamie Zichterman did not blink an eye when it came to donating pizzas to the UAW Local 167.
“I think it was just the right thing to do,” Zichterman said. “Regardless of what type of issues we were facing, it was just something that we needed to.”
About 46,000 GM employees went on strike Sept. 15 which included 650 employees from Wyoming’s GM Holdings Components LCC, a subsidiary company of GM that makes auto parts.
The Mitten Pizza is located in Middleville with the nearest GM facility being the Wyoming plant. Because of the distance, the strike will have minimal impact on his business, Zicterman said, adding that he has seen an uptick in business that he credits to the amount of publicity he has had over his surprise electric bill of about $20,000 from Great Lakes Energy. Zichterman is currently trying to settle the bill with friends establishing a GoFundMe page to help pay it.
“What was surprising was to see the people coming in with UAW shirts buying pizzas and donating like crazy to the cause,” Zichterman said. “It shows if you do the right thing, good things will happen.”
Marilyn Free, manager of Marge’s Donut Den, said the Wyoming donut shop has not been impacted much by the strike either.
“Other than people stopping to pick up donuts for those striking, no we have not seen anything,” Free said, adding that people have been purchasing three to four dozen donuts at a time along with coffee to go.
Brian Long is a local business forecaster. (Photo credit: GVSU)
Brian Long, director of Supply Management Research at Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business, said in his monthly economics report, he is not surprised that there has not been much impact felt from the strike at this point since most of the local firms and businesses have diversified their customer bases.
“None of the firms in our survey is exclusively GM which was not the case from 20 years ago,” Long said. “Two of the firms I talked to indicated that they are actually stockpiling for GM. They figure that when GM does come out of this strike there is going to be a huge build up demand and they are going to need the parts that they are producing. However if this drags on for too long we may see some marginal layoffs.”
Long said regardless of the strike, the whole auto industry has been slowing down for 2019 with it being down about 1.6 percent on sales.
The Wyoming GM Components Holdings LLC has been building precision machined automotive components for almost 70 years. The plant makes such parts as lifters and the axle for full-size trucks. WKTV did contact a couple of local suppliers with one indicating that despite the warning on the GM Parts webpage about a delay in getting parts, they were able to continue fulfilling orders.
Todd Bartrand, owner of Wyoming’s Bob and Dave’s Garage, which like many similar independent garages purchase parts from suppliers and not directly from GM, indicated his business has not been impacted by the strike, yet.
“So far, so good,” Bartrand said. “I guess if it does not get resolved soon we might feel it, but for right now, we have not noticed anything.”
Congressmen Bill Huizenga (R) in a recent interview with Fox Business said he has reached out to a number of suppliers that supply GM.
“Our suppliers are kind of mixed. Some of them are really afraid as they have slowed down and had to lay people off voluntarily that they may not be able to keep doing that voluntarily and they would have to do layoffs,” Huizenga said, adding that there is some concern that these employees would seek employment in other industries.
The strike is now four weeks old. UAW officials have stated that issues have been temporary employees becoming full-time GM workers, wages, pensions, and job security.
A GM spokesperson said “We continue to negotiate and exchange proposals, and it remains our goal to reach an agreement that builds a stronger future for our employees and our company.” For more information, visit the company’s website, buildingastrongerfuture.gm.com.
After a series of soft openings and VIP/media tours of the Woodland Mall’s new Von Maur wing, the public will get a chance to explore, shop and enjoy a series of special events this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 12-13.
Woodland Mall is located in Kentwood at the intersection of East Beltline and 28th Street SW.
In addition to the Von Maur department store, other new or newly relocated retail businesses in the Von Maur wing include Williams Sonoma, Urban Outfitters and Paddle North — and Black Rock Bar and Grill will officially open. (Spoiler alert: The Cheesecake Factory is opening its doors on Tuesday, Nov. 5.)
Among the highlights of a Thursday media tour was a visit to the expanded classroom and event kitchen at Williams Sonoma (events to be announced soon), a unique self-checkout option at Urban Outfitters (instruction available) and inflatable paddle boards at Paddle North (which fit into an amazingly lite bag).
Among the Saturday events are the official opening of Von Maur with a ribbon cutting at 9:45 a.m.; family entertainment in the wing from noon to 2 p.m., including a balloon artist, hula hoop performer Cosmic Candy treats and a Claire Bear character; and a create a little harvest monster craft event at the JCPenney Kids Zone.
Among the Sunday events are live music with Lana Chalfoun at 1 p.m.; a “Torrid Fashion Show” at 2 p.m.; DJ music from 3-6 p.m.
Too little sleep. Not enough exercise. Far too much “screen time.”
That is the unhealthy lifestyle of nearly all U.S. high school students, new research finds.
The study, of almost 60,000 teenagers nationwide, found that only 5 percent were meeting experts’ recommendations on three critical health habits—sleep, exercise and time spent gazing at digital media and television.
It’s no secret that many teenagers are attached to their cellphones, or stay up late, or spend a lot of time being sedentary. But even researchers were struck by how extensive those issues are among high school students.
“Five percent is a really low proportion,” said study leader Gregory Knell, a research fellow at University of Texas School of Public Health, in Dallas. “We were a bit surprised by that.”
In general, medical experts say teenagers should get eight to 10 hours of sleep at night and at least one hour of moderate to vigorous exercise every day. They should also limit their screen time—TV and digital media—to less than two hours per day.
The new findings show how few kids manage to meet all three recommendations, Knell said.
It’s easy to see how sleep, exercise and screen time are intertwined, he pointed out.
“Here’s one example: If kids are viewing a screen at night—staring at that blue light—that may affect their ability to sleep,” Knell said.
“And if you’re not getting enough sleep at night, you’re going to be more tired during the day,” he added, “and you’re not going to be as physically active.”
Ariella Silver is an assistant professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City. She agreed there’s a lot of overlap in the three behaviors.
Silver, who was not involved in the study, also made this point: The two-hour limit on screen time may be tough for high school students, since their homework may demand a lot of computer time.
It’s not clear how much that may have played into the findings, Silver said.
Still, she sees screen time as possibly the “biggest factor” here. Silver agreed that it may hinder teenagers’ sleep. But another issue comes up when social media “replaces” face-to-face social interaction.
When kids do not go out with friends, they miss out on many experiences—including chances for physical activity, Silver said.
While no group of kids in the study was doing well, some were faring worse than others. Only 3 percent of girls met all three recommendations, versus 7 percent of boys.
Similarly, the rate was 2 percent to 4 percent among black, Hispanic and Asian American students, versus just over 6 percent of white kids, the findings showed.
The report was published online recently in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
Silver offered some advice for parents:
Instead of telling kids to “get off the phone,” steer them toward alternatives, like extracurricular activities, community programs or family time. “Their screen time will go down by default,” she noted.
Be a good role model. Get off your phone and demonstrate healthy habits, including spending time being physically active with your kids.
Talk to teenagers about the importance of healthy habits. “Ask them, ‘How do you feel when you don’t get enough sleep?’” Silver suggested. “Ask, ‘How do you feel when you don’t get outside in the sun and get some exercise?’” It’s important, she said, that kids notice how their bodies feel when they do or don’t engage in healthy habits.
Set some clear rules around screen time, such as no devices in the two hours before bedtime. “Make sure your kids realize these devices are a privilege, and not a necessity to living,” Silver said.
The good news, Knell said, is that since sleep, exercise and screen time are interrelated, changing one habit could affect the others, too.
“There are certainly small changes you can make that may have a big impact,” he said.
In people with buildup of amyloid brain protein, regular aerobic activity might slow degeneration in the brain region tied to memory. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
For people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease, working out a couple of times a week might at least slow the onset of the illness, new research suggests.
Regular exercise over a year slowed the degeneration of the part of the brain tied to memory among people who had a buildup of amyloid beta protein in their brain.
These protein “plaques” are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s, noted researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Aerobic exercise didn’t stop plaques from spreading, but it might slow down the effects of amyloid on the brain, especially if started at an early stage, the research team suggested.
“What are you supposed to do if you have amyloid clumping together in the brain? Right now doctors can’t prescribe anything,” lead researcher Dr. Rong Zhang said in a university news release.
However, “if these findings can be replicated in a larger trial, then maybe one day doctors will be telling high-risk patients to start an exercise plan,” he said. “In fact, there’s no harm in doing so now.”
One expert who wasn’t involved in the study agreed with that advice.
“Exercise is an excellent way to both prevent Alzheimer’s and to help patients with Alzheimer’s disease stay stable for longer periods of time,” said Dr. Gayatri Devi, a neurologist specializing in memory disorders at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
“Aerobic exercise, three to four times a week, has been shown to help grow brain cells in the part of the brain called the hippocampus, the key area for both laying down new memories and for retrieving old ones,” she explained.
In the new study, Zhang and colleagues randomly assigned 70 people aged 55 and older to either half-hour workouts of aerobic exercise four to five days a week, or less strenuous flexibility training.
All of the patients had some amyloid plaque buildup in their brains at the beginning of the study and were classed as having “mild cognitive impairment,” often a precursor to Alzheimer’s.
Followed over one year, people in both groups maintained similar mental abilities in memory and problem solving, the researchers noted.
However, those in the aerobic exercise group showed less shrinkage of the brain’s hippocampus as seen on scans.
The hippocampus is an area of the brain important to memory and one of the first areas usually affected by Alzheimer’s, Zhang’s group explained.
“It’s interesting that the brains of participants with amyloid responded more to the aerobic exercise than the others,” Zhang said. “Although the interventions didn’t stop the hippocampus from getting smaller, even slowing down the rate of atrophy through exercise could be an exciting revelation.”
To further test the effect of exercise, Zhang is heading up a five-year trial that includes more than 600 older adults, aged 60 to 85, who are at risk for Alzheimer’s.
“Understanding the molecular basis for Alzheimer’s disease is important,” Zhang said. “But the burning question in my field is, ‘Can we translate our growing knowledge of molecular biology into an effective treatment?’ We need to keep looking for answers.”
Dr. Jeremy Koppel is associate professor of psychiatry and molecular medicine at the Litwin-Zucker Center for Alzheimer’s Disease & Memory Disorders, at Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset, N.Y.
Reading over the new findings, he said that, on the whole, the study was “disappointing” because exercise “did not have any specific effect on tests of memory, mental flexibility or amyloid deposition in patients with mild cognitive impairment.”
While the finding regarding hippocampus size was interesting, “this was not the primary outcome measure of the study,” Koppel noted.
So, “it may be that aerobic exercise interventions are best targeted at those not suffering already from cognitive impairment,” he said.
The report was published recently in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
Uncle Daddy is doing amazingly well, and we are all so very proud of him! Since being dumped on our doorstep back in March—along with nine other furry family members—this guy has graciously allowed us to pick him up, and he actually enjoys it, but as soon as there are too many people around, he gets scared, hisses and runs off. He and Dr. Jen are best buddies, always hanging around together and posing for photo ops; he can be quite comical—and unabashedly shameless. He’s definitely still the leader of the pack; his furry family members look up to him and sincerely derive pleasure from his company.
Now, why did Dr. Jen name the family the way she did? When Dr. Jen discovered that they were all somehow related, she started calling the one whom she assumed was the founding father ‘Uncle Daddy’. Then while attempting to retrieve one of the girls safely from a travel carrier, the good doc was rewarded with a nasty slash across the hand with talon-like claws. So, she put two-and-two together and decided to name the bunch after characters from a quirky TV show aptly called Claws.
The Shy Seven consisted of Uncle Daddy, Roller, Dean, Desna, Jenn, Polly and Quiet Ann, and with the addition of Brice, Dr. Ken and Virginnia, the cast of cats was complete; it all made purr-fect sense to Dr. Jen—and there is always a method to her madness.
At our free-roaming facility, cats like these have all of the time in the world to acclimate and adjust at their own rate, a snail’s pace if that is what is necessary. We have no cages, no time limits, no rules or regulations: each individual cat gets to stretch his legs at his own pace, each kitty gets to spread her furry little wings and fly when she is ready to leave the nest.
We offer a peaceful, secure environment to each and every cat in our care as long as they need it—and us. Slow and steady wins the race, and we firmly believe that with love, all things are possible; we surely can see endless possibilities and bright futures full of promise for this family of ours.
One final thing to note, since we have gotten to know each and every one of the 10 intimately: none of them should go to homes with children, and all require a quiet, mellow space. All except Jenn absolutely need to be placed with another cat they can snuggle up with, but not necessarily with one of the Timid 10.
The boy is shameless
Potential adopters should be aware that it will more than likely be a tough transition for any of them, but once they settle in, get themselves familiarized with their new surroundings and develop a new routine, they are going to be amazing cats. They are 100% worth the effort but they will require more patience, time and energy than your average shelter cat.
Honestly though, we feel each and everyone one of our cats is above average, especially this family, who have come so far since they day they were dumped on our doorstep. Their transformation has been nothing short of remarkable.
If you are interested in meeting one or more of the family members, we’ll set up a special ‘quiet time’ to come visit them. They really thrive in calm surroundings so we want to showcase them at their best!
More about Uncle Daddy:
Domestic Medium Hair
Black
Adult
Male
Medium
House-trained
Vaccinations up to date
Neutered
Prefers a home without children
Want to adopt Uncle Daddy? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday mornings may feel like a reboot from a harried week, but it’s unlikely to compensate for what your body really needs: consistently good sleep. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
People who are sleep-deprived during the week often try to make up for it on weekends. But a new study suggests the tactic may backfire.
Researchers found that weekday sleep loss had negative effects on people’s metabolism—and “catch-up” sleep on the weekend did not reverse it.
In fact, there were signs that the extra weekend shut-eye could make matters worse, said senior study author Kenneth Wright, a professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
The bottom line, according to Wright, is that people need to consistently get sufficient sleep.
“If you want to lead a healthy lifestyle,” he said, “that has to include good sleep habits.”
The study, published online recently in the journal Current Biology, included 36 healthy young adults. They were randomly assigned to one of three groups that all spent nine nights in the sleep lab.
One group was allowed to sleep for up to nine hours each night. A second could sleep only five hours. The third group was allowed five hours of sleep for five days, then a weekend “recovery” period where they could sleep in as late as they wanted. After that, they returned to five hours of sleep for two nights.
Wright’s team found that in both sleep-deprived groups, people lost some of their sensitivity to insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. They also began to eat more at night and gained some weight, on average.
The group that was allowed to sleep in on the weekend saw one benefit: There was less late-night eating on those days.
However, they went right back to post-dinner munching once they returned to five-hour nights. And their insulin sensitivity remained impaired.
In addition, Wright said, they showed decreased insulin sensitivity in the liver and muscles, specifically—which was not seen in the group that got no catch-up sleep over the weekend.
Over time, decreased insulin sensitivity can be a precursor to Type 2 diabetes. And a number of studies have linked chronic sleep loss to heightened risks of diabetes and obesity, Wright noted.
In general, experts recommend that adults get seven or more hours of sleep each night for the sake of their overall health. Yet, studies show that more than one-third of U.S. adults fall short of that goal.
Dr. Phyllis Zee, a sleep specialist and professor at Northwestern University School of Medicine, in Chicago, said, “We tend to buy into the myth that by ‘catching up’ on sleep on weekends, we’ll (reverse) the adverse effects of repeated sleep loss.”
But, according to Zee, who was not involved in the new research, “the results of this study support that it is indeed a myth. In fact, even the muscle and liver ‘remember’ the adverse and persistent effects of sleep loss.”
It’s true, Wright said, that real life can get in the way of optimal sleep. But he added that people should take an honest look at their habits and see if they can make time for a good night’s sleep.
“What are the ‘sleep stealers’ in your life?” Wright said. “Are you up late watching TV or on your computer?”
Late-night “screen” use is a problem not only because it takes time away from sleep, he pointed out. Staring at a blue light before bedtime can actually disrupt your ability to fall asleep.
Sleep is vital for a range of body processes, not only metabolism. And Zee said there’s evidence that other effects of chronic sleep loss—including dampened alertness and mental performance—cannot be erased with a couple of nights of catch-up sleep.
“Regularity in both timing and duration of sleep is key to brain and body health” she said.
The Downtown Market will host a hands-on event to make the classic chinese food favorite xiaolongbao — traditional soup dumplings. Go here for complete information.
Slow down and eat
Metro Health-University of Michigan Healthhas a workshop with fall cooking written all over it — how to prepare delicious, low fuss slow cooker meals. Go here for complete information.
Good for all ages
Vista Springs Assisted Living offers a few hand-picked, heart-healthy, antioxidant loaded recipes because perfect for autumn evenings, warm colors, and the bountiful harvest we receive every year. Go here for complete information.
Fun fact:
50 million
About 50 million pumpkin pies are consumed each Thanksgiving. Source.
There’s a fascinating creature in teacher Kate Hull’s classroom. She has a triangular head with bulging eyes and an enormous appetite. She moves at lightning speed and eats grasshoppers like tasty morsels.
Meet Francis the Mantis — fierce hunter. Agile acrobat. Writer’s muse. Bad girlfriend.
Francis devours a grasshopper. (School News Network)
Not only is the other-worldly-looking praying mantis, which students found in the schoolyard, providing entertainment in the West Elementary classroom; she is teaching students a thing or two about curiosities in the natural world and fierce animal instincts, the fourth graders explained.
From inside her habitat of leaves, dirt, sticks and grass, Francis has inspired much scientific study, research papers, and lots of conversation.
While she mostly eats other bugs, praying mantises can take down animals three times her size, students learned. “They can eat birds, frogs, lizards, snakes and each other,” said Kalayla Kome.
In a research paper, Julianna Mosher detailed the insect’s habitat, eggs and diet. “They live in warmer regions and prefer hotter places. Most species can be found in the tropical rainforest,” she wrote.
Also, the class shared, Francis can turn her head 180 degrees and has one ultrasonic ear on her chest.
But perhaps most gruesomely, “When they mate, the female eats the male,” said Cody Stacy.
There are endless interesting facts to learn about praying mantises. (School News Network)
Schoolyard Visitor
A few weeks ago, while outside for recess, students discovered Francis hanging out on the side of the school building. They ran to tell Hull, who said, “Go get it!”
Julianna’s mother brought in a butterfly habitat, and the students got busy learning what Francis needed to survive. They built a dwelling perfect for a mantis. They watched her eat — often, and voraciously — and soon noticed her trim abdomen begin to bulge.
“We started to wonder, maybe this isn’t a male,” Hull said.
Sure enough, the next Monday morning an egg sac called an ootheca hung on the side of the cage.
Students are also learning about the circle of life. Francis will soon die, which is nature’s way of protecting her eggs from the always hungry mother, said Hull.
In eight to 10 weeks the eggs should hatch, though Hull’s unsure if she will keep them in the class. The babies are so tiny, she said, they could crawl out of the habitat’s netting.
She’s loved seeing the students learn about Francis step by step, from discovery to research to catching food and feeding her, to observing and writing about her.
“It was the most impromptu learning lesson I’ve had in years,” Hull said. “It’s been amazing.”
For more stories on local schools, visit the School News Network website, schoolnewsnetwork.org.
Christopher Hernandez describes how a praying mantis hunts and eats. (School News Network)
Pianist Fred Hersch and guitarist Julian Lage will perform a St. Cecilia Music Center begins its jazz series this month. (from promotional material)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
Pianist Fred Hersch and guitarist Julian Lage, like two good friends who occasionally share coffee and stories — which is kind-of how they met — will meet up again for some wordless musical discussion as St. Cecilia Music Center begins its jazz series this month.
The story goes that Hersch and Lage, both with impressive resumes as front men and ensemble players in a wide range of musical genres but always focused on jazz, first met at a coffee shop in Boston and stayed together long enough to produce the much admired 2013 duo release “Free Flying”.
They are back together, undoubtedly having more coffee and musical conversations, for a few gigs this month including their Thursday, Oct. 17, concert at St. Cecilia, where tickets remain available. And don’t be surprised if their short reunion is only a prelude to another recording session.
Julian Lage. (Supplied)
“After the (2013) record, over the years, we find ourselves together every so often,” Lage said to WKTV in a telephone interview late last month. “It is one of those things that is somewhat unschedulable — I can relate, given what we’ve been up to. But it still remains a passion of ours.
“Frankly, we’ve been toying with this idea of recording again, doing some more shows, for a while. This upcoming run we have coming up (in October) … is kind of an opportunity to initiate some more stuff together. … I think we are just kind of moving towards, God wiling, doing some more stuff.”
Hersch, additionally, sees the pair’s current and, hopefully, future work together as part of a long relationship.
“I put this in the class of on-going special projects,” Hersch said to WKTV. “Julian is really busy with his own career and other projects. So am I. So sometimes it is complicated to find, like, three three great dates in a row. … But I think this is something we plan to keep going, indefinitely. As long as both of us has our brains and our fingers.”
The pair’s musical knowledge and manual dexterity, together and in their “other projects,” have gained them praise, awards and audience applause.
Fred Hersch. (Supplied/Vincent Soyez)
Hersch has 14 Grammy nominations to his credit and, citing only some of his recent distinctions, he was named a 2016 Doris Duke Artist, and was the 2016 and 2018 Jazz Pianist of the Year from the Jazz Journalists Association. The New York Times Sunday Magazine called him “singular among the trailblazers of their art, a largely unsung innovator of individualistic jazz — a jazz for the 21st century.”
Lage, who is also Grammy nominated, has placed his own mark on music written by a wide range of artists, from Roy Orbison to Ornette Coleman, and, according to supplied information, he “builds upon a wandering sonic outlook with jazz fusion, jam band liberation, standards, and rock ‘n’ roll.”
While the pair seldom play together, let alone in the duo format, their preparation for a concert such as the one in Grand Rapids is mostly a matter of shared musical language, as jazz people like to say.
“Julian lives in Brooklyn and I live in lower Manhattan, and we did play together this past May, on an on-going series where we play at the Jazz Standard (New York City club) where I invite a different partner each night of the week to come play with me,” Hersch said. “That was sort of our preparation. … We plan to meet in Grand Rapids, have a sound check and we have a pretty good sized repertoire, for now, which we keep adding to as well can. But it’s not really a rehearsal intensive process.”
While both have ventured in others realms, musically, they consider themselves to be jazz players at heart and in their soul.
“I consider my self a bonafide jazz guitar player, you know, and I think the definition of what it means to be a jazz musician is often wider than what we think,” Lage said. “At the end of the day, I kind of play the same all the time, I don’t really change … but my allegiance is to jazz.”
“Both of us believe that whatever piece we are playing, we are not only authentic to our own voices, as musicians, but authentic to that piece of music,” Hersch added. “Each piece of music you play might bring out the different influences, but Julian has a very distinctive voice, in the music. I think I have a very distinctive voice. So we are kind of speaking with our own accents but obviously affected by the particular material we play.”
Playing in a piano-guitar duo, sans drums and bass, is also a chance for Hersch to more fully utilize his keyboard, he admits.
“In jazz, the piano is a member of the percussion family. When I’m playing, I’m playing like a big drum set with 88 notes,” Hersch said. “I can create a lot of sound and play very orchestral. I can play in different registers with the piano. Julian and I have this great radar where it seems like whenever Julian is playing, even while I’m for all intents and purposes soloing, whatever he plays is adding to what I’m doing, not getting in the way.
“In order to work in a duo, whether it is piano-guitar, piano and saxophone, piano and voice, everybody has to have a great responsibility for the rhythm. … Both people have to have good understanding of where the beat is, where the time is … and so, (if we have that) we really don’t miss the bass and drums at all. Frankly it is very liberating.”
Tickets for Fred Hersch and Julian Lage are $40 and $45 and can be purchased by calling St. Cecilia Music Center at 616-459-2224 or visiting the box office at 24 Ransom Ave. NE. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.scmc-online.org. A pre-concert reception for $15 at 6:30 p.m., with wine and hors d’oeuvres, is available by reservation in advance (by Friday, October 11). A post-concert party with dessert, coffee and wine is open to all ticket-holders to meet the artists, obtain autographs and CD purchases.
It is not an easy task to find an activity that will include a variety of ages and abilities and encourage people to participate. For Holland Home, the answer to completing that task came in the shape of a butterfly.
Holland Home operates several facilities such as the independent living facility Breton Woods, located near 44th and Breton Road in Kentwood, and Raybrook, located off of Burton Avenue near Calvin College. At these facilities, Holland Home offers its Vibrant Living program which provides residents with spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social and physical activities.
“We look for programs that will be inclusive to everyone along with offering new opportunities for residents,” said Director of Resident Life Marenta Klinger.
Klinger said the Vibrant Living committee came together and wanted to do a program that would encompass a variety of ages, talents, and abilities, but the committee was not certain as to what that program should be.
Enter local artist Pamela Alderman. Alderman is a familiar name as she has participated in ArtPrize for the past 10 years with several of her pieces placing in the top 20. Alderman’s work is interactive and collaborative with one of her more well-known pieces “Wing and a Prayer” had 2013 ArtPrize visitors write notes for children in need and hang them on a wall. She made 20,000 vellum cards for the 2013 event, adding that she quickly ran out.
With her signature red glasses and infectious smile. Alderman accepted the challenge presented to her from Holland Home of creating a piece of art that would be inclusive of the community’s residents and would be gallery quality to hang in the various facilities.
“My thoughts came to the Monarch butterfly,” Alderman said during a recent interview.
It takes five generations of the Monarch butterfly to migrate from Canada to Mexico and back again. Scientist believe the butterflies have some sort of internal mechanism that guides them to the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico with some butterflies returning to the exact fir trees of their ancestors.
Alderman said she began to see patterns between the butterflies and seniors, who have been part of a long journey, growing strong through the challenges and stresses of life. Alderman said she saw the project as a way to celebrate the life of the seniors and an opportunity for the participants to share their stories.
A resident paints tiles. (Supplied)
Residents help to create the Patterns of Resiliency (Broken Wings No. 3). (Supplied)
With that in mind, she created three specific projects centered around the journey of the Monarch butterfly. The first project was called Patterns of Resiliency (Broken Wings No. 3) where residents in Holland Home’s independent living painted the backs of 324 plexiglass tiles that would be assembled to create a large butterfly.
“It was interesting, because we would ask people to paint and some would say, ‘I have no talent. I can’t paint,’” Alderman said. “We were like everyone can put paint on a tile.”
Some people did designs and others share their stories such as a World War II surviver who told her story of when the Allied Forces liberated France.
“She used green and blue for the country side and then red, white, and blue for the Allied Forces that came in,” Alderman said.
The stories continued in the second project, called Legacy Journey (Broken Wings No. 4). Residents in both the independent living and the assisted living wrote or dictated legacy words on marble paper that depicted who they were or words that were meaningful to them. The papers were cut and used to form a second large butterfly.
A resident gets help in sponge painting for the final piece, Kaleidoscope (Broken Wings No. 5). (Supplied)
The last project, Kaleidoscope (Broken Wings No. 5), focused on those living in Holland Home’s assisted living and skilled nursing. Residents painted with sponges on paper that was ripped up to form the final butterfly. At the same time, a group of carpenters from the independent living constructed frames for the butterflies, creating, as Alderman called it “a kaleidoscope of activity as the Holland Home community came together to create the final pieces.”
From there, Alderman created two sets of the butterflies, a set that is on display at Breton Woods and the other at Raybrook, so all the residents could enjoy the final pieces. Klinger said the pieces were all on display together for the unveiling earlier this year. The individual pieces are displayed in the lobby of the facilities, which are not open to the general public, Klinger said.
“It was the perfect project,” Klinger said, adding that about 400 residents and staff participated in the project. “Residents in every level care at both campuses were able to participate.”
Alderman said because of the project’s scope of bring people together of all abilities, she hopes to springboard off the Holland Home project and offer similar programs to other senior living facilities.
After age 50, many people notice increased forgetfulness and may be concerned about developing dementia. Forgetting where you parked your car or where you left your glasses can be frustrating and embarrassing, and using humor to acknowledge “a senior moment” often helps to dispel some anxiety!
Michigan State University Extension recommends staying mentally active and including daily physical activity as healthy lifestyle choices to improve memory. Eat low-fat protein, fruits, vegetables and whole grains to provide the nutrients needed to keep your brain sharp. Watch what you drink – too little water or too much alcohol can lead to confusion and memory loss. Stimulate your brain by doing puzzles, learning new skills, or taking an alternate route to a familiar destination. Play games, including free online brain games such as those offered by AARP, where you can adjust the skill level.
Other factors in addition to age that can contribute to forgetfulness include medical conditions and emotional problems. It is a good idea to review your medications with your health care provider to review possible side effects that may impact memory. Stress and depression can also contribute to memory loss, so make sure to enjoy regular social interaction with family and friends, especially if you live alone. Sleep is vital in helping your brain sort, consolidate and store your memories, so try to get seven to eight hours of sleep each day.
When you really pay attention to something, you remember it better. New information is lost from short term memory unless it is repeated again and again. Focusing your attention causes your brain to release special chemicals that strengthen learning and memory. You are more likely to remember appointments and other events if you keep track of them in a special notebook or calendar. The act of writing it down or saying it out loud will reinforce it in your memory. To avoid misplacing items, be diligent about putting your wallet or purse, keys and glasses in the same place each day. When you can’t recall a word or name, review the facts of the story or event.
Remembering other details will help trigger the memory you are searching for. Who has not walked into a room and then not remembered why you were going there? These are very common lapses that usually result from lack of attention or focus. By mentally retracing your steps or physically going back to where you were, the thought will often come back. Staying focused on your immediate task will help avoid this annoying experience. Studies show that the older we get, the more the brain has to exert effort to maintain focus. It also takes longer to get back to an original task after an interruption, so avoid multitasking to reduce distractions.
While memory loss is a common symptom of dementia, memory loss by itself does not mean that a person has dementia. Dementia is not a specific disease. It is a descriptive term for a collection of symptoms that can be caused by a number of disorders that affect the brain. Although it is common in very elderly individuals, dementia is not a normal part of the aging process.
See your doctor if you have serious memory problems that make it hard to do everyday tasks. For example, you may find it hard to drive, shop or even talk with a friend. Signs of serious memory problems may include:
Asking the same questions over and over again
Getting lost in places you know well
Not being able to follow directions
Becoming more confused about time, people and places
By taking steps to maintain memory, and seeking help with serious memory problems for ourselves or loved ones when needed, we can manage cognitive changes without allowing them to diminish our enjoyment of life.
Early studies of an experimental contraceptive have shown it can safely reduce hormones that are key to sperm production. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
A male contraceptive pill, long a goal of men—and women—everywhere, may be one step closer to reality, U.S. researchers report.
They say their experimental pill appears to be safe while reducing levels of hormones key to sperm production.
“Our results suggest that this pill, which combines two hormonal activities in one, will decrease sperm production while preserving libido,” said study co-senior investigator Dr. Christina Wang. She’s professor of medicine at Los Angeles Biomed Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif.
But no one should hold their breath while waiting for the pill to reach the market: “Safe, reversible hormonal male contraception should be available in about 10 years,” Wang said in a news release from the Endocrine Society.
Her team presented the findings at the society’s annual meeting in New Orleans.
The study “shows promise for a future reversible male contraceptive,” agreed Dr. Tomer Singer, who directs reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He wasn’t involved in the new research and stressed that “more studies, including prospective randomized trials, are needed in order to confirm these initial findings.”
The new research involved 40 healthy men who received either a placebo or the experimental birth control pill, which is for now called 11-beta-MNTDC.
As Wang’s group explained, the pill is a modified form of testosterone that delivers the combined actions of both a male hormone and a female hormone (progesterone).
The men took the placebo or drug once a day for 28 days.
Among the men who took the birth control pill, average circulating testosterone levels dropped as low as that which occurs in a state of androgen (male hormone) deficiency.
However, the men did not experience any severe side effects, such as major loss of libido, as can occur in a typical state of androgen deficiency.
Any side effects that did occur were few and mild and included fatigue, acne or headache, Wang’s group reported.
Five of the men who took the birth control pill reported slight declines in their sex drive, while two reported mild erectile dysfunction. However, none of this affected their sexual activity, which did not decrease. None of the men stopped taking the drug because of side effects, and they all passed safety tests.
In men who took the birth control pill, levels of two hormones required for sperm production dropped greatly compared to those who took the placebo. And the drug’s effects were reversible after the men stopped taking the pill.
Wang stressed that the drug would take at least three 60- to 90-day regimens to begin to affect sperm production, so the 28 days of treatment in the study was too short to achieve maximum sperm suppression.
However, her team plans longer studies and—if they show that the drug is effective—the next phases will be larger studies.
Finally, the pill would be tested in sexually active couples, Wang said.
Singer agreed that longer trials are key to knowing if this pill will be successful.
“We know that in order to produce a healthy sperm—which has a life cycle for approximately 3 months—there has to be secretion of both FSH and LH, which are two hormones secreted by the pituitary gland,” he explained. Those two hormones “act on the testicular cells to produce sperm in one (type of cell) and secrete testosterone in the other,” Singer added.
However, “the main challenge is that suppressing the hormones—testosterone, LH and FSH—by taking hormonal treatment may result in a decease in libido, erection and ejaculation,” Singer said. This early, phase 1 clinical trial shows promise, he said, but only larger, longer trials will prove if 11-beta-MNTDC is both safe and effective.
Because the findings were presented at a media meeting, they should also be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Hillen, from a city event this summer. (Photo credit: WKTV)
By City of Kentwood
After a distinguished law enforcement career spanning more than four decades, Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Hillen announced his retirement, effective Nov. 1.
Hillen began his 10-plus years of service to the City of Kentwood in 2009 after serving 32 years with the Kent County Sheriff’s Office. During his tenure with the Kentwood Police Department, Hillen has led a team of nearly 95 personnel, including 70 sworn police officers, to serve and protect the community with excellence, focusing on reducing serious crime and increasing traffic safety.
“Chief Hillen has been an invaluable asset to our community for more than a decade,” said Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley. “His effective leadership and dedication to the City have been demonstrated by the department’s accomplishments. Today, Kentwood’s violent crime and property crime is at a five-year low under his leadership. For that and so much more, we are truly grateful for his service.
“While we are sad to see him go, we wish him the best as he moves into retirement and thank him for his service throughout the years.”
During his tenure in Kentwood, Hillen instituted innovative programs to address key issues in the community, such as the department’s Data-Driven Approach to Crime and Traffic Safety, or DDACTS, program, Operation PRICE to reduce retail theft, leadership development for supervisory staff and school resource officers for area middle schools.
He also placed an officer on the FBI Joint Terrorist Task Force and appointed the first female captain in the department’s history.
“I have been fortunate to have had two great law enforcement careers, both at the Sheriff’s Office and here at the City,” Hillen said. “It has been a pure joy to spend these past 10 years with the Kentwood Police Department and I will greatly miss the family atmosphere.
“I’m humbled by the department’s achievements and feel grateful to have had the opportunity to work here and serve alongside the team. The officers care for the community, and the community cares for the officers. That is what makes it special to be an officer in the City of Kentwood; it’s just different here.
“Our success is attributed to our combined efforts, and I can proudly say this has been the perfect capstone experience of a profession I have loved.”
In addition to his work with the department, Hillen has served in numerous leadership roles for the profession. He has served as president of the Kent County Chiefs of Police, chairman of Kent County’s Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Team and has been on the advisory boards for the police academies at Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Community College and Kent Career Technical Center.
He is also a member of the Law Enforcement Action Forum, also known as LEAF, assisting with the development of law enforcement model policies and related materials. Over the years, LEAF has grown to be a valuable resource for the Michigan Municipal League and other agencies in the state when addressing law enforcement public policy issues.
Hillen was KCSO’s chief deputy before coming to Kentwood to serve as captain of the Patrol Division. Hillen stepped into the role of police chief from deputy chief in November 2012 following the retirement of former Police Chief Richard Mattice.
“Chief Hillen worked hard every day for the community. He constantly ensured his whole team fought around a problem and worked to innovate and get the best out of the resources available,” said Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young, who worked with Hillen for more than 20 years. “He was a mentor for me and helped me be better at my job in the jobs I would hold in the future. I wish him the best of times in his well-earned retirement.”
Mayor Kepley intends to appoint Deputy Chief Richard Roberts to fill the police chief position. City Commission will be asked to confirm the appointment.
Roberts first joined the Kentwood Police Department in 1987, initially as a police paramedic. During his more than 30 years with the City of Kentwood, including 24 years of supervisory and management experience, Roberts has served in many different roles, giving him a diverse knowledge of police operations.
In addition to his paramedic experience, he also served as a detective, field training officer, field training officer supervisor, road patrol supervisor, Staff Services Bureau supervisor and Detective Bureau supervisor. He also served on the crisis negotiating team. Roberts was promoted to captain of the Patrol Division in December 2012, where he implemented the DDACTS program, and was appointed deputy police chief in August 2017.
Roberts recently attended the prestigious FBI National Academy, an executive school for law enforcement, which has some of the best training a law enforcement executive can obtain. Participation is by invitation only, through a nomination process. Participants are drawn from every U.S. state and territory and from international partner nations.
“We have made it a priority to focus on internal leadership development, and Deputy Chief Roberts has been an integral part of our leadership team since I became police chief,” Hillen said. “With his three decades of service to the City of Kentwood, there is no doubt in my mind he is dedicated to this profession, the City and our department.
“He knows our culture and has a passion for overcoming our challenges. His service to the community has been unquestionable and I have the utmost faith he will continue to provide exemplary leadership as police chief.”
Hillen and his wife, Sueann, plan to spend the winter in Florida and see where life takes them next.
Artist Jon Lopez’ creatures come to life in his studio. (Photo Credit: WKTV)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
Wyoming resident Jon Lopez’ early day job is managing a Bagel Beanery on Clyde Park Avenue SW, where he is often present at the crack of dawn getting ready for the morning rush of caffeine seekers and bagel lovers.
Ernie and Ziggy (bakers bear and rabit) with bagels Jonathan Lopez 2019 (Courtesy of the artist)
But in the afternoons or early evenings, in his basement sculpture studio, he sort of transports himself to another world — a world of clay-full characters including thoughtful monkeys, mice on a mission and a green octopus that he is almost on talking terms with.
“I always have a tremendous amount of self-doubt when I’m starting a sculpture, but then suddenly the character is looking back at me and I say ‘Oh, shoot’, this is the character, its spirit,” Lopez, a 2015 graduate of Grand Rapids Community College, said to WKTV. “An animal will just set on the desk until that breath of life is put into them. … If I don’t get that feeling, it does not get put out.”
And one of the self-titled Clay Alchemist’s favorite characters-come-to-life is a green octopus called Charlie, who will be present at the current exhibition “GRCC Alumnus: Jonathan Lopez”, at GRCC’s Collins Art Gallery. The exhibition held a soft opening Sept. 30, plans a opening reception on Wednesday, Oct. 9, from 3-7 p.m., and will run through Oct. 25.
Charlie the Octopus Charlie the Octopus Jon Lopez 2019. (Courtesy of the artist)
“The simplicity of Charlie is one of my favorites,” Lopez said. “And I’ve come back to him a couple times. I just like messing with octopuses. They are really fun … they have really comical faces.”
Lopez has a long history with clay sculptural work, which has undergone a environmental transformation to plasticine, and over the years developed an artistic preference for the end result being high-tech photos of his sculptures in unusual settings and then the recycling of the original works of art.
“I like the idea (of using plasticine), that I can reuse it over and over again. … I just like the concept of nothing is permanent,” he said. “There is something nice and refreshing that when something is done, it is out of my hands. I might keep it for a short time, so some people can see it in person. But when it is done — once the (photograph) illustration is done, I like to take them apart and that same clay goes into the next illustration. … In a way it is environmentally friendly.”
And as far as the choice of photographs being the final product?
Jon Lopez in his studio. (Photo Credit: WKTV)
“I have always been really reserved with letting people see the finished product, in person, the actual sculpture in person,” he said. “Allowing me to do the photograph, rather than you see it in person, I have more control of the lighting and where it is at. I almost feel that, as an artist, you lose a lot control and emotion when you hand it off to someone else. And the photography just enables you that control when you hand off the finished piece.”
He uses Fuji metallic paper in printing, which “brings a really dimensional esthetic to the picture,” he said. “When you have just a standard glossy, or luster, there is a lack of depth to there photograph. The metallic just picks up the highlights in a certain way where I’ve had so many people come up to a print and say ‘It looks lifelike. It looks 3-dimensional.”
While most of the sculptural and photographic work occurs in his basement studio, sometimes his creatures travel.
“My friend and I went to Colorado as well as Louisiana with some characters … There has been a few spring breaks where I have taken them along,” he said. “I took a turtle down to Louisiana and I took his photograph in New Orleans and in the swamps.”
The exhibition is really the evolution of his work, starting with his first publicly shown work, when he was just out of college, “which was an online dating parody,” then there is a series which has not been on exhibit called “Curious Cuisine, which is sort of a humorous approach to looking at the lives of food.”
Some of his work — maybe as he matures — is becoming more serious, maybe even described as “dark”. One series of works is called “No Dignity” which includes the photograph “Untermench”.
Untermench Jonathan Lopez 2019. (Courtesy of the artist)
“Untermench literally means sub-human, and it’s just an analogy of the way that people treat, that people in general, demonize a group of people. The photograph is of a cat exterminating mice and cockroaches, and over the years, since Hitler, really, people have been called cockroaches or vermin, and exterminated,” Lopez said. “This is an examination of social issues, really. … It is important to have these conversations about how we treat each other.”
But, Lopez says, when he gets too dark, there is always Charlie and other fun and funny creations waiting to come to life.
“As an artist, when you have a point in life, when you’re getting a more low-key part in your life, or you are just going thorough some inner turmoil, it is nice to have an outlet,” he said. “But at the same time, when I do a couple of darker pieces, then I would have to do a curious cuisine illustration … The truth is that I cannot stay in that (serious) vein for too long.”
The GRCC Collins Art Gallery is located on the 4th Floor of Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall, formerly Main Building, 143 Bostwick Ave NE. Grand Rapids. Gallery hour at Monday to Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information visit GRCC.edu/visualarts .
Your periods are so heavy and irregular, you are left exhausted and weak. You never know when your period is going to appear, and during it, you can barely stay ahead of the mess. The cramps are not too bad, but once the bleeding starts, you know you are in for several bad days followed by a week of spotting. When the bleeding stops, the aftermath means being tired with less motivation to run or lift weights, let alone go for a brisk walk.
What is your diagnosis? Probably perimenopause.
Probably is an important word as just because someone might fit the story for perimenopause, it is necessary to make sure the irregular periods are not caused by anything else.
Perimenopause is the normal life phase when periods start to change as your ovaries run out of follicles, or immature eggs. Hormone levels change and fluctuate.
The result? Irregular periods, often close together or spaced out and sometimes heavy and sometimes light. These changes can also be caused by an over- or under-active thyroid, changes in weight such as rapid loss or gain, high prolactin levels, polycystic ovary, and conditions which affect the uterus such as polyps or fibroids.
Especially in women who are overweight, with diabetes or high blood pressure, it is crucial to make sure the uterine lining is not too thick, which could be caused by pre-cancer or uterine cancer.
A patient I’ll call Molly came to see me to figure out why she felt so tired all the time.
At 48, she could hardly keep up with life, including her high school kids’ schedules, spending time with her husband beyond comparing schedules, and her full-time job.
Her work was hosting a biggest loser contest, and she felt too tired and lacked motivation to start an exercise plan or make any real attempt at eating healthy in order to lose 15 pounds. Her periods interfered with work in that she had to leave a planning meeting because she felt her period start and feared she would make a mess.
What made matters worse, she was planning for a dream trip with several families and worried about bleeding while on the trip.
Her recent blood work revealed that her hemoglobin blood count was 10 and her iron (ferritin) was 15, which prompted her primary care doctor to find her a gynecologist. She had lost enough blood on a regular basis and couldn’t take enough iron to make up what her body needed.
Her doctor ruled out thyroid or prolactin problems. She had an ultrasound and came to see me, hoping for some options to get her irregular and heavy periods to stop.
She appeared otherwise healthy except for being slightly overweight. Her cholesterol and blood sugar levels were borderline high and thyroid and prolactin normal. Her ultrasound—done after a period—showed a normal lining thickness and no fibroids or any other abnormality.
We talked about the phase of life she’s in and her options.
Because her periods were so heavy, it would be a good idea to first sample her uterine lining with an endometrial biopsy. Because she did not smoke and had no family or personal history of blood clots, she was still a candidate for the low-dose birth control pills, which could be used to help her not have her period while on a trip.
Another option: bioidentical FDA-approved progesterone to take from day 10 of her cycle for 15 days, which could make the periods more regular and light, but would not provide birth control. An IUD with progesterone could also work for her as it would give her birth control as well as control heavy bleeding.
After a good discussion about the pros and cons of each option, she chose an IUD as she also needed birth control, and we placed the IUD in time to ensure her periods would at least be better, if not gone.
In terms of the other symptoms of perimenopause, she chose to focus on a healthy lifestyle now that the periods would no longer be the issue.
She chose a schedule of short daily workouts to fit in between other obligations, having been reminded she needed to care for herself in order to care for others.
This included all of the SEEDS and supporting her system with consistent sleep, water, multivitamin, Vitamin D, iron-rich foods, calcium in her diet, exercise—a bit every day—and a short time of quiet and gratitude every day.
Technology can seem overwhelming to those who didn’t grow up with it, and too often seniors give up on trying to understand new advancements. While it’s true that adapting to technology doesn’t come as naturally to seniors as it does to younger generations, there are a lot of benefits of technology that you should know about. One example is apps, a downloadable application that can be used on a phone or tablet.
1. Healthcare apps
Seniors can use apps to access healthcare information faster. Many healthcare facilities and doctors use apps to create patient portals and upload your medical information for you to view. Doctors can also have chat lines to be available after office hours for emergency medical questions.
Some healthcare apps even allow you to fill prescriptions online, saving you a phone call or doctor’s visit when you need medications refilled on short notice. You can also use a health app to monitor symptoms of chronic conditions.
Ridesharing apps allow you to get a ride without needing a car yourself. These apps will share your location with a certified driver who will pick you up and take you where you need to go for a small fee. No parking needed!
These apps are great for seniors because if you don’t have a car or don’t feel comfortable driving someplace you can have a source of transportation.
Social media apps are some of the most popular among people of all ages. While you may have a Facebook account on your computer, it can be a great asset to have the app downloaded on your phone or tablet as well. Then you can easily see photos, posts, and updates from friends and family.
Staying connected to people is an important part of senior health. Socialization is a big part of ensuring that your cognitive functions continue to operate healthily as you age. Social media apps can help you keep in contact with people, as well as sharing your own thoughts and events.
As mentioned above, finding ways to help keep your brain functions healthy is an important aspect of maintaining your cognitive and memory health. In order to help, there are apps specifically made to challenge your brain and improve your mental functions. You can learn new skills, thought patterns, and languages through apps, and most can be explored for free.
Let’s face it: grocery shopping is a chore at any age. However, it becomes especially difficult as a senior to find the time and energy to drive to the store, find everything you need, get it up on the checkout line, carry your bags to the car, haul them all inside, and put everything away. So why not use apps to cut out some of these steps?
Grocery delivery apps like Shipt and other food delivery apps can take all the travel time out of finding the foods you need to stay energized and healthy.
From simple slips to more serious reminders, it’s important to have a
system in place to help us remember when something important comes up.
Apps can help with sound and vibration notifications that capture our
attention. Different apps have features that may be better for your
memory, so play around to find one that fits your needs!
It’s the Golden Age of Television, and you don’t want to miss a minute! There are so many different television and movie watching opportunities, so having the ability to watch your favorite programs from anywhere is a great benefit of app technology.
If watching television isn’t your go-to activity, there are still plenty of ways to find entertainment with reading apps. Whether you pay for a monthly subscription with Amazon Kindle, or want to borrow library books to read online, there’s an app for you! You can even listen to books through Audible, which reads books out loud so you can hear your favorite story while doing other tasks.
If you still want more entertainment, there are an abundance of gaming apps that you can try out. Some are puzzle based, which can help build cognitive functions, some are played against other people, and some are just great for passing time.
No matter what type of games you like to play, there are apps available for you. These apps are so popular that they have an entire tab under your app store to search within! Take a look and see which apps are going to provide you with the most fun.
10. Music apps
Music is one of nearly everyone’s favorite pastimes, and is especially great for seniors. As with other forms of entertainment, there are more options available now than ever before. And, with the help of music apps, you don’t need to have any equipment beyond a phone or tablet to enjoy all your favorite songs.
For almost anything you can think of, there is an app that can help. While technology may seem overwhelming, getting some help from a younger family member or friend to really understand tools like apps can make technology a great addition to every senior’s life!
Taking medication for high blood pressure or high cholesterol can reduce the odds of stroke. Researchers also suspect improvements in diet, exercise and lifestyle are contributing to better outcomes. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
Starting in the late 1980s, stroke rates among older Americans began to fall—and the decline shows no signs of stopping, a new study finds.
The researchers found that between 1987 and 2017, the rate of stroke incidence among Americans aged 65 and older dropped by one-third per decade.
The pattern has been steady, with no leveling off in recent years.
It’s not completely clear why, according to researcher Dr. Josef Coresh, a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, in Baltimore.
Over time, fewer older adults in the study were smokers, which is a major risk factor for stroke. On the other hand, some other risk factors—such as high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes—became more common.
Of course, those conditions can be treated. And it’s known that for any one person, getting high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes under control can cut the risk of stroke, Coresh said.
“However,” he added, “at the population level, we found that the decline (in strokes) was larger than what would be predicted from risk factor control alone.”
That suggests something else is going on, Coresh said.
The findings are based on data from a long-running heart health study that began in 1987. At the outset, it recruited almost 15,800 adults aged 45 to 64 from communities in four U.S. states.
A previous study found that the stroke rate among the participants fell between 1987 and 2011—a decline seen only among people aged 65 and older.
The new analysis, published online recently in JAMA Neurology, shows that the trend continued between 2011 and 2017.
Over 30 years, Coresh’s team found, there were 1,028 strokes among participants aged 65 and older. The incidence dropped by 32% over time.
In more recent years, many more older adults were on medication for high blood pressure or high cholesterol, versus the late 1980s. But risk factor control did not fully explain why the stroke rate dropped so much, according to Coresh.
He said that other factors not measured in the study—including exercise, salt intake and overall diet—might be involved.
Dr. Larry Goldstein, a spokesperson for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, made another point: The study could not account for exactly how well-controlled people’s blood pressure and other risk factors were.
That could go a long way toward explaining the decline in stroke incidence, according to Goldstein, who is also a professor of neurology at the University of Kentucky.
But while the latest findings are good news, there are also more sobering stroke statistics, Goldstein said. Although strokes are most common among people aged 65 and older, they strike younger adults, too, and the incidence of stroke among younger people has been inching up in recent years.
Plus, Goldstein said, the death rate from stroke—which had been declining—has recently “stalled” and is starting to reverse course.
“It might be because folks are now having more severe strokes,” Goldstein noted.
It’s critical, he added, that people be aware of the signs of stroke and get help quickly if they think they, or a family member, is having one.
Some of the warning signs include a drooping or numbness on one side of the face; arm weakness or numbness; slurred speech; sudden confusion or difficulty seeing or walking; or, as Goldstein described it, “the worst headache of your life.”
His advice: “Don’t delay getting help. Time saved is brain saved.”
Heartside Neighborhood in downtown Grand Rapids has a rich, colorful history. In the 1850s, it was a shanty town, home to immigrants who were new to America. The area grew quickly—at first small houses dotted the landscape, then commercial and industrial businesses, hotels, a railroad depot, stores and apartment buildings. Today, it’s a historic district containing many original buildings, 55 of which are historically significant.
The area’s renaissance is mirrored in modern apartment buildings with both market-rate and income-based units; high-end condos; parking structures; offices; a feast of food establishments; a cat café; art studios; and recently built Studio Park, which adds movie theaters, more restaurants, more offices, more apartments, and a music venue to the mix. Heartside is becoming denser by the day.
Photo by Victoria Mullen, WKTV
There’s a palpable tension in the air as newcomers and longtime residents alike struggle to co-exist with a younger, more affluent crowd and the age-old problem of gentrification. The place is dynamic and vibrant but also plagued by criminal activity—vandalism, drug activity, trespassing, prostitution and the like—and an ever-growing transient population.
As services and resources increase in number, organizations like DwellingPlace, Heartside Ministries, Mel Trotter Ministries, Guiding Light, Dégagé, and others have been inundated. Grand Rapids is known as a “destination city” for homelessness as West Michigan police departments and judges send parolees here, and Mel Trotter routinely receives folks who have been given a one-way bus ticket to downtown Grand Rapids by missions, churches, and families in other cities across the Midwest.
VOICES has hosted several people who live and work in ever-evolving Heartside. Lisa Blackburn, Victoria Kool, Tommie Wallace, Larry Dean White, and Dr. Mark Vander Meer are just a few of the folks who shared their stories recently.
Listen to their voices—and others—on the VOICESFacebook page.
* * *
Photo by Victoria Mullen, WKTV
Dwelling Place connects people to programs and resources that can help folks become self-sufficient and find affordable housing. The nonprofit advocates for the neighborhood to make it safer—like street lights so people feel comfortable when they’re out at night and accessible sidewalks so children can easily walk to school. The nonprofit also unites neighbors and strives to bring in businesses that enrich the community.
Lisa Blackburn, Resident Services Coordinator at Dwelling Place, has fond memories of the Heartside District; it was her old stomping grounds when she was a kid growing up in the 1970s.
“Back then, it wasn’t called Heartside,” said Blackburn. “There were a lot of old, abandoned buildings. I remember playing around the train tracks—I may or may not have thrown a rock through a window. It feels good now as an employee in this area to see how it has grown.”
* * *
Artist Victoria Kool lives in Heartside. Her story, while unique, shares commonalities with others who live in the neighborhood: She was abused as a child, and she struggles with mental illness and addiction. She first attempted suicide at the tender age of 8.
Lisa Blackburn
“My parents had threatened to kill me if I told anyone about the abuse,” Kool said. “I had given up on life. My mom was an alcoholic. From a very young age, I took care of my siblings. I’ve had adult responsibilities since I was 5.”
Kool began having flashbacks in her 40s and 50s. She remembers standing in a closet, counting the stripes on the carpet to pass the time.
“It was either the closet or the attic or the basement; I spent a lot of my childhood in my own little world,” she said. “Until the age of 18, I felt invisible because of the trauma.”
No one believed her, not even the police. As a kindergartener, Kool knew that ‘Policeman Ralph’ wouldn’t help.
“I was a cynical kid,” Kool said.
A high-school acquaintance thought Kool had an ideal, well-adjusted family. But it was all a facade.
Victoria Kool
Kool had planned to attend college and then start a career in social work. Those hopes were dashed when family members told her she was expected to marry. She had children and for many years played the role of little homemaker. She struggled to cope with the flashbacks.
“I had no memory of the abuse and ended up with multiple personalities to compartmentalize the trauma,” said Kool. “My family didn’t want me to talk about it and threatened to silence me. I fled my marriage.”
She sought refuge with a friend, but Kool’s ex-husband threatened the woman, and Kool was asked to leave.
At one point, Kool drove to Florida, where her 4-year-old car’s engine blew. She lived in a homeless shelter for a week, until a church bought her a plane ticket to fly back to Grand Rapids.
Photo by Victoria Mullen, WKTV
“I ended up in a recovery house with women who had just gotten out of prison,” Kool explained. “I had a mental breakdown and got kicked out after a month. Then I called Mel Trotter and started in their emergency shelter—up at 6am, out at 8am, can’t get back in until 6pm. I dragged my suitcase around all day. It really opened my eyes to the reality of homelessness—a lot of mental illness, addiction, lack of a support network.”
Mel Trotter Ministries has served the greater Grand Rapids area since 1900. Founded by Melvin Ernest Trotter, a former alcoholic, the organization was first located at 955 Canal Street. Offering substance abuse counseling and other services, the mission moved to its present location at 225 Commerce Ave. SW in 1968.
The reasons for homelessness are many—domestic violence that forces someone to flee; an illness or injury that causes loss of employment and income (eviction is often close behind); addiction; mental illness; rising rents and lack of affordable housing; the list goes on.
“Homelessness is exhausting,” Kool said. “Living in a neighborhood with so many homeless people around me—I had to be prepared. I had grown up judgmental, with an air of superiority, and I had to deal with that so I could adjust and coexist with folks who were different from me. The diversity was new to me.”
Photo by Victoria Mullen, WKTV
Kool sees many people going through the same struggles as they try to somehow make a better life for themselves.
“Living in Heartside, I am attuned to those who have suffered abuse,” she said. “I have a sense of who has been through a bad situation; I have compassion and empathy now versus being judgmental. Most people who have addictions have been abused. A lot of the people here in Heartside are mentally ill, too.”
* * *
Muralist Tommie Wallace (aka Town Hall Auk Med) lives in an income-based apartment made possible by Dwelling Place. Originally from Kalamazoo, he came to Grand Rapids after seeing a commercial for ITT Technical Institute (now defunct).
“I stayed with a cousin until his wife felt I needed to move on, and that’s how I ended up in Heartside,” Wallace said. “I liked the area, had a lot of fun. I stayed here because it’s near a bus line, the library, the store.”
Photo by Victoria Mullen, WKTV
Wallace created his first mural at the site of Goodrich and Commerce.
“People would stop and talk to me as I worked,” he said. “I met such interesting people; some bought me lunch; one lady came by and brought me an umbrella as I worked in the rain.”
Wallace lived in Washington DC for a time.
“DC is different from the Midwest,” he said. “The difference is friendliness—you don’t see it much in DC, people keep to themselves, don’t want to get into conversations; I had to adapt because I was used to saying, ‘Good morning.’ People shun you there for that.”
After graduating from ITT Tech, Wallace got a job working for an airline company. As his income increased, he moved from an income-based apartment at The Weston to a market-rate residence at Goodrich Apartments. He lived there until being laid off after 9/11.
Tommie Wallace
“I came back to The Weston and I have been there over 20 years now. Heartside is my home. I know people here, they know me. I get a good feeling when people recognize me as an artist.”
A recovering addict, Wallace attends meetings at Heartside Ministry every Friday. Heartside Ministry serves people who live in the margins of Grand Rapids. It strives to provide basic needs; in addition, it offers a GED program, art gallery, yoga class and chapel for people to practice their faith.
Wallace meets a lot of people who are older, ill or injured.
“They’re newcomers to these issues and don’t know what to do,” Wallace said.
Larry Dean White
Wallace has served on the board of directors for Dwelling Place since 2005. He likes seeing the various development projects in downtown Grand Rapids.
“So many different people are coming down, young people, rich people. Residents were afraid that they would be pushed out.”
* * *
“I got the ministry in prison,” said Arkansas native Larry Dean White. The self-described ‘redneck Christian minister’, shares his love of God with the folks who people Heartside.
“I studied for six years; my textbooks are the old and new testaments,” he said.
White sat down to share his story with Dr. Mark Vander Meer, a pastor and founder of Community Recovery International, a nonprofit organization that helps address family, individual, addictive, marital, and mental health issues of all types locally and overseas.
Dr. Mark Vander Meer
White thinks there is too much judgment on the outside.
“Instead of putting people down, help them up, like Jesus did,” he said. “People should be treated with respect.”
Vander Meer agreed.
“There needs to be more ‘heart’ in ‘Heartside’,” he said.
* * *
VOICES is available to partner with nonprofit organizations. To learn more, and to schedule an event, go here. Be sure to visit and listen to the conversations on our Facebook page here and our YouTube channel here.
Russian-born pianist Olga Kern was the first woman in 30 years to win the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. She performs with the Grand Rapids Symphony Oct. 4-5. Story here.
Right en pointe
A scene from rehearsals of Ballet 5:8’s “Butterfly”. (Supplied/Ballet 5:8)
Ballet 5:8, the Chicago-based dance company known for providing audiences with “a unique opportunity to engage in conversation on relevant life and faith topics addressed in the company’s repertoire”, will return to Grand Rapids Oct. 5 with a program both emotionally heavy and delightfully spiritual. At the DeVos Center for Arts and Worship on Saturday, Oct. 5, starting at 7pm. Go here for more info.
Got leaves? Go here.
Beginning Oct. 5, the City of Kentwood will again offer its brush and leaf drop-off sites at the Kentwood Department of Public Works, located at 5068 Breton Ave. SE. The sites will run concurrently from Saturday, Oct. 5, through Saturday, Dec. 7, with open hours from noon to 8pm, Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 6pm on Sundays. Here’s the info.
Fun fact:
A new trip for Alice
Mad Hatters Tea Party in the eye of a needle by Willard Wigand
Willard Wigand makes these teeny-tiny sculptures — so itty-bitty, in fact, that he uses a microscope to create them. Wigand enters a meditative state, slows his heartbeat and sculpts between pulses. And holds his breath, apparently — one time he inhaled Alice from an Alice in Woodland tableau he was working on inside the eye of a needle.
UAW Local 167 members walk the picket line at one of the entrances to the GM-Components Holdings LLC, located on the corner of Burlingame and Burton. (WKTV)
On any given work day, Willie Holmes’ car would be one of about two in the parking lot of the UAW Local 167 office located at 1320 Burton St. SW.
However, this being day 19 of a nationwide UAW strike against GM, the 42-space parking lot is packed with vehicles as strikers head to their assigned posts and retirees come in to help prepare food and work on the organization’s newsletter.
“I’m a little tired,” said Holmes, who serves as the president of UAW Local 167, which represents employees at the GM-Components Holdings LLC, located at the corner of Burlingame and Burton in Wyoming.
Holmes does not look or act tired. He moves effortlessly through the hall, answering questions and talking to members and retirees.
“Actually things are going quite well,” Holmes said. “I think many of us didn’t expect the strike to happen so there was a little bit of chaos in the beginning as this is the first strike for many of us, but we got our groove going now.”
The last GM/UAW strike was in 2007 with about 73,000 employees striking for two days. The longest and largest GM/UAW strike was in 1970, which was 67 days and had about 343,000 GM employees striking in both the U.S. and Canada.
The parking lot at the UAW Local 167. (WKTV)
On Sept. 15, 46,000 GM workers went on strike, of which 650 employees are from the GM-Components Holdings in Wyoming. According to Holmes, there is about 137 employees still working at the plant as they support the Toyota line.
What many people do not understand is that the plant in Wyoming is a subsidiary to GM, Holmes said.
“Many have lumped us in with the traditional GM plants, saying that we make a $1,000 a week,” Holmes said. “I don’t make a $1,000 a week.”
Wages are one of the issues the UAW wants addressed as currently there is a three-tier system. For those at GM Components, a general employee who has been at the plant for 13 years makes about $22 per hour or $45,760 gross per year. The starting wage at a traditional GM plant, like the Lansing plant, is around $29 per hour. Temporary employees make $15.62 per hour.
“So for many of these temporary workers, they are working 10- to 12-hour shifts to make any money,” Holmes said. The union also wants a clear pathway for full-time employment for temporary employees. Currently there is none, according to Holmes.
“They are working one, two, three years,” Holmes said. “There is one temporary worker in Lansing who has been working for five years. That is five years of no profit sharing, no vacation days.”
While there are some places that temporary employees work well, the auto industry is not one of them, he said.
“That is another misconception in that it is grungy, basic work that anyone off the street can do,” Holmes said. “There is a lot of technology involved in auto manufacturing. You can’t just come in and push a button, you have to know why are you are pushing that button.”
From an Oct. 1 letter from UAW Vice President and Director Terry Dittes, other issues centered on health care costs, skilled trades and job security. A GM spokesperson said “We continue to negotiate and exchange proposals, and it remains our goal to reach an agreement that builds a stronger future for our employees and our company.” For more information, visit the ompany’s website, buildingastrongerfuture.gm.com.
“This is going to be historical,” Holmes said, adding that the negotiations will set a tone as to how employees in the auto industry and other places are treated. “It has been like a movement. I believe people are just tired of the greed. They are tried of being taking advantage of.”
One of the sheets listing those who have donated. (WKTV)
There has been community support with three large sheets of paper on the walls filled with individuals and businesses who have donating food and supplies in support of the union and its members.
The ripple effect of the strike also is being felt. Along with the Wyoming GM-Components Holdings, the UAW Local 167 also represents employees at Robert Bosch Fuel Systems, Challenge Manufacturing, Caravan, and North American Fuel Systems Remanufacturing. Holmes said work has slowed down with lay-offs happening at some of the businesses.
As to when the strike will end, Holmes could not predict, but the local is looking to extend services to its members and their families by offering a food pantry, a diaper drive and other resources such as financial planning. Recently, members started receiving $250 a week in strike pay, which is only a portion of an employee’s paycheck — temporary or permanent.
“We have worked to help members get deferred rent payments, deferred car payments,” Holmes said. “We are bringing people in to talk to members about spending and how to budget on a modified income.”
Tramell Louis Jr. has diabetes, and his friends all know it.
So when he collapsed at lunch while waiting to place his order, his buddy thought Tramell was having a diabetic attack.
He helped him out to his car and called LaGenda, Tramell’s wife, who drove to meet them outside the restaurant.
It didn’t take her long to figure out that this was no low-blood-sugar attack, so she followed her instincts and called 911.
“I’m asking him questions and he’s looking at me, but he won’t respond. So at that point I knew something was grotesquely wrong,” she said. “I just knew it wasn’t related to the diabetes.”
As she watched “his mouth go crooked,” she wondered whether he was having a stroke.
Clot retrieval
An ambulance took Tramell to the emergency department at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital, where doctors confirmed LaGenda’s suspicions: At age 37, her husband had suffered an acute ischemic stroke.
The doctors quickly got him hooked up to an intravenous drip and administered a clot-busting medicine known as IV tPA. As the only drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating acute ischemic stroke, this is the standard of care in a case like Tramell’s.
At the same time, emergency room staff called one of the hospital’s stroke specialists, who ordered a CT angiogram to pinpoint the source of the stroke. Tramell was rushed to the interventional radiology suite for imaging.
With the images on screen, the Spectrum Health Medical Group neurointerventionalist could see that Tramell was a perfect candidate for an advanced intervention called a mechanical thrombectomy, or clot retrieval.
Tramell’s brain scans showed two blood clots—one in the carotid artery in his neck and the other lodged in the left-middle cerebral artery, a major artery supplying the brain.
This second clot had shut down the blood flow to the left side of his brain, like a dam blocking a river.
“When the doctor showed me the CT scan of his brain, you could clearly see that (one) side of his brain had no blood flow to it at all,” LaGenda recalled.
Time is brain
With stroke, speed is everything. The longer the brain is deprived of blood, the more damage the brain suffers.
Studies have shown that for every minute blood supply is blocked, approximately 2 million neurons die.
So if a patient fits the criteria for intervention, “the sooner you start the procedure, the sooner you take out the blood clot, the sooner you restore the blood flow, the better the outcomes at three months.” That’s the standard measurement in the United States today.
Thankfully, Tramell beat the clock. From the moment he arrived at the hospital to the time he underwent surgery, less than an hour had passed.
Because there were two clots, the doctor used a two-step process to retrieve them. First he inserted a catheter into a blood vessel in the patient’s groin and fed it up to the carotid artery. Using a tool called the Solitaire device, he trapped the first clot in a tiny mesh stent and pulled it out.
Photo by Taylor Ballek, Spectrum Health Beat
Then he repeated the technique, fishing out the clot in the central brain. Immediately the blood began to flow again, in what doctors call complete recanalization—the channel was open again.
The results for Tramell proved to be dramatic.
His symptoms—loss of language function and right-side weakness—improved literally overnight, said Vivek Rai, MD, a neurologist with Spectrum Health Medical Group who specializes in stroke and vascular neurology. He took over Tramell’s care after his release from intensive care.
“After the procedure, the next morning when he woke up, he was night and day,” Dr. Rai said. “And he continued to do so well.”
Now that Tramell is in the clear, Dr. Rai will see him annually in the neurovascular program’s stroke clinic, keeping tabs on his carotid artery disease, which was the cause of the stroke, and monitoring his general health. To prevent a future stroke, Tramell will need to take aspirin and cholesterol medication, and carefully control his diabetes and blood pressure.
Driven to change
At five months post stroke, Tramell is feeling better than ever.
“I feel great. I really do,” he said. “I feel healthier than I have in a long time.”
He looks and sounds healthy, too, with no lingering effects. At least, none that a bystander would notice.
“The only problem I have is my speech,” he said. “When I speak, if it’s a word I haven’t used after I had my stroke, it takes—it’s like a pause and then I have to remember the word and then it jogs it, and then I start using it fluently.”
The stroke served as a major wake-up call for the father of two. Realizing his life could be snatched from him—separating him from his wife and children—brought out strong emotions.
“I felt anger, extreme anger—with myself. I just knew I had to change. I had the worst—the worst—eating habits in the world,” he said, noting that before he started taking insulin, he weighed over 300 pounds.
Today Tramell is eating better, faithfully taking his medications, drinking more water, kicking his soda habit and “running on a treadmill like crazy”—even when his job as a shipping and receiving clerk keeps him at work late.
“My wife—she’s the one that motivates me to do all the things I do,” he said.
From last year’s “Connecting the Dots” event. (HQ)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
HQ and 3:11 Youth Housing, two local groups which play “distinct and invaluable roles in the process of moving youth from crisis to housed,” will be hosting a collaborative fundraising event later this month in Grandville.
“Connecting the Dots: Walking with Youth from Crisis to Housed” will take place Thursday, Oct. 10, from 6-9 p.m., at the Grandville Banquet Center.
The event is “an exclusive evening of inspiration, food, and learning as we share the innovative collaboration between HQ and 3:11 Youth Housing,” according to supplied material.
“Our organizations serve youth experiencing homelessness or unsafe housing in Kent County. Together, HQ and 3:11 are modeling the power of intentional collaboration, highlighting how organizations can create a greater impact by working together. We believe when organizations intentionally partner to provide a continuum of services, youth are able to overcome crisis sooner and our Grand Rapids community is stronger.”
The event will include the opportunity to mingle and network during a cocktail hour including appetizers, a presentation sharing about the collaborative work of HQ and 3:11 Youth Housing, a sit-down dinner with dessert, an opportunity to win prizes and, most importantly, the “opportunity to make an impact by supporting the work of HQ and 3:11 Youth Housing.”
HQ is a drop-in center serving youth ages 14 to 24, according to supplied material. It offers a “safe space that provides rest, resources, and readiness to youth experiencing unsafe or unstable housing and other forms of crisis.” Youth have access to basic needs such as hot meals, showers, and laundry. Additionally, youth are connected to community partners and resources that help provide advocacy services, education & employability skill-building, and connections to affordable housing.
Youth at HQ have the opportunity to be referred to housing with 3:11 and other partners.
3:11 Youth Housing. according to supplied material, “develops safe, affordable housing for youth ages 18 to 24 who are experiencing homelessness and partners in their transition to healthy interdependence.” Four components essential to 3:11’s model are safe and affordable housing, house mentoring, case management, and alumni support.
The Grandville Banquet Center is located at 2900 Wilson Avenue SW, Grandville. Tickets are $85, are available here.
Before the current school year started in August, Godfrey-Lee Pubic Schools Superintendent Kevin Polston publicly expressed concern that this summer’s partial collapse of a portion of the Lee Middle and High School building could drive parents to transfer their students out of the district.
Such a loss of student head count would add a reduction in state per-student funding to the losses in class space and district financial flexibility.
But, the district reported Wednesday, Oct. 2, that Godfrey-Lee Public Schools counted 1,824 students today during Michigan’s Fall Count Day, according to supplied information. The number is slightly above the 1,820 students the district based the 2019-20 budget on and would result “in a modest amount of additional funds for the district.”
The number represents a similar number from the spring count, and a loss of 21 students from last fall’s count.
Fall counts occur on the first Wednesday in October and represent 90 percent of state funding. Spring counts occur on the second Wednesday in February and represent 1 percent of state funding. According to state school funding records, Godfrey-Lee gained $10,807 per student in 2017-18. But the amount can change year-to-year and per student funding for 2019-20 is not yet finalized.
“The district is grateful for the support of our community during the past four months and the trust they have in the district,” Polston said. “We are honored to serve our community to provide an excellent educational experience for our students based on deep, meaningful relationships and rigorous learning.
“Our student count will allow the district to grow the vision into the future as we partner with a dedicated staff and loyal community partners to design innovative practices that prepare students for success well into the future.”
Seven classrooms and the psychologist’s office were destroyed during a roof collapse at the school building, located at 1335 Lee St. SW, on June 5. No one was injured. It was determined that corrosion of bar joists that supported the roof structure caused it to disengage from the exterior wall.
On June 23, the remaining structure of the affected area collapsed from the weight of the debris. With localized repairs, the remaining portion of the building was ready for opening day as planned on Aug. 19.
No matter where you are in Michigan, you are never more then six miles from a body of water whether it be a river, a lake or one of the Great Lakes. Also, you are never more than 85 miles from a Great Lake.
With so much water that surrounds us in Michigan, it can be difficult for Michiganders to consider water as a scarce resource, but it is. “..,Worldwide water is going to become and is, in some areas, already a huge political issue,” said Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Dr. Stephanie Ogren.
India made the news this summer what its sixth largest city Chennai faced a water shortage. Chennai is not alone in that Cape Town, South Africa, Mexico City, Cairo, Tokyo, Melbourne, Australia, and London . According to the United Nations, four out of every ten people are affected by water scarcity — the lack of fresh water resources to meet water demand.
Grand Rapids Public Museum Vice President of Science and Education Dr. Stephaine Orgen and Science Curator Dr. Cory Redman talk about they find science entertaining in a recent “Locally Entertaining” podcast.
To help educate area residents about the need to care for the water resources in Michigan, how much water the state has and how clean it is, the Grand Rapids Public Museum has been offer a Saturday Curiosity Lab. According to Ogren, the lab, which also serves as a watershed lab for school programs, is designed to engage the public and students in watershed science.
“The reason behind developing the watershed lab really was to start engaging the public, especially the urban public that we get a lot of visitors here in that discussion around water as a resource and water as a scarce resource,” she said.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the third-floor lab is open to the public. In the Curiosity Lab, there are questions and prompts to help visitors explore more about Michigan’s watersheds. There are also several hands-on activities such as augmented sand box that allows visitors to create different landforms.
“It automatically changes the shape of the contour lines so that we can talk about how landforms are made and how water affects these landforms,” Ogren said.
The Museum also happens to be located right next to the Grand River, which provides many hands-on opportunities to discuss Michigan’s waterways and watersheds.
“So we are able to take groups and students and families down to the river and explore what we see when we pick up a few rocks and turn them over,” Ogren said. “And Really, we just try to peek everyone’s curiosity of what’s in our Grand River and what can we learn from that.”
To learn more about the Curiosity Lab or other programs and exhibits at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, visit grpm.org.
Superintendent Kevin Polston listens to community members during a community forum on Sept. 11. The forum was held to gather renovation ideas for Lee Middle and High School. (School News Network)
A pronounced entrance way, flexible spaces, better ventilation and lighting, and a separate auditorium and gym were common threads at the school district’s first community forum seeking input for the renovation of Lee Middle and High School held recently at the Early Childhood Center.
Seven classrooms and the psychologist’s office were destroyed during a roof collapse at 1335 Lee St. SW on June 5. No one was injured. It was determined that corrosion of bar joists that supported the roof structure caused it to disengage from the exterior wall.
On June 23, the remaining structure of the affected area collapsed from the weight of the debris. With localized repairs, the remaining portion of the building was ready for opening day as planned on Aug. 19.
Two more forums will be held, on Oct. 9 and Nov. 4 at Lee Middle and High School. The board plans to vote on design plans on Nov. 11.
The design phase will take place through May, and construction is planned to begin next summer.
The forum is the first of three sessions to get feedback from the community and to create a renovation plan.
Kevin Polston
Superintendent Kevin Polston said the forums will build on each other.
“We need folks to keep coming because we want the community’s voice to be represented in the final product,” he explained. “This is a community project.”
There are two phases: Phase 1 is redesigning the wing affected by the roof collapse, and Phase 2 involves planning other portions of the building.
Although a financial offer from the insurance company hasn’t yet been made, Polston said the process moves on.
“We’re trying to be patient with that … and we’ll keep the community in the loop,” he said. “I really want to credit our students and staff at Lee. We made the best of the situation, and our students were very patient finding new rooms and not having a locker in the first couple weeks.”
Polston reiterated that the site is safe during construction.
“There are fire walls and locked doors preventing students and anybody from accessing the affected area. Our contractors for plumbing, electrical, fire suppression and technology are designing how to reroute the infrastructure so we can demolish the wing.”
The wing is planned to be demolished in the next six weeks and “won’t impact our school, the learning environment,” Polston explained.
Creating A Vision
After the presentation, which included site information and a look at design trends by architectural/engineering firm TowerPinkster, community members took part in small group discussions.
Common themes included having flexible spaces, classroom connectivity, comfortable furniture, natural and better lighting, a comfortable learning environment that includes better ventilation and air conditioning, a dedicated auditorium for the arts, and a cafeteria separate from the gym.
Two other popular ideas were to build a pronounced, inviting entranceway — “a new opportunity to embrace people,” a community member said — and a courtyard open to other areas of the building.
“The feedback really resonated with what we’re trying to do; it’s about creating a vision for what the school could be and that’s exactly what we needed,” Polston said. “We had staff, community members, parents; a good cross-section of the community. Even though we didn’t have a high turnout, I think the representation was what we were hoping for.”
Other feedback included:
Safe and secure entrances
Flexibility to change with trends and needs
TVs throughout to inform and update
ADA accessibility
Include student input
Community needs to own the redesign
Transparency: what’s going on and why?
A recent photo of Lee Middle and High School shows a closed-off area of the building where the roof collapsed on June 5
Meetings Eased Fears
Cecilia Garcia, a mother of four students, said she’s attending the meetings to make sure they’ll get an updated and modernized building.
“This one has a lot of issues,” she said. “I have three kids in high school and they always complain that it’s too hot in there and they can’t concentrate during class. I want to keep updated as to what’s going on.”
Right after the collapse, Garcia said she was worried about the building and tried to transfer her kids to another district, but was too late to enroll them.
She said her worries have eased since going to the meetings.
Board of Education trustee and parent Jackie Hernandez, who has two children in middle school, said she wants to make sure they deliver clear, understandable information to the community.
She said one of the primary things her children want is air conditioning.
“It’s very hot in the school,” said Hernandez, who wants access to technology included in the new design, and to make sure a school is built with the future in mind.
Funding Needed
Polston said he has met with legislators multiple times, including with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently to tell their story and get support. He told those at the forum that the community’s voices are being heard.
Polston said the district is asking for stabilization funds for a year to avoid added pressure on the budget if enrollment falls below projections — possible if fears about the collapse prompt some to transfer out of the district.
“We’re monitoring enrollment closely to determine if that would be a solution for us,” he explained.
The district also is pushing for a structural fix for the inequity of school funding.
“A district like ours that has the second-lowest tax base in the state of Michigan on a per-pupil basis … we’re about tapped out as to what we can levy,” Polston said. “When we look at equity for our students, the kids that need the most, unfortunately, tend to get the least in the state of Michigan.
“Our students deserve the same opportunities, the same access that students anywhere do.”
With the limited funding, Polston said one possibility is a capital campaign to seek donations.
As with the mascot change last summer, the board said they wouldn’t use general funds, and to date have raised over $120,000 in community donations toward that effort.
“We’re going to keep having those conversations to see if we can raise private money to match what the community can raise,” Polston said. “The worst they can tell me is no; I take rejection well.”
For more stories on local schools, visit the School News Network website, schoolnewsnetwork.org.
The Grand Rapids Chapter of Sweet Adelines perform at the 73rd International Convention and Competition. (Supplied
By WKTV Staff joanne@wktv.org
They took to the stage from all over the world. Song, Dance, Four-part harmony a cappella style. Barbershop at its best.
The Sweet Adeline’s 74rd Annual International Convention and Competition which took place in September in New Orleans, proved to be a rewarding experience for The Grand Rapids Chapter of Sweet Adelines.
“We placed fifth in the world in mid- size choruses,” said Team Leader Diane Thompson. “We had 57 members onstage. It was such a thrill to watch barbershop groups from all over the world compete.”
Master Director Denise Van Dyken said she was proud of her group.
“We wanted to create an entertaining package and we definitely achieved that goal–the audience loved it,” she said.
The Grand Rapids Chapter of Sweet Adelines used comedy, rhythm, tap dance and numerous songs to invigorate the audience.
The Grand Rapids Chapter of the Sweet Adelines perform in New Orleans at the Sweet Adelines 73rd International Convention and Competition. (Supplied)
“I have been in the group for almost three years and we have qualified to compete at two International Competitions,” said member Colleen Pierson. “It is such a thrill to be part of this group. I wished I would have joined years ago.”
Chris Segard, long time member of 26 years, said she is thrilled to be recognized and cherishes her newly acquired medal.
The 5th Place medal that the members of the Sweet Adelines Grand Rapids Chorus earned. (Supplied)
“When you place fifth in the world, that’s a medal you hang around your neck with great pride,” she said.
The group is always looking for new singers. Check out grsa.net for details on how to join and for upcoming events.
The Grand Rapids Sweet Adelines Chorus will be hosting its annual Christmas performance Dec. 14. More details to come.
