Participating in outdoor recreation appears to have impact on climate change beliefs.
By Heather Triezenberg, Michigan Sea Grant, Michigan State University Extension; and Julia Whyte, Michigan State University graduate student
Greater involvement in outdoor recreation activities was associated with people identifying with the “Cautious, Concerned, and Alarmed” categories on climate change beliefs. Photo: Todd Marsee, Michigan Sea Grant
Coastal communities and sensitive coastal ecosystems experience a variety of weather-related impacts that are influenced by changing climatic conditions. Michigan State University professor Patricia Norris with students Brockton Feltman and Jessica Batanian have published their findings on Northern Michigan residents’ opinions about climate change in the Journal of Great Lakes Research.
The study, funded by Michigan Sea Grant and partners, replicated the “Six Americas of Global Warming” to understand survey respondents in the Grand Traverse Bay region. The “Six Americas” framework assesses individual beliefs about, concern about, and level of engagement with climate change to characterize belief typologies on a spectrum of:
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Range of responses
The authors found nearly 70 percent of those living in the Grand Traverse Bay region, an area dominated by agricultural land use and highly dependent upon natural resource tourism, were categorized as “Cautious, Concerned, or Alarmed” about the issue. Furthermore, the percentage of individuals in the “Doubtful” category (almost 10 percent) was lower than the 2012 national average (13 percent), but the percentage of those in the “Dismissive” category (15 percent) was higher than the 2012 national average (8 percent). The authors attributed this rather large range of responses to the fact residents were surveyed during the summer immediately following the “polar vortex” during the 2013-2014 winter months, and individuals in the area are very attuned to local weather changes.
Outdoor recreation plays role in awareness
There is also evidence that different sociodemographic characteristics are associated with the “Six Americas” categories. For example, the authors found that greater involvement in outdoor recreation activities, higher levels of education, and lower levels of income were associated with the “Cautious, Concerned, and Alarmed” categories. On the other hand, males and older individuals tended to be more dismissive of or disengaged with climate change than their counterparts.
Perhaps encouraging people to participate in outdoor activities, appealing to residents’ sense of altruism, providing practical environmentally friendly alternatives, or considering different approaches to informing community members about climate change will all be useful strategies to prepare for an uncertain future.
By Lisa Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch
Just a wonderful read!
The cover of That Went Well shows an exuberant little girl in a fancy pink dress and party hat, giving the camera an all-out smile. And the back flap shows two beautiful, gray-haired ladies hugging. Between the covers Dougan lets us in on how life with a sister whom doctors advised “be institutionalized” has gone.
Their parents became trailblazers in what was then a new world of rights for people with mental disabilities, and when they died, Irene’s sister took up the call. Terrell invites us to laugh, (because what else can one do?), but we learn a lot about making compassionate care taking decisions along the way.
If you liked Riding the Bus with My Sister, by Rachel Simon, you may enjoy this small book by Dougan. I loved both of these books, as examples of important lessons one can learn from others. They’re warm, compassionate, and hilariously funny.
Women who paint in the figurative realist style are invited to apply for the $50,000 Bennett Prize, the largest ever offered solely to women painters.Women who paint in the figurative realist style are invited to apply for the $50,000 Bennett Prize, the largest ever offered solely to women painters.
The call for entries runs from April 13-Sept. 28, 2018. Details are at www.thebennettprize.org.
Endowed by art collectors Steven Alan Bennett and Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt at The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Bennett Prize aims to spotlight women artists who are, or seek to become full-time painters but have not yet reached full professional recognition.
“The Bennett Prize is seminal at this moment when it’s harder than ever to pursue a career as a painter or artist of any kind,” said renowned American painter Alyssa Monks. “Artists are being pushed to the fringes and art markets are making it more and more difficult for any artists to feel secure.” “A prize at this level of value and seriousness can propel an artist’s career at a time when so many quit or lose faith or stamina,” Monks said.
The winner of The Bennett Prize will create her own solo exhibition of figurative realist paintings, which will first be shown at the Muskegon (Michigan) Museum of Art and then travel the country.
The Prize is also designed to create opportunities for the public to learn more about the creative vision of talented women painters in the increasingly popular style of figurative realism.
“Women are creating important figurative realist paintings that should be seen by a wider audience,” Bennett said. “Figurative realist painters portray the diverse human form, and have much to say in a society struggling to understand human differences, including race, gender and social status.”
American painter Aleah Chapin echoed those thoughts. “A prize such as this is a microphone for women’s thoughtful and unique voices,” Chapin said. “We paint because we have something important to say. When the world listens, that is life-changing. The Bennett Prize amplifies that voice, telling the world that what women have to say is valid.”
Bennett and Schmidt, of San Antonio, Texas, have endowed a $3 million fund at The Pittsburgh Foundation to ensure the prize will be awarded every two years in perpetuity. “The Pittsburgh Foundation has a history of funding artists whose work and unique perspectives might otherwise be overlooked,” said Maxwell King, foundation president and CEO. “The Bennett Prize establishes an ongoing mechanism for recognizing and elevating the work of women painters.”
A four-member jury, including renowned realist artists Maria Tomasula and Andrea Kowch, will select 10 painters from among the entrants. The 10 finalists will each receive $1,000 to participate in an exhibition opening May 2, 2019, at the Muskegon Museum of Art, where the winner will be announced.
“The Muskegon Museum of Art looks to showcase innovative programs, and we expect The Bennett Prize to be a tipping point for the artists’ careers,” said Kirk Hallman, executive director of the museum.
The winner will receive $25,000 annually for two years, so she can devote the time necessary to mount a solo exhibition, which will open in Muskegon in 2021 and then travel the country.
The Bennett Prize is not open to hobbyists, students or artists who have been paid or received an award of $25,000 or more for any single work of art.
Schmidt and Bennett are among the country’s top collectors of figurative realist art and are committed to seeing that talented women painters receive long-overdue recognition.
“We’re aiming to help ensure that there are as many paintings by women as men in museums, commanding the same prices and critical esteem,” Schmidt said.
Women artists appear ready for the challenge of making that happen. “The Bennett Prize validates and encourages artists who are placing all their chips precariously on their dreams,” Chapin said. “A prize like this tells them that what they are doing is valuable and important – to go ahead and buy that big canvas and big tubes of paint and spend time making the thing you want to exist. It’s worthwhile.”
By Erin Lizotte, Michigan State University Extension
Updated management reference available for Michigan hop growers through Michigan State University Extension.
In an effort to assist hop growers in making pesticide and nutrient management decisions, an updated “Michigan Hop Management Guide, 2018” has been created and is available at the Michigan State University ExtensionHops page. The packet includes an updated list of registered pesticides, nutrient management recommendations and a guide to seasonal pest occurrence in Michigan.
You will receive a confirmation email directing you to click on a link (this is to avoid spammers). Click on the link.
To send an email to the list once you have joined, just send it to: hops@list.msu.edu
To protect yourself, others and the environment, always read the label before applying any pesticide. Although efforts have been made to check the accuracy of information presented in the “Michigan Hop Management Guide,” it is the responsibility of the person using this information to verify it is correct by reading the corresponding pesticide label in its entirety before using the product.
Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned. Information presented here does not supersede the label directions.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 2015-09785. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
How do we change the notion that certain sports are just for white athletes or male participants? By mentoring females and youth of color in those sports. PGA professional Andre Pillow talks about his work with The First Tee of West Michigan and creating access to golf for all young people.
By Kristen Krueger-Corrado, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch
You’re a vegetarian journalist living in New York City. You are assigned to write an article about an organic farmer working in Pennsylvania. Within 24 hours of meeting the farmer, you are eating sausage, working the fields, slaughtering a pig and falling in love.
Author Kristin Kimball’s life changed when she interviewed that farmer. As their relationship bloomed, so did her understanding and respect for agriculture. Soon, she gave up her career, cute shoes, and NYC apartment and started an organic farm, Essex Farm, with Mark in upstate New York.
This memoir chronicles the first year of getting the farm off the ground—from buying plow horses to till the fields, hand milking the cows twice a day and developing a sustainable CSA—all while planning a wedding. Kimball brings to life the daily back-breaking work of running a farm, the cycle of life and death, and how community can support and uplift one another.
Her writing is rich and you feel that you are on the farm with her. When I was done with the book, I missed Essex Farm and Kristin and Mark. I wanted to know how their story continued to unfold. This book will make you appreciate what you buy at the farmers market even more.
One of the events the City of Wyoming hosts is its annual Community Clean-Up Day.
The City of Wyoming, through the support of the Greater Wyoming Community Resource Alliance, will have its annual Community Clean-Up Day Saturday at Grand Rapids First, 2100 44th St. SW.
The site will be open form 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Residents need to have a picture ID with them or proof of residency. Residents will enter east off of 44th Street to the northeast entrance of the church. For the full store, click here.
Wyoming: Flamingo Avenue to get trees
Mayor Jack Poll reads a proclamation at last year’s Arbor Day event.
This Saturday, the Tree Amigos and student volunteers will plant 24 street trees in the City of Wyoming. Planting will begin 9 a.m. in the 4200 block of Flamingo Avenue SW where ten Wyoming residents have signed up for the project. For more on this story, click here.
Kentwood: EK student makes her stage debut
East Kentwood student Ania Powell makes her Civic Theatre debut with “Akeelah and the Bee.”
Ania Powell makes her Grand Rapids Civic Theatre debut in “Akeehal and the Bee,” which opens on Friday and runs through April 29 at the Civic Theatre, 30 N. Division Ave. For more on the story, click here.
Wyoming and Kentwood: Record Store Day is Saturday
This Saturday, April 21, is the annual Record Store Day in the Grand Rapids area and, quite literally, around the world. It is a day to celebrate small music stores but also to celebrate records — music on vinyl. For more on the story, click here.
Public Museum: “Water’s Extreme Journey” coming to a close
Water’s Extreme Journey is open now at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) taking visitors on a quest for clean water through an experiential maze! But the exhibit is only open through April 29. For more on this story, click here.
Would you have a reliable way to get to work if you didn’t have your own car?
Do you live and work somewhere you can easily access public transportation?
If the answer is no, how would you maintain a job?
Millions of Americans lack reliable transportation. For individuals that don’t have a car or can’t afford or access public transportation, finding a job and showing up every day is a challenge.
Sean Phillips knows that struggle first-hand. Sean had a low-paying job that didn’t bring in enough money to support himself and his family; having enough money to pay for essentials—such as gas for their car—was a common difficulty. Being able to afford the training needed to qualify for a better-paying job seemed impossible.
Sean decided to take a step toward creating a new life. He came to West Michigan Works! to get help removing the obstacles that were keeping him from opportunities to better support himself and his family.
Sean received training funds to attend Tri-Area Trucking School. The funding allowed him to get books and other resources needed for the courses. He also received mileage reimbursements to ensure that he could get to and from his courses. After he successfully completed training, his family received additional transportation supports that allowed them to get a second vehicle. The vehicle support allowed both him and his wife to maintain full-time jobs.
Sean is now a Certified Class A & B Commercial Driver and is employed full time with a successful delivery and warehousing company.
“I want to thank Michigan Works for the supports they provided. I was able to earn my CDL and further my skills, knowledge, and confidence so I could get a new job at this stage in my life.”
Do you face obstacles to finding and keeping a good-paying job? Visit a service center to find out how West Michigan Works! can support you.
Music lovers and concert goers often ask classical musicians to name their favorite composer. Typically, the answer leads to the music of whomever they’re currently rehearsing or performing. Or to composers who wrote often or wrote well for their chosen instrument.
For conductors whose job it is to see the big picture, the answer sometimes is surprising.
“Often people ask me who my favorite composer is. I don’t know how to answer that,” said Grand Rapids Symphony Music Director Marcelo Lehninger. “But if I were going to a desert island, and I had to choose one composer, I probably would pick Chopin.”
That might come as a surprise because, while figures such as Maurice Ravel and Richard Strauss were great composers as well as great orchestrators, Frédéric Chopin was a great composer whose skills at arranging for orchestra were, at best, only adequate.
Yet the Polish-born musician, one of the greatest pianists of all time, revolutionized composition and piano performance to a degree that no one else has ever done.
“He completely changed the way you play the instrument,” said Lehninger, a pianist. “No one else, not even Paganini, did that for his instrument, the violin.”
Grand Rapids Symphony celebrates the music of Chopin with guest pianist Rafał Blechacz at 8 pm Friday and Saturday, April 27-28, in DeVos Performance Hall. The program titled Chopin & Dvořák is part of the 2018 Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, centered in Kalamazoo.
Joining the Grand Rapids Symphony for Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 is Blechacz, the 2014 Gilmore Artist of the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival. Guest artist sponsor is the Edith I. Blodgett Guest Artist Fund.
The ninth concerts of the 2017-18 Richard and Helen DeVos Classical series also include Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 in G Major. It opens with Canto, a brief work by contemporary American composer Adam Schoenberg.
Joining the Grand Rapids Symphony for Chopin’s Piano Concerto in E minor is Polish pianist Rafał Blechacz, the 2014 Gilmore Artist of the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival. The concert is in partnership with the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival. Guest artist sponsor is the Edith I. Blodgett Guest Artist Fund.
Not only is Blechacz a fellow Pole, he was the winner of the 15th International Chopin Competition in 2005, becoming the first Polish pianist to win the competition since Krystian Zimerman in 1975.
And not only did Blechacz win the top prize, he won all four of the additional prizes for best performance of a polonaise, a mazurka, a sonata, and a concerto with orchestra. No other pianist in the 91-year history of the event, held once every five years in Warsaw, has ever captured every award in the competition.
Lehninger, who made his Grand Rapids Symphony debut in February 2015 conducting Dvorak’s popular Symphony No. 9 “From the New World,” will lead the Grand Rapids Symphony in Antonin Dvorak’s sunny Symphony No. 8
The concerts open with Adam Schoenberg’s Canto, which in Italian means “I sing.” One of the most frequently-heard composers in today’s concert halls, Schoenberg composed the brief work as a lullaby in honor his son, Luca, who was born in 2013.
Inside the Music, a free, pre-concert, multi-media presentation sponsored by BDO USA, will be held before each performance at 7 p.m. in the DeVos Place Recital Hall.
The complete Chopin & Dvorak program will be rebroadcast on Sunday, May 28, 2018, at 1 p.m. on Blue Lake Public Radio 88.9 FM or 90.3 FM.
Tickets
Tickets start at $18 and are available at the GRS box office, weekdays 9 am-5 pm, at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across from the Calder Plaza), or by calling 616.454.9451 x 4. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum.)
Tickets are available at the DeVos Place ticket office, weekdays 10 am-6 pm or on the day of the concert beginning two hours prior to the performance. Tickets also may be purchased online at GRSymphony.org.
Full-time students of any age are able to purchase tickets for only $5 on the night of the concert by enrolling in the GRS Student Tickets program, sponsored by Comerica and Calvin College. This is a MySymphony360 eligible concert.
By Terry McLean, Michigan State University Extension
Each year the Cultivate Michigan and the Michigan Fresh initiatives promote seasonally available Michigan foods to two different groups of people.
Two Michigan State University Extension-led initiatives promote the seasonal use of Michigan’s fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy, focusing on two different audiences. Cultivate Michigan is an institutional food purchasing campaign of the Michigan Farm to Institution Network and has the sourcing, marketing and recipe resources to help schools, hospitals and other institutions find, buy and use local foods. A consumer-focused initiative, the Michigan Fresh program, helps individuals explore the state’s bounty of fresh, locally grown foods from farms, gardens and local farmers markets, with tips on growing, handling and preserving as well as healthful recipes. Both initiatives support farmers, food businesses and consumers, enhancing local economies.
In 2018, Cultivate Michigan is promoting four seasonal foods: onions (spring), berries (summer), celery (fall) and table beets (winter) to institutional food service directors. A few fast facts about these 2018 featured Michigan fruits and vegetables:
Michigan Onions:
Are rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and Potassium
Grown in south central and southern counties of Allegan, Barry, Eaton, Ionia, Kent, Newaygo, Ottawa and Van Buren
Each year, the Cultivate Michigan team plans field tours featuring the featured seasonal foods for institutional food service staff and others to learn first-hand about the production, processing and distribution of the foods, as well as to network with other food buyers, growers and suppliers. Several tours are planned for the year ahead featuring Michigan onions, summer berries, celery and beets.
Both initiatives support Michigan Good Food, a policy initiative of the Michigan Good Food Charter, and several of its goals by the year 2020:
Michigan institutions source 20 percent of their food from Michigan sources
80 percent of Michigan residents have easy access to affordable, fresh, healthy food, 20 percent of which is from Michigan sources
Michigan farmers will profitably supply 20 percent of all Michigan institutional, retailer and consumer food purchases and be able to pay fair wages to their workers.
The Michigan Farm to Institution Network and Cultivate Michigan are coordinated by the Michigan State University (MSU) Center for Regional Food Systems with support from MSU Extension. Michigan Fresh is supported by MSU Extension and includes a handy Michigan Availability Guide so you know when dozens of popular items are in season throughout the year, including those crops that are produced using season extension techniques, which extends their availability over a longer period of time.
Lineup of this year’s performers to be revealed at H.O.M.E. at The B.O.B. on April 30, part of International Jazz Day celebrations
By Molly Klimas
GRandJazzFest, presented by the DTE Energy Foundation, returns to Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, this Aug. 18 and 19, for the seventh annual festival. The popular family friendly festival is West Michigan’s only free, weekend-long jazz festival.
The two-day festival typically draws thousands to the heart of downtown Grand Rapids for the two-day, outdoor event always held the third weekend in August. In 2017, the event drew more than 10,000 people.
“We’re so excited to have the DTE Energy Foundation back for the seventh consecutive year as our presenting sponsor,” festival founder Audrey Sundstrom said. “We could not put on this festival without its support, and the support of all of our generous sponsors and volunteers. Jazz is really about bringing people together. It’s about community. And we’re grateful to the people and organizations that show their love of community by supporting GRandJazzFest,”
Holding the festival in the center city allows festivalgoers to enjoy all that downtown offers including restaurants, clubs, museums, microbreweries and shops. The festival typically occurs during Restaurant Week in Grand Rapids. The festival’s location is easily accessible to those who ride the bus, walk or bike, and is close to parking.
“We believe art and cultural events have a direct correlation to a city’s ability to attract new visitors, define a sense of place and community, and contribute to the development of local skills and industries,” said Lynette Dowler, president of the DTE Energy Foundation. “The Grand Rapids community is extremely important to us and we’re proud to be presenting sponsor again. By investing in this hallmark event, the DTE Energy Foundation is helping to boost the local economy and strengthen the vitality of the region.”
The 2018 festival lineup will be revealed on April 30 at the House of Entertainment and Music (H.O.M.E.) at The B.O.B. in Grand Rapids. Doors open at 6 pm. The Steve Hilger Jazz Quintet will perform during the evening’s event, which will announce the 10 diverse jazz artists and bands — including a student jazz band and two major headline acts — slated for the 2018 GRandJazzFest. Hilger’s band has performed at past GRandJazzFests, and he also serves as a board member of GR and Jazz.
“Jazz is a year-round passion here in West Michigan. We’re excited about a fun evening and a great way to reveal our 2018 lineup to jazz fans on April 30,” Hilger said.
Festival organizers have coordinated with International Jazz Day leaders to include the 2018 GRandJazzFest announcement as a sanctioned International Jazz Day event. Grand Rapids city commissioners announced GRandJazzFest as one of the city’s 2018 signature events, a distinction only given to local events proven to be successful and that enrich the community. Previously, GRandJazzFest 2016 received distinction as a Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. Signature Event along with two other festivals, ArtPrize and LaughFest.
GR and Jazz, the nonprofit, all-volunteer-run producer of GRandJazzFest, is pleased to once again announce a special collaboration with the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM). The 2018 festival’s V.I.P. area, which is open to sponsors, will be located on the GRAM front terrace where refreshments and snacks will be provided. Additionally, an outdoor bar will be set up at the base of the GRAM’s front steps adjoining Rosa Parks Circle to offer refreshments for attendees to enjoy during the festival.
Calvin senior Lynn Park is one of the students who provided photography for the hallways at Samaritas. (Photo courtesy of Calvin College)
By Hannah Ebeling, Calvin College
“I think the ability to take what you are learning in an academic setting and translate that to a real-world situation is such a helpful process,” said Jennifer Hoag, professor of photography at Calvin College. “You have to really think about what is needed and break down the criteria to be successful.”
Last fall, an intermediate digital photography class was given the opportunity to do just that.
Samaritas, a faith-based senior living home, approached Hoag because they wanted some new artwork for the walls in their memory-care unit that caters to residents in varying stages of dementia. Hoag visited their facility over the summer, and since everything looks similar, she said it was even tricky for her to navigate.
Art to help memory-care residents
“What Samaritas hoped for were images that could help their residents navigate the hallways,” said Hoag. “I thought it sounded like a really interesting project for students to think about the function of their photographs rather than thinking of them strictly as art.”
In groups of four and five, students came up with a theme for each of the facility’s hallways. “Students each approached the project in a very different way,” said Hoag. “Some groups decided they would get together and photograph with each other. Others worked more independently, but together decided how they wanted their photographs to look stylistically and went about it that way.”
This opportunity would act as the students’ final in the class. Hoag said she was not sure how the project would be received, but the students loved the idea right from the very start. They appreciated being able to serve in this way and have their work displayed in a setting, while being useful.
“I think the experience gave me a good chance to put into practice all of the things we had been learning in class, and with practice comes improvement,” said photography student, Marisa Seifert. “I think it is so important for students to gain this real-world experience and to engage in the community, not only for the personal benefit of experience, but also to benefit those around us who may be in need of certain services or skills. We can learn from them, and they can learn from us.”
Students put a lot into this project, said Hoag. Many bought their own props and went as far as baking and decorating a whole cake for the perfect shot. “A group of students even got together to make breakfast for their breakfast-themed collection,” she said. Samaritas plans to put these down the hallway that leads to the dining area.
“My favorite part about this project was seeing how my classmates interpreted the assignment in a different way than me,” said Seifert. “All of the photos were unique and beautiful in their own way.”
Students use what they learn to serve
The staff from Samaritas was very involved in the process and came to talk to the class. “The aging process can often affect the eyes, so they helped us understand which colors to avoid,” said Hoag. “We chose to use brighter colors within a certain spectrum.”
Once the photos were printed a representative from Samaritas joined the class for their final evaluation and critique. “She was able to walk around and see all the images that were made,” said Hoag. “She was really pleased with what the students came up with and already started talking about doing this again for another section of their facility.”
“It’s not often that I get to incorporate a service-learning aspect into the class,” said Hoag. “A lot of the photo assignments are very conceptually and technically driven and are not very collaborative. I loved the idea of having a collaborative project incorporated in the class and at the same time have students think about the function of the project.”
The 24 large prints of the students’ work will be mounted and hung at Samaritas Senior Living Home at the end of February.
Ania Powell can relate to Akeelah Anderson challenges of stepping out of your comfort zone in “Akeelah and the Bee,” Grand Rapids Civic Theater’s upcoming children’s production.
“I always wanted to act,” said the East Kentwood High School 11th grader during a recent interview. “So I decided you’ve got to start somewhere. So let’s see how it goes.”
Her starting point was auditioning for the Civic production, which will run April 20 – 29, and landing the role of Ratchet Rhonda, a schoolmate of Akeelah.
“I was really surprised and excited,” Powell said of landing her first role at Civic Theatre. “There were 60 or more people who auditioned and about 12 were called back, so that was pretty exciting as well.”
Actually Powell is one of a half of dozen new faces to Civic Theatre in the “Akeelah” production which also reunites actors from the 2017 Civic production of “Ragtime,” including Eddie Stephens, Marissa Baty, Micah Mcdonald, Dona Curry, and Michael Travis.
Also new to Civic is guest director Dwandra Nickole Lampkin, associate professor of theatre and director of Multicultural Theatre at Western Michigan University.
“I don’ always jump at the opportunity to direct…I’m an actor first,” Lampkin said. “But in talking with Allyson Paris, associate director at Civic Theatre and co-director for ‘Akeelah,’ I realized this project was something bigger than myself. I thought, here is a theater that wants to commit a spot in their season to a show with a different perspective (both culturally and racially). I not only wanted, but needed to be a part of that. I thought, ‘if Civic Theatre is making this commitment, how can I not?’”
“Akeelah and the Bee,” based off the 2006 film starring Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett, tells the story of 11-year-old spelling enthusiast Akeelah Anderson. She must overcome many obstacles including her neighborhood in South Los Angeles, the prejudice of those she is competing against along with those of her friends and family, and finally her own self doubts to land a spot and participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Powell said she can understand the challenges Akeelah faced. To be able to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Akeelah had to make a lot of sacrifices, Powell said, and to be part of a production such as “Akeelah and the Bee,” Powell had to make some tough choices as well.
“I learned that you have to be very committed to to a production,” Powell said about being in the show. “I usually play softball in the spring for school but I gave that up in order to focus on the show.”
Marissa Baty as Gail Anderson, Blessing Ouding as Akeelah, and Eddie Stephens as Dr. Larabee
Rehearsals for a show are almost daily which means a lot of time at Civic Theatre and Powell said learning lines and really getting to know her character has been a challenge.
“Akeelah went through a lot of stuff to accomplish what she wanted and she didn’t it let her stop her,” Powell said. “That inspires me as well.”
And Powell believes that “Akeelah” can inspire others to step outside of their comfort zone and try new things like she did.
“I would tell people that this show is about not being afraid to take that step outside of the box because you never know what it is going be like or if you will ever have the chance to do it again,” Powell said.
“Akeelah and the Bee” is April 20-29 at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, 30 N. Division Ave. The show is recommended for 5th graders and older. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday – Saturday with 2 p.m matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $16-$10. For more information about the show or to purchase tickets, call 616-222-6650 or visit www.grct.org.
People who live in the City of Grand Rapids — particularly those who live in homes built before 1978 — probably have lead in the paint inside and outside their homes. Lead is bad — especially for kids, babies and pregnant women. It causes brain damage and learning disabilities.
Some key points:
Lead poisons people — especially kids — and can cause lifelong problems.
Grand Rapids zip code 49507 continues to lead state for most lead-poisoned kids.
Prevention is key.
Lead poisoning can be prevented. There’s HUD funding to remove lead paint SAFELY through a program known locally as Get the Lead Out!The program is led by the city of Grand Rapids in collaboration with the Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan, the Kent County Health Department and the Rental Property Owners Association.
Recently, the program was simplified, making participation free for eligible homeowners. The program is available to renters, homeowners and landlords who meet certain eligibility requirements. Repairs typically include new windows and siding.
“This is a great opportunity to improve your home and make it healthier,” says Doug Stek, housing rehabilitation supervisor with the City of Grand Rapids. “Sometimes people will attempt to remove lead paint by themselves – scraping and removing the paint – but that can be dangerous and make a bad situation worse. Highly trained contractors work to make homes lead-safe through the Get the Lead Out! program. Think about it: just a week or two to improve your home and, most important, to help the people who live in it.”
“I would encourage the community to take advantage of these funds for the sake of our children,” says Kent County Commissioner Robert S. Womack. “When I ran for office, this was my No. 1 issue. Keeping our kids healthy is crucial — they are our future.”
It doesn’t take much lead to create a toxic situation. One gram of lead dust is enough to make 25,000 square feet of flooring hazardous for young children, according to research jointly conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA).
“We’re talking an amount as small as the equivalent of a packet of Sweet’N Low — just that small amount is enough to contaminate the floors of a dozen homes in Grand Rapids,” says Paul Haan, executive director of the Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan.
“More and more people are learning that lead is bad, but a lot of people still don’t know what lurks in their home and how it can harm children. And many don’t know that there’s funding to help safely remove lead paint. That’s why we are relentless about spreading the word about this critical issue,” Haan said.
The Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan has a five-point plan that spans discussions at state, county and local levels. Healthy Homes recommends that
All children under age 6 must be tested, especially at ages 1 and 2. When a child is lead poisoned, the source of poisoning needs to be discovered.
Homes must be tested before more children are poisoned.
Homes must be fixed before more children are poisoned.
Contractors must work lead-safe.
The community must be engaged and listened to every step of the way.
RENTERS, HOMEOWNERS, LANDLORDS: If you live in and / or own a home in the city of Grand Rapids, contact the Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan at (616) 241-3300 or go to gettheleadoutgr.org to learn more. Or, contact the city of Grand Rapids Community Development Department at 616-456-3030. The HUD funding, and the time frame to participate, is limited.
Each week, WKTV features an adoptable furry friend (or few) from various shelters in the Grand Rapids area. This week, we focus on Humane Society of West Michigan, located at 3077 Wilson Dr. NW in Grand Rapids.
Humane Society of West Michigan’s mission is to rescue hurt, abused and abandoned animals and find them new, forever homes. The 501(c)3 non-profit organization helps over 8,000 animals annually and is 100% donor-funded by caring individuals and businesses in the community. Additional programs help reduce pet overpopulation, provide assistance to low-income pet owners, behaviorally assess animals and reunite lost pets with their owners.
Cooper (10 year old male Domestic Short Hair) & Sammy (8 year old female Domestic Short Hair)
Hi everyone! We are Sammy and Cooper. We are a bonded pair which means we have to go home together because we love each other so much! We are a little shy at first but once we get to know you we would love to play “catch the feather” or “chase the shoe string”. We were surrendered to Humane Society of West Michigan because our owner was moving and could not take us with. We are a part of the Silver Paws program for senior shelter pets — which means there is no cost to adopt us!
Please come meet us at Humane Society of West Michigan!
More about these fabulous felines:
Sammy
Animal ID: 37966188
Domestic Shorthair/Mix
Age: 8 years
Female
Size: Small
Color: Grey
Spayed
Not declawed
Cooper
Animal ID: 37966176
Domestic Medium Hair/Mix
Age: 10 years
Female
Size: Small
Color: Brown/White
Spayed
Not declawed
The Humane Society of West Michigan automatically microchips all adoptable animals using 24PetWatch microchips, which include FREE registration into the 24PetWatch pet recovery service. For more information visit www.24petwatch.com or call 1-866-597-2424. This pet is also provided with 30 days of FREE ShelterCare Pet Health Insurance with a valid email address. For more information visit www.sheltercare.com or call 1-866-375-7387 (PETS).
Humane Society of West Michigan is open Tues-Fri 12-7, Sat & Sun 11-4.
Singer-songwriter Myra Maimoh is as comfortable on stage with a microphone as she is with a warm cup around the coffee table. The Cameroonian-born mother of three laughs easily and genuinely while recounting her youth in Central Africa, singing in church and in girl bands. She takes the stage in our studio to share an original composition from her recent album and shares how this formerly cold city of Grand Rapids is rapidly becoming home. Come for the music; stay for the conversation!
Wyoming: Kim Koster selected as Public Safety chief
The Wyoming City Council has named Kimberly Koster its new director of public safety during its regular April 16 meeting. She will be sworn in Wednesday, April 25. For more information, click here.
Wyoming: TwoGuys Brewing now open
Tom Payne, shown at back talking with customers, says he plans for the new taproom to be as much as community meeting place as a place to quaff a beer. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
It may have taken a little longer that expected, but Wyoming’s TwoGuys Brewing has opened in an old city firehouse and a one-time 7-Eleven convenience store in, and for, the Wyoming Park community.
And Tom Payne — managing partner, brewmaster and all-around craft-brew guru — says he plans for the new taproom to be as much as community meeting place as a place to quaff a beer, and he hopes the business is just the beginning of a continued renaissance in the area. For more, click here.
Kentwood: City opens brush drop-off site
The City of Kentwood will be pilot a yard debris drop-off site this spring.
Residents of the city will be able to dispose of sticks, branches and logs at the Kentwood Department of Public Works from May 7 to June 2. For more, click here.
Wyoming and Kentwood: Time for spring cleaning
The City of Wyoming will be hosting its third annual Community Clean-Up Day this Saturday, April 21, at Grand Rapids First, 2100 44th St. SW. Residents must bring proof of residency or property ownership within the city. The event will be from 8 a.m. 2 p.m.
The line will form in the east bound lane of 44th St. SW. Traffic will enter the parking lot through the northeast entrance. Plummers, Kent County Department of Public Works, Recycle Kent, and The Salvation Army will be on hand. For more information, click here.
The City of Kentwood will host its Community Clean-Up Day May 5 at the Kentwood Recycling Center at 5068 Breton Ave. The event is from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. This service is provided to Kentwood residents with proof by picture identification.
The Kent County Department of Public Works will be on hand to accept household hazardous waste items. They will not be accepting latex paint. The Salvation Army and Comprenew also will be on hand. For more information, click here.
Cherry Health: How to prevent asbestos exposure
As many begin their spring cleaning, Cherry Health, in collaboration with mesothelioma health advocateRosie Rosati, takes a look at asbestos and how residents can prevent exposure to the carcinogen. For more on the story, click here.
By Debbie Hoskins, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch
Michigan author Lisa Wheeler has cooked up a delightful cumulative story with a song. Ol’ Bear wakes up with a hankerin’ for ugly pie. As he visits his neighbors, they all show him the pies they have made and donate an ingredient. At the end all the neighbors smell the pie and come and eat Ol’Bear’s “scrumptious-truly wondrous-beautiful Ugly Pie!”
The book is illustrated with delightful, colorful paintings created with water color, acrylic, and collage on paper. At the end of the book is an Ugly Pie recipe that you and the grandcubs could make. Perfect for the grandchildren ages 3 through 7.
Sunday, April 22nd marks nearly 50 years since the first-ever Earth Day around the world, highlighting the importance of caring for our home planet through environmental activism. Commemorate the occasion during our annual Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 21st from 12-3 pm at Blandford Nature Center located at 1715 Hillburn Ave NW, Grand Rapids MI 49504. It is also the 50th Anniversary of Blandford Nature Center — what better way to rejoice at 50 years of getting people outdoors than with FREE general admission in the Mary Jane Dockeray Visitor Center.
In addition to free admission for the entire day, visitors will have the opportunity to explore all of the trails and check out the wildlife ambassadors, such as Baby the Barred Owl and Opal the Opossum in the Wildlife Education Center. Guests can take interpretive tours of the historical buildings including the one-room schoolhouse and log cabin or even partake in volunteer opportunities during an AM shift from 9 am to 12 pm and a PM shift from 1-3 pm. There will also be booths and vendors on-site from community organizations with a plethora of games and activities for families to participate in.
Photo courtesy Blandford Nature Center
“Earth Day is a chance to show the community all that Blandford has to offer for free while showing our appreciation for the Earth through stewardship,” said Renee Baker, Community Programs Manager.
There will also be booths and vendors on-site from community organizations with a plethora of games and activities for families to participate in.
Blandford Nature Center’s mission is to engage and empower our community through enriching experiences in nature. This is accomplished through: an active outdoor environmental lab, a team of passionate, knowledgeable people and a strong link from past to future promoting sustainability. Blandford offers a wide variety of educational and community programs to support this mission. For more information, please visit www.blandfordnaturecenter.org. Blandford Nature Center is a registered, charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Capt. Kim Koster has been named the new Wyoming Pubic Safety Chief. She will be sworn in on April 25.
In a unanimous vote, the Wyoming City Council has named Kimberly Koster its new director of public safety during its regular April 16 meeting. She will be sworn in Wednesday, April 25.
In this role, Koster will lead a team of nearly 130 full-time personnel, including 86 sworn police officers and 29 full-time firefighters. She is the first woman to lead the Department of Public Safety. Koster will replace Chief James E. Carmody, who will retire on April 26 after more than four decades of service in public safety including 11 with the City of Wyoming.
“Capt. Koster has been an exceptional officer and instrumental member of our public safety team, and I am fully confident she will soar in this new role,” said Wyoming City Manager Curtis Holt. ”She has gone above and beyond in her various positions, and I believe is a role model and trusted figure for our residents.
”We look forward to seeing her future accomplishments as she leads our public safety team in its ongoing mission to protect and to serve our community.”
With more than two decades of law enforcement experience, Koster began her career with Wyoming as a school resource and community policing officer. In this position, she worked with neighborhood groups and organized community events to bridge gaps and build solidarity among neighbors.
She worked her way up through the ranks to detective, sergeant, lieutenant and, most recently, captain, a position she has held since 2010. In this role, she assisted with the formation of the Public Safety Department through the administrative consolidation of police and fire services, created a new staffing model, facilitated dispatch operation transitions and led a collaborative effort in the development of the departments five-year strategic plan.
“It has been an honor to watch Capt. Koster grow professionally and to form such strong bonds of trust with colleagues and the public,” Chief Carmody said. “This department has some of the very best public safety professionals. They work extremely hard, and Kim is at the forefront of this team.
“I have complete confidence in her ability and look forward to watching her take this department to the next level, while providing second-to-none police and fire services to our community.”
As the chief of police and fire services, Koster plans to develop strategies that will improve the delivery of the departments public safety services. She will ensure the open and lasting dialogue necessary to keep the community safe is maintained and members of the community are served with dignity, respect, fairness and compassion.
“The Wyoming community has been such an incredible place to begin and to progress in my career,” Koster said. ”Chief Carmody has been a phenomenal mentor, and I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to take the reins and lead this first-rate public safety department, which is committed to exceptional service and strong community relations.”
Throughout her career, Koster has been recognized with several commendations, including the Life Saving Award, Chiefs Award of Excellence, Outstanding Young Public Safety Officer and Safe Driving Award.
She served as a 911 communications supervisor, during which time she led the consolidation of police and fire operations in multiple communities, including Wyoming’s, move to Kent County. She has also served as lead detective in homicide investigations and as a crisis negotiator, among other critical roles throughout her career.
With a commitment to training, she graduated with Class 251 of the FBI National Academy. She also attended the Leadership Institute training hosted by Grand Rapids Police Department and the Police and Staff Command training hosted by Northwestern University.
Koster received her associates degree from Grand Rapids Junior College, her bachelors degree in criminal justice from Grand Valley State University and her masters degree in criminal justice administration from Ferris State University.
She resides in Grand Rapids with her wife, Marie, and three of her children, Bonham, Cash and Jett. She also has two adult stepchildren, Samantha and Alex.
Most interviews end with this question: What questions do you have for us?
Your interview isn’t over yet! Show curiosity and interest in the company during this part of the interview. Impress the employer with great questions- not ones you already know the answer to, such as position details or wage information.
Ask questions to see if you’re a good match for the company. This is your time to shine. Here are five important ones:
What does success look like in the position?
What experiences and skills describe the ideal candidate?
What is the next step in the interview process?
How do you see this position changing in the next three years?
How can I best help you and the team succeed?
Choose three questions that make the most sense for your interview. Write them down in a notebook. During the interview, reference your list if you forget what question to ask next.
The bottom line: ask questions that show you’re interested in the organization. Good questions will impress the employer.
Ready to take these questions to an interview? You’re in luck! There are 13+ hiring events this week with employers offering on-site interviews. See the dates, times and employers on our website here.
Employment Expertise is provided by West Michigan Works! Learn more about how they can help: visit westmiworks.org or your local Service Center.
Grand Rapids Symphony Music Director Marcelo Lehninger leads the symphony in the Jan. 5 performance of music of Tchaikovsky and Dvorak.
Tonight’s joint concert with the Grand Rapids Symphony and Cornerstone University Chorale at Cornerstone University has been canceled due to weather.
Titled “Classically Inspired Hymns,” the program had been scheduled for 6 p.m., Sunday, April 15, in Christ Chapel on the Cornerstone University campus. The concert in the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Sacred Dimensions series may be rescheduled at another time. More information will be provided when it’s available.
Ticket buyers should retain their tickets. Tickets will remain valid if the concert is rescheduled or will be exchangeable next season for a Grand Rapids Symphony concert in either its Classical or Great Eras series. (Some restrictions will apply).
U.S. Senator Gary PetersPeters Calls for Suspension of Line 5 Operations
By WKTV Staff
Peters Calls for Suspension of Line 5 Operations
April 13, 2018
Below is a statement from U.S. Senator Gary Peters on a briefing he received from the U.S. Coast Guard about recent damage to Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. Yesterday, at a Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing, Peters questioned U.S. Coast Guard officials about the decision to keep Line 5 open despite an undetermined risk to the Great Lakes.
“There are few greater dangers to the Great Lakes than an oil spill in the Straits of Mackinac, which would devastate Michigan’s environment and our economy.
“Yesterday, I was personally briefed by U.S. Coast Guard officials in Michigan on the damage to Line 5 caused by a vessel anchor strike in the Straits of Mackinac. Based on the limited information currently available, two segments of the pipeline will require repairs in the short-term, but a visual inspection is still needed to assess the full extent of the damage.
“Upcoming blizzard conditions and high winds pose a threat to the already-damaged pipeline and — even worse — would render on-site cleanup equipment ineffective in the event of an oil spill. We simply cannot afford that kind of risk to Michigan’s most precious natural resource.
“Given the lack of visual inspection and impending storm, I am calling for PHMSA and DEQ to suspend the operation of Line 5 until a visual evaluation is complete and Michiganders can be assured that Line 5’s integrity has not been compromised by the vessel activity.
“In the Senate, I have worked in a bipartisan way to strengthen federal oversight of pipeline safety and will continue fighting to protect our Great Lakes from something as catastrophic as an oil spill.”
VIDEO: Peters Questions U.S. Coast Guard on Line 5 Vessel Damage
April 12, 2018
U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today questioned U.S. Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Operations, Policy, and Capabilities, Rear Admiral Linda Fagan at a committee hearing, following reports of multiple dents in Line 5 caused by vessel activity in the Straits of Mackinac. During the exchange, Peters questioned Fagan on the decision to reopen Line 5 despite incomplete inspections.
Peters Statement on Syria
April 11, 2018
U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) released the following statement on Syria, in light of the Syrian military’s chemical weapons attack in Douma:
“Bashar al-Assad and his inhumane government have shown zero regard – and even contempt – for the well-being of the Syrian people. Through chemical weapons, barrel bombings and torture, the Syrian government has inflicted unimaginable terror on the children, women and men it is charged with protecting. Bashar al-Assad is no leader: he is a ruthless, heartless dictator who has long since lost legitimacy with the Syrian people and is only being propped up by Russia and Iran.
“This month’s illegal and horrendous chemical weapons attack on the people of Douma – who have already endured years of indiscriminate shelling – must be met with a swift and firm response from the entire international community. I supported President Trump’s decision to launch air strikes after last year’s chemical weapons attack in Idlib Province, and I look forward to hearing more about the President’s stated plans for additional action in response to the attack in Douma. The United States and the world must once again send a unified message to Bashar al-Assad that chemical weapons have no place in humanity.”
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow
Senator Stabenow Introduces the Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act
“We all have a stake in keeping moms and babies healthy,” said Senator Stabenow. “My bill makes sure moms and babies get the best care possible from the doctor’s office to the delivery room.”
The Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act of 2018 will improve maternity care for women and newborns by holding Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program accountable through higher quality standards. Medicaid currently has a set of guidelines for pediatric and adult care but no specific standards for maternity and infant care.
The legislation will also provide funding for care quality partnerships that will bring together states, health care providers, insurance companies, and other stakeholders to develop and carry out new strategies to improve maternity and infant care.
Lucas Davenport and crew have done it again, and the 23rd book in Sandford’s Prey series is a winner. If you like to read in the police/thriller genre, to paraphrase one reviewer, “some of the books are very good and some are great”. Hey–that’s as good as it gets for that long of a run! They’re well-written and -plotted, with crisp dialogue, and interesting main characters who have just enough humorous side stories going on, to leven the loaf a bit, what with all the grisly murders and all.
I was thinking of how I would enjoy reading it on my vacation, but made the mistake of just taking a peek… The tale of political dirty tricks gone wrong, and a Machiavellian narcissist plotting her rise through the senate, and the question of a double or triple cross, was just too interesting to set aside.
So, if you are looking for a great travel/vacation read, don’t open it before the trip…
Two neighborhood groups plan to hit the streets Saturday, April 14, for annual clean ups along Division Avenue and 28th Street.
At 7:45 a.m., community members are invited to meet at Godwin Heights High School, 50 35th St. SW, for the Division Avenue Annual Clean-Up hosted by the Division Avenue Business Association (DABA). Work will be along Division Avenue from 28th Street to 44th Street. The event is from 7:45 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Abundant Life Church is hosting the Team Up to Clean Up event for 28th Street. Volunteers are asked to meet at 10 a.m. at Marge’s Donut Den, 1751 28th St. SW. Volunteers will be working along 28th Street from Burlingame Avenue to Byron Center Avenue. The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. with lunch provided.
Of course with the National Weather Service having placed the Kent County under a winter storm watch, organizers of the event advise residents to double check that events are taking place before heading out.
For the Division Avenue clean up, visit the Facebook page by clicking here.
By Chris Venvema, Michigan State University Extension
Freezing asparagus preserves the fresh flavor
Although spring has sprung, it is still pretty cold, but it is not too early to think about harvesting the first vegetable of spring, asparagus.
Officially named Asparagus officinalis, asparagus is actually a flowering perennial.
With its dark green color, asparagus is rich in vitamins A & B6, calcium, magnesium and zinc. Since it is 93% water, asparagus is low in calories and very low in sodium. Asparagus is a very good source of dietary fiber. When harvesting the asparagus, it is important to gather the tender young shoots. The larger and taller shoots are a woodier product. However, these older shoots should not be discarded, they can be peeled and enjoyed as well. Asparagus can be preserved for later use by freezing, canning, pickling or drying. The technique used depends upon the later intended use. For the fresh from the garden flavor, freezing is ideal.
To freeze asparagus it is necessary to blanch the young spears. To prepare the asparagus for freezing requires that young tender spears be selected. The stalks should be washed, trimmed and sorted according to size. Cut the spears to fit the containers for freezing. Water blanching requires the water to be boiling in a kettle. Tender small spears require a blanching time of two minutes, medium size spears need three minutes and large spears need four minutes. Cool quickly in ice water. Then drain and package leaving no airspace in the rigid container. A technique for individual size pieces is to drain and pat the spears dry. Next arrange the spears or pieces on a cookie sheet. Then place the cookie sheet in the freezer until the pieces are frozen. Finally put the frozen pieces in plastic bags, making sure there is no air trapped in the bag and put in the freezer.
Michigan State University Extension recommends canning asparagus because it is considered a low acid vegetable. Select tightly closed spears that are four to six inches in length. Wash thoroughly. Trim off the scales and tough ends. Then wash again. The spears can be cut into one inch pieces or left whole (4-6 inches).
For the raw pack technique, pack the asparagus tightly into hot jars, leaving one-inch headspace. If salt is desired put a ½ teaspoon of salt into pint jars or 1 teaspoon of salt into quart jars. Fill the jars with boiling water leaving one-inch headspace. Remove the air bubbles. Wipe the rim. Adjust the pretreated lids and process.
Processing can be done in a dial gauge pressure canner at 11 pounds of pressure OR in a weighted gauge pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure. The processing times are 30 minutes for pints and 40 minutes for quarts.
It is spring time! Why not preserve spring’s first vegetable of the season, asparagus, today!
Michigan artists with disabilities will have the opportunity to attend a free Saturday workshop focused on art promotion and marketing and special needs planning.
LTAC Arts, the nonprofit arm of the Legacy Trust Award Collection, will host its first workshop in advance of its May show at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. The three morning sessions will focus on topics such as valuing and marketing art, benefits protection and special needs planning.
Sponsored by Trivalent Group, the workshop will be held on Saturday, April 21 at 401 Hall St. SW, Suite 134. Artists may submit completed artwork and registration forms prior to the start of the sessions. The planning sessions are open to all Michigan artists with disabilities, as well as any interested family, caregivers or other members in the community.
Now in its ninth year, LTAC is a statewide competition open to artists with disabilities that seeks paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings, collages, mixed media and other works of art. Four wining artists will be entered in ArtPrize 2018.
Chris LaPorte, 2010 ArtPrize winner, and Erin Nemastil, ADAC Automotive communications manager, will lead “Valuing and Marketing Your Art.”
The Arc of Kent County’s Maggie Kolk will lead “Protecting Your Benefits While Selling Your Art.” The Arc of Kent County ensures that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are valued and able to contribute to their community.
Mark Periard, director of wealth management at Grand Rapids-based investment and wealth-management firm Legacy Trust, will lead a session on “Special Needs Planning” session.
Art drop off will be between 8-9 a.m. and sessions will begin at 9:15 a.m. A light breakfast will be provided. RSVP to LTACarts@gmail.com or call 616-649-2818 by April 19. Spouses and caregivers are welcome to attend.
Abe Carrillo is a proud son of Mexican immigrants and proud employee at Herman Miller where he is Director for Diversity & Global Inclusiveness. He joins us to talk about the hard work of immigrants and the inspiring community work that Herman Miller is engaged in.
By Brett Gingrich, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy Services at Cherry Health
Cherry Health’s Pharmacy is located in Heart of the City Health Center and provides prescription services for all Cherry Health patients, as well as the general public. The pharmacy also provides a 340B discounted pricing program for Cherry Health patients who qualify for the program. The 340B program is funded by manufacturers of medications and is not federally funded. This means the pharmacy can buy medications from these manufacturers at a discounted price vs. other retail pharmacies. The savings are then used in many ways including these below:
We give the savings back to the patient through our pharmacy sliding fee program. Patients without insurance or even under-insured patients can buy medications at a more affordable price. This is one way we keep medication costs down, so that our patients can take the medications they need, and therefore increasing access.
We also use the 340B savings to increase access to more services. The 340B savings we receive contribute to services such as: patient education, translation, and transportation services along with many others which otherwise may be limited. The 340B program helps make these services sustainable.
The 340B program’s original intent may need clarification, but for Health Centers in Michigan like Cherry Health the program is vital to our patients and the services we provide. The program increases access to affordable medications and furthers Cherry Health’s mission to improve the health and wellness of our patients while encouraging access. So, whether you are insured or not — I encourage you to talk to your Cherry Health primary care physician to see if our Heart of the City Pharmacy is the right fit for you! Delivery services to other select Health Centers are also available.
In need of a refill on your prescription? Check out Heart of the City Pharmacy’s Health Mart page here!
Anyone attempting to digest Lupe Ramos-Montigny’s entire resume would be well-advised to reserve the better part of an afternoon, and be sure to allow for snacks and hydration.
But if you were short on time and wanted to condense her life into a single word, this might suffice:
Lupe Ramos-Montigny leads the Committee to Honor Cesar E. Chavez. Here, she takes part in a planning meeting with Carla Moore of Baxter Community Center
Doer.
In her nearly 75 years, she’s done as much as anyone – and perhaps more than any Latina – to advance educational opportunities for children in Grand Rapids and beyond. Armed with a passion to change things that need to be, people who know her agree that you either hop on her wagon for social justice and equity or get the heck out of the way.
And don’t expect a lot of breathless rhetoric or political correctness.
“She’s not careful,” says Michigan State Rep. Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids), “because she doesn’t need to be careful. She says what she thinks, and she’s not beholden to anybody.”
By the same token, says Brinks, a longtime activist and current candidate for the State Senate later this year, Ramos-Montigny is “quick to comment, but also committed to being right. And I have never known her to not take ownership for something if she is wrong.”
Brinks is especially impressed with the way Ramos-Montigny often seems to have someone in tow, learning the ropes. “She is a networker,” Brinks observes. “She almost always has a young person that she’s mentoring, bringing them around to help get them connected and involved.”
On an after-school scavenger hunt with her granddaughter and friends from Meadowlark Elementary, Lupe Ramos-Montigny points out ants and the bark of a tree
Strong Roots in Faith and Family
She was born on Dec. 12, a date that doubles as the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who according to the Catholic Church appeared to St. Juan Diego in 1531, sparking the conversion of some 8 million Mexicans to Catholicism over the ensuing decade. Lupe is named after that venerated image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a moniker she carries proudly. Ramos, meanwhile, is her given maiden name, and Montigny what she retains from her marriage to ex-husband Remi, of French descent.
A native of Texas, Ramos-Montigny is the seventh of nine children born to parents who never advanced past the third grade, but in her mind “were Ph.D.’s in their own right, for the gifts they brought to their greater community and lessons they imparted on their children and others.”
“My parents had very strong family values,” she says. “Respect was of the utmost importance. And we learned that hard work was part of life. They also understood that education was the door to opportunity.
“We all became something,” she says of her brothers and sisters, and she rattles off roles as pastor, doctor, businessman, attorney, Realtor, nurse and more.
“As we came of age,” Ramos-Montigny remembers, “we were expected to chip in on everything. On Saturdays, we cleaned the house, mopped the floors, ironed and starched the clothes.”
At the age of just 10, Ramos-Montigny joined her parents and most of her siblings for what would be three consecutive summers working as migrants in Michigan — a round trip of 4,000 miles that they endured in an open-bed truck where clothing in a pillow case was all you took with you and “that was my bed and my seat for the trip.”
Even against the agrarian hardships, Ramos-Montigny fell in love with the topography, climate and culture of Michigan as the family picked cherries on Traverse County’s Old Mission Peninsula, then harvested beets in Caseville and tomatoes in a third locale.
“Oh the bay,” she says of the sparkling waters just steps away from the cherries they’d bucket. “And those hills.” It created indelible images in her mind, and convinced her at a young age to leave Texas in the rear-view mirror in favor of The Mitten.
Lupe Ramos-Montigny enjoys cuddling with her granddaughter, Amelia Montigny
No-Nonsense Educator
She got her chance while earning a bachelor of science degree from Pan American University in Edinburg, Texas, signing up to spend her senior year teaching migrant farm workers in Lake Odessa, a half-hour east of Grand Rapids.
Though homesick at first, she grew to love Michigan enough that she moved north to teach a total of 36 years, first in Montcalm and Van Buren counties, and then for Grand Rapids Public Schools, where she served the better part of three decades
In the classroom, she was an innovator and a stickler, raising a family of two children while earning a master’s degree at Grand Valley State University, with an emphasis in bilingual education.
“I was a tough teacher,” she says, again brimming with pride. “What I did was assign everyone leadership positions, even if it was in the role of passing out papers, sharpening pencils, watering the plants. Everyone deserves to be a part of something.”
Her voice rises in remembering that “My students didn’t come into the classroom and ever act crazy. First thing, they had to line up. Then I’d check to make sure they had their paper and pencil, their lesson. Every day. Every hour. And if they didn’t have it, they’d better get it.
“Guess what? They’d only mess up once. Once. I mean, what good is a carpenter who shows up to work without his hammer? Are you going to work that day? You’d better figure it out.”
She shakes her head with disgust: “There were other teachers who would just give a kid who forgot another pencil. But that’s not making it a teaching moment, is it? In my class, you showed up and you’d better be ready to learn.”
Lupe Ramos-Montigny, right, at a Chavez committee meeting.
Finding Another Gear
Ramos-Montigny retired from the classroom in 2008, but continued to beat drums for others, and in a dozen different ways.
She’d already heavily invested her time and efforts into the Hispanic community. For 17 years, she’s chaired the Committee to Honor Cesar E. Chavez that galvanizes an entire community each spring and serves as a springboard for scholarships. Three years ago, the Lupe Ramos-Montigny “Si Se Puede” (Yes We Can) Legacy Endowed Scholarship was established at GVSU. Since its inception, seven scholarships of $3,000 each have been awarded.
On the political front, she’s advanced the cause of the local Democratic party with gusto. She was elected to chair the Kent County Democratic Party, its first Latina. She’s also the first Latina to become the second vice-chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, and has attended numerous Democratic national conventions.
Since retiring especially, she’s received a dozen impressive awards for community action, including the Helen Claytor Civil Rights Award, Dave and Carol Van Andel Leadership Award, an honorary doctorate from Ferris State University and more. She also has served on behalf of innumerable committees, caucuses, foundations and organizations.
‘IN MY CLASS, YOU SHOWED UP AND YOU’D BETTER BE READY TO LEARN.’ — LUPE RAMOS-MONTIGNY
In November 2012, she garnered nearly 2 million votes in earning a spot on the Michigan State Board of Education, with a term that extends through 2020.
People who have worked alongside Ramos-Montigny – and even those who have opposed her politically – agree it’s no surprise she’s ascended to lofty positions of trust.
“I’ve known Lupe for most of my adult life,” says former Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell. “She’s intensely loyal to her friends, and … well, I wouldn’t want to be her enemy.”
According to Heartwell, Ramos-Montigny “brings a passion and energy to everything she does. And since just about everything she does has to do with kids, that means there are few more passionate about the well-being of children than Lupe.”
Most recently, Heartwell points out, Ramos-Montigny is active with a statewide initiative known as the Safe Places Alliance, focused on protecting children and adults alike from gun violence. “In our present political environment,” Heartwell emphasizes, “this is frustrating work. But Lupe comes at it with dogged determinism.”
Indeed, it seems nothing can stand as an obstacle.
“There’s no book that says you have to like Ramos-Montigny,” she says with a laugh. “I just believe in doing good work, and hoping others join in.
“My motto? Do not allow anyone or anything to get in the way of progress.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
The $25,000 Global Religion Research Initiative grant allows Calvin professor Tracy Kuperus to collaborate with social science scholars of religion from around the world. (Courtesy Calvin College)
By Hannah Ebeling, Calvin College
The Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the University of Notre Dame awarded Calvin College international development studies professor, Tracy Kuperus, in collaboration with faculty from five other institutions, a $25,000 grant. The central purpose of the grant is to foster new, potentially long-term empirical research collaborations between social science scholars of religion in North America and those beyond the North Atlantic.
Exploring youth, faith and politics
“We’re interested in exploring how Christian institutions on the African continent influence citizenship norms and behaviors among African youth,” said Kuperus. “There’s been a lot of work done on African youth, and a lot of work done on African politics and religion, but there’s very little research bringing those two areas together. As far as we know, we’ll be bridging those research areas for the first time.”
“I think this project has the potential to shape future studies in three ways,” said Amy Patterson, professor at Sewanee University of the South. “First, it calls attention to how churches may be shaping the political attitudes or behaviors of young people. Second, it aims to examine how youth at the community level understand citizenship. Thus the project will bring a uniquely African view to a concept that is often portrayed using the research and language from Western political scientists. Finally, the project dissects the youth category, often treated as a homogeneous mass. We will examine how male and female youth may be influenced in different ways by churches and how church messages on citizenship may differ across socioeconomic lines.”
“As Christian scholars, we have a commitment to understanding what global citizenship and partnership looks like around the world. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are everywhere, but we don’t know as much about what faith commitments look like outside of the United States, especially as that pertains to political engagement. This is a research effort exploring what that looks like within the African continent,” said Kuperus.
Facilitating global collaboration
Although the Global Religion Research Initiative awards six distinct research and writing grants, this one is unique because it is internationally collaborative, explained Kuperus. “I think the really invaluable part of this project is that each of the three American political scientists on the research team will be paired with an African social scientist.”
Africa is an underrepresented continent in a lot of ways.
“Unfortunately, a lot of the resources that pertain to African research are found in the global north, coming from institutions that do not have long-standing or natural connections with the continent,” said Kuperus. “Because of this, knowledge about the continent is often informed by stereotypes and broad generalizations that do not catch the nuances and complexities of any sector—whether that be religion, politics, or youth.” This project emends Global North-Global South partnerships. “This grant is great because it encourages recipients to get outside their network and bridge gaps that should have been bridged ages ago.”
“A crucial aspect also is that the American scholars have worked with the African scholars on teaching and curriculum development in the past,” said Patterson. “For example, my portion of the project is to conduct research with Dr. Phoebe Kajubi, a medical anthropologist in Kampala who also partners with my institution to oversee summer internships. She also spent a semester teaching at my university. Thus, our collaborations occur on multiple levels—teaching, curriculum design, and now the research project.”
Conducting multi-method research
The team’s research project is multi-method involving quantitative analysis in the initial stages. “During summer 2018, each American political scientist will travel to one African country where she has extensive connections,” said Kuperus. “In partnership with an African social scientist, she will be conducting interviews with directors of Christian ecumenical organizations, conducting focus groups with youth connected to neighborhood churches, and, finally, interviewing youth political activists.”
Kuperus said that as a Christian she is committed to redeeming how people view political involvement and citizenship.
“Politics is viewed so negatively,” she said. “People want to close themselves off from politics and not get engaged, but we want Christians to be engaged. Christians can hold governments accountable and advocate for laws and policies that bring about societal flourishing.” In the future, Kuperus said she hopes her research team can continue to build off the research they are beginning now. “I also hope this opens the door for other researchers in the field.”
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet — or few — from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Big Sid’s Sanctuary. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
We first laid eyes on Ellyn back in the fall of 2014, when clients of Dr. Jen’s brought her in for medical attention; she had been a stray for quite some time and was in dire need of care. When Dr. Jen first examined this beguiling brown torbie (who was born in the spring of 2010), Dr. Jen discovered that Ellyn was significantly anemic secondary to a blood parasite caused by a heavy flea infestation, had a bilateral ear infection due to untreated ear mites, was plagued by chronic nasal discharge (since her ear infection had ruptured the ear drums and was deep-seeded in the Eustachian tubes), had an umbilical hernia that had to be repaired once she was healthy enough to be spayed AND had lost ALL of her teeth.
To complicate matters, she was also FIV+, but in all honesty, that was the least of her worries. When her rescuers learned of her laundry list of ailments, they didn’t turn her away, and even though Dr. Jen offered to take kitty into our program at Big Sid’s, they instead opted to take her home, treat her and hopefully get her well enough to become part of their household. It took several weeks before Ellyn bounced back, but overall we were all pleased with her progress and they were totally smitten with her! In fact, the three of them lived happily and harmoniously together until the fall of 2017, when sadly it was her humans’ health issues that brought her back to Dr. Jen.
Unfortunately, when our gorgeous girl returned to the clinic this time around, she had yet another list of things that needed addressing, though not from neglect but rather circumstances beyond everyone’s control. Her ear issues were back with an vengeance, her eyes were quite inflamed and irritated, eventually leading to a nasty corneal ulcer in her left orb, and she needed a new fancy haircut as she was very matted.
However, this lovely lady did NOT let her present circumstances get her down, and once Dr. Jen had Ellyn spruced up and feeling fine, she was sent to our shelter to meet everyone; literally everyone who meets Ellyn is completely in love with her as she is just so, so sweet! She is the first one to greet you at the door and won’t stop following you until you sit down for some cuddle time. She will most definitely do great in any home that will give her plenty of lap time, and in return she promises to be your official lap warmer and snuggle bug!
In the meantime we are all enjoying the charming creature that is Ellyn, she who embodies grace and possesses the gentlest of spirits.
More about Ellyn
NOTE: A $825 grant from Lil BUB’s Big Fund for the ASPCA will enable Crash’s Landing & Big Sid’s Sanctuary, to fund comprehensive exams for five Big Sid’s Sanctuary cats before going to their new home. Each exam would include a full blood panel, dental care, radiographs, urinalysis, antibiotics and pain medication, if needed. Big Sid’s caters exclusively to cats who test positive for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) or FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus). FIV and FeLV are viruses that can, if they flare up, suppress a cat’s immune system. The shelter takes cats with FIV or FeLV from all over Michigan.
Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!
Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming, no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be found.
By Megan Andres, Grand Rapids Public Library, Seymour Branch
In 1717, Prussian emperor Frederick I presented Peter the Great with a remarkable treasure: enough wall-sized panels covered with meticulously carved amber to decorate an entire room. Eventually installed in a palace near St. Petersburg, the Amber Room was stolen by the Nazis during the 1941 siege of Leningrad and hidden in Konigsberg, now Kaliningrad—after which little is known.
Scott-Clark and Levy recorded their investigation into the whereabouts of the Amber Room in an effort to both educate and fascinate the world. By searching through Romanov archives, Soviet files, and secret documents of the East German Police, the authors retrace the history and disappearance of one of the world’s major art pieces. During a time when amber was more valuable than gold, the Amber Room vanished into thin air.
While the first chapters seem heavy with material as the authors set up the history of the Amber Room, once the clues begin to fall into place, Scott-Clark and Levy fascinate readers as they trace the Amber Room all over Europe. They investigate not only rumors of the location of the pieces but also known facts. Interviews and archival documents help to further tell the story of one of the most famous lost artifacts of World War II.
Photo 1. Oak wilt symptoms. A) Dying red oak showing foliar wilt symptoms. B) Crack in the bark indicating mycelial mat presence. C) Nitidulid beetle visiting a mycelial mat. D) Gray spore containing mycelial mat and pressure pad. Photos: Monique Sakalidis
By Monique Sakalidis, Michigan State University, Department of Forestry
Remember the no-prune dates of April 15–July 15 to reduce the chance of oak wilt infection.
Bretziella fagacearum (used to be known as Ceratocystisfagacearum) is a fungal pathogen that causes the disease oak wilt.
How did oak wilt come to the United States and how long has it been here?
Oak wilt was first recognized as an important disease in 1944 in Wisconsin, where in localized areas, over half the oaks had been killed. The fungal pathogen is thought to be native to the Eastern U.S. Difficulties in identifying the fungus led to a delay in recognizing the exact extent of its impact until the 1980s. More recent evidence suggests oak wilt is an exotic disease that arrived in the U.S. in the early 1900s. The fungus has not been reported in any other country other than the U.S., so its origin remains unknown. In Michigan, it was first reported in the 1970s.
Extent of range
In the U.S., oak wilt has been confirmed in 24 states, including 829 counties. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has confirmed oak wilt in 56 Michigan counties. Oaks comprise about 10 percent of the forest in Michigan and oak wilt has the potential to impact the 149 million red oak trees across 3.9 million acres of Michigan forest land (private, state, local government and federal ownership).
Why is oak wilt a problem?
Oak wilt is a serious disease of oak trees that mainly affects red oaks. The disease also affects white oaks, but because they are somewhat more resistant (due to their better ability of compartmentalizing the fungus whilst maintaining a functioning water transport system), the disease progresses more slowly. Activities that result in tree wounding such as pruning, tree climbing spikes, nailing signs on trees, hanging lanterns on trees, tree barking and storm damage during the warmer months of the year can result in more new tree infections. Oak wilt causes devastating ecosystem damage and is also an aesthetic blight across the landscape.
Oak wilt symptoms
An infected tree is often first noticed due to a sudden drop or browning of leaves in the summer months (Photo 1A). Leaves may be brown, somewhat bronzed or partially green. Often, leaf tips and margins will be bronze or brown whilst the leaf base will remain green (Photo 2). There are other pest, pathogen and environmental problems that may cause similar symptoms and therefore it’s important that suspected oak wilt-infected trees are lab verified.
Photo 2. Typical fallen leaves associated with oak wilt. Photo: Monique Sakalidis.
How it kills the tree
Once the fungus enters the tree via a spore coming into contact with a tree wound or via interconnecting root grafts, it grows throughout the water conducting channels of the tree—the xylem vessels. These vessels are eventually blocked by the fungus and structures produced by the tree, and this means water cannot be effectively transported and we start to see the “wilting” effects. Tree death in red oak is rapid and can occur within three to four weeks after initial appearance of symptoms.
Six to 12 months after the tree has died, the fungus will complete its life cycle and produce spore-containing mycelial mats (Photo 1D) on the dead tree. These mats form under the bark and, as they mature, produce specialized, non-spore producing structures in the center of the fungal mat called “pressure pads” that exert pressure outward to the bark, causing it to split (Photo 1B) and thus provides a route for insects to reach the mycelial mats. These mycelial mats have a distinctive odor that makes them attractive to a variety of beetles (Photo 1C) that will feed on the mat then fly to other mats or fresh tree wounds, through which the fungus then enters the tree and starts the infection process anew.
How it is spread
Spread of the disease is rapid and there are multiple ways the disease can be spread.
Below ground by root-to-root transmission. Local spread of oak wilt occurs when the fungus travels through the interconnected roots of infected and healthy trees. This can account for up to 90 percent of new infections each year. This type of spread results in outwardly expanding pockets of dead trees (infection epicenters) in the landscape (up to 39 feet per year). One important management strategy when dealing with oak wilt is disrupting these root grafts via trenching or vibratory plows.
Overland by insect transmission. Nitidulid beetles carry fungal spores from sporulating mats on infected trees to wounds on healthy trees, from which a new infection can develop. Overland transmission results in new infection centers. Removing the entire infected tree, including stump removal, and limiting activities that result in tree wounding is essential to reduce overland infection.
Overland by firewood. Since mycelial mats develop on dead oak trees, they can also form on wood cut from infected oaks. Sporadic long-distance infections can result from moving firewood. Specific handling of firewood is mentioned below.
Cool and unusual facts
One way this fungus is spread is by sap-feeding nitidulid beetles, also known as picnic beetles, and, to a lesser extent, bark beetles. The mycelial mats smell like fermenting apple cider vinegar, red wine or even bubblegum.
Management actions and options
Because red oaks have no natural resistance to this disease, the only way to stop new infection is to prevent the spread of the fungus to new, healthy trees and locations, and reduce the fungal presence or inoculum load in known oak wilt-positive locations. This is done by reducing activities that cause tree wounding, disrupting root grafts that may have formed between healthy and infected trees, and by removing confirmed oak wilt-positive trees.
Help prevent the spread of oak wilt
Do not prune oak trees during the warmer months of the year. Limit any activity that results in tree wounding or movement of cut trees, such as pruning, harvesting, thinning, utility line clearance and firewood. To prevent aboveground spread, trees should not be pruned from April 15 to July 15.
Paint tree wounds with pruning paint as soon as they are made. Beetles have been known to find their way onto wounds within 10 minutes of pruning.
Do not move firewood. If you cut oak down, either chip, debark, burn or bury it. If you cut it into firewood, cover the wood with a plastic sheet (minimum 4-millimeter thickness) and bury the edges of the plastic underground, making sure none of the plastic breaks. This needs to be left for six to 12 months until the wood has dried out enough—and therefore isn’t conducive to fungal growth—and the bark falls off.
Michigan Golden Gloves Boxing action will again be covered by the WKTV sports coverage crew. (Supplied)
Mike Moll, WKTV Volunteer Sports Director
sports@wktv.org
WKTV’s Mike Moll.
Many of the local schools have the first week of April off for their spring breaks, but after that, the spring seasons all pick up in full swing, mother nature permitting that is. The WKTV truck and crew will once again be visible at local events as they bring viewers a pair of girls’ water polo matches along with a softball game during the monthly schedule.
They will be busy outside of the local high school scene as well when they cover the GVSU Lubbers Cup, along with coverage of the Golden Gloves boxing. Be sure to check the weekly schedule to see when they will be broadcast.
Each will be broadcast live or replay on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 and can also be seen on AT&T U-verse 99.
The busy tentative April WKTV feature broadcast schedule with tentative day and time of broadcast, includes:
Tuesday, April 10, East Kentwood girls water polo vs. Zeeland West (Tuesday, April 17, at 11 p.m. and Wednesday, April 18, at 5 p.m)
Friday-Sunday, April 13-15, GVSU Lubbers Cup (Live Saturday, April 14, 10-noon and 4-7 p.m.)
Saturday, April 14, Golden Gloves Boxing (Sunday, April 15 at Noon)
Wednesday, April 18, Kelloggsville softball vs Tri-Unity/Calvin Christian (Friday, April 20, at 11 p.m. and Saturday, April 21, at 5 p.m.)
Friday, April 20, Golden Gloves Boxing (Saturday, April 21, at 11 a.m.)
Tuesday, April 24, East Kentwood girls water polo vs. Portage Central (11 p.m. night of and repeat on Wednesday at 5 p.m)
Friday, April 27, Golden Gloves Boxing (Saturday, April 28, at 11 a.m.)
WKTV offers on-demand viewing of high school sports. (WKTV)
All games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com .
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and features on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/
Following is the this week’s complete high school sports schedule:
Monday, April 9
Boys Lacrosse
South Christian @ Jenison
Boys Baseball
Hopkins @ Godwin Heights
Wyoming Lee @ Kelloggsville
Girls Softball
Hopkins @ Godwin Heights – DH
Wyoming Lee @ Kelloggsville – DH
Girls Soccer
Tri-Unity Christian @ Kelloggsville
Barry County Christian @ West Michigan Aviation
Tuesday, April 10
Boys Baseball
South Christian @ Wyoming – DH
West Michigan Aviation @ Belding – DH
West Ottawa @ East Kentwood – DH
Potter’s House @ Barry County Christian
Girls Softball
South Christian @ Wyoming – DH
Cedar Springs @ East Kentwood – DH
Girls Soccer
South Christian @ Wyoming
Wyoming Lee @ NorthPointe Christian
Holland Calvary @ Zion Christian
Hudsonville Hornets @ West Michigan Aviation
Grand Haven @ East Kentwood
Hope Academy @ Potter’s House
Boys Golf
Calvin Christian @ South Christian
Wellsprings Prep @ Tri-Unity Christian
Girls Tennis
East Kentwood @ South Christian – Cookie Invite
Jenison @ Wyoming
Boys/Girls Track
Godwin Heights @ Wyoming Lee
Middleville T-K @ Wyoming
Calvin Christian @ Kelloggsville
Girls Water Polo
Zeeland West @ East Kentwood – WKTV Featured Event
Wednesday, April 11
Girls Softball
South Christian @ Caledonia – DH
Godwin Heights @ Hopkins
Kelloggsville @ Wyoming Lee
Unity Christian @ East Kentwood
Girls Tennis
South Christian @ Wyoming
Calvin Christian @ Kelloggsville
Byron Center @ East Kentwood
Boys/Girls Track
South Christian @ FH Eastern
Boys Baseball
Godwin Heights @ Hopkins
Kelloggsville @ Wyoming Lee
Girls Soccer
Hopkins @ Godwin Heights
Wyoming Lee @ Kelloggsville
Boys Golf
East Kentwood @ Grandville
Thursday, April 12
Boys Baseball
Wyoming @ South Christian
GR Crusdaers @ Wyoming Lee
Zion Christian @ Holland Calvary
Holland Calvary @ Zion Christian
West Michigan Aviation @ Heritage Christian – DH
East Kentwood @ West Ottawa
Potter’s House @ Western Michigan Christian
Girls Soccer
Wayland @ South Christian
Wyoming @ East Grand Rapids
Saugatuck @ Zion Christian
West Michigan Aviation @ Heritage Christian
Caledonia @ East Kentwood
Boys Lacrosse
Muskegon Mona Shores @ South Christian
Boys Golf
South Christian @ Kent County Championships
East Kentwood @ Kent County Championships
Boys/Girls Track
Benton Harbor @ Godwin Heights
Wyoming Lee @ Hopkins
NorthPointe Christian @ Kelloggsville
Grandville @ East Kentwood
Girls Tennis
Muskegon Catholic Central @ Tri-Unity Christian
@ East Kentwood – Quad
Girls Softball
Caledonia @ East Kentwood
Girls Water Polo
West Ottawa @ East Kentwood
Friday, April 13
Girls Soccer
Potter’s House @ Godwin Heights
Ottawa Hills @ Wyoming Lee
NorthPointe Christian @ Zion Christian
Hudsonville Hornets @ Tri-Unity Christian
East Kentwood @ Northview
Boys Golf
Kelloggsville @ Calvin Christian
Boys Baseball
Zion Christian vs Potter’s House @ Cornerstone University
Barry County Christian @ Tri-Unity Christian – DH
Girls Water Polo
East Kentwood @ Saline – Invite
Saturday, April 14
Boys Baseball
South Christian @ East Kentwood – EK Invite
Godwin Heights @ Wyoming – Invite
Kelloggsville @ Wyoming- Invite
Union @ Kelloggsville – DH
Girls Softball
South Christian @ East Kentwood – EK Invite
Boys Golf
South Christian @ Christian – Christian Invite
Kelloggsville @ Kenowa Hills – Wilson Classic
Girls Tennis
South Christian @ East Kentwood – EK Invite
Kelloggsville @ Wyoming – Invitational
Boys/Girls Track
South Christian @ Unity Christian – Houseward Invite
Wyoming @ Comstock Park
West Michigan Aviation @ Lakewood
East Kentwood @ Mansfield/Mehock Relays
Potter’s House @ Big Rapids Crossroads Academy
Girls Water Polo
East Kentwood @ Saline – Invite
Monday, April 16
Girls Soccer
South Christian @ Christian
Wyoming @ FH Eastern
Wyoming Lee @ Belding
Kelloggsville @ Calvin Christian
Grand River Prep @ Lake Odessa Lakewood
Fruitport Calvary @ Potter’s House
Boys Golf
South Christian @ Forest Hills Invite
Tri-Unity Christian @ Kelloggsville
Girls Tennis
South Christian @ Wayland
Wyoming @ East Grand Rapids
Kelloggsville @ West Catholic
East Kentwood @ West Ottawa
Boys Baseball
Union @ Godwin Heights
Belding @ Wyoming Lee
Kelloggsville @ Calvin Christian
West Michigan Aviation @ Barry County Christian – DH
